February 28, 2003
Quote of the Day
"Beware of ideas others come up with for rescuing you from the river, especially if they involve dropping a heavy stone right on you." -- Eeyore
Bankers are People, Too
Dave Barry once said, "If someone is nice to you, but rude to the waitress, they're not a nice person." It's the same way in banking: someone can be as nice as could be to all their friends, but let them talk to a banker, and courtesy goes out the door. While I haven't encountered nearly as many rude people at the bank as I did when I was waiting tables, there are those people who get so offended if you ask for their driver's license or don't put their money in an envelope or do put their money in an envelope (everybody has their certain way of wanting things). You don't have to go talk to the branch manager to get an envelope...just ask for one...that's all the branch manager is going to do. Then, they pull the old, "I've been banking here since___...you should know who I am." I'm thinking, "I've been working here for 9 months. Do you know who I am? Well, I don't know who you are either...now give me your license, I'll do my job, then you can go away, and we'll both be happier." Be nice to your banker. They're just doing their job.
February 27, 2003
Quote of the Day
"I put instant coffee in a microwave oven and almost went back in time." --Steven Wright
February 26, 2003
Where Have all the Bloggers Gone?
If you're bored because no one is blogging these days (it's so last week), then you should go here. It might keep you entertained for a few minutes.
More on WWII
I finished watching "Band of Brothers" last night. The last 2 episodes were definitely the best. Episode 9 had the most moving/disturbing concentration camp scene I've ever seen. Episode 10, the last one, showed the great comradery between the soldiers. It was fantastic. See it.
After I watched, I started thinking about all the great movies that are set in WWII era. Of course The Sound of Music is my favorite movie ever. Life is Beautiful is also a great one. Last night at midnight I could think of a lot more movies, but they've slipped my mind now. Anyway, you get my point.
Library
You know what's cool about the library? They will loan books to anybody. No other business just loans stuff out for free. Although I'm sure the library looses a lot of books, overall people feel a sense of duty to return their books to the library. Most people don't even feel that sense of duty to return things to their friends. It's quite a system.
February 25, 2003
When life hands you a lemon, make lemonade
My litle sister has always been rather optimistic, but this just cracked me up: 2 weeks ago, she had to go to the ER becaue she had a severe upper respiratory infection and she kept passing out (that's not the part that cracks me up). She also has finals this week with all sorts of art projects and such due. Had I been in this situation, I probably would have been so stressed out by the combination of sickness and finals that I would have made myself even more sick. Had it been Jon Amos, he would have gotten an extension on his finals. But not Rachel. She called me and asked me to go by the hospital and pick up a copy of her X-ray so she could use it for her photography final. Now, that's what I call multitasking.
WWII
I've been watching "Band of Brothers" with a few friends. It's very well made and very moving. They did an excellent job of casting the movie: I kept seeing different people and thinking, "I know a guy who looks like that." It really makes you realize that these were husbands, sons and brothers. They were really young men who were proud to fight for their country. I know the film can only give a glimpse into the pain of war, but it really makes me thankful for the sacrifice these men made for the rest of us.
Quotes of the Day
I couldn't decide which one, so you get two today:
"Ice hockey combines the best features of figure skating and World War II." --Alfred Hitchcock
"I understand the inventor of the bagpipes was inspired when he saw a man carrying an indignant, asthmatic pig under his arm. Unfortunately, the manmade sound never equalled the purity of the sound achieved by the pig. " --Alfred Hitchcock
Just a Thought
The oldest living person is 115. I hope I don't live to be 115, because I'm pretty sure my 401k would be gone by then.
Quote of the Day
"Mrs. Allen was one of that numerous class of women, whose society can raise no other emotion than surprise at there being any men in the world who could like them well enough to marry them." --Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey
February 24, 2003
Just a Thought
Hair and fingernails continue to grow for three days after death, but phone calls pretty much taper off.
Language Theory
You know how the French always seem weak and effeminate?...and to me, the Germans seem rather cold and harsh. Why do you think that is? I've often thought their languages have made them this way. The French have too many vowels in their language, while the Germans have too many consonants. English speaking nations aren't perfect of course, but I think the mixture of Germanic and Romance languages gives us little more balance. (Of course, I am slightly biased.)
Quote of the Day
"If you are not an idealist by the time you are twenty, you have no heart, but if you are still an idealist by the time you are thirty, you have no head." --Randolph Bourne
February 20, 2003
Road Rage Prevention
I think I'm going to start teaching some classes on driving.
