closets

why is it that we can so easily throw something we have no present use for into a closet and think nothing of it, but when it comes time to clean out the closets and determine an actual verdict for the item, it becomes ridiculously challenging?
i know this sounds obvious, but even as someone who doesn't have too much attachment to material things/clothes (ok, unless you count my computer/ipod/cds), i still find it really tough to determine which pile to throw these things. the trash bag is so permanent, the giveaway is a bit easier, but its really easy to just refold, rehang, or pack away and keep the damn thing.
i guess i have to keep telling myself that you can't take it with you, but i don't know if that's gonna get me anywhere or not.
i'm determined to get this done today, though, and i've gotta say that putting away/getting rid of heavy winter clothes is a hell of a lot easier to do when it's nearly 80 degrees out and the breeze is blowing through my room as i sort it all out. my attachment to gross wool sweaters and old pants becomes significantly diminished!

spring

i know this is going to sound sappy and i just don't care.
spring is my complete favorite season, and it's pretty much officially here.
all of my windows are open, the breeze is warm, and after a brief shower this morning, the sun is shining. my kitty is lying on the windowsill, and my neighborhood is calm and quiet-i love being the only person home on this block in the week. one of my neighbors behind me was actually mowing his lawn earlier and it smelled wonderful.
it's gonna be in the upper 60's and 70's for the rest of my spring break, and i don't think that i can possibly ever go back to work or school. there is just no way that i can give this up!

St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Women in Public Restrooms

So, I don't read the print version of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (one, I don't feel like buying it, two, I already HAD to subscribe to the WSJ, which I don't always get to read even though I am paying for it, and three, it's mediocre journalism at best), but I DO read the online version. I am not sure if what is considered the "lead story" on their website is actually the front page lead on the paper version, but if so, today's is just sad. I have not been a big fan of the paper since I was old enough to have an opinion on it (probably sometime in high school, when I learned how to write), and over the years I have seen more and more people end their subscriptions.

Anyway, if the Post editorial staff actually though that an article about the number of restrooms in the new Busch is front and center material, then there is something seriously wrong with them. Yes, we are very excited as a city/metropolitan area about our fancy-schmancy new stadium. But honestly. I am pretty sure that there are far more newsworthy (read: important!) topics that deserve that space.

I DID read the offendingly placed article, and of course, I have an opinion on it as well.

WHY is it ok for the city Building Commissioner to decide which building/plumbing code he wants to follow? And WHY are state laws that pertain to building standards NOT incorporated into the current codes? Otherwise, aren't they just pointless? I don't think that ignorance is any excuse, but I feel quite comfortable in saying that most contractors/architects, etc. are NOT going to go through the latest state laws and provisions to make sure that they didn't miss anything not mentioned in the building code. Getting people to follow the code is probably hard enough (though I don't make any excuses for a huge firm like HOK). Sidenote: Joni used to work for them, back in the day.

But as far as the whole women not getting an equal number of toilets as the men, well, get over it. There are more than in the old Busch, there is one more actual women's restroom than men's, and it's pretty damn obvious that urinals take up less space than the whole toilet, stall conglomeration. I personally don't think there is any reason to spend more than 1 minute peeing at the stadium (unless I have REALLY been drinking ;)), but even with all the distractions women tend to include in their bathroom trips, the lines really do tend to move quickly. Also, if they were to include the extra 30 or so stalls, that is just going to take away from revenue-generating square-footage and I hope everyone realizes how much money the new stadium will bring the City (once we pay for it, of course).

And FINALLY, what would women have to complain about if there were suddenly no more long lines at the restrooms?
Ha!

stealing jerry's post

but i just can't help mention it as well. people don't realize that things are as bad as they really are. i know, i hate all those doom and gloom people, too, but i think it's just too big of a deal to not make a huge fuss about.
think about it.

'bout time

this is just brilliant. it's about time metro put a little more effort into getting people to think of them as a viable means of transportation. the better the reputation our public transportation system has, the more people might think of st. louis as a decent place to visit or even live. and that is excellent for everyone and everything. when i went to chicago last fall, being able to check out different routes on the CTA's website made me a lot more comfortable with the names of the routes and where i could expect to find them. of course, when we got there, i realized that you could more or less stand on any street and get a bus that will take you where you needed to go. st. louis is still a long way from there, but we'll take any improvements we can get.

and on that same note...

i have come to the realization that i am going to have to buy a new ipod before i go to Ireland. i mean, there is just NO f-ing way I can decide which mere 4 gig's i want to take with me for a whole month. nope. and i am so jealous of nina's cute new one, and i can't help myself. so yeah, less than a year since i bought the mini, i'm gonna have to break down and go for the 30 gig-at least.
well, not quite yet, i'm gonna have to save like crazy but i know it will be worth it. and i don't care if they put a new version out like two weeks after i buy mine, either. i still love it, it's just too small. and i can totally ebay it, too. there is a broken one on there selling for like $65 (maybe for the battery?!).
yes, i know i am a dork.

