Reason for this post's title: I can no longer sleep through the night, just like a baby. The usual pattern: try to fall asleep for an hour or two, wake up in the middle of the night for an hour or two, wake up early. Equals out to about 4 hours of sleep a night.
On the plus side, my insomnia has given me lots of time to think. While not sleeping last night, I realized that my half-Birthday is tomorrow, and that I start work in less than 2 months. Freaky. Time flies.
One of my very braggy friends posted a facebook status about how she has everything figured out (job, roommate, apartment), and can "live it up until graduation." Upon reading this, I realized that as I no longer have a roommate and still haven't figured out where I'm going to live, so this might be kind of a weird/lonely summer. Maybe I should start studying for my CPA exams (I was going to take the summer off) so I won't notice that my social life has died.
My Twitter post this morning: "In other news, I think the universe is conspiring against us." This is another thing I realized while I wasn't sleeping last night/this morning. Sigh.
April 7, 2011
April 3, 2011
The great debate
My apologies for the unintentional hiatus. These last few weeks have been pretty hectic.
Today's topic: how to label meals...
It the title of the meal based on the type of food you are eating, or the time of day it is when you eat it?
For example if you eat cereal at night, are you eating breakfast, or are you eating cereal for dinner? Or if you eat leftover steak in the morning, are you eating dinner, or steak for breakfast?
Mind-boggling, isn't it?
Today's topic: how to label meals...
It the title of the meal based on the type of food you are eating, or the time of day it is when you eat it?
For example if you eat cereal at night, are you eating breakfast, or are you eating cereal for dinner? Or if you eat leftover steak in the morning, are you eating dinner, or steak for breakfast?
Mind-boggling, isn't it?
March 25, 2011
An All-Too-Familiar Phenomenon
I have a lot to get done this weekend. I've been awake for many hours, but I haven't actually done anything because I've been sitting here thinking about how much I have to do.
It's a surprisingly hard cycle to break.
It's a surprisingly hard cycle to break.
March 22, 2011
Silencio, por favor
I just returned from a weekend at a Zen center in the mountains. Given all the meditation I've been doing, I think that silence is an appropriate topic.
Silence: some people like it; some people find it incredibly awkward. I'm in the first group. This is not to say that I'm consistently a quiet person (I have my talkative spurts), but I also don't scramble to fill silences when they arise. I tend only to talk when I have something I really want to say, and I'd like to think that that makes what I say a little more meaningful (don't correct me if I'm wrong...).
At the Zen retreat, our group took part in a completely silent lunch. Some of my classmates were visibly uncomfortable, rushed through the meal, and left as soon as they were done. I loved it. There was no pressure to fill silences (yes, sometimes I conform a little as to not make more talkative people think I'm awkward), and I was able to enjoy my food much more.
Tonight, I went for a walk with a friend that I frequently walk with, and we discussed our attitudes about silence (talking about silence...ironic, right?). He pointed out that we are both introspective people, so what might be perceived as awkward silences by others is really us getting lost in thought and forgetting that we aren't talking out loud.
So true. I often go long stretches of time without saying a word, and only become aware of my extended silence once I talk to another human being again. Driving is another quiet time for me. I usually drive alone, so I've gotten used to using the car as my thinking place. Sometimes, when I'm driving other people, I'll start thinking about stuff and not talk to the person in the car.
In conclusion, I think silence is golden, but sorry to all the talkers who find me incredibly awkward.
Silence: some people like it; some people find it incredibly awkward. I'm in the first group. This is not to say that I'm consistently a quiet person (I have my talkative spurts), but I also don't scramble to fill silences when they arise. I tend only to talk when I have something I really want to say, and I'd like to think that that makes what I say a little more meaningful (don't correct me if I'm wrong...).
At the Zen retreat, our group took part in a completely silent lunch. Some of my classmates were visibly uncomfortable, rushed through the meal, and left as soon as they were done. I loved it. There was no pressure to fill silences (yes, sometimes I conform a little as to not make more talkative people think I'm awkward), and I was able to enjoy my food much more.
Tonight, I went for a walk with a friend that I frequently walk with, and we discussed our attitudes about silence (talking about silence...ironic, right?). He pointed out that we are both introspective people, so what might be perceived as awkward silences by others is really us getting lost in thought and forgetting that we aren't talking out loud.
So true. I often go long stretches of time without saying a word, and only become aware of my extended silence once I talk to another human being again. Driving is another quiet time for me. I usually drive alone, so I've gotten used to using the car as my thinking place. Sometimes, when I'm driving other people, I'll start thinking about stuff and not talk to the person in the car.
In conclusion, I think silence is golden, but sorry to all the talkers who find me incredibly awkward.
March 17, 2011
Fear
Despite the potentially philosophical title, today's entry is actually about St. Patrick's Day.
I don't have anything green to wear. I own lots of turquoise, teal, and even chartreuse, but these not-quite-green colors may still warrant pinches among those green-snobs that only consider true greens (kelly, lime, forrest) to count.
