Even though I don't read sci-fi:
"Jesus, 2011. It’s still only February, and you’ve already tired me out, news-wise. You are The Year Mostly Likely to Need Ritalin. Please make the next ten months entirely uneventful to make up for the first two spastic months. Thank you in advance."
At the end of a post on why he isn't writing about Libya.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Dear Charlie Sheen
Please shut up now. Please.
You know I am on your side. You know I was happy as long as you showed up on the set, ready to work, like a professional. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Until you get arrested. And sent to rehab (or jail like Kiefer), in which case you can't show up on the set, ready to work, like a professional.
I agree that Chuck Lorre is a bit much. He created a television show with a main character based on Bad Charlie and then hired you to star in it. You were very good natured about it. We were all in on the joke. But really. No one was surprised to hear that Bad Charlie was making a comeback. Lorre rolled the dice and got, what 8 years of a cash cow show? Dude should be grateful.
But, Charlie. You know your baggage is putting people out of work. You know this because you offered to share the cost of keeping them paid. Shutting down for the season may have been an executive being petulant because you shot your mouth off about him. But it may have been that someone who shoots his mouth off about the boss is either a fool or insane or on drugs. We don't think you are a fool. The remaining options make you a bad business risk. In the end, it is all about the business.
Your bud Kiefer got himself into trouble, too. But he said he was sorry and did his time. And shut up about it. Please follow his example and shut up now.
You really do sound crazy. (And that link was from last week.)
You know I am on your side. You know I was happy as long as you showed up on the set, ready to work, like a professional. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Until you get arrested. And sent to rehab (or jail like Kiefer), in which case you can't show up on the set, ready to work, like a professional.
I agree that Chuck Lorre is a bit much. He created a television show with a main character based on Bad Charlie and then hired you to star in it. You were very good natured about it. We were all in on the joke. But really. No one was surprised to hear that Bad Charlie was making a comeback. Lorre rolled the dice and got, what 8 years of a cash cow show? Dude should be grateful.
But, Charlie. You know your baggage is putting people out of work. You know this because you offered to share the cost of keeping them paid. Shutting down for the season may have been an executive being petulant because you shot your mouth off about him. But it may have been that someone who shoots his mouth off about the boss is either a fool or insane or on drugs. We don't think you are a fool. The remaining options make you a bad business risk. In the end, it is all about the business.
Your bud Kiefer got himself into trouble, too. But he said he was sorry and did his time. And shut up about it. Please follow his example and shut up now.
You really do sound crazy. (And that link was from last week.)
Sunday, February 27, 2011
The Child in Time, by Ian McEwan
Book 12
This McEwan novel, from 1987, tells the story of a successful children's author whose own three-year-old was kidnapped from his cart in a grocery store. He hadn't walked away. His back was turned to face the register. So, grief and loss and coping. Over the next three years, his wife leaves and moves to the country. His closest friend regresses to childhood in what we later understand to be a manifestation of bi-polar disorder. His parents are in declining health.
This book is less about plot, or even about character, than it is a study of the theme that is Time. Complete with a physicist's theorizing on the subject.
The ending is extremely predictable, but satisfying. I liked it better than Amsterdam, but not nearly as much as Saturday.
This McEwan novel, from 1987, tells the story of a successful children's author whose own three-year-old was kidnapped from his cart in a grocery store. He hadn't walked away. His back was turned to face the register. So, grief and loss and coping. Over the next three years, his wife leaves and moves to the country. His closest friend regresses to childhood in what we later understand to be a manifestation of bi-polar disorder. His parents are in declining health.
This book is less about plot, or even about character, than it is a study of the theme that is Time. Complete with a physicist's theorizing on the subject.
The ending is extremely predictable, but satisfying. I liked it better than Amsterdam, but not nearly as much as Saturday.
Blanket Four
Same yarn, different colors: Cranberry, pink, white. Yes, yes. I made a blanket that involved pink. It was because the original color scheme wasn't working and the pink was the only color in that line that really went with the other colors. And now it seems I have a "pattern" - with the 15 blocks and two rows of edging. The Anne Pattern. Except that I am not using it the next time around, because I picked a different type of yarn. Anyway, here it is:
My mother is thinking I don't need to make them so big, but I am still thinking of the older kids that tend to be overlooked. Older kids like pink, right? Sometimes?
My mother is thinking I don't need to make them so big, but I am still thinking of the older kids that tend to be overlooked. Older kids like pink, right? Sometimes?
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Suite Francaise, by Irene Nemirovsky
Book 11
I heard raves about Suite Francaise from other volunteers at the library. I picked it up before the December sale in 2009, and it has been sitting in my bookcase since then.
The history of the book is as interesting as the text. Nemirovsky was a Ukrainian Jew living in Paris when the Germans arrived in 1940. She was already a published writer and had known some success before being arrested and sent to a camp in 1942, where she died. This book contains two of five novellas she had planned - they were lost for years.
