Word of the Day: Solatium

solatium • \so-LAY-shee-um\ • noun
: a compensation (as money) given as solace for suffering, loss, or injured feelings

A Larry King Christmas? I can't imagine what that entails, nor do I want to. How sad that my best friend was spending the day watching tv while I was opening gifts and dressing the Christmas table and eating mass quantities of deliciously home-prepared foods. As compensation, or solatium, I'm offering you, Michelle, another full week as guest blogger of the Word Repository! Oh I know you're excited.

Today I felt even worse for stealing Christmas from Michelle after our boss vetoed her request for Friday off based on the fact that the office was not covered due to me leaving early for Germany. I owe you Michelle. Big. I'll bring you back some beer. And you can have the comfy chair when I die.

The best gift I got this Christmas was a big fat cold wrapped up in a pretty bow compliments of my entire family. See, that's my kind of sarcasm. It isn't going to be funny anymore if it doesn't go away in the next day and a half. I Can Not go to Germany with a freaking cold.

Word of the Day: Cabin Fever

cabin fever
n.
Boredom, restlessness, or irritability that results from a lack of environmental stimulation, as from a prolonged stay in a remote, sparsely populated region or a confined indoor area.

Well, there's no excuse for me to not post an entry today. I truly can say that I have nothing better to do. Every business is closed, my friends are all occupied doing whatever it is they do on Christmas, and even my family abandoned me to visit other family in New York.

So here is how a Jew spends Christmas:
1. wake up
2. make breakfast
3. go back to sleep
4. sit in front of the couch and watch A Larry King Christmas (really, that's what it's called)
5. eat lunch: my christmas meal to honor those who make the Christmas spirit possible for Jews: the Asians. I had some yummy sushi and a thai iced tea
6. sit in front of the couch watching E's 50 cutest child actors. Hosted by Candace Cameron and Keisha Knight Pulliam.
7. eat dinner
8. sit in front of the couch watching the Law and Order Marathon

okay, in my defense the day has been actually pretty productive - between the t.v. shows I've cleaned my room, did 4 loads of laundry, and did a ridiculous amount of work considering that it is a federal holiday.

I've determined that today is the first day in which I've stayed indoors all day since May, and I only stayed inside then cause I was sick. So in summary: I am suffering from cabin fever.

Word of the Day: Sarcasm

sar·casm ( P ) Pronunciation Key (särkzm)n.
A cutting, often ironic remark intended to wound.
A form of wit that is marked by the use of sarcastic language and is intended to make its victim the butt of contempt or ridicule.
The use of sarcasm.

I had an entry planned to explain why this is my word of the day. It was going to be all about how I think that having a sense of sarcasm is an important. Using sarcasm shows your intelligence by being able to take a serious set of words and twist them around. Sarcasm also shows your ability to laugh at life, to not take everything so seriously.

But then, I read the actual definition of the word and it's made me rethink things. I never really considered sarcasm to be used as a true intent to wound. Yes, I am incredibly sarcastic, but I mean to be funny. I don't mean to be insulting or condescending. And I don't think I'm alone in that thinking. It's time we redefine sarcasm!

Here's a fun holiday article for those looking to learn more about Hannukah (and yes, it's a bit "sarcastic" as well) Click here.

On an unrelated note, my S key keeps getting stuck. Why couldn't this happen to the letter X instead?

Oh Yeah...

I totally forgot I am supposed to fill Laura's void while she's off on the west coast doing fun things like not working, not waking up to go to work, not commuting to work, not attending meetings at work, etc. etc.

But to be honest, I don't have much to say. Except that I am excited for Christmas! It's my favorite time of the year: for it's the one weekend of the year when everyone leaves me alone. While my Christian friends are off doing that whole Christian thing, I'm enjoying sleeping, cleaning, blasting loud music in the house, watching bad television, etc.

Oh and here's some great news... I got a letter from my health insurance company, telling me that next year they are lowering my monthly rates. I didn't even know that was possible!

Word of the Day: Delectation

delectation \dee-lek-TAY-shun\, noun:
Great pleasure; delight, enjoyment.


Yesterday I went to see my favorite musical of all times, Victor Hugo's Les Miserables. Kim and I went downtown, took a nice stroll in the chilly winter air to dinner at Kanlaya (my new favorite Thai place in Chinatown) and then headed over to National Theatre for what they claim is the final D.C. engagement. Are they trying to hurt me? I went to Les Mis last time it was in town in 2003 and, though it was slightly superior to last night's performance, I am never disappointed to hear Jean Valjean sing Castle on a Cloud or Eponine's A Little Fall of Rain. I was and continue to be mesmerized by the music every time I see it. Note: The book is also incredible in case you haven't read it.

I'm very excited for the next few weeks. I worked most of the day today, but still feel as if it's the calm before the storm. Tomorrow night is the long awaited ATM Happy Hour Non-Holiday Holiday Party. We've been doing happy hour for 33 weeks now, every Monday at RFD. Tomorrow shall be great fun. Tuesday I leave for Oregon for Christmas. I'll be home for a week and my nephew has already planned my whole week, including sledding, watching Scooby Doo and playing on the blow up helicopter (okay I added that part myself). When I return, I'm only home for three days before going to Germany for New Years to see Chris. By the time I get back here, I'll have blissfully forgotten how mundane and tedious my life has become -- right! Ha.

Word of the Day: Cheer

cheer:
Lightness of spirits or mood; gaiety or joy: a happy tune, full of cheer.
A source of joy or happiness; a comfort.
A shout of approval, encouragement, or congratulation.
A short, rehearsed jingle or phrase, shouted in unison by a squad of cheerleaders.
Festive food and drink; refreshment.

Cheer this time of year is usually meant to describe the sence of happiness that surrounds the holiday season. We're rapidly approaching the close of the Holiday season as Christmas is a mere 9 days away. What better way to spend the last day of the last week before Christmas than at an OFFICE HOLIDAY PARTY! Part II.

The holiday party started off with a boom instead of a bang. The photo on my front page broke at exactly 11:53am, forcing me to stay at my desk until it was fixed, which didn't occur until 1:16pm, at which time all the food at the party was G - O -N - E. Let's do the math (disclaimer: I suck at math). There are 50 people signed up for the party. 50 dishes should be provided by those 50 people. If, say 20 of those 50 decided to pay instead of bring, then there should be 30 dishes and $100 with which to buy food. It would be a stretch to say there were 50 dishes, much less 30 dishes, and certainly $100 was not spent on extra food or I wouldn't have found nothing to eat at 1:16pm.

And then the karaoke started. I can't think of one good thing to say about that and I was taught that if I have nothing nice to say, say nothing.

Proof of Gene's Brilliance

If you recall, a few posts ago I discussed my favorite Tuesday afternoon activity, reading Gene Weingarten's online chat on Washington Post. Well today I will post one of the funniest things I've read on his chat. It's worthy of repeating because he's a comic genius.

Dear Mr. Weingarten: I am eight years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, "If you see it in Mr. Weingarten's chat, it's so." Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?

Gene Weingarten: You blew it. Your place name should have been "Virginia."

However, I shall answer your question.

Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. Why, there is a Santa as surely as there is a Virginia! Go to any shopping mall, and behold him. True, he may often look like some homeless guy with a false beard earning a few bucks for booze by forfeiting his self-respect for the further enrichment pf corporate bloodsuckers trying to trick customers into overspending money they don't have on presents they can't afford for people they think they love.

It's love that doesn't exist, Virginia. We all die alone.

Word of the Day: Lionize

lionize \LY-uh-nyz\, transitive verb:
To treat or regard as an object of great interest or importance.

The Annual Office Christmas Party, Part 1:

No other experience is quite like the annual office christmas party. Every year, planning and preparation complete, we gather in a cold, bland room of this building to share food and gifts with the other caged animals on our team. And each year the experience is a little more disturbing than the last.

This year's celebration followed a week of rearranging our cubes, yet again, to make room for new members of our team that have been relegated to all corners of the building because we had no where to put them. Our once spacious prison is now little more than a maze of mouse holes. But we don't mind. We love being packed in like little sardines in a tin can. Crank up the air conditioning -- it's a steamy 70 degrees in here!

If you've ever played dirty santa before, you know that getting a low number is not a good thing -- particular a single digit number, especially a low single digit number, like say, 2. That's what I got. After my boss, as #1, picked a lovely mug as her gift, I unwrapped a gift I've always wanted but never bought for myself: a wine bottle opener (the really fancy nice kind!). I prompty hid the gift under my chair and instructed my coworkers not to mess with #2. Ali, as #3, defiantly marched over and stole my wine opener. So I opened a nice Starbucks mug and gift card and tried to hide that one as well, but it was also stolen. The only good thing about the party was that there is leftovers for lunch today! Isn't it fabulous that we're so willing to steal a gift from our coworkers, gratuitously securing the best possible gift for ourselves. And we are supposed to be promoting peace and diplomacy. What a crock. ;)

Stay tuned for Part 2: All Team Holiday Party w/ Special Guest (band previously heard practicing in a recent blog entry)

Word of the Day: Pukka

puk·ka also puck·a
Genuine; authentic.
Superior; first-class

I allowed three days to lapse before posting to my blog to see how many comments I would get from regular readers complaining about the lack of fresh content. At least three people suggested words I could use if I, for some devastating reason, ran out of ideas! =gasp= Rest assured, I have not and will never run out of content. But thank you for your submissions. They are being considered by our staff of volunteers.

