Are YOU &$^ Material?

You know how there are those radio spots for certain career paths? Example:

"Do you enjoy working in a fast-paced environment? Are you looking to make over $50K a year? You should consider a career as a medical transponder!"

Well, a good friend and I used to work at, let's just say, an interesting company. And not interesting in a good way. We say the tragic experience brought us together. We decided, while carpooling and hearing many a radio spots like the aforementioned, to create the 'want-ad' for said company, based on what the company seemed to be looking for based on it's other hiring choices and job responsibilities.

I will refrain from mentioning the name of said company to protect the guilty (NOT the Sun-Times :)). Imagine the following being read in your typical radio-commercial announcer voice:

"Is busywork your specialty?
Does mental stimulation make you ill?
Do you lack all forms of social skills?
Does being surrounded by interesting people cause you excess anxiety?
Is succeeding just not a priority?
Are you looking for the closest thing to solitary confinement?
Does human interaction frighten you??
Maybe you should consider a career at...."

Handwriting Analyst

So last night's Sun-Times birthday bash included a handwriting analyst as entertainment fare (I can only assume all magicians and balloon animal artists were already booked).

I decided to get in line 'for fun' - giving this the same amount of credibility as a palm-reader, astrologist or psychic. And in case any reader is wondering how much credibility that might be, well, remember, I am a regularly practicing cynic.

Let me preface this with the following statement: often times, things like horoscopes will have very subltly-general statements, such as "the happiness of those you care about is more important to you than your own" or "you're ambitious, it bothers you when others around you don't pull their own weight", which, generally speaking, MANY can find apply to themselves yet will still elicit a reaction of "OMG, sooo true!"

Her analysis of my signature, birthday, and brief cursive sentence:

--I am sensitive but I don't like people to know it
--I have trouble expressing my needs and feelings to others in my life, by the time I'm expressing them, I'm angry
--I see things in black and white, there is very little gray area in my life
--I have some creative side, perhaps I'm a writer....
--Sometimes I put up walls to block out emotions

Her advice to me:

--Become more in tune with my emotions; take down the wall
--See if I can get a deal to write a children's book (....)

Thoughts?

I Love Birthday Parties!

Six months ago, my workplace turned 60. Tomorrow is its 'birthday party' at Morton's steakhouse. When the company agrees to pick up the bar tab, you know there's bound to be some interesting happenings throughout the night.

Happy Birthday Chicago Sun-Times! Here's hoping for another great 60!! (fingers crossed!)

Sex and the City Movie

As you can see from the post below, I saw the Sex and the City movie premiere last night.

As Samantha Jones would say: Spec-fucking-tacular!!

I won't go into any spoilers - but I will say this. I think, in general, 95% of loyal SATC fans will love the movie. Most who saw the movie last night were long-term fans and they all seemed to thoroughly enjoy it. I think people who are not all that familiar with the show and the characters will split - I'm guessing a 50/50 split on reviews from the big-player critics. To look at it as a random romantic comedy - it's not unpredictable and a little long (2 1/2 hour - which flied for me).

However, what made the movie, for me, was that all the characters were exactly as I'd remembered them. They were kept consistent with the show. All original actors were used (even for the bit parts - Magda the housekeeper even!), so it felt as if it could be a seventh season in and of itself.

I know I'll be seeing it again this weekend, as well as purchasing it on dvd. :)

My Fifteen Minutes of Fame

I'm not the only blogger out there....

http://www.nbc5.com/streetteam/index.html?dl=mainclick

This is from the Sex and the City movie premiere....

Book Review

So, I just finished the book "Microtrends", by Mark J. Penn (you may recognize the name of the fired Clinton campaign manager with the NAFTA issue). I must say - FANTASTIC!

I think what I liked best about the book was the style in which it was written. Penn identifies small groups - one percent of the population, or sometimes even less, that are in some ways making significant differences in society and how we live our lives - their small stone is making a big ripple. He makes the argument that these many small groups are the ones making the long term changes in how things work.

He then goes on to outline 75 small groups who are becoming more and more prevalent. Some of the groups were only of moderate interest to me (protestant hispanics, young knitters), while others were quite intriguing, especially because I'd already noticed the existence of said groups (permissive parents, sun-haters, southpaws unbound).

What Penn really does well is, for each group, in under five pages - he gives a strong overview of the group, cites some background research documenting their existence and then goes on to explain why exactly they are significant, along with future implications (we can thank the protestant hispanics for George W. Bush - for they voted for him disproportionately in swing states). With the five page cap (which he only violates once or twice all book), this book is perfect for the reader with ADD. (Although he discusses those "Long Attention Spanners" in chapter 9.)

