Archive for October, 2007

Let's Get Things Rollin'

The Rookie Blogger is holding the first of many contests to help build up a name and traffic to his new blog.

Mike’s fairly new to the game. He’s recently discovered the world of money-making on the internet and is somewhat chronicling his venture.

Part of his plan is to give back to his readers regularly with different contests and such every month.

I wish you well Mike! It can be a bumpy ride, but it’s certainly an interesting one!

If you’d like to help Mike out, and possibly earn $50, you can give your readers a heads up about his contest. You can win through blogging, or genuine comments on his blog between now and the end of November.

*hums crappy song*

So let’s see, what’s going on in the world of Jade? Well not really a damn thing, but I’m bored and feel like rambling, so here goes!

I saw Jamey Monday night after work. We almost literally ran into each other at Wal Mart. Since he left Lowe’s we pretty much don’t see each other anymore. Bastard cut off his text messaging too, so I have no Jamey time. =( I miss my Blue Eyes White Dragon. We’ll hang out Friday at Nick’s party though—or we better ’cause that’s my motivation ;)

I finally got advised and registered for Spring yesterday. I’m really not sure how I always manage to get stuck doing all this at the last minute every semester. There’s like a block in my brain, keeping me from remembering that even though my adviser said she’d send out emails a week before advising begins, she never does. I’ve got to start remembering to make an appointment when I start seeing signs for other departments getting ready for early advisement.

She always makes me feel really comfortable with where I am in school. Yesterday was no different. We got to talking about possibilities for my other secondary emphasis and I found out before she moved to this job, she did big secretarial work (what I’d like to do) and absolutely loved it. She said if she hadn’t fallen into this job, she’d happily continue her work.

She had a really great suggestion for some management classes–I’m not really sure how to explain them, but they fit in really well with my ACED stuff. So I’m taking the intro course and if I like it, I’m in. If not, she’s going to work it in as an elective for me.

Speaking of ACED, I’ve missed the last few classes. I really don’t know why, I’d just wake up those mornings and say forget it, and roll over. I missed an entire chapter on the inner-workings of the new Word 2007. She keeps a daily log of assignments online so you can keep up if you miss a day. I was totally lost. So yesterday I lucked out and it was  a review day. It honestly cracks me up that I can come in for a review of something I never learned and be completely up to speed while someone sitting next to me, who’s been there all along, is still scratching their heads.

Now I need to acquire Word 2007. I don’t remember when/how, but I had the chance to have it, and decided against it because I really didn’t like it. Now that I’ve had some instruction on it, I’m pretty comfortable with it. This is just the first of my typing classes, and now that we’re using it, I feel sure I’m going to see a lot more formatting that I only know how to do in 2007.

[****Girl talk warning****]

I finally went in for my girly appt. today. I’ve been dreading it. I’m still uninsured, so Farber Student Health Center was my only option. I never have much faith in the Health Center. Add to that the discomfort of seeing a new doctor, and then let’s throw in that there were no females available for two weeks, so I had to suck it up and see a male. Most women have a preference as to who they’re more comfortable with when it comes to their nethers. I’m definitely more comfortable seeing a female doctor. Luckily, this guy was really quick. I dealt mostly with the nurse, so I got in all my questions and everything before I got too uncomfortable to remember what my questions were.

He definitely positioned things incorrectly the first time and had to try again….you can imagine how great that felt. Oddly enough, that’s not the first time I’ve had that happen. But still, relatively speedy and we were done. Thank god.

He gave me two packs of Lo Estrin 24 to try and went ahead and gave me a prescription to get them if I like them. Hopefully I’ll see a change in my weight. Lo Estrin is the one where your period is supposed to be less than 4 days, so we’ll see how that goes.

Big television change on the horizon?

Writer’s Strike Deadline is Midnight Tonight

I’ll only summarize to say that basically, Writer’s Guild of America is ready to go on strike. They want a bigger cut of DVD sales–I think that’s the basic gist of everything. Tonight is the deadline for an agreement to be made, or they’ll be on strike. This means shows like The Daily Show and Leno that air daily, will cease almost immediately. Prime time shows all have different amounts of shows already taped before they’ll cut to reruns, and eventually fall off and make way for more reality tv.