I am afraid of St. Patrick's Day. People are mean (and at my age, probably a little drunk). When I was younger, I used to purposely not wear green, because I thought that being Jewish made me exempt from getting pinched. My classmates disagreed, and every year I would come home from school with red pinch marks all over me.
Also, when foods that are not typically green are one day green, it usually implies that they are no longer good to eat. I almost threw up at my 4th grade St. Patrick's Day party when the room-moms served us green milk. I like my milk white. Actually, I'm lactose intolerant, so I don't like milk at all.
So here's to another year of getting pinched and eating moldy-looking food.
I don't have anything green to wear. I own lots of turquoise, teal, and even chartreuse, but these not-quite-green colors may still warrant pinches among those green-snobs that only consider true greens (kelly, lime, forrest) to count.
I am afraid of St. Patrick's Day. People are mean (and at my age, probably a little drunk). When I was younger, I used to purposely not wear green, because I thought that being Jewish made me exempt from getting pinched. My classmates disagreed, and every year I would come home from school with red pinch marks all over me.
Also, when foods that are not typically green are one day green, it usually implies that they are no longer good to eat. I almost threw up at my 4th grade St. Patrick's Day party when the room-moms served us green milk. I like my milk white. Actually, I'm lactose intolerant, so I don't like milk at all.
So here's to another year of getting pinched and eating moldy-looking food.
"I hate my job"
March 15, 2011
My Inner Inventor
Sometimes, I come up with strange ideas of things that I would invent if I were skilled enough to invent things (or had the money to hire people who did).
A debit card with a dot that changed color depending on your account balance, or cars with magnets that repelled against other cars (no more accidents?)
I thought of another invention yesterday: technology emotion sensors. When I receive an email or text, my phone makes the same sound no matter the content of the message. My text sound happens to be very happy-sounding chime, so it always throws me off a bit when the happy chime chimes and the text is bad/sad news. With technology emotion sensors, the sound would adjust according to the content of the message. If the text said "Grandpa died" the corresponding sound would be somber vs. if they text read, "just won the lottery!!!!!!!!!!!"--happy sound. Of course, this invention would involve an invasion of privacy to some extent because the emotion-sensing computer/robot would have to scan the message for content. Overall, I think it would be helpful. One day if I have money I will hire a fresh-out-of-school techie to invent it for me.
Mr. Robot: in ur fone, readin ur textz
A debit card with a dot that changed color depending on your account balance, or cars with magnets that repelled against other cars (no more accidents?)
I thought of another invention yesterday: technology emotion sensors. When I receive an email or text, my phone makes the same sound no matter the content of the message. My text sound happens to be very happy-sounding chime, so it always throws me off a bit when the happy chime chimes and the text is bad/sad news. With technology emotion sensors, the sound would adjust according to the content of the message. If the text said "Grandpa died" the corresponding sound would be somber vs. if they text read, "just won the lottery!!!!!!!!!!!"--happy sound. Of course, this invention would involve an invasion of privacy to some extent because the emotion-sensing computer/robot would have to scan the message for content. Overall, I think it would be helpful. One day if I have money I will hire a fresh-out-of-school techie to invent it for me.
Mr. Robot: in ur fone, readin ur textz
March 14, 2011
The Affluence Gap
I came home for the day, so this is my first ever post from the computer at my parents' house. While taking a shower (you'll notice that this and my car are my primary sources of inspiration), I thought about a conversation I had with my former/future roommate the other day.
I might whine alot on this blog, but never about money. I can be frugal with what I earn myself, but I know that if times get rough my parents will help out. They paid for my education (thanks!), they pay my rent, they bought my car.
And now you're probably wondering how I could possibly skew this situation into a complaint...
It's not a complaint, exactly, but roommate and I came to the realization that we've never seen our parents struggle over money, and therefore are that much more freaked out to enter our just-out-of-college-no-money phase. Neither of my parents grew up with money, and probably did their fair deal of struggling when they were my age, but by the time I was born/aware of my surroundings, they were out of that phase. My question is, are children who have witnessed their parents struggle with money any less worried?
It's a daunting idea that we all start out at the bottom and work our way up in the world, but if we all started at the top we'd have nothing to strive for. I guess it just takes time, pacience, and...frugality?
I might whine alot on this blog, but never about money. I can be frugal with what I earn myself, but I know that if times get rough my parents will help out. They paid for my education (thanks!), they pay my rent, they bought my car.
And now you're probably wondering how I could possibly skew this situation into a complaint...
It's not a complaint, exactly, but roommate and I came to the realization that we've never seen our parents struggle over money, and therefore are that much more freaked out to enter our just-out-of-college-no-money phase. Neither of my parents grew up with money, and probably did their fair deal of struggling when they were my age, but by the time I was born/aware of my surroundings, they were out of that phase. My question is, are children who have witnessed their parents struggle with money any less worried?
It's a daunting idea that we all start out at the bottom and work our way up in the world, but if we all started at the top we'd have nothing to strive for. I guess it just takes time, pacience, and...frugality?
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