Today's word comes from a headphone review that Timoni was reading online. Michelle defines it in the following sentence: "Michelle and Timoni are pukka friends." And I have to add that Michelle and Timoni are my pukka friends too.

This weekend we had an amazing Christmas Party with about 60 people at Marianne's house. Was that the best party ever or what? The girls all made insanely good food, Timoni provided wonderful christmas tunes and everyone mingled! It was a fabulous 6.5 hour party. Good job girls! You're all my pukka friends too. I love you guys! We have to do that again soon.

Word of the Day: Longevity

lon·gev·i·ty
(a) Long life; great duration of life (b) Length or duration of life (c) Long duration or continuance, as in an occupation

Today a new record was given by the Guinness Book of World Records to the oldest living human being, a 116-year-old woman from Equador. Some notable facts: she was born in 1889 and had five children. Her husband died in 1949. That must be a distant memory by now. Wow.

When asked what she thought of the changes in the world between then and now: "She said she disliked the fact that presently it's acceptable for women to pursue men. And she said that every day she thanks God that she's alive," White said.

Another woman who lived to be 113 said she attributed her longevity to a daily dose of brandy and dry ginger ale. Well, if that's what it takes... I'm just not sure I'd want to live to that age. Imagine all the people in your life you've seen go ahead of you. Even your own children could all be gone before you are. Better hope you have a good extended family! My sister promised to take care of me when I get old. I hope she knows I plan to collect on that promise.

The second part of this blog entry is about the other meaning of longevity -- to continuation, as in a career. When is it time to throw in the towel and find something else that makes you happy? Is it when the last straw is pulled or do you have to decide when to cut your losses, even when it's not as bad as it might someday be if you stay? I figure for me that day will be as soon as Michelle gets her cushy government job and moves to the 4th floor. I won't be able to function without her attached to my hip. One day I just won't show up to work anymore. I'll have lost my will to work.

Word of the Day: Egregious

e·gre·gious
adj. Conspicuously bad or offensive.

Some things in my world are just completely unnecessary, including, but not limited to, the whistler, the hummer and random mid-morning vacuuming. The past few days, as you probably know by the photo in a previous post, my coworkers and I have been freezing to death. Each day as I walk into the office I check the temperature to find that it is one degree colder than yesterday. Yes, I realize that 70 degrees is not all that cold, and if I were outside on a spring day in 70 degree weather, I'd probably be wearing short-sleeves, but when you're stuck in an office with no windows, a relentless draft and nothing to do but sit at your computer typing, there's very little you can do to generate warmth. So I complained.

One would think that complaining would actually create change. (It wasn't like I yelled at anyone. I just nicely asked for some more heat...so my teeth would stop chattering.) But no. My attempt to thaw myself and my coworkers backfired when a woman dressed in three layers of clothing (and an extra layer or two of insulation) walked in with a laser temperature gun. "It's 70 degrees in here," she says. "That's well within the acceptable range. We don't have to do anything. It's warm enough in here." Staring blankly at her, Michelle and I could not believe our ears. "But we're wearing scarves and gloves and three coats." She obviously didn't care. "Maybe you need to bring a heavier coat," she said. Michelle and Timoni already bought gloves so their hands wouldn't freeze. There's definitely something wrong with this picture.

The point of this story is just that people these days seem to be very egregious for no apparent reason. If the nazi temperature lady had an ounce of sympathy for us, but still could not change the situation, I would have graciously accepted my plight and returned to warming my hands over the back of the computer. But instead she chose to be especially egregious and treat me like a criminal for even suggesting we turn up the heat a mere one degree. This should be a lesson this season. Does it really hurt you to be nice?????

Word of the Day: Chatological

Definition: There isn't one.

I can't believe I've gone this long without introducing my favorite Tuesday afternoon activity. Same place. Same time. Washington Post, 12pm. Gene Weingarten, the funniest man at the Post holds an Internet Chat called Chatological Humor aka Tuesdays with Moron. I have become a regular observer of Gene's chat over the last two years and if I don't read at least part of it by COB Tuesday I know my priorities are out of order.

Last week, Gene's readers suggested a FAQ page to explain to new chatters why this chat is worth your time. And believe me, it is. My favorite q&a:
Q. Isn't this The Washington Post? Why hasn't Gene been fired?
A. We're not sure. Maybe next week.

I've definitely wondered over time why Gene hasn't been fired, but his is the most entertaining and fun chat on the Post, so I say keep him! Check it out (but only if you're bored).

Other good news today: I got a ticket to Germany for New Years! So excited. It's only 14 days until I leave for Oregon for Christmas and I'm so excited to see my neice and nephew and cousin's baby. This year has been a year full of blessings. And our small group Christmas Party is on Saturday so we're decorating the Christmas tree tonight and I'm really excited for that.

Word of the Day: Friendship

friend·ship
n.
The quality or condition of being friends.
A friendly relationship
Friendliness; good will

This weekend was Kim's birthday and I can't go without saying a few words about my friend Kimmy. On Saturday morning we went to brunch to celebrate her birthday at the cutest French place in Georgetown. All the girls were there, including our token Jew, and it was the best time. Saturday night we went to a party at AC's house, which is where this photo was taken. On Sunday Kim and I went to church together at my old fav Fairfax Community. The best thing about Kim is that she's always willing to let me drag her wherever I'm going and she rarely, maybe never, complains about it if it was boring, odd, stupid or a just plain waste of time. She shares my love of sarcasm and cynicism and even good Thai food. So here's to Kim and her 27th year on this planet. Love ya Kim.

Word of the Day: tendentious

tendentious \ten-DEN-shus\, adjective:
Marked by a strong tendency in favor of a particular point of view.

Holiday or Christmas??

What's with all the recent "sensitivity" to pleasing (or at least not offending) every religion in the world? The debate is so heated this year that the media has even resorted to calling Christmas trees by their secular name, a Holiday Tree. The national Christmas tree took a stand this year by being name the National Christmas Tree for the first time since 1990 when it started being known as the National Holiday Tree.

Let's not forget that if Jesus were not born we'd not even have a Christmas. What are we supposed to call it -- Mohammadmas? This issue ignites my exasperation at a society that has become almost too pitiful to live in. First we have to remove the word God from the pledge and now we have to call it a holiday tree? I don't think so. Take God out of life all you want, but you're still going to be sorry for it in the end.

I have to go decorate my Christmas Tree now. (okay not really...I live in a condo, where am I going to put a tree?)

Word of the Day: Wanderlust

wan·der·lust
A very strong or irresistible impulse to travel

I seem to be plagued with an insatiable wanderlust. No matter how much I travel, I want to travel more. When I get back from a vacation, I want to leave again. I suppose to have the travel bug is better than some other obsessions. I shouldn't be complaining.

In January everyone from the office is going to the Poconos to go skiing. Timoni and I are going to Scotland in February. Kim and I are going to Prague in May. Could I be more excited? Oh and Michelle and I are going to move to Israel in 2007. But that's too far off to get excited about just yet.

My friend Chris is moving to Germany THIS WEEK and I'm currently suffering from large amounts of jealousy. I should look into getting over that. But seriously, who gets to live in Germany for 7 months for practically free? I'm in the wrong line of work.

Tonight is Melting Pot with Rebecca. That's not exactly a destination, but I am certainly looking forward to the yummy fondue. Speaking of food, I haven't been grocery shopping in just under 3 months. I'm about to tie an old record. So I made plans to go out for dinner every night this week and next. If I've planned well enough, I won't have to go shopping until at least January.

Mass Commercialism??

Crowds Get Out of Hand at Two Wal-Marts

In Cascade Township, east of Grand Rapids, Mich., a woman fell as dozens of people rushed into a store for the 5 a.m. opening. Several stepped on her, and a few became entangled as a man pushed them to the ground to keep them away.

Tempers flared at a Wal-Mart in Orlando, Fla., where a man allegedly cut in line to buy a bargain notebook computer and was wrestled to the ground, according to a video shown by an ABC affiliate, WFTV-TV.

Is this the kind of society we want to be? Commercialism has infected America. Every holiday is a sales event. Every Christmas I grow more weary of commercialism. Just read the Wal-Mart stories above. Who do you think these people are who are trampling each other for a sale? They're people who can't afford the shopping they're doing. They aren't "buying" these products, they're "charging" them. Just stand at Wal-Mart on a Saturday in December. Watch the lower-middle class of America stand in lines with their two carts full of commercialized products. Why? Do the kids really NEED that toy? Do you really NEED that 52-in. TV? People try to fill voids by purchasing *things*.

This critique is everything I want to say about commercialism. Don't get me wrong, I'm not innocent of this cultural madness. I own a TV, an MP3 player (although not an IPOD because I find them ridiculous), and a laptop, etc. But that doesn't mean that I don't find commercialism incredibly invasive and more than just a little annoying. What will we do next, turn love and happiness into an enterprise too? Oh wait...we already have.

Word of the Day: Arctic

arc·tic
adj.
Extremely cold; frigid.

The day began with a below-freezing and solitary walk to work. Where are all the people? Why am I the only one going to work on this post-Thanksgiving day? Oh I just answered my own question. Everyone else is out enjoying the fruits of a much deserved day off while I attend meetings where the only words spoken are "nothing from me today". So why are we all here? If the writers have nothing to write, then I have nothing to put on the webpage. I'd rather be at home folding laundry (one of my least favorite activities).

