I love music. I really do. From 'Ole Blue Eyes to the Beastie Boys, from Beethoven to Kanye West - I can't get enough.
Quite often, I will enjoy a trainwreck movie just because of the score. Case in point: "Two Weeks Notice." You know Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock just phoned that one in - they had zero chemistry (even less than Freddie Prinze Jr. and Julia Stiles/Monica Potter/Rachel Leigh Cook - take your pick). But guess who owns the soundtrack??
I once spent months hunting down a classical song that appeared during the end credits of Party of Five. I sat for hours one day at the Rochester Public Library listening to CD after CD of Tchaikovsky, Bach, Mozart, Chopin - whatever I could get my hands on. I had to have that song.
I am also one of those people who will keep browsing in an otherwise worthless store if the music is right. I will buy that CD on the "Now Playing" display at Barnes & Noble. I have spent extra time lollygagging around the grocery store to get to the end of an Alan Parsons Project song.
When the Wallflowers did a remake of the Bee Gees "I Started a Joke," I discovered it at Bath & Body Works. I think the sales associate thought I was a little nuts when I asked about it instead of their "buy three get one free" sale on their anti-bacterial collection. But I didn't care. She was just a bit part in the movie of my life with my own personal soundtrack.
Friday, August 31, 2007
High Tech Nation
Fifty years ago, if you told someone that they would be able to work from home and perform all the same functions that they would in an office, would they have believed you? Probably not. Or that anybody would be able to travel anywhere and talk to anyone on a mobile phone? Yeah, cuckoo. But having been alive for the last 31 years and seeing how much things have evolved, I'm glad that I have the option to work from home or anywhere that I can get an internet connection and not feel disconnected from the office. On the downside, with technology always evolving and people able to log in from anywhere with wireless devices (ie- the "Crack" berry), you're also easily accessible...maybe Big Brother is not so far away after all, if it's not here already.
Having moved into our new home, my husband and I were so excited about getting Verizon FiOS installed for the house. For those that may not be familiar, FiOS is Fiber Optic Services. Your phone service, cable TV and internet access travel on one fiber optic line to provide these services throughout your home (whereas without FiOS, that's three separate services and three separate lines wired to your home). Some of our friends signed up for it and they had no complaints. Of course we sign up and boy, do I have a load of complaints. The internet is faster than regular internet- there's no doubt about that. But when one thing goes down, seems like everything goes down.
I'm working from home today (furniture delivery and family coming into town). I woke up early to log into my work account. At about 7:40am, I got no internet connection. I thought it was my computer so I restarted a couple of times. Then I decided to hook up to the router directly using the LAN coax instead of wireless. Nothing. I ran to my husband's office and started his computer. No internet either. At 8:15am, I had no internet, no phone....but hey, I did have TV! I restarted the router...multiple times. And I waited....and then I waited some more. I called our FiOS Service person - he's "new" to FiOS and he had meetings in the morning so he had to call me back (GREAT!). At about 8:45am, I decided to start cooking dinner to calm my nerves. It helped. At about 9:00am, I decided to restart the router one more time. Twenty minutes later, while finishing up with dinner and washing the dishes, I saw that the 'internet' light on the router finally lit up. I run to my computer and restarted it. The internet is working....HALLELUJAH!
I have been successfully logged into work for the past 1.5 hours. I'm almost afraid to leave the computer for fear that I'll be cut off again. So while I had phone and internet access, I contacted my coworkers and let them know what had to get done in the event I was cut off from internet again this afternoon. I haven't even gone to the bathroom yet and I've had to go since 9am. I'm scared - scared to be left in the dark again.
You don't realize how dependent you are on modern technology until it fails. Thank goodness my cell phone was working....darn you, FiOS! (Don't fail on me now!)
Having moved into our new home, my husband and I were so excited about getting Verizon FiOS installed for the house. For those that may not be familiar, FiOS is Fiber Optic Services. Your phone service, cable TV and internet access travel on one fiber optic line to provide these services throughout your home (whereas without FiOS, that's three separate services and three separate lines wired to your home). Some of our friends signed up for it and they had no complaints. Of course we sign up and boy, do I have a load of complaints. The internet is faster than regular internet- there's no doubt about that. But when one thing goes down, seems like everything goes down.
