Living Reflections from a Dream

it's really cold in Boston.. something new happens to my site. hmm.. It's too cold to go outside. I've determined that despite having lived in the northeast US my entire life (thus I should be used to the cold) somewhere around 10 degrees F (~ -12 C), especially if there is wind, I become a major whiny baby who doesn't want to go outside. I must be getting old. Anyway.. here is my new design full of nice warm colors. It reminds me of sherbert.. and I do love a good sherbert.-----
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I have run out of Bandaids at home. 3 times in the last week I have gone to CVS with the express purpose of buying Bandaids. 3 times I have walked out of the store with a whole bag of stuff I didn't really need, but no Bandaids. Today I went to CVS to buy tissues and walked out with Bandaids.-----
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Last night I was watching the News Hour and they had a story on a London's concern over terrorist attacks causing them to increase security, especially at Heathrow airport.. including tanks. I don't know why, but the tanks freaked me out. What were they expecting to find that tanks would be the answer to? This story was followed by a panel discussion on how to prepare for a bioterror attack (have a 3 day supply of water & food, any medicines you take, duct tape, battery powered radio, etc.) Read the Red Cross or USA Today advisories on being prepared. I started to get a little scared.. of course it doesn't escape me that these warnings are happening only in the US and Britain, the 2 countries pushing the war with Iraq and those 2 countries have a not insignificant % of the population opposed to such a war. Wouldn't it be nice if they could just scare everybody into agreeing? Especially, since Russia turned and NATO blocked helping Turkey if attacked. How convenient that just yesterday Osama linked himself to Saddam. Seems almost too slick for King George.. ah.. CNN is reporting that Tenet says North Korea has a nuclear missile capable of reaching the US west coast. That would distract from the Iraq and bioterror, not help it. Hmm… in any case, I think I'll still stop off for some batteries, duct tape and chocolate (because if I'm going down in bioterror attack, chocolate is my last meal!)-----
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especially when you get highly amusing emails like these in response to my report of a bug on our site which had been experienced by myself and another person:

developer: What are the reproduction steps (not in biological terms)

the other person responds:
Logged in
Logged out
Took a rubber band and shot Bill in the back of the head
He retaliated which set off a shooting war between Bob/Bill vs. Ben and me
We had to stop because one of the rubber bands flew into someone else's cube and they complained
I went back to the browser to click on the Home page and got that error

yeah, I work with a mature bunch.. but it is entertaining.-----
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Just got this in my alumni email newsletter:

The Honorable William J. Clinton to deliver 2003 Commencement address to Syracuse University and SUNY ESF graduates
The Honorable William J. Clinton, 42nd president of the United States, will address the 2003 graduates of Syracuse University and the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) during joint Commencement exercises Sunday, May 11, in the Carrier Dome.

I would listen with rapt interest unlike my own graduation during which I was too hungover to sit up straight so I started drinking again from my friends flask (the robes are great for hiding such things).-----
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Instapundit wrote something to the effect that this shuttle tragedy won't be traumatizing as the Challenger (because it's not the first time, Iraq, 9/11).. and at first I recoiled. It's a major blow to not just the US space program, but to moving science forward - to find out what else is out there. It's human nature to want to know. But I thought about it for awhile and I realized that Instapundit is correct - at least for me. Challenger devastated me. Maybe because I was younger, but I think mostly because of Christa McAuliffe. A teacher… in space! I was a student at the time, teachers were a part of my daily life. Teachers are people that I know and relate to… people like us. If a teacher could go to space, maybe someday we'd all go. I grew up on Star Wars, Star Trek re-runs, The Jetsons, etc. I want to fly the Millennium Falcon…seemed like something that could happen. Maybe, for me, a piece of that died with the Challenger. I think we'll get there someday, I just won't see it.-----
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because we are free to create sites such as this, a parody of that. But of course my all time favorite parody site is whitehouse.org.-----
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you will appreciate this email I just received:

Dear Ndugu,

this place is driving me nuts.

bahahhahahahaha..-----
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now... where did I put the receipt for that duct tape?-----
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I just read in the elevator that Stockard Channing is 59 today. 59? By my calculations that would have made her 34 when she was in Grease (movie version). Is that possible? Damn she's looking good! Go Stockard Go.-----
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I need a haircut
Haircut cuts cost $
Hmm..
I can't take this mop another second! Call and see if you can squeeze in today
You spent all your play money for this pay period on bioterror supplies and special treats for yourself (because if you're going to go, why deprive yourself?)
Hmm..
Use money from savings
NO! Savings is for savings…you need to stick to your budget. You can last til you get paid again.
I can't take this mop another second!
Use the credit card
NO! Don't you remember the great pride you felt at paying off your credit cards and not using them anymore?
Grr… Ok, I'll wait til next pay period.

