The right thing.

Despite my earlier jokes, I am, along with the rest of the United States, mesmerized and horrified with the destruction of Hurricane Katrina. For those of you who feel the same, visit here, and do the right thing.

UPDATE

I'm sitting here watching TV and alternating between coverage of Katrina and other shows. What strikes me is all the pointless commercials - the Toyota grand summer clearance - and I'm struck by a single thought. What if network stations and companies paired together. Rather than air ads, spend an entire day's or week's advertising revenue on relief aid. Millions in one single act.

Gas Today

Gas Today
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

C'mon... You know you feel this way too!

You might be neurotic if...

you spend an hour in bed late at night wondering if you erred gramatically on your post. Dictionary.com settles this battle in my own mind.

unsatisfied

adj
1: not having been satisfied [syn: unsated, unsatiated]

dissatisfied

adj.
Feeling or exhibiting a lack of contentment or satisfaction.

also see:

dis·sat·is·fy

tr.v. dis·sat·is·fied, dis·sat·is·fy·ing, dis·sat·is·fies
To fail to satisfy; disappoint.

Medical Speak

Once again I steal shamelessly from the Jackalope.

****

In pharmacology, all drugs have two names - a trade name and a generic name. For example, the trade name of Tylenol is acetaminophen, Aleve is known as naproxen, Amoxil is amoxicillin, and Advil is ibuprofen.

The FDA has been looking for a generic name for Viagra. After consideration by a team of government experts, it recently announced it has settled on the generic name of mycoxafloppin. Also considered were mycoxafailin, mydixadrupin, mydixarizin, mydixadud, dixafix, and of course ibepokin.

Pfizer Corporation is making an announcement today that VIAGRA will soon be available in liquid form and will be marketed by Pepsi Cola as a power beverage suitable for use as a mixer. Pepsi's proposed ad campaign claims it will now be possible for a man to literally pour himself a stiff one.

Obviously we can no longer call this a soft drink.

This additive gives new meaning to cocktails, highballs and just a good old fashioned stiff drink. Pepsi will market the new concoction by the name of Mount & Do.

An open letter to Nine West

Dear Nine West -

I am not what you would call fashion forward or trendy. In fact, though I hate to admit it, I often find myself wondering whether I should be featured on TLC's "What not to Wear". My approach to fashion is mainly through comfort and time transcending pieces - I stick to the nuts and bolts. I am also somewhat of a casual dresser, even for work. (Think business casual).

I fell in love with your products as a tender teen. My first purchase?

My Mary Janes
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

These loveable Mary Janes. Oh how I wanted them. I drove all over Southern California to find the right size and color. I wore them to one of my first formals ever (ok so I was behind in the dating department too...) I found a great dress on sale for $40, but I paid over twice that for your adorable shoes. (I might add that more than 10 years later, I still own these shoes.)

Over time, I became a Nine West conoisseur of sorts. I now boast the following gear:

Nine West Gear
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

Please note the matching purse and wallet. My lovely boyfriend will attest to how I dragged him around an entire outlet mall until I found your store. It was heaven. I bought those cute little chocolate brown sandals last summer and have been wearing them ever since. I even use one of your Nine West metal tags as a key chain.

So I was shocked this summer when SOMETHING WENT HORRIBLY WRONG.

YIKES
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

My dear Nine West, I found these shoes lovingly nestled in the Camarillo Outlet Mall where I went with my parents and my sister this past July. I loved them on sight - the funky cork heels and that smooth black leather. And yet, it has not been a full two months and they are gone, dying a painful death. WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO YOU?

I maintain hope that my next purchases will wear longer and last me throughout the course of time. But until then, I remain...

~Your Unsatisfied Customer~

For those of you

who desire to live in a Suburbian nightmare, your wait may be over. Or not. Apparently there is a flamingo boycott. And I always thought boycotting them was a matter of taste.

Venice

New Orleans
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

Unless this is a picture of the Venice Canals, this just ain't right. This is why I live in earthquake country. By the time the water is up to my doorstep, my house has fallen into the ocean for good.

