Why humans should not have cell phones

... nearby when they are in an impaired state of consciousness.

photo

Apparently as I was drifting off to sleep last night I thought it would be a genius idea to text my friend one word:

haberdashery.

I believe it was meant in this (def #2) context, but it also means this. Hard to tell with my subconscious.

Sorry, friend. You know who you are.

In which I come out even.

Today was one of those days when you hit the pillow and think, at least it's over. I spent all day long applying to jobs which for some reason felt especially fruitless. The lawyer's assistant called about my lawsuit. From the car accident. Yes, the lawsuit that is still going on and will end up having lasted longer than G & I's entire relationship. Don't worry, she was just asking me to do something I did a month ago. For goodness sake, this is ridiculous. The whole lawsuit has been a joke, with the lawyer's office sitting around losing stuff for the most part. In addition to all of that, I applied to PATH again today. I would really, really like to work for them. I have been applying to jobs there for years. Literally. Not straight, but still. I got a rejection letter within the first 10 minutes of applying! Perhaps half hour. And yet.

I do not know what they want from me.

I was perfectly qualified for the position and I wrote a beautiful cover letter. Better yet, the position is still posted on idealist. I have half a mind to apply again. Ridiculous.

As I was sitting here in this very chair feeling quite miserable, I looked out the window and saw something that made it all ok:

A METEOR SHOWER!!! Just kidding. My favorite weather - sunny and raining. Such a beautiful paradox.

Then I went for a run. It was the type of humid I tell people to dread in the summers here - where you feel like you're walking through soup. I ran by visible wisps of vapor roughly my height. It hovered in the meadows. Things are all right. I know that when I'm settled and have a job, this period of time will seem so short and unimportant. But I don't have that distance yet. All I have is simple pleasures and wonderful friends.

In which I talk about my lunch.

My family is notorious for discussing food to an extent that most others find ridiculous. Our family newsletter is as much a food log as a diary. This includes detailed descriptions of any important meals, along with pictures. Let me see if I can locate one (I'm on my parents' computer)...

There we go. Not sure what this is or what the occasion was, but judging by the pointsetta I'd say Christmas or new year's. I had no idea this was abnormal until I went to college - about the same time that I realized the retort "what, do you have a piano tied to your arm?" and the exclamation "it's colder than a well digger's boot in here" were also unique.

Anywho, I was making myself a delicious arugula salad for lunch today and I found myself wondering exactly what sort of nutrient value the ingredients have. So, afterwards, I looked it up - we love the internet. I was surprised by some of the results (from Nutrition Data, a handy li'l website). There may or may not be commentary inserted.

Arugula: a good source of Protein, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Pantothenic Acid, Zinc and Copper (mm, can't get enough copper these days...), and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Folate, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Manganese.

Avocado: a good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K and Folate. (Also a good source of deliciousness.)

Raw Broccoli: a good source of Protein (! protein? really? broccoli is a good source of protein. ok), Vitamin E, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Pantothenic Acid, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Selenium, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Folate, Potassium and Manganese.

Pumpkin Seeds: a good source of Protein, Vitamin K, Iron and Copper, and a very good source of Magnesium, Phosphorus and Manganese. (also the number one aphrodisiac for males, apparently. I hear it's chocolate for women).

Roasted Almonds: a good source of Magnesium, and a very good source of Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol) and Manganese.

Goat Cheese: a good source of Protein and Copper. (Copper! Really? If so, I am all set for my copper intake, thank you.)

Olive Oil: well, well, well... what've we got here? some omega-3's, some Vitamin E and K? Alright.

Balsamic Vinegar: Trace amounts of lots of stuff, sugar (YES), and ... I'm sorry... ash? What?


A few things concluded:

• Yes. I am a nerd.
• I'm a bit iffy on our source here. But that's ok. My curiosity is satisfied.

p.s. - try the salad, it's delicious.

It's all about the scrolling text.

Choose your own no-nonsense cover letter!

Dear Potential Employer:

I am writing to express my interest in the (blanky blank) position advertised (somewhere). In my research, I have been extremely/sort of/not really impressed with your organization because of (reasons). Due to my education and work experience, I am very/moderately/not at all qualified for this position.

I have years/months/not a day of related work experience wherein I learned (things) and developed (skills).

I feel I would be an excellent addition to your organization. My salary requirements are more than you would pay/about what you would pay/anything that will allow me to eat and life under a roof. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions regarding my application.

Seriously,
Awesome McHireme
BS in Employability
Loc.al P.hone

In which my hair rediscovers humidity.

Thank you.

