purple and not-for-profit: July 2004

quick morning updates

Nothing work talking about this morning, except realizing that the Democratic Party is right - it is hard to get by on one salary ;). I'm currently breaking even, which means I need a second job. Any ideas?

unhappily morning

unfortunately i realized im now too awake to go back to bed, but not awake enough to go to work. so im warming yesterday's coffee and settling down to post.

Blog Roundup
I updated my links on the side of the page, and decided to use my LJ to put stuff i dont want to put on here. LJ will also do password protected stuff, and as an additional feature, I love the "friends" page. Every LJ I read regularly, I'll friend, and then be able to look at on one page. Granted, I'm still not good at keeping up with anyone's.

amy's site hasn't changed much - except i feel that i disagree with her more. i guess that can all come crashing down when i write my book - why i'm not a libertarian. I do have to give libertarian's credit - aside from having great internship programs, many of them also actually think about their views and can explain, defend, and discuss them. So they deserve much respect. Julian in that same vein, also keeps up both his own personal notes, but also Reason's Hit and Run.

Now, on to those of my friends wandering around the world...Aaron, Carissa, and Erin are all in Hong Kong/Thailand, via Japan, Japan, and Holland respectively. Aaron will be back in about 2 weeks, and his boxes will arrive at my work in a few months :). I'm, by the way, ecstatic about aaron being back. Jenny returns from her polish scam in a few days, only to run off to yet another avoidance of real life in a few weeks.

A newish friend, Gwen, is wandering around hollywood, looking for a cure for entropy and poor reality TV, and Stina is enjoying her 77 day weekend, this time in Maine, fresh off her visit to my house. Storey is still being cryptic out on the left coast, and is currently on phone strike from me. Wanna know what that means? Return messages, and you will :). James Layman is on my list of friends because he's moving closer, and i want to entertain him while he's wasting away at GULC. GLUG even. And i can do dances for both him and for brenda, who's in the night program.

Finally, Andrea isn't updating for the summer, and Neil seems to have hit a snag in his job-hunting, and so is now law-student hunting.

Those are the blogs I try to read regularly. I occasionally read Dave Barry's blog (but im reading it during the convention because of his fight with the Post) and other such staples. Perhaps as I up my time at my desk, I'll find some more.

Seven minute break
I'm not talking about this here, but I'm moderating. Keeping count even, to adjust my habits. Its working, and it will work to eliminate, someday.

Work Roundup
The big boss, in my boss' weekly "call" said "Kate seems to be much happier in her new job. She even seems to fit in well, even though she's not black." I thought this was hysterical, especially since the other members of my office and I share many racial views, and other political views. Even though I mockingly "mess up the color scheme of the office" I do fit in well. (Menckles could probably relate, if she knew i had a website) Keith also commented that as soon as I moved jobs, I seemed to get an attitude that matched my other office mates - I remarked it was always there, but the attitude was unable to be expressed in my other position. All in all, I'm having a good time, but BTS is about to start. 8/4 - shit hits the fan :). I also had such a great customer service call last night - I could even answer her questions about where to find the Virginia Standards of Learning for Physics. Finally, Nina sends me this gem - poor woman got a disciplinary hearing, but if we all read her book, we'd all see that she was right :).

Alright, no more stalling - time to shower, go to the sev for more coffee, and then the train to DC.

stupid movie survey

I am not surprised i had so few movies rated :) more soon, when the computer isn't being funky!

Update
Moved it to my LJ where it wouldnt do funny things with my template. So if you want to see it, take a look at this.

I really do not read many books or watch many movies that other people consider good :).

evening update

Hello! Entertaining weekend...

First, gabe's play, fauxgers was entertaining, and a lovely salute to coffee. its too bad he's leaving work, but its at least a possibility that ill still talk to him. besides, in a strange twist, i know his sister ariel through jenny, and not through gabe.

Next, dating a Red sox fan is hard work. VERY stressful. Eric does point out that the Red Sox in their ugly red uniforms are also buying into Teresa Heinz's ketchup-scented clothing line.

