i just don’t get the kids of today… September 28, 2007

in addition to their lack of understanding ettiquitte…

sometimes i teach and the kids and the prof. are psyched about what i have just shown them, other times, like today, i want to just tell them to get out.  blank stares abound, crickets chirping.  i especially love it when i am teaching about a subject matter which i know little, i.e. marketing.  do they understand me?  do they know what crap i am talking, like i understand their subject?  or are they just sleeping? i don’t know.  today’s session was pretty big, and way to cool for school, since none of them would even sit at the computers.  seriously.  at least at the computers, you could be facebooking your friends, not staring at me.

another bizarre think happened when i was doing chat the other day- someone asked where a book was on the 3rd floor or x library, 100 miles away from me.  see, i would not go online to try and find a book location, when i was in the physical space, i would look for a person.  it was the most bizarre thing and a true expression of the difference in the ways in which people tackle problems.  i also didn’t know where the service points were at this particular library, so i called them, asked if someone was on the 3rd floor and couldn’t find a book who they could talk to, chatted with the person and sent them to the 1st floor. they seemed dissapointed.  even in an ideal world in which i knew the space like the back of my hand, how would i have conveyed that to the person to turn right, now left, to find the shelf that the book was on, yeah, down at the bottom row.

this weekend is the “big” apartment party.  food and drink aplenty.

for the love of the graph paper September 25, 2007

i’ll get to the subject later.

i don’t think i blogged about this, but a few weeks ago, a friend told me that i need to get better at saying no.  we all do it, but i guess my proclivity to help someone out is driven by this overwhelming sense of guilt- guilt that if i don’t help them i will not be their friend, not be a good person. all of it.  so, i understand why this person said to me that i need to say no more often.  it’s a bad feeling to be questioning your actions more often than not.  i don’t know.  it’s a bad feeling to get taken advantage of, whether that’s loaning someone money, doing things out of your day that maybe they don’t even appreciate or acknowledge, whatever.  somehow in my job (maybe b/c it is my job) i don’t feel bad when i don’t get a thanks or even an acknowledgment that i helped someone- that is totally fine by me, it doesn’t phase me.  i am pleasantly surprised when i do get a thanks or anything- it almost makes my day.  in my “real” life,  i am more bothered by people not appreciating what i am giving them. the difference i guess is that i am paid to do my job, and helping them is part of my job, when i am not at work, then it’s about my time.  gosh, i sound like a total baby- i didn’t start this blog to complain about the wrongs of the world b/c that’s too much to deal with- i am so off topic.  anyway, point is, i need to work on my evaluation skills i guess, to know when i should say yes, helping someone out who really needs my help, and when i need to say no to frivolous requests.  it’s ok to say no.

i love graph paper.  since i was little i have loved graph paper, i loved coloring alternating squares to form black and white pictures.  also, this alternating design interest extended to using compasses to create overlapping circles to color alternating colors.  yeah. a math art dork. yeah. graph paper is great.

apartment photos on flickr September 25, 2007

finally i put some apartment photos on flickr.  check them out if you wish.

save the date, sept. 29 September 19, 2007

all who read this are invited to my apartment warming, the overwhelming response, i.e. bea, put me over the top of organizing this.
details to follow, let me know if you want a proper invite with directions, etc.

if i had been a business major… September 18, 2007

i would have gotten all F’s. i realize this when i have to teach business students. sure, the freshmen i can trick into believing that i know what is going on. teaching the kids that are further along, that’s when i totally start to get scared. so i fake it and hope that i can get through teaching without saying anything that is a lie or just any sort of misstep.

weekend recap? sure, i’ll give you one. still putting some of the stuff away (btw, should i have an apartment warming party, or is that a lame idea?) but it’s looking pretty good now. i hope to take photos this weekend, i swear…. friday i napped and then went to coffee with c, not staying out to late. i was super tired and needed the nap b/c thursday night was the best night in the history of gbg (until last night) b/c the construction on one of the streets was right by my apartment, they are paving and then installing new brick crosswalks. this means they pave and then cut the pavement out, with giant saws. i was so tired and got like no sleep. anyway, i got a second wind and worked on organizing the place. talked to m on her way home and went to sleep. (Btw, just got home, the jack hammering is even more insane than ever!!!)