Neat-o!

Lots of cool stuff today... check this out!

I don't think I could do it...

but you gotta give this guy kudos.

In for a treat....

Today's horoscope:

"Thought yesterday was good? Well you're in for a treat! You've got a repeat coming at you. Except things could get even better. You're so full of energy and charm, you can't help but make everything go right."

Well considering that I was at work until almost 11pm last night and had to get back at 6:30am this morning, I'd have to say that's 100% absolutely ass-tastic.

Java Be Good.

"Coffee provides more than just a morning jolt; that steaming cup of java is also the number one source of antioxidants in the U.S. diet, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Scranton (Pa.). Their study was described today at the 230th national meeting of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society."

I have found crack.

Munchies?
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

Please see picture to the right. I have found crack and this is it. It is horrific for me, but where else can you get pretzels, Doritos, Cheetos and Sun Chips in one bag????

I think the supernatural powers are on to me. Check out my horoscope for today:

"Doesn't your body deserve the best? So why are you feeding it fast food and potato chips and all other kinds of junk? Clean up your eating habits and see if that doesn't affect multiple other areas of your life."

In Search of Y Connectors

It has been an eventful weekend! Some highlights:

* Drinks with the ladies from work on Friday night.
* Movies, movies, movies.
* Laundry.
* Dinner with the fam (and found a house the 'rents put a bid on!)
* DVR Installed (caveat: Comcast DVR and TV with only one input means that DVR and DVD cannot both be plugged in. Hence a trip to RadioShack for some Y-connectors is first on the list for this week.)
* Homework done!

Ready for the new week? Not in a million years.

Movie Watch - August 2005

March of the Penguins
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

This is a movie weekend:

* March of the Penguins - this was fantastic, a definite 4-star flick. It was beautifully done, and an honest, poignant and fascinating look into nature. Of course, as Daddy Devil Works put it "If I'd had to walk 140 miles round trip to feed you regurgitated fish for your survival, I'm not sure you would have made it." Well put.

* The Brothers Grimm - I can't say that this was the flick to end all flicks, but this was decent entertainment on a Friday night. Terry Gilliam is odd, weird and quirky and I think he couldn't decide if this film should be mystic and complicated, or more slapstick. The result was a movie that started off being very funny, and progressed more seriously. I thought Heath Ledger and the woman who played Angelica were great, Matt Damon was good as well. Scenery and some of the shots reminded me of Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow. 3-stars.

Palm Springs Baby!

Guess who's planning the company retreat to Palm Springs in October? Guess who gets to go for 2-3 nights, all expenses paid, take minutes during the day and lay out by the desert pool later? Hopefully it will still be warm and yummy then. I know it's work but I can't wait!

Business Law Part I: "It's like, ohmigod, you know?"

I preface this entry with an apology to my friends who are full time students in graduate school. You know I'm not referring to you in this entry and you KNOW EXACTLY WHO I'm talking about - every school has a few of these.

******

So I suddenly found myself amidst a regression tonight. Up until now I've taken adult classes with adult students. We all have lives outside of the classroom - jobs to attend to, families, friends and responsibilities. We've left what a friend of mine affectionately calls the "lala years" which were our undergraduate careers. Except some people haven't.

A case in point:

Tonight 4 girls sat in front of me in class. The first came in and saved seats for the rest. The rest filed in wearing shiny t-shirts and jeans and carrying pretty perfect backpacks. Then they all proceeded to take out matching pencil/pen cases containing at least 5 colors of highlighters and at least 5 colors of ballpoint pens in addition to eye drops, white out, gum and assorted extras. The all wore pony tails and carried an assortment of gummy bears and chocolates that they proceeded to open and share throughout the lectures. One girl asked if it was required that we print out the Powerpoint slides and bring them to class.

Where in the fuck was I? A little something called the "I'm-still-an-undergraduate-despite-being-trapped-in-a-graduate-student's-body-zone."

