Murdoch Freak Out

Murdoch freaks out over this parody of the Wall Street Journal and its objectivity in reporting practices.

Life After Burlington

It has been a very long time since I last posted. Do you know why that is? It's because I have NOT been staring mindlessly at my computer screen, trapped at my desk, in Burlington. Now I can do something during the day other than facebook stalk acquaintances and dig dirt out from under my nails with a bent paperclip. So what's new?

I am working coffee. I just had my first day on the coffee bar, and it went as well as could be expected (although I burnt myself on the steam wand more times than I could really justify). It has been fun comparing stories with my other barista friends: Sars, KJW, and Emily.

I am trying to get an internship with Baron & Co. and have done an interview and a writing/editing exam. I'm not sure if I'm in, but I hope so. The guy interviewing me is really cool and we have one mutual friend (Lach!) so I hope that that might score me some points... although I wish I would've had my AP Style Book today at the copy-editing quiz.... When to abbreviate the word Street and the months of the year - some things I hadn't thought about for a while.

AP Style can be tricky anyway - in journalism I once got a C on an otherwise perfect copy just because I didn't change the word "Pig" to "Hog" throughout the paper (Apparently if it is more than 500 lbs., it is technically a hog.)

Today I ate an entire tub of Reeses peanut butter bites. That's about 1000 unnecessary calories. Now I feel like a hog - not a pig, a hog.

I also did Ski to Sea last weekend with the Better Lovers. We came in 419 out of 430... so yeah, we did really well and now some of us are thinking of doing a triathlon together. Yay!

Interesting

Two years ago some guy invented "Rape-X" a condom (or diaphragm) that a woman can wear if she is worried about being raped. It has barbed hooks that will rip or shred the penis of a rapist, effectively impairing him and giving the victim time to escape. The idea for this product came in part from an old myth called "vagina dentata" which is Latin for "toothed vagina." In old days this was a cautionary tale to prevent men from raping women or having sex with strangers. Interesting.

Best Monday Ever, and KJW why don't you read my blog anymore?

It's my last Monday ever in Burlington, which means it is also the best Monday ever in Burlington.

This weekend I stayed up for 24 hours so that I could do "Burly Girls" an all-girl event that is RYD-ish but with different tasks and a lot less gender supremacy. We met in the park in cocktail dresses for opening ceremony on Friday night, then we got into sweats to play football. I'm not super competitive or coordinated, but I think I did alright. I tackled someone and ran down the field with the ball. I don't know how many yards or whatever, but I am a fast runner and so it seemed pretty far. We got energy drinks at the super market. We played Kick-the-Can in an abandoned cement factory, got cheesy fries at the Ranch Room, hiked to Sehome Arboretum, played German spotlight, rode bikes down Alabama, went skinny dipping in Lake Padden, danced in the Cruisin' Coffee parking lot on Lakeway, watched the sunrise from Toad Mountain and did random acts of kindness. It was a full night, and it was awesome.


Last night Ren, Courtney and I talked about what "love" is, and whether it is fundamentally the same in all relationships, whether romantic or platonic. I think they are very much the same, although there are a few glaring differences - I wouldn't want to make out with my sister for example - but I think the root of it is still the same. I still take my definition of real "love" from 1 Corinthians, but even then, I don't know if perfect Love is possible here on earth. I still wonder sometimes if love is strong enough to overcome all the pain in this world. I know I still have my own reservations and worries to break through in that department as well, because to me, human love can be a scary and unreliable thing. Over the last few years many things have happened to make me doubt the power of human love; relationships break up, friendships dissolve, people who say they "love" end up cheating or lying to each other. It seems like people are most often self-seeking and self-gratifying (myself included). Can we really have any true conception of what Love is? The only completely unfailing earthly love I have ever experienced has been from my parents; I can never remember a time I ever doubted their love for me or worried about putting my trust in them. I hope this type of love is possible in all other relationships, but I don't know it, and the more of life I see, the harder it gets to believe in it. So here's to hoping...

At least it was a good discussion. Any thoughts? Comments?

Later today I am going to make my rounds about the property and say goodbye to all the store managers I have worked with here. I decided to make a list of some things I will actually miss in Burlington: treats from Rocky Mountain Chocolate, free time to check my email/facebook/blogs, the maintenance crew, talking to managers, and editing copy (on the rare occasion I get to). There. That was a pretty good list. Back to my last Outlet Shoppes Monday ever!