With what I felt was a fairly positive attitude, given the circumstances, I sat down at my desk and dutifully clicked around the website looking for stuff to do. Before long, I realized my fingers were going numb, one-by-one. Exactly how cold is it in here? Ali's trusty thermometer would not lie, would it? It can't actually be 68 degrees. They wouldn't do that to us...would they?

Dressed in our arctic gear: hats, scarfs, mittens and earmuffs...we triumphantly made it though the day. Hey at least we aren't blanketed in snow like some people in upstate New York. ;)

Thanksgiving Word of the Day: Tradition

Main Entry: tra·di·tion
1 : an inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior
2 : the handing down of information, beliefs, and customs by word of mouth or by example from one generation to another without written instruction

On the advent of Thanksgiving, I've been thinking about all the holiday traditions I have to forego due to the fact that I live approximately 2500 miles from my family and $700 plane tickets prohibit me from going home twice in (basically) one month. In the four years I've lived here, I've only gone home once, so I've learned to supress my desire for tradition. However, there is one tradition my family has developed over the four years that continues even when (and especially because) I can't go home.

Every year growing up, my aunt Wendy would make sweet rolls for our Thanksgiving dinner. After the first taste, we were all overwhelmingly addicted, which led to us saying such things as "Aunt Wendy better bring the rolls or we're not letting her in the house," and "I'll die without the rolls!". She never failed us. The famous rolls were always plentiful.

Then came the time for us all to leave home and face the cold, harsh real world devoid of Aunt Wendy's Rolls -- a legend, practically a myth. The first year was harsh. The withdrawals were fierce. The second year, bitterness and anger set in. By the third year we were staging a revolt. Aunt Wendy could at least send us rolls in the mail. There's a FedEx in Walla Walla. And a UPS. There's really no excuse!

In order to stave off civil unrest in the family, Aunt Wendy promptly did the only thing she could. She sent us the...recipe. "Wait," I said upon opening the envelope, "What am I supposed to do with this? This isn't edible."

Thus began the tradition of the girls making their own Thanksgiving rolls. But oh no, the story does not end there. I know you wish it would. But alas...

The first year I made rolls, the effort was harrowing, if not poignant. They looked like this when I pulled them out of the oven:


The second year the Grocers Association of America led a campaign to discontinue active yeast sales in stores and my rolls took on the nature of a clump of dirt.

But now...in the third year, I am glad to report that I have finally managed not to destroy the rolls. Aunt Wendy would be proud, though I'm afraid she wouldn't endorse the use of her name in conjunction with my rolls.

So now... I give you the amazing, miraculous, delicious (I hope) Thanksgiving rolls:

Word of the Day: Thankful

thank·ful (adj.)
Aware and appreciative of a benefit; grateful.
Expressive of gratitude

I went to a bible study last weekend and the speaker asked us all to say the ONE thing that we are thankful for this year. I quickly scanned the list running through my head for the most appropriate answer, while staring quizzically at the man who suggested there might be only ONE thing in a year for which to be thankful. I have a list. One way too long to express here (although I am going to be cheesy and list a few), but the most important reason for me writing this entry is to let everyone who reads this blog (my parents, my sister, my friends) know that I'm especially thankful for you. I am not me without you.

My (shortened) list:

I am thankful for my nephew who is five years old and leaves me voice messages where all I can hear is his breathing. It makes me incredibly happy to know that he called just because he loves me in an unconditional way that only a child possesses.

I am thankful that I have a God who is infinitely good to me. Who enables me to buy a house, to take a trip to Israel and meet incredible people, to support myself, to just be me and to continually be amazed by what he gives me.

I am thankful for health and passion and integrity and honesty.

Word of the Day: Rara Avis

rara avis \RARE-uh-AY-vis\, noun
A rare or unique person or thing.

This story about the poor Dead Sea drying up is nothing new. In fact, it's indelibly recycled. And of course that's because it's an interesting story. I think everyone should have the chance to float in the Dead Sea before the whole thing dries up because it's the most unique thing you'll ever experience (coming from someone who went skydiving and floated in the dead sea in the same month). Watch the Video on ABC News.

Hidden in the world's deepest valley and protected by majestic desert mountains, the Dead Sea is one important feature in a land of mysteries, miracles and biblical legends that we must see before it's too late.

On a totally unrelated topic, I'm currently writing a story about three chickens and a picnic table. Is it beyond reasonable suspension of disbelief to imagine someone would roast a chicken with the feathers still on? I've written one short story and this is my second, that I will enter into the short short contest with Writer's Digest. I keep telling a certain person who is probably reading this blog that he must enter the contest as well, but he has yet to produce a story. Clock, ticking...

So my heartrate has been racing for two days now. Racing. Like 110 beats per minute after sitting at my desk for 8 hours straight doing nothing but typing. It's not worrying me (like call the doctor, I'm having a heart attack) but it's definitely bothering me. It's annoying to feel this wound up for hours on end.

Not just another ID rant

One more thing today before I shut up and enjoy the rest of my Friday. I wanted to comment on this op-ed by columnist Charles Krauthammer (what an awesome last name) in the post today.

'Intelligent Design' Foolishly Pits Evolution Against Faith

Krauthammer makes a very good point about these Intelligent Design proponents who try to juxtapose Evolution and Creationism against each other. Since intelligent design is a concept based almost entirely on religion and the existence of God, why would they want to suggest that God was not in control of evolution, which seems like a much better case to make. Like he says here:

How ridiculous to make evolution the enemy of God. What could be more elegant, more simple, more brilliant, more economical, more creative, indeed more divine than a planet with millions of life forms, distinct and yet interactive, all ultimately derived from accumulated variations in a single double-stranded molecule, pliable and fecund enough to give us mollusks and mice, Newton and Einstein? Even if it did give us the Kansas State Board of Education, too.

People, both atheist and religious, spend so much time and energy trying to determine the answer to life as a riddle, when every second they see life pass them by without even noticing.

Einstein and Newton no longer have to answer that question. They spent their entire lives stretching for an answer they were freely given as a parting gift from this world. I wonder if they got the last laugh.

Word of the Day: Cacophonous

ca·coph·o·nous
adj. Having a harsh, unpleasant sound; discordant.

I'm feeling the full force of the word today because my office is full of cacophonous sounds. For the past 2 years, every single friday without fail, a band of misfits bearing musical instruments borrows the conference room next door for their weekly practice session. I'm all for people pursuing their passion for music or writing or studying -- whatever that may be -- however, I'm not sure my benevolence includes band practice. The worst part of this story is that the misfits practice with a goal in mind. They attempt to enrich our lives with their soulful melodies during two of what should be the best parties of the year for our office. Christmas and the Summer Picnic.

No one wants to be present in the office on band rehearsal day. I’ve given myself a headache clenching my teeth over the increasing pain of listening to them butcher Puff the Magic Dragon. So there are only 8 brave souls in the office today. That might also be in direct relation to the dentist-like drilling that's going on outside our windows. Yes, people are HANGING from ropes outside our windows with dentist drills. Man I love this place.

In other news, Timoni passed along this blog that I find hilarious. I could write a whole book on the stuff that happens in my office (huh Michelle) so I'm intrigued by this blog that essentially does the same thing only relatively annonymously.

Word of the Day: Alleviate

alleviate • \uh-LEE-vee-ayt\ • verb
: relieve, lessen: as *a : to make (as suffering) more bearable b : to partially remove or correct

I love this story because this sort of thing only happens in an Iraqi courtroom...

Court Workers Attack Saddam, Iraq TV Reports

BAGHDAD, Iraq (Nov. 17) - Two court employees attacked Saddam Hussein and punched him several times after he cursed two Shiite Islam saints, state-run Iraqi television reported Wednesday.

How horrible would it be to live a life for which you are despised. How do you live with yourself? I'd say if the guy didn't have more pride than he knows what to do with he'd be a prime suicide candidate.

Have I mentioned lately how much I love teleworking? I'm currently hanging out on my couch with my laptop, the thermostat turned to exactly where I want it, no annoying coworkers (sorry guys). Plus my music sounds much nicer over the speakers than those stupid headphones.

Okay...back to work.

Pledge of Allegiance

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you'll remember a post a few months ago about how the Pledge of Allegiance was being challenged in court by an atheist. The post fueled a two-day debate between a few of my regular readers and a stranger posting to the blog for the first time. I was forwarded this story by a friend of mine and felt it worth of adding to reiterate my own personal opinion. The pledge is so much more than one word that an atheist wants striken from society. In fact, it isn't about God at all. Why can't we see that?

Senator John McCain's Flag Story

As you may know, I spent five and one half years as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. In the early years of our imprisonment, the NVA kept us in solitary confinement or two or three to a cell. In 1971 the NVA moved us from these conditions of isolation into large rooms with as many as 30 to 40 men to a room.

This was,as you can imagine, a wonderful change and was a direct result of the efforts of millions of Americans on behalf of a few hundred POWs 10,000 miles from home. One of the men who moved into my room was a young man named Mike Christian. Mike came from a small town near Selma, Alabama. He didn't wear a pair of shoes until he was 13 years old. At 17, he enlisted in the US Navy. He later earned a commission by going to Officer Training School. Then he became a Naval Flight Officer and was shot down and captured in 1967. Mike had a keen and deep appreciation of the opportunities this country and our military provide for people who want to work and want to succeed.

As part of the change in treatment, the Vietnamese allowed some prisoners to receive packages from home. In some of these packages were handkerchiefs, scarves and other items of clothing.

Mike got himself a bamboo needle. Over a period of a couple of months, he created an American flag and sewed on the inside of his shirt. Every afternoon, before we had a bowl of soup, we would hang Mike's shirt on the wall of the cell and say the Pledge of Allegiance.