I don't like it.

Read Part II to find out why I'll keep going back.

Business Law Part II

I was expecting Business Law to be interesting, but a lot of work and memorization. I was expecting an insane devotion to the casebook, but rather he just touted it as a great study guide, but not the bible.

In all honesty, I think I'm really going to love the course. Despite all the hype that ethics and the law receives today, it's very rare to really see someone who believes it. My professor does. And he told us today that he'd be ashamed of us if we left this school and fell into the trap or rhetoric of saying "well X company does it" or "it's legal, it doesn't hurt anyone." The moral minimum isn't enough. It makes me want to be a better person and a better business woman.

Don't ask me how we got here.

My life is rated R.
What is your life rated?

I like my wines sweet,

and my wit dry.

"Life cannot be classified in terms of a simple neurological ladder, with human beings at the top; it is more accurate to talk of different forms of intelligence, each with its strengths and weaknesses. This point was well demonstrated in the minutes before last December's tsunami, when tourists grabbed their digital cameras and ran after the ebbing surf, and all the 'dumb' animals made for the hills."

-B.R. Myers, author (1963- )

One of our own.

A while back I wrote about how this nation's war in Iraq was touching my life, albeit in small ways. It has happened again.

Today a work colleague packed up some of his belongings and quietly left, having received orders to ship out by next week to Afghanistan. They're saying that Afghanistan at this point is even more dangerous than Iraq. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised - I work for an Army-funded center - but I am.

I'm ashamed to say that most days I don't give this whole mess much thought. I try and focus on the positive, and it is only human nature to tune out repeated counts of violence in a land that seems so far away it might be make believe. (**Please note, I am not denying the existence, just stating that sometimes it seems so distant that it is like a bad dream).

I am not a religious person and I don't believe in a higher being. So when the thoughts "Please let him come home safe and please let this end soon" crossed my mind, I wondered who or what it is that I am asking for help. But please, let him come home safe and may we all as Americans find our way back to peace.

Pet Peeve: Ford

First there was the Ford Explorer.

Then we ventured to new frontiers with the Ford Expedition.

Now its the Ford EXcape. (no that's escape, it doesn't rhyme but they thought they'd slip that in on us)

New suggestions for future cars:

* Extension
* Excalibur
* Exception
* Exchange
* Express
* Expulsion
* Extension


And that was me and dictionary.com for 30 seconds.

My Bloginality!

My Bloginality is ESTJ!!!

I knew this because this is what I spent most of my communications class developing. Now what is an ESTJ?

As an ESTJ, your personality is Extrovert, Sensing, Thinking, and Judging. As an ESTJ, you are Extraverted, Sensing, Thinking, and Judging. This makes your primary focus on Extraverted Thinking with Introverted Sensing.

This is defined as a SJ personality, which is part of Carl Jung's Guardian (Security Seeking) type, and more specifically the Supervisors.

As a weblogger, you may fufill responsiblities as a leader in group weblogs. If you are really interested in blogging, you'll follow it through and post regularly. Because you appreciate social order, you may be likely to take on a responsibility just to keep a project going.

Famous ESTJs:

U.S. Presidents:
James Monroe
Andrew Jackson
William Henry "Tippecanoe" Harrison
Franklin Pierce
Grover Cleveland
Harry S. Truman
Lyndon B. Johnson

Others:
John D. Rockefeller
Bette Davis
Sam Walton, owner and founder of WalMart stores

Fictional:
Lucy (Charles Schultz's Peanuts character)
Mrs. Harbottle (Herriott, All Creatures Great and Small)

Hmmmm.... I'm not sure I enjoy all the comparisons. We all know Sam Walton was CRAZY.

DVR: The next step in my (r)evolution.

Yes folks the day has come when I can order DVR and enjoy recording anything, anytime, anywhere. Well ok, it's only single channel and I only get basic cable and I live in a studio apartment, but work with me here people.