I'm working from home today (furniture delivery and family coming into town). I woke up early to log into my work account. At about 7:40am, I got no internet connection. I thought it was my computer so I restarted a couple of times. Then I decided to hook up to the router directly using the LAN coax instead of wireless. Nothing. I ran to my husband's office and started his computer. No internet either. At 8:15am, I had no internet, no phone....but hey, I did have TV! I restarted the router...multiple times. And I waited....and then I waited some more. I called our FiOS Service person - he's "new" to FiOS and he had meetings in the morning so he had to call me back (GREAT!). At about 8:45am, I decided to start cooking dinner to calm my nerves. It helped. At about 9:00am, I decided to restart the router one more time. Twenty minutes later, while finishing up with dinner and washing the dishes, I saw that the 'internet' light on the router finally lit up. I run to my computer and restarted it. The internet is working....HALLELUJAH!
I have been successfully logged into work for the past 1.5 hours. I'm almost afraid to leave the computer for fear that I'll be cut off again. So while I had phone and internet access, I contacted my coworkers and let them know what had to get done in the event I was cut off from internet again this afternoon. I haven't even gone to the bathroom yet and I've had to go since 9am. I'm scared - scared to be left in the dark again.
You don't realize how dependent you are on modern technology until it fails. Thank goodness my cell phone was working....darn you, FiOS! (Don't fail on me now!)
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Move Over Bacon....
Continuing on the topic of automobiles and driving, I had to share a thought I had yesterday - although I've had this thought many times before. When I was learning how to drive, I distinctly remember being told that if I was in an accident, to move it off to the side. Even if I'm imagining these teachings, it does make sense in that you're not blocking more traffic and depending on where you are, you are not in the position to cause a more serious accident.
Driving home from work yesterday, I was at a stop light and I looked to my left and saw a Suburban that rear ended a Millennia. That brought back memories as when I first moved to VA, I, too, in a Millennia, was rear ended by a 16-year old kid named Broncho (no joke) driving his sister's hand-me-down BMW. Anyways, both drivers were out of the car...the man in the Millennia was probably going home from work. The boy in the Suburban, and his girlfriend, were kind of milling about around their car. All three were on their cell phones. I'm sure the two males were on the phone to insurance and/or police but the girl? Who could she have been talking to? A friend, to pass the time? Anyways, they were in the third lane of a four lane road (all going one way). Not only that, they were just beyond a stop light so they had oncoming traffic, people turning from the cross section....in other words, mayhem. I don't understand why they couldn't pull it over to the side and handle their business there without causing a scene and rubbernecking....
Maybe I'm just too considerate. When Broncho rear-ended me (that sounds dirty...ewww) in the middle of rush hour, I got out of my car, saw my damage, saw his damage, looked at him and said, "Let's drive to the parking lot and figure this out." The cop came, saw the damage, wrote up the report, and sent us on our way. When I was telling a co-worker, they were appalled that I moved the cars...more to the fact that I moved away from the scene of the accident. Geez - this wasn't a hit and run. Broncho wasn't going to go very far with a smoking and busted up hood...
Was I wrong? I have heard that in VA, cops don't like you moving from the scene of the accident so they can assess the "crime scene." Me? I just want to avoid getting hit by someone else, try to prevent another accident with someone else, and most importantly, avoid the stares. Who do you think rubberneckers stare at after they look at the damaged car? The driver...of course.
Driving home from work yesterday, I was at a stop light and I looked to my left and saw a Suburban that rear ended a Millennia. That brought back memories as when I first moved to VA, I, too, in a Millennia, was rear ended by a 16-year old kid named Broncho (no joke) driving his sister's hand-me-down BMW. Anyways, both drivers were out of the car...the man in the Millennia was probably going home from work. The boy in the Suburban, and his girlfriend, were kind of milling about around their car. All three were on their cell phones. I'm sure the two males were on the phone to insurance and/or police but the girl? Who could she have been talking to? A friend, to pass the time? Anyways, they were in the third lane of a four lane road (all going one way). Not only that, they were just beyond a stop light so they had oncoming traffic, people turning from the cross section....in other words, mayhem. I don't understand why they couldn't pull it over to the side and handle their business there without causing a scene and rubbernecking....
Maybe I'm just too considerate. When Broncho rear-ended me (that sounds dirty...ewww) in the middle of rush hour, I got out of my car, saw my damage, saw his damage, looked at him and said, "Let's drive to the parking lot and figure this out." The cop came, saw the damage, wrote up the report, and sent us on our way. When I was telling a co-worker, they were appalled that I moved the cars...more to the fact that I moved away from the scene of the accident. Geez - this wasn't a hit and run. Broncho wasn't going to go very far with a smoking and busted up hood...
Was I wrong? I have heard that in VA, cops don't like you moving from the scene of the accident so they can assess the "crime scene." Me? I just want to avoid getting hit by someone else, try to prevent another accident with someone else, and most importantly, avoid the stares. Who do you think rubberneckers stare at after they look at the damaged car? The driver...of course.
