The General World of Jen

I love the holidays. There's a purpose behind them: once a year we have to slow down and look around. Whether or not you like what you see it's a chance for reflection and, hopefully, gratitude.

I visited with my cousin and her daughter (cute baby at left) to exchange presents this afternoon. I won't see them for at least three weeks and it's bumming me out. But no present in the world can beat falling asleep with a baby on my chest while watching 'A Muppet Christmas Carol'. That's what life is all about right there.

Sadly I can't focus on the holidays quite yet. Heading home and seeing family is still a week off, and a very busy one at that. There's Christmas parties and cards and more gifts to buy and for some reason I have tons of meetings this week. Don't people know it's the holidays?!

And in others news I'm keeping busy with a new project: contributing to movie-recipes.com! No, you've never heard of it. It's a site that a friend of mine does. Rather than review movies it tells you what the movie is made of. Hopefully it will give you an idea of whether or not it's worthwhile based on the movies it's similar to. You can check out my inaugural post here.

iLove iPhone

I'm sorry, I completely glossed over this fact in my last post: I got my iPhone. Woohoo!

Before I geek-out completely I'd like to state publicly, for friends and family that have had to deal with me over the last week and forever after this-- I'm sorry if I'm ignoring you. My name is Jen and I'm addicted to my iPhone. (Hi Jen.)

It's just so damn cool! I've had the phone for 9 days and I've downloaded 38 apps. I have 3 email accounts, 2 calendar tools and a task manager. I've created 4 ringtones, taken 2 dozen photos and downloaded 10 games. It's an addiction. I blame Apple.

Speaking of cool technology, I've decided I'm ok with Google taking over the world. And really, cane you blame me? These guys have a functional calendar, online docs and integrated add-ons for Firefox, Thunderbird and, of course, the iPhone (I could probably do a shout-out for their blogging tools too, huh?). And they're always pushing the enevelope with new stuff like Grand Central and today's release, the Google Friends Connect.

And a final nerdy thought for the evening: I'm now on Twitter. Feel free to follow me (ncsumarit). I can post from my iPhone! < (That's enough. I'm sick of me too.)

Facebook Know I'm Fat

I stumbled across a pretty interesting article today about how Facebook mines your personal preferences and profile information. Then it uses that data to select the ads that appear on your pages so that they're tailored to you. For example, if you're single, as I am, you're likely to see a bunch of singles ads. And I do.

What other ads am I blessed with?

• "The SuperModel Diet" and "The Oprah Diet"
  I guess if you're 29 and single it assumes you're fat? Or does someone judge my picture? I'm actually not that offended, mostly curious.
• "29 and Alone Again?"
  That's just low.
• "Tech Jobs on {blank}.com"
  No way am I doing their advertising for them.
• "Unlimited Wii Downloads"
  I am officially a "fan" of the Wii...
• "Love Graphic Design?"
  Why, yes. Yes, do. Good job.
• "Take control of your Career with {blank} University!"
  Facebook knows I hate my job?

Apparently Gmail also does this, only it searches through the body of your email for keywords to target its ads. I really don't know if I'm creeped out or impressed. I don't think I have much control over it either way but I'll definitely be paying more attention to the ads I get from now on. You know, just to see if I'm gaining weight or anything.

I'm cheating on you, baby

Since I was feelin' like there wasn't much going on [LIE] I thought I'd come up with something else to do: how about a year-long course on how to be a leader? What can I say, work doesn't pay for training much [EVER] so I thought I should take advantage.

Now as part of my sharing and leading and learning and growing I have a new blog, for which the co-workers who kindly agreed to judge me during this process can keep up-to-date with my "progress". I'll be honest, I'm having a hard time keeping the sarcasm in check on there. Not because I don't think this is worthwhile, just because apparently that's how I communicate. And yes, I know it's a problem.

This actually comes during a time of introspection and personal reflection. The "Year of Jen" has turned into the "Year of Improving Jen" which is fine as long as I get somewhere with it. The last class for the program was the Myers-Briggs test and that was very eye-opening for me. Apparently I'm an introvert. So many things make more sense when I understand that. I thought it was weird that I feel shy so often when I'm also quite outgoing. Aside from people I know, most others make me really uncomfortable [STILL SINGLE].