new music

sometimes you just get in a rut and listen to the same stuff and for awhile its great cause you just love the band and you couldn't imagine ever wanting to hear anything but them. but then, after say two months of nothing but the same three albums on shuffle, you come to the realization that you are completely out of touch with new music anymore and its time to see what you have been missing. or time to rediscover a band who has since released like three new albums since you last paid them any attention and you wonder why you ever stopped listening to them in the first place.
yesterday i went to vintage for the first time in a while, (probably cause i buy most cds online nowadays, horrible, i know, but i love ups. and amazon.com), and i found a used copy of a cd i have been meaning to check out, so of course i had to grab it. anyone that likes modest mouse would most likely enjoy holopaw. different, but in the same vein.
andrew also got a new cd which i think is super great, too, and anyone who likes wilco, etc, should check this out.
but the one i am the most excited about is the new Mates of State. i have liked these guys for awhile now, and i will never forget seeing them live on the teensy little stage at the rocket bar back in the days when it seemed like there was just so much awesome music out there and every day i would hear something new and wonderful and different. not to wax sentimental or anything, but it seems like that in just a few years, beyond getting older and a bit more cynical, it also seems like everyone has a band and everyone isn't so great. and also, it feels like sometimes you grow up, and the bands that seemed so relevant to your life back then just didn't grow up with you, and you just have to leave them behind.
but mates of state have proved to be different, and i can't believe that i completely missed their 2003 LP and 2004 EP, but that just means i have two more cds to buy, which is not something i'm gonna complain about.
there is a pretty detailed review of the new mates album at pitchfork but i say just go buy it. it's great.
and it gives me hope that there still is so much super great relevant music out there for me to find. and trust me, as soon as i hear about it, i will make sure i go on and on about it here ;)

Plagiarism

Newsflash: Something apparently isn't plagiarism if the words you use are all from the dictionary. This is according to a brilliant "journalist" named Ben Domenech who wrote for the Washington Post. He has since resigned, due to the allegations surrounding his questionably written columns.
It boggles my mind that ANYONE who writes in the public forum would try to get away with plagiarism these days, given that it takes any college professor all of five minutes to determine if some suspiciously worded paper is legit or not, simply through the wonder and beauty that is google. So how could any newspaper columnist actually think that no one would bother to check up on them from time to time?
I used to think that plagiarism at the college level was only undertaken by the rare lazy stupid lying cheat but apparently that's not the case, either. My retirement planning class has had at least three different lectures on plagiarism, yet with each subsequent assignment it continues to be an issue. I also think that this particular professor is one of the exceptional ones who actually checks (outside the English department) if their essays and assignments have been plagiarized. It just really makes me mad, that's all.

weird

call me crazy, but this is the second time i have noticed this in the past week.
california pizza kitchen frozen pizzas smell a helluva lot like weed when they are baking.
and no, andrew, it wasn't the same MARGHERITA kind, it was the four cheese.
my guess is that it's the dried basil, but damn.
perhaps it's to entice you to eat more of their delicious frozen pizzas?
like i really need to be eating any more junk food, but i needed something to make it through studying for my estate planning exam tomorrow, so pizza it is.

it may be 11:30 at night....

but i am baking. that's right, the delicious scent of oatmeal raisin cookies is wafting through my apartment right this very moment. here's to hoping most of 'em make it out the door tomorrow for the bbq at work.
i should totally be doing homework right now, but baking feels like a very productive way of procrastinating!
two more days of class before spring break, though. i am really really really looking forward to it.

humanity

sometimes i just like reading this shit to see how truly f-ed up humanity really can be.
and how honest, or afraid, or whatever.
sometimes its just downright retarded though.

stuff

1. today is the first day of spring. and as most of you are aware, its sleeting right now and doesn't look like we'll top 50 degrees all week.
2. yay for classes being cancelled, even if you still have to go to your late one and get a test back that you (and everyone else in the class) totally bombed.
3. being broke=eating way too much pesto pasta/tomato soup with water instead of milk....sometimes i open the fridge/pantry ten times a day and think, hey, maybe i will magically see something that wasn't there before! but no. there's nothin new. i DO have three bottles of mustard, however! ha!
4. next week is my last spring break (hopefully) and also a vaycay from target. partying hard in the lou all week, i'm sure ;)
5. i spent $900 last night. it WAS on a plane ticket to ireland, but it makes me cringe still just thinking about it.