saturday i continued on the quest to find storage for the bathroom, going with j to gabes (the store) and big lots. nothing. urgh. did some more putting stuff away work and then went with s to h’s bbq. m called while i was there and i agreed to sleep over in the big n.h. and watch a movie later- that was all good b/c s had plans with her bf so we took of early from h’s house. sunday i woke up to m saying that my hair is giant when i wake up. i am fully aware- it’s a mess. got up, pancakes, went to the ol’ homestead to do laundry and then to kmart for the quest. finally, i found an appropriate cart for the bathroom to store my extra stuff in. good deal. food shopping and back to the gbg. i watched some dvds, supplementing the no tv thing, and that’s about all for me.

i am just curious, should i buy my hair stylist a wedding present? i have known her for probably 10 years, and don’t know the etiquette. anyone???

i went to a lecture by one of the philo. fac. members today, i had forgotten how much fun the philo. peeps are… seriously, that is not a joke. i wish i could get an invite to that great wine and cheese party that another phil. prof. gives….

ok, i’m out….

random links of the bizarre September 12, 2007

overheard in pgh was funny, pirates/ gutterpunks, what’s the difference.

ms. angel sent this to me, about quirkiness and the backlash against it.  wow, lots of things i like, not cool.

the life of a girl without cable. September 11, 2007

i seriously thought that NOT having cable would do me good, less TV ( i don’t think i watch that much to begin with, seriously), more reading or movies, a break.  it’s been all of 5 days and i am not liking this no cable business.  i am considering getting digital satellite ( i.e. a dish), it’s cheaper, my landlord doesn’t care.  yeah.

gosh, what else…. this AM i went to get some coffee and chat with the local kids. good times.  it is so nice being able to walk like 2 blocks and find people i know.  i mean, back in the day (i.e. last week) m was about 1 mile away and that was good times.  the only difference is at times i would go over to m’s in my pjs, i don’t think that will happen at the coffee shop- i will not be that girl.

i have to catch up on my blogs, i have about a MILLION and one entries to read for all my crafty blogs.  it’s hard work to stay informed in the ways of crafters the world round.

did you ever have a surprising, almost side blinding conversation, that you didn’t expect?  today was one of those days when everything is normal and then suddenly you are in the middle of this bizarre, off topic, intense, scary conversation.  nothing evil came of it, but it really scared me for a second.

i am going to go look at the dvd collection at work, so i don’t become consumed with this cable tv business.

random acts of kindness September 10, 2007

i got to work today to find a package in my mailbox.  a coworker, who i have actually never met in person, had made me a reusable tote.  how freaking cool.  it was so nice.  we had bonded over sewing via the only way i do with my coworkers and “patrons”, fb.  so strange.  anyway, it was a total surprise to start the week.

the apartment is coming along, i have had two official visitors aside from fam.  sad but true.  i am psyched to get everything done and in place and just right, which i know doesn’t exist. but i guess i just want all the boxes gone.

m invited me over tonight to stay over and watch a movie, if i wasn’t like day 2 in the apartment, i totally would have.

this i what moving feels like to me. September 6, 2007

the great magazine elimination exercise

Originally uploaded by amyr.

hm, i did get rid of all of those magazines, right?

moving makes me feel insane. September 6, 2007

i have these ups and downs bout moving, like i am so excited!, now i am so depressed about the putting stuff away and possibility of the movers breaking my stuff. sigh. i am ready to be done. plus i am missing the progressive library skillshare this weekend, the celebrities and my friends from the past.
of all the weekends to move.

i am sure i will be back to the high of having an awesome new place by monday. anyway. i’ll post photos as soon as i can, xo.