Nowhere to go but up

2008 has not been a year that I'd want to live over again. It's had its bright spots, but overall I'd have to say it sucked. No where to go but up.

And the icing on the cake for the year is I'm ringing in the New Year without heat. I'm not kidding. While I was out of town, a fuse blew, which then caused the transformer on the heater to melt, so they had to turn the heat off to replace the part. Of course, because of the holiday, they couldn't find anyone available to come and do that until Friday. So I'm spending New Year's Eve and Day trying to keep warm with 3 space heaters, blankets, hot tea, long underwear (thank the lord for Patagonia capilene!) and wool socks and slippers. Layers, lots of layers. I will say that it was lucky that one of the other tenants was home and reported the issue before it caused a fire.

My Aunt and Grandmother sent me home from my visit to Michigan with a can of green beans, a can of black eyed peas, and a small ham so I could have my traditional New Year's Day meal. This is a very good thing since I didn't have a chance to get to the store today with all the heat issues. I'm pairing my meal this year with baked sweet potato fries for something different. In addition to the meal fixings, they also sent me home with an insane amount of cookies, chocolates, and other goodies.

I did have a wonderful visit to Michigan for Christmas. My new baby cousin is adorable, even when he spits up on me (which he did more than once) and cries all over my shirt. I spent 7 days completely offline, with little to no cell phone reception, forcing me to disconnect from the world for a bit and just focus on the time with family. It was wonderful. I really wish I lived closer to them.

Anyway, I'm going to curl up on the couch with the pets and a mug of tea and wait for the ball to drop so 2008 will finally be over. I can't wait. I really think there's nowhere to go but up from here (especially with the lack of heat) so things must improve in 2009.

Finally don't forget the New Year's Rules people!! Don't you dare do any laundry!

Small victories

It really is the little victories in life that carry you through. Yesterday I had two small victories, in addition to the big victory of my asthma drug cocktail kicking in so my painful coughing stopped.

Victory #1: I successfully trimmed my cat's nails with no bodily harm to my person and a minimal amount of yowling and squirming. The last time I tried this I only got her two front paws done and had lovely scratches on my arm that are just now fading. The key? The element of surprise. I snagged Capri with a towel, wrapped her up, sat on the edge of the tub trapping her body between my knees, and had one front paw done and was half way through the second before she realized what had hit her. Seriously. All. Four. Paws. Trimmed. Even her dewclaws. A victory indeed.

Victory #2: I finally managed to get my cell phone number switched to a local Philly number. I hadn't changed it from my previous city of residence due to all the identity theft issues. But that's (hopefully) over now, so I'm free to finally separate myself and stop paying taxes to that previous city so I can keep the number. Yes, they really were charging me both a city and state sales tax as well as a business license surcharge, for a total of over $7 a month. Ridiculous!! Once again I had a very pleasant interaction with the customer service at Verizon, making the whole process smooth and easy. Somehow I also feel a bit more "settled" in Philly by having all local numbers.

What small victories will I have today, I wonder.

Bronchial spasms

It's been quite some time since my asthma has affected my life. Often I forget I have it. I know that sounds strange, but I typically have no symptoms unless I'm sick. Last week I started coughing and had a bit of congestion. I gave the workshop with a nice husky voice, and made it through by drinking lots of tea and sucking on cough drops. The cough was still more or less under control. By Friday I was coughing regularly and having a hard time stopping a coughing fit, basically starting to lose control of my breathing. So I put the plan my doctor and I had created when I can't control my coughing into action and started a supportive inhaler (prescription standing by).

I coughed all weekend. And Monday. On Tuesday it was so bad I had coworkers coming up to me and offering me cough drops. These coworkers sit several cubes away, but my coughing was so constant it was worrying them (and probably disturbing their work). Awesome. I even had cough drops. They just weren't helping. Not. At. All. Neither was the supportive inhaler, obviously. What's worse, the coughing was waking me up at night so I couldn't even sleep. I had to use my emergency inhaler a couple of times because the coughing spasm wouldn't stop. I hate my albuterol inhaler...it makes me shake. I basically vibrate for a good hour after using it. At 3am that kind of prevents me from getting back to sleep. Not to mention taking legible notes when you're vibrating is really really hard. And I was coughing so hard it hurt.

So off to the doctor I went on Wednesday afternoon. She confirmed that I was having an asthma-related bronchial spasm. Basically there's no bronchial infection, but my body doesn't realize that so it keeps trying to cough, which irritates my lungs, which perpetuates the whole cycle. The joys of cough-variant asthma. I'm now armed with a medley of medications to stop the coughing, including a stronger supportive inhaler and a short course of steroids.

Let's hope it works so I can get some good sleep. Not to mention I'm tired of tea and cough drops.

Workshop lessons

With all the change going on at work, I've been so flustered, flummoxed, mildly frustrated, and frazzled that I've been distracted. Between the stress and anxiety of wondering what's going to happen and how it's all going to turn out, I've lost sight of why I do what I do. It took teaching the SCCTP Integrating Resources Cataloging workshop for OHIONET this past Thursday to remind me of that important fact. I remembered why I work in libraries:

I love cataloging.

Really. I know for many of you, that means my sanity is questionable. But I really do love it. The often convoluted rules, the idiosyncrasies, even the idiotic aspects, I love all of it. It makes sense in my brain in a very weird way. Teaching other people about how to catalog something reminded me how much I enjoy cataloging.

While I hope the workshop attendees learned something, what I took away I think was equally as valuable. The reminder couldn't have come at a better time. I really needed it.

Feeling her pain

My baby dog is in pain today. Aussie is nearly 13, and being a long backed dog, she's got some arthritis in her back and hips and hind feet. Most days you wouldn't know. But Aussie has bad days.

Today is one of those bad days. She's in pain. She's having a hard time walking. Lifting her head is painful for her as well. She's not interested in her breakfast. She's shaking. All she wants to do is lie down. But due to the pain, she's lying in unusual and awkward positions. She's hiding in her kennel, trying to find comfort by hiding in her space. And she keeps coming to me, looking to me to take away her pain.

I don't know what triggers her bad days. Yesterday wasn't unusual. All I can do is give her the Rimadyl (doggie aspirin, liver flavored) and wait. Wait for the drugs to kick in. Wait for her to be herself again.

Watching her in pain makes me hurt. I can't stand it. I want to fix it, but I know I can't. It kills me that I can't make the pain go away for her. I'm dreading the day when this becomes the norm for her.

Post-Thanksgiving meal review

Well, the Detroit Lions lost horribly in their game against the Tennessee Titans. A disaster of a game. Worst loss on Thanksgiving day ever for the Lions.

Fortunately, my dinner was NOT a disaster. It was DELICIOUS. I declare this year's Thanksgiving feast a complete success! You can see before and after pictures of the Thanksgiving meal on my Flickr page.

Herb-Roasted Turkey Breast (recipe from Ina Garten)
This recipe was so easy. I bought a nice 7 pound turkey breast, bone in, and spread this delicious mix of herbs and garlic all over it and under the skin. I put it in a roasting pan, and I poured a cup of a nice pinot grigio into the bottom. Into the oven it went, and a little less than 2 hours later, it was done. It turned out juicy, was completely cooked (no undercooked poultry here!), and has an amazing flavor. I can't wait to make turkey sandwiches out of the leftovers!

As for the gravy, I used the defatted pan drippings, which had some of the delicious herbs in it, and combined them in a pan with some butter and flour. It thickened up nicely this year. I'm getting better at gravy (it takes practice just like my mom said).

Note: I don't own a roasting pan. Nor do I own a roasting rack. So I bought a small aluminum roasting pan at the grocery store, and made a snake out of some aluminum foil to create a makeshift rack on the bottom. It worked well.

