I’m at Giles’ place enjoying a glass of this year’s Beaujolais Nouveau. It’s trés joli.
Category Archives: Update
Blogging Streak Has Ended
The last three days were either busy or I was too emotionally spent to blog. More of the latter than the former, if we’re being honest. Yesterday was Momcat’s birthday and the days leading up to it are very challenging for me. But I’m feeling better now, and ready to get back into the game.
Bearing Witness
Like many other people, I’m extremely disgusted by all the news coming out of the Penn State sexual abuse scandal.
What upsets me the most, though, is how easy it is for us as humans to do nothing when we see suffering or pain.
Will Humes is a Methodist minister based in Pennsylvania. I know him through a social network. And while we have never met in person, I am always moved by his comments about faith, spirituality, and compassion.
Today he preached a moving, eloquent sermon to his congregation about what the Penn State situation has to teach us about helping others, and about the need to bear witness. It’s not heavy-handed or a Bible-thumper. It’s full of truth and light and hope that if we all recommit ourselves to bearing witness, we can change the world.
Give it a read and let me know what you think. And if Will’s message deeply resonates with you, please comment on his site.
The Truth Could Be Out There, But We Have More Important Stuff to Do
Did you see this statement from the White House about alien life on Earth?
There were less than 25,000 signatures total on two separate petitions (numbers added by me):
1. WE PETITION THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TO:
Immediately disclose the government’s knowledge of and communications with extraterrestrial beings
This Petition calls for the President to disclose to the American people the long withheld knowledge of government interactions with extraterrestrial beings and call for open Congressional hearings to allow the people to become aware of this subject through those whose voices have been silenced by unconstitutional secrecy oaths.
2. WE PETITION THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TO:
formally acknowledge an extraterrestrial presence engaging the human race – Disclosure.
Disclosure Petition – Paradigm Research Group
“We, the undersigned, strongly urge the President of the United States to formally acknowledge an extraterrestrial presence engaging the human race and immediately release into the public domain all files from all agencies and military services relevant to this phenomenon.”
___
Hundreds of military and government agency witnesses have come forward with testimony confirming this extraterrestrial presence. Opinion polls now indicate more than 50% of the American people believe there is an extraterrestrial presence and more than 80% believe the government is not telling the truth about this phenomenon. The people have a right to know. The people can handle the truth.
Relevant Websites: www.disclosurepetition.info, www.paradigmresearchgroup.org
The response is typical government issue:
The U.S. government has no evidence that any life exists outside our planet, or that an extraterrestrial presence has contacted or engaged any member of the human race. In addition, there is no credible information to suggest that any evidence is being hidden from the public’s eye.
However, that doesn’t mean the subject of life outside our planet isn’t being discussed or explored. In fact, there are a number of projects working toward the goal of understanding if life can or does exist off Earth.
I don’t know which bugs me more, the fact that there are much bigger issues going on right now and this got a response, or that the alien conspiracy folks all banded together and thought they might actually get a straight answer from the Oval Office on whether or not this stuff is real.
Didn’t you people watch “The X-Files”? Yeah, yeah, it’s a fictional show. But what happened with Watergate, the Iran contra affair and [insert any other big political scandal over the last 25 years here] should prove that the Feds are never going to let people know whether or not aliens exist.
But if I see Obama letting his daughters walk around wearing tin foil hats, well, I’ll know the truth.
The New Kid in Town
Today was a busy day. Well, the last half of it was, anyway. That’s all because there’s a new kid in town.
The Kitten Formerly Known as Jackson, or TKFKAJ for short.
Since Mossimo the Pimptastic Cat died last August, it’s been tough on Ippie the Tech Wizard Kitten. She was used to having Moss to groom and tackle and play with occasionally. I kept promising her a buddy, but as I’ve been stretched thin financially for several months I couldn’t afford to adopt.
Then yesterday I got a nice juicy check for writing a bunch of items in a local magazine. The check was more than I’d originally calculated (math is not my strong suit), so there was much rejoicing throughout the land. I finally had enough money to get Ippie a playmate.