A Storm in June is about the mass exodus from Paris in advance of the German Army. The disregard of the characters for other people was disturbing. And perhaps a bit too real. Particularly interesting was the shock, dismay and utter helplessness of the wealthier people when their money couldn't buy the things they needed. Hotel rooms, gasoline, even food.
Dolce chronicles an occupied village. German soldiers are living in the homes of the French families and it is a study of the conquerors and the conquered starting to see each other as real people, as opposed to a faceless enemy. You know something's gotta give.
The sense of perspective here is really impressive, particularly since the author was living it as she was writing it. There was no hint of the concentration camps - merely the concept of "prisoner of war". The world really lost something when it lost Nemirovsky. Damn Nazis.
I heard raves about Suite Francaise from other volunteers at the library. I picked it up before the December sale in 2009, and it has been sitting in my bookcase since then.
The history of the book is as interesting as the text. Nemirovsky was a Ukrainian Jew living in Paris when the Germans arrived in 1940. She was already a published writer and had known some success before being arrested and sent to a camp in 1942, where she died. This book contains two of five novellas she had planned - they were lost for years.
A Storm in June is about the mass exodus from Paris in advance of the German Army. The disregard of the characters for other people was disturbing. And perhaps a bit too real. Particularly interesting was the shock, dismay and utter helplessness of the wealthier people when their money couldn't buy the things they needed. Hotel rooms, gasoline, even food.
Dolce chronicles an occupied village. German soldiers are living in the homes of the French families and it is a study of the conquerors and the conquered starting to see each other as real people, as opposed to a faceless enemy. You know something's gotta give.
The sense of perspective here is really impressive, particularly since the author was living it as she was writing it. There was no hint of the concentration camps - merely the concept of "prisoner of war". The world really lost something when it lost Nemirovsky. Damn Nazis.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Career Day
Weekend Assignment #359: Career Day 2
It's often said that most people will change careers several times over the course of their working lives. If money, age and educational resources were all conducive to your trying another line of work, would you do so? If so, what new career would you choose?
Extra Credit: When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
It's often said that most people will change careers several times over the course of their working lives. If money, age and educational resources were all conducive to your trying another line of work, would you do so? If so, what new career would you choose?
Extra Credit: When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Even if all the stars were aligned, I don't think I would change my line of work. I am good at it, I am compensated appropriately and I love my people.
However, as I have spent my entire career with one employer, I am in a position to take an early retirement. In twenty years, but whatever. When I think about "what I really want to do when I grow up", I am thinking of the Second Career. The Career in Retirement.
I have often said that I want to be the lady at the spa that brings you your ice water with lemon. Because everyone is in a good mood at the spa. And even if they weren't, who the heck yells at the ice water lady? I sometimes think I would like to work in a book store. But there is no way I am going back to retail. Library? I think that if I knew any more about the municipal funding situation, it would just make me insane. I also wonder about teaching part-time. I believe my Master's Degree opens the door to teach at the local community college.
When I was nine, I didn't know if I wanted to be a Dallas Cowboy cheerleader or a Dallas Cowboy. Then I hit puberty and came to the understanding that neither would ever happen. When I was in high school, I wanted to be a financial mogul of some kind. Or maybe a Senator. Then I got to college (in Washington DC) and determined that political types are crazy and I would never be able to run for office with a straight face. Then I took a finance course. Boring. And too much math. That was when I discovered HR, and the rest is history.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
It is Only a Two Day Trip
Things I Forgot to Bring to Washington This Week:
- My passport
- My flight itinerary
- My Blackberry charger (I am just going to leave the one I keep borrowing in the conference room)
- My glasses
- A nail file
- A notebook (who needs to write anything at work, anyway)
Thankfully, I have a CVS here.
BTT: Something Old, Something New
The question was:
All other things being equal–do you prefer used books? Or new books? (The physical speciman, that is, not the title.) Does your preference differentiate between a standard kind of used book, and a pristine, leather-bound copy?
I have often discussed my affinity for used book stores. Half Price Books, library book sales and my own library's used book operation are frequent haunts.
I love that they are cheap. I love that you never know what you are going to find - both the titles and the notes inside. At the same time, I don't often buy used books that are really beaten up. I can't stand creases on the spine, so I rarely buy mass market paperbacks. I won't knowingly buy a book that is underlined or highlighted. Because I have so many books in my queue, I can be very picky about what I am buying. I am never at risk of not having something available that I want to read.
Last year, I read E.L. Doctorow's Ragtime. I didn't check the copy well enough, and there were underlinings and notes at the end of each chapter. They were very distracting and a fabulous book was marred by the thoughts of someone..not that bright. But the book is good enough to keep in my collection! So I am on the lookout for another copy. A nice one. For a dollar or less.