Caramelized Onion and Cornbread Stuffing (recipe from Tyler Florence)
Since I was only making a turkey breast and didn't have anything to stuff, I used the option of cooking it in a baking dish instead, essentially turning stuffing into dressing. I took a hand from the store and used pre-made cornmeal muffins. The flavor of the sage was nice without being overpowering. Unfortunately, however, it turned out a bit dry. It may have baked for too long, or maybe the dish was too big so it was spread too thin. I'm not sure. With some gravy poured over it to make it moist, it tasted wonderful, so I think I'll try it again, but I'll play around with the size of the baking dish. And when I reheat it I think I'll add a touch of chicken stock.

Smashed Sweet Potatoes (recipe also from Ina Garten)
I was looking for something different this year to do with my sweet potatoes. Yes, there's something to be said for the candied ones with pecans and marshmallows. But I know I'll get those at Christmas, so I wanted something else for Thanksgiving. So I tried these.

They turned out a bit loose rather than the expected thick like mashed potatoes, but they are wonderfully spicy and not overly sweet. The orange juice in them adds some necessary acid to keep them from being sugary. Overall, I'll make these again, but next time I'll try adding an extra potato or two to give it a better consistency. These are definitely being added to my recipe file for future use.

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Garlic
I made these last year. They are SO GOOD. And easy. I cooked them up while the turkey rested and just wow. Nice thick cut bacon, a couple of cloves of minced garlic and lots of fresh brussels sprouts all caramelized in the pan. Just perfect. I don't think I could improve on this one if I tried my hardest, but why would I want to?

Cranberry & Wine Sauce
I got this recipe from my friends AH and DS. Yes, we have our family tradition of orange-ginger-cranberry relish, but like the sweet potatoes, I'm making that for Christmas. I actually made this the night before, to give it time to chill and gel. Take two bags of fresh cranberries, 2 cups of port wine, 2 cups of sugar, and a bunch of spices and throw it all in a pot and boil until the cranberries pop. That's it. So easy. And it turned out fantastic. I'm looking forward to putting a spoonful over my oatmeal in the morning or warming a bit and pouring it over ice cream.

As for dessert, right now I'm too full. And tomorrow is my annual Pumpkin Roll baking extravaganza. But for tonight I'm going to do the dishes and collapse on the couch for awhile.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

You can read all about my favorite holiday in last year's post. I have the same plan again this year, to stay home and make myself a feast and be grateful for a day to myself with my four legged fuzzy children. Oh, and there will be football, in keeping with the family tradition of watching the Lions as most of my family originates in Michigan. Again I'm trying a few new recipes, trying to expand my holiday dishes repertoire. And since it's just me, if they turn out terrible no one has to suffer. I'm definitely making enough to have leftovers. I'm all about the open faced turkey sandwiches.

My menu this year:

• Herb-roasted turkey breast (recipe from Ina Garten)
• Gravy (with giblets and a hard boiled egg...it's a Southern thing)
  
• Cornbread and caramelized onion dressing (recipe from Tyler Florence)
• Smashed sweet potatoes (recipe again from Ina Garten)
• Brussels sprouts sauteed with bacon and onion (did this last year - loved it!)
• Cranberry sauce (from my friends AH and DS - all spicy sweet)

I've got all the basics there, but with a few twists. Look for a review tomorrow (with pictures). In addition to cooking and relaxing today, I'll be talking to my friends and family scattered all over the planet to remind them how glad I am they are in my life and giving thanks for their unending support during this rather rough year.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Not laziness, but rather mindfulness

I had plans for the weekend. Productive plans. Things to accomplish. Good intentions to get all this extra stuff done. Lists to cross things off of.

My plans were initially waylaid by a snuggly dog and cat that made for lazy mornings. It's amazingly difficult to get up when the dog has crawled up onto the bed next to you and snuggled up close, snoring gently near your shoulder. Especially when the cat curls up on the other side of you and you can feel the gentle vibration of her purr by your knees. And there was that Saturday afternoon nap with the cat in the sun.

So my productive weekend became a lazy weekend. And I'm OK with that. I think we all need lazy weekends every now and then. Where we don't worry about the dishes in the sink, or the dust on the side table. Get the necessary stuff done, and not worry about the rest. We just pause and enjoy the moment, being mindful of where we are and what we're doing.

That mindfulness is something I'm working on. Being in the moment, and not thinking about what's coming next. Just being aware of what I'm doing at that very moment. And it's not just for when you're doing nothing, but also when you're doing anything and everything. It's kind of an active meditation. Focusing on the activity at hand and not thinking about other things. Focus on doing the dishes. Focus on cooking your dinner. Focus on walking, or the act of breathing. Don't think about what you have to do next, and after that, and after that.

It's harder than you think.

I was calling this weekend a lazy weekend, when I realized that rather than being lazy, I was mindful of each thing I did. I didn't get as much done (the to-do list is still there), but nothing I had planned to do was critical, so why was I so intent on getting all this stuff done? Instead, by being mindful of each thing I was doing, I had a wonderfully relaxing weekend. I don't feel guilty. A good chunk of my stress has melted away. So I'm no longer calling this a lazy weekend. Rather, it was a weekend of mindfulness. I got done what needed to get done, and was able to enjoy each activity. Including doing the dishes, which is my least favorite chore, AND snuggling with the pets, which is one of my favorite things ever. Mindfulness is a beautiful thing, when I can do it successfully. And this weekend is an example of success. I hope I have more days like this weekend.

More than just groceries

A few months ago, shortly after I moved to my current apartment, I went grocery shopping on a Sunday afternoon at a store a bit farther away than my "normal" store. There's nothing wrong with my neighborhood store, but it's small and doesn't have some of the specialty items I periodically need or want (for example their cereal selection is limited). So now and then I need to go to a larger store with more options. There's one grocery store in particular over near the pet supply store that I really like that has excellent variety. I combine my errands and get both dog food and people food in one trip.

The store was exceptionally busy that afternoon, and it was a rather long wait at the deli counter. People were impatient, several people cut ahead of me in line, but I was in no hurry so I just waited and decided that it was no big deal. The people behind the deli counter (a guy and a woman) were chatty, and were really pleasant with me, probably because I wasn't impatient or short with them (pleasantness begets pleasantness, you know). I didn't think anything of it.

I should have paid more attention.

About 15 minutes later, while standing in the dressing aisle trying to pick out a couple of new salad dressings (again with the excellent variety), someone walks up behind me and says: "Hey cutie-pie!" Yes, he called me cutie-pie.

I nearly jumped out of my skin. I turned around to see the guy from the deli counter. He was on break. "Hi," I stammered back once I had remembered how to breathe. Next thing I know we're engaged in conversation. I think I was too stunned to escape before he starts asking me a few questions (name, are you single, why haven't I seen you here before, etc.), continuing to call me cutie-pie throughout the conversation, and then hands me a piece of paper with his name and phone number on it and tells me to call him sometime if I would be interested in having dinner or a drink with him. He then says he has to get back to his shift and walks away.

After he left, I dawns on me what had just happened. I was picked up in the grocery store by the deli guy. He tracked me down in the store on his break to give me his phone number.

OMG. Of course nothing ever came of it because I'm not all that interested in dating right now (my life is complicated enough). And then I realized I can never shop at that store again. Dammit.

Recently I decided to tempt fate and go back to that store (I hadn't been back yet). Again, I was in the vicinity picking up pet supplies and I needed a few things. But since I didn't need anything from the deli counter, I decided to go for it and hope and pray I didn't run into him because I didn't feel like explaining myself and admittedly felt a bit guilty I didn't say "no" when it all went down. I was too startled to escape gracefully at the time. Fortunately, I didn't see him and escaped the store without incident. I don't know if I'll tempt fate a second time.

