Monday, January 24, 2005
I've made charts and graphs
That should finally make it clear..."
My friend Paige has started a blog dedicated to pointing out the misuse of statistics in news articles.
She studied said subject as the bulk of her major in college and now deals with stats as her job. Thus, her view on the use of statistics is, shall we say, more expert than mine.
As 92.42521 percent of you who read this blog are journalists, I figured this would interest you. As a graphic artist who deals a lot with numbers and the like, I was particularly interested.
And, she will be looking for more fodder to discuss. So, help a sister out, check out the blog, and get statistified.
Monday, January 17, 2005
Birthday nods to David, who turns 22 today. What an old man.
Everyone's your friend
When you're young and pretty..."
Hilary: So, I was just out for sushi and you'll never guess who I saw. Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys!
Pat: When he placed his order, did he point at the menu and say I want it THAT way?
Hilary: Can you go post that on your blog? Right now? Because that's the funniest thing you've ever said.
I waited a few days to post that, but it still works. It pays to have someone in NYC scouting out the celebrities. I'm hoping I can post something like this every week as long as she's there.
-----
Pat: He's a lot cuter than I was picturing
Erica: you think i have ugly friends?
Thank you, Erica, for getting me re-interested in Friendster. It's the closest thing we have to TheFaceBook, as we dinosaurs without college e-mail addresses are denied such pleasures. Sigh.
Still, it's fun to go on Friendster and look up people from junior high and high school. FYI, the girl who broke my heart in sixth grade is now in Davidson, N.C. See, I had asked her to the Halloween Dance on Wednesday, after working up the nerve for three days. Well, by the following Monday, she was "going out" with Brett and thus it was assumed HE would be her date. It turned out OK in the end. My friend Jessica convinced me that the Halloween Dance was stupid and that it wasn't the type of thing to ask people to go with you as your date. Once that was settled, we went to her house and played "Star Wars."
Also on there is the girl who sat behind me in history class and used to pretend her hand was a horny lizard attacking my neck. She's now in Tampa as a nanny. And a barfly, apparently.
-----
Erica: she goes into such detail
Pat: We both did, too
Erica: haha. i know, i feel like i'm reading my first blog entry
Pat: It's such a wow-ing experience
Erica: she talks about not being able to tell the coins apart
Pat: I feel like Im reading your first blog entry, too
One of my friends just got back from London and Erica's friends are now in London on the MLP. Thus, we have "new" fodder to feed our London nostalgia. I say "new" and not new because, well, the thoughts these girls have are a lot like the perceptions I had, which were a lot like the perceptions Erica had. I think, by and large, most American 21-or-22-year-olds who go over there for the first time will respond the same way. What is neat, then, is to see how the experience brings out the person's perspective on the world. I don't know either of these girls but by reading their blogs, I can see some of their personalities coming out. It also helps that I've experienced part and parcel a lot of what they're experiencing.
-----
Pat: It's nearly freezing out here and the two of you are wearing sandals?!
Robin: I'm sorry, but we're in South Carolina. If I wanted to dress like I lived in Michigan, I'd live in Michigan.
It was really warm the first few weeks I was back from St. Louis, which was great, because it was 20 degrees or colder in St. Louis the whole time I was there. It was great to come back here and have it be, oh, in the 60s or 70s.
But now it's cold. Real cold. So, to all of you who had to hear my gloating that I was using A.C. in my car on the way to work, I apologize, and now I am eating crow.
But within a month or two, it will be beach weather once again. Sweet action.
Friday, January 14, 2005
Give you lots of lovin'
And treat you wrong..."
-Biz Markie, "Let Me Turn You On"
Pat: Jessie thinks I look like THIS guy: http://gotshoo.com/photoalbum/galleries/ed2/ed2_54.jpg
Kare-bear: no, he looks like your appalachian cousin 2x removed
And apparently Jessie's friends (and his friends) agree that I look like this guy. I second Kare-bear's thoughts. This guy has glasses, white skin and brown hair. But he's not me.