All in all, I highly recommend this book. Agree or disagree with his points - he has a strong argument for the prevalence of each of the groups he brings up.

Now my new dilemma is which book I should read next....

Worst Phone Ever

So this is my phone. The LG Chocolate.

The blog title implies my feelings toward it quite well. I've had it nine months. It's been a loooong nine months.

Often times, when I have it out and others see it, they will comment that they have the same phone. Then, unanimously, we'll both at the same time say "I HATE IT". It's failproof; it happens almost every time.

What's wrong with it, you ask? The wannabe spin wheel. Try to press right and it goes up. Try to press up and it goes left. A person can adjust the sensitivity, but that doesn't help its inability to understand what it is being asked to do.

Also, after years of having a flip phone, I stopped locking the keypad. With this phone, it is CONSTANTLY placing phone calls of its own will. I had to make a fake number under a fake name 'aa', so I would stop calling the first person in my phone (who now probably wants a restraining order...). Yes, I COULD lock the keypad - but it's an annoyance, especially after years of not having to.

So, my contract renews in a couple months. I will be thrilled to send this chocolate on its way. Yes, I supposed I could spring and buy a new phone now.... Whatever. I thoroughly blame Verizon for trying to convince me that this was a state-of-the-art, cool, fun phone. Not so much, Verizon, not so much.

As I said, I have met a ton of people who have this same phone and feel the same way about it. Is there anyone out there who has had this phone over a month and actually likes it?

Work Week

No, I'm not referring to the preparation week before formal sorority recruitment (formerly known as 'rush')....

Wait - none of my readers understand what the previous sentence means?

NEVERMIND. Moving right along....

I don't know about you, but I'd be ok with having a four day work week with 10 hour workdays. Is anyone with me? I think I've heard of Europeans having this schedule (maybe that's not true...). I think so much more can get done in a day off, and not all that much can get done in the open evening after a full work day (I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted at the end of the day). Who is with me?

Not Just a Three Day Weekend

Back to Reality

American Idol and Dancing with the Stars (which was a mistake to get involved with in the first place, let me tell you) ended this week. THANK GOODNESS. My only worries now are what I'm going to do with all the extra time in my week. I'll have to get back into reading or spend more time outdoors. Seriously - I don't know how I got into the reality tv trap, and I unfortunately can't say I'll be able to prevent it from happening again next season. Sigh.

Starbucks, Part 2

So there's a new Starbucks logo (actually, I heard a possible rumor that it's really an old logo that they've revived) that's causing a lot of controversy. I found a quote from some conservative Christian group on the subject:

The Resistance, a national Christian group based in San Diego, has a problem with Starbucks’ new, design. Resistance founder Mark Dice pointed to the label’s “naked woman ... with her legs spread like a prostitute” and said Starbucks “might as well call themselves “Slutbucks".”

I've never taken 'too sensitive' too seriously. However, judge for yourself:

I must say the new logo is considerably uglier....

I can count all zee way to....

Today is my mother's birthday! Happy Birthday to Marcia - one of this blog's most loyal readers.

Sidenote: A girl really gets slammed at this time of year. Mothers' Day was two weeks ago. My dad's b-day was last week. My mom's b-day is today. Fathers' day is in a couple weeks. Sheesh!

Daily Political Fix

It's been said that if John McCain is perceived as a third Bush term, it could be dangerous for his campaign.

Really?

Now, I know it seems obviously, but bear in mind - we the American people, who are giving Bush a 29% approval rating (or something like that) right now, RE-ELECTED him. George W. Bush's presidency has helped me understand why we came up with two term maximums - we're too stupid to avoid making a bad decision - kind of like the seatbelt law.

I must ask the question - if Georgie boy could run, would we re-elect him again? I think I'd prefer not to know the answer....

In Search of....

...a place to blog. off-site, if you will. If you see below, Starbucks doesn't work. I'm looking for a cute coffee shop or bookstore within two miles of where I live. Now taking suggestions.

Yo Comcast

As I scroll through the listings on the Comcast TV Listings guide, I keep noticing a listing entitled "MLB Baseball". This might not grab you as 'wrong' at first glance, however, take a moment to think of what MLB stands for. Major League Baseball Baseball. Sounds entertaining entertaining. Who knew a TV guide needed a copy editor?