Kitchen appliance love

Anyone that has read a few posts on this blog knows that I'm a food geek. I LOVE to try new recipes and experiment in the kitchen. I'm not afraid of trying new foods. I like to play around and tweak recipes. I'm also not afraid to share recipes (just ask!). And I'm certainly not afraid to admit when something turned out not so good and should never ever be made again. I have my mother to thank for my food geekiness. She was always trying new foods, new recipes, and she asked for honest reviews of them. We had our family favorites, but more often than not we tried something new on a regular basis. I have an addiction now to trying new recipes, and my cookbook collection must be very very carefully monitored. It would take me a lifetime to try all the recipes I've clipped or emailed myself or saved over the years.

With this love of food and recipes comes a love of kitchen tools. I do subscribe to the Alton Brown school of thought that everything in your kitchen should be able to do more than one task (multitaskers) and the only unitasker in the kitchen is the fire extinguisher. So I'm pretty judicious when I choose my appliances. All the appliances I do have I actually use regularly and generally am quite fond of (some more than others). I currently own the following:

• Electric kettle
  
• Microwave (still learning to use this...I did go more than 5 years without one)
  
• Toaster (wide slot)
  
• Hand mixer
  
• Kitchenaid stand mixer (artesian) with several attachments

My most recent acquisition is a stick (or immersion) blender. I had a regular blender for years, but it never could quite do all the things I wanted it to. Trying to blend/puree hot things was tedious as you could only do small batches and it involved moving hot liquids from one container to another and back again. So mostly I used it to make hummus. I did finally cave and bought myself a stick blender. I am now in love with it. Seriously. It blends soups, sauces, smoothies, spreads, and anything else I can stick in a pot or a glass.

I used it tonight to blend up some apple-onion-acorn squash-curry soup. It's amazing how smooth and quick and easy it was to use. And the blade portion disconnects for easy washing. I'm now combing through my recipe stash to see what other recipes I have that require blending so I can play with my new kitchen toy.

Hell of a week

So that leak in my bedroom ceiling we thought was fixed? Yeah. Not so much. In fact it got worse. It was practically raining in my bedroom for several days last week. Well, maybe not a steady rain, but a constant drip. And the spots where it was dripping have expanded so now there's three. I currently have a bucket, a trash can, and a plastic bag to catch the water from the various locations. It soaked through three towels just from side drips and soaking up what was already in the carpet. I'm running out of rag towels to use as the wet ones need replacing faster than they dry. Various chunks of drywall compound have fallen down. And wet plaster/paint/drywall paper? YUCK. It's sticky and gloopy and generally a pain to clean up. Since the carpet is wet, bits of it are stuck to the fibers...I'll have to wait for things to dry out before I can vacuum up the plaster crumbs.

To make matters worse, the fallen compound revealed something more sinister: black mold (no, I haven't had it cultured so I don't know if it's the toxic variety, but I also just want it to go away so I don't have to find out). The ceiling panels are also all warped now from the weight of all that water. They aren't lining up properly anymore so there are gaps between them and they're all bowed so the ceiling looks like it has a big lump in it. There are at least three panels in the ceiling that will have to be replaced between the water damage and mold. Good times.

To add insult to injury, I woke up with a horrific earache in my right ear last Wednesday. Turns out my Eustachian tube is inflamed and the fluid can't drain and the air pressure can't equalize. So I have fluid and air trapped behind my eardrum. The good news is that it's not infected...yet. Unless the fluid drains soon, however, it can become infected. The nearest I can describe the feeling is when you're flying and the pressure in your ears won't equalize so your ear hurts and feels like it needs to "pop." I sneezed and thought my head was going to explode. And it keeps affecting my balance because my inner ear pressure is all off.

The fun just never ends around here. I believe a phrase used by a colleague best describes it: "ass circus" (thanks LR!).

My new cat

Introducing the newest member of my four legged furry family: Capri.

Pretty kitty close-up

She's a tortoiseshell, about 1 1/2 years old. The kennel Aussie goes to found her when she was around 5 months old. They spayed her, got her all the necessary shots and tests, and put her up for adoption in a cage in their main office. I saw her for the first time last May, when she was about a year old. She had been living in their office for over 6 months at that point. When she still hadn't been adopted in August, I crumbled. In mid-September I drove out to the kennel and brought Capri home. It's been 3 1/2 years since my cat Snip passed away, and when I couldn't get Capri out of my head, I knew it was time to get another cat.

It's been an adjustment. It's been over 15 years since I had a kitten in the house, for one. Fortunately, Capri likes dogs, and since Aussie was raised with my first cat, Snip (also a tortoiseshell), she accepted Capri's presence quickly. But since Capri had only lived either as a stray or in a cage in an office, she had no idea what life in a home was like. It took a good week before she'd come out of hiding in the bookshelves (that space behind the books on the bottom shelf is ideal for hiding). It took another week after that before she'd let me touch her. I've had to adjust to having my toes attacked at 2am (silly me for moving in my sleep) and training myself to watch for cat toys (I've already crushed one ball by stepping on it and almost falling in the process).

Now, two months in, Capri has made herself at home. I've learned she LOVES treats. Specifically the kind that are crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Catnip has no effect on her (WTF?). And she loves toys that make noise (little mice, balls that jingle, etc.). Capri is a talker, proving to be quite the mouthy cat. She's learning to like being brushed, but clipping her nails is a battle that involves wrapping her in a towel in a futile attempt at protecting myself from getting scratched.

Lounging comfortably on the back of the couch

Today we made our first trip to the vet. It took me a good 15 minutes to catch her and stuff her in the carrier. I almost had her once, but the dog decided to "help" and Capri escaped. Eventually I caught her again and we made it to the vet with minimal damage to my person (a few scratches, but nothing severe). She got all her boosters, and has been given a clean bill of health. She's also been microchipped, which I highly recommend. We'll see how long it takes her to forgive me for the injustices she suffered today.

Coming back to life

I'm still alive. Really. I know I haven't posted for two months. I was in "keep my head down and maybe I won't lose it" mode. Things have been a bit insane and until the personal earthquakes finally stopped I just focused on making it through each day.

Here's a nice summary list of the major events since July, in rough chronological order, handily organized by month.

July
*My cousin gives birth to a baby boy! Welcome to the family! My grandmother can now stop putting pressure on me about having her great-grandbabies before she dies (for some reason she was fixated on me being the one to have the babies). So thank you to my cousin. :)
*I take a long weekend and drive up to Boston, MA for a friend's wedding reception (YAY for LHK and WK!!) and to visit a good friend from grad school. Flickr pictures of the reception and my friend's garden (BF is an amazing gardener!).
*I move mid-month.
One week after moving the following events occurred:
*Visitors! My good friends LC and SB!
*Ozomatli concert! (the reason for my visitors)
*A leak appears in the ceiling in my bedroom closet, forcing me to take all the clothes I had recently unpacked and put away back out of the closet again.