Time elapse: 5 min.
I need a haircut...

** Update - for those who think this is silly: I live in a city and absolutely must go to the ever so fancy salon for good hair care. My hair cuts are expensive. A girl has to look good, after all..
AND I've discovered a way around my dilemna - I will charge it and pay immediately at my next pay check. Can't believe I didn't come up with that one sooner - I'm usually quite crafty about these things.-----
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was there ever a doubt? ;)

-Perfect- You're the perfect girlfriend. Which
means you're rare or that you cheated :P You're
the kind of chick that can hang out with your
boyfriend's friends and be silly. You don't
care about presents or about going to fancy
placed. Hell, just hang out. You're just happy
being around your boyfriend.


What Kind of Girlfriend Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Link spotted at Maddy's

And for you guys (ahem..Jay), you can take the Are You Boyfriend Material quiz-----
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nanoedmo: National Novel Editing Month. Related to the National Novel Writing Month (nanowrimo)that I took place in last November. The site doesn't seem to be fully operational just yet... but I think I'll take this as a sign I should be getting it together.-----
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It isn't all that bad out - the worst is supposed to be tonight.. but I can't show you that - my flash is for shit. So perhaps just the aftermath tomorrow morning.-----
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Why do marketing types always think that they can explain everything with a whole bunch of marketing speak that says nothing? Sometimes I read a marketing sentence and after I'm done I think: that is a sentence in english, but it imparted absolutely no information to me. In my office, the solution to every problem is to "create a marketing page popup". Do they not realize that people are smart enough to know what that is? The second they see the page, they know it's a bunch of marketing bunk and close the window down with minor irritation at having been bothered by the window in the first place (not to mention that there have to be 20 such possible pages you could get at any given time - popup-0-rama!). Also, marketing people find it hard to believe that people don't read on the web.. they seem to think people will stare at every word and ingest every piece of instructional text - they will spend hours, days, weeks even contemplating every sentence thinking people will notice a difference. NO! People scan around looking for a link that will take them to whatever it is they are looking for! They aren't here to read your beautiful, frustrated writer prose.. that is what novels are for. Good god.. stop the madness. I've got to go.. in the time it's taken me to write this, I'm sure I've gotten at least 3 emails about a new marketing page or changes to one we already have.

If you are a marketing person, perhaps you could email me and explain this strange phenomenon, because I don't get it and I really believe that all this marketing is just annoying on the web.-----
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I work with an Indian fellow who sent me this article: India set for anti-Valentine demos.

His response: these guys are LOSERS.. they just can't get girlfriends. I say that maybe if they ban Valentine's Day then the guys wouldn't have to do anything nice for their girlfriends/wives. They have their own festival of Love/Friendship called Bastant and maybe they just want to keep their own culture and not be so influenced by others. Makes sense to me.

** Update: Later he added that these protesters were probably all wearing Nikes.-----
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In the NYT today there was an article about the shuttle coverage including this gem:

Dan Rather seems to be getting weirder and weirder.-----
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A friend of mine sent me these additional Boston storm photos.

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I like the colors I use on this site, but I am SO bored of looking at this design. What to do, what to do?-----
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The wind is making some interesting snow dunes. That is my car on the left - it's not going anywhere soon.-----
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I went shopping on my way home and here are my supplies in case of attack:

ok, I busted open the chips. I'm sure all of this will allow me to live a whole hour or so longer than my neighbor, who will probably just sit in his apt. and get stoned. Seriously, in case of bioterror, I'm a dead duck. I live in Boston.. the buildings here are old. My building was probably built in revolutionary times. Drafts are a way of life. There is no way I'll be keeping any bioterror from getting in. But I have my duct tape, so I've done what I can.-----
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That is what Al Roker just called it.. and on the radio I heard it referred to as the Blizzard of 2003 for the first time. But they are "only" predicting 10 - 16 inches for us.-----
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Microsoft going after Hotmail spammers-----
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Tonight I had a grilled cheese and a bowl of soup for dinner. The favorite lunch of the 6 yr. old me. Perhaps it will be peanut butter & jelly for lunch tomorrow - ha.-----
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I only got DSL a couple of months ago, but I really do love it. In the past, I couldn't listen to all the Syracuse games... now I can (ok, I know I could listen when I had dial up, but anyone with dial up will agree with me: streaming anything on dial up sucks chunks). Syracuse games are not exactly the most requested games to be shown here in the Boston area - occastionally they are on national television, sometimes ESPN, but for the most part, I am shut out.. until now. Right now I'm listening to the SU - Georgetown game. yah! What the hell's a Hoya?!