I know the Pledge of Allegiance may not seem the most important part of our day now, but I can assure you that in that stark cell it was indeed the most important and meaningful event.

One day the Vietnamese searched our cell, as they did periodically, and discovered Mike's shirt with the flag sewn inside, and removed it. That evening they returned, opened the door of the cell, and for the benefit of all of us, beat Mike Christian severely for the next couple of hours. Then, they opened the door of the cell and threw him in. We cleaned him up as well as we could. The cell in which we lived had a concrete slab in the middle on which we slept. Four naked light bulbs hung in each corner of the room.

As I said, we tried to clean up Mike as well as we could. After the excitement died down, I looked in the corner of the room, and sitting there beneath that dim light bulb with a piece of red cloth, another shirt and his bamboo needle, was my friend, Mike Christian. He was sitting there with his eyes almost shut from the beating he had received, making another American flag. He was not making the flag because it made Mike Christian feel better. He was making that flag because he knew how important it was to us to be able to Pledge our allegiance to our flag and country.

So the next time you say the Pledge of Allegiance,you must never forget the sacrifice and courage that thousands of Americans have made to build our nation and promote freedom around the world. You must remember our duty, our honor, and our country.

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible,with liberty and justice for all."

Word of the Day: Wage

Main Entry: [1]wage
Date: 14th century
1 a : a payment usually of money for labor or services usually according to contract and on an hourly, daily, or piecework basis

It's Monday. Our regular happy hour night. Steve and I were the only two who showed up tonight (although we already had a hunch this would be the case since the other two diehards -- David and Michelle -- are out of town). We met at RFD as usual, only this time the place was not deserted as usual and we were joined by two others, one being Steve's friend from grade school who now lives in Scotland. We had a very good time (particularly hearing about the peanut butter, cigs and toilets). And we got into this discussion about salaries that just mystifies me.

The two have doctoral degrees in Science and are now doing post-doc work as scientists. They informed us that a normal starting salary for a scientist (studying such things as malaria) is a mere $35K. The profession maxes out at around $80K. I had a similar discussion recently with a pilot from the Israel trip, who said I'd be shocked to learn what commercial pilot's starting salaries are. $20K??? I don't understand this. A writer or webeditor with roughly 3 years of experience (and a BA degree) makes around $45K. Add three years of experience and that salary jumps to around $75-$80K. The cap being about $120K. How is this possible? Someone trying to find a cure for cancer makes half what someone posting useless information on the internet makes? The person I trust to fly me from coast to coast makes half what I make? We certainly have our priorities out of order in this world.

I heard from my new friend Adam this weekend, whom I met at Steveoween. I am very impressed with the follow-through. It's been nearly a month since I met him and yet he still called. People just don't seem to understand the integrity of follow-through these days. For every 10 people you meet (and that's a high number) around 2 will actually call. At least I've learned this lesson and don't really anticipate the follow-up call anymore, but kudos to Adam for calling.

Thursday is a big event -- if anyone's interested in something to do. A bar in Cleveland Park and a Vodka company both owned by my coworker and bartender extrordinaire, Ric, are hosting a grand opening with a 5-piece swing band and free admission. Sounds cool.

Word of the Weekend: Listless

Main Entry: list•less
: characterized by lack of interest, energy, or spirit : LANGUID a listless melancholy attitude

I'm sitting at Common Grounds (aka Murky Coffee -- which I refused to acknowledge as the actual name) and have been here for four hours in an attempt to write a noticable amount on my latest novel. What I managed to do was a.) delete three paragraphs b.) write one paragraph and c.) oh wait, there is no c. How is it that when I have time to write, I can't find the inspiration and when I do have inspiration I can't find the time? I suppose it's all part of that vicious cycle called life. I also attempted to find a ticket home for Christmas, which I found, but once I determined I *could* find a ride home from Baltimore at 12am, the ticket had gone up by $150. Sure. Now I'm realizing that I've had too much caffeine in my four hours here and I'm shaking. Why do I feel so listless? It's gorgeous outside. So why do I feel so alter-universe today?

I had a very nice weekend. On Friday (day off, yay!!) I went to Fredericksburg with Kim to have lunch with Starr from the Israel trip and she invited me to have Thanksgiving dinner with her family. Saturday I saw the rest of the Israel crew, which felt like going home. By that I mean that it was like you'd been apart from your family for three years and you were just now getting to see them again for the first time. That was the really awesome part about the trip. The people. I love them all. I'm already planning the next trip I'll go on with the group, The Footsteps of Moses in 2007.

I had the strangest dream last night involving two of my coworkers (Steve and Todd -- who also happen to be the inspiration for two of the characters in my novel). We were sitting in a car together talking about our favorite flavor of bubblegum (Todd's was carrot), only we were parked in the middle of the street. So all of a sudden these men in labcoats start coming out of the trees and are walking toward the car. Todd started up the engine and raced out of there, and we would have been homefree if he hadn't made a wrong turn that led us through a field. Somehow the men chased us all the way through the field and cornered us. At this point I realized I was freaking out and had to wake myself up.

The music they are playing here right now is making me want to cry, literally, so it's now officially time to head home.

Word of the Day: Meaning?

I was listening to the radio on the way home from bible study last night and heard an advertisement for Match.com. Some girl wrote a manual on how to find the love of your life in 90 days. Ignoring the preposterousness of that claim (I almost want to try it just to prove them wrong), what I was most interested to learn was the claim that you could "Find the ONE THING that means something in this world." Whoa! You mean I have been participating all this time in things that don't mean anything in this world?

I knew I could not escape it forever. The impossibly horrible writing group meets on Sunday and I had to be quick in forming my reason for not being able to attend despite my availability in reality. There is no way I'm going back to a writing group where a guy who writes smut tells me he's going to steal my idea because he believes he can write it better. Here's a clue: NO YOU CAN'T. GET OVER IT.

Just a funny article, or two

AP ran this story today about a bank robber who had a sudden attack of conscience and tried to return the money he stole to the bank. I was thinking perhaps he was starving or had housing problems and by robbing the bank and returning it he was thinking he'd solve his problem by being put in jail where he'd get food and shelter for free. What other reason would one have for returning cash you just stole?

Robber goes back to bank to return money
Tuesday, November 08, 2005

A man who allegedly robbed a bank of $1,100 yesterday made it easy on police.
Authorities said that just minutes after Andre M. Ellis, 39, robbed an ESB Bank in Ambridge, they caught him standing in front of the bank trying to return the money.
"He felt bad about it so he tried to do the right thing," said Ambridge Police Chief David Sabol. "I've never seen anything like it."

Also in the news...
German police baffeled by Bush poo-flags
A friend of mine actually printed up some flags of his own last night and is currently on a mission to plant his own poo-flags. I know, really mature right? But for some reason he makes it a reasonable endeavor.

Word of the Day: Megiddo

Megiddo is an ancient city in northern Israel in the valley of Armageddon. I was in Megiddo exactly 12 days ago. We drove right by that prison and the tour guide even pointed it out to us. Little did we know at the time they were uncovering the remains of the oldest church in Israel (perhaps in history).

MEGIDDO PRISON, Israel - Israeli prisoner Ramil Razilo was removing rubble from the planned site of a new prison ward when his shovel uncovered the edge of an elaborate mosaic, unveiling what Israeli archaeologists said Sunday may be the Holy Land’s oldest church.

--MSNBC article
One of the best things about my trip to Israel is that now when I read about these archeological findings, I recognize all the locations and understand the geography so much better.

Word of the Weekend: Jocund

jocund \JOCK-und; JOE-kund\, adjective:
Full of or expressing high-spirited merriment; light-hearted; pleasant, cheering, delightful.

This weekend we had the best weather. It was 75-80 degrees both Saturday and Sunday. Michelle took me out to lunch on Saturday to celebrate my 28th birthday. Afterwards we went apartment hunting. I will be listing my condo hopefully this week. If anyone's looking for a place, have I got a deal for you! Kidding. I would never buy this place today due to the exorbatant price. Good for me, bad for buyers. When God's on your side, even this seems small. I found an awesome apartment though. It's in Clarendon and, um, they have a movie theater. And jacuzzi tubs in the bathroom. I'm so there. Anyone want to help me move?

So Saturday was my birthday. A few key people forgot. Kim and I were discussing how sometimes it sucks to be the person who remembers everything. I never forget a birthday. Call me gifted, or cursed. Because I remember, I expect others to remember and in all fairness, well, that's just not fair of me to expect. Anyone who forgot, it's okay I forgive you, just don't forget next year. ;) Here's my horoscope, which clearly means nothing, but is fun to read anyway:

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). The planets seem to sprinkle your day with dreams of greatness -- it's OK to believe them! Thinking with even 10 percent more optimism will attract new and helpful people into your realm.

(Michelle, I think this means we have to instate "positive Monday" just for good measure.)

Thanks to everyone who came out Saturday night. I need a do-over! You guys are the best!

Word of the Day: Ridiculous

What is up with Michael Brown? I take back everything I once said in defense of him being blamed for everything. Because clearly he does deserve the blame. I mean:

"Thanks for update," Brown wrote. "Anything specific I need to do or tweak?"

Tweak? Are you serious? Hundreds of people lost their lives on your watch Mr. Brown. How do you feel about that? If you wanted out of office so bad that you wouldn't even give dying people what they needed to live, then you should be blamed. And to get up on the stand and testify that it was someone else's fault after what you did... Ridiculous.

