The Refuge from Reality

I don't know exactly how often I've mentioned it here on LJ, but I'm sure it's come up that I've been working with Uncommon Knowledge since last June, as copy editor for their UncommonHelp.me site. What started as me doing spit-and-polish on Mark's self-help articles (85 articles, to date) has steadily expanded as new responsibilities get added to my role. And I've welcomed all of this with open arms, fitting it in around my "regular" job(s) and other responsibilities and avocations, loving that I get to help and eager for the experience. (Yes, I was a proofreader/word processor for a geotechnical engineering firm and an editor for that small publishing company in San Diego, but this is the first time I've felt like a genuine editor. It's fantastic!)

My newest task is to "rewrite" articles for syndication: rephrase and alter articles so that they can be published on non-Unk websites while avoiding duplicate content issues. The genius is still all Mark; I'm just neatening and tightening.

We just got word that the latest syndicated article on exercise motivation was not only accepted by PickTheBrain.com, it was featured on the front page! Pardon me if I take a little pride in that. ;-)

(Another syndicated piece is here.)

And if you're on Facebook, you can become a fan of Uncommon Knowledge! They've consolidated all of their various blogs into one easy-access page, and it's a great space to interact with Mark and Roger a bit. You'll probably spot me haunting the page, too. ;-)

It's been a loooong time since I got one of these:

"Subj: Sorry, if I'm wrong and you are not single

"Hello, I write you and may this is a mistake and you are not single now, but my friend helped me to make search in the Internet and I like you as person. I'm looking for a good man, some older when me for creating family. I attach one picture, and if you are interesting in getting me know better please, reply to ________@aol.com and I will tell you more and send more pictures I�m educated and family oriented Sorry again if I disturb you.. Olga"

...I was going to post the accompanying photo (looks like a nice enough girl), but I sincerely doubt it's the actual person behind the email and don't want to put whoever it is at further risk.

Tuesday night, I was up late enough that my Brit friends on Twitter and Facebook started waking up on their Wednesday morning and wishing me a happy birthday. So I stayed up stupid late, replying to many of the wonderful and kind messages.

When I finally stumbled to bed around 3:30am (yes, yes, I know), I was mildly berating myself about the fact that I had to be at work in a few short hours. As usual, I turned the Zen to one of the lads' sleep programs, just to slip that much more effortlessly into Nod. I don't think I even made it through the pre-talk. :-P

Plummeting seemingly instantaneously into REM, I had a long and crazy dream about trying to get to work on time but being delayed and interrupted by the people I was with, or family making demands on my time, or bizarrely convoluted complications in my travel (that of course made complete sense in dream logic). The dream has since faded into the muddled amorphousness of half-remembered images, so don't ask for details.

When I awoke a mere hour later, I couldn't help laughing at my unconscious.

"Geesh, I wonder what I'm worried about," I muttered sarcastically before rolling over for a bit more sleep.

Zombieland is playing at the bargain cinema. We handed out Twinkies to the other audience members. And two packs of SnoBalls. If you've seen the film, you'll understand this; if you haven't, see the film, gain understanding. ;-)

We also wrote Columbus's Rules on the Twinkie packages, to share the wisdom. But given that I can't remember ever seeing a website that had the rules properly quoted (and in the right order), I wrote them down as they came up in the film. So for your edification (and my future reference), here are

Columbus's Rules for Surviving Zombieland

1) Cardio.
2) Double tap.
3) Beware of Bathrooms.
4) Seatbelts.

7) Travel light.

17) Don't be a hero.
18) Limber up.

22) When in doubt, know your way out.

31) Check the back seat.

And, my personal favorite...

32) Enjoy the little things.

I leave you with Tallahassee's call to arms:

"Nut up or shut up!"

Hey, it's my birthday! *party horns* Thanks to everyone who's already wished me a happy day and advance thanks to those who will as the day goes on (this is not an attempt to "guilt" anyone into saying the words; I'm just saying).

On her Facebook Wall a few minutes ago, my mom posted an abbreviated version of a family lore story about my actual birth day. It's one of my favorite stories, so I wanted to share it with all of you. Obviously, my parents tell it much better than I do, since they were there and all; but I'll do my best. (And hope that Mom and Dad forgive the errors.)

( The Snow Plow Story )

One of my Twitter & LJ buds pointed me in the direction of a truly excellent post by alyxbradford on the origins of this season's celebrations and why the right-wing Christian nutjobs really need to STFU and realize that no, actually, you don't have sole discretion to dictate how this time of year gets observed.

So please, go read it.

And while you're at it, check out greyduck's web comic, Quacked Panes. Is very cute and often punny.

Yes, I'm still behind on my travel blogs (so behind that I'm back in the States now!), but it's Thanksgiving and my mom just sent me some information I didn't know before about our ancestor who was on the Mayflower. Thought I'd share.

( Continued... )

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Churchyards. Candid photos. Chocolate. Crab (not really, but seafood). And "understated elegance".

(Reminder: photos here.)