August
*The leak in my closet ceiling is due to a leak in upstairs bathroom tub faucet. During repairs, the leak spreads to middle of my bedroom and rains all over the clothes I had removed from the closet to protect them. Dammit.
*Bike tires meet trolley rails. Ouch!
*Mid-month my mother arrives for a visit! YAY!!!
*One day prior to my mother's arrival, my landlord has a disagreement with the gas company and they turn off the gas service to the property. The gas powers the heat, hot water, and my stove. So now I can't shower or cook. Fortunately it's August so I don't have to worry about the heat just yet.
*My landlord replaces the gas hot water heater and my gas stove with electric appliances (note the furnace is NOT replaced at this time). I spend FIVE DAYS while they do this without hot water or the ability to cook anything. My mother suffers with me. Great visit, no?
*My mother fortunately is able to extend her visit by a few days so we can enjoy each others company once we've showered. :) She helps me finish unpacking and settling into my new apartment.
*My sister comes for a visit to attend the Nine Inch Nails concert with me!! w00t!! A truly incredible concert. We had a wonderful time hanging out together the rest of the weekend too.
*In the midst of all of this, things continue to change and move forward into an uncertain (yet encouraging) future at work. My new library school intern also started work the second week of August and I spend much of the first part of the month training her. Fortunately she's a quick study.

September
*Work is crazy. The students return and the semester begins. Additional organizational changes at work are announced.
*Mid-month I take a few days vacation that don't involve a pet emergency/drama, apartment drama, or some other drama. I enjoyed several days with no internet spending time with a really good friend just hanging out and relaxing. It was wonderful. Then I returned home and opened my email. Yikes.
*Upon returning from my [far too brief] vacation I adopted a cat to bring my total of four-legged furry children to two. Yes, a cat named Capri (pics on Flickr). And she and the dog get along just fine, thankyouverymuch.

October
*Work continues to be insanely busy.
*The month starts off badly with me getting sick with a fever for two days after getting soaked by rain.
*One of my best friends from college gets married in Louisville, KY. YAY for EH and KD!! Congrats!! KD, you are a very lucky woman as EH is an awesome guy. I'm so glad I was able to attend and had a blast at the wedding (photos I took at the event are posted here on Flickr).
*It gets cold. Since my landlords have not replaced my furnace or gotten the gas turned back on, the temperature in my apartment drops to 62 degrees, sometimes dipping a bit below that during the night. I start sleeping in my long underwear (normally reserved for camping) and wool socks.
*I get sick. Again. With the cold from hell that lays me up for nearly a week when my asthma kicks in and breathing becomes work. For several days after I start recovering I continue to sound like a husky lounge singer.
*The Phillies win the World Series! The city erupts in chaotic celebrations. Mayor Nutter reminds everyone: "You can be joyous. You cannot be a jackass." Fabulous!
*A new leak appears in the ceiling of my bedroom...this time in the middle of the room. I have to move the dog bed so plaster doesn't fall on her head.
*At the end of October I still don't have heat. After 3 workmen give estimates about what it would cost to convert to electric heat, my landlord decides to make a deal with the gas company to turn the gas back on so they can fire up the furnace. Mind you, access to the furnace for the building is through MY apartment...so each new workman means another person in my space.

November
*On Monday, Nov. 3rd, after 3 more days, a visit from the gas company to replace a meter (also in my apartment) and turn the gas back on, and visits from THREE different handymen, the furnace is finally turned back on and my apartment has heat! Just in time for a warm spell...oh well.
*The handymen on Monday kill two birds with one stone with their visit and fix the leak at the same time they get the furnace fired up! Efficiency is a beautiful thing.
*History is made and we elect Barak Obama as our next president. I am ecstatic!!

And I think that brings us to the present.

OMG NIN

Just got home from the Nine Inch Nails concert tonight.

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG

Best. Show. Ever.

Best. Seats. Ever.

OMG WOW

I think I'm high on the adrenalin rush...and hoarse from screaming and singing at the top of my lungs.

Back in the saddle

Literally back in the bike saddle this morning for my ride into work. I'm recovering fine from my little encounter with the trolley tracks, although I admit to some trepidation when crossing over the rails on my way to work this morning.

My left knee, on the other hand, is still a bit cranky about it all. I think it twisted a bit when I went down and landed on it, aggravating a very old ligament strain that never quite healed. I spent most of Friday working (yay for remote desktop) with my leg propped up on a couple of boxes so I could ice my knee and taking regular doses of ibuprofen. Who knew that unpacked boxes of books would prove to be so useful? They were the perfect height for a leg prop. Despite limping around the house like a lame duck, I got a surprising amount of work done (troubleshooting-r-us...er...me!), including catching up on some professional reading that was piled up before I moved and had continued to grow in the past two weeks.

But I'll be wearing long pants or capri pants for the next week or so while my skinned and bruised legs heal. Skinned knees are fine for a 10 year old...but not so attractive on a 32 year old.

New-to-me road hazard

I've written before about the road hazards for bike riders on Philly streets (here and here). Today I had first hand experience with a hazard that's quite prevalent on my new commute.

My new commute is much easier. There's a bike lane the whole way. This is wonderful. It's more scenic (trees!). It's closer. All of these things are very very good. But there's a new hazard on the road for me: trolley tracks.

Part of Philly's public transit system are trolleys. They're great. One is literally two blocks from my new place, and drops me a block from work. I love having the trolley accessible. BUT, they require tracks. In the street. This is an irritation when driving, but when riding a bike they're down right dangerous. See, trolley tracks are just wide enough for a bike tire to slip into, as I learned first hand this morning.

A truck was parked in the middle of the road so the workers could unload construction materials, effectively blocking the bike lane and the traffic lane. Cars had to stop until there was no oncoming traffic. I stopped as well, waiting for the cars to go so I could follow. I made it over the first trolley rail no problem. I made it over the second rail no problem. I started to pass the truck. But there was an oncoming vehicle. Who was NOT paying attention nor were they slowing down or moving over to allow me room. So in the interest of not colliding with the oncoming vehicle, I had to move closer to the truck. While trying to avoid the oncoming vehicle and the side mirror of the parked truck, I can't say I was paying attention to my rear wheel.

Well, my rear wheel slipped into a trolley track and down I went, sprawled in the middle of the road. Fortunately the vehicle had passed and the next one stopped so I could pick myself up. My travel coffee mug had skittered across the road (it fell out of the side pocket of my backpack). I extracted myself from under my bike, retrieved the mug, righted my bike, and walked, wounded pride and all, to the side of the road to assess damage. Lucky for me, no damage to my bike. My chain had slipped off, but that was it.

I, on the other hand, was not as lucky as my bike. I'm rather scraped up and a bit bruised. I have road rash on my elbow and knee. I haven't had a skinned knee for over a decade. I had forgotten how much they sting (like a sonofab*tch). And I just know I'm going to have some nice looking bruises on my leg since most of my weight landed on my thigh. Ouch.

Oh, thank you to the nice woman walking by that stopped to make sure I was OK. I'm fine. Really. I just wish my mom could kiss my skinned elbow and knee and make it all better like she did when I was 8.

Orange tabby hell cat

Aussie was "welcomed" to the neighborhood today by a local cat. We went on a nice long walk around the block, to give herAussie some exercise so she will let me unpack rather than demand attention the rest of the evening (yes, I learned this trick in grad school: wear out dog => time to get work done).

As we were rounding the second block, there was a fluffy orange tabby cat sitting by a fence. It has a collar and tag so it clearly has an owner unlike the feral strays in our old neighborhood. Aussie doesn't mind cats. She was raised with one, so she generally either pays them no mind or tries to make friends with them (a hard habit to break her of in our old neighborhood). This cat proceeded to walk right up to the dog and smell her. Aussie, to her credit, just stood there. Didn't lunge, didn't move, didn't even lean towards the cat or try to sniff back. Then, unexpectedly, the cat changed attitude and proceeded to swat at my dog! And not just once, but multiple times!!

Aussie, again to her credit, didn't attack back. And we beat a path away from that cat, pausing about 20 feet away so I could assess for damage. When I looked up, the cat was RIGHT BEHIND US and proceeded to charge my dog a SECOND time and swat at her while hissing.