I was looking at her friend's website and thought this guy looked more like me, but still, it's just that he's a gangly white kid.
So, what do we think? The first guy is named "Reier," the second guy is "random gangly white kid." I think Reier is a thumbs down in the comparison, whereas RGWK can maybe pass as me. With some training.
Maybe the similarity is personality. The look he's making could suggest that.
Of course, I'm not one to criticize one's ability to look good in photos, as evident in this picture from Erica's blog. Yeah, that's Ben Folds. And yeah, my eyes are closed. And I look like I'm about to kiss a melon. I know. Priceless.
Monday, January 10, 2005
Meatier posts will come, including my take on last night's "Desperate Housewives" and the new season of "The Surreal Life." Until then, I have for you a MAMMOTH helping of...
More funnier sentences in my inbox
1) Last I checked, buying diapers does not require hand-holding. Shit, I bought diapers for them last weekend and I'd never done so before.
2) I've been to one of those byob strip clubs, they are highly entertaining. We spent 3 hours there though... and that was a little awkward, all because a boy couldn't get up the courage to ask for a lap dance. Pussy.
3) Her face said the rest. She looked like she was going to run to grab her bible. I just enjoyed the whole scene.
4) There's an opening, and he's one of more than 100 who applied. You're Christian: Pray in my place.
5) In the days of yore, people got married at 15. Now there's the 34-year-old single Christian virgin who is very career driven and hasn't married yet. He's screwed.
6) What is with this trend of wearing wannabe live strong bracelets? I've seen people wearing them in different colors. Are colored rubber bands now fashion and/or political statements? If so, can I bring back slap bracelets? Cause we all know those were way better.
7) They thought we'd sit on the couch and watch t.v. So instead, we sat at the kitchen table
8) Did you hear my boyfriend is cheating on me?
9) It would be so strange to, like, talk to him about this before I came. Wow, now THERE's a sentence of the most poignant double entendre I've ever unintentionally written.
10) i suppose that means, after all this time, you no longer have the desire for a little slap & tickle with us. such a short attention span. maybe you have add
11) He was on the weekly beat, and he was about Pat's height and had the amazing blue eyes. He didn't hang around the newspaper office much because he was too busy writing 100 page history papers.
12) She has this new pseudo jheri curl. It's soooooooooo hot.
13) And the aforementioned bitchy coworker is still up to her old bitchy tricks. And! AND! She just complained to the boss about having to work Fridays. She JUST got here! Needless to say he wasn't impressed by that.
14) And now I'm going to go sit in my Boss's cube while he explains things to me so slowly and methodically that I can no longer understand them and I will want to reach up and stab him in the eye with a pen, but I will resist and instead stab myself in the eye with a pen.
15) So I guess she got a taste of clam and decided she liked its fishiness. You go girl. Just don't go near me.
16) But the good news is she is only like a 3 on the Bitch scale tonight. Maybe she's happy because I brought cake.
17) Then who is this chick? Some 306er (pardon the old-fashioned term) who's taken it upon herself to inform everyone of goings-on in the men's bathroom? Is that her beat? Is that what overcrowding in the J-school has come to?
18) I'm sorry you are sick. Don't barf on the cat.
19) So looks like this fag might become a professional after all, and not the kind that doesn't have to put on the red light.
20) There's a lot of other things in life you can do to occupy your time and by golly that's what I'm doing. And mainly what I'm doing is boys.
21) My mom has only drunk dialed me once. She was in Boston with my dad, and my cousin and his bitch, money-grubbing wife.
22) Well, hopefully I'll get a chance to pick up the phone and call my personal Jesus sometime before I leave for home. Until then, be safe, be warm, and have a good holiday.
23) But he was cute and he didn't commit the "flimsy handshake" sin which is the biggest turnoff ever.