Observation

So I have two gripes with Starbucks lately:

1) They don't have free wireless internet. You have to pay like $5 to log on. I just paid $4 for a coffee - seriously now, this SHOULD be complimentary....

2) I've noticed this next issue at multiple locations. It doesn't happen during 'rush hour' per se, but if you meander down for a coffee during the lunch hour or at random times throughout the day.... The employees try to make idle chit chat with you. Tonight I was at my local store getting a hot chocolate and the guy behind the register asks me 'so how is that Glamour magazine?' Grr. He's a man - do I believe for one second he has ANY interest in how Glamour magazine is? (Maybe if it was Cosmo, it'd be a different story.) I've also noticed a lot of superficial compliments (love the earrings, etc.). When did Starbucks become Mary Kay, and when can we have Starbucks back? I can only assume this is a push from the top - some bigwig wants the store to have more of a friendly/outgoing/family/'we care' kind of feel. Let me just say this: I DON'T LIKE IT.

Sweetie

I bet most of my readers are surprised I have yet to comment on Barack Obama referring to a female reporter as 'sweetie'....

Just wait....

Guilty Pleasure

Season three comes out on dvd in two days!!

Trivia

What do the following people have in common?

Natalie Portman

Laura Bush

LeAnn Rimes

Brooke Shields

Charlize Theron

Robin Williams

Tiger Woods

Frank Sinatra

Franklin Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt

Condoleeza Rice

Elvis Presley

Chelsea Clinton

Gregory Peck

John Lennon

Joe Montana

Alan Greenspan

Rudy Giuliani

Leonardo Da Vinci

Mahatma Gandhi

Steve Allen

Lance Armstrong

Robert DeNiro

Yours Truly

Answer to come....

Top 10 Baby Names in 2007

The top baby names of 2007 have come out:

Girls:

1) Emily

2) Isabella

3) Emma

4) Ava

5) Madison

6) Sophia

7) Olivia

8) Abigail

9) Hannah

10) Elizabeth

Boys:

1) Jacob

2) Michael

3) Ethan

4) Joshua

5) Daniel

6) Christopher

7) Anthony

8) William

9) Matthew

10) Andrew

I am under-impressed with some of these choices. My favorites on the girl's list are Elizabeth and Ava. None of the boy's names impress me - I think I'd pick Ethan as the best but I can't say I'm excited about it.

Your thoughts?

Another Jerry Seinfeldism

So, on a Cialis commercial, there's mention in the 'fine print' portion of the ad that 'if you have an erection lasting more than four hours, consult a doctor immediately'.

As Jerry said (and I'm paraphrasing): I'm curious what this doctor is going to do to get rid of the erection....

A Discussion!

So - just what I wanted to happen has happened - Jaime's blog is inspiring a discussion! I LOVE IT! My blog about living together before marriage has inspired not only comments, but also two separate blog entries from others! See below:

Matt's Post

Ana's Post

Sidenote: Please disregard Matt calling me out on "admittedly" not doing research (j/k).

I have a lot more to say on the subject of living together before marriage, however, first I'd like to hear from some who disagree with me. (I have a couple of specific, currently-cohabiting friends in mind.)

I Couldn't Get Through Mondays....

...without the easy crossword puzzle. I can do the NY Times Monday and Tuesday puzzles (usually). One of these days, I'll graduate to Wednesday.

Happy Moms' Day!!

No posts today because I was busy spending the day with my mother!! She's the best mom a girl could ever ask for - if I ever have children, they're so gonna like their grandma better than their mom!

Feminism

So, observation: two of my female blogging buddies have gone out of their way in their blogs to point out that they ARE NOT feminists. On the same note, I've noticed more and more women regularly publicly proclaiming their outright dislike for feminists.

Now, I can understand if one personally doesn't identify with the feminist movement or that one wouldn't self describe as a feminist. However, it seems as though there's some dirty perception of feminists.

Now, I AM a feminist. I try not to impose my feminism on others (sometimes).

However, it frustrates me at the notion that there's something dirty about being a feminist - as if I protest showering and let all forms of hair grow out of control (I don't). Or, that maybe I am a feminist by default as a defense mechanism because no man would want me (I don't perceive myself this way). Or, that I'm a man-hater (women annoy me equally as much).

I think what annoys me is that there is some notion that women shouldn't be feminists because men don't like feminists. This is probably true for a select group of men. For me, if a man doesn't like girls who are feminists, it's kind of like if he doesn't like girls with brown hair - he's clearly then the wrong guy for me.

So I'll end this with an open-ended question: what is the reason for distancing oneself from feminism?