Speaking of being single, guess what I have this weekend? Family reunion! Once every 5 years I, conspicuously-alone, get to go visit my great big mostly-married, baby-breedin' extended family. Don't me wrong, I love them and I can't wait to see them. But if my dear cousin points out that I'm the oldest one at the party alone (again) I will not be responsible for my actions. At least I'm not the lard-ass I was 5 years ago (see photo at right and then print and burn).

Anyway, to get back on topic, I'm supposed to post on my other blog at least once every other week. So... yeah. You may need to go there for your Jen fix for awhile. But I still love you.

Oh and the [BLOCK] thing. Just ignore it. [HABIT].

More for Me!

I have been mocked pretty mercilessly for the whole "year of Jen" thing (can you believe my co-workers actually read this thing? Joke's on you!) but I'm stickin' to it. I realized today after a completely meaningless interaction with a waitress that I have gotten better and stating my point-of-view, even when I don't want the confrontation. I'd like to think I've also gotten better at knowing when to say nothing, but that may just be an excuse for all the times I say nothing.

My latest year-of-jen extravagance is that I've bought myself a new bedroom set (check out the picture)! My brother put up crown molding, I painted accent walls and trim (not done with the trim) and bought new sheets and a duvet cover. I still have to buy new blinds and finish a few other things but I'm so excited! I haven't had new bedroom furniture since we had a house fire in high school twelve years ago. Every bedroom I've had since I've lived on my own has been cobbled together furniture and mis-matched decorations, if any. It seems silly to put this much effort into a room that's really only for me, but I'm gonna!

Anyway, the bedroom set comes tomorrow -- I can't wait! I'm hoping I like it as much as the picture... Gotta get back to painting and cleaning.

The State of Hollywood

Quick review of some of this years Oscar contenders:

Atonement - a chick flick and kinda too long, but a story that haunts you
No Country for Old Men - I was disappointed by the end, but there were some great performances and the infamous weapon is like another character
Charlie Wilson's War - a humorous (apparently true) story of a congressman who fights Russians in Afghanistan. The meaning of our success and failures there are poignant.
Eastern Promises - Viggo Mortensen is naked! But with good reason. It's an incredible scene in a disturbing and disturbingly good movie.

I'm hoping to see 'Juno', 'Sweeny Todd' and maybe 'There Will be Blood' this week and I'll pass judgment on those if I do.

I also saw 'Citizen Kane' on Saturday. In a weekend of arguably the best movies of the year, it held its own. But when you go into a movie thinking it's going to be the best movie of all time (according to AFI) you're bound to be disappointed. Also, I'd already heard about Rosebud, which I guess was the point...? I did think it was shot in some really fascinating ways and I loved seeing the young Joesph Cotton. Not exactly a waste of two hours.

By the way- if you don't trust me and you're trying to figure out if you're going to like 'Juno' or 'Atonement' or some other recent release, visit my friends site, http://www.movie-recipes.com/, to get a "taste" of what the flick is about.

And finally...
Heath Ledger: you were a cutie and I'll miss you. I will mourn you in the theater during the next Batman movie (you look awesome in that). I will not watch 'A Knight's Tale' because I'm pretty sure we both know that was a mistake.
Everyone else in the world: it's not the end of the world. It's not even the end of Hollywood, much as we might like. Isn't Britney hitting on Paris or something? Shouldn't you be talking about that soon?

More people have read your shirt than my blog

I've had several blog-related discussions in the past week. A couple of people informed me that they're reading my blog or have asked for the URL so they can (Hey HyperWife! Safe trip home, Mr. Darcy!). I don't know if blogs are back "in" or what, but I think that brings my readership to five!

I also had a discussion with a friend, let's call him Viddy, about how lame and silly and self-absorbed blogs are. The truth is, I agree with him and I'm constantly trying not to be excessively lame (I'm trying now- read my older posts at your own peril) or self-absorbed (recent "year-of-me" posts not withstanding).