** Update: SU wins 88 - 80..-----
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This design reflects my conflicted view on Valentines Day (I was going to do my interpretive dance on this issue for you, but then I decided against it - kidding!).

Black - represents the "this is a totally bogus holiday, made up just to sell more sappy, pathetic cards and gifts - not to mention triple the cost of flowers for a week. It is insulting to my intelligence, it makes single people feel like they are freaks of nature, creates unrealistic expections for romantic expression from significant others.. not to mention it is offensive to my feminist views (a woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle, right??)

Pink - represents hope of being able to say: "candy, flowers, My Big Fat Greek Wedding DVD, trip to Paris - for moi?? awww.... " I'm a complete and utter hypocrite... which makes me mad at myself and leads me right back to the black in the design.

Pathetic!!!

Also, for no apparant reason other than her wardrobe, I've resurected South Park Amy.-----
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I received an email from my friend who lives in Turkey in which she railed on and on about how Bush in insane, actually I think she called him clinically brain dead (I can't argue with her there) and will cause "millions of civilian deaths" (a statistic I must disagree with) with this war against Iraq.. my response to her was something along the lines of: you know Saddam has just as much to say about whether there is a war as Bush (& Blair who she ignores) do. He could comply. No one demonstrates for that though do they.-----
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Didn't have time to mention this earlier, but Conferees in Congress Bar Using a Pentagon Project on Americans (reg. req'd). Privacy issues and Poindexter at the helm (he's only been convicted of lying to Congress) are some of the issues. Score one for the rational people.. though I'm sure it's a short lived victory.

but you can still get your TIA merchandise. The thong seems to imply to me that no information is too personal.-----
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Top 5 Soundtracks

1. Saturday Night Fever
2. Almost Famous
3. Pulp Fiction
4. Magnolia
5. Vanilla Sky

Honorable mentions: Grease, Singles, Tank Girl, Ocean's 11, The Harder They Come, Footloose, Pretty in Pink-----
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Top 5 Albums of All Time

The order of these may shuffle, but they are continuously the albums that I love the most.

• Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin
• U2: Joshua Tree
• Stevie Nicks: Enchanted
• Bruce Springsteen: Darkness on the Edge of Town
• Bob Dylan: Bootleg Series v. 1 - 3

Honorable Mentions: Miles Davis: The Birth of Cool; every other Led Zeppelin album but especially III because of Tangerine; any Bob Dylan album but especially Highway 61 Revisted and Blood on the Tracks; Bruce Springsteen: Greetings from Ashbury Park, The Wild, the Innocent & the E St. Shuffle, Born to Run, Nebraska; All things Beatle, REM: Murmur; Hole: Live Through This; Sugar: Copper Blue-----
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Bush scares me more every day -
>Justice Dept. eyes expansion of its domestic surveillance

> Read interview with Chuck Lewis of the Center for Public Integrity

> Download the legislation from here-----
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test yourself at fontlover.com!-----
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so take off all your clothes..
I woke up with this stupid ass song in my head (maybe because my apt. was approximately a billion degrees last night) and it won't go away. I HATE that!-----
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I see this car from time to time and all I can think is: why? why yellow?

** Update: I've taken a page out of Snarkalicious' book and created a poll on this topic. Vote now.. vote often!!

to the person who tried to enter "I don't understand this form. I am 80 years old" into my fake form in Give Me a Break. I have been laughing for about 5 min.-----
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The other night on the West Wing in the time it took Sam to get from his dressing room to the stage where he was giving a speech, he got a haircut complete with a different part?-----
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I am one of the only people at work. Imagine my frowning face here.

On my way to work today I saw 2 interesting things:
1. A woman with stiletto heeled boots on
2. A woman with plastic bags around her feet, being held up by elastic bands around her ankles

And I think that's all I have to say about that...-----
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Britney Spears:

- seen in Time Magazine

Oh and did any of you see Michael Jackson say last night that he has only had 2 operations - and only on his nose?? That his face has just changed over time, the way everyone's does? Don't insult my intelligence. Does he really think anyone is buying that?-----
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I was so distracted by the shuttle, that I completely forgot about the Syracuse - Pitt game.. and Syracuse kicked ass! wo-ho!-----
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'Mister Rogers' dies at age 74

waaaaaaaaaa!!!

