Pure Ignorance

So, G has been sending me links to NPR articles that clearly indicate that the world is filled with more ignorant people that I could ever have imagined.
First, there's the wife of the evangelist who writes a tell-all book explaining why she chose to stay with her husband after he cheated on her. I would be hard-pressed to follow her example if I were in her position and my husband cheated on me with another woman but I'm sure I would be able to understand where she was coming from. But another man? It's no longer just an infidelity issue. Clearly, her husband is gay and they are both in denial of that fact. So while she can forgive him for cheating, she has to let him go so he is free to be who he is. As G pointed out, homosexuality is not something that needs to be forgiven. It is what it is.
Next, there's the guy who wants to create an all-white basketball league. I could list a bunch of reasons why this would be a bad idea from a financial standpoint, regardless of the social aspect but I'll refrain. I don't see any way for this idea to even get off the ground floor but I have learned not to underestimate the strength of the ignorant people who make up a great part of this world.

Gmail Propoganda

I recently signed up for a gmail account mainly so that I could stay in touch with a friend over the course of the day. Obviously, I already had a Google account (for Google Books or something) which allows me to maintain this blog. I am content with my existing Yahoo! email accounts but unfortunately, Messenger is no longer supported at my friend's job site, hence the switch. Since I was putting forth enormous effort to create an account that I did not want or need, I figured that I would make it one that I could use for professional purposes. I never gave much thought to the "image" that my email address projected- my only concern was that it was easily identifiable as mine. But then my friend sent me this NPR marketplace article which clearly shows that Google is trying to take over the world, one email at a time. I think that Google is a wonderful tool but I generally like to arrive at realizations without too much outside influence. Apparently, you are considered "uncool" and send the wrong message to hiring managers if you still use aol or hotmail or some other supposedly outdated email extension, anything other than gmail. Oh wait, Yahoo! is okay but if you really want to be taken seriously, gmail is the way to go. Anyone else see what I'm seeing? I'm almost tempted to try and test out this biased theory but I think it would be much more satisfying to keep my "okay" Yahoo! email address on my resumes after all, at least for the time being:).

Cold but Happy

I spent New Year's weekend in Chicago and had a blast. Despite the freezing cold! It's always the misadventures that you remember and smile over days later. Like when we waited out in the cold for about half an hour in a vain attempt to get into Crobar (after champagne toasts at another party) and finally gave up when we realized that we were getting too old to wait on anybody. Guess we were too cheap to shell out the "two and a quarter" that it would take for us to get bottle service and gain immediate admission. As we walked to G's warm car, we felt a little sorry for the people huddled together in their cocktail dresses and the drunk people walking barefoot because they couldn't get a cab. Why do people think it's okay to be out in the cold without a coat or any kind of protection just because its NYE? And when our next stop was far from full, enough so we could feel a cold draft in the air, we took it all in stride and still managed to end on a happy note. Total money spent: $20 for club admission for two people (regular admission was $35 per person). We made the most of that and the next two nights. I do believe that the fun we had at Wild Hare on our last night more than made up for all of our misadventures.

Family Bonding

Allergies are kicking my butt in a big way but I can't help but feel warm-hearted when I think of all the togetherness thats been going on with my family lately. Don't get me wrong, we've always gotten along and I've always known that I can count my family as they can with me. But something feels different this season. Something extra. They say you never know what you have until its gone. Well, I am for one am thankful to realize exactly what I have while there's still time to appreciate them. There might have been an incident that made us all realize just how fleeting life is but its more likely that in my zest to be independent, I forgot about my most important support system. Make sure your family knows how much you appreciate them over the holidays and every day. Happy Holidays!

Bills, Bills, Bills!

You just keep coming! Just when I think I've seen the last of the bills relating to my recent medical situation, there you go again. When I start to believe that the hospitals, doctors, specialists have all billed me for everything they could possibly bill me for (blood work, scans, drugs, supplies, bed...), you find a way to surprise me when I open my mail box. My other bills won't wait for you to go away. Haven't I paid enough? It's Christmas for cripes sakes!When will I see the last of you?

Amazing Race: Seriously, You Thought That Was A Good Idea?

Reminiscent of the same episode last season (with the volleyball sisters), one team did something so stupid on last night's episode of Amazing Race that I cannot believe they actually thought it would be a good idea. The team of Flight Time and Big Easy--the Harlem Globetrotters--decided to incur a 4-hours penalty when Big Easy found it difficult to complete the very first task. The task: take five letters attained via voice automation and re-arrange them into a Czech(?) word. Sounds easy enough right? Not so for Big Easy. Granted, there are many possible combinations (five raised to the fifth power) so yes, this could be a time-consuming task but it is Amazing Race so the motto work smarter, not harder applies. If it doesn't sound like it could be a word, it probably isn't. But, Big Easy is not exactly the brains of the pair. After watching the three teams who would move on to the final leg complete the task (including the couple who first had to tackle a speed bump), Big Easy thought it would be wiser to incur a penalty rather than struggle further (keep in mind, another team gave him the first letter so he had a slight advantage). Boy was he wrong! While they waited out their four hours, the other teams completed their two remaining tasks. Note to Big Easy, exercising a little brain matter and trusting in your abilities yields surprising results. And, when you're down to the last leg before the finals on Amazing Race and don't know what's waiting around the corner, you're best bet is to keep racing. Four hours is too much time to sit on the sideline, especially at the start of a leg.

So Far So Good...I Think

First week back to work after being away for six weeks and...it's like I never left. I don't know what I was expecting but I thought that I would at least have to go through a re-adjustment period. Not so much. The work is the same, and thankfully, not as overwhelming as it could have been. Some people noticed I'd been gone and were happy to welcome me back; most didn't. I certainly feel different. Better! But as far as work, it's just another day/week at the office. Happy Thanksgiving!