But if you're here it's probably because you know me and you're (at least mildly) interested in keeping up with what I have to share. I apologize now and forever more for lame and self-absorbed posts (yeah, yeah- this is one) and I'll try to be more interesting.

Recent News: works sucks, I'm trying to learn to say "no" to people (don't see '27 Dresses' in the theater), I'm currently starving on Weight Watchers, thinking about taking up painting as a hobby and would like to kill some reindeer (long story, not really planning to hunt animals).

The Island at the Center of the World

Once upon a time I bought a book in my favorite little bookstore in Manhattan (The Strand, a few blocks away from Union Square). The book was about the history of the earliest settling of Manhattan, by the Dutch. I agreed to let my brother read it first and therefore have only just finished it, nine and a half months later...
The early part of the book was a little slow. It detailed the very early history of the settlement (including the eventual city of Albany and several NYC boroughs) so it took awhile for me to get into the book. But as the city filled in and more of the names became recognizable the book became much more rewarding.

The Dutch were very open people and a century before English settlers were fighting for fundamental freedoms, the Dutch were giving many of them- most importantly, freedom of religion and a welcoming attitude to foreigners. This early legacy helped to create an attitude that lead millions of immigrants through Ellis Island, but also helped to form our earliest declarations of freedom.


I know I'm going on a bit- I apologize. The point is, there was a section in one of the last chapters that mentioned 9/11 and did a great job of driving home the point that the heart of this small town lay within a mile or two from where the towers fell. New York, or the New Netherlands as they were known then, was able to build a settlement free from religious persecution (almost) and open to all types of people. More than 300 years later that land was attacked by people who still didn't get, or couldn't accept the fundamental principles that formed New York. They weren't attacked for their ideals in 1661 (the English took over for the trade routes) but they were in 2001.

I'm going to NY in a few weeks and I'm hoping to go to Ellis Island and perhaps the NY City History Museum (yes, there is one). I'll give you a review if it's any good. Going to see 'Wicked' too- can't wait!

My $.02

I'm not kidding myself that any of you really care how I feel about politics but I think I might enjoy re-reading this on, say, the first Tuesday in November. Or next January after the re-count.

McCain - a morally righteous man with whom, I'm sorry to say, I disagree on a number of important issues.
Obama - too soon to tell. I'm worried about his experience but everything I hear is good. Need to learn more about where he stands on the issues.
Edwards - uninspired twerp who seems to feel entitled to the presidency.
Huckabee - C-R-A-Z-Y. Can't do that religion.
Romney - ditto
Clinton - I'm glad a woman can compete; it's about time. I'm not going to vote for her if she's not going to represent my interests (haven't investigated her record), but for last time, she is not going to nuke Korea because she's on her period!
Guliani - is he still competing? I thought he was getting married again. Not that there's anything wrong with that...

I'm also bummed about the writer's strike. Colbert and Stewart are back but they can't say anything. The WGA and the ATMP-whatever need to work their shit out 'cause their denying us all superior political satire just when we need it most!

And tonight's low is...

Here I am, on a Sunday night, once again waiting for Progress Energy.

Before you say you're sick of reading posts about this let me assure you I am heartily sick of writing them.

I've been fighting a cold for a few days and beat it down through my Christmas party (last night, decent success thanks) but it hit me hard today. I came home from a cookie exchange and fell asleep on my couch with hopes of waking up healthy.

Instead, I woke up cold. I was very disturbed to realize that when I tried to turn on the heat, nothing was happening. I thought it was a problem with my heater, or at least the panel, so I called a heating repair company. But while waiting on an appointment I wandered into my family room and discovered all my lights were dimmed. A symptom of past problems. My TV doesn't turn on, my microwave doesn't work-- and I'm scared to push it lest I blow something up again.

My brilliant and wonderfully supportive mother suggested I call Progress Energy and as of this writing I'm still waiting to hear from them. I'm hoping I don't have to spend the night in a house with no heat. I'm also hoping it's not another open neutral situation and I don't wake up surrounded by flames. My roommate has headed for warmth at a friends so I am feeling sick, sad and not a little creeped-out. Wonder what this will cost me...