So we quickly moved around the corner. When I looked back, the cat was following us. It followed us around the corner and about half way down the next block. The orange tabby from hell was stalking me and my dog clearly with intention to harm. So we kept walking, checking frequently to see if was still behind us.

Shortly after the cat stopped and parked itself in a crouch under some bushes (lying in wait for it's next victim perhaps), a woman and her dog came around the corner. She promptly grabbed her dog and made a wide berth around the cat from hell exclaiming that she hates that cat. Apparently the cat has actually attacked her and her dog in the past, leaving her with some bite marks on her arm. Sounds like Aussie and I got of easy. Aussie is fine, a few tiny scratches around her nose, but nothing serious.

I hereby nickname the cat Psycho. We will be giving Psycho a wide berth from now on.

Sea of boxes

I am surrounded by a sea of boxes. I have successfully moved to my new apartment. My DirecTV was moved without a problem. My phone and internet also was switched seamlessly (I hear Verizon!).

Despite the fact that I do have home internet, posting will most likely be sparse for a couple of days. Why? Sea of boxes. So much unpacking to do (FYI, Food Network is great for background entertainment while unpacking).

Back to wrestling with shelf paper so I can unpack the kitchen.

Why moving the contents of my fridge will be a separate trip

What Your Fridge Says About You

You like to be surrounded by things you love. You aren't exactly greedy, but you can be materialistic at times. You are a very thrifty person. You don't like to waste money... or food. You are a very adventurous person. You love to try new things, and you get bored very easily. You are responsible, together, and mature. You act like an adult, even when you don't feel like it. You are likely to be married - and very busy.

What Do the Contents of Your Refrigerator Say About You?

Accurate...except for the whole married bit. But I am busy.

In college and grad school people used to come over and open my fridge. Just to look. Because my fridge looked like their mom's fridge in terms of contents. I have more fresh fruits and veggies and things to make things with (i.e. actually require cooking) than frozen or "instant" meals. Always have. Sigh. I guess I've had a "mature" fridge for years.

Danger coming soon

Danger coming soon

See previous post (Danger defined) for more information.

Danger defined

This morning as I was walking to get my coffee, I noticed a "coming soon" sign in the storefront across from the back entrance to my library. There used to be a jewler there. It was a family run jewler, been there for years and years, and finally everyone decided to retire and close up shop. I had been wondering what was going to take over that space, since it's prime real estate being right across the street from the main part of campus. Well, now I know.

The Naked Chocolate Cafe.

This is not good. Not. Good. At. All.

And not because the Naked Chocolate Cafe isn't good. It's very very good. Too good. I've waxed poetic about just how good it is in previous posts, referring to trips there as heavenly chocolate orgasms. They make this incredible European style drinking chocolate: hot chocolate so thick that you have to keep stirring it with your spoon so it doesn't solidify. And it's actually easier to eat their hot chocolate than to drink it.

Having a place like that across the street is dangerous. Because nothing says stress release like chocolate. And it's going to be across the street from the back door to my library. It will be way way too easy to pop across the street during a 15 minute afternoon break for a bit of indulgence. I already know I do not possess the willpower to resist something like that. A place like that across the street from work is danger defined indeed. I'm going to have to start going on extra long bike rides on the weekends to work off all the chocolate I will be consuming once it opens.

Memoir in brief

I've been tagged by my colleague KS. Dammit. And this meme is really hard. It's taken me awhile to come up with my answer.

The meme originated over an idea that was prompted by the book written by Larry Smith & Rachel Fershleiser: Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six Word Memoirs by Writers Famous & Obscure. It’s a compilation based on the story that Hemingway once bet ten dollars that he could sum up his life in six words. His words were, “For Sale: Baby Shoes, Never Worn.”

1. Write your own six word memoir.
2. Post it to your blog including a visual illustration if you would like
3. Link to the person who tagged you in your post and to this original post (http://herebaby.blogspot.com/2008/06/six-word-memior.html) if possible so we can track it as it travels across the blogsphere
4. Tag 5 more blogs with links
5. Don’t forget to leave a comment in the tagged blogs with an invitation to play

Drum roll please...my memoir would be titled:

Trying to live and love gracefully.

Of course, if I could I'd add the subtitle: but not always succeeding.

I'm tagging the following people:

Err-what?!

Statute of Frogs

Eclectic Librarian

A Few of Mrs. Dude's Favorite Things

Library Despot 3.0

Good luck people! This was difficult (as evidenced by my desire for a subtitle).

Back into the chaos

So I'm back from ALA. I returned home on Wed., July 2nd and dove right back into the thick of things. I realize I'm two conferences behind on reports (NASIG and ALA), and I haven't posted a general update about things going on at work or with the apartment hunt. I'll start with the easy one, the general update. Watch for conference reports later this week as I get them written up. Here is the general update in a nice bulleted list:

*I found an apartment. The application was accepted while I was in Anaheim. I'll move in about two weeks. I spent my long holiday weekend cleaning, purging, and organizing so I can pack (I do not need office supplies in three different rooms on two different floors!). TWO WEEKS!! EEK! More details later.

*Much of my time at work the past three weeks has been spent training new staff. This week we also begin the interview process to hire my intern. Which means that once my new staff person starts to be independent, I'll have an intern to train. I now dub this the summer of staff training.

*The task force formed to facilitate the current phase of the reorganization at work has begun meeting. We're still trying to figure out what we're supposed to be doing and how to go about bringing together three departments/units into one department. We're beginning by examining workflows and trying to streamline them. I'm still trying to just go with the flow and reserve judgment about the end result.

*The dog is fine. Sending her to the kennel with her own food seems to have alleviated the post-kennel gastrointestinal issues she was having. I think the weather (rather humid) is slowing her down as her energy level was really low over the weekend. Either that or she was exhausted watching me go up and down the stairs ten-thousand times as I sorted and organized everything to prepare to pack my house. Fortunately, she continues to not be bothered by thunderstorms or fireworks, which made my life much easier given the neighborhood festivities surrounding the 4th of July.

That's it. My life right now is consumed by moving preparations and work. At least it's keeping me out of trouble, right?

I'm going to Disneyland...err...ALA

I'm off to the ALA Annual Conference tomorrow. It's in Anaheim, CA this year. I can see us all now, sitting in our sessions and meetings sporting Mickey Mouse ears with our names on them instead of our conference badges. Strangely, none of my friends or colleagues want me to bring them mouse ears back...hm.

Per usual, I have a packed schedule with tons of conflicts. Typical ALA chaos. This year I have an additional (new to me) meeting on Tuesday morning. What was once a 3 day conference is now 5 days of meetings. Lord help me and give me coffee.

BUT, the Scholarship Bash is a ticket to a Disneyland park on Saturday night. So in a role reversal, I'm going to tag along with my NASIG mentee EL and her friends and go to Disneyland! Woo hoo!

I so need to get a picture of me and Mickey.

Workplace humor in the midst of change

A recent conversation with a colleague, loosely paraphrased:

Colleague: You seem to be handling all these changes to your job calmly and with a zen-like attitude. I'm impressed. Are you on medication or something?

Me: No. Should I look into it?

Colleague: That depends. If I say yes, are you going to snap and throw something at me?

Me: No. But I reserve the right to throw something at you in the future for other reasons.

On change

My life is in flux right now. Lots of changes in pretty much every aspect of my life. And all change requires adjustment. There are lots of little ones, but there are three major ones that eclipse the little things.

