What day is it?

The presidential race of 2008 has been the hot topic of politics for what feels like forever now (in fact I remember talking about it/praying for it to arrive quickly after the announcement of GW's re-election in 2004). The Democratic race has boiled down to three main contenders and if you can't name them I refuse to help you. The Republican side doesn't seem to have a strong front runner but that could just be because I pay less attention to them (that is of course except when one still refuses to even admit that global warming exists - what world are they living on?!*)

It's so much a part of our daily news and lives that honestly I've stopped paying much attention. I know that Iowa is the place to be if you want to find a politician, I know that primaries that used to be in late winter/early spring are now on the cusp of the new year and I know that there are still 11 months of this crap to put up with. So it is with a sigh and a laugh that I bring you this article, in which the democrats prove to us that it doesn't matter how much political clout, money or brain power you have in your camp, it all boils down to the $9/hour fact checkers.

*The quote this is from is a March 2007 interview in which Thompson seems to think that it's funny to try out a theory that it's a solar system wide problem instead our own fucking degradation to this planet.

Just a quick post holiday update

It's my first day back in the office after an extended holiday weekend and since it's a short week (two days only for me) and most of my coworkers are out lets just be honest with each other and understand I'm not doing much today in regards to actual work. Now I have checked my personal email that went ignored for 5 days, updated my Facebook status, and caught up on my book blog. I also read up on my favorite blogs, sent some information to a cousin that might be crashing at my house this weekend, and dealt with a random cryptic text message from a man that lives in anther time zone, literally, figuratively and any other "ally" you can throw in there to make sure it's understood that the situation is totally fucked up. I also earned 15 cents in a long forgotten mturk account and now find myself staring aimlessly at the blank wall in front of me.... and there is still 2 hours to go till I can legitimately walk out the door, so what better to do than blog!



My holidays were actually quite wonderful this year. I saw almost all the people I wanted to, avoided the one I didn't want to see (tactfully and guilt free!) and had a delightful time visiting with Zappa and Juneau. The big family gathering that took place on Christmas Day initially had me dreading Tuesday afternoon yet turned out to be quite fun. I scored cookware for my new apartment (though have not yet found the ability or knowledge of how to actually cook), a new larger Sigg water bottle, and a host of new books from my mom. The Nintendo DS gift from the brother and I went over well. At first I could tell she was apprehensive ("You got me a Gameboy???") but as soon as the New York Times Crossword puzzle went in it was all over. She even took it with to the family gathering and I caught her with it open every time she found herself alone for 2 minutes (which with a group of over 25 is tough to do, I'm impressed she managed to find time to play at all).



I was able to ring in a belated Solstice celebration Saturday night with a dear friend and overall think that the weekend was quite nice (though the snowstorm back home could of waited a few days). Everyone around me is/was sick but so far I've held out, cross your fingers for me that I haven't just totally jinxed it.



Now back in the windy city, I am settled into a dog sitting gig that will run through new years eve and then it's off to 2008! No plans as of yet, but I think I'm okay with that....I'll let you know if any neurotic activities start to appear closer to the calendar turnover, but I don't think they will. I hope all my readers (what is there...3 or 4 of you? :) had a wonderful holiday whatever they may have been celebrating - I hope the consumerism of the season skipped by your homes and instead they were filled with love, companionship, good food and great memories.

Book Update

It's been awhile since I've updated the side bar with what I'm reading - I haven't stopped reading, I've just stopped updating. I hope to get better at that in the new year, but for now I will try and reach back into my memory for a quick summary of what I've had my nose buried in for the past few weeks.....
I finished off the Fable series by Bill Willingham, well caught up might be the more appropriate word. So far nine volumes have been bound and I read through all those, now I either have to go out and buy single issues (not ready for that level of geekdom quite yet) or wait till May when another volume is released....yeah I'm opting for waiting. As for a review, I enjoyed it though the story starts to wander somewhere around volume 6 or so and I was worried it wouldn't get back on track. It will be interesting to see where they go with the main stories, and I'm glad Bigby was brought back in and they found a way to get around that whole exile thing.

My mother sent me both Terror Dream: Fear and Fantasy in post 9/11 America and Backlash by Susan Faludi. I've finished Terror and it's fantastic. Initially I had no interest in another analysis of post 9-11 America, but Faludi's take on it is engaging, educating, and interesting. The ties she makes into our history are well done and helps make the book more interesting than a lot of others I've come across trying to dissect the events of that day. If you know anyone who needs a good feministy read - this is a great one.

Right before Thanksgiving I read through the whole Belgariad and Mallorean series by David Eddings (and I might have already blogged about it...). These are old favorites of mine, I've read through each five book sets 3 or 4 times each. My whole family are fans, it's a fall back book for each of us. When I went home for the turkey day weekend I snagged the Polgara and Belgarath books from my mom's shelves and finished those up shortly after the long weekend. A re-read on those as well, they are still delightful.

From the library I read Mr. Pip on my mom's suggestion. It was an intriguing book, starts calm and peaceful and then enter stage left some pretty violent actions, but since it doesn't destroy the meaning of the book I'm leaving it on my recommend list.

I feel like there should be more but without being at home in front of my stacks of books it's hard to say. I'm reading two books right now. First, Watchmen. Another graphic novel and a phenomenal one at that. Written by Alan Moore, who is a genius, it's a comic that is still relevant 20 years after it was first brought to life. Second is Lovely in Her Bones, by Sharyn McCrumb - a christmas present from my mother. I'm 64 pages in (it's only 220 all together) and so far I'm enjoying it. I've read other stuff of hers and enjoyed it so I'm expecting to enjoy this one as well.