Word of the Day: Telecommute

Main Entry: tele·com·mute:
to work at home by the use of an electronic linkup with a central office

Today was my first day of telecommuting from home. What wonderful timing too. I needed to unpack my suitcase and do laundry (which I did over my 'lunch break' of course).

How did they come up with the word telecommuting? Shouldn't it be teleworking or tele'not'commuting? I'm not commuting anywhere. That's the joy of it.

According to the ITAC telework survey:

45.1 million Americans worked from home last year according to the 2004-2005 ITAC American Interactive Consumer Survey.conducted by the Dieringer Research Group. Out of 135.4 million US workers, 45.1 million worked from home; 24.3 million worked at a client's or customer's place of business; 20.6 million work in their car; 16.3 million work while on vacation and 15.1 million work at a park or outdoor location, Some 7.8 million work while on a train or airplane

Seriously, people work from their cars?

I'm going to Kim's tonight to eat Pad Thai and watch our Israel video. This activity is very counterproductive. I'm already sad enough, should I really be emmersing myself in more memories?

Word of the Day: Effulgence

effulgence \i-FUL-juhn(t)s\, noun:
The state of being bright and radiant; splendor; brilliance.

Wow. So I'm back from Israel. Not so happy to be back, but back all the same. I almost stayed in Israel to live in a kibbutz and work for their socialist/zionist community. How hard would it be to give up your whole life in the U.S. to move to Israel to live commune-style? I think it would be a very interesting experience. Who's going with me?

Kudos to Michelle for holding down the fort while I was gone. Didn't she do a great job? I told you you'd like her! Mini-me. Hahah.

Here's a link to my Kodak Gallery in case you haven't seen the photos yet. I have to recommend Israel as a destination of choice for your next vacation. What an amazing trip. I'm practically glowing (hence: effulgence). I've never felt better. I mean, how rare is it to feel completely content and happy in a moment?

Here are a few token photos from the gallery. More are available on Kodak.


Me and my trusty camel


Kim and me overlooking the Sea of Galilee on our first day

Word of the Day: Tragedy

trag·e·dy ( P ) Pronunciation Key (trj-d)n. pl. trag·e·dies
A drama or literary work in which the main character is brought to ruin or suffers extreme sorrow, especially as a consequence of a tragic flaw, moral weakness, or inability to cope with unfavorable circumstances.
A play, film, television program, or other narrative work that portrays or depicts calamitous events and has an unhappy but meaningful ending.
A disastrous event, especially one involving distressing loss or injury to life: an expedition that ended in tragedy, with all hands lost at sea.
A tragic aspect or element.

When I was in 9th grade, my English teacher made me write an essay about a single word. I thought this was a stupid assignment. I mean, isn't it a little weird that in order to explain one word I would have to use another 400 some words? I decided I would just close my eyes and point to a random word in the dictionary to write about. The word I selected: necrophilia. Yeah, my teacher wouldn't let me write about that.

So finally I settled on the word tragedy because it was the most negative-sounding word that my teacher would let me write about. In the essay, I had to explain why I selected the word I did, to which I gave the same reasons I listed here above. I got a D on that paper.

And here I am several years later, and discovering that writing about a single word can actually be fun! But alas, the real tragedy is that Laura is coming back and I will now be handing her blog back to her. I wonder how long it will be before she revokes my access?

Thanks for letting me play with your blog Laura! It was fun.

Word of the Day: Penultimate

pe·nul·ti·mate ( P ) Pronunciation Key (p-nlt-mt)adj.
Next to last.
Linguistics. Of or relating to the penult of a word: penultimate stress.

Seeing as Laura is returning from Israel late tonight, this will be my penultimate blog entry.

That is all I have to say.

Uh Oh

There's a very loud sawing sound coming from above my head. I think someone's cutting apart the ceiling. That's going to really suck when it falls into the cubicle Timoni and I share. Because then, while we're incapacitated and Laura's still in Israel, who will do our work? The world will be waiting in anticipation wondering what country is dumping bedroom furniture into U.S. markets, and they'll NEVER be able to find out who it is!

Word of the Day: Dowry

dow·ry ( P ) Pronunciation Key (dour)n. pl. dow·ries
Money or property brought by a bride to her husband at marriage. Also called dower.
A sum of money required of a postulant at a convent.
A natural endowment or gift; a talent.

I had an interesting discussion about dowries while hanging out at an Arabic school today. (Side note: if you're interested in learning Arabic, I can hook you up.) Why is it that people look down upon Middle Eastern and other cultures that still believe in brides bringing a dowry with them into a marriage? Cause really, how is that any different than the American standard of the bride's family paying for the whole show? Isn't the statement "hey, we'll foot the bill for dinner and a band" the same as saying "here's our dowry?"

One day, when I have oodles of free time on my hands (so that'll be Monday I guess) I'll have to research the whole wedding thing. At what point in humans evolution process did celebrating a marriage become throwing away lifes savings for a big fancy party?

I'm sitting in a cofee shop while writing this, so I feel like a real blogger now! Let's hope I don't spill my latte, cause my laptop isn't insured for things like that.

A Message from the Queen

I received an e-mail from Her Royal Word Repository Highness today. Laura is having a wonderful time and "Israel is just incredibly amazing."

Oh, and HRWRH says she's checking the blog. So this would be a good time to leave some I love Laura comments in hopes that she'll bring you back some cool Israeli stuff.

On an unrelated note, Laura's being in Israel has inspired me to start reading Israeli newspapers online again. I came across this advertisement in the two main English newspapers (these are the exact words):

JDate.com Everyone knows someone who fell in love on JDate.

Ah yes, the age old "well everyone's doing it and I want to be cool" trick. I am tempted to write them and ask "so if all of my friends who know someone who fell in love on JDate jumped off a bridge, should I follow them?"

Word of the Day: Resemblance

re·sem·blance
The state or quality of resembling, especially similarity in appearance or in external or superficial details.
Something that resembles another; a likeness or semblance.

I look forward to Wednesdays because that's the day Entertainment Weekly publishes its recap of Tuesday's Amazing Race Episode. Not because I need to know what happened on the last episode because a. the show sucks this season and I don't care and b. despite this I keep watching it. The reason I'm excited for it each Wednesday is cause I love the writer. Laura's written about it in her blog before - he's just got this great sense of sarcasm and wit that we really enjoy.

But this week there was a different writer. Same column, same topic, same recap of the episode, but so not the same. It was merely a resemblance of the column I am used to reading.

The writer is what makes the column, not the substance. Without the sarcastic style I've come to admire, this column was just a page of pointless uninteresting words.

So I thought I'd share my disapointment. By writing about it on a blog that is not mine. Hmmm...

Stress and Boredom

One of my biggest weaknesses is that I get stressed out a little too easily. I'm trying to be better, but look, it isn't my fault. According to Washington Post (my personal bible if you will...) there is a logical explanation: boredom is a condition that can be more stressful and damaging than overwork.

Due to both Laura and our boss being out of the office Monday and Tuesday, Timoni and I have been left "home alone" so to speak. So far we haven't done anything bad like burn down the office. (This is an actual concern, seeing as I am semi-responsible for causing the fire alarm to go off in a toaster mishap.)

And since this is one of Laura's favorite topics, I feel obligated to report that American University's ousted president agreed to a $3.75 million resignation package rather than be fired. So let this be a lesson to all you potential gross misusers of other people's money out there - you will get caught. But then you'll make a hefty profit anyhow.

Word of the Day: Absence

ab·sence ( P )
n.
1. The state of being away.
2. The time during which one is away.
3. Lack; want: an absence of leadership.
4. The state of being absent-minded; inattentiveness: absence of mind.

Since she is off frolicking through the Holyland, I will be updating Laura's blog in her absence. So don't fret adoring fans of Laura - for seeing as I am in essence her mini-me, you'll hardly even notice that Laura's gone.

This is the longest period of time Laura and I will have been apart for over a year. We spend about 40-60 hours a week together - that's more than many married couples! Actually, I suspect the reason Laura is trusting me with her blog is because she knows I need something to do to fill the empty spaces in my calendar while she is away.

I'm watching CNN's non-stop hurricane coverage and they are interviewing some church goers in the Keys who are refusing to evacuate. And here's why: some nun built them a statue in 1922 (or something like that) and the nun said as long as the statue stands, the town will not suffer a direct hit from a hurricane. So a reporter asks this woman if she believes if the statue will protect you from hurricanes, and she says "yes. Every church throughout the country should put up a statue and there would be no hurricanes."

Well, that settles that. Tomorrow I'm quitting my job, taking my Crown Victoria over to Home Depot to load up on uh, statue making supplies, and hitting the road for my "End All Hurricanes" campaign. Who's with me?

Here's some Good But Not Good News: tropical storm Alpha formed today. I realize that hurricanes = bad. But I'm kind of excited about the new record in number of storms!

Update on Steveoween

So, Steveoween was so awesome that I have to post the photos before I go. It's 3:38am and I am getting up at 7 for my flight to Israel. That is how important Steveoween was. Need I say more?

Here are some of the photos. First...

When people saw we were bridesmaids, they naturally asked if there was a bride...That's how we met Mike.


Michelle wearing her friend's freaky mask...


The three of us, post Steveoween

Word of the Day: Anticipation

an·tic·i·pa·tion ( P ) Pronunciation Key (n-ts-pshn)
n.
The act of anticipating.
An expectation.

