Technology

We have sent people to the moon; we can put calculators, altimeters, barometers and heart monitors into watches; we have tiny little phones that can carry information for everyone we've ever called, all our music and our complete calendars for 2007/2008. And yet we can't manage to make cough syrup taste good! Does anyone else see a problem with this?

Ok, maybe it's the cold medicine talking, or maybe it's the buzzing inner ear thing, but it seems to me that it's not too much to ask for. The other day I had this yummy chocolate-y candy thing that turned out to be a calcium supplement. And yet Cough Syrup still tastes like crap. I even tried the little kid version in the hopes that it would taste ok and I'd just have to take more - nope, still tastes like crap.

Enough for my rant I'm heading back to bed, I thought I'd try working from home, but the computer screen is swimming in front of me and I can't tell you how many typos I've committed just trying to get this little bit down!

Current Music: Could Be Anything - The Eames Era

L-ame

Oh yes, I've been lame lately. Strange that I was sooooo into my blogging during NaBloPoMo and Holidailies, now, not so much. Yep, I've been a bad blogger, I looked at my blog today and realized it had been a week and I hadn't posted a word - I felt terribly guilty.

And then there's the commenting - how am I to maintain my vast audience if I don't pop by every now and then and remind you all that I'm out here? For that I feel even more guilty.

Perhaps I'll make a blog resolution - blog more, comment more, work less? Perhaps I will pick up Blog 365? Somehow commitment to blogging made me a, I won't say better, but more prolific blogger. Or perhaps not - it was tough coming up with two months - yeah, that's a bad idea.

But speaking of resolutions, most have gone by the way side. All except two - can you guess? Yep, I'm still flossing (my hygienist will be so proud) and I'm still working on my portion control (oh except for the mac and cheese the other day - and maybe the peppermint patties on Saturday). And in non-resolution news I did decide to do a 365 project (right, not blogging - obviously) I've been taking a picture a day (if you want to take a peek at those you can go here or here). So the water and the veggie things just didn't fly, but I'm feeling ok about the whole resolution thing so far (of course talk to me in June and I may be singing a different tune).

Other than all that, things here are status quo - cold, grey, vaguely depressing. Work is work, home is quiet, Scott is working - so all's well.

Current Music: The Loser Blues - Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys

Primary Day

It's primary day here in Michigan and I have no idea who I'm going to vote for. Normally I'd vote democratic, but a fair number of democrats aren't on the ticket here (they decided to protest Michigan changing it's primary date by staying out of the state - sounds fairly dumb to me, but they didn't ask me.). And since the democrats are likely to chose someone fairly un-electable (as much as I would LOVE to see a woman or black president I just don't think the bulk of America is going to go for that), I thought I might look at the republicans, but then that scares the heck out of me.

Even if voting republican didn't scare me, their candidates would. Really there's just no way I can vote for someone named "Mitt", I thought well maybe it's short for something, like Mitchel - nope. In fact it's his middle name, so he actively chose to be called Mitt - which makes me even more afraid. Then there's Huckabee, Chuck Norris or not - I just can't go there. Maybe Giuliani?

The good new is that I have found the answer - it's a Candidate Matchmaker! It matched me up with who I figured I'd vote for, but it was still fun. And maybe it'll help all you fence sitters out there.

The bigger problem I have is the primary itself - the system sucks. The political season is getting longer and longer as states move their primary date earlier to be more a part of the decision making process. Pretty soon we're going to begin the primaries right after the Presidential elections are held - four years of campaigning - sweet!

I have a couple of ideas on how to solve the primary problem:
1. Go smallest to largest - makes the little guys feel important and the big guys still hold the power (and you could do it by electoral votes or by geographical size, though Alaska and Montana might goof that up).
2. Go in alphabetical order - it works in High School and since that's about the level of emotional maturity we've got, well...
3. Go by date admitted into the Union - also insanely fair, first in, first to vote! Though it would sort of suck to be Alaska and Hawaii.

I guess that's the list for now, but I'll keep working on it - I'll just sit here, finding ways to make America a better place to vote.

Current Music: The Suggestion Box - Aqueduct

Fake Happy

Some days I really hate my job, most days it's fine - but today is one of those hate-it days. Of course I kind of hate everything right now, but I'm seriously hating my job today. And the funny thing is that I'm not hating the job itself - I'm hating having to be happy. It's the one aspect of my job that kills me.

If I wake up on the wrong side of the bed I don't get to crawl into some cubicle and take it out on my keyboard, I've got to plaster on a fake smile and be fake happy. I have to answer the phone nicely, I have to listen patiently to clients, I have to pretend to give a crap about what they are saying when all I really want is to be under the covers with my tivo remote and and a cup of tea (well maybe something stronger, but...).