I had been surfing the SPCA’s website for a few weeks, seeing if there were any young orange and white male cats up for adoption. For some reason I’d been fixated on that color scheme for several months. So when I saw this little guy, I knew he was it. And when I drove to the SPCA today in the rain, I had this feeling I would always remember how it had been a rainy November afternoon when he came into our lives.
While the name given to him by the SPCA staff was Jackson, I’m thinking Rooney is much more fitting. For me, I’ll always associate that name with a legendary writer and newsman who once said, “Writers don’t retire, and I’ll always be a writer.” And since Ippie was named for a piece of technology that changed my life, it strikes me as fitting to name this little guy after someone who made a living doing the one thing I most love to do.
So welcome, Rooney. We think you’re gonna like it here.
There’s gold in Sacramento!
Saw an article at Treehugger about renewed interest in gold mining in California. The Sutter Creek mines, only45 miles from where I live in Sacramento, are a possibility.
I get there’s an environmental impact and that it will take time before mining can actually begin, but damn, it would be fun to have gold mines open. Maybe it will revitalize many a native Californian’s pioneering spirit. Maybe people struggling with debt and unemployment will be excited by the prospect of, well, prospecting.
Or maybe it will turn out to be a complete waste of time and money.
So far so good
Well, I’ve blogged every day this month, so I’d say I’m doing well with NaBloPoMo. But tonight I am tired and lazy. It’s raining out, my bed and comfy gray blanket are calling my name, and I don’t feel like making a huge effort to be particularly clever or creative.
Since I don’t want to feel guilty or wrong about writing such a lame post, instead I’ll post a few links to some good articles, videos and blog posts I read this week.
- Google and Gmail users, consider this your hot tip for the week: check your Google Dashboard every couple of months to see what’s on there.
- A few minutes ago I was standing in my closet, trying to figure out what I want to wear to Thanksgiving dinner this year. This article has some helpful suggestions for looking cute while noshing on cranberry sauce.
- According to this MSNBC news story, if you’re flying anywhere this holiday season, you may want to leave your prosthetics at home.
- And to wrap things up, something fun: a sweet little video clip from “Britain’s Got Talent” – an 80-year-old singer from Glasgow. Move over, Susan Boyle.
What news stories and blog posts caught your eye this week?
Just When You Thought Moxie Was MIA
Good news, kids. I am still around. But I’m thrilled that I finally got my own domain set up with WordPress. I have been geeking out over the last few weeks, testing out settings, learning how the code works. It’s been annoying, fun, interesting and affirming – and that was just yesterday.
I still can’t guarantee lots of blog posts, which I’m sure doesn’t surprise anyone. But there’s a lot of new readers coming to the blog – I think it’s because of a comment I made on a Dumb Little Man post about astrology – and I’ve realized that there’s not much point in advertising my blog posts if I’m not going to post anything. I have a few ideas on the direction I want to take, now it’s just a matter of getting it there.
I’m going to be tweaking various and sundry aspects of the site quite often, so if you see anything that looks wonky, please let me know.
The 5-Minute Update
This whole full-time job thing really interferes with my blogging time, I must say. Several people have given me flak for not writing more – you know who you are (cough-T-wizzle-cough).
Until that magic moment when I actually focus on creating more time to blog, here’s a quick rundown of what’s been going on.
1. I am doing well, thanks for asking.
2. New Orleans was a lot of fun. The Voodoo Music Experience was fantastic – R.E.M.’s show was incredible, Stone Temple Pilots and Nine Inch Nails were great, Erykah Badu was awesome. I have now used up all my synonyms for “damn good” in this post.
3. I am now in a carpool that has saved my sanity. Still bussing it from time to time – will probably do so tonight as I got to the office quite early – but it’s not as much anymore.
4. I plan on buying a car by the end of the month.
5. I am still working on my new blog, Mass Transit Tales. I’m hoping to get the core of it posted by the end of this year. If you’d like to submit a story that is inspiring, humorous without being snarky and involves riding the bus/train/subway/trolley, please send it to editors at masstransittales dot com.