( Continued... )

It's been a long day, filled with planes, trains, and even two automobiles. A day of cat herding, duck aligning, too many stairs, and an overwhelming sense of relief that we each only brought one checked bag. A day of knitting and technical glitches. A day of mad texting, surprise guests, and happy reunions.

A day that's gone on for at least 48 hours now.

( Continued... )

Received in my Spam folder:

"We have been waiting for you to contact us for your Package that has been registered with us for shipping to your residential location. The content of your parcel includes a Bank Draft worth of $688,000.00 (Two Hundred and Eighty Eight Thousand US Dollars). You are required to send your Complete Name, Country, Address and Phone Number to our Customer Care Officer: Mr. Anderson Cole. E-mail Address: XXXXX, Phone-Number: XXXXX."

Um, no. I especially like where the numerical dollar amount doesn't match the text.

Saturday night into Sunday morning, I watched the DVDs that are support material and required viewing for my current online course. Because I've been self-studying Mark and Roger's materials (articles, programs, Audio Insights, etc.) for two and a half years, none of the information presented was really entirely new, although a couple of points were addressed a bit differently or in more depth. Still, watching the DVDs was obviously beneficial to me.

See, despite my self-study and understanding of the material, I've still never gotten around to really trying to write my own inductions. I won't go into the several reasons for this. But with the DVD lectures and demonstrations freshly watched, it seems my unconscious mind started to integrate and utilize the last few bits of information I was lacking/neglecting.

( Continued... )

I've had Omegle open in a tab for a couple of days, meaning to try it out. So tonight, after a couple of hours in Toon Town with psychmaj , Captain Sparklepoof was tending her garden before logging out, and I decided to finally open an Omegle chat.

This is what happened:


Oh well.

ETA: Take 2:


Do I smell funny?

I just noticed that a particular LJ had fairly prominent tags reading "depression," "bullying," "loss." This person is an Internet friend of mine, and I immediately got wibbly: "Oh, poor honey..." and started wishing I could help somehow. (It should also be noted that I have a fierce protective streak: thou shalt not mess with a close friend or family member of mine, lest you face my wrath.)

Spontaneously, I found myself saying (aloud, even though I'm alone in the house tonight), "I think that's what I'm most worried about with this move into therapy/psychology: that I'm going to get involved, too emotional. I don't know if I'm going to be able to remain detached, objective." Which I found very odd, even as I was saying it; because in high school, when I rejected therapy as a possible career option, it was because I didn't want to "sit around listening to people whine about their problems" - I didn't care.

( Continued... )

A very happy birthday to bohemian_weasel, one of the most talented artistes I've ever known! (And she created the ButMadNNW icon used on this post for me a few years ago.)

My dearest weasel, I wish you the happiest of birthdays. For being a good friend, for being an attentive ear and a comfortable shoulder, for being you, you deserve every joy life can bring your way. I count myself lucky for knowing you.

And, on an amusing note, it's rather fitting that I got the notification about your birthday just now, because look what I just came across in my PhotoBucket:



Remember when I had one of my Sims paint your V painting? ;-D

Follow me on Twitter at your own peril. A (mild) spammer started doing so, and I actually clicked a link he tweeted, which resulted in this tweet going out from me:

Just read http://bit.ly/O9p21 - Okay points, but 3rd(?) grade writing, paragraph construction. Lack of flow, tedious repetition.

If you don't believe me, go read it. EVERY paragraph follows the structure:

• This is my point.
• This is my argument for my point.
• Now I'm going to restate my point in the exact same words.

I learned to write like that in elementary school, and I'm pretty sure I'm right that it was in the 3rd grade. And WHAT is with all the repeated use of "working from home"? SEO: you're overdoing it.

I started going back and forth about this with kristenmchugh22 (and, seriously, if you're on Twitter, follow her. She rocks. And she blogs slightly more frequently than I've done lately.), which eventually resulted in:

ButMadNNW: @kristenmchugh22 I'm tempted to rewrite/edit it and post my version to my LJ. ;-)

kristenmchugh22: @ButMadNNW I would totally do that. Just for the sake of actually getting the info out properly. ;)

I'm betting I can make it a more interesting read with, actually, just some fine-tune editing and very little rewriting. Let's see if I'm right.

( Continued )

(And just to be clear: I am not taking credit for the original writing, only for the editing I performed. Please don't sue me for plagiarism. You have full rights to the original writing. I totally agree. In fact, do you want to post my edited version? Go ahead. First one's free: if you want me to tweak any of your future writings, I'll need to see a contract. ;-) Hell, I copy edit like this for UncommonHelp.me, but Mark Tyrrell [who doesn't need such extensive changes!] still retains copyright; I'm just the editor.)

So, um, hi.