J-Mo, Btezra & Jody have much better words than I on this topic.-----
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Syracuse is playing Michigan today at 2pm on CBS - adjust your schedules accordingly. :)

**Update: SU Wins.. despite a somewhat lackluster performance and 10 3 pointers by Hall. I must say I was pretty impressed with the Michigan fans (though I'm not sure what that bobbing dance they do is supposed to prove) - they are hardcore.-----
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They've lost contact with the space shuttle and they are showing these pictures that look like it broke up over Texas. I'm such bad flashbacks to the Challenger. The Challenger broke my heart.. oh I have to go watch CNN.

Read about the shuttle crew members

Instapundit is keeping track of the happenings.-----
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for non-essential state employees to go to work tomorrow, it's not safe for me either, right? wo-ho! Snow day!!
ok.. the sad thing is if the T is running, I'll be at work.-----
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This monstrosity which has closed down much of the mid Atlantic area is heading my way. Yippee.. another foot of snow. We haven't a foot of snow in a least a week. The only good thing is that it will have to warm up to snow that much. Good thing I have my bioterrorism food stockpile. I'll make it through the storm.-----
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Slate has an interesting article (Poetic Licenses) on South Carlina's attempt to offer a "Chose Life" license plate. The issues, of course, revolve around free speech and whether a state can/should offer "political or controversial" license plates, especially when they only offer one side of the issue, thus implying that the state approves of that one view. I say states shouldn't be involved in things like this at all and people who really want to express their views should get a friggin' bumper sticker.-----
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Mother Jones has an interesting update from last years State of the Union.-----
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I don't why, but I'm sort of excited about this storm. Maybe because I'm not working today. If I were working, I'd be like: snow.. whatever.-----
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Today is the 25th anniversary of the "Storm of the Century".. why is this a big deal? It isn't, but I just want to pause and appreciate the greatest storm to ever happen to a little kid. No school for almost a week! Snow piles taller than you to play in! of course, I was significantly shorter than I am now. I remember being so excited that I was just jumping up and down outside in my big puffy snow suit. Of course, the adults couldn't really enjoy it as much: homes were destroyed, a billion (1978) dollars in damage.

Read about it:
Remembering the Blizzard of '78

See some pictures:
>Boston
>Suburbs

Well, I have been proven incorrect on the time out of school (thx Kath!)

BLIZZARD of '78 FACTS
: 33 hours of snow fall
: 3,500 cars stranded on 128
: 10,000 people in shelters
: 3 inches of snow per hour
: 79 mph winds in Boston
: 92 mph winds on the Cape
: 29 related deaths in MA
: 54 related deaths in NE
: 2100 costal homes ruined
: $1 billion of damage in MA
: 27" of snowfall in Foxboro
: 15ft snow drifts reported
: 4hrs to clear 1/2 mi on 128
: 1 week to open roads
: 2 weeks to open schools
: 125 arrested for looting-----
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I just watched this Frontline episode: A Class Divided. I'm completely blown away. It's about a 2 day exercise on racism one teacher uses with her 3rd grade class. The first day she tells them that blue eyed people are better than brown eyed people. The brown eyed children have to wear collars, they get less recess time, the blue and brown eyed children aren't allowed to play with each other, etc. In less than a day the kids turn on each other.. they get into fights, the blue eyed children act superior. On the second day she turns the table and the brown eyed children are told they are better. The teacher gives them a test with flash cards. On the day when the children thought they were the superior group, they did better on the test. 14 years later the kids return for a reunion, watch the film of them in 3rd grade and discuss. It is amazing to me how they internalized it. They felt they knew what it was like to be discriminated against. One of them said they hear people say things like minorities should go back to where they are from that they wished they could whip out the collar and tell the person to wear it for awhile and see what it's like. Later, the same teacher does the exercise for a group of adults. It's amazing how angry they get when they feel they are being treated badly, even though it's quite clear that it's an exercise.
It's sad that we need exercises like this, but I think somehow it would be beneficial that all people could experience something like it.-----
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Dave Barry has the best and most relevant Valentines Day poem:

He also has some other uses for duct tape.