A Conservative Thought

So I'm obviously liberal and I probably blog a little too much about politics - but, the other day, I found myself agreeing with somewhat conservative pundit Tucker Carlson. Here's one notion I go against the democratic party with:

"There seems to be a notion in the democratic party that everyone making under $50K is hard working and everyone making over $50K is lazy - this is absurd."

Amen, Tucker, amen.

Living Together Before Marriage

So aside from politics, I like to blog about things that annoy me. Here is one major thing that annoys me - people in my age bracket (let's say 21-30) who think they are EXPERTS on how to have a successful marriage.

Now, I would not live with someone before marriage. This is my personal choice. I don't want to offend my multiple cohabiting friends - I don't necessarily find there to be anything wrong with doing so, per se. I'll blog more about this later.

Whenever I say this to other people in the aforementioned group, I am usually met with the same response "Jaime, no, you HAVE to live with someone before getting married".

Or else what?

You're destined to divorce? I find this absurd - if you look at all the cute little old married couples who have been together for 40+ years - I guarantee less than 1% percent of these people lived together before they were married, seeing that it was very taboo back at the time when they were dating. I know plenty of couples who didn't live together who are still married (my parents, aunts and uncles, etc.).

Aside from this - look at other facts: as cohabiting before marriage has become more popular, the divorce rate has risen (not that I'm saying there's causation - but there's definitely an undeniable correlation). That, and many couples who do end up divorcing do it at varied times - let's say there's a couple who divorces after 15 years; would the one to two years of living together before marriage have broken them up before walking down the aisle?

Also, seeing that living together before marriage is a somewhat new phenomenon, relatively speaking, it's credibility is somewhat untested. Maybe 30 years from now we can look at all couples who have stayed married for a long period of time and see if there's a higher percentage success rate for those who lived together before vs. those who didn't - however, we don't currently have any statistical backing to theories that living with together beforehand makes a couple more likely to have a successful marriage.

I think what's most annoying to me is those who preach that "you have to" seem to speak as though they are some authority on the subject. Of everyone I know in their early 30s or younger - they fall into three groups: never married, divorced, or somewhat recently married. I would not classify anyone in any of these groups as an 'expert on marriage'. If someone who has been married 30+ years wants to pull me aside and tell me "Jaime, you HAVE to do x, y, and z before getting married", I'll give it consideration. However, for now, these delusional self-proclaimed experts thoughts will continue to hold little to no water with me.

I'm Sorry

I haven't updated since Monday. This I know. I had my first big writing assignment at the Chicago Sun-Times (I'm only half kidding) - so that took all my 'word energy'.

I named this blog "Daily Ramblings" and I don't ramble daily (at least not here). Now accepting suggestions for a new name. Thank you.

Irony

Tune in to ABC7 News Monday beginning at 5 a.m. for "Better Sleep Week."

This Upcoming Tuesday is Very Important

So this upcoming Tuesday is the Indiana and North Carolina primaries. It's tight.

Now, we have a super delegate system. It's kind of like the electoral college - it sees that the popular vote isn't the first and last word. Supposedly, Americans can overall make a bad decision in the popular vote (see November 2004). These supers supposedly know more about the political system and the best interest of the party than the average American voter, so if they need to step in and intervene, they can.

Agree or disagree with the system, it's in play for the above reason. There has been a lot of chatter that the super delegates can't/shouldn't go against the popular vote. However, that's the point of them - that they can do so if they feel it's what's best. Otherwise, they'd just be ordinary old regular average run of the mill boring plain and simple mediocre delegates. So, it's their job to piss people off and tell them they'll thank them for it later, if need be.

What do I have to say about this?

Come on now super delegates!! Do what you've been hired to do!!

If You Are Easily Offended...

Or like George W. Bush, this might not be the post for you....

Email forward:

