Mindless Chatter

You Belong in Dublin

Friendly and down to earth, you want to enjoy Europe without snobbery or pretensions. You're the perfect person to go wild on a pub crawl... or enjoy a quiet bike ride through the old part of town.

What European City Do You Belong In?

People Envy Your Compassion

You have a kind heart and an unusual empathy for all living creatures. You tend to absorb others' happiness and pain. People envy your compassion, and more importantly, the connections it helps you build. And compassionate as you are, you feel for them.

What Do People Envy About You?

Strange Flashes

A very strange thing happened on my walk home from work today.  At first, I was really annoyed by it, but now I just find it bizarre.  Still annoying, but less angry-annoyed, I suppose.

So picture this:

You are walking down a semi-crowded street.  Lots of people, but still plenty of room to walk so that you don't run into anyone and can walk at a decent pace.  You're carefully avoiding the slower walkers around you, and a few feet ahead of you, you see a guy holding a camera in front of his chest, facing outward like he's about to take a picture.

You move to the side, so that you can go around him and not bump into him. After all, his camera is right there.  But he goes the same way you do. So you try to avoid him more. Still there.  To avoid a collision course as he remains right in front of you, you swerve.

And when you swerve as he is about 12-18 inches from you (please keep in mind that I am spatially challenged but it was decently close), the camera, which has its lens at about the same height as your face, emits a bright flash as if he just took a flash picture of your expression as you swerved to avoid him. And there's the shutter noise, barely audible over the sounds of the street.

What was this? Some type of art project? Psych experiment? Let's see what kind of ugly pissed-off expressions we can get on people's faces as we are in their way as they walk down the street?  I was just trying to go home and you're going to flash your camera in my face because I'm trying to avoid you and not run straight into your camera?  I wish I knew what the heck the motivation was behind all that.

What do you think? Am I just overreacting? Is this not strange at all?

Rewatching TV

I'm watching the first season of Grey's Anatomy on DVD and am struck by 2 things:

(1)  The continuity in this show is pretty darn good. Lots of "clues" in the early episodes, or maybe I just see clues now that I know what's happened later.

(2) I like these early episodes a whole lot more than I did the first time around.

Great show. :)  No wonder it won the TV Land award.

Travel

What on earth is going wrong today with travel?

 

- Princess Cruise ship catches fire and someone dies of a heart attack;

 

- A group of people on a Millennium Cruise shore excursion in Chile die when their bus falls off a mountain;

 

- A ship sinks going from Nigeria to Gabon;

 

Depressing.

 

I think I'm going to reread the article about the coyote running wild in Central Park yesterday before I get too depressed.

 

 

 

 

Made to Order

I saw this sign last fall, and I think I finally get what they're trying to say. But I still don't think it sounds right. Obviously, at the time, something about it sounded wrong enough that I took a photo of it.

From how long it's been since I've posted a photo, you can tell just how often I use the computer at home. But really, when you're staring at it all day long, there's only so much more of the screen you want to see if you don't need to sit there. I wish I didn't have to sit for so many hours a day. It's definitely not good for you.

And with the construction? By the time I'm driven from my office, I always have a pounding headache. Today, they started the clanging at 5 pm. By 5:45, they had gone with full blast drilling that sounded like it was in my office. It was so loud that I could barely hear my mom on the phone. And at that, I had it. I went home to work instead. Much more comfortable sitting on my balance ball chair with Music Choice going (until ANTM and Lost and trying out The Evidence). I may have to do this as much as I can, because if anyone's been paying attention to this blog for the past year, I am really bothered by construction noise. Like road rage frustrated when it's super-loud. (What's odd today was that when you walked down the hall it was like a low growling type noise, but in my office, it sounded like they were right there. Unfair!) I try to stay calm, but lately, it's been so bad that I can't even concentrate and end up reading the same things 3 times before I can finish the sentence.

Let's hope this passes soon. Like, let's hope they finish this weekend.

DNA

This was quite an interesting "quiz."

Considerate Analyst

Songs

From my experience on the musical writing staff, I can say that this is totally not true and I am a really bad song writer...

You Should Be a Song Writer

You have the ability to evoke emotion, tell a story, and hook someone... In a very small amount of words, perhaps with some deft rhyming. Even if you can't write music, you can sure write compelling lyrics. Lyrics so good, people will have them stuck in their heads!

