Brain freeze

I've been busy with endless deadlines and emergency requests at work. I was so tired today that I thought to myself, "I can't remember if the city in Turkey is called Istanbul or Constantinople." Three minutes later, this song came on the radio. It was surreal... for so many reasons.

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In other news, I love Gweneth Paltrow. This week's episode of Glee was the first one I've enjoyed this season.

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After spending A LOT of time with extreme extroverts lately, I realized that two qualities I really value in others are the ability to think carefully and the ability to listen thoughtfully. I know a lot of people who regularly think things through, and several good listeners, but only two or three people who regularly do both. I really treasure their friendship. I am not always the world's greatest listener myself (the thinking takes over sometimes and I start going off on tangents), so I'm grateful that they put up with me. Introverts FTW!

Random question

Is anyone else so afraid of X-rays that you'd rather disrobe completely at the airport than go through one of the full-body scanners? When you read articles that compare the level of radiation exposure to the amount of radiation you'd be exposed to on the plane, do you decide that maybe travel doesn't sound so fun after all?

Just me? Sigh.

I realize I'm in the minority, but I'm not afraid of plane crashes or terrorists - I'm afraid of radiation poisoning and cancer. (I sort of blame one of my aunts for my phobia; when I was about five or six she told me that using microwave ovens and electric blankets would cause all my hair to fall out.)

For the record, I'm not just afraid of radiation exposure at airplanes and airports. I'm also afraid of granite countertops, cell phones, faulty medical equipment, and radioactive soil. I'm highly suspicious of the massive power grid near my condo, my car, my computer, and my household appliances.

However, even though I'm a paranoid weirdo, I'm also a realist. I will continue to talk on my cell phone and use my appliances (although I don't microwave any plastic). If it's a choice between being a part of modern society and being a hermit in the woods, I vote for facing my fears. I never liked camping that much anyway. (I'll save my discussion of my fear of tree roaches for another post.)

I still refuse to use an electric blanket, though. Old habits die hard.

5 Thoughts Friday

I've had a few topics swirling around in my head this week, competing against each other to become full-fledged blog posts.

Usually when I get more than one idea at a time, they end up engaging in a death match in my brain that no one wins (especially me). None of the topics ever get written about and I just give up and post a love letter to bananas or something. But since I can't eat bananas anymore (sigh), I figured I might as well write previews of the posts that (let's face it) will probably remain unfinished.

1. Cookies and Cream Cheesecake Cupcakes

I made these cupcakes a couple of weeks ago. They were my first attempt at any sort of cheesecake, and they were *amazing*.

I took pictures and everything, ready to tell you all about the cupcakes, and to document my plans for mini cupcakes. Then my camera battery died and I couldn't find my charger, and the hard drive on my home computer filled up and I had to get a new backup drive, and... well, let's face it. I don't really need excuses to procrastinate. When the universe actually provides me with excuses? I can't help myself.

2. "Sorry I haven't posted"

I may have changed my mind about "Sorry I haven't posted" posts after following a link to this site. Holy moly!

Then again, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't enjoy reading a whole bunch of "first posts," or "I'm pregnant" posts, or even "I won the lottery!" posts in aggregate either (well, unless the lottery winners were like these folks).

3. The political party I have decided to found

This one was inspired by watching a combination of too much South Park (I know) and political coverage (I know).

I have decided to create a new political party. I will call it the Hindsight Party.

We won't actually have a political platform or say anything specific about what we actually plan to do. Oh no. "Doing things" can get you into trouble. We'll just run a lot of political ads that showcase what the other political parties did wrong.

I figure we'll be able to make a strong run in about 10 years. I already have our slogan:

"Hindsight 2020!"

4. Internet mobs

I've been following this story, mostly because it seems to be following what I've decided to call The Typical Pattern of Internets Drama. (Some perpetual grad student somewhere should totally do a case study...)

The mob starts out relatively harmless: build up of dismay/outrage as the story spreads; various celebrities weigh in; servers temporarily crash; Facebook fan page overrun with angry comments that evolve (devolve?) into a (rather funny) meme; etc.

However, at a certain point in the life cycle of every internet mob, the REAL crazy people jump in. (You recognize them by their valid-sounding threats to do things that could probably land them in jail.) Watching their antics on Facebook and elsewhere can get a little bit frightening.

Still. I can't look away.

5. The kitteh

Someone dumped a kitten in our parking lot on election night. It was one of the first cold nights of the year, and it was scared, cold, and crying as loudly as it could.

I wanted to help the kitten, but there were several problems. First, Bailey is pretty sure that kittens are a delicacy of which we have been depriving him for his entire life. (It is part of his "they save all the *good* food for themselves" conspiracy theory.) I didn't want to tempt fate (or Bailey) too much by bringing a helpless kitten into the house.

Second, I'm super allergic to cats. The last time I stayed the night in a house with a cat, I had to spend the next day hooked up to a breathing machine in my doctor's office, listening to a lecture about otherwise healthy people who have died from asthma because they didn't get to a hospital in time. Again, I figured it was best not to tempt fate.

Lastly, it was 2:00 a.m., too late to call any of my cat rescue-y friends. (I did attempt a couple of texts. I hope karmic retribution won't be too bad.)

I filled a box with blankets and hot water bottles, put out some food and water, told my neighbor I'd deal with the kitten in the morning if she'd just please stop chasing it away with a broom for one night, and tucked the kitten in on our front porch.

(Spoiler alert: one of my friends adopted the kitten the next morning. Kitten and family are doing well.)

***THE END***

P.S. My brain feels better. Have a nice weekend!

Thoughts on diction

I just saw a sign at a bank that said "Servicing Austin for over 14 years!"

I guess that's technically correct, but I would have gone with "serving Austin" myself. I don't really want to think about my bank "servicing" me. Maybe my mind is in the gutter, but the wording made me immediately think of things I don't want my bank doing to me. [I encourage banking-related puns in the comments.]

The wording on the sign reminded me of a customer service promotion at the grocery store that drove me absolutely bonkers:

Managers: We want you to provide OUTRAGEOUS customer service!"
Jane: Really. Outrageous. You're sure about that?
Managers: Absolutely! We want our customers to TALK about the service they get here.
Jane: Um, I think customers not talking about us at all would be better than having them call our customer service "outrageous."
Managers: Silly girl.
Jane: Oh whatever.

As tempted as I was to actually provide "outrageous" customer service, I was too much of a chicken. Oh well.

P.S. On a tangentially related note, is 14 years really a long time? Am I just getting old?