So here I am, putting on the happy Mandy Lou show - and hating every second of it, counting down the minutes till I can get out of here.

Current Music: I Hate Everyone - Get Set Go

Grey Day

Not just the weather - my mood too. I was going to do a post about Scott's front teeth, sort of like KimmyK's recent post, but I just wasn't feeling it (I promise to do it another time, cause it was pretty funny though it doesn't have anyone running for the bathroom :-).

Maybe it's the weather, the lack of sleep or maybe it's the PMS - who knows.

So far the resolutions are going ok, but I'm currently supplementing my water intake with a big fat glass of wine. I'm hoping that and a good cry will put me out for the night!

Current Music: Hope for the Hopeless - A Fine Frenzy

Resolutions

Every year I make up a list of resolutions - and every year they die a sad and early death. Some years I have a bunch, some years I have very few, sometimes I write them down to make them more real, sometimes I keep them in my head - doesn't really matter how many there are or where I keep them - they all have the same fate.

You would think that I wouldn't want to make any more, but nope - I'm that dumb! I'm making them this year too (maybe it's like a bad holiday tradition, like fruit cake). So here they are:

1. Floss everyday - I'm really a once or twice a week girl and I'm so tired of listening to the dentist about my "pockets" (not that she's not right or anything).

2. Drink more water - I seriously dislike water, it's just not very tasty. But it's good for you, so I'm gonna do my best.

3. Eat better portions - less, not more. When I serve up dinner I have a bad habit of putting as much on my plate as I do on Scott's. Since he out weighs me by a hundred pounds (well maybe 90 pounds, but it sounds better as 100 right?) that's a bad dietary choice.

4. Eat more fruits and vegetables - just trying to be healthy. More fiber, vitamins and all the other good stuff - can't be bad right?

Ok - that's it. Four should be do-able, right? And even if I manage to keep one I'll still be at 25% - not too bad!?

Oh yeah - one more, I'm gonna try the photo a day thing, we'll see how that goes...

Current Music: All That I Want - The Weepies

I Need Help...

Alright, I know I'm not supposed to be posting today (not that I shouldn't, I just don't need to), but I thought that it was insanely funny that this morning in the shower I was trying to think about what I would blog about today. I guess that blogging for two straight months gets you in the habit...

Current Music: Rehab - Amy Winehouse

Happy New Year!

Feeling very optimistic about 2008 so far, strange but true. Typically when I wake up on a New Year's morning I'm not really very excited at the prospect of a new year. But I woke up this morning and felt really good, and not just because it's the end of the Holidailies (which is very good - really)!

A friend of mine last night said "everything will be great in 2008" - sounds a bit trite and rhyme-y, but not a bad catch phrase for the year. And so far, she's been right. Woke up with out a hangover with a purring sleepy cat cuddled up to me (that is a great way to wake up!), the cats let me sleep till 10am, I woke up to a serious winter wonderland (the weather men finally got it right, we've got at least 6 to 8 inches right now and it's still going), and when I went to shovel the deck stairs for the dog there was no snow on the stairs. Small things? Yes, but maybe enjoying the small things in life will be the secret to having everything be great.

We had a great time last night, the party of 8 turned into a party of 15 and was insanely fun. As I said - I've never really gone out for new years, no big parties, nothing, so this was a great way to start! We live just a few doors down from J&M, so no driving was required late at night and we could imbibe as much as we wanted to - we still managed to get home by 2 am. Scott went a bit farther than he should, I left him asleep in the chair in the living room, holding onto a bucket (just in case). I on the other hand did quite well, didn't drink so much that I was wrecked, and still had a great time. Once I get all the pictures back I'll post a few (sadly I do not have one of Scott and his bucket, I left my camera at J&M's).

Speaking of pictures, I am contemplating a 365 project - no not NaBloPoMo's 365, PhotoJoJo's 365 Project. A friend of mine did something similar a number of years back - the Internet was in it's infancy and blogging wasn't even a glimmer in some geeks eye yet - but she took a picture a day as a type of visual journal. Sounds kind of cool doesn't it? I'm thinking about it, though not having a camera today might put a little dent in the plan.

I found this link over on Contrary's blog - love the idea. Blogging because you want to - no restrictions on anything, as it should be. After NaBloPoMo and Holidailies I am totally down with it!

I guess that's as much as I have to say to say on this first day of the year. I'm off to finish watching the rose parade, watch U of M play in the Capitol One Bowl, straighten up the house a bit, maybe take a picture, work on some resolutions (one of which is to make sure to visit all my bloggie friends more regularly!), and possibly do a Daily Something page (it's been a while and this seems like a good day to pick that back up).

Current Music: New Day - Kate Havnevik

P.S. Very funny about the rose parade - just saw a float go by and they are wearing gloves, but it's almost 70 degrees there - WTF?!