Yay for the Week!

I had my barista training yesterday! Well it was only the first day of 20 hours I believe, but it was pretty cool. I learned "tamping" and "ristretto" and "crema" and I also learned how to make good foam (I kept in mind what you said, Walden, about tipping the cup) and I made a caramel macchiato and a wet cappuccino! Yay!! I love coffee!

Even better: I discovered that the ONLY public relations firm in Bellingham is taking on a summer intern. I applied. Interview Wednesday. Did I mention this is a PAID internship?! Life if freaking really good right now. If I ended up getting this internship it would be the most exciting thing all year. And, as everyone keeps telling me, this is my year! So I should get it, if that Chinese zodiac thing really works... Plus it couldn't hurt that this company did a huge PR campaign for the radiology center that my dad runs, could it? :)

The only bad thing of the week has been these paralyzing foot cramps I have been getting. (Don't panic Ski-to-Sea-ers) They have been getting progressively worse over the last few months and the last week or so have gotten to be regular post-workout ragers. I run, run, run and then it feels like my foot begins to be cut in half vertically, right at the ball. I have to stop and like, hug my foot and cry.

"Eat Bananas." That is what everyone says. Apparently cramps can be caused by a lack of potassium. So now I am eating at least one banana a day. IcyHot helps too.

I saw Matt K at the gym yesterday. I told him about Hawaii. The ensuing discussion led to my favorite quote of the week:

"Hawaii is a dumb fucking state. I mean really really dumb! Everyone drops out of school there when they are like 12. You could definitely find a job there. Not that you need to go to a state full of dumb people in order to find a job..."

What the Hell is going on?!

Earthquake in China kills 8,500 people
Cyclone Toll Raised to 32,000

Online Shopping Etc.

I haven't written for a whole week and that is crazy! Still working on the Hawaii plan. At my family reunion this weekend the relatives were split pretty evenly down the middle. Half said, "Go to Hawaii, you are young!!" the other half said, "Forget it! Go to grad school and stop procrastinating the real world already."

In Spokane I bought an extremely adorable pair of red leather open-toed pumps with a three inch heel at Nordstrom Rack. Where will I wear them? I don't know. Why do I need them? I really don't. But they are Steve Maddens and were on a BIG sale. God I love Nordstrom rack. I love shoes. And I have been doing a little bit of compulsive shopping.

I wanted to buy an old/used 4 GB ipod on ebay that I could strap to my arm and work out with (My 30 GB one is too big for that) so I found one for $40, bid on it, won, and then realized that it wasn't a real iPod, it was a knock off. But the seller used the word iPod in the title and in the description and then did this at the bottom:
*iPod alike
So now that I know it isn't a REAL iPod, I don't want to pay for this knock off and I'm trying to figure out what happens if I just don't submit payment for it... what can ebay do to me? Anyone know? I know that I am the idiot here for not reading the "fine print" but obviously this was a scam... and I now realize that I need to SAVE my money, not spend it on super super cute Steve Madden shoes and an iPod knockoff.

On an internet-shopping related note, check out my sister's website. She designs and makes her own hats and is selling them online. It's pretty cool actually.

Two Weeks Notice

"It's really really easy to get a food handler's permit. On the test the questions are like, 'Should you pick your nose and wipe it in the food?' Umm, no." - Lynn B. on taking the test for food handling.


I gave my two weeks notice on Friday. I am really excited, in fact, the knowledge that I will only be trapped in Burlington for two more weeks has shed a very sunny light on my lately downtrodden spirit. I hope I enjoy slinging coffee, I hope the pay cut is worth it. I have a feeling that almost anything would be more engaging and enjoyable than my present job. Now I can finally stop whining about it - aren't you all soooo relieved?

Last night I had some difficulty sleeping because I was imaging that a ghost who looks like this:
was about to crawl into bed next to me. (Bag Head Boy) I tried to call the boy for emotional support, but he was already sleeping and didn't have the energy to assuage my perfectly justified and rational fear. It was a very scary movie!

Afternoon off

Yay for the afternoon off!!! I left work at 11:45 this morning to make it to an interview with Cruisin' at 12:30. Now at 2:30, here I sit: watching 27 dresses, drinking a pint of Boundary Bay Scotch Ale and eating salted cashews. I feel slightly inebriated. Good day.