President George W. Bush was scheduled to visit the
> Episcopal Church outside Washington as part of his
> campaign to restore his pathetic poll standings.
>
> His image handler made a visit to the Bishop and
> said, 'We've been getting a lot of bad publicity
> because of the president's position on stem cell
> research, the Iraq war, hurricane Katrina, and the
> Veterans Administration. We'll make a $100,000
> contribution to your church if during your sermon
> you will say that the President is a saint.'
>
> The Bishop thought it over for a few moments and
> finally said, 'The Church is desperate for funding -
> I'll do it.'
>
> Bush showed up for the sermon, and the Bishop began:
>
> 'I'd like to speak to you all this morning about
> our President who is a liar, a cheat, and a
> low-intelligence numb-nuts who can't put a compound
> sentence together.
>
> He bugged out of combat service during the Vietnam
> war and went AWOL to avoid a drug test, then had all
> reports on the sordid event destroyed.
>
> He is the spawn of a Nazi loving great grandfather
> who smuggled anti-Americans into this country on
> his shipping line.
>
> He took the tragedy of September 11 and used it to
> frighten and manipulate the American people.
>
> He lied about weapons of mass destruction and
> invaded Iraq for oil and money,causing the deaths of
> tens of thousands and making the United States the
> most hated country on earth. It is a three-trillion
> dollar folly.
>
> He appointed fund-raiser cronies to positions of
> power and influence, leading to widespread death
> and destruction due to government paralysis after
> Hurricane Katrina.
>
> He awarded no-bid cost-plus contracts and tax cuts
> to his rich friends so that we now have more
> poverty in this country and a greater gap between rich
> and poor than we've had since the Depression.
>
> He has headed the most corrupt, bribe-inducing
> political party since Teapot Dome.
>
> The national surplus has turned into a staggering
> national debt of 7.6 trillion Dollars.
>
> Oil rose from $18 to over $100 per barrel,
> leading to transportation costs which the people
> of America cannot afford, with low minimum wages,
> part time jobs, no health insurance, and outsourcing.
>
> Vital research into global warming and stem cells
> is stifled because he's afraid to lose votes from
> religious kooks.
>
> He is the worst example of a true Christian I've
> ever known, but compared to Dick Cheney...
> George W. Bush is a saint.

Silver Lining

So, as I'm sure everyone knows, it is taking an atypically long period of time for there to be a clear democratic nominee in this upcoming presidential election. Who benefits from this? Many say John McCain and the republican party. I would like to offer up an alternative theory.

Who benefits, you ask? We, the tv watchers of America.

Granted, let me preface this with the fact that I live in Illinois, who had its primary back in early February (when I woke up early to vote for Clinton in the midst of Obama country), so people in many other states may be suffering through ads involving a red telephone, etc.

John Kerry became the presumptive nominee back in 2004 after "Super Tuesday" in late March (I wish I would have gone out and canceled one of those votes). I do not know it for a fact, however, I can swear we were seeing swift boat, etc., ads at this point. To this day, I have only seen a handful of attack against John McCain put out by the democratic party. Back in May 2004, I swear, every other ad ended with "and I approve this message".

Who is most hurt by this dragging on? Probably the tv networks. The ad sales reps. As the two senators battle on about how they plan to improve the economy - they are inadvertently keeping second quarter media sales numbers down. We tv watchers must enjoy this while it lasts.

!@*&%^$%@&$#!&@*

So I curse a little in my blogs. My mother (possibly this blog's most loyal reader) had a bad reaction to this (see earlier post entitled "Feedback"). She has come up with some clever suggestions to things I could say instead of curse words (i.e. "just for kix" instead of "for shits and giggles").

I argued that editing it down would compromise the artistic integrity of the blog - that somehow this would be a 'watered-down' version of my thoughts and opinions. However, this got me to thinking - when I was much younger and perhaps a little more naive, untainted by life, if you will, I never swore. I felt it was trashy and classless, and that there was never a purpose to cursing; it never accomplished anything. When I took up cursing, I took it up with the same mentality of most who take up smoking - it was a temporary habit, it will eventually be gone, I'd quit when I'd find a good reason to, I had no desire of having a long-time habit of it.

That was approximately 8 years ago.

Thoughts on swear words?

What is Love? Baby Don't Hurt Me....

As a cynic - I have always found the following quote extremely intriguing:

Love's confusions are legion. We promise to love, but we cannot love at will. Love God, we're commanded, but we cannot love on command. And given the vicissitudes of self-love, even if we could love our neighbors as we love ourselves, would it be a good thing to do so?

--"Love's Confusions", a book by C.D.C. Reeves (it's on my 'to read' list, I swear)

Overused Expressions

I do not discriminate; I hate them all equally. However, as of lately, one seems to have risen up more often than the others:

"Thank you ma'am."

It's not 1950. I'm not your great-aunt. I'm not your 'ma'am'.

Who decided that this all of a sudden is a stylish, fun expression? Everytime someone says it to me (which is often, almost every day at work perhaps) I want to take back whatever favor I did to deserve it. And it's not just me - it's happening to almost every woman I see as well. (For some unknown reason, 'thank you sir' hasn't caught on.)

I vote we throw it under the bus. Let's touch base on this a bit later.