Comcast has actually rolled out in my area, and the supercool cable guy (geez I hope he's no Jim Carrey) will be here on Sunday afternoon (they work Sundays???) to install my beloved DVR box for an extra $10 per month.

I may never leave the house again.

Hug an engineer!

Here's an interesting article over at the BBC that discusses the diminishing role of science and technology, particularly in education, and the Bush Administration's reliance on religion rather than science to explain history.

Bunny Hell

Bunny Hell
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

Caption this.

My ideas:

* Playboy Bunny
* Furry, plushie from CSI - all she needs is the bottom half of the costume and odd sexual preferences.
* Is this Easter Bunny gonna lay a Cadbury egg?
* Funny Bunny

Next Step: President of the USA

Never fear folks, should anything happen to the first 3,227 people, I'm there for you.


Get your position here

Alert the Amphibious Squadron.

A phrase that is not uttered nearly often enough.

Kind of reminds me of the time I was driving through the Texas panhandle, only dirt, dust and tumbleweeds in sight and I was passed by a truck that said "Caution: Amphibious Material Storage".

The weekend was interesting, but a long weekend with three days of school. We did conclude at noon or so today, however, so I managed to do lunch with my teammates and then catch a much-anticipated nap. Strange dreams though...working too hard will breed that.

So back to work tomorrow, and back to school Tuesday. This semester we'll be enjoying Business Law and Information Systems Strategy. Oh yeah, and figuring out what to do with the rest of my life.

See ya on the flip side.

*Title is a quote from Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. Angelina Jolie and the special effects rock my world.

For reference...

Wine has a good nose but wine doesn't GIVE GOOD NOSE. Thanks for clearing that up honey.

PS Not to be confused with giving good helmet.
PPS I give good phone.

Back to School

Despite the fact that it has only been 21 days since my last final, summer is officially over and school starts tomorrow. On a Friday you ask?

Question: What is the quickest way to anger and annoy 300 MBAs?
Answer: Trap them in school from 7:45am to 5pm on a Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Then start classes for Fall Semester on Monday.

Guess you know where I'll be for the next couple days.

Props to my wonderful man who's finding himself potentially up for 3 great jobs: a physics TA, a computer/physics researcher, and a physics equipment/lab manager. He's a smartie-pants!

Scott Adams eat your heart out.

Excerpted from a conversation with Daddy Devil Works.

(DDW works for a big healthcare company that shall remain nameless)

DDW: So you know the huge security breach in MS that has been in the news? Our IT firm (a rather large one at that) ignored the warnings so our network got infected.

ME: Hmmm that's smart.

DDW: We're now down in 14 states.

ME: Really?

DDW: We've been down a couple days. We had to send people home.

ME: Wow.

DDW: But that's not the best part. This morning, at the front doors, the IT guys were handing out fliers that said if you had a sticker on your computer, your computer had been cleaned and was ready to go. If it didn't have a sticker, it wasn't clean.

ME: Yeah?

DDW: So they didn't tell us that different stickers meant different things, and an X on the sticker meant it wasn't ready yet.

ME: You're kidding. Maybe they emailed that to you. *snicker*

DDW: Nope, so everyone logged in and the network was down again almost as soon as I got here. Luckily mine was clean so I pulled the network cable out.

ME: Go dad! So ummm what are you doing since you can't do anything?

DDW: Answering phone calls.

ME: Well at least you can get medical records, etc. via fax.

DDW: Nope, the fax goes straight into the computer.

ME: You're kidding. Scott Adams would so love this. So uhhhh have a good day at work?

(PS - L'il Sis, you GOTTA be able to use this somehow)

New tools.

Ok folks, this is not one I'm advocating, but just something I found today. I've always struggled to keep online to do lists, use PDAs etc. because I can never quite get the functionality I need or keep the batteries charged long enough. (That and I have an affinity for paper; I'm old-style.)

So here's another thought:

Backpackit.com

I signed up today. More comments when I have them.

A new word.