All other things being equal–do you prefer used books? Or new books? (The physical speciman, that is, not the title.) Does your preference differentiate between a standard kind of used book, and a pristine, leather-bound copy?
I have often discussed my affinity for used book stores. Half Price Books, library book sales and my own library's used book operation are frequent haunts.
I love that they are cheap. I love that you never know what you are going to find - both the titles and the notes inside. At the same time, I don't often buy used books that are really beaten up. I can't stand creases on the spine, so I rarely buy mass market paperbacks. I won't knowingly buy a book that is underlined or highlighted. Because I have so many books in my queue, I can be very picky about what I am buying. I am never at risk of not having something available that I want to read.
Last year, I read E.L. Doctorow's Ragtime. I didn't check the copy well enough, and there were underlinings and notes at the end of each chapter. They were very distracting and a fabulous book was marred by the thoughts of someone..not that bright. But the book is good enough to keep in my collection! So I am on the lookout for another copy. A nice one. For a dollar or less.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Drive
Weekend Assignment # 358: Drive
Is driving something you actually enjoy doing, or is it merely a means to an end? Do you ever go for a drive for fun, or revel in certain kinds of driving?
Extra Credit: If time and money were not at issue, and you wanted to go somewhere 500 miles away, would you prefer to drive, be driven, take a train or fly? (Okay, you can also choose to go by boat.)
Is driving something you actually enjoy doing, or is it merely a means to an end? Do you ever go for a drive for fun, or revel in certain kinds of driving?
Extra Credit: If time and money were not at issue, and you wanted to go somewhere 500 miles away, would you prefer to drive, be driven, take a train or fly? (Okay, you can also choose to go by boat.)
Ten years ago, I would have told you that driving was my favorite thing. I loved my car more than I loved my books. I drove just for fun. At that time (my mother recently reminded me), I even enjoyed my commute to and from work. The driving time helped me get my head in the right place in the morning, and decompress on the way home.
No longer.
When my office moved in 2004, my commute became awful. And there is no public transportation option. I could rant all day about this, but listening to other people's traffic stories is boring. Not as boring as listening to other people's dreams, but close. Suffice it to say:
It doesn't just raise my blood pressure every day. It has ruined my favorite thing!
It isn't that it is all that long. It isn't dramatic enough to make me quit my job. I still enjoy a good road trip.
But I understand road rage.
For a 500 miles trip, I generally prefer to drive. For the two hours early you have to be at the airport - each way. And the risk of delays and the pain of airport security. For the convenience of sticking to my own schedule. But for business, I usually fly. It is less expensive for one person. All other things being equal, it won't take as much time. And when I am on my employer's time, it seems more appropriate.
Open road, though. I love the open road.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity, by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn
Book 10
I swiped Half the Sky from my mother, who received it as a gift. Kristof and WuDunn report the stories of women in Africa and Asia that are overcoming some really scary stuff. The subject areas are human trafficking, maternal mortality, rape, honor killings and microfinance. So yeah, it might not be for everyone. Here is their web site:
http://www.halftheskymovement.org/
The authors make a point of saying that statistics are not likely to move people, so they tell us the histories of women and their families. It is a call to action and it might be a bit preachy, but it makes some pretty good arguments that the best way to end poverty and empower communities is to educate their girls. Cable TV coming to rural villages helps. It also analyzes the work of many charitable groups and came to the conclusion that the most successful programs are the grassroots programs that are locally owned. Finally, it notes that the best way to start to get involved is to visit these developing countries.
I think I will do that. Over my mother's dead body.
I am happy to say that two groups my family supports are highlighted: Heifer International and Kiva. While our volunteering has been focused very much in our own communities, these are our favorites for making a difference internationally. Maybe I will look into one more.
I swiped Half the Sky from my mother, who received it as a gift. Kristof and WuDunn report the stories of women in Africa and Asia that are overcoming some really scary stuff. The subject areas are human trafficking, maternal mortality, rape, honor killings and microfinance. So yeah, it might not be for everyone. Here is their web site:
http://www.halftheskymovement.org/
The authors make a point of saying that statistics are not likely to move people, so they tell us the histories of women and their families. It is a call to action and it might be a bit preachy, but it makes some pretty good arguments that the best way to end poverty and empower communities is to educate their girls. Cable TV coming to rural villages helps. It also analyzes the work of many charitable groups and came to the conclusion that the most successful programs are the grassroots programs that are locally owned. Finally, it notes that the best way to start to get involved is to visit these developing countries.
I think I will do that. Over my mother's dead body.
I am happy to say that two groups my family supports are highlighted: Heifer International and Kiva. While our volunteering has been focused very much in our own communities, these are our favorites for making a difference internationally. Maybe I will look into one more.