And now for a quick shout out:
To all you veterans out there, thanks for all you’ve done for the U.S.A. I hope President-elect Obama does right by you and gets you the medical and financial assistance you need.
To Aunt Gigi, happy birthday! She’s a big lover of Spode Christmas Tree dinnerware (see below), office supplies, party planning and enjoying life. May the next year be full of wonderful blessings for you, Gigi. I’ll see you at Christmas – and this year, I am going to blog about the Spode.
Back in the Blogging Groove – Well, for an Hour, Anyway
It’s been about a month since I updated the blog with any news on my life, and people are starting to ask questions. Now that I’m comfortably ensconced at Starbucks with a vanilla latte and a company laptop (more on that in a moment), I feel inspired to post again.
Work: I am still enjoying my job immensely, even when it makes me nutty. The drama that comes up is manageable and often quite humorous. One of my clients is about to launch a website, and setting up demos and interviews has been fun yet challenging. In the process I’ve learned a lot from my boss about the art of delicately negotiating coverage and handling excitable clients who want results yesterday.
I now have an account coordinator that reports to me. Learning how to be middle management without being a micromanaging tool has also been challenging. For years I wanted to be a manager and now that I’m in that role, I find management to be way overrated. Not only do I have to do my work, I have to make sure that she’s keeping busy, understands her tasks and deadlines, etc. It’s more than a notion.
Several of my colleagues read the blog now, and I’m realizing even more how I need to be very clear on what I’m willing to blog and what I need to keep to myself. It’s in my nature to be an open book, so self-editing feels somewhat unnatural. I keep reminding myself that if I can’t say it out loud, I’m not allowed to blog about it.
That being said, there’s a lot of venting and bitching I’d like to do publicly but I don’t want to offend anyone or get myself into trouble. Mainly my venting has to do with generational differences in work ethic, attitude and overall outlook on life. I remember behaving the same way as my younger colleagues not so long ago, so it’s easier to be empathetic and realize they will have to get some hard knocks before it’s clear as to what behavior is acceptable and what isn’t. At times, though, I want to call up former employers and supervisors and apologize for being such an arrogant little shit.
Life: My long commute and work hours sometimes render me comatose. Yesterday it wasn’t until 7 p.m. that I finally got showered and dressed. I’m recognizing more and more the necessity of work/life balance, and I’m looking more into what technology I can use to help me achieve some balance (more on that in a minute). I also have an order in for some liquid vitamin supplement thingy so that may help too. I try to get out and socialize with friends and attend Meetups as much as I can without overtaxing myself, and I’ve been forcing myself to get away from my desk for at least 30 minutes at lunchtime, just so I have a chance to clear my head and decompress.
Love: For the past few months, I’ve been spending time with Peter*, a warm, funny, kind man who has been very patient with me and my occasional bouts of mistrust and panic over “where is this going???” He reads the blog and provides commentary to me, and questions the need for blogs in general. Sometimes that makes my head explode, but for the most part I am amused by his comments. I enjoy his company and do my best to respect his privacy, so you won’t see much about him on the blog.
Technology: As part of my ongoing attempt to feel balanced between life and work, I’m embracing a bit more convergence in my technology. I’m borrowing a laptop from work – an IBM Thinkpad that is actually quite fast and uses XP, thank god – and I just bought a first-generation iPhone from a friend who upgraded to the 3G model. I’ve set up accounts with I Want Sandy, the virtual personal assistant who sends you email, text message and Twitter reminders when you have crap to get done; Zenbe, a web-based email aggregator; and FriendFeed, a service that makes it easy to track all my social networks. I just picked up a new SIM card from AT&T prior to coming to Starbucks, so here’s hoping that the process of getting the iPhone fired up and working goes smoothly. I do need to update the Technology/Moxie scoreboard as there have been some amusing incidents recently.
I’ve got a few web things in the works…a new blog, an upgrade to Girl with Moxie, and some other fun stuff. So stay tuned and follow me on Twitter if you’re so inclined.