What Type of Writer Should You Be?

Pipes

Or maybe think of it as a giant metal ball clanking around in a gigantic metal pipe as it goes downhill.

 

How long does it take to demolish a floor and put the walls back up?

Staplers

So today, after discussing how the construction started at 6 pm normally, it started at 5 pm.

 

To describe what it sounds like, all I can think of is this: imagine there was a giant. And the giant had a gigantic stapler. Imagine him using the stapler over and over and over again at a sort of syncopated but not really rhythm. RIght next to your head.

 

Argh.

 

Apparently they feel the construction one floor upstairs too. So if they're feeling it and it feels horrible, just imagine how much worse it is for us. I think I'm going to work from home.

On the Street

I just took a break from work and walked around outside. Apparently, I am trying to curb my sugar intake (I mean, really, gummi bears as an end of breakfast snack?) with chicken nuggets. Hmm.

 

But that wasn't the point of this post. Instead, I wanted to tell you about what I saw when I was outside.

 

As soon as I left the building, I was puzzled. There was a group of people crossing the street, walking very slowly and deliberately, and in line formation.  They were mostly tall guys in suits carrying black briefcases and wearing black sunglasses. There was a girl or two in the bunch too, also wearing suits. No coats, just suits. I remembered the large groups of people roaming the street for Sirius after Howard Stern moved over, but who were these people?

 

It wasn't until after I passed them that I saw that their briefcases were advertising NBC's new show, Heist.  One of the girls was giving stuff out, but I was halfway across the street so I didn't want to turn around to try to get a dust collector. I hope it wasn't something good!

 

Amusing.  A walking ad. I bet they wished it was 10 degrees warmer!

Mint

You Are Mint Green

Balanced and calm, you have mastered the philosophy of living well. Your friends seek you out for support, and you are able to bring stability to chaotic situations. You're very open and cheerful - and you feel like you have a lot of freedom in life. Your future may hold any number of exciting things, and you're ready for all of them!

What Color Green Are You?

Drums

Listen, little drummer boy outside. I realize you're probably very excited about going to the St. Patrick's Day parade. But do you have to play your drum nonstop on the sidewalk surrounded by office buildings? I am more than 20 floors off the ground and it sounds like firecrackers exploding right outside my window with the volume of your drum playing. Between you and the construction guys, it is no wonder that I've had constant headaches since Wednesday night. Sigh. But at least I know you're eventually going to leave, unlike the construction which drives me out of my office every night feeling like my skull is exploding.

Metal

Is it bad that I distinctly heard (and felt) them hacking away at something metal right beneath my feet? At that point, there was no question that they were right below me. They are going to drive me out of my mind because the feeling and sound of the pounding is smacking me from inside my head.

 

Is it going to be like this every single day???  Even if I wore earplugs, I'd feel the construction. Argh. And Seamless Web doesn't work. Not a happy camper right now...

Construction

Seriously?

 

Starting the construction downstairs at 6 pm is not acceptable.  If their goal, as demonstrated last night, is to wait until most people are gone before they start knocking out the walls, this is not achieving it.

 

And why is it that only right under my office is it the worst?  I literally feel it beneath my feet. I am not happy!

Vibrations

I can't stand it any longer. I have work to do, but I think I must go home, because it is impossible to do any work when the room is shaking.

 

It sounds like there is a large vibrating machine downstairs and like they are hacking away at the wall right underneath my feet. Because the noise is incredibly loud and thumping, and the room keeps shaking back and forth like some giant is shaking it.

 

Do they wait until late at night to do construction or something?

 

Actually, no, they don't, since they set off our floor fire alarm yesterday. That was fun. And we were all so prepared as we stood in the hallway, not evacuating, trying to see if we smelled smoke. Well, some people evacuated. I was one of ones standing in the hallway, pointing out that we were standing in the hallway and not moving, and we all agreed that this was definitely not the way things should be done in a real fire.

 

They took a short break, and now I find my head involuntarily bobbing back and forth. It is so time to go home.

Sundays on ABC

When Grey's Anatomy started less than a year ago, I thought the show was just OK. I watched the first episode only because it was on after Desperate Housewives.  I didn't think I'd end up sucked in, given my track record of not watching shows like ER or Chicago Hope.