The Sighs of the Season

Ah... I can breathe again.

I finally finished my paper for class, completed my presentation at the conference (hungover, no less) and have made it past a number of other work and personal humps. While no means free of stress (I'm hosting a Christmas party in 10 days) I at least feel like I've made it past the worst of it.

My conference was... interesting. I'm assured that I managed to avoid embarrassing myself too much. Still it was the kind of event with situations that leave you raw and emotional. No doubt combined with the "joyous" Christmas season, I find myself exhausted and a little nauseous and that's not the hangover (at least not anymore). People trying to "pair me off" - which has never been in the slightest bit successful - while I try not to think about what I really want and can never have. This was my deadline of sorts. I'm going to make myself "get out there" more in the coming weeks and months. Wish me luck and you really should tune in because this is usually when it gets very funny and very, very sad.

I'm literally posting this on a computer in class (my last class of the semester- hell YEAH!) so I think I'd better be done now.

PS- my hotel in Asheville, the B Renaissance Hotel, was incredible. Great service, nice rooms and decent food.

Episode III - The Evil Empire

All right- to finish this off, let me start by providing you with a list of known items that were damaged or destroyed. To date. Because I'm still finding things.

1. TV
2. DVR/ cable box
3. stereo
4. microwave
5. computer
6. VCR
7. refrigerator (still runs but can't stay cold anymore)

The Progress Energy Claims guy who has been assigned to me has told me that they will pay only for what the items would have been worth when destroyed. So essentially, what would I get for my two-year-old TV on Craigslist (pre-smoking and sparking). Unfortunately, I still have to pay full price for the items I have to replace. Like the $64.99 (plus tax) I paid to replace my microwave this morning. Grrrrr.

The other things I'm trying to get Progress Energy to cover are the food in the fridge that went bad (they already told me to pretty much give that up) and the $300 I paid Richard, the electrician to come and tell me what was wrong.

Now here's the kicker-- apparently I should NOT have called an electrician. Progress Energy argues that I should have just called them and they would have been able to figure out was wrong and fix it, hence, no electrician costs. As I pointed out to the claims guy, my power was working when this happened. My power never went out, until I turned off the house breaker. None of my neighbors lost power. Why would I think it was a problem with the power company? So heads up people- Call Progress Energy first. They can't go in the house to find the problem, so I think ultimatly they would have told me to call an electrician anyway. I guess you just need their blessing first...

Hopefully this story is basically over and the only addendum will be regarding the speedy and happy cutting of a fair check. If anyone is interested in betting on that I'll give you good odds; I need to pull in a little extra cash this month...

By the way. Great big shout out to some people who helped me through this. Couldn't have survived without you.

• Mom- came into town. BIG help. So wonderful to see her and at such a critical time.
• Roommate- very patient while the house blew up around her (and ultimately destroyed her computer.
• Brother (3)- was here when the mess started and helped clear up the wreckage.
• Boss- so understanding and offered to help several times.

The Hunt for the Red-Hot Neutral

Ok, yeah I didn't post last night. Sheesh. Apparently all you have to do to get people interested is end with a cliffhanger...

When last we saw our heroine she was making her way through her now-darkened, smoked-filled family room. Obviously I needed to call an electrician (this should not actually be considered "obvious"; more on that later) but my first thought was "How can I find an electrician without the interweb?". Fortunately I had a phone book holding open a door somewhere so I used that and, on my eighth call I finally found someone who would come out (they all say "24 Hour Service" but no one was available at 4:30 on a Monday afternoon).

Richard and son (Ryan) showed up on my doorstep 30 minutes later and spent the next hour or so trying to work out the cause of my blow up. There is nothing so frustrating as waiting when there is nothing you can do and you don't know anything. Of course I was distracted by calculating a second mortgage and selling my new car and prostituting myself to pay for my new electrical system.

Eventually they came to the suspicion that the problem was caused by what's called an "open neutral". They tested my neutral (from outdoor box to indoor breaker box) and that was fine so they called our local power monopoly, Progress Energy. Eric, the Progress Energy dude showed up around 7:00pm and he and Richard conversed and agreed that the problem was the neutral line that runs between the transformer and my outdoor box (code name = not-my-fault).