I have thought about doing this post for a long, long while. It is overdue. While, quite obviously, there have been people very close to me who have hurt me deeply, this is the exception, and not the rule.

Thank you for the concern. For the time spent on the telephone, at restaurants, in your homes, cars, and online. Forgive any slowness to respond on my part, or any fumbling for words. I appreciate and am deeply touched by your efforts to assuage my pain.

Thank you for your efforts in helping me find a job. I hope, as do you, that our efforts together will allow me to start establishing myself again. Thank you for tirelessly reviewing my resumes, cover letters, and applications. Thank you for exhausting your contacts for my benefit. It is a slow process, but better with people like you.

You are awesome. In the literal sense. When I ponder about how forgiving you are of my many mistakes, how encouraging you are of someone with no home, no job, and no real prospects, how kind you are to someone so broken (exhaustingly so at times, I'd imagine), I am in awe.

I do not understand what I have done to deserve you. I'm not sure how I feel about the concept of deserving, at this point. But I am grateful for you. And, lest there have ever been any confusion, I love you all (in appropriate ways) very, very deeply. You have touched my life and my guarded self very deeply. I cannot do justice to the feelings I have on the topic, so I will leave it here:

Thank you.

New Love

Many thanks to my friend over at CGFTE for this link.

Twas just what I needed today - a lot of fun. Aaaaand edited, if that concerns any of you. I love it enough to let it destroy the line on my site.

You have GOT to be kidding me.

Working at the peds office, I felt like everyone was naming their children after Twilight characters. No, I thought... no. It can't be as bad as I think.

Yes, it can.

Thanks, SSA!

Top 10 Names for 2009

Rank	Male name	Female name
1	Jacob	Isabella

If you'll pardon me, I'm going to go be ill for a while.

of Glee and jobsearching.

Most likely any of you who are invited to read my blog at this point would know that G&C are no longer G&C. For this reason, I've picked up and moved to the Seattle area to stay with family and look for jobs. And look for jobs. Did I mention I'm looking for jobs?

Anyway. What a beautiful place to learn patience. For instance, check out this little guy:

I feel like I have a lot in common with him at the moment. A lot of the time I carry my home on my back, and I've got my feelers out. Looking for things like... I don't know... jobs.

I hear that jobsearching 100% of the time is bad for your soul, so I also try to do things like take pictures:

read books:

and, yes. Watch Glee.

Going off the radar

Hey readers,

I'm going off the radar this week. If you'd like to continue to be able to read my blog, send me your email address, and we'll make it happen.

Sincerely,
Me

Better Way

I'd just like to say how much I am loving this old music video at the moment. Aside from having some great instruments you don't see much (especially in the "official" music video, which doesn't allow for embedding... speaking of which, if anyone can furnish me with a list of the instruments used for that video, I would greatly appreciate it), there are some pointed lyrics throughout the song. See if you can guess which ones caught my attention:

Infidel

Ayaan Hirsi Ali

While there may be certain drawbacks to no longer being a full-time student, one of the things I've been enjoying recently is the guilt-free pleasure reading. While it may seem odd to some of you that Infidel would be pleasure reading for me, those of you who know me well are not at all surprised.

I'm not sure exactly what I expected in retrospect, but this book shook me to the core. At times I agreed, and others dissented, but was glad for the insight into Ayaan Hirsi Ali's remarkable life story. While I understand that her experience may not necessarily be representative of the whole, many things struck me throughout the course of the book, and I think that may have something to do with some of the life changes I am currently experiencing and the society and religion wherein I operate.

Overall, two passages have stayed with me in the week since I finished reading it. The first was her account of she and her sister's circumcisions, which happened against the will of her parents and in quasi-secret. I am a rather stoic person while reading books, but at this point I wept. Too personal to recount, I leave you to experience it.

The second passage is condensable into a single quote, which is perhaps a good summary of how I feel about the plea to protect people from hearing about the atrocities that occur to women, domestically and abroad. The context is Ayaan speaking about the consequences she faced and faces as a result of discussing openly and frankly her life and concerns for her fellow women. It reads as follows:

People ask me if I have some kind of death wish, to keep saying the things I do. The answer is no: I would like to keep living. However, some things must be said, and there are times when silence becomes an accomplice to injustice.[emphasis added]

While I would caution readers to expect a difficult read in terms of some subject matter and values and beliefs that may challenge their own, I take encouragement from this statement in what I hope will be my life's work - making sure that women's voices are heard, that their difficult testimonies are not borne in vain, and that I will not allow myself to become an accomplice to injustice.