- happy birthday ex-boyfriend, @charpie!!!
- @erdynorth - have you been watching himym this year? the first episode was great. i'm watching last night's online today
- i have spent 12 hours, save the 45 min it took me to get dinner, watching studio 60. love this show. sad it's gone. and i'm not done...
- my #1 most played song in iTunes is oh my god by pink with 45 plays. "put me on the table. make me say your name..." what's yours?
- Tell Goldman Sachs to STOP trading Death Bonds @ http://www.nodeathbonds.com #deathbonds
- At a columbus blue jackets game with work colleagues. Playing the minnesota wild. Who should i cheer for?
- On flight from msp to cmh. Please don't throw up. Please don't throw up...
- Its always comforting to hear your mom say 'sorry you're sick cut its your own fault.' not. #erdmanndanceoff
- ready to get my groove on for tonight's dance off - totally gonna beat @erdysouth and @erdynorth #erdmanndanceoff
- Just landed in msp. Why does flying make me feel so gross? Two hour layouer. I just want to be home already.
- At columbus airport. Flying home to fargo via msp. Just had my first buckeye. Not bad. Not bad.
- google vs. microsoft? left in the wrong world again. http://bit.ly/3Kn49v
- nobody puts baby in the corner. RIP patrick swayze. i wish all white men could dance like you. #dirtydancing
- margarita to calm me down.
- Why is there a line to get into my favorite mexican place on a monday night?! I came for a nice quiet meal to myself. This place is pack ...
- how many movies can one person see in a weekend? http://bit.ly/Wrif8
- i'm annoyed with netflix. only SOME of the miami vice episodes are available online. wtf. now i've seen episodes 1 and 4. stupid.
- liam neeson in miami vice! i love it! now traveling back to 1986...
- just went for a 2hr drive in columbus. i'm sooo bored. what next? maybe i'll watch miami vice seasn 3 on netflix....
- having some pizza - JACKS. best pizza EVER. haven't had this in years... i thought they quit making it. mmm mmm good.
- Happy birthday mama erd! Hope its a great day.
- ok people. time to get serious about health care reform. good summaries: http://wanderlust-ndstyle.b... esp for NORTH DAKOTANS
- mahi mahi sounds like a delicious meal. i just had mexican with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. oh and now for some rose.
- just spent 45 min in traffic - normally a 15 min ride home. tomorrow: leaving at 4 on the dot.
- rewatching the last half of season 2 chuck on nbc.com. love this show! #chuck
- guess who is visiting me in town - miss molly!! we're off to mexican food. mmmm pomegranate margaritas...
- oh and left in the wrong world. still. http://bit.ly/ORgOi
- welcome back @erdquist!
- remember the time? @erdysouth missing a flight w/guest appearance @bklavs http://bit.ly/yDzmU
- what's your vector victor? http://bit.ly/6N712
- I'm on the 11th floor at work and just stopped at EVERY floor on the way down while people got on. Not cool.
- happy anniversary @parithed & mama erd http://bit.ly/uLyyW
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
sept twitter archive
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
set adrift on memory bliss
Today, i got to work late, which I was not pleased about. This morning, I woke up and was thinking, ‘ok, my alarm is going to go off any time, I’ll just lay here until then.” After a while, I look at the clock and its THREE THIRTY. I couldn’t believe it. Then I started wondering WHY I had awoken so completely so early. So I started thinking maybe someone was in my apartment or outside trying to get in. so I was laying still trying to listen for things. And I couldn’t hear anything. I wasn’t going back to sleep, so I finally woke up and did some stuff online. My friend was online getting ready for a flight to Miami at 5:50 am. I lamented my wake up story and he agreed, “that happened to me today – I woke up at 3:45 and my alarm wasn’t set to go off until 3:50.” I thought he was joking. I was like, “5 min is a lot different than 2.5 hours.” And he replied, “yeah, but 5 min seems like a lot right now” because he was so tired. I guess I kind of understand. I stayed up for about a half hour or so and then forced myself to go back to sleep. Of course, when my alarm went off, I was in the middle of a weird dream and couldn’t wake up. I reset it for a half hour later (6:30) and fell instantly back asleep. Once 6:30 arrived, I could hardly move. I finally forced myself out of bed at 6:54, which is nearer to the time that I should be leaving for work instead of waking up. Oops.
So now here I am at work again. Cake making has actually started to pick up for me and I have been busy every day for the past few weeks. I tried to watch how I met your mother last night, but it was weird: I turned cbs on and there is no sound. Then I hear laughter, from the audience (a track laughter) and keep watching. The actors’ mouths were moving and I could pick out some of what they were saying, but still no sound. I thought it was bizarre that I could hear the laughter and not the actors. So I decided to watch dwts instead. I’m not super jazzed about any of the contestants this year. Max is still super hot and I like to see that he’s kind of an ass hole. For some reason, I’m attracted to jerks. Or maybe more intrigued by them.
And now I realize that since I have not been writing a lot lately, I have run out of things to say. There haven’t been a lot of “left in the wrong worlds” because I listen to my headphones at work most of the time now. I find this keeps my blood pressure lower and doesn’t make me want to turn into the incredible hulk and start smashing into things.
Oh, let me comment quickly on the nature of following up and how I think it’s a good thing to do.