 

But GA was different. It was more fun than a regular medical show. So I kept watching. I didn't necessarily like it more than DH though.

 

Not until this season when it just hit the ground running and left DH in the dust. (Both content-wise, and now, since the Superbowl, ratings-wise, which makes me cheer every Monday at work.)  I started leaving DH on the DVR and making sure I watched GA as soon as possible (even if it was over breakfast).

 

But I didn't post to write about how I like GA so much better than DH.  I was writing, because after the episodes aired last night, I was struck by how well scheduled the 2 episodes were, and wondered whether it could just be a coincidence.

 

Both shows were about how the opposite of love was not hate, but indifference.  It played out in different ways (parental relationship v. romantic relationship), but it was central to both shows last night. Which I thought was pretty darn cool. :)

 

Ok, mandarin orange break over. Time to go back to work.

Winter

Sitting in my office under a fleece blanket, I am convinced that I made a little bit of a wardrobe mistake today.

 

Nothing crazy or inappropriate. Just a little... cold.

 

I think I was a little overanxious for the arrival of spring. When I left for work, it was around 55 degrees, with a forecasted high of 65 (and just to the west, 71!). I was excited that it was going to be warmer than yesterday when it never seemed to go over 52. Add to that, Saturday's gorgeous high 60s weather in which I walked 3.5 miles outdoors.  So I wore a skirt suit to work, the same thing I'd wear in the summer, but I mean, when the temps are close to 70, it's not going to be that cold!

 

Yeah... right.

 

When I went to lunch and just now, as I went for a snack, I was freezing. Probably because it's not even 60 degrees. Bah!

 

I wonder how the walk home is going to go. Ha!

 

On a side note, am I the only one who didn't know that Wendy's now makes sandwiches?

Forgetfulness

I signed onto Blogger, all ready to post about something, and now that the "create post" window is finally open, I can't remember what the heck I was going to write about. Damn. I guess I'll just update the sidebar.

Oh - and does anyone else eat at a Chipotle where the majority of the customers are drinking alcoholic drinks? This wasn't what I was going to post about just now, but I did mean to write about this at some point. When we went to Chipotle in Chicago, I never noticed anyone drinking alcohol, and don't even remember if it was on the menu. But at the Chipotle down the block from my apartment (yes, it is so close and that is so good), there are so many people drinking Coronas and margaritas!

I was surprised the first time I saw it, that over half the people in the restaurant were drinking alcohol. It's not really a big deal, but until I saw it, I didn't even realize that Chipotle sold Coronas. Maybe I'm just not observant, but I think I would have noticed before if I had seen anyone drinking at Chipotle. I mean, if I wanted a margarita, I would probably go to Chevy's, because they had that awesome frozen cranberry margarita back in November. But I guess it's cheaper at Chipotle. If anyone's had one, are they any good there?

Off to go watch TV. Maybe I'll watch the rest of the O.C. or something.

OH NOW I REMEMBER!

By writing "TV," I remembered what I was going to post about earlier this afternoon.

I have had cable here since September 2005. So, about 6 months. And not until yesterday, did I realize that we had free on demand channels. Like Food Network on demand, Exercise TV on demand, etc. And how did I realize this? Because sites like Gothamist and Gawker were talking about karaoke on demand, and I went to check it out. And it's like this whole new world. And I feel so dumb. How did I not know it was there??

But what I really need? Reality TV on Demand. They have anime on demand! I want reality TV on demand! :)

Spring

It's only March, but it was a light and balmy 68 degrees and sunny as I walked to work this morning.

 

I wanted to stay outside all day - it's sunny and so wonderfully warm! But work, responsibilities, etc... calling my name....

 

There's always lunch breaks. :)

Detective Work

Well, it looks like there will be no more chow fun with shiitake mushrooms or really good Singapore chow mei fun.

 

It's not that it doesn't exist anymore. It's just that my go-to choice for Chinese food on Seamless Web is gone.  I've tried many different places, but when I don't want to go poking around new menus or when I'm just lazy and want something good, it made the choice easy. And now it's gone.

 

On Monday night, I went to go order and had a craving for moo shu chicken. I saw some new Chinese restaurant on the list, but then thought I would comparison price against my old standby.  But it was grayed-out!  I was surprised, because they were always there, even during the transit strike. I wondered what was wrong.  But I figured it was a one-time thing.