Here are the courses I have so far:
Mall Parking Lot 101
Fastlane/Slowlane
Introduction to Blinker Usage
I forgot to tell you
Oriel had her baby on Valentine's Day. They have a daughter named Analeasa Victoria Wiggins. 5 lbs 13 oz 19 in. See her picture here.
Joke
What is the difference between an onion and an accordian?
Nobody cries when you cut up an accordian.
A Little Grammar Lesson
I just wanted to let you in on a few of my grammatical pet peeves:
1. quotation marks used to add emphasis -- usually seen in ads
Example: We've got the "lowest" prices in town!
Says who?
2. excessive use of exclamation points -- also frequently seen in ads
Example: Everything must go!!!!!!!
We get it. It's all very exciting.
3. Misspelling words for the sake of cuteness -- often seen in store names or product names
Example: Kevin's Korner
I will make an exception to this rule for "Price-Pfister: the pfabulous pfaucet with the pfunny name". Now that's advertising genius.
Puns are also acceptable for store names or ads. For example, there's a store in Toronto called "The Merchant of Tennis". I also saw an ad for a tent shop that said, "Now is the discount of our winter tents." Good stuff.
4. Finally, I would like to point out the differences between these three words:
THERE - not here
THEIR - not ours
THEY'RE- a contraction for "they are"
Quote of the Day
"He trusted neither of them as far as he could spit, and he was a poor spitter, lacking both distance and control." --P.G. Wodehouse, Money in the Bank
February 19, 2003
Quote of the Day
"Women do not find it difficult nowadays to behave like men, but they often find it extremely difficult to behave like gentlemen." --Sir Compton McKenzie
Why do you think that is?
Thanks, Al Gore!
Yesterday our phone lines were down at work, which meant our computers were offline. Of course, most of the work I do requires an internet connection. It was quite a hassle. I sure am glad Al Gore invented the internet. I don't know what people did without it.
Where is the internet anyway?...don't think about that too long or your brain will start to hurt.
Edited Mitch Joke of the Day
I don't like to help my friends move. I like to help them stay put. I will come to your house and make sure you don't start loading stuff into a truck.
February 17, 2003
Please pass the MLK, please
Last month was my first time to benefit from Martin Luther King Day. One of the advantages of working at a bank is paid holidays. So after MLK last month, I decided every Monday should be MLK day. Unfortunately, no one else agreed with me. However, I did get to celebrate Presidents Day yesterday with another paid holiday. How about we have Presidents Day every Monday instead. Sound good?
Another Monroe crime story
I've read several posts about the crime, the bullies, and the democrats in Monroe over the past weekend. After my experience at the movies (see this post), I read all about the poverty of "Zone 3" in Sunday's paper and James and Candice's post about their movie theater experience, I'm wondering if we should all just move.
Here's another instance of Monroe scariness: Friday I was up at the Ouachita Parish Court house (for those of you not from the area, that's pronounced "Ouachita"). I was helping install an ATM machine. When I went in the door, I had to go through a metal detector that was more sensitive than any airport metal detector I've ever been through. The zipper on my boots set the thing off. So, I was thinking the whole metal-detector-at-the-court-house seemed a bit absurd until someone who I was working on the machine with told me some chump had tried to come in 5 minutes earlier with a loaded 357 "hidden" in his brief case. Then, this lady who worked at the courthouse told us that we better have a good alarm on the ATM because, "just because it's in the courthouse doesn't mean someone won't try to rob it."
That, my friend, is why people move to Moscow, Idaho.
February 15, 2003
What?
So I got some of those valentines day conversation hearts and they say stuff like "love", "my girl", "for you", etc. Well, there are also some in there that say "book club". Call me naive, but I have no idea what that means.
February 14, 2003
Quote of the Day
"It used to be thought that children should behave like little adults. Like many things that used to thought, this is true." -P.J. O'Rourke
February 13, 2003
Quote of the Day (to be taken personally by the anonymous blogger)
"Isn't it sad how some people can't be funny so they have to settle for being obnoxious?" --Unknown
Hear Me Now and Believe Me Later
No matter how many people you forward it to, Bill Gates will never send you any money.
I don't mind a e-forward every now and then, if it's really good, but I must have gotten that "Bill-Gates-will-send-you-eleventy-billion-dollars-if-you-will-annoy-everyone-you-know" e-mail 20 times. It's always preceded by a note that goes something like this, "Hey guys. I don't usually forward things, but my brother-in-law is a lawyer and he knows someone who got $5000 by forwarding this, so keep it going." Like we're supposed to believe him because he's a lawyer?