My first example of this is with the hyatt mainz in mainz, germany. I went there almost a year ago with my friend, imke. She is living in Brussels and I was living in berlin, so we decided to meet half way to do a little castle tour of the Rhineland in germany. We each took the train and met in one city (I can’t remember which one) and then rented a car and drove down to mainz where we spent another night. I convinced her that we should stay at the hyatt, which was more expensive than she would’ve liked to pay because I wanted the hotel points. The trip was fun, but the hyatt was NOT worth the extra price and I was really disappointed. So, I took from the hotel room the hotel comment card. But I always wanted to spend quality time writing down all my complaints. That time didn’t come until last may (over 6 months after my trip) on my way back to europe. I wrote about how the gym had broken machines, they didn’t have to tell us to pay for the parking (an atrocious amount!) and how you have to pay for a 2nd person in the room. I didn’t expect anything back, but I was so annoyed with the hotel, that I sent the comment card for prosperity’s sake. With a month, I received an email from the hotel manager and he offered to either give me a discount next time I was in mainz or some hyatt points. I told him that I don’t live in Europe anymore, and can’t imagine a time when I’ll be back in mainz, so I said the points would be great. He offered me 10,000 points, which was amazing! I was totally shocked – if anything, I would’ve thought 1,000 points or something. So I was like, “great! 10,000 points!” well, after a few months, I realized that he hadn’t put them into my account. So, 3 months after I got his email, I emailed back saying I hadn’t seen the points. Now: I do see them in my account. Following up pays off.
Also, last summer I won the squarespace twitter contest for a $199 itunes gift card. I was so excited! And I haven’t decided what to do with the gift card (I have an ipod touch and my t-mobile contract isn’t up until December or so), BUT the point is that I have the gift card and will now be able to get something cool. So, I would suggest entering contests and following up. And if you would like to try out squarespace, which seems to build websites for small companies, you can go to https://www.squarespace.com/signup/.
My final example is that of my dining for miles program. I wrote a comment after eating at a restaurant and the restaurant wrote back to me! They didn’t offer me any discount or anything like that, but it made me feel really good that someone read my comment and appreciated it and then took the time to let me know how much they appreciated it. It’s like me sending note cards and articles for my friends to read. I have to believe that people appreciate the effort and that’s what makes me feel good.
And now I am going back to work.
So now here I am at work again. Cake making has actually started to pick up for me and I have been busy every day for the past few weeks. I tried to watch how I met your mother last night, but it was weird: I turned cbs on and there is no sound. Then I hear laughter, from the audience (a track laughter) and keep watching. The actors’ mouths were moving and I could pick out some of what they were saying, but still no sound. I thought it was bizarre that I could hear the laughter and not the actors. So I decided to watch dwts instead. I’m not super jazzed about any of the contestants this year. Max is still super hot and I like to see that he’s kind of an ass hole. For some reason, I’m attracted to jerks. Or maybe more intrigued by them.
And now I realize that since I have not been writing a lot lately, I have run out of things to say. There haven’t been a lot of “left in the wrong worlds” because I listen to my headphones at work most of the time now. I find this keeps my blood pressure lower and doesn’t make me want to turn into the incredible hulk and start smashing into things.
Oh, let me comment quickly on the nature of following up and how I think it’s a good thing to do.
My first example of this is with the hyatt mainz in mainz, germany. I went there almost a year ago with my friend, imke. She is living in Brussels and I was living in berlin, so we decided to meet half way to do a little castle tour of the Rhineland in germany. We each took the train and met in one city (I can’t remember which one) and then rented a car and drove down to mainz where we spent another night. I convinced her that we should stay at the hyatt, which was more expensive than she would’ve liked to pay because I wanted the hotel points. The trip was fun, but the hyatt was NOT worth the extra price and I was really disappointed. So, I took from the hotel room the hotel comment card. But I always wanted to spend quality time writing down all my complaints. That time didn’t come until last may (over 6 months after my trip) on my way back to europe. I wrote about how the gym had broken machines, they didn’t have to tell us to pay for the parking (an atrocious amount!) and how you have to pay for a 2nd person in the room. I didn’t expect anything back, but I was so annoyed with the hotel, that I sent the comment card for prosperity’s sake. With a month, I received an email from the hotel manager and he offered to either give me a discount next time I was in mainz or some hyatt points. I told him that I don’t live in Europe anymore, and can’t imagine a time when I’ll be back in mainz, so I said the points would be great. He offered me 10,000 points, which was amazing! I was totally shocked – if anything, I would’ve thought 1,000 points or something. So I was like, “great! 10,000 points!” well, after a few months, I realized that he hadn’t put them into my account. So, 3 months after I got his email, I emailed back saying I hadn’t seen the points. Now: I do see them in my account. Following up pays off.
Also, last summer I won the squarespace twitter contest for a $199 itunes gift card. I was so excited! And I haven’t decided what to do with the gift card (I have an ipod touch and my t-mobile contract isn’t up until December or so), BUT the point is that I have the gift card and will now be able to get something cool. So, I would suggest entering contests and following up. And if you would like to try out squarespace, which seems to build websites for small companies, you can go to https://www.squarespace.com/signup/.
My final example is that of my dining for miles program. I wrote a comment after eating at a restaurant and the restaurant wrote back to me! They didn’t offer me any discount or anything like that, but it made me feel really good that someone read my comment and appreciated it and then took the time to let me know how much they appreciated it. It’s like me sending note cards and articles for my friends to read. I have to believe that people appreciate the effort and that’s what makes me feel good.