Change #1: I'm trying to move. This should ultimately be a good change. But I'll have to weather moving (a pain even under the best of circumstances and planning), finding new routes for my commute, errands, etc., a new neighborhood, new area for dog walking, etc. So any move, even within the same city, results in a multitude of changes to routines. And I am a creature of habit who likes to be in control of her immediate world (routine = good), so changes to routines are not my favorite thing. Nor are they my dog's favorite thing. Dogs do best if there is structure and routine in their life, so any move also unsettles Aussie and causes some acting out on her part, which I really don't need more of these days (the recent chocolate incident was enough, thankyouverymuch).

Change #2: I have new staff. I'm in the middle of hiring an intern. And I had another staff person added to my unit. They started this past Monday. So that means new workflows, processes, and lots of time training. Don't get me wrong, I NEED these staff and am happy to have them, but it's still a big change to go from managing one person to three in a matter of a couple of weeks, especially when two of them need training.

Change #3: A reorganization at work. This is really major. Like huge. Sometime in the next 3 months I'm going to have a new boss. And while it's known I'm getting a new boss and that multiple departments/units are being combined into a new department, that's about the extent of what we know. The new organizational structure is yet to be determined. The new workflows are yet to be determined. Pretty much everything, including the name of the new department(s), is yet to be determined. And there will be more changes in the fall after this phase is complete. For now I'm trying my best to reserve judgment about the end result. I'm trying my best to just go with the flow.

I have now reached my threshold for accepting, processing, dealing with, and managing change effectively, gracefully and with any degree of maturity. I can't add any more change, and frankly, there's not much in my life left to undergo a change. And the really big changes were not initiated by me, and are not necessarily things that I want or don't want. But they're happening anyway. No one asked me, I've only been informed once the decision to make the change has been made. When it's change you're initiating, it's one thing. But when change is happening to you, as opposed to with you, it's another thing entirely. I end up feeling I'm just along for the ride whether I like it or not so hang on and say a prayer it all ends well.

I've also reached the conclusion that the universe is in the middle of using all this change to teach me another life lesson. This one could be titled "going with the flow, advanced studies." Because going with the flow is not something I do willingly or often very well/gracefully. And it's teaching it in the most drawn out, painful and intense way possible. Because there's not much else I can do with all this change at the moment besides play the "wait and see" game. I don't know how it's all going to turn out. I can't predict the ending. So I'm having to just go with the flow. This is so not my idea of a good time. Not. At. All.

It's going to be an interesting summer.

Clever puppy

Well, not that clever. Because she made herself sick. But the process of making herself sick involved a great degree of cleverness.

I've talked about how smart my dog is before. Well, if you didn't believe me, you will now. Last night I ran an errand. Aussie didn't like this. I came home, and then left again. So, she decided to be a bad dog. I had a box of chocolates (a variety pack) sitting in the middle of my dining room table. I use the term "dining room table" loosely since all it is at the moment is a folding table and chairs, but it is what it is. And the chocolates were in the middle of the table, where I thought they were out of dog reach. They've been there for weeks and she's ignored them. I figured she might not even know they were there.

I was wrong. She was just biding her time.

I came home from my errand to find little bits of foil wrappers on the living room floor. And the torn up box under the coffee table. Aussie had pulled the chair out from the table, and used it to get to the box of chocolates sitting in the middle of the table.

The torn up box

She didn't eat very many chocolates, but she did eat at least 5 of them. Just enough to make her sick. We were up all night with her upset stomach/gastrointestinal system.

And I'll be dammed if there weren't little bits of foil wrappers (guess she didn't manage to get them fully unwrapped like she normally does) in her poo this morning. Hopefully that means we're past the worst of the upset tummy.

Question of the day

Someone honestly asked me this today.

Q: Is that your real hair?

Me (heavy on the sarcasm): Um, no. I intentionally chose a wig/weave/whatever with tons of gray hair in it. Yeah.

Adventures with apartment ads

I'm still looking. I have yet to find a place that meets my needs. Fortunately, there's no time crunch, and I'm not going to move just to move. I'm going to find a place I want to move to that meets my simple yet specific needs.

Along the way, I've encountered some interesting apartment ads. There's the ones that are tagged that they allow pets, but in the ad clearly state "NO PETS" (usually in all caps). There's the ones that say "large" but um, no, not really. People stretch the truth in apartment ads. And if something sounds too good to be true, it quite possibly is.

Take, for example, a recent inquiry I made to an ad I found on Craigslist. It sounded too good to be true. I figured it probably was, but there was no harm in sending an email inquiring. They said they wanted a renter ASAP, but the rent seemed low for the location advertised, and the pictures of the place also seemed a bit too nice, as if they were staged. But again, no harm in asking, right? So I sent off my usual inquiry, telling them when I'm looking to move in, and asking about fees, security deposit, pet policies, utility rates, etc. plus a few specific questions clarifying things in the ad.

What I got back was a variation on a theme. A scam theme. Specifically: the Nigeria scam.

You know what scam I'm referring to. Those letters you get from some poor soul who is set to inherit money but needs your help so can you please send all your banking info to them asap so they can give you lots of money for your help? Yeah. That scam.

I did get a reply to my inquiry. The couple that owns the place is currently in, you guessed it, Nigeria! On a Christian mission. They were unable to find someone to rent their home prior to their departure, and also unable to find an agent to manage the house and rent it out. They have the only set of keys with them in Africa. No sh*t. They want to send me an application, so I can send them a deposit, and then they'll send me the keys. Um, thanks but no thanks. I had a variation on this about a month ago, where the guy said he had been transferred back to Europe and needed to sub-let the place for 5 years. I don't think so.

So for now, I'm still on the look out. For a new apartment AND for scams.

Why travel by plane is evil, part gazillion

I have atrociously bad luck when it comes to flying. Seriously atrocious. The number of issues I've had in the past 10 years are unbelievable. And the worst part? Pretty much every problem I've ever had could have been prevented by the airlines. I understand weather woes. We can't control it, and being delayed or rerouted due to weather is not an issue. The issue is how the airlines deal with those delays and rerouting. Or booking my flight in the first place (OMG why is booking international travel so difficult?). Or mechanical issues. Or paperwork issues. Canceled flights. Gate changes. Being bumped off my flight and instead of being put on the next flight, being put on standby for the next 3 flights (I'm not kidding). I've dealt with them all and then some. I've spent an insane amount of time on the phone with customer service over the years trying to get re-booked on a different flight, find an alternate route, or file a complaint.

The worst issue to deal with? Baggage issues. And this time I had serious baggage issues.

First, the trip there on Thursday. I missed my connection. Why? Because they were given the wrong paperwork so we were delayed leaving the gate. So while I had 45 minutes between flights, when we landed I only had 20 minutes. Then we had to wait because there was a plane at our gate. By the time I got off the plane I had 10 minutes before my next flight was scheduled to leave. Yeah. Nevermind. They close the doors 10 minutes prior to departure, so after running to the other terminal, I spent 20 minutes at the customer service desk. They told me the next flight they could guarantee I'd be on was around 8pm, but I could go standby on the next two and would probably get on the 4pm flight. Eight pm was a little under 12! hours later. I was NOT spending my entire day in an airport, thankyouverymuch.

So thanks to some creativity, they booked me on a flight on another airline. My baggage was supposed to follow. Well, that didn't quite happen. I arrived in Phoenix in one terminal on one airline, and my baggage arrived in a different terminal on my original airline. No joke. So it took me an extra 30 minutes to locate my bag. All because they didn't actually tell me this, I had to speak to two different baggage agents to find this out. But my bag was located, and I finally made it to the resort about an hour before the conference started (cutting it a bit close for comfort). But I did make it. So I said my thanks and just let it go.