Honestly, I’m concerned. No, I don’t spend ridiculous amounts of time watching tv, but the few shows I do watch, I’m quite attached to.

Even if this all gets properly sorted out in time, there’s still an effect as a lot of shows have changed their course so that if they do get cut off where they are, they’ll be set with either a cliffhanger, a season finale-type episode, or something more resolved.

I’m really interested to see where it all goes. I just started watching Pushing Daisies! It just wouldn’t be fair to take it away from me just yet!

Poor NBC….

So NBC has done away with their YouTube channel to start their own site–hulu.com. You can read more about it on their blog. I’m all in favor of the concept of hulu. It looks as though there will be full episodes available, as well as talk of some full length films. My annoyance lies in their reasoning–their motivation.

You can read for yourself what NBC Universal chief executive Jeff Zucker had to say about their past, now ended, partnership with iTunes, but I have a few things I’d like to call bullshit on.

“We know that Apple has destroyed the music business — in terms of pricing — and if we don’t take control, they’ll do the same thing on the video side,”

Wait, you mean that whole thing where people are more likely to actually pay for their music since they can now pay for just that one song instead of having to buy a whole album? I’ve paid for SO much more music than I used to since iTunes came around. I didn’t even do this with Napster, but with iTunes, I’ve already got the software because I need it for my iPod, and oh look! There’s a handy little store where I can use PayPal to pay less than a dollar for a song! I can do that.

NBC originally claimed to be seeking more control over the pricing of songs and videos that it was selling on iTunes, in addition to better piracy controls and more flexibility to bundle video content in an effort to increase revenues.

For its part in the bitter feud, Apple responded by saying NBC was asking for a twofold increase in the wholesale price of its TV show content, which would have resulted in the retail price to iTunes customers increasing to $4.99 per episode from $1.99.

Answering questions at the breakfast Sunday, Zucker offered substantially more color on the iTunes matter, explaining that it was “a relatively easy decision” for NBC to walk away from the Apple download service because it had only earned about $15 million from the service last year in spite of accounting for about 40 per cent of the videos sold on the store.

He said NBC routinely propositioned Apple to breach its standard pricing model and experiment with higher pricing for one hit show such as “Heroes” by raising the price from the iTunes standard $1.99 to $2.99 on a trial basis.

Awl only $15 million? As opposed to nothing? That’s heartbreaking guys…really.

$2.99 or $4.99, either way, charging that much is ridiculous. That’s more than you’ll pay for a physical copy of the show. I understand you’re also paying for the convenience of having it right now, but even at $2.99, I’ll save my $70 to buy the dvds later–for now I’ll download the show and you’ll get nothing. At $1.99, you’re leaving the door open for people not to feel completely ridiculous if they download the show, and then later decide to buy the dvd.


“Apple sold millions of dollars worth of hardware off the back of our content and made a lot of money,” he said. “They did not want to share in what they were making off the hardware or allow us to adjust pricing.”

Wow, you’re giving yourself a whollle lotta credit there darlin. I own an iPod to listen to music. If I can watch episodes of my favorite shows between classes as well, then that’s just icing on the cake, but I don’t currently know anyone who bought an iPod specifically so they could watch tv on it. I’m sure those people are out there, but I feel certain they’re in the minority.

Get over yourselves NBC. You’re a great network, but it’s not up to you to decide it’s time to change the way we watch television online. Especially when you want to bring ridiculous ideas to the table.

You Could Be Happy

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I never really listened to Snow Patrol’s You Could Be Happy until we started playing it in Lowe’s. [Apparently we've now switched to a pretty awesome playlist. I love it!] I recognized it enough to know it was a song I had on my iPod, so I took a listen when I got into the car after hearing it in the store for the first time. Within two days I’m somewhere around 30 listens. I’ve had it on a playlist with just 3 other songs that I’ve kept on repeat.

You could be happy and I won’t know
But you weren’t happy the day I watched you go.

And all the things that I wish I had not said,
Are played in loops till it’s madness in my head.

Is it too late to remind you how we were?
But not our last days of silent screaming blur.

Most of what I remember makes me sure
I should’ve stopped you from walking out the door.