And now I am going back to work.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
crimson and clover
whew. what a few weeks. busy times, busy times. i just now realized that i missed two credit card payments because i have been so busy in the past few weeks. woops. eek. woops. i have since paid my bills and all is good, but it is NOT good to miss credit card payments. my monthly system failed me (leaving the email notification in my inbox until i pay it and then filing it) because i had soo many emails in my inbox i couldn't see my financial payment emails.
in the past few weeks, i have
i'm really looking forward to getting back into a system. oh! and tell me why i had some of the busiest days at work i've had since i got here. it was so busy on friday, i didn't have time to do 3 or 4 things on my list. and i've made a pledge not to work on the weekends, so i shall be good and busy this week, as well.
the wedding was probably the most fun wedding i've ever been to. i'll write about it soon - hopefully this week. i have to upload the pictures to my computer and send them to people. those will be coming soon, as well...
today is sunday - my least favorite day of the week. i woke up early and finished watching studio 60 on the sunset strip - a fabulous show that was ended much too early. then i took a nap and woke up to watch the news. i went for a walk to the grocery store, which is quite closer than i expected. it was kind of a dingy grocery store - like going to sunmart vs. hornbachers and compare that to me only shopping at trader joe's since i've been here. so that was disappointing. i also bought a bus pass for next month since i'm now not renting cars to get to work (cost me nearly $1000 last month - eek). got home, cleaned up, and realized that at the grocery store, they charged me $54 for the bus pass instead of the $45 that was printed on it. so i walked back to the store and picked up a few more things. i've spent the past two hours watching food network - LOVE it! i'm pretty sure its like jt said in the new sony commercials, "the more you watch, the better you get." the more i watch food network, the better chef i'll be. clearly.
in the past few weeks, i have
- packed my belongings, cleaned my old (dingy) apartment, and moved out
- moved half of my stuff to my new place then moved into a hotel
- lived out of a suitcase in a hotel for 4 days
- created programs for my cousin's wedding. drove to 5 paper companies to find paper. printed programs.
- flew home to fargo for a wedding
- got my hair done and feet done 8 hours after landing in fargo
- picked up grandma and drove with mom to minneapolis
- dropped off grandma at the groom's dinner
- picked up food with mom and drove back to hotel
- started putting together programs - finished putting together next day
- attended wedding. and wedding dance. almost missed flight back to cmh
- eventually flew back to columbus
- moved in to one side of apartment building since my side was not ready
- showed around new girl at work for 2 days
- attended my first nhl game
- spent 4 days on the other side apartment
- moved in to my side of the apartment
i'm really looking forward to getting back into a system. oh! and tell me why i had some of the busiest days at work i've had since i got here. it was so busy on friday, i didn't have time to do 3 or 4 things on my list. and i've made a pledge not to work on the weekends, so i shall be good and busy this week, as well.
the wedding was probably the most fun wedding i've ever been to. i'll write about it soon - hopefully this week. i have to upload the pictures to my computer and send them to people. those will be coming soon, as well...
today is sunday - my least favorite day of the week. i woke up early and finished watching studio 60 on the sunset strip - a fabulous show that was ended much too early. then i took a nap and woke up to watch the news. i went for a walk to the grocery store, which is quite closer than i expected. it was kind of a dingy grocery store - like going to sunmart vs. hornbachers and compare that to me only shopping at trader joe's since i've been here. so that was disappointing. i also bought a bus pass for next month since i'm now not renting cars to get to work (cost me nearly $1000 last month - eek). got home, cleaned up, and realized that at the grocery store, they charged me $54 for the bus pass instead of the $45 that was printed on it. so i walked back to the store and picked up a few more things. i've spent the past two hours watching food network - LOVE it! i'm pretty sure its like jt said in the new sony commercials, "the more you watch, the better you get." the more i watch food network, the better chef i'll be. clearly.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
seeing 7 movies in one weekend is...? poll arvhive
too much! 0-2 is perfect | 7 (70%) |
a lot more than i'm used to with 3-4 | 0 (0%) |
on the high side of my 5-7 | 0 (0%) |
just right or fine once in a while | 2 (20%) |
not enough! i prefer 8+ | 0 (0%) |
other (comment in blog) | 1 (10%) |
Votes so far: 10
Poll closed
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
left in the wrong world part 10
overheard at work:
"don't use google. google is all fucking liberals. use bing."
"yeah, but that's owned by microsoft."
"microsoft is better than all those liberals."
Monday, September 14, 2009
i've been a bad, bad girl...
my good friend [dave] turned me on to this cool map thingie. i thought i would share with you, but i'm not creative enough (or is it smart enough?) to figure out how to put the actual pictures in my blog, so you'll have to follow this link and see the glory that is mapping the seven deadly sins by state. and after you look at your favorite state, notice where north dakota lies: almost always better than the majority of the country. for easy reference, nodak is the rectanglish state smack dab in the middle of the country at the top - bordering canada. hmmm... there might've been a better way to say that, but i'm not going to think too hard about this.
where does your state fall?
PS i'm surprised california has such a low rate of STDs. they must have good education and advertising...
where does your state fall?
PS i'm surprised california has such a low rate of STDs. they must have good education and advertising...