24) I would have said that God wanted you to have the $20. Occasionally he gives us gifts, and you should have blown it on something you wouldn't normally buy or had convinced yourself not to buy (unless it was a movie starring John Cusack or Nick Cage).
25) So, now I have to go redo my resume and write a cover letter, but I look forward to all the broken glass that is bound to result from your visit.
26) This listserv is what keeps me from getting overly upset when other journalists start ragging on MU -- it helps me remember that we produce just as many ignorant jackasses as we do superstars.
27) Thank God we both have something in common. We can swap stories about sad, white-trash trailer-bound women who have nothing else in their lives but a closet-full of minature plush animals.
28) Good morning, sluts.
29) I've been talking a mile a minute at work and everyone has told me to shut up. Perhaps it is the 4 cups of coffee I've had today.
30) and when you say arm band, is it like a wrist band/cuff or is it one of these snazzy bands that go around the bicep .... i need to know because I just bought a snazzy wrist band/cuff thing and I don't want to give gay men everywhere "the signal" ... on second thought, maybe I do
31) Also there are so many people here it is nuts. As an example of how many people must be in LA, I was having dinner last night at this restaurant/bar and all of the sudden it started filling up with people. After it was so full that people were bumping into me I asked what the party was all about. As it turns out I was in the middle of a gay/republican event. I didn't know there were any gay republicans let alone the 200-300 that were there with me last night.
32) He's totally sexy ugly.
33) I believe he still lives with his parents, and by all accounts, does not need a crane to lift him out of bed for work...yet.
34) I've been dreaming about the OC recently I've been watching/obsessing so much. It's amazing.
35) I'll have to suffer the wrath of my father alone. As long as he doesn't respond with, "Hey, what a coincidence! I suck dick too," I think I'll survive.
36) That's a great place, but when I heard they were only hiring Christians, I was like, why not just call the coffeehouse Campus Crusade Java Hut or something.
37) last night was bowling night ... and i am struggling to sober up. If we e-mail all day, it will look like I'm busting ass at my computer on some story
38) So my days will be pretty diverse. Pseudo-glam lifestyle during the day, only to return home to talk of evening Mass and Medicare.
39) I got very defensive at the way he was treated. And not just because he's a regulation hottie.
40) so, which ex is it going to be? the undertaker or guy who pusses out at the sight of a puss?
41) And then they'll have sexxxxxx tonight. Cool. Weird.
1) Last I checked, buying diapers does not require hand-holding. Shit, I bought diapers for them last weekend and I'd never done so before.
2) I've been to one of those byob strip clubs, they are highly entertaining. We spent 3 hours there though... and that was a little awkward, all because a boy couldn't get up the courage to ask for a lap dance. Pussy.
3) Her face said the rest. She looked like she was going to run to grab her bible. I just enjoyed the whole scene.
4) There's an opening, and he's one of more than 100 who applied. You're Christian: Pray in my place.
5) In the days of yore, people got married at 15. Now there's the 34-year-old single Christian virgin who is very career driven and hasn't married yet. He's screwed.
6) What is with this trend of wearing wannabe live strong bracelets? I've seen people wearing them in different colors. Are colored rubber bands now fashion and/or political statements? If so, can I bring back slap bracelets? Cause we all know those were way better.
7) They thought we'd sit on the couch and watch t.v. So instead, we sat at the kitchen table
8) Did you hear my boyfriend is cheating on me?
9) It would be so strange to, like, talk to him about this before I came. Wow, now THERE's a sentence of the most poignant double entendre I've ever unintentionally written.
10) i suppose that means, after all this time, you no longer have the desire for a little slap & tickle with us. such a short attention span. maybe you have add
11) He was on the weekly beat, and he was about Pat's height and had the amazing blue eyes. He didn't hang around the newspaper office much because he was too busy writing 100 page history papers.
12) She has this new pseudo jheri curl. It's soooooooooo hot.
13) And the aforementioned bitchy coworker is still up to her old bitchy tricks. And! AND! She just complained to the boss about having to work Fridays. She JUST got here! Needless to say he wasn't impressed by that.