and now for something of actual merit: the city of st. louis has actually orchestrated the creation of a "mulitimodal" transit center near the current downtown amtrak station. it will connect people with the amtrak, metrolink, metrobus, and greyhound, and groundbreaking is set to take place in a matter of days on March 30th (citizens for modern transit AND kwmu article) it should be ready in under 2 years, and is going to be fantastic for this city. imagine if you were from out of town and took the train to the previous "amshack" station (today it's a bit nicer, but still it's underneath the flippin interstate on a crappy half-gravel lot). what do you think your initial impression of st. louis would be? not good at all. and you would have no choice but to take a cab to get off said gravel lot and to any other form of transportation.
i find this all quite timely, what with the looming cross-county metrolink extension (used the new forest park station last week, super cool! its huge and feels like another city!), and further improvements to boost ridership and service on amtrak (for those who also pay to read the wsj). i'm a fan of the texas eagle train myself, and i am thrilled that people are looking at alternate forms of transportation and supporting mass transit in any way.
woohoo!

the countdown

for my trip to ireland is gonna begin today.
coincidently, it's 100 days away.
sweet.

sometimes...

people just can't be satisfied. today at work i helped this lady at the video game cases. she had pressed the little button that sends a message over our walkies that says someone needs help in ______ department. it then tells them on a recorded message that someone will be there to help them within 60 seconds.
i get there and she is like, "man, that 60 seconds thing is crazy" (or something). i ignore her comments, thinking she felt it was too long or something, got her the game, and went to ring it out. she made the comment again, so i was like, "what's the problem, is that too much time to wait? or what?" and she is like, "no, don't you think its a little TOO fast?" (or something). i'm all, whatever, its just our job, no big deal, we usually make it in time and its nothing. but she was seriously annoyed that we would possibly actually have to help her that quick. wow.
i need to get out of that place, cause its just too f-ing clear that you can NEVER make everyone happy.
damn.

St. Patrick's Day!

Although I live in dogtown, ie, the Irish Capital of St. Louis, and I can hear the bagpipes out my window right now, I will not be making it to the parade this year. Of all the timing, this is the day the center for international studies decided to have our mandatory study abroad orientation. BLAH.
Oh well, I suppose if the trade off is that I will actually BE in Ireland in 3 and a half months FOR a month, then I am willing to make the sacrifice ;)
AND I am so gonna be getting my drunk on here afterwards, so if anyone wants to party it up this evening, give me a ring or just head on down to the block.
Slainte!

right, so on with the show...

i have to say first of all that i don't know why i am doing this, cause i'm not sure that i will actually keep it up, cause i never was one to keep a journal or anything. if i did, it was when something super duper dramatic was going on (ie katie and i were in the fight of the century, AGAIN, or that boy i liked in high school couldn't decide which of my three friends or myself he should ask out, etc. etc.). but these days i've been thinking that it would be more interesting than the random mass email sent off to update my friends about life/a really good way to keep in touch when i am in ireland this summer. oh yeah, if you didn't know, i am going to ireland for ALL of july! yippee!
i'm also always looking for a good way to avoid doing homework, and since the vast majority of my homework requires me to be online, this is the perfect excuse! yes!
lets see, how bout a little bit about the most exciting stuff in my life right now?
1. work-i have moved departments and now i get to mess around with little crap instead of tide/bounty/sterilite, and for the first time in nearly 4 years, i have a new direct supervisor/boss lady. i think she is like 4 years older than me and for purposes of giving her a chance and trying to maintain my positive attitude about my nearly 8 year stint at the big red t, i'm not gonna worry about it too much. yet.
2. school-aside from the amazing study abroad trip this summer, it has been one long semester, with way too many group projects, me realizing i am too flippin old for day classes, and the recent diagnosis of senioritis. it doesn't count that i have had senior standing for the past two semesters, this is (almost) it, and i am sooooo over it. school that is. i can feel my brain turn to mush with every kleenex box and bag of easter candy that i straighten at work-it's time to make my way to the wonderful world of cubicles ;)
3. home-well, i have the best form of entertainment ever, A the one-eyed wondercat. ex. "A, you couldn't possibly be knocking over your water dish again, could you? no! never! that kitchen tile doesn't need to stick to the floor anymore, just dump some more water on it, k?" or, "A, are you hacking up a hairball again? why don't you go lay on my bed to do that? actually, try my pillow!". I love the damn thing, though...when i get my digital camera for my birthday I will be sure to take WAY too many pictures of him and his one-eyed wonderfulness.
4. life in general- um, doesn't suck. i'm broke, tired all the time, etc, etc, but i'm dealing. gotta say that there's this boy named Andrew who defintely makes it a bit more tolerable ;)
well, i am sure i will find the time to slack off and write more later.
actually, i don't even know that anyone other than jerry and elliot have the link to this thing, so i guess i better go send off a mass email.
laters.

hmmm....

am i really gonna start a blog?
i have been thinking about doing so lately, and then a certain person with too much time on their hands said he needed more stuff to read.
well, i'm willing to help fill that void, as well as rant and rave and blather on and on about the sheer randomness and insanity and inanity of life.
blah!
but for now, i am going to bed.