Then, in that same vein, every guy I ever brought home broke the ice with my father by talking about the Red Sox. WHY ON EARTH couldnt John Kerry on ESPN tonight break the ice with America, talking about the Red Sox?

Finally, required watching for people in my line of work: The Perfect Score. I thought it was going to be painfully idiotic, but in many places it was hysterical. The sxtoned, buy yet shakespearean-fool-like Roy was my favorite.

Back to dishes :)

evening update

Books
Leshon suggested that i should read Margaret Atwood with her...I'm still looking for more suggestions! Greg has a copy of the Naval History of the War of 1812 by TR for me to drool over, but that doesn't get me out of the rut of American history. (plus, after tonight's party, I left it at the house) Chris Todd also has a copy of the book from the guy who thinks the chinese discovered North America, but Eric will read that first anyway.

Political Fashion
Nancy Pelosi bought into Teresa Heinz Kerry's line of "ketchup scented clothing" (jon stewart) for her CNN walkby tonight.

Go DC!
The Democratic Party's platform, for the first time since 1988 does not include a plant for DC Statehood. DC Democrats decided to take that matter into their own hands by threatening to nominate DC Congressional Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton for VP in order to give her a speaking slot on the night of Edwards' nomination. I'm a little annoyed that they completely capitulated on their criticism of the DemParty once Eleanor was given a prime time speaking slot on the night that Kerry is nominated, but at least she got it. More on this issue later.

thank you also to the DC Politics Hour (my favorite show on WAMU) for bringing this to my attention :).

Finally....
Thank you to Storey, Neil and Julian, all who found my blog :). I'll try to make it worth reading. Now I'm off to bed, because tomorrow involves driving to norristown to look at a new car.

friday's morning musings :)

I must be one of the few people in the world who actually requests time off of work for vacation and then forgets to take it. I am ameliorating that problem this morning, because i took the day off :).

Today's discussion is about books. I am on an active quest to expand my reading list. Suggestions are constantly being taken. Some of the books I've read recently...

Why American's Hate Politics by E.J. Dionne. He wrote this book after the 1988 election, looking at some of the issues he hoped we be resolved in the 1990s. Its a pretty scathing evaluation of both sides of the aisle, and nicely done. Unfortunately, more people didn't read it in the 1990s, and we are where we are today. It also has an opinion on Democratic party's liberal perspective that juxtaposes nicely to Jules Witcover's Party of the People a history of the Democratic party.

Junk Books: I've reread assorted Harry Potters, I Robot (for the first time, I had never read it before), and anything else lying around the apartment.

Christopher Moore's Practical Demonkeeping, Fluke or I know why the Winged Whale Sings, and Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff. I am in complete agreement with Greg. Christopher Moore gets better each book he writes - PD being the first of his, and Lamb being the best of the group. I would reccomend all three of these books (but especially Lamb) to anyone who is looking for entertaining reading. I have reread Lamb at least 5 times, I think it is that entertaining.  FOIKWTWWS is pretty good as well, and PD is a nice introduction.   I'll have to surf used bookstores for more of his books.

Edmund Morris' The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt - I really like TR and this biography (granted, obviously Morris loves the guy) is really well written. I actually read Theodore Rex first before I realized the two books went together and the first one was even better. I have reread these volumes a few times since purchasing them this past fall. Anyone who has a soft spot for progressive republicans should read these books, and they are a nice insight into this president.

Katharine Graham's Washington - It wasn't until I reread this book that I realized exactly how much I liked it. It is a series of vignettes from other authors that are all discussions of pieces of Washington history. She wrote introductions to each piece, however, she died halfway through the book, but co-authors did finish and publish the book. I want to read about half the books that are quoted, but I would REALLY need to surf used bookstores for essays by Alice Roosevelt Longworth and Merry Go Round. I also did read Katharine Graham's Personal History and I need to return it to Emily. I was at a Post luncheon and was upset when I didn't win the copy of that book ;).