 

On Tuesday night, I was shocked. The restaurant wasn't grayed-out. It was GONE.  It was no longer on Seamless Web. The possibilities ran through my mind - did they close down? Did they just decide to stop participating in Seamless Web? Did something happen?

 

So last night, I thought about walking by the restaurant today to see what happened to it, since it was just down the block from work (one reason why they always got here so FAST) and I had eaten there in person one day. But today I was scheduled to have free lunch at CLE, so I didn't know when I would go.

 

I ended up working through the lunch hour today and there was my opportunity to investigate. Where was my provider of good chicken fried rice, sushi appetizers and noodles?

 

Closed down, apparently.

 

I saw the metal gating down over the storefront from down the block and my heart sank. I ordered from them so often that I recognized the delivery people. I knew exactly what to order.  I must have ordered from them at least one-third of the time I ordered dinner.

 

Another million possibilities. Did they get closed down by the health department? Did something happen to the owners? Did they move? Were they not making any money?

 

I don't know the answer to any of the questions, but I'm pretty sure that when you're temporarily closed down by the health department (or even for tax reasons, like an Italian restaurant I posted about long ago which I think is now open again), the chairs and tables by the window remain, as do the posters on your door.  Which wasn't the case here as far as I could tell by peeking through the metal gating.

 

Maybe they had been planning to close for awhile. I wouldn't know since my only contact is through the internet. They're not exactly going to post a goodbye message on Seamless Web (I doubt they even could).  I wish I knew what happened.  Because all I know is that they didn't open today and Seamless Web is calling them "inactive."

 

And now, it's like that Grey's Anatomy episode where the guy didn't know that the cigarette would be his last, and Cristina takes him to have his last, so that he knows it's the last one and can savor the moment.  No, Chinese food is not like cigarettes, but you see what I mean.  If I knew the last time was the last time I was going to order from this place, I would have made sure I got exactly what I wanted. Although I think I did get our favorite noodles (chow fun and Singapore chow mei fun).  Just would have thrown in a sushi roll or seaweed salad.

 

I wish I knew what happened!

Night

I really hate pushing the San Juan photo further down the page, but if I keep thinking that way, I'll never post. I won't lie and say that isn't the reason why I haven't been posting. But palm trees and warm sand...

I should be asleep, but I've been lax with antivirus lately, and I started a scan tonight and it's been running for over an hour and I would like to let it finish. So, it's a decent reason for being awake although I can tell that it won't be such a good reason in the morning... 2 am is my limit though. If it's not done, I'm still going to bed.

So here I go with my blind photo posting. (I'm too tired to look for the post where I discussed this, but I think it was a new year's resolution. See how well I've kept it!)

This is a photo of Chicago's Chinatown, and the banner on the arch-like thing is for the basketball tournament that Alvin played in last May. It's the national Chinese basketball tournament and last year it was held in Chicago. It was fun, but I didn't get to see a whole lot of it because I was stuck with a take-home final. (Yes, the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend... fun.)

I was really surprised the first time I saw Chicago's Chinatown during my first year of law school, mostly because I was used to the size of NY's Chinatown, and this was rather... small. And there weren't any grocery stores! How can there be a Chinatown without a Chinese grocery store? (There's one now, but during my first year, there weren't any!) But there are definitely some good spots in Chinatown. Dinners at Penang were always fun, and I had an addiction to Joy Yee's tapioca freezes. Whenever Alvin's family came in to visit, we had nice dinners at Evergreen.

[Oh no, the whole "Brokeback" thing has GOT TO STOP. The Weather Channel named a slide "Brokeback Winter."]

[Argh. And now I'm hearing the American Airlines theme from the commercial. I don't hate the song, but I just flew on American to PR and since they play the tapes twice (English and Spanish), I've had to hear the theme so many times that I'm sick of it!]

Speaking of Evergreen, I think this photo was taken after dinner at Evergreen during the weekend of the law school graduation. My grandparents and my parents were in town, and we had gone to dinner and then gone walking around Chinatown after dinner. It was a nice night, perfect for walking. And of course, picture-taking!

San Juan

I really should be sleeping, you know, work tomorrow and all, but I wanted to post a glimpse of San Juan since it's supposed to snow tomorrow here in New York.


Now that I'm back, the whole thing really feels like it was one big dream.