Sunday, September 13, 2009
[you've been hit by a] smooth criminal
and so here we are. a new week. a busy week. i figured i should take a few moments today to update since i will be really, abnormally busy in the next few days.
it is sunday. my least favorite day of the week. today, even more so because i was awoken TWICE last night by someone talking LOUDLY on a cell phone, in what i assume was the apartment next door. although, at the time, i honestly thought he was in my living room and i was too tired to care. i had locked my bedroom door and figured if he wanted to come get me, he could. i was too tired to care. but he never did so i reason that he was actually in the apartment next door, not in mine.
despite being so tired, i awoke at EIGHT AM. grrr. i was up until almost 2 so this was not happy for me. i couldn't really get back to sleep and i have a lot to get done today, so i got up and decided to watch a movie online. i'm really good at procrastinating.
i was up so late last night because i went to not one, but TWO movies. i love double features. and although i think i could've gotten by with not paying for the second one, i felt guilty doing that, so i left the theater and paid for the second movie. i decided to go to the movies last night because i knew it would be dead. i hate going when its busy. and last night was a home game for OSU. the fans were out in full force all day. everywhere i went there were red jerseys and buckeyes and all sorts of nonsense. when i left for the movie at 745, there was hardly a car on the street (8pm game). i drove past a church with people sitting outside on lawn chairs and a big projector showing the game on the building wall. it would be difficult for me to come up with something less interesting for me to do.
in any case, i did join the college football pick-up pool at work. each week, one of the nicest guys in the office puts together a pool of big 10 football teams (this is big 10 country, after all) and a few other assorted games along with their vegas ... what is that called again? spread. i almost had to look it up, but i remembered. games along with the vegas spread for each game. then people pay $5 and pick who they think will win (including the spread). the spread is really annoying to me. and makes me think that i actually have to try harder than picking on team colors or mascots. plus neither the mascot or team color is listed, so i would have to do some research before making my picks, which is too much time for me. instead, i called little brother, homie and he helped me pick on the phone. (they gave me permission to ask family members) i know that i got one wrong already. usc should've beat ohio state by more than 4.5 pts, but they only won by 3. grr to usc! or should i be upset with ohio state for not going down easily? either way, that sucks. i did pick minnesota over the air force. i have no idea who won, though. maybe i should ask him to put an NDSU game in sometime...
so, as i suspected, the movie theater was pretty dead. i first saw extract which was a decent flick. i thought it was going to be funnier - for some reason, i thought it was an apatow-type film, but i really didn't know because i've been avoiding previews so the movie isnt ruined for me (like the hangover was because i had seen all the good parts in the previews). i liked it, but realize that its a bit more serious and not a far-fetched comedy. and who doesnt love jason bateman? after that, i had no desire to go home, so i went to see the tyler perry movie based on my friend, w's recommendation. i t was really good. i sniffled a few times. it was touching and madea was funny. the movies ended around midnight and i went home. NO ONE was on the street. it was the latest i had ever been out in ohio. it was eerie.
as a side note, i'd like to talk quickly about the streets in columbus. i drove around yesterday because i was terribly horribly bored and i realized that this is simple people country. not in a bad way. just simple. for example, the streets around here are all very basic-named. i drove down high school road and guess what - there was a high school on it! it was near cemetary lane, which, coincidentally had a cemetary! one of the roads i take often is GODOWN RD. i write it like that because for a long time, i glanced at it and said to myself "goodwyn" or "god own" road. then, when my mom was here, we realized its Go Down road. so i do as it says and go down it. often. just something i noticed.
and i should get going... i have to clean this apartment because i am moving out tomorrow morning. i want to work out or something and then shower so that i dont have to wash my hair tomorrow morning - i need to "rent" the vacuum from the rental office today. i also have to pack ALL my things - finish all the fruit thats in my freezer, clean the bathroom and take off the sheets. sigh. so much to do. oh! and i want to go see the goods tonight at 6:45. i'm afraid i'll miss it in the theater and thats a movie one should see in the theaters. tomorrow, i have to go to work and then i'm leaving early (around 3) to get back to my apartment so i can walk through with the guys while they videotape this place, i guess to see what has changed and to try and charge me for any "damage" or whatever. i will not let it happen! there has been no damage in my one month here. i'm so glad i'm leaving. THEN i have to race across town with all mythings and drop it off in the basement of my new place. but, i'm not moving in there quite yet. then i will go to the hotel to drop off my suitcase for the week. i'll need to grab dinner and then return the rental car and take a taxi to the hotel. phew. i'm already tired and i haven't done anything.
and just because i'm REALLY good at procrastinating, i'm going to go watch a movie...
it is sunday. my least favorite day of the week. today, even more so because i was awoken TWICE last night by someone talking LOUDLY on a cell phone, in what i assume was the apartment next door. although, at the time, i honestly thought he was in my living room and i was too tired to care. i had locked my bedroom door and figured if he wanted to come get me, he could. i was too tired to care. but he never did so i reason that he was actually in the apartment next door, not in mine.
despite being so tired, i awoke at EIGHT AM. grrr. i was up until almost 2 so this was not happy for me. i couldn't really get back to sleep and i have a lot to get done today, so i got up and decided to watch a movie online. i'm really good at procrastinating.
i was up so late last night because i went to not one, but TWO movies. i love double features. and although i think i could've gotten by with not paying for the second one, i felt guilty doing that, so i left the theater and paid for the second movie. i decided to go to the movies last night because i knew it would be dead. i hate going when its busy. and last night was a home game for OSU. the fans were out in full force all day. everywhere i went there were red jerseys and buckeyes and all sorts of nonsense. when i left for the movie at 745, there was hardly a car on the street (8pm game). i drove past a church with people sitting outside on lawn chairs and a big projector showing the game on the building wall. it would be difficult for me to come up with something less interesting for me to do.