The trip home on Monday was even worse. This particular experience takes the cake. There were no flight issues. Everything was on time. But when I arrived to pick up my bag, it never appeared. Everyone else on the flight got their bags. And I was left standing by the baggage carousel wondering where my bag went. I never saw it come up the belt, and I was watching. So off to the baggage office I went, only to be informed that my bag had in fact arrived in Philly. It had been "scanned" on arrival, so it was in the airport. Only they had no idea where. It disappeared somewhere between when it came off the plane and when it was supposed to be put on the belt for delivery. It took everything in me to not demand they just let me go look for it myself, dammit. After an hour and a half of them looking everywhere, I finally left to go pick the dog up from the kennel and head home sans luggage.

They gave me a claim form and gave me the number of the main baggage office for the airline as a whole, as well as the direct line to the office at the Philly airport. So I made a point of checking in a couple of times a day. Monday...no luck in locating my bag. Tuesday...still looking. The Philly airport is NOT THAT BIG, people. Wednesday...nothing. Until 3pm. When I received a phone call at work from another airline. My bag had mysteriously turned up in their baggage office, sans tags. My big bright compression strap was gone. So was the airline luggage tag. I had fortunately put a business card in the little slot on the back of the bag, and that's how they contacted me. They had no idea where the bag came from since the airline tracking tag had been removed, so I gave them my claim number and airline, and they send it back to my original airline for delivery. It arrived at my home Wednesday night a little after 7pm. That's almost 60 hours after I first arrived back in Philly.

Fortunately, everything was intact. Nothing was missing. Even my jewelry was there (granted...all it consisted of was basic silver earrings, not worth much, but still). BUT obviously someone had gone through every corner of my bag. Everything was tossed around, even my toiletries bag had been rooted through. SO SOMEONE TOOK MY BAG FROM THE BAGGAGE AREA, WENT THROUGH IT, AND THEN, REALIZING THERE WAS NOTHING OF VALUE, RETURNED IT TO A DIFFERENT AIRLINE BAGGAGE OFFICE. And the airlines are worried about terrorists getting on their planes. Maybe it's time to look at security within your own operations a bit closer, hm?! But don't get me wrong, I'm very very grateful that I got everything back...even if I feel the need to wash every little thing in my bag whether it needs it or not 'cause some creep touched everything in it (seriously gross).

I've got to figure out who is the god/goddess of the airlines so I can sacrifice a goat and end this string of horrific luck when it comes to flying. And it needs to happen before I leave for ALA in Anaheim, CA in about a week and a half.

Off to Phoenix

I leave Thursday at the butt crack of dawn (seriously, it's a 6am flight!) for the annual NASIG Conference. This year it's in Phoenix, AZ, at a nice resort. This is the first time we've been at a resort, so it will be different. Yet the conference in Milwaukee, WI (2004) was the first time it was ever held entirely in a hotel. So NASIG is trying something new again.

I'll blog the conference, but whether or not I have internet access remains to be seen. It may be a flurry of posts reporting on each day once I get back next week. And of course, in addition to the fun conference reporting, there will be stories about all the festivities around the actual sessions. Like a birthday celebration for my mentee from last year. Yay for EL!!

And since it's in Phoenix, in June(!), at a resort with multiple pools and even a water slide, I'm so packing my bathing suit. I can guarantee I'll be doing whatever I can to work in some pool time between sessions.

Panic arrived with the mail

I received one piece of mail on Monday. Just one. A plain envelope, nothing unusual about it. I figured it was another credit card offer. Especially since my last name spelled incorrectly.

I was wrong. What was contained in that envelope was a panic attack on one 8 x 11 sheet of paper.

A letter from a collection agency. For a debt I've never heard of. Submitted for collection by an insurance agency I've never heard of or ever had contact with. I have no record of any of these companies anywhere.

I had a panic attack. I couldn't breathe. I started crying hysterically. I couldn't even speak for a good 10 minutes. The room was spinning and I had to sit down in the middle of the living room so I didn't fall over.

Once I pulled myself together again and the hysterics stopped, I realized what this actually was: yet another remnant of my identity theft. I thought it was over with the sentencing of the two women by the Federal courts back in February.

But someone, somewhere, didn't do what they were supposed to do and neglected to remove my name from one of the accounts when they set about recouping their losses for the property the women bought with the fraudulently acquired loans. I was deemed not financially responsible for ANY PIECE of it over a year ago now (see this post). My credit report was expunged of all traces. All per Federal law. I have an extended fraud alert on my credit file, meaning no new lines of credit can be opened without contacting me via phone first. Last time I checked, everything on my credit report belonged to me.

Which is why this letter is so out of left field. This is the first contact I've received about this claim. Not a single phone call. I've received no letters until this one from any of the companies involved in the claim. And I do actually open every piece of mail addressed to me (including misspellings of my name). I'm obsessive about opening it, and shredding anything and everything with my name and/or address on it.

So now I'm back to making phone calls. I called the collection agency to let them know it's related to the identity theft and if they don't remove my information and all claims against me from the file and cease pursuing me for the money they'll be in violation of Federal law. I was assured by the woman that the account would be closed immediately, and I would be receiving a letter confirming that immediately. She apologized profusely, and told me they have no record of identity theft in their account files. So I traced it backwards to the initial credit union that filed the insurance claim to recoup their losses. Their records clearly indicate that it was fraud and they forwarded all the appropriate paperwork (such as a copy of the ID Theft Affidavit I filled out) with their claim to the insurance agency. I then spoke with the insurance agency that initiated the collection, and they say it's indicated in their files that it was fraud and it never should have been sent to the collection agency (who is also apparently part of the same insurance company). Basically someone didn't read the entire file and it was pursued in error. But there's still the question as to WHY my information was still present in the file in the first place, since it should have been removed. They collection agency should never have had access to it.

I also called and added an addendum to my report filed with the FTC. And I'm in the process of requesting more credit reports to be on the safe side (all additional reports related to the theft are free, above and beyond the 3 free a year everyone gets). I've already done everything else I was supposed to do. Everything else I can do. There isn't a piece of paperwork to fill out or a phone call to make or a report to file that I haven't already done. There was literally nothing left for me to do but call and give the collection agency the FTC report and Federal court case numbers. Numbers they should have received from the initiator for the claim as proof that this was fraud.

Once I got over the panic attack, I got angry. Angry that someone's oversight has reopened old wounds. Angry that once again, it's on ME, the VICTIM, to fix it. I thought the nightmare was over.

When will it be over?

How much more do I have to endure?!?

Silly puppy

Last night I was up way way too late watching the NHL Stanley Cup playoff finals between Pittsburgh and Detroit (go Red Wings!!), alternating between elation and screaming like a maniac at the television. It was that kind of game. I do love the playoffs, despite their tendency to elicit mood swings.

Every time I got happy and excited and started cheering, Aussie came over to see what was up and if she could be part of the excitement. Tail awaggin', equally as charged up as I was.

On the flip side, when I cursed and screamed like a banshee in frustration, Aussie went and hid in her kennel. She got all freaked out because I was freaking out and I'm pretty sure her thought process went something like this: omg-did-I-do-something-wrong-I-better-hide-just-in-case.

In the third sudden death overtime (did I mention how late I was up watching this game?!), the Red Wings lost. The Penguins scored on a power play. Dammit dammit dammit!! And unfortunately for the dog, this means she'll have to experience my wild hockey playoffs induced mood swings again during Game 6 on Wednesday night.

Have you read it?

I missed this meme until a friend highlighted it. Shows you how behind I am on my feed reader...(don't ask).