You could be happy I hope you are
You made me happier than I’d been by far

Somehow everything I own, smells of you
and for the tiniest moment it’s all not true.

Do the things that you always wanted to
Without me there to hold you back, don’t think just do

More than anything I want to see you girl
Take a glorious bite out of the whole world

My heart breaks for the narrator here. I think we’ve all been there at some point. You let it all come crashing down, and when the debris settles, you’re left realizing what you just let go–what you pushed away and gave up without a fight. It’s too late to get it back, and you’ve made peace with that, and now you can only hope they’ve found what they need to make peace as well. They can’t be happy with you, time has run out on that possibility, so you just hope they’ve been able to find the happiness they deserve elsewhere.

What a freeing, yet, heartbreaking feeling.

—————-
Now playing: Snow Patrol – You Could Be Happy
via FoxyTunes

*snort*

If you ever need a laugh, might I suggest a YouTube search? Just type in screaming frog and go to town. I laughed until I snorted. It’s so bizarre that they can make such noises!

Here’s one to get you started.

Tiny Vessels

Last week Kristi brought it to my attention that I was missing a few Death Cab songs–how, I’m really not sure. She sent me Tiny Vessels and man…I was really missing out by not having this one. Really, it’s just so tragically beautiful. [I can't seem to configure the way this template handles the 'more' tag, so I won't be using it.]

This is the moment that you know
That you told her the you loved her but you don’t.
You touch her skin and then you think
That she is beautiful but she don’t mean a thing to me.
Yeah, she is beautiful but she don’t mean a thing to me.

I spent two weeks in Silver Lake
The California sun cascading down my face
There was a girl with light brown streaks
And she was beautiful but she didn’t mean a thing to me.
Yeah she was beautiful but she didn’t mean a thing to me.

I wanted to believe in all the words that I was speaking
As we moved together in the dark
And all the friends that I was telling
And all the playful misspellings
And every bite I gave you left a mark

Tiny vessels oozed into your neck
And formed the bruises
That you said you didn’t want to fade
But they did and so did I that day

All I see are dark grey clouds
In the distance moving closer with every hour
So when you ask “Is something wrong?”
That I think “You’re damn right there is but we can’t talk about it now.
No, we can’t talk about it now.”

So one last touch and then you’ll go
And we’ll pretend that it meant something so much more
But it was vile, and it was cheap
And you are beautiful but you don’t mean a thing to me
Yeah you are beautiful but you don’t mean a thing to me [x2]

—————-
Now playing: Death Cab For Cutie – Tiny Vessels
via FoxyTunes

Techno-cited

Oh Ebay–the joy you bring me! My external harddrive went a little crazy on me earlier this evening, as per usual, so I decided to browse Ebay again for a replacement. I found a superthin, new, 80gb external for around $50 after shipping. I went ahead and bought it. I currently have about 50gb on my external, so I can finally back those up and maybe take this one in to see what its problem is.

After that, I was feelin’ kinda lucky so I started looking around for the GPS system I want to get Ryan for Christmas. I found it! There’s a seller who currently has about 8 up that end in less than 24 hours. Only 2 of them have bids going on so far, and all of them are under $21, WITH shipping. They’re refurbished, but Ryan doesn’t need a brand new one anyway, and they come with all the accessories he’d need and I checked feedback and it looks like they sell a lot of these refurbished GPS systems and they have glowing feedback on all of them! I’m really excited about that! I just hope it doesn’t fall through in the last hour, but luckily I should be home by then to keep an eye out. Oh yeah, and these are still in the $500 range-retail.

I checked out the mp3 player he wants as well, and it looks like I have a fighting chance of scoring one for under $50. I’m not focusing a lot on that one right now. Most of the auctions I’m looking at have a few days left, so things could take a big turn.

I’ll be excited enough if I can grab this GPS…being able to get the mp3 player would just be a bonus. The only problem will be keeping them from him until Christmas! I already decided I’d give him the GPS a little early if we go to Louisiana though. Those trips are what they’re best for, might as well make sure he’s getting good use out of it, rather than just using it around Jacksonville.  I want to snag it for a day or so to look for little places I’ve never been able to find in Valdosta. Some people swear there are some decent bakeries here, but I’ve never been able to find one!