You’re So Vain
I realize that, as I write this, I risk offending a few of you readers. I know for a fact that a few of my friends have them. But I’m sorry – I just can’t stand vanity plates.
The other day, I was behind a car with the license plate, “JURIS DR.” Eww. Have some modesty. Drive around in your subpar sports car, if you must. But “Juris Doctor?” We lawyers get a bad enough rap as it is – the last thing we need is your pompous a$$ driving around reminding people of why we’re so sleazy. There was also a guy in my law school class who drove around during our first year in a car with the plate “IU LAW 99.” How presumptuous can you be? (On the upside for him, I guess it probably gave him a little added pressure to make sure he actually finished law school).
I waited tables one summer at this god awful Mexican restaurant in my hometown. The wife of the couple who owned the restaurant drove around in a little blue Miata convertible with the license plate “2 CUTE.” How old are we? I realize I go around smoking bubblegum cigarettes at the age of 33, but still. This woman was not too cute. She was in her fifties - old enough to know better. If she thought she was impressing people, she was sadly mistaken. I know a few of my fellow waiters and some of the cooks wanted to do terrible terrible things to that car.
Having said all of this, there is the occasional exception. Someone told me about a successful African American friend of his who drove a Porsche (or something relatively expensive) with the license plate “STOLEN.” To which, I have to admit: Brilliant.
The other day, I was behind a car with the license plate, “JURIS DR.” Eww. Have some modesty. Drive around in your subpar sports car, if you must. But “Juris Doctor?” We lawyers get a bad enough rap as it is – the last thing we need is your pompous a$$ driving around reminding people of why we’re so sleazy. There was also a guy in my law school class who drove around during our first year in a car with the plate “IU LAW 99.” How presumptuous can you be? (On the upside for him, I guess it probably gave him a little added pressure to make sure he actually finished law school).
I waited tables one summer at this god awful Mexican restaurant in my hometown. The wife of the couple who owned the restaurant drove around in a little blue Miata convertible with the license plate “2 CUTE.” How old are we? I realize I go around smoking bubblegum cigarettes at the age of 33, but still. This woman was not too cute. She was in her fifties - old enough to know better. If she thought she was impressing people, she was sadly mistaken. I know a few of my fellow waiters and some of the cooks wanted to do terrible terrible things to that car.
Having said all of this, there is the occasional exception. Someone told me about a successful African American friend of his who drove a Porsche (or something relatively expensive) with the license plate “STOLEN.” To which, I have to admit: Brilliant.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Zombie Nation
I have never seen Dawn of the Dead. Or even Shaun of the Dead. But sometimes I feel like I am surrounded by zombies. I see these zombies at the crosswalk or waiting for the train. They are of all walks of life, and they are totally oblivious to their surroundings. They all have one thing in common: they are fused to their iPods.
When I was little, I had this compilation of "Richard Scarry" stories. I've forgotten most of them by now, but I still remember that first one. It was about this bear, rabbit, elephant or nondescript Richard Scarry mammal character who was so engrossed in his newspaper that he caused a ruckus throughout the town. He walked through laundry, stepped in cement - everywhere he went, he left a mess behind.
I fear this is where the iPod zombies are headed. I've come close to hitting a few with my car - they are never looking. A few have actually bumped into me standing on the sidewalk. Suddenly, the normal boundaries of personal space are no longer there. They cannot hear the normal human sounds (breathing, coughing, fidgeting) of a person standing right behind them. They just bob along - like buoys.
Don't get me wrong, I love my iPod. But these iPod zombies are dangerous. To me. And more importantly, to themselves. Someday they're going to find themselves stuck in cement like that Richard Scarry character. And no one will hear their cries for help - because they will be surrounded by other iPod zombies.
When I was little, I had this compilation of "Richard Scarry" stories. I've forgotten most of them by now, but I still remember that first one. It was about this bear, rabbit, elephant or nondescript Richard Scarry mammal character who was so engrossed in his newspaper that he caused a ruckus throughout the town. He walked through laundry, stepped in cement - everywhere he went, he left a mess behind.
I fear this is where the iPod zombies are headed. I've come close to hitting a few with my car - they are never looking. A few have actually bumped into me standing on the sidewalk. Suddenly, the normal boundaries of personal space are no longer there. They cannot hear the normal human sounds (breathing, coughing, fidgeting) of a person standing right behind them. They just bob along - like buoys.
Don't get me wrong, I love my iPod. But these iPod zombies are dangerous. To me. And more importantly, to themselves. Someday they're going to find themselves stuck in cement like that Richard Scarry character. And no one will hear their cries for help - because they will be surrounded by other iPod zombies.
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