in any case, i did join the college football pick-up pool at work. each week, one of the nicest guys in the office puts together a pool of big 10 football teams (this is big 10 country, after all) and a few other assorted games along with their vegas ... what is that called again? spread. i almost had to look it up, but i remembered. games along with the vegas spread for each game. then people pay $5 and pick who they think will win (including the spread). the spread is really annoying to me. and makes me think that i actually have to try harder than picking on team colors or mascots. plus neither the mascot or team color is listed, so i would have to do some research before making my picks, which is too much time for me. instead, i called little brother, homie and he helped me pick on the phone. (they gave me permission to ask family members) i know that i got one wrong already. usc should've beat ohio state by more than 4.5 pts, but they only won by 3. grr to usc! or should i be upset with ohio state for not going down easily? either way, that sucks. i did pick minnesota over the air force. i have no idea who won, though. maybe i should ask him to put an NDSU game in sometime...
so, as i suspected, the movie theater was pretty dead. i first saw extract which was a decent flick. i thought it was going to be funnier - for some reason, i thought it was an apatow-type film, but i really didn't know because i've been avoiding previews so the movie isnt ruined for me (like the hangover was because i had seen all the good parts in the previews). i liked it, but realize that its a bit more serious and not a far-fetched comedy. and who doesnt love jason bateman? after that, i had no desire to go home, so i went to see the tyler perry movie based on my friend, w's recommendation. i t was really good. i sniffled a few times. it was touching and madea was funny. the movies ended around midnight and i went home. NO ONE was on the street. it was the latest i had ever been out in ohio. it was eerie.
as a side note, i'd like to talk quickly about the streets in columbus. i drove around yesterday because i was terribly horribly bored and i realized that this is simple people country. not in a bad way. just simple. for example, the streets around here are all very basic-named. i drove down high school road and guess what - there was a high school on it! it was near cemetary lane, which, coincidentally had a cemetary! one of the roads i take often is GODOWN RD. i write it like that because for a long time, i glanced at it and said to myself "goodwyn" or "god own" road. then, when my mom was here, we realized its Go Down road. so i do as it says and go down it. often. just something i noticed.
and i should get going... i have to clean this apartment because i am moving out tomorrow morning. i want to work out or something and then shower so that i dont have to wash my hair tomorrow morning - i need to "rent" the vacuum from the rental office today. i also have to pack ALL my things - finish all the fruit thats in my freezer, clean the bathroom and take off the sheets. sigh. so much to do. oh! and i want to go see the goods tonight at 6:45. i'm afraid i'll miss it in the theater and thats a movie one should see in the theaters. tomorrow, i have to go to work and then i'm leaving early (around 3) to get back to my apartment so i can walk through with the guys while they videotape this place, i guess to see what has changed and to try and charge me for any "damage" or whatever. i will not let it happen! there has been no damage in my one month here. i'm so glad i'm leaving. THEN i have to race across town with all mythings and drop it off in the basement of my new place. but, i'm not moving in there quite yet. then i will go to the hotel to drop off my suitcase for the week. i'll need to grab dinner and then return the rental car and take a taxi to the hotel. phew. i'm already tired and i haven't done anything.
and just because i'm REALLY good at procrastinating, i'm going to go watch a movie...
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
north dakota: hey! that's me!
ok people. time to man-up and do something for some change. this is an excellent video explaining what a public option is. it's simple. call your reps and tell them your thoughts.
Senator Kent Conrad
530 Hart Senate Office Building
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510-3403
Phone: (202) 224-2043
Fax: (202) 224-7776
Online: http://conrad.senate.gov/contact
E-mail: https://conrad.senate.gov/contact/webform.cfm
Toll-free Phone: 1-800-223-4457 Congressman Earl Pomeroy
1501 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-2611
Fax: (202) 226-0893
Senator Byron Dorgan
322 Hart Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
Phone (202) 224-2551
Fax (202) 224-1193
Senator Kent Conrad
530 Hart Senate Office Building
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510-3403
Phone: (202) 224-2043
Fax: (202) 224-7776
Online: http://conrad.senate.gov/contact
E-mail: https://conrad.senate.gov/contact/webform.cfm
Toll-free Phone: 1-800-223-4457 Congressman Earl Pomeroy
1501 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-2611
Fax: (202) 226-0893
Senator Byron Dorgan
322 Hart Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
Phone (202) 224-2551
Fax (202) 224-1193
a midsummer night's dream
[ok, so it's almost fall...but this is a dream, quand meme]
i have a few things in the works right now, but for the moment, i thought i would honor president obama's speech today and post a few important and moving stories / videos for your enjoyment.
found on huffpo
from respected newsmag newsweek - the 5 biggest lies in the health care reform debate - h/t to my brother homie.
one good reason to get mad about health care.
and one of my favorite videos on true debates.
just found this gem, too.
i have my own story of being denied health care (yes, me, personally) and i hope to share that with you soon. i just need to actually write my letter...
i have a few things in the works right now, but for the moment, i thought i would honor president obama's speech today and post a few important and moving stories / videos for your enjoyment.
found on huffpo
from respected newsmag newsweek - the 5 biggest lies in the health care reform debate - h/t to my brother homie.
one good reason to get mad about health care.
and one of my favorite videos on true debates.
just found this gem, too.
i have my own story of being denied health care (yes, me, personally) and i hope to share that with you soon. i just need to actually write my letter...