Anyway, let’s everyone send Jade your lucky vibes now.

Rocky Road

Generally speaking, I’m not a huge fan of ice cream. I like it plenty, and I won’t hesitate to dig in, but it’s not something that goes through my mind when I’m craving something.

Lately though, I’ve been on a huge ice cream kick, and I believe I’ve settled on my flavor. Rocky Road does it for me.

As for pre-packaged, I’ve gone through a number of brands, and the one that really stands out for me is Haagen Dazs. Why? It’s all about the marshmallow cream. That’s right, no puffy little marshmallows here, they break out the big dogs! They use almonds, which is a huge plus in my book, but they definitely use too many. I’d like to see them be a little more consistent with the amount of marshmallow cream they use, and a little less overindulgent with the almonds.

Edy’s brings in a close second with their incredibly gooey marshmallows. They also use almonds, but I don’t feel like they overdo it. If I remember correctly, they use marshmallows that are a little larger than average, and almost as gooey as the cream. Mmm.

We have a Marble Slab here in town; you may have one under the name Coldstone, or maybe something entirely different. They mix your ice cream and ingredients freshly, right there in front of you. This is a whole new game.

I’m working on perfecting my personal Rocky Road. Their basic is chocolate ice cream, crushed pecans, marshmallows and chocolate chips. For certain–mine has to be in a waffle bowl. [For those not familiar, this is a waffle cone, only it's shaped to fit inside a small bowl--they're much easier to eat, as you can just squeeze your little plastic bowl and viola, it's broken up and easier to mix in with your ice cream!] Last time the only adjustment I made was to lay off the nuts. That was so close to perfection! The only problem is that the chocolate chips are too sweet for the ice cream. They overpower it, and there are too many. I believe next time I’m going to substitute in the chocolate sprinkles. [This will probably be sometime today since I now have Rocky Road on the brain...] Sometime in the near future, I want to also try adding in just a touch of the shaved almonds they have. Part of me feels they’d be perfect proportion-wise, but at the same time, with them being so thin, I can see them being overpowered. Only one way to find out though!

I think it’s safe to say that whether I’m going with fresh, or something pre-mixed, it’s the chocolate ice cream/marshmallow combo that really gets me.

Something about a s’mores ice cream caught my eye while looking things up, as I’ve also considered using graham cracker crumbles in place of the nuts, but generally, graham cracker crumbles end up being stale. So far though, I haven’t been able to find this ice cream. If anyone knows anything about it, give me a heads up!

Alright already!

So of course Ryan’s always gone when parties pop up, so I don’t really feel like I should go. I’m ‘theatre by association.’ I ‘know’ most of the people I’d see, but not really enough to have a grand old time at a party.

That’s not good enough for the roommates and neighbors though. They all think I’m being anti-social when I don’t go. Whatever.

So tonight I went to the Halloween party. I didn’t know until the last minute that it was costume, so I threw on some pj’s and went as a sleepwalker. At least I was comfortable. There were some pretty awesome costumes though. Rio and Patrick came dressed as each other. That was pretty amazing. Someone dressed as Little Miss Sunshine and did her routine for us. There was also 3 hole punch Jim, which I had considered going as. Now I really wish I had gone as Dwight, we could’ve enjoyed that. There were some less interesting costumes as well (mine included). At least three that I can remember that were just shirt and tie–A CIA agent with badge, a Realtor with a condos for sale sign, and a guy from Office Space with a bat. We were all pretty comfy though, lol.

Anyhow, there was literally a time when I sat alone, playing solitaire on my phone. Woo.

I did get comfortably drunk though, and it’s been a while, so I at least enjoyed that aspect.

The evening had its moments, but not enough to convince me that the next one will be worth going to. I’ll stick to Parkview gatherings, thanks. At least here, I can always retreat to my comfy computer chair if things go lame.

I mean, tonight couldn’t have been too great–I’m still typing accurately! Not exactly a sign of merry drunkenness!

I do, however, greatly desire Waffle House right now…

Anyhow, from now on, when they ask me if I’m going to the party, I can say no, and have a reason. No more peer pressure, dammit!

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