*shuffles some papers, neatening and straightening*

*stands in middle of room, one arm akimbo, the other hand scratching distractedly at the back of her head as she glances around*

*realizes she should say something, now she's here*

Okay, okay, I know! It's been over a month since I last posted anything. I'm behind on the run logs, etc. By way of explanation:

• I've been working literally 7 days a week: M-F at the temp gig (yup, that's still going *relieved*), weekends at the bead shop.
• I started grad school - decided to bite the bullet and do something about this fascination with psychology that's been "plaguing" me. ;-)
• LSA, the furboys, and I are moving to Minnesota in a couple of weeks (so packing, etc.).

And the last bit of explanation is an exciting bit of news! (Not that grad school, employment, and moving aren't exciting... Well, maybe not the actual process of moving. :-P) I didn't want to jinx it, so didn't want to say anything here until details were finalized. And then I plumb forgot to say anything due to busyness.

( Okay, I went long (quelle surprise), so let's do a cut... )

Being a runner means...

• Combining errands - "Crap. I forgot I need more sandwich bags. But if I go back, I won't have time to run tonight. ...! Y'know, the grocery store is about a mile from the house..."
• Running to the store - in the literal sense!
• Not caring that you're wearing slightly ratty clothes in public - running is sweat. If you're wearing haute couture, you're either not running right, or you have really screwy priorities.
• Loading the MP3 player based on one simple criterion - does it have a steady beat that will help me keep pace?
• Having a sweaty smell to one's person - and not caring who in the supermarket queue has noticed. "Hey, I exercised tonight. I did something good for my physical and mental health. What'd you do?"
• Wishing you'd thought to bring a backpack - because running with a grocery bag in your hand is really awkward!
• Stripping in the garage and scooting naked* through the house to a hot shower - hey, my clothes needed washing and LSA is out-of-state! ;-)
• Savoring chocolate milk as an edible gold medal awarded for your efforts

Struggled again on the last running 1/2 mile. But different terrain (uphill, sidewalk), and.... I'll get there. I just will. Hell, if you'd told me a year ago that I'd be able to run 1/2 mile without stopping (and do it again a few minutes later), I'd have laughed.

*(Okay, okay, I wasn't naked. I had a bathrobe.)

( Charts )

Yesterday was 18 weeks to the 5K!

LSA is in Minnesota. *sob* But that won't stop me running! (And yes, this was the first time I've run since my fall last Monday.)

Since I was running solo, I loaded some tunes on the little MP3 player I won ...gosh, over a year ago? longer?... when Uncommon Knowledge used my idea for a program. :-D A split ring and ball chain later, I had tunes around my neck, meaning music with no hip pack!

To cut down on gadgetry, I ditched the stopwatch and had BiM track my distance instead, for the first time. I attempted this:

• Jog 1/2 mile
• Walk 1/4 mile
• Jog 1/2 mile
• Walk 1/4 mile
• Jog 1/2 mile

Got through the first 1/2 mile handily ("Heyo Captain Jack" retains its title as World's Greatest Running Song - so long as you've reached that pace!), walked, repeated. Started struggling mightily on the last jogging 1/2 mile - stopped to walk a couple of times. So made myself keep running past the distance alert. Then, after some walking, I decided to see if I could manage another 1/2 mile. Made it 1/4.

But hey, I can definitely say that I ran 1.75+ miles!!

( Charts )

Yesterday was 19 weeks to the 5K!

And what did we learn tonight, ButMad?

Well, dear readers, we learned that Dusk + Running + Uneven Dirt Trails = Phenomenal FAIL!

LSA got held up by errands with her mom and the sun was setting by the time she got home. We went out running, anyway.

Upping our intervals, we attempted the schedule:

• Jog 5 min.
• Walk 3 min.
• Jog 8 min.(!)
• Walk 4.5 min.
• Jog 5 min.

Unbelievably, we managed.

But doesn't it just figure? With one minute to go in the final interval, just as I was about to say, "You know, I think this is too dangerous. It's too dark; we should probably stop running," I tripped and fell down flat.

OW!!!

I scraped up my left knee pretty badly. When my hands landed, they were likely saved from injury by my mobile phone (in my left hand) and the stopwatch (in my right). The phone's okay, but the stopwatch has battle scars. :-(

Nothing's broken (not even the electronics). I walked home - we stopped by the store to pick up a few groceries, antiseptic spray, and bandages. I'll live.

I said to LSA, "Well, I guess I really am a runner, now. Can't really call yourself a runner until you've injured yourself while running, huh?" ;-)

( Charts )

So I'm working this temp job at this company that makes automatic pool cleaners. I'm doing data entry, but the next row of desks over from me starts the call center for customer service/tech support. I'm allowed to listen to my MP3 player, so I usually set it on "All Tracks, Random" and let it go. Which means that everything has a chance to play, even podcasts and Audio Insights from Uncommon Knowledge. Also, I only put in one earphone, so I'm not taken completely by surprise if someone comes up behind me or so I can hear if my name is called.

I could not have planned what happened today:

Technician in the next row, to a customer on the phone: "What's your name?"

Roger, in my earphone, right on cue: "My name's Roger Elliott..."

*ButMad texts everyone she can think of who'd possibly be amused by this*

( I may be the only one amused by this next bit... )