Quick Links

I don't have time for a full post, and I don't even have time to finish this article! but the intro is so fantastic I just have to link to it so I can come back and read it later.
Cheers!

Small surprises

As many of you know I have been unhappy with my job for awhile now. The job, plus my unease of staying in Chicago for another year, and my slow hibernation process as winter sets in combined to make me a relatively depressed person as of late. Deep down I knew this, but I was unaware it was showing on the outside as well. This past Friday I was delightfully shown this fact.

I went out to what I thought was a quick Friday after work happy hour with one coworker and ended up at a "Yay Jessica" party. It was fantastic, overwhelming, and amazingly heartwarming. Two other coworkers joined us to make a party of four and they presented me with a card and a surprisingly large gift to my favorite book store. The card, signed by one more coworker that couldn't make it to bring the total to 4 that cared about me, was filled with encouraging and supportive statements (which I had to read at home because as I knew it would it brought me to tears). It was a humbling experience to say the least. I had no idea that this group of women, who for the most part I usually just thought of as coworkers, noticed this much about me, cared this much about me, and went out of their way to make sure I knew it. I learned that night that I am not the only one who feels the slings and arrows of upper management, I am not the only one overwhelmed at times by the odds against me, and I am not the only one struggling these days. The most important thing I learned is that I am not alone. There is no way to properly thank them, to express truly and fully how amazing and perfectly timed that night out was, though I will do my best to try. It's amazing what 2 hours out with a group of friends can do to revitalize ones spirit. I am truly thankful for them.

Friday afternoons

4:08 pm on a Friday in my office. All around me lights are off, offices are dark as people slowly slip out to the weekend. For those that are still technically "on the clock" some are on extended, late lunch/errand hours, others quietly close their doors and I hear the whoosh of the compressed air can as they kill time by cleaning out their keyboards. Others gather on opposite sides of the offices, with their laughter clearly identifying them as not working (no non-profit work is that entertaining!) ringing around the empty corridors. Some of us blog about random nothingness trying to coast away the last few moments till a buttoned up coat and hat are justifiable.

4:13 on a Friday afternoon and phones are picked up to make calls to loved ones, finalizing last minute weekend plans, comparing shopping lists and the amazing finds they've found. The laughter from the other side of the office still rings through every now and then. It's an oddly balanced group that is one person away from being tipped into guilt and back into work. Bloggers are still blogging with nothing still to say. Soon I will head into my email to check it one more time (hotmail that is, not my work one), take a swing through Facebook to see if anyone has updated their status message to something entertaining, and glance at the online cover of the Tribune to make sure Chicago hasn't burned down while I was daydreaming.

4:23 time to start the pack up and head out motions....have a great weekend!

Plans shmans

Wednesday Night Plan:

• Stop at grocery store after work and pick up orange juice, soy milk and something I can make enough of for dinner to take for lunch tomorrow as leftovers.
• Continue to clean/unpack/organize apartment.
• Read library book so I can finish it on time.

Wednesday Night Reality:

• Stopped at spa by new apartment and got a manicure.
• Made popcorn for dinner.
• Watched ANTM.
• Will probably watch either Private Practice repeat, Ronin, or play Gladius.

Video of the Day

Banned books, kids movies that get the religious right all pissed off - these are things that entertain me throughout the day. So now I have the joy of bringing you this video - a banned Durex commercial....Enjoy!

Video of the Day (link)

From the folks that brought you the Llama song - It's the End of the World!

Winter hath come to the midwest

Or more accurately, the snow has begun. It started Saturday when every weather report and scrolling news bar highlighted the Winter Weather Advisory!! If I hadn't spent almost three decades in the Midwest I would of thought we were on the verge of the apocalypse. I did manage to raise my blinds at one point around 2 in the afternoon and it seemed quite lovely from my third story apartment. It was not doomsday at all, but that may have something to do with my location of delightfully planted on my couch, under my quilt and with my x-box controller firmly lodged in my hand as I played Gladius all afternoon.
Then came Tuesday with a forecast of a 24 hour snow storm leaving 4-6 inches in its wake. Again there was a forecasted bleak rush hour home, and again I found my trek to be not that bad. I woke up Wednesday to my first real snow of the season.
Wednesday at 7 am the world was still glistening. Most of the sidewalks hadn't been cleared yet, but the bonus of Chicago's usually annoying one way system is it allows you to walk down the center of a road to avoid snow clogged walkways. The world around me was white and mysteriously silent as snow seems to dampen sound, and my hat was only slightly wet as I trudged onto the El at 7:15.
By noon when I had to forage out for lunch, the snow was still coming. Whipping furiously through downtown's pathways my black wool coat was sufficiently white by the time I got back with my take out from two blocks away.
But by 2:00 pm my Google homepage told me the snow had stopped and my quick afternoon break confirmed that the sun truly was shining, though not for long as sunset today was 4:20 pm.
5:30 rolled around and I got off the El for my 4 block trek home. Now the sidewalks that had never been shoveled were packed and uneven. The ones that had at least been cleared at one point had a slushy layer from the hours after the morning shoveler had come through. Main roadways were clear, but the side streets were still a mess. Everything had a layer of gray over it and ominous puddles lurked at every corner. With the sun gone and the wind picking up my face was frozen within moments and even the parts of me covered by clothing were numb within two blocks. I am officially done with winter.

If I had a million dollars....

Well, $10,000 is actually all I'd need, plus probably 3-4K for extras....

Two reasons Australia is cooler than America

I'm sure there are many reasons why Australia beats out America in everything except alphabetizing races but here are my two for today.

1) John and Rob live there....boo, I miss them.
2) They understand that global warming is not a made up word.