LibraryThing has a meme going about the top 106 books tagged "unread" by users. It looks like people are marking them in their posts different ways. Also, the actual titles and order of the list seems to change from blog to blog, presumably because the actual top 106 changes regularly depending on LibraryThing users tagging (I took my list from my friend's post).

My markings:
bold = books I've read
italics = books I read for course work/school (some used this for those you started but didn't finish...but I honestly don't have any so I re-purposed it)
* = books I own but haven't read yet

Do you get extra credit for reading something once in translation and once in the original language? I've gone marked those in a different font color (red) altogether. These titles could also be filed under "particularly tortuous." Have I mentioned that I can't stand Gabriel Garcia Marquez before? Yes? Oh. Well, it bears repeating. And Dickens...there's a lot of Dickens on this list. Again, it bears repeating that while I've read a lot of Dickens, I do not like his works. I'd rather poke my eyes out than read him again.

Anyway, back to the list:

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell
*Anna Karenina (I know I have this...the same copy my mom read while pregnant with me!)
One Hundred Years of Solitude
Crime and Punishment
Wuthering Heights
Catch-22
*The Silmarillion
Don Quixote
The Odyssey
The Brothers Karamazov
Ulysses
War and Peace
Madame Bovary
A Tale of Two Cities
Jane Eyre
The Name of the Rose
Moby Dick
Emma
The Iliad
Vanity Fair
Love in the Time of Cholera
The Blind Assassin (want to read it, but don't own it...yet)
Pride and Prejudice
The Historian: A Novel
The Canterbury Tales
The Kite Runner
Great Expectations
Life of Pi
The Time Traveler’s Wife
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies
Atlas Shrugged
Foucault’s Pendulum
Dracula
The Grapes of Wrath
Frankenstein
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
Mrs. Dalloway
Sense and Sensibility
Middlemarch
Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books
The Count of Monte Cristo
The Sound and The Fury
Memoirs of a Geisha
Brave New World
Quicksilver
American Gods
Middlesex
The Poisonwood Bible
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
The Picture of Dorian Gray
*Dune
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
The Satanic Verses
Mansfield Park
Gulliver’s Travels
The Three Musketeers
The Inferno
The Corrections
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
*The Fountainhead
Tess of the D’Urbervilles
Oliver Twist
To the Lighthouse
*A Clockwork Orange
Robinson Crusoe
Persuasion
The Scarlet Letter
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (read it a second time because I enjoyed it)
The Once and Future King (read it a second time because I enjoyed it)
Anansi Boys
Atonement
The God of Small Things
*A Short History of Nearly Everything
Cryptonomicon
Dubliners
Oryx and Crake
Angela’s Ashes
Beloved
Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
In Cold Blood
Lady Chatterley’s Lover
A Confederacy of Dunces
Les Misérables (in English, and an abridged version)
The Amber Spyglass
The Prince
Watership Down
Beowulf: A New Verse Translation
The Aeneid
A Farewell to Arms
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Treasure Island
David Copperfield
Sons and Lovers
Possession
The Book Thief
The History of Tom Jones
The Road
Tender is the Night
The War of the Worlds

It's interesting just how many of these more recent ones I haven't heard of. I guess I'm a bit behind. And I'm amazed at how many of the classics I had to read either in high school or college. Even more amazing is the relatively few number of things on this list I own but haven't read. Of course, the ever growing pile of things to be read (my TBR pile) largely is not represented by this list. I wonder what that says about me and my taste in books?

Your turn. How many have you read?

Side note: yes, I have a LibraryThing account. No, I haven't had the time to go through and actually add and tag my books. One of these days...

Just throw a dart at a map and go

Lately I've been entertaining thoughts of running away. Not on vacation, but truly running away. Putting only what I truly need and love into a couple of suitcases, grabbing the dog and her kennel and going someplace I've never lived before. New job. New life. Everything new and shiny.

I know this isn't good. When I get in a funk, I don't entertain thoughts of hurting myself or suicide. I don't drink to get drunk. Instead I entertain thoughts of running away. It's escapism in a different form. 'Cause really, that's what all these thoughts and behaviors are about: escape. Right now I want to escape my life. So I fantasize about running away and what my shiny new life would be like.

I know intellectually it's just a geographic cure, and what's really bothering me deep down and the frustration I'm feeling can't be cured by a move. But lately the idea of a shiny new life someplace else, where I can start fresh and reinvent myself and my life, is so appealing I find myself imagining where I would go, what I would do. What state I want to live in this time. What city. Maybe a different country or continent. Maybe a new career. Maybe something that doesn't involve libraries at all.

Then reality smacks me upside the head and I'm back sitting in front of my computer staring at yet another spreadsheet, a resource with a problem of some sort, and four new emails.

Hmm. Maybe Europe...I've never been to Europe...

Memorial Day

Today is Memorial Day. 3:00pm Eastern time is the official national moment of remembrance.

So, take a moment to turn off the music. Take a break from the grill and your barbecue. And say thank you to the soldiers that are fighting today over in Iraq and Afghanistan and all the other places our soldiers are around the world. And say thank you to the troops that died fighting and to their families that made the ultimate sacrifice and lost a loved one.

Whether you agree with the politics or not, support the troops.

Snap judgment

I went out on a coffee date recently with a nice guy. We'd emailed a handful of times and then met for a face to face chat to start getting to know each other. I thought things went fine, the conversation flowed smoothly, no awkward pauses, we seemed to have plenty to talk about and plenty of things in common.

Well, he decided that things would never work. After only one meeting and a handful of emails. He even explained why.

Because I vote.

To him, the fact that I vote indicates that I believe in our current political system and he can never be close to someone that does. Mind you, he never actually asked me about my political views. Instead he drew this conclusion through several assumptions and by inferring various things from emails and our conversation. I used a buzz word when I described something (what isn't a buzz word these days?). I asked him if he voted in an email. It happened to be the PA primary that day, so it was a topic of conversation all over the news, and in addition to the primary there were several ballot measures up for the vote.

My political views, however, are not as simple as he thinks they are. He would know this if he had asked instead of making a snap judgment based on assumption.

As you all know, I'm a big proponent of voting. It's important to exercise your right to vote, to exercise your voice. And I will continue to vote until they forcibly take the right away from me by prying it from my (still warm) dead hands. I'm grateful I live where I do have the right to voice my opinion. But that doesn't mean I believe in our system as it exists today. Our system is broken. Our system is imperfect and flawed. But it's what we have to work with right now. And to change it, you have to participate. You can't change things while sitting on the sidelines. You have to use your voice, even within our broken system, to push for the things you do believe in. If you choose not to participate, then shut up and deal with the outcome. Don't get all high and mighty and lecture me about how the system sucks. I've said it before, by choosing to not participate you've given up your right to b!tch and moan about the way things turn out and the way things are. To put it another way, if you don't participate by choice, then you become nothing but a victim. I don't want to go through life as a victim, thankyouverymuch, so I choose to participate in an imperfect/messed up system in an attempt to make it better. I prefer to be active and try rather than just exist as a passive victim of the system. [OK, getting off my soapbox now. Thank you for indulging me.]

Frankly, I'm kind of glad he made the decision quickly. Looks like we agree on one thing: it clearly wouldn't work. I now know that for sure. Because I could never be with someone willing to make such a snap judgment and jump to conclusions based on nothing more than assumption. I could never be with someone so closed minded or someone that could only be with someone if they agree on everything (sameness is boring...I prefer a diversity of opinions). I could never be with someone that didn't take the time to actually ask and learn about a person before making a decision.

Obviously he and I approach the world very very differently. And that's OK. He's still a nice guy, despite the fact he made a snap judgment about me that happened to be quite wrong. But he was definitely right that it would never have worked out.