I usually write back and say, "whenever you get all that money, feel free to call me and rub it in."
While I'm at it: I also hate those forwards that threaten you at the end. You know: "forward this to 20 people, you're every dream will come true, forward this to 10 people, I'll give you a dollar, forward this to 5 people, people will like you, forward it to no one and you will die in your sleep." I'll let you in on a little secret: I never forward those things and I've never once died in my sleep.
February 12, 2003
Thoughts on Blogging
Obviously, I've only been blogging for a brief time, but I have a few thoughts I would like to share about my experience thus far. There are about 8 or 9 (possibly more) bloggers here in Monroe, some of whom I know well and others who I hardly know. So here's the thing: the last few times I've been around any fellow-bloggers, our conversation has been domitated by blog-talk. I'm not sure if this is a problem or not. In one sense, it is just the continuation of a conversation, but there have also been non-bloggers around who may or may not feel out o' the loop. Then again, if we can talk about real life on our blogs, why can't we talk about blogs in real life?
Don't get me wrong: I think over all, blogging is good. I talk to some people that I would be talking to anyway, but I also keep up with old friends that I don't talk to much otherwise, I talk to local people that I haven't gotten to know in any other setting, and I've encountered people who I don't know (though I usually know of them or know someone they know.) It's just a bit bizarre.
One more thing while I'm talking about blogs: a minute ago I tried to pull up my blog and there was an imposter page in it's place. Not only that, the whole page was en espanol. If I had paid more attention in 10th grade, I might have been able to translate it. I thought for a minute Deacon had hi-jacked my blog, since he knows my password, but as smart as he is, even Deacon couldn't have done that. I think I'll change my password anyway.
Oh yeah, and "blogging" is a verbed noun.
Riddle me This
I could write a ten page diatribe about the pros and cons of going to Walmart, but I'll just ask this: why is it that I can head to Walmart in a perfectly chirpy mood, but from the moment I enter the parking lot until the moment I leave, I feel a strong dislike for my fellow human beings?
New Kid on the Block
The Big Swede and his lovely bride are blogging. Check him out a The Language of Lizenby.
February 11, 2003
Happy Birthday
Today is my brother Aaron's 25th birthday. You should go over to oddthoughts and tell him happy birthday.
Joe Millionaire Update
I'm somewhat ashamed to admit it, but I watch Joe Millionaire. I don't have much TV-watching time, but I find myself watching JM almost every week. So last night was supposed to be the one where he made his final selction. He's down to only two girls, so Fox just let the world think this was the big one. I got home in time to see the last half of the show and they kept inferring that Evan/Joe was going to pick. In the last 5 minutes of the show, I realized that they were going to drag it out for another week. That's so wrong. Fox is evil. I have underestimated their sneakiness.
Quote of the Day
"Pooh began to feel a little more comfortable, because when you are a Bear of Very Little Brain, and you Think of Things, you find sometimes that a Thing which seemed very Thingish inside you is quite different when it gets out into the open and has other people looking at it." --A.A. Milne
February 10, 2003
Here I am: Rockin' Like a Hurricane
Here I am: Rockin' Like a Hurricane
Well, as you can see from my meager blog, I set this baby up a few weeks ago, but I haven't really done much to it yet. Nonetheless, I'm unveiling it to the blogger world.
Let me tell you a little about myself: SWF seeking SWM. SD, NS. I enjoy foot massages and long walks on the beach....Oh sorry. Wrong venue.
Let me try that again. I'm Christin Booth. I'm 23. I'm the middle of three kids and I'm going to be an aunt this spring. I have lived in Texarkana, TX, Moscow, ID, Nacogdoches, TX, and West Monroe, LA (where I currently hang my hat). I graduated from New St. Andrews College in 2001, and I have one-third of a masters degree in English, but that's on hold indefinitely (i.e.forever). I am currently employeed at a local bank, where I am baby-stepping my way up the corporate ladder. My motto is: "Think pink. Wear black." If gas prices get any higher, I'm going to trade my car in for a bike or a Fred Flintstone car.
February 03, 2003
Can you hear me now?
I've given in to the world of blogging. I tried to resist, but the temptation got stronger. So, here I am. I have absolutely no knowledge of HTML, (I am a New St. Andrews graduate, after all), so I'm basically winging it. This is going to be a slow trip to what may someday be a beautiful blog, so just be patient.
There has been some talk that I could make a blog as funny as Duane's...I can't. But if I ever figure out how to link, I'll link amberBach, so you can get your laughs there, okay?