Sunday, September 6, 2009
champagne now
please join me in saying welcome to the blogging community to one of my best friends, w, author of the great new blog, champange now.
here is a preview of her blog:
here is a preview of her blog:
Join me here to find out how I manage to eat well, live fully and laugh loud on a serious budget. I'm currently an MBA grad student and a personal trainer. As I start school this year I have 3 personal goals, SAVE MONEY, STAY FIT, HAVE FUN! Uh yeah I probably should include getting a job after graduation in there too. Managing my champagne tastes on my beer budget is sure to be a fun ride up a rocky road.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
left in the wrong world part 9
so it appears that in ohio, the biggest sport is college football. and at work they were discussing this fact:
"you can blame liberals for the fall of the big 10. it's a direct result of liberalism – all these people taxing people up here [in ohio] so people move down there [to the south] and that’s why football is so big in Georgia. all the good football players are moving down there"
Thursday, September 3, 2009
remember the time
so 5 years ago, for my parents 25th anniversary, i had just started working - good paying job, not quite paying back student loans, and living the high life. my oldest younger brother was in college at ASU. the youngest younger brother was in high school - sophomore year, i think. their anniversary fell on a weekend so i planned to have fly myself and my little brother home to fargo on friday. i took the day off from work and caught any early morning flight to fargo. i was flying through minneapolis and since homie was south of fargo, he was flying through denver. we were both supposed to land around 1:00 in fargo and homie's friend, baklava was going to pick us up from the airport. we were going to hang out at his place for a few hours until my parents left. you see, player, the youngest brother, had a football game on friday night in minot, nodak (which is about 5 hours from fargo in the northwest corner of the state). my dad is from minot (i guess us kids are, too, but we moved to fargo when i was 7 so now we're mostly from fargo) and my parents lived there together for many years, so they have a lot of ties in the city, which means that they'll drive the five hours just for a high school football game (i guess they would've gone anyway, but they looked forward to going because they knew so many people there). i had called my parents friends in minot ahead of time to tell them to plan for a surprise anniversary party after the football game. we arranged to have player stay with us after the game (instead of heading back to fargo with the team). my parents were planning to take the suv to minot and they would just leave the car in the garage at home in fargo. so it would be perfect for us to use the car and drive to minot, again, 5 hours away. my parents were leaving around 1:30, after my mom got home from work. homie and i were going to leave at 2, just in time for the football game (which was from 7-9 that night). it was perfectly planned...
i land in minneapolis for my layover and immediately call my brother in denver to see how his flight was.
me: "hey, homie. how was your flight?"
he: "i dont know. i missed it."
me: ..."are you kidding?"
he: "no, i woke up at 6:46 for my 7:02 flight."
me: ..."seriously?"
he: "yes, i'm serious. i'm in phoenix right now waiting at the airport. brett woke me up - i totally didn't hear my alarm."
me: "ok... so what time do you get to fargo now?"
he: "not until 5:30."
me: "ok... so what do you think? should we still go to minot?"
he: "yeah, yeah."
i was incredulous at first. that would mean we wouldn't get there until 10:30 - looong after the game and after everyone was on their way home. luckily, i had an insider.
my cousin, amanda, lived in minot with her husband and was going to be at the football game. i called her and told her we had a set-back. we would be arriving late, so depending upon what time we got there, we'd have to have her get my parents to the party location and she would have to tell all my parents friends.
i got on my flight to fargo and baklava picked me up from the airport. i went to his place (Suite 56) and took a nap on the couch while i waited for homie. after i knew my parents were on the road to minot and safely out of fargo, i went home to my house, just a few blocks away. i hung out until a half hour before homie's flight was to arrive. i drove to mcdonalds and got dinner and was sitting at the airport waiting for homie. he only had a carry-on so we didnt have to wait for luggage. he came outside, got on the road and 35 seconds later we were on the highway to minot.
i drove while he ate and once we got to grand forks (an hour north of fargo) we switched drivers. homie has a heavier foot than i, although my foot has never been light, and we started heading west. we called my cousin and told her where we were - about 200 miles from fargo and it was only a little after 7:00 - and she said, "woa, you're gonna get here in plenty of time at that speed!" and she was right.
we got to the football field at 8:45.
the game was still going.
since it was so late, we didnt have to pay to get in. my cousin told us about where they were sitting and so homie and i went to the top of the bleachers behind my parents. i called my mom, which is normal during a brother's athletic game, and she answered her phone all the while staring at the field.
me: "hey mom! how's the game?"
she: "it's great! we're ahead!"
me: "awesome! wasn't that a great catch by player?"
she stopped.
she: "how did you know he caught the ball?" [then to the crowd] "ok, who's on the phone with my daughter?"
then homie took the phone from me. homie: "hey mom! how's the game?"
she: "good! oh! are you guys on a conference call? that's funny!"
homie: "mom, how come you have sunglasses on your head?"
she: "ok! who is talking to my kids?!"
of course, everyone knew we were there and had turned around to see us, except my parents who were intently watching the game. so homie and i walk up to them while we're still on the phone and my mom's mouth almost fell off her face when she saw us. my dad sat, hunched over from watching the game, and just started laughing. they had no idea that we were going to be there. or WHY we were there. we were like, "happy anniversary!" they were really surprised. it was great.