Now once they knew what it was, both Richard and Eric wasted no time in regaling me with stories about the terrors of the open neutral:

"Yep, you're lucky you were home. People all the time come home after an open neutral fire and there's nuthin' left."

- Richard, the electrician

"We're gonna fix this tonight because if we try to bypass it and this breaker goes you might wake up surrounded by flames."

- Eric, the Progress Energy dude

They honestly said that! I went out that very night about bought fire extinguishers and fire ladders for each bedroom but I'm still not sleeping great.

Progress Energy finished fixing the neutral and packed it up at around 10:30pm. Fortunately, before they left I did think to ask how I could get the things that had been destroyed replaced. Eric grudgingly told me to call customer service and that the whole process will take at least 2-4 weeks.

Sadly, the story is not done- and no, I'm not just trying to do another cliffhanger. Check back for a full list of destroyed and damaged items and an explanation of why you shouldn't call an electrician first if your TV blows up... and I promise, it is a good one!

Headline News in Sucksville

So I'm really pretty positive no one is reading this or will ever read this. But the point has been to keep people I don't talk to that often well informed. So here are the latest news stories in Life o' Marit:

• Brother shaved head, not actually a cancer victim
• Intense work frustration leads to job search
• Heat wave ruins joys of fall
  
• Work stress, apathy leads to academic decline
• Cholesterol Test Wednesday; Panic ensues
  
• Frustration and depression summit this week
  
• 'Caveman' worst comedy since invention of wheel

Have a great week ya'll!

Car Closure

As you know if you read my blog regularly (and let's face it, you probably don't) I traded in my 1992 Honda Accord for a shiny new 2001 Honda Accord about a month ago. Now my old Honda has been cleaned up and put up for sale (see link in title). I'm really glad they didn't just send it to the junk heap. It was a good car and I hope it will be a good car for someone else. :)

And since I usually use my consumer feedback powers for evil rather than good (I whine a lot) I thought I should shout out to the company that gave me a great deal on a great car and good service in the process: Stone Auto. The car buying process can be a nightmare- especially for a chick- but they were really great and I'd recommend them to anyone, but especially for used car deals.

PS- for a before and after photo comparison jump back to 'Ode to my Honda'.

marit's week in review

I'm a little behind so here's the week recap.

Weekend: 'rents had the annual Oktoberfest. Tasty beer, tasty food. Neighbors brought over a 1961 bottle of Crown Royale which, other than making my dad a bit sad to stop drinking beer, made my parents very drunk and happy.

Conference in the ATL: here's my consumer report-- Sheraton Buckhead was not good. Power went out at the hotel (only the hotel, thank god the bar down the street was unaffected) for 8 hours. Whether because of that or something else the lobby and basement (where the conference sessions were being held) was without AC for the second day of the conference. No internet access (hotel and host companies fault) so I purchased the access for my room, but even when there was no power for 8 hours they didn't discount or pro-rate the bill. Really disappointing, especially for a Sheraton.

And work: I've never heard of, let alone seen, so many people lose faith in a place so fast. I've heard of turnover where the staff all got fired. This staff all wants to quit. Myself included. I actually like my job most of the time. And I love my boss. But I can't watch my department let good people go-- all but force them to go with bad decisions and a lack of support. I don't want to be left in that mess, so I'll be updating the 'ole resume this weekend. I'm angry though. Really, really mad about it all.

Marit 2.0

While I'm pretty sure that no one cares what I ate for lunch today, I have begun to think that the best blogs detail the day-to-day lives of ordinary people in an interesting and entertaining way. No one reads this blog as far as I can tell so it's hard to tell if I'm entertaining, but I know that up to this point many of my posts have been about thoughts, theories and moping: some brought on by circumstance but most just personal musings when I realized I hadn't written for awhile. I'm pretty sure that last sentence wasn't entertaining.

So here's my new leaf- I'm going to use this more as a journal of significant events. I can't promise less whining; I may occasionally ruminate on these events but generally I'll try to keep the word count and angst down to a minimum.