14) And now I'm going to go sit in my Boss's cube while he explains things to me so slowly and methodically that I can no longer understand them and I will want to reach up and stab him in the eye with a pen, but I will resist and instead stab myself in the eye with a pen.
15) So I guess she got a taste of clam and decided she liked its fishiness. You go girl. Just don't go near me.
16) But the good news is she is only like a 3 on the Bitch scale tonight. Maybe she's happy because I brought cake.
17) Then who is this chick? Some 306er (pardon the old-fashioned term) who's taken it upon herself to inform everyone of goings-on in the men's bathroom? Is that her beat? Is that what overcrowding in the J-school has come to?
18) I'm sorry you are sick. Don't barf on the cat.
19) So looks like this fag might become a professional after all, and not the kind that doesn't have to put on the red light.
20) There's a lot of other things in life you can do to occupy your time and by golly that's what I'm doing. And mainly what I'm doing is boys.
21) My mom has only drunk dialed me once. She was in Boston with my dad, and my cousin and his bitch, money-grubbing wife.
22) Well, hopefully I'll get a chance to pick up the phone and call my personal Jesus sometime before I leave for home. Until then, be safe, be warm, and have a good holiday.
23) But he was cute and he didn't commit the "flimsy handshake" sin which is the biggest turnoff ever.
24) I would have said that God wanted you to have the $20. Occasionally he gives us gifts, and you should have blown it on something you wouldn't normally buy or had convinced yourself not to buy (unless it was a movie starring John Cusack or Nick Cage).
25) So, now I have to go redo my resume and write a cover letter, but I look forward to all the broken glass that is bound to result from your visit.
26) This listserv is what keeps me from getting overly upset when other journalists start ragging on MU -- it helps me remember that we produce just as many ignorant jackasses as we do superstars.
27) Thank God we both have something in common. We can swap stories about sad, white-trash trailer-bound women who have nothing else in their lives but a closet-full of minature plush animals.
28) Good morning, sluts.
29) I've been talking a mile a minute at work and everyone has told me to shut up. Perhaps it is the 4 cups of coffee I've had today.
30) and when you say arm band, is it like a wrist band/cuff or is it one of these snazzy bands that go around the bicep .... i need to know because I just bought a snazzy wrist band/cuff thing and I don't want to give gay men everywhere "the signal" ... on second thought, maybe I do
31) Also there are so many people here it is nuts. As an example of how many people must be in LA, I was having dinner last night at this restaurant/bar and all of the sudden it started filling up with people. After it was so full that people were bumping into me I asked what the party was all about. As it turns out I was in the middle of a gay/republican event. I didn't know there were any gay republicans let alone the 200-300 that were there with me last night.
32) He's totally sexy ugly.
33) I believe he still lives with his parents, and by all accounts, does not need a crane to lift him out of bed for work...yet.
34) I've been dreaming about the OC recently I've been watching/obsessing so much. It's amazing.
35) I'll have to suffer the wrath of my father alone. As long as he doesn't respond with, "Hey, what a coincidence! I suck dick too," I think I'll survive.
36) That's a great place, but when I heard they were only hiring Christians, I was like, why not just call the coffeehouse Campus Crusade Java Hut or something.
37) last night was bowling night ... and i am struggling to sober up. If we e-mail all day, it will look like I'm busting ass at my computer on some story
38) So my days will be pretty diverse. Pseudo-glam lifestyle during the day, only to return home to talk of evening Mass and Medicare.
39) I got very defensive at the way he was treated. And not just because he's a regulation hottie.
40) so, which ex is it going to be? the undertaker or guy who pusses out at the sight of a puss?
41) And then they'll have sexxxxxx tonight. Cool. Weird.
Sunday, January 09, 2005
I would have done a schmaltzy look back at 2004, but it would be cheesy, so I am stealing from both Sarah and Erica on this post, published a year to the day I left for London. Ahhhhh...