For those of you who may feel a bit down on Valentines Day: You Rock
And remember you don't need a significant other, you rock all on your own!
(thanks to Trace for the re-posting suggestion)-----
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There seems to be a plethora of media coverage over whether there is bias in the media. Conservatives claim their is a liberal bias, liberals seem to think it's more of a conservative bias. Hmm... Eric Alterman and Brent Rozell debate this in the National Review (this may be the only time I ever link to the National Review, so enjoy). Alterman has also written an article and a whole book on the subject. If all this isn't enough, Slate is running a series on the issue.. (Part 1, Part 2). Interesting stuff.. I've learned in life that everyone has an agenda and it's important to understand the source of what you read so you can form your own opinons.-----
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A few years ago I started subscribing to a magazine via an offer from a credit card company. I get a discounted rate, they automatically charge me every 3 months. About 4 months ago, said magazine just stopped showing up. I didn't really care because I had been thinking of ending the subscription anyway. But they continue to charge me. So I call up to complain.. and it's the automated customer creature. A technology so advanced that it understands my voice: NOT. So excrutiating.. and I'm still scarred from my experience with the Sprint PCG Fembot, Claire. None of the options the computer creature offers me are what I need. I need to speak to someone - is that so crazy? It's impossible to get away from this customer service creature.. there are no options to talk to an actual person. 5 min. into this call, I'm about to throw the phone out the window. Then I decide: let's see if pressing "0" will work. Ah-ha! But first I get a minute long speech on how it's so much faster to deal with this wonderful cutomer service creature who can help me OR I can go online. FUCK YOU - I want to speak to a human being!!! Finally, after pressing a series of numbers I am connected to where the humans are... and I get a recording: "Sorry, our customer service system is down for routine maintenance. Since we can not access your account, we are suggesting that you call back in 24 hours". Motherfucker!!!!-----
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Do you consider yourself an "average" American male? efitness is sponsoring a "Joe Average" content. The "winner" receives a fantasy sports weekend in sunny Florida training like the Pros at Cris Carter's FAST Program* and dinner with a Miami Dolphins Cheerleader.

* What IS this? Obviously only something the average male would know about.-----
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I haven't watched the Grammy's in probably 10 or 12 years because they are SO Stupid! They are just prizes for the most sold - which is a far cry from the best music. But I have watched this entire show this evening ONLY because I wanted to see what I anticipated as a Bruce clean up. Only to discover that most of the awards that he was up for (and won) were presented before the show. When did they move the interesting awards to before the show so they could have more time for horrible performances? I don't think anyone's live performance was that good tonight (including Bruce) - well, the Clash tribute was pretty good (if much too short). I love when Eminem wins awards because he always looks around like he can't believe people would be so stupid as to reward him or maybe he is just disgusted by having to show up to what is such a trite event. Anyway, what I'm watching is a Norah Jones-a-thon.. I can't believe she beat Bruce for album of the year (but then again Nelly was also nominated, so.. ). Someone please explain her appeal to me. I have her album - I listened to it twice and that was about all I needed. It wasn't doing anything for me and she is the most expressionless person I've ever seen. I'm sure this will be the beginning of another 12 year boycott of the Grammy's for me. gag.-----
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as regular readers know (because I tell you) - the Syracuse Orangemen rock. Watch them rise in the rankings! Paul Katcher has written a post about the Orangeman's outstanding win over Notre Dame on Sat. (reccomended for those of you who think Pitt is so great.. ahem, I believe you lost to Notre Dame last week). Paul's post goes on to say he doesn't care about the athletes GPA's. This has got me thinking... I'll admit when I'm watching Carmelo Anthony play, I really don't care what his GPA is. However, I do think that college athletes GPA's matter. Mostly because I think the lack of emphasis on GPA is a disservice to the athlete. They are in school to play, but also to get an education. You may think that sounds naive... that athletes, coaches and athletic directors don't really look at it that way. But they should because to not is to say that what the school can get out of the athlete is more important than what the athlete can get out of the school. Many of you will probably say: yup, exactly and I don't care. Maybe it's because I value education so highly, but I don't think anyone should be told that their grades don't matter (grades being a proxy for how much someone learns in school) because it implies education isn't important. It doesn't matter what a person does after college with their degree - maybe they never use what they studied in school (i.e. they are the rare person who makes in the pros or they chose a career unrelated), that doesn't mean their education wasn't important. I think athletes are shortchanged to a certain extent in terms of education because they spend so much time practicing and traveling (and giving them "tutors" doesn't make up for that), and it's not right to tell them what they do outside of their sport doesn't matter or isn't valuable.-----
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ok.. somehow I turned on Trackback, but I'm not really sure what it does. But I have one already. yippee.-----
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The Girl Scouts have set up a cookie stand in the lobby of my building. I'm in a precarious position here.. the chances of weight gain are large.

** Update: hmmm.. Thin Mints!-----
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