Other people make things up, why can't we. A new word in dealing with the graduate school administration (courtesy of a co-worker with the same plights):

Bureaucrazy

QOTD

There is a road from the eye to the heart that does not go through the intellect.

-G.K. Chesterton, essayist and novelist (1874-1936)

Life would be great...

If one didn't need money to live. The old adage is that money doesn't buy happiness, but well.... money sure does go a long way to staving off unhappiness.

Yes folks, I've had round two with the financial office at the unnamed institution. Apparently the letter they gave me informing me of my eligibility was bogus. Never mind that I signed it and elected to take a certain amout which was going to cover my fall tuition. Instead I found about half that amount posted to my account today and was notified that my Financial Aid had changed. So I owe $1500 by Friday. Neat!

Then there's the beloved US Postal Service. I go in this morning to cancel the vacation hold on my mail and collect it. I bring my ID and my utility bill to prove where I live and am rewarded with a medium thick stack of mail. I quickly go to my car and look for my financial aid documents (the first inclination of the above problem) and realize that only 3 envelopes are mine and the rest of the stack belongs to the building next door. So I return the mail to the post office, and the friendly clerk assures me there's nothing else for me. So I arrive home today and realize that my post-person found new and creative ways to shove all the mail in my mailbox this morning. 10 days gone and no mail my ass.

Ok, bitching done. Time for bed.

PS I think the boy got the excitement today - he had TV crews at his house doing interviews!

Just Monkeying Around

Monkeying Around
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

Hanging out at work today, just getting through the paperwork and this little pic made me smile.

Also was driving home last night and saw a church sign asking "Are your prayers wimpy prayers?" Now I don't know about you, but I don't need no stinkin' steroids on my prayers... hmmm praying might require an element of believing no? Not quite the "Jesus is the Reason Ice Cream Shack" but amusing none the less.

Things to do to a co-worker's office when he/she is on vacation.

Post-its
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

I'm counting my lucky stars I just got sent this picture while I was gone and it wasn't a live action game.

Sitting here...

drinking Diet Caffeine Free Dr. Pepper and wondering - WHAT IS THE POINT? No sugar, no caffeine, no good.

On the home front.

Wes & Laura
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

Just arrived in this evening and I'm trying to get to bed, but I wanted to share a few vacation highlights and one of the best shots of the man and me.

Highlights

• Meeting all of the man's family and learning more about him through them.
  
• A romantic night at a lake resort, a jacuzzi in the room and dinner overlooking the lake at sunset.
  
• LOTS of ice cream!
  
• Good weather for most of the trip. WICKED thunder and lightening storm last night.
  
• Catching up with the roomie from college and introducing her to the man.
  
• Buying a bike helmet, and taking the motorcycle out for a spin (me on the back of it of course!)
  
• Movies! Saw Mr. & Mrs. Smith and Fantastic Four. Watched on video: Spaceballs, Down Periscope and Stealing Beauty.
  
• By far the best: Falling asleep and waking up with my honey every night and every morning.
  

Amusing Tidbits

• Learning Redneck
  
• The uncle who told my man to "grab his fiancee and get her in the picture"
  
• My man's mom referring to his brother's wife as "my other daughter-in-law" when speaking to me
  
• Tournament Jawbreaker
  

Worst Moment of the Trip

• Leaving the man at the airport this evening. Miss him already.
  

One year ago today...

I took the biggest and best chance I've ever taken and boarded a plane to Las Vegas to meet a man I had been corresponding with for almost 8 years. What I didn't expect was to fall in love with him. It's a relationship that has far surpassed anything that I have ever experienced. It is hard work but, especially in the past few months, I've found that I can't ever imagine my life without him and, more importantly, I don't ever want to.

So baby, here's to our first year and to many, many more years of firsts. I love you Wes.

Off like a prom dress!

Gettin' out of dodge for a week and going to see my sweetie. Nothing planned except the open road, rest, relaxation and the things I can't mention because my parents read this site. I'm off to Oz (we're going to Kansas, Toto!) It's supposed to rain almost every day I'm there but I'll be with good friends and enjoying good times. Probably won't post until I get home, so stay tuned... I'll return sometime after August 12!