I paid for this trip in May. October seemed so far away then. I leave tomorrow for the trip I've been waiting to take since I knew who Jesus was. Now I'm just wondering how I'm going to make it through tomorrow. I leave my house at 8am, but don't get on the flight to Israel until 8pm. Then when we finally arrive after 15 hours on a plane, we go straight to the first activity on the itinerary.

Anyway, Michelle will be watching after the blog. Have fun Michelle!! See you all November 1.

Word of the Day: Tocsin

tocsin \TOCK-sin\, noun:
1. An alarm bell, or the ringing of a bell for the purpose of alarm.
2. A warning.

Consider this your one-day warning. Tomorrow I will probably post my last entry until Nov. 2 when I return from Israel. But, never fear, Michelle will be here to entertain while I'm gone. Here is an excerpt from an email she sent me today (printed with her permission) so you can get a feel for her style before Sunday when she takes the reigns.

Me: Maybe next week you'll actually have the workload of a normal person. Mine and yours. You'll hate me when I return cuz you'll lose half your work.

Michelle: You are probably right, or most likely, because this generally is what happens when one of us leaves, the world will fall apart and suddenly i'll have too much to do. then i'll complain about how busy i am. and people will be like "you complain when you're bored. you complain when you're busy. when do you not complain?" then i'll be happy to have you back, but coincidentally the day you return there will be nothing to do and we will return to our normal boringness. which I will complain about.

There's a hummer in our office. I think I may have discussed this before, along with the whistler and the girl with the annoying laugh, but the hummer definitely takes the gold for being the most bizarre of the characters in this office. She's not a lackadaisical hummer. She's what I think to be an anxious hummer. She tends to speedwalk through the office frantic-humming to no real tune. It's more like a noisy vibration coming from a high-powered outboard motor. Michelle says "i should not be able to hear her humming over my ipod music."

Michelle, Timoni and I are going to a Halloween party of epic proportions this weekend. It's called Steveoween. This is because the party falls halfway between Steve's birthday and Halloween. Who is Steve? Well, that remains a mystery. Michelle was invited by a friend of a friend of Steve's and T and I decided to tag along. Duh, it's an opportunity to dress up and to mingle with the 93 people who responded "yes" to the evite. We are all three going as bridesmaids. I'm sure absurd photos of this event will be posted as soon as I return.

Details are likely to follow from Michelle, but the b-day plans are for dinner at Fuddruckers (it's my fav) at 8 in Dupont and then Dragonfly afterwards. If anyone is randomly reading this post and lives in the DC area and has nothing to do on Saturday, Nov. 5, there will be 12-15 hot single girls at Dragonfly. Stop by!

Word of the Day: Lost

I've been talked into watching Lost on DVD. I must admit, I'm not usually one to catch on to a craze immediately, so watching the show for the first time during the second season is not unlike me. I wasn't going to watch Lost at all, but Kim convinced me. Thank you Netflix.

So now that I'm two episodes in, I have these things to say:

1. What the hell is that thing that's chasing them?
2. The third episode is called Tabula Rosa, which I would like to point out was the Word of the Day a few posts back. Excellent!

Two days to Israel.

Word of the Day: Maunder

maunder \MON-duhr\, intransitive verb:
1. To talk incoherently; to speak in a rambling manner.
2. To wander aimlessly or confusedly.

I have a bunch of nothing to talk about right now. Seriously.

First, I should warn you all that I will have a guest blogger manning the Repository while I'm in Israel next week. Her name is -- well you all know her -- Michelle. You'll be glad to know she's just as bored as I am during the day, so she'll have just as much random nothingness to discuss. It's only 4 days until I leave!! I still haven't made plans for Veteran's Day (despite a very good recommendation I received). That's so sad.

I realized today that I've gotten really good at this technique I taught my coworker when she started working here. It's called "OBE", short for Out of Body Experience. Whenever I'm in a meeting, I grow furiously impatient at all the talk-around going on, and I am increasingly irritated by the fact that rational human thought is totally underutilized. So I learned quickly to leave the table (mentally - OBE) immediately upon sitting down to keep myself from extreme frustration. I get it. It's the govt. Nothing is supposed to happen quickly, but must it be talked about incessantly until our ears bleed?

I found a great new artist yesterday while scanning the *new* russian site for music. (note to self: remove Best Music Site Ever from links). His name is James Blunt. A cool mix between David Gray and Jack Johnson.
Great song:

How I wish I could surrender my soul;
Shed the clothes that become my skin;
See the liar that burns within my needing.
How I wish I'd chosen darkness from cold.
How I wish I had screamed out loud,
Instead I've found no meaning.

What's the point of Saddam Hussein refusing to identify himself at trial?

After several raucous hours, which included a brief shoving incident between Hussein and a guard, the proceeding was adjourned until Nov. 28.

Michelle will be posting a location for the non-birthday party we're having on the 5th (it's a Saturday so we HAVE to celebrate) mostly because I'm turning 28 and I feel that's a milestone. Plus I want to celebrate putting my condo on the market and other random useless antics. Might go to Tabaq (Bronwyn's suggestion) or Saint X or I don't know. Just stay tuned. And here's a tribute to Steve, who's birthday is on Nov. 9.

Last night I had a dream that I left my job and sold my condo (which are both immenent) but I freaked out the day I didn't have to go to work for the first time. I couldn't believe I'd just quit 2 weeks after my huge raise. And I just refinanced my house. Um. Good call there Laura. Don't worry I'm not quitting tomorrow. I'm just considering moving to a new city. These things must happen in life.

Timoni posted a Missed Connection today and got a reply from the wrong man, but a cute one at that!

This Blunt song reminds me of missed connections:

I saw your face in a crowded place,
And I don't know what to do,
But we shared a moment that will last till the end.
And I don't think that I'll see her again
There must be an angel with a smile on her face,
When she thought up that I should be with you.
But it's time to face the truth,
I will never be with you.

I told you it'd be random today!

Will Cheney Resign??

Cheney resignation rumors fly

US News is reporting rumors that Vice President Cheney will resign over the CIA leak and that President Bush will appoint Secretary of State Rice to the VP slot. And wouldn't that set her up nicely for the Presidential bid in '08? I'm only concerned because I work for State and it's quite possible, if these rumors are true -- and they clearly might not be -- that I would have a new boss soon, which affects a lot of things here, least of which is the fact that we must change every living document to reflect the change. And didn't we JUST do that??

According to US News:

"It's certainly an interesting but I still think highly doubtful scenario," said a Bush insider. "And if that should happen," added the official, "there will undoubtedly be those who believe the whole thing was orchestrated – another brilliant Machiavellian move by the VP."

Very interesting this theory that the administration could be orchestrating this in an effort to set up another republican win for 08. I'd vote for Condi. I'm loyal.

Word of the Day: Exhilaration

ex·hil·a·ra·tion Pronunciation Key (g-zl-rshn)
n. The state of being stimulated, refreshed, or elated



What am amazing experience! There's nothing quite like paying someone a bunch of money to jump out of a perfectly good airplane at a really high altitude, only to plummet to what seems pretty clear to be your imminent death. But then the cord is pulled and the world floats back into perspective. Thank God I'm going to live another day!

The feeling of falling was not nearly as frightening as the split second when you see the guy in front of you sucked into pure air and realize you're next. All I remember hearing before flying was "Put all ten toes out the door!" Then I spent the next minute or so trying to explain through hand gestures that I couldn't breathe and thought I was going to die. All I got in return was a kiss on the cheek.

Suddenly the pressure dropped and I was still alive. Safe. Breathing. You might be laughing, but I really thought I was going to suffocate in the air. How ironic would that be? My instructor took us on a million loopty-loops on the way down, spinning so fast I could see the parachute straight in front of me. It didn't occur to me until that moment that I so blindly trusted this thin, sheer material with my life. Wow.

Here are some more photos. And a link to my AOL Photogallery if you want to see more. Michelle let me take this photo of her nursing a nose bleed. Her fall was not so graceful when the wind changed and she fell 10 feet to the ground with the instructor landing on her.

My Fiftieth Post

Tomorrow's forecast is beginning to worry me.

WINDY
63 degrees
SUNNY

Sunny, good. Windy, bad. Today was a lovely, warm, sunny day. If tomorrow we cannot go skydiving again because of the weather it will be our own faults for not going today.

Another holiday is coming up. Veteran's Day. I don't feel like I can waste the weekend in D.C. I need to find some place to go. I was thinking about Vegas. There's a writing conference there on Friday the 11th. I could drive to the Grand Canyon! Or maybe Colorado to visit Kim. I'd like to hole myself up somewhere for like two days to write this book. Or just get outta town on another big adventure. Anyone have any ideas where I should go?

SEVEN DAYS UNTIL ISRAEL!!!

More Matt Nathanson

What an awesome concert. I so love the 930 Club.



Sunshine, I'm beginning to like this.
Cause all I want to be is the minute that you hold me in,
when you pretend that I'm all that you waited for.
Time slips to nothing and I'm better than I've ever been.
I'm suspended.
With your breathing, filling up my lungs
I can almost believe that I'm almost enough
--Suspended

TGIF Word of the Week: Sinecure

sinecure \SY-nih-kyur; SIN-ih-\, noun:
An office or position that requires or involves little or no responsibility, work, or active service.

Thanks to my sinecure job, I have plenty of time to post random bits of information on my blog. YAY!

Michelle and I are going to a Matt Nathanson concert tonight at the 930 club. I LUV him. If the Best Music Site Ever was working, I'd download his CD. Alas, it is not. The page says it'll be back up on the 13th. I wonder if they haven't noticed that it's the 14th today.