An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy by Robert Dallek - an extremely readable biography of JFK that didn't seem to be fawning (like some) or hateful (like others). It was relatively balanced, and was in general a good read.

Where is my nose currently: Night and Day by Virginia Woolfe. Leshon is reading her diaries, and has decided to read each book as its mentioned. I mentioned I had never read Virginia Woolfe and she bought me a used copy of Night and Day so we could read it together.  I'm taking real care with it - I've actually now read the first six chapters twice, and some of them three times just to make sure I don't read so fast that I miss something important. We're going to have lunch and talk about the book.

Now the fun part....what SHOULD I read?
-Stina has reminded me how much I like Isabel Allende.  I started going through paperback fiction at Jess and Greg's alphabetically and soon stumbled on Allende. I loved the House of the Spirits and Eva Luna but the rest Jess had in spanish. I need to go to a bookstore and find some of her.
-Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis - because I love American history and it is supposed to be excellent. I'm waiting for Cokie Robert's Founding Mothers to come out in paperback, used.
-You may notice a pattern here - I read a LOT of history and biography. However, i'm trying to expand my horizons - help me out :) make suggestions :).

ok, they're fixed.

ok, comments are fixed.

Morning Musings

Since I now go into work later than I used to, I have some time in the mornings to write inane things on my blog. Actually, what I've done for the past few has been play with website related things - trying to actually host this on purplepen, which ive done a good imitation of (until some people picked up comcast as my address....booo...use purple pen!), and play with money-related things. I am going to be unsuccessful in my attempted acquisition of a car this weekend, and just generally unsuccessful in my quest to be independent. I'm not sure how people do it - i know people don't make much more than I do, and I'm not sure how they end up paying more and living much better than I do.

Leshon pointed out to me that many of them are living off of credit cards, and stuff like that, and Mark (indirectly) provided an example of people's parents just supporting them - purchasing condos for them, etc. I don't understand it - I feel like prices are spiraling out of control, but I'm still trying to live independently, pay for my own education (well, through my own loans ;) and manage my own finances, purchase a car (no bank would ever take a chance on me) and live my own life.

I never recieved any financial education from my parents or through school, and within a year of attempting independence i was in serious trouble. That trouble continued to dog me, and continues to dog me, and i dont know how i got into it, let alone how to get out of it. Now I'm trying to pull my life back together, financially, educationally, and emotionally, and all i keep asking is "why can't I ever catch a break?" which is ridiculous, because there are lots in worse circumstances. Actually, I dont want to meet one who is worse than me (because I can't say I know many personally), but I want to meet one who WAS worse than me, and has made herself better.

Oh well.

are you reading?

Hey, are you reading my site? If you are, comment, so I know my audience :)

another one...

Hello to no one who is reading my blog! I'm finally, after a lot of soul-searching and several false starts, restarting my blog.

I have done some research on what people do on their blogs. I have seen people who use a blog to comment on news with their political views, to mock, to inform others about their embarrassing illnesses, to make cryptic comments, to make themselves look better than other people with blogs, to start revolutions of words, to get previously unpopular ideas into the mainstream, to be pretentious, to give us too much information, to comment on other blogs, to document every time they use the bathroom, or to make inane comments. You'll probably get a piece of almost every type on this website. You can guess which ones I will avoid :).

But first, why is this the purple pen.org? Primarily, because my life is not-for-profit :). However, it isn't because purple has surfaced as my favorite color. Actually, a study conducted by the Pilot corporation and published in an article on finding Irish jobs. Read the study - its silly, but interesting :). By the way, I have about 40 pens at my desk, many purple.

purple and not-for-profit

Friday, July 30, 2004

quick morning updates

Thursday, July 29, 2004

unhappily morning

Wednesday, July 28, 2004

stupid movie survey

Sunday, July 25, 2004

evening update

Saturday, July 24, 2004

evening update

Friday, July 23, 2004

friday's morning musings :)

Thursday, July 22, 2004

ok, they're fixed.

Morning Musings

Wednesday, July 21, 2004

are you reading?

another one...

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