Finally a fortune that fits!

"You have a deep interest in all that is artistic."

A sorry state of affairs.

11-year-old Fresno girl who threw rock spared felony trial

By Lisa Leff
ASSOCIATED PRESS

FRESNO – An 11-year-old girl who threw a rock at a boy during a water balloon fight escaped jail time Wednesday on an assault with a deadly weapon charge as she was ordered to talk about the fight with her young victim. Maribel Cuevas was prepared to face a felony trial when lawyers reached a deal behind closed doors that allowed her to avoid pleading guilty.

Cuevas spent five days in juvenile hall and a month under house arrest after throwing a two-pound rock at 8-year-old Elijah Vang, cutting his forehead after he pelted her with a water-filled balloon.

The girl maintained she was playing on the sidewalk with her 6-year-old brother on April 29 when Elijah rode by on his bike with a half-dozen neighborhood boys, who splattered them with water balloons.

The girl threw a rock that police later described as "jagged" and measuring 5.5 inches by 3.75 inches and it hit Elijah on the head, opening a gash that required stitches. While she ran to find Elijah's parents, a neighbor called 911.

Elijah's family, which has since moved away, declined to press charges, but were prepared to testify for the prosecution. They did not appear in the courtroom.

Fresno's mayor and police chief have said Maribel's case was handled appropriately, and that assault with a deadly weapon was the proper charge for an act that might have had deadly consequences.

"The simple fact is that we have an 11-year-old girl who struck a boy in the head with a jagged-edged, two-pound river rock, that required him to have stitches," Dyer said. "That is a felony, assault with a deadly weapon, and we are very fortunate that that act did not cause a more serious injury, even death."

***
Now I believe that there should be some punishment for a child who throws a rock that big, but really - assault with a deadly weapon? What is this world coming to where children in street fights on bikes are charged with felony assault and murder? What happened to the good old days?

What in tarnation?

What in tarnation?
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

This woman looks like a victim of reintarnation (see below). This also has a strange resemblance to an asshead my sister constructed in college.

Thoughts?

These two little headlines...

appear right next to each other on Yahoo Odd News


Move over, 'Monologues': Penis takes stage.
Four dead in cockfight grenade attack.


Just think about it people.

Sweetlips

Sweetlips
Originally uploaded by littledevilworks.

'nuff said.

A little word fun.

The Washington Post’s Mensa Invitational asks readers each year to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing of one letter, and supply a new definition.

Here are this year’s {2005} winners:

• Cashtration (kash’ tray shun) n.: The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period.
  
• Ignoranus (ig no ray’ nuhs) n.: A person who’s both stupid and an asshole.
  
• Intaxication (ehn taks’ ih ka’ shun) n.: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.
  
• Reintarnation (re ehn tar nay’ shun) n.: Coming back to life as a hillbilly.
  
• Bozone (bo zone) n.: The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.
  
• Foreploy (four’ ploy) n. : Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of getting laid.
  
• Giraffiti (gi raf’ feet e) n.: Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.
  
• Sarchasm (sar kazzehm) n.: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn’t get it.
  
• Inoculatte (ih nok’-yeh lah’ teh) n.: To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.
  
• Hipatitis (hip’ a ty’ tiss ) n.: Terminal coolness.
  
• Osteopornosis (ohs’ te oh porn’ oh sis) n.: A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)
  
• Karmageddon (kar’ meh ged’ don) n.: It’s like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it’s like, a serious bummer.
  
• Decafalon (dee’ kaf eh lon) n.: The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.
  
• Dopeler effect (dope’ e ler e’ fekt) n.: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.
  
• Arachnoleptic fit (a rack no lehp tik fit) n.: The frantic dance performed just after you’ve accidentally walked through a spider web.
  
• Caterpallor (cat er pahl lore) n.: The color you turn after finding half of a worm in the fruit your eating.