Dates to remember in 2004: Jan. 9 (the day I left for London), March 6 (the day I left for Ireland), April 25 (the day I left for the states), May 15 (graduation), May 16 (the day I left for boot camp), May 28 (the day I got to O-town), June 27 (Dad's stroke), August 16 (the first day of the job), August 17 (birthday), Oct. 24 and Dec. 15 (full-page graphics)
Songs that I was listening to in 2004: Ian Dury and the Blockheads, "Reasons to be Cheerful, pt. 3;" Justin Timberlake, "Seniorita;" Kevin Lyttle, "Turn Me On;" George Michael, "Amazing;" The Specials, "Rudy, A Message To You;" Jet, "Cold Hard Bitch;" Jesus And Mary Chain, "Just Like Honey;" The Magnetic Fields, "Famous;" The Thrills, "One Horse Town"
Lyrics to remember 2004 by:
"Well, my dad was sick
And my mom she cared for him
Her love, it nursed him back to life
And me i ran, I couldnt even look at him
For fear I'd have to say goodbye
And as I start to leave, he grabs me by the shoulder and he tells me
What's left to lose?
You've done enough and if you fail, well, then you fail but not to us
...But now its time to get out of the desert and into the sun
Even if its alone..."
-The Format, "On Your Porch"
Places I had never been to before 2004: England, France, Ireland, Italy, State College, Oneonta, Myrtle Beach, Savannah, North Carolina
New people I met in 2004: Erin, Liz, Ali, Mack, Becca, Peter, Iain, Harper, Jayme, Marsh, Jack and Julie and the newsroom crew, Smokeshop Bob and John the (actual) Crackhead, Lily, Scott and the newsroom crew, C.J.
New foods and such tried in 2004: Fish n' chips, yorkshire pudding, Strongbow, Carling, curry, Irish stew, Yuengling, "cold cheese," hush puppies, Carolina barbecue, sweet potatoes, salmon, "sweet" tea, Modello Negra, White Russians
Political "oh shit" moments of the year:
i: Archbishop Burke saying that Catholics who vote for Kerry should go to confession before receiving the Eucharist
ii: 11 states banning same-sex marriages
iii: The fallout from the election, in which we were all put in lovely boxes, such as "red state" or "blue state," such that I imagine we'll be able to have civil political talks on "both sides" by, oh, 2414
Movies of the year: Spider-Man 2, Team America: World Police, Mean Girls, Saved!
TV shows of the year: Good Eats, Faking It, The Surreal Life, Desperate Housewives, MXC, Real World: Philadelphia, I Love The '90s, Best Week Ever
ReuStar said that in Hungary, it's a traditionally held belief that what you do for New Year's dictates what you'll be doing for the rest of the year. Hmmmm....
For New Year's Eve, I was working, but I was off by 11, so I met up with other newsroommies at a bar. There was a deliciously shitty cover band, which played "Don't You Forget About Me," "White Wedding" and "Don't You Want Me?" I hope that the rest of this year won't be me in a bar listening to a so-so band play "You Dropped the Bomb On Me" while drunk Carolina boys bounce into things.
As for New Year's Day itself, I cleaned the apartment a bit, read a little, went to work, came home, took some cold meds and passed out. I mean, it's not the type of day I'd WANT to the benchmark for 2005, but hey, I was at least conscious of it.
I mean, last year at New Year's, I woke up at Paige's house, where she, Erica M. and Doug were getting me to stay, make pancakes and watch Eddie Izzard. That doesn't even encompass that I went to London, New York and South Carolina. Of course, Eddie Izzard is British, he's toured New York, and no one in South Carolina would tolerate a bloke in make-up. OK, I give up. Looks like those Hungarians DO know what they're talking about.
I really am going to spend the rest of this year in a bar listening to a so-so band play "You Dropped the Bomb On Me" while drunk Carolina boys bounce into things.