Show me where the sun comes through the sky
I'll show you where the rain gets in and
I'll show you hurricanes
The way that summer fades
You can lift me up to put me down again
underneath the weight of it all.

--Weight of It All

So last night I became aware of a little situation in my family. I have the most loving, awesome family. With that said, I think they're trying to kick me off the island. My sister mentioned a funeral that took place last weekend and it came out that the entire family had neglected to mention to me that an important person in the family had passed away. I mean, it was a week and a half ago. Were they ever going to tell me? Then I realized after my sister said she thought my mom had called me that my mom, in fact, hasn't called me in...well, frankly I can't remember when. MOTHER -- CALL ME!!

I feel so faded
So far gone
Nothing suprises me anymore

--Suspended

I think I need to sell my condo and cash out. Going Mondo Condo. A condo was recently sold in my building for $80K more than I paid. The same layout. I need to get out now, take my money and run. The only question is where will I run? I don't really know where to move next.

Word of the Day: Starveling

starveling \STARV-ling\, noun:
One who is thin from lack of food, or who is starving or being starved.
Update: adj. Starving. Poor in quality; inadequate.

I can't believe this is an actual word. I'm adding this to my daily vocabulary.

I was seriously starveling for progress on my book in the past few weeks. I keep trying to write from home and that just never works. I end up doing laundry or vacuuming or, well, just about anything that doesn't involve putting words on paper. Tonight, as I was slowly sliding off my cloud from the weekend, I trekked it back to Common Grounds and endured the deafening music in order to get back to the root of the story. And what do you know, it worked. I hear it again. Words poured out, and I'm not surprised because they've been cooped up in there for weeks.

Do the words and the cloud have a connection?

Update: If anyone has anything interesting, like a cool word, phrase or name, they would like added to my book, post it here and I'll do my best to include it. It'll be a cool challenge to fit it in somewhere and when it's published you'll be able to say you contributed! But no royalties! I have to draw the line somewhere.

Word of the Day: Euphemism

The Best Music Site Ever (listed on right) promises to be back up tomorrow after a FULL WEEK of brokenness. I'm already planning what music I'll download. I am a tiny bit fearful that it'll now be like 20 cents for a song or something, but I suppose I can handle that. I'm so spoiled.

eu·phe·mism ( P ) Pronunciation Key (yf-mzm)
n. The act or an example of substituting a mild, indirect, or vague term for one considered harsh, blunt, or offensive.

The word of the day is brought to you by Michelle, who suggested it after our boss and coworker were caught in an amusing euphemistic exchange. (Yeah, so what if I just made up a new phrase.)

Coworker to Boss: I'm having some issues right now.
Boss to Coworker: You mean problems?
Michelle to Both: I prefer to call them challenges.

Someone I know (whom I prefer remain nameless) said today two things within an hour of each ohter that I found immensily disturbing. Said person randomly met a couple in the waiting room of her doctor who asked her if she would donate an egg to them, and she agreed. Right there in the waiting room. For free. And she's getting fake eyelashes? I don't know. I must be losing my hearing because there is just no other rational explanation.

Are we all going to die of bird flu? Is it actually possible that a mass pandemic could anihilate half the U.S. population? I spent most of my day emersed in bird flu (bird flu web pages, that is) and I just can't seem to see what all the fuss is about. Haven't we come far enough with Science that we could get this under control before we all start dying off? If I have to be quarantined in my apartment for months on end, can I at least have a cute guy there with me? That's all I ask.

Skydiving on Sunday!

Sun, Oct 16
Sunny
71°/47°

Skydiving is on for Sunday!!!

I clearly have nothing to do today. PUHLEASE can I go home!!??

Uh-oh. I'm going to die of cancer.

Scientists Finding Out What Losing Sleep Does to a Body

I decided to read the Wash Post Health chat in my boredom today, just before I almost fell asleep at my desk, but now I see that was not a wise decision. Now not only do I speculate that my serious lack of sleep is harmful in some way, I have proof that I will someday die of cancer, or obesity or even heart disease. (I'm going to rule out obesity for obvious reasons).

My mother always tells me how horrible it is that I don't get enough sleep. My response to her: "There isn't time in the day to accomplish everything, so I have to borrow from the night". If I was a morning person, I doubt this would be an issue, but I do some of my best writing in the middle of the night when all the stupid noises, such as that guy who whistles all day long at his desk that is 15 feet from mine, are gone and I can think and breathe in pure silence.

According to the Wash Post article, I'm pretty much out of luck:
"... not sleeping enough or being awake in the wee hours runs counter to the body's internal clock, throwing a host of basic bodily functions out of sync."

Then there's this prediction, which is rather odd, seeing as how everyone must die sooner or later...
...[a study] found people who slept the least appeared to be significantly more likely to die.

I read a book that said every hour you sleep before midnight is worth two hours of after midnight sleep. Too bad I never go to bed that early. I'm missing out on quality sleep.

And then there are vivid dreams. Does everyone have incredibly vivid dreams like I do? I have the most insane dreams and they're usually in high definition color. What is the significance of a bright red truck that turns into a motorcycle? I had a dream a few weeks ago that I was riding a rollercoaster with a friend and we didn't realize we didn't have seatbelts or anything holding us in until we went upside down and he was dumped out of the bucket to plummet 300 feet to the ground while I watched in horror.

Countdown Begins: 12 Days Left

Only 12 days left until I leave for Israel. I can't believe how fast it's approaching, probably because it's mid-October already and I can't even remember large parts of September. Kim and I are deciding what to pack and what things we can take on the plane to stave off boredom for the 15-hour flight. If you have any ideas, please leave a comment.

The trip is organized by a tour company but is lead by the pastor of my church McLean Bible. We're going to Caesarea, the Sea of Galilea, Tabgha, the Mount of Beatitudes, Capernaum, Tiberius, Megiddo, Mt. Carmel, Nazareth, the Garden of Gethsemane and the Temple Mount and the Wailing Wall, Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Masada, and we get to float in the Dead Sea.

Who knows if I'll have any internet access while I'm there, but if I do, you'll certainly see updates on the blog. I still can't believe I'm going.

:(

We didn't go skydiving today. So don't ask.

The weather did not cooperate.

Word of the Day: Earthquake

I have been breathing earthquake today. Not to sound trite (because I have a great amount of sympathy for the people of South Asia) but is there any way we could get the natural disaster schedule changed so that they don't keep happening on the weekend?

Tomorrow is Michelle's birthday. She's finally 24. I swear she seems older than that. We went out last night to Continental to celebrate and inadvertantly ended up crashing a wedding. I think. And I met the most charming guy. Why do men look so hot in suits??

For her actual birthday, we are going skydiving (thank you Christopher Columbus for losing your way to India and therefore affording us a day off in the middle of October to go jump out of a plane). My boss (who just happens to be her boss too) said he wasn't comfortable with the thought of us both being in the same plane. I guess there's more chance of one of us surviving if we're not. Is that a pleasant thought.

I'm a little apprehensive about this jumping from 4,000 feet thing. In reading the FAQ page of their website today, I came across a very disturbing piece of literature. This link is to the weather page. Click on the word monkey to share my distress. Did you know that chickenheartedness is an actual word?

In between submitting pages and creating categories for my webpage, I made Michelle a quilt for her birthday. Shh...it's a surprise. I'll post a photo soon. I'm really pretty proud of it.

Earthquake in South Asia

I am blown away by this earthquake. 18,000 people died. We just got done declaring a major disaster where less than 1,000 people died. And now we will give back all the money other countries just gave us. It's like a little game. Well, I know what I'll be doing Sunday -- creating a web page.

Earthquake in South Asia

Word of the Day: tabula rasa

tabula rasa • \tab-yuh-luh-RAH-zuh\ • noun
1 : the mind in its hypothetical primary blank or empty state before receiving outside impressions
*2 : something existing in its original pristine state

At first I chose this word because I like saying it, but then I realized that wasn't enough of a reason to use it as a word of the day. So then I considered how wonderful it would be if we had a reset button. Yes, for ourselves. I was staying with my Tucson friends at their friends' house in Great Falls on Friday night. Sundee and I baked a pie in the oven. A normal, everyday (well maybe not everyday seeing as how I don't usually just have the stuff to make a pie sitting around) occurance. However, this time was special because when we set the timer, it broke. I should preface that remark with the fact that this house is a million dollar (or more) monstrosity (if I call it a house, that would mean that I live in a shoebox). Sundee said the neighbors further down the street where the "real expensive" houses are call these guys the white trash of Great Falls (again, I'm not too keen on what that makes me).

Anyway...back to the oven story. So the timer breaks and instead of just shutting off, it proceeds to beep annoyingly, over and over until we all want to kill ourselves. The owners of the house were out of town, so now it appears that we ruined their oven, and while Eric was contemplating taking apart the mechanical parts, Sundee and I were plotting a scheme to shatter it with a sledge hammer.

The only point of that story was to give significance to the word of the day because that annoying timer made me consider how wonderful it would be if we each had our own personal reset button. No more beeping noises, no more broken timers, no more plots to destroy appliances.

And while we're on the subject, I slept in the movie theater last night. I'm not exaggerating. I now aspire to have my own in-house movie theater, complete with three tiers of stadium seating with light runners along the stairs and 20 leather recliners all lined up to watch the protector screen. The only sad part was that they owned every episode of Stargate and I think that is negligent misuse of a home theater.