after the game, we told player what happened and we all went to a bar with my parents friends where we had this little party. it was fun. we stayed at the allex's that night and the next day, the three of us kids headed back to fargo. my parents decided to stay in minot for the night. we planned another surprise party on sunday in fargo to be with fargo family and friends. i decorated the house and 20 people showed up for the party. of course, my parents said they would be home around 3 and at 1 or so, they called and said they were stopping along the way. they didn't end up getting to fargo until 4 or so. i had to entertain a house full of people who were just standing around waiting for my parents. at the same time, i couldnt urge my parents to get home sooner because then they would know something was up. so i said, "well, i want to hang out with you before i go back to boston." it was hard not to crack. they finally got home around 4 and walked in to a house full of people who yelled, "surprise!" apparently, they knew something was up because one of the allex's said to my mom, "make sure you hurry up home to your kids now!" which was an odd thing for her to say.
in any case, it was a great weekend, despite my brother missing his plane and the surprise almost being ruined.
and this year, no surprise party - sorry. maybe for the 35 year...
i land in minneapolis for my layover and immediately call my brother in denver to see how his flight was.
me: "hey, homie. how was your flight?"
he: "i dont know. i missed it."
me: ..."are you kidding?"
he: "no, i woke up at 6:46 for my 7:02 flight."
me: ..."seriously?"
he: "yes, i'm serious. i'm in phoenix right now waiting at the airport. brett woke me up - i totally didn't hear my alarm."
me: "ok... so what time do you get to fargo now?"
he: "not until 5:30."
me: "ok... so what do you think? should we still go to minot?"
he: "yeah, yeah."
i was incredulous at first. that would mean we wouldn't get there until 10:30 - looong after the game and after everyone was on their way home. luckily, i had an insider.
my cousin, amanda, lived in minot with her husband and was going to be at the football game. i called her and told her we had a set-back. we would be arriving late, so depending upon what time we got there, we'd have to have her get my parents to the party location and she would have to tell all my parents friends.
i got on my flight to fargo and baklava picked me up from the airport. i went to his place (Suite 56) and took a nap on the couch while i waited for homie. after i knew my parents were on the road to minot and safely out of fargo, i went home to my house, just a few blocks away. i hung out until a half hour before homie's flight was to arrive. i drove to mcdonalds and got dinner and was sitting at the airport waiting for homie. he only had a carry-on so we didnt have to wait for luggage. he came outside, got on the road and 35 seconds later we were on the highway to minot.
i drove while he ate and once we got to grand forks (an hour north of fargo) we switched drivers. homie has a heavier foot than i, although my foot has never been light, and we started heading west. we called my cousin and told her where we were - about 200 miles from fargo and it was only a little after 7:00 - and she said, "woa, you're gonna get here in plenty of time at that speed!" and she was right.
we got to the football field at 8:45.
the game was still going.
since it was so late, we didnt have to pay to get in. my cousin told us about where they were sitting and so homie and i went to the top of the bleachers behind my parents. i called my mom, which is normal during a brother's athletic game, and she answered her phone all the while staring at the field.
me: "hey mom! how's the game?"
she: "it's great! we're ahead!"
me: "awesome! wasn't that a great catch by player?"
she stopped.
she: "how did you know he caught the ball?" [then to the crowd] "ok, who's on the phone with my daughter?"
then homie took the phone from me. homie: "hey mom! how's the game?"
she: "good! oh! are you guys on a conference call? that's funny!"
homie: "mom, how come you have sunglasses on your head?"
she: "ok! who is talking to my kids?!"
of course, everyone knew we were there and had turned around to see us, except my parents who were intently watching the game. so homie and i walk up to them while we're still on the phone and my mom's mouth almost fell off her face when she saw us. my dad sat, hunched over from watching the game, and just started laughing. they had no idea that we were going to be there. or WHY we were there. we were like, "happy anniversary!" they were really surprised. it was great.
after the game, we told player what happened and we all went to a bar with my parents friends where we had this little party. it was fun. we stayed at the allex's that night and the next day, the three of us kids headed back to fargo. my parents decided to stay in minot for the night. we planned another surprise party on sunday in fargo to be with fargo family and friends. i decorated the house and 20 people showed up for the party. of course, my parents said they would be home around 3 and at 1 or so, they called and said they were stopping along the way. they didn't end up getting to fargo until 4 or so. i had to entertain a house full of people who were just standing around waiting for my parents. at the same time, i couldnt urge my parents to get home sooner because then they would know something was up. so i said, "well, i want to hang out with you before i go back to boston." it was hard not to crack. they finally got home around 4 and walked in to a house full of people who yelled, "surprise!" apparently, they knew something was up because one of the allex's said to my mom, "make sure you hurry up home to your kids now!" which was an odd thing for her to say.
in any case, it was a great weekend, despite my brother missing his plane and the surprise almost being ruined.
and this year, no surprise party - sorry. maybe for the 35 year...