I would appreciate feedback. Especially if it's nice feedback.

Ode to my Honda

I bought my 1992 Honda Accord in September of 2001, (not a difficult time to remember). When I bought it it had 180,000 miles on it and my expectation was that it would get me through my college years. If I recall correctly I paid $3250 or thereabouts; the lean, college years and all that.

Two weeks from now would have marked my six year anniversary with that car (it lasted me two years past a long overdue end of my college career). I hit 225,000 miles on it last week. Both of those are great statistics. My car (Angel) has been all over the south and as far north as Ohio. I have had important conversations in that car, sung songs, cried and sweat (a lot- there was a AC but it struggled in the summer). I left that car with little paint and lots of bumper stickers, a nice and nearly new stereo and a very large and blood-like ketchup stain on the back seat (shout out: Cassie). It was truly a wonderful automobile.

And since the sincerest form of flattery is reusing an idea (or something like that), I traded in my 1992 barely blue Honda Accord for a snazzy, shiny 2001 green Honda Accord. I know, no imagination.

Before I sign off a quick note: I feel incredibly guilty buying this car. Even though it was past time to upgrade, this new car seems like ridiculous luxury and excess. And I'm sure I'm going to crash it first thing tomorrow- if it doesn't get stolen tonight.

Thanks JK

There are three days until the release of the final Harry Potter book- "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows". I wanted to take a moment to applaud Ms. Rowling--

She's written six very entertaining and engaging books. She's created another world, as true and legitimate as Narnia or Middle Earth and with as much or more detail. She's engaged readers of every age, race, gender and background. And she's been able to continue to entice us through it all. Think of how truly difficult it must be to write not just one or two good books, but six. None of the books have sucked or been boring. No character has stopped being interesting. No one seems to mention this consistency much, but to me that's one of her greatest achievements.

Now in the wee hours of Friday night/Saturday morning, millions will be stampeding to grab the final piece. Again, no one has suggested it won't be good (I hope we know how spoiled we are by the quality of her story-telling) but instead the world is absorbed by Harry's fate, Snape's allegiance and the final chapter which promises to give the fate of all her major characters. I'll be dressing up as Tonks (see pic) and heading to my local bookstore. I know that makes me a terrible geek but I don't care. JK has earned my allegiance (and the loss of dignity) and I don't want to miss the last brush with this wonderful literary world.

Make an Offer

Now here's an opportunity to show what I know! I do now finally have a place under contract but it was a case of third times a charm. I made offers on two other places before I got this one. So I've been through the offer process a few times.

A lot of what's important may be in the negotiation, which is our next section. However, to begin you must make a first offer so:
1.) make sure you want this house before you make an offer. When you make an offer you are signing half of a contract and if they sign the other half, it's going to take some serious problems with the house or a lot of money to get out of it. This sounds obvious but apparently people get cold feet and decide they want out. You better know before you go in.
2.) "earnest money" is a sort of mini-down payment securing your interest in the house and your commitment to the contract. This is typically around $1000 or up to 1% of the offer. The more money, the more interest it may signify; more earnest money may give you a leg up in a multiple offer situation. You should get this money back at closing.
3.) there are several aspects of the contract you will have to fill-in. When do you want to close? How much damage (during inspection) is "too much" (negates the contract)? Do you have to have an inspection? What pieces or parts of the home do you want as part of your purchase? All these things must be clearly stated and each can be a point of negotiation.
4.) take a good look at everything before you make that offer. Be aware of the flaws and make sure (with your agent) that you're clear on what needs fixing before you take ownership. These details must be in the contract.
5.) this is the point where other things may come up. Known issues with the place (make sure you see a disclosure statement on the property) such as the existence of lead based paint. But don't let all this freak you out. Some problems are to be expected. All home built before 1978 have lead-based paint concerns. Don't panic; read the information, make an informed decision based on all the factors.

That's the high points of the offer. I'll only add that, to me, this was the most excruciating part of the process. The offer means you're interested, really interested, and waiting in agony for a day or more to hear the outcome. Just try to find something to distract you.