Today's Random Thoughts

Today I can't seem to narrow down my thoughts enough to focus on one topic, so I'm making this a random hodgepodge. Beware, reading this may give you greater insight into my brain than you ever wanted.

I read something this morning that said our lives are mostly spent "waiting for the next 30 seconds to reveal what's next". I was just thinking about how seldomly the next 30 seconds reveals something I didn't do yesterday.

VICTORIA'S SECRET

To start things out, I had the great pleasure of walking by the new Victoria's Secret store at the Tyson's Mall last night while I was out with my friends from Tucson. And yes, it is quite racy. I don't really know what they were trying to do with this attempt at harnessing sex appeal through deliberately posed practically nude mannequins. Victoria's Secret is (was) a place where most adults feel comfortable walking in to buy something for themself or their partner. I considering myself rather open-minded about such things, and I'm not easily embarrassed by sex appeal, but I would feel a little "dirty" going in there. I mean, it's all red lighting inside, the mannequins are embarrassingly underdressed. It's a sight to see.

Everyone has a different opinion on what's offensive. However, I think the difference here is that other such flagrant displays of a sexual nature, such as magazines, are covered on a newsstand so only people who pick it up and uncover it can see it. The models in VS's window are LIFE-SIZED and in your face. You go into the mall to watch a movie, you end up getting a free peep show instead. You might not stop shopping at VS, but I dare you to walk in there without feeling guilt. It's like Frederick's of Hollywood only way more slutty (um, multi-media!).

So wait, now not only are we competing with airbrushed models, now we must compete with PLASTIC??

NEW BANKRUPTCY LAW

"Two weeks before a new, more restrictive national bankruptcy law goes into effect, financially strapped Americans are rushing to file for protection from their creditors, with filings climbing to an unprecedented average of 13,000 a day last week."

OMG, 13,000 people a day file for bankruptcy? Is there no self-control in this country? Not only are most Americans overweight, they're financially irresponsible as well? And we wonder why we have such a huge national deficit. If politicians are anything like the average joe, we've got a huge problem.

GAS vs. LATTE

From a funny little article in the Motley Fool about how recently more Americans have not been paying their credit card bills on time. The credit card companies blame this on rising costs of gas, but how long can people hide behind that excuse?

"To fuel their gas habits, consumers clearly have to cut one weekly latte out of their budget or face the consequences of making their credit card payments. That' s 45.8 million lattes. Every day. What will baristas do with all that extra foam?"

AMAZING RACE:

The Amazing Race *used* to be my favorite show (and apparently many others held the same sentiment seeing as how it's won the emmy for best reality show for 3 years now). However, that was before the Family Edition began last week. I've since had to rethink my devotion to the show. The Entertainment Weekly wrapup (linked above) says it all:

"Let's face it: Nothing spices up a Race more than watching Americans struggle to overcome a language barrier. Sure, America is fine and dandy, but that doesn't make it a fun place to watch people race across. This season comes across more like a junior-high educational film than entertainment...

Oh, sure, in Third World countries they'll stuff contestants onto a bus with 420 chickens, a shipment of human feces, and a tour group heading to a syphilis convention, but for this race, they're kept preserved in their American SUVs. I say put these people on a Greyhound, sitting next to drunks being sent out of town by police and wheezing old people who fall asleep resting their goiters on the racers' shoulders. Now that's an amazing race!

It began anticlimactically enough when Phil announced that the teams would have to first drive 15 miles. Fifteen miles? Is this a race or an errand? If the next eating challenge consists of large quantities of green eggs and ham, I'm handing this column off to the first sixth grader I see.

TATTOOS

This is my third attempt to write about tattoos, since blogger doesn't think it's worthy and keeps shutting me down. Timoni suggested I copy the text every 2 minutes. Good in theory… but it'll never happen. My mind is devoid of the ability to repeatedly do anything on any kind of time schedule.

So, what I was gonna say about tattoos is… oh nevermind -- just read this (from the article linked above…
"He has erased tattoos from every part of the human body surface, even parts you'd think are far too tender to be exposed to a tattoo needle. The phrase "love pump" was tattooed on one guy's . . . well, never mind."

One might think I've spent all day reading Washington Post articles -- oh wait... (see: Word of the Day: Fraud)

Word of the Day: Savvy

Savvy
n : the cognitive condition of someone who understands

I never cease to be amused by the lack of technical savvy the people I work with possess (or lack possession of), considering we run a website. In my position, I am expected to constantly roll with the punches, conform to whatever happens to be the system of the day, and not only must I be able to work with the program, I am also expected to be proficient enough to train a person relatively devoid of any redeemable computer skill to use the program with enough proficiency to not turn the website into a laughing stock. Despite my efforts, there always seems to be one or two who just can't seem to catch on, after months, even A FULL YEAR of trying.

I've been working on this site for two years now and I understand almost every aspect of it with general clarity (I won't say "all of it with full clarity" because Chris is probably reading this and he knows that's not true). So I am duly astonished when someone who's been using the system for a year comes to my desk weilding her manual with the words DON'T PANIC scrawled across the front in red block letters.

She says, "Are you going to help me figure out this site? You're gonna have to be patient with me. I learn slowly." Then she picked up her retirement packet from my desk and made her way out the door. Does anyone else see the irony in that? (Side note: she was already trained by two other editors in this office).

Word of the Day: Cavil

cavil \KAV-uhl\, intransitive verb:
To raise trivial or frivolous objections; to find fault without good reason.

So I joined a new writing group this weekend. I spent 3 hours with this strange published and prolific group of five misfits (as writers usually are), and in the end I came out with a huge contempt for writing groups and not much else.

One of the guys in the group had written a short story which we had to *read aloud* in the group because it was sent through email as an attachment that no one but me could access. So I had the lovely experience of reading it twice. The story, in short, was about a guy who orders a prostitute to give him an orgasm at the same time that he shoots himself with a gun. He dies and the prositute strangely stays in the hotel room and pleasures herself with the gun. Then some security guards arrive and rape her. I'm sorry, did I miss something? Do people actually read this stuff?

WE READ THAT ALOUD!

Following that excrutiating hour, we discussed my story, which was promptly picked apart in full and cavil detail. Now, I've had a few people read the first few chapters and all have said it's a pretty good start. Greg said I should give less detail, let the reader figure it out for himself. I tend to agree with him on this point. Giving away too much, or dumbing it down for the reader is never good. I have a weakness in this area. However, smut guy suggested that I be explicit with the reader (shocker coming from him) and go so far as to even divulge the contents of the protagonist's shoulder bag. WHAT?? You don't need to know that she carries lipstick, a tampon and a half-eaten roll of lifesavers.

Anyway, then smut guy proceeded to tell me that I should know he's going to steal my idea. I laughed. He said, "You're laughing, but I'm serious." First rule of fight club: DO NOT STEAL OTHER WRITERS IDEAS.

Word of the Day: Autumn

And just how did it get to be fall already? I can't believe it's October. The chill in the air hints at the fact that winter is quickly approaching. The sweet smell of apples lingers even while grocery stores and farms start selling pumpkins and nine varieties of squash. Incredible.

My favorite things about fall are apple picking (which I did this weekend in Maryland with Dawn and Michelle -- this was our third year!) roasting pumpkin seeds, driving down Skyline Drive to see the leaves, and the moist chill that holds the faint scent of damp leaves and dewy grass.

Bittersweet October. The mellow, messy, leaf-kicking, perfect pause between the opposing miseries of summer and winter." ~Carol Bishop Hipps

Word of the Day: Blame

Why is it that everyone has to blame someone else for everything that happens in this world? Are we so tightly wound that we need to place blame for every occurance in our lives before we can feel that we've acheived justice?

Here are some excerpts from an AP story:

The Federal Emergency Management Agency delivered ice, water and packaged meals Wednesday to residents who rode out the storm, but some officials in hard-hit areas criticized the agency's response..."I don't know what could have been done better since the materials were in place before the hurricane. We're doing everything we can to get water and ice to whomever remains."...He said it was difficult for many residents, trapped behind miles of downed trees, to get medical care, food or water....Some rural residents said they felt forgotten after the storm..."They are still stuck on Katrina, and Rita's done some hellacious damage up in these woods."

If you don't want to be forgotten then GET OUT. I'm pretty sure they made an effort to get you to leave BEFORE the storm, but you were too stubborn to leave your house. You know what, it's your own fault!

This week's other headlines:
Brown Blames La. Governor, N.O. Mayor
Ex-FEMA Director Brown Blames Others
Former FEMA Director Brown blames 'dysfunctional Louisiana' for Katrina response

I'm possibly ultra-sensitive to this issue today because yesterday I spelled Jordan wrong on my newsletter that goes to around 2,000 people a week. Everyone in this office was exceptionally quick to point out that the blame was mine. Others were equally quick to suggest I fix the error, which makes me laugh since it's an email. What exactly do you want me to do? Travel back in time? My boss asked me "what happened?" this morning, not to blame me for it, but to understand the process leading up to the error so he could properly "disperse the blame elsewhere".

The whole blame game is just unbelievable to me. I am adult enough to accept the fact that I committed this majorly erroneous typo (it's one fricken letter!). Why must we point fingers at others to cover up for our own role in something? I'm not saying that others were not equally at fault for the error (after all, I'm only the content editor, not the copy editor or proofreader), I'm just saying that when something like this occurs, why can we not learn from the error or mistake and move forward with that knowledge instead of blaming everyone and pointing fingers and denying responsiblity.

Are we that insecure?