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
what’s your vector, victor?
people ask me all the time what i do. i explained to a friend in london last week. here is what i wrote:
What do I do? What DO I do? WHAT do I do? Yes… good question. I’m a relationship manager for a financial firm. So, basically Firm A has hired me to make sure that their client, Firm B, is happy. I do whatever Firm B wants me to do on behalf of Firm A and try to make Firm A look good while I am keeping Firm B happy. Does that make sense? And the actual doing is moving of stocks and bonds from different accounts. I make sure they move and everyone gets paid and fix problems and whatnot. It’s a jack of all trades, master of none type job.
and for the purpose of everyone's knowledge here, let's say that Firm A, who i used to work for, is a cake seller. they buy and sell cakes (or borrow and lend) cakes from one firm to other firms that can use them. and Firm B, who has hired Firm A, is a cake maker. They make the cakes and put them together and Firm A, who has hired me to be a consultant, wants to make sure that we get the cakes from Firm B's warehouses to the buyers warehouses. i am here to make sure all the cakes move correctly and that Firm B has all the ingredients they need from Firm A to make the cakes so Firm A can get the cakes in the market.
the reason why i have chosen this analogy is because i like saying cake boss. that is the only reason.
cake boss.
so yeah, work these days is a bit tedious. to make it analogous to cake making, i am basically counting the granules of sugar. one by one. that is how detail oriented and yet mind-numbing this job is right now. it shall get better in a few months when i have to train the next cake mover (that's me, a cake mover) to take over. i like training. it means i get to talk a lot.
...
as an aside, my mom is in town for a few days. so i have been rather busy running here and there and then everywhere. last night, i picked her up from the airport and we went to easton - this cutesy area - and had pf changs. chicken lettuce wraps and kung pao chicken. mmm mmmm good. and then we came home after driving around a bit and then i had to go to bed.
this morning i drove myself to work, worked for four hours, then drove all the way back to my apartment to pick up my mom. then we drove BACK downtown to return the rental car. but we couldn't find a gas station, so we got BACK on the highway and made it almost to the airport before finding a place. THEN we go BACK downtown to return the car and get a new car (so her name is on it) only to be told that we don't have to actually switch cars, we can just switch contracts. so the gas was for nothing. then we take off and drive all over looking for the stupid panera bread i went to last week. i thought that we must've missed it, so we turned around - we never passed it. we must not have gone far enough.
so we end up eating at an au bon pain which was fine. mom finally dropped me back off at work - 2 hours later. i stayed at work late until 6:15 at which point she picked me up again and we drove around and then went to my favorite mexican place - where they remember me. that was just as good.
now we're back at home and about to watch weeds and smoke some reefer. ha ha. just kidding. maybe.
What do I do? What DO I do? WHAT do I do? Yes… good question. I’m a relationship manager for a financial firm. So, basically Firm A has hired me to make sure that their client, Firm B, is happy. I do whatever Firm B wants me to do on behalf of Firm A and try to make Firm A look good while I am keeping Firm B happy. Does that make sense? And the actual doing is moving of stocks and bonds from different accounts. I make sure they move and everyone gets paid and fix problems and whatnot. It’s a jack of all trades, master of none type job.
and for the purpose of everyone's knowledge here, let's say that Firm A, who i used to work for, is a cake seller. they buy and sell cakes (or borrow and lend) cakes from one firm to other firms that can use them. and Firm B, who has hired Firm A, is a cake maker. They make the cakes and put them together and Firm A, who has hired me to be a consultant, wants to make sure that we get the cakes from Firm B's warehouses to the buyers warehouses. i am here to make sure all the cakes move correctly and that Firm B has all the ingredients they need from Firm A to make the cakes so Firm A can get the cakes in the market.
the reason why i have chosen this analogy is because i like saying cake boss. that is the only reason.
cake boss.
so yeah, work these days is a bit tedious. to make it analogous to cake making, i am basically counting the granules of sugar. one by one. that is how detail oriented and yet mind-numbing this job is right now. it shall get better in a few months when i have to train the next cake mover (that's me, a cake mover) to take over. i like training. it means i get to talk a lot.
...
as an aside, my mom is in town for a few days. so i have been rather busy running here and there and then everywhere. last night, i picked her up from the airport and we went to easton - this cutesy area - and had pf changs. chicken lettuce wraps and kung pao chicken. mmm mmmm good. and then we came home after driving around a bit and then i had to go to bed.
this morning i drove myself to work, worked for four hours, then drove all the way back to my apartment to pick up my mom. then we drove BACK downtown to return the rental car. but we couldn't find a gas station, so we got BACK on the highway and made it almost to the airport before finding a place. THEN we go BACK downtown to return the car and get a new car (so her name is on it) only to be told that we don't have to actually switch cars, we can just switch contracts. so the gas was for nothing. then we take off and drive all over looking for the stupid panera bread i went to last week. i thought that we must've missed it, so we turned around - we never passed it. we must not have gone far enough.
so we end up eating at an au bon pain which was fine. mom finally dropped me back off at work - 2 hours later. i stayed at work late until 6:15 at which point she picked me up again and we drove around and then went to my favorite mexican place - where they remember me. that was just as good.
now we're back at home and about to watch weeds and smoke some reefer. ha ha. just kidding. maybe.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
left in the wrong world part 8
overheard at work:
"i dont understand why people are so upset with insurance companies. they just don't want them to make any money. kellogg's makes money every year and no one gets upset with them."
happy 30th mom and dad!!!
today is my parent's 30th wedding anniversary - congrats mom and dad!
and to think what i was doing 30 years ago... oh wait... no. that's can't be. :)
i'm actually surprised that its already 30, in fact. i wish i had planned some sort of surprise party (sorry mom and dad, i didnt) like i did for their 25th anniversary. and i digress....
nope. i won't. i'm too tired. i have to go to bed... i'll finish this story later. it's a doozie.
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