Life imitates "art", or People are stupid

Have you seen that stupid Toyota commercial where people destroy their cars in various ways so they can buy a new Toyota?

Well:

Man accused of pushing car off mountain

A man pushed his Ford Mustang down a mountain as part of a scheme to claim it was stolen, authorities said.

Richard Way Jr., 28, pushed the car down an embankment along Wopsy Mountain in Blair County last year, then reported it had been stolen from the parking lot of a hot dog restaurant, the Pennsylvania attorney general's office said.

Way, of Claysburg, was arraigned last week on charges of filing false police reports, theft and insurance fraud.

A cousin, Travis Knox, told police he saw Way remove stereo equipment from the Mustang and was asked to help push the car off a cliff, according to the arrest affidavit. Knox said he refused to help, and told investigators that Way confessed the crime to him a few days later.

The commercial annoys me every time I see it, because I'm a goody two shoes and can't stand it when our entertainment media encourages us to commit crimes (an ad for a film where two bank employees hatch a plan to rob the place played before Enchanted! WTF?), and because this is yet another example of the "I deserve it, and I have no responsibilities" mindset.

I wondered the first time I saw it if it would happen in real life. This isn't exactly the same, but...

(Apologies to Dariush for stealing his headline meme ;>)

My obituary

Via...my father-in-law's MySpace page ;D

'What will your obituary say?' at QuizGalaxy.com

I can't think of a better way to go, or a more flattering group of mourners. Can you?

KKM season 3

I just found out that Kyou Kara Maou is getting a third season, which will start airing in Japan in April. Rock on!

I also just found out that Geneon isn't distributing anime anymore, and they stopped before they were done with KKM season 2, so it's unclear if those episodes will ever be released in the US. WTF!

(And yes, I am slow with news.)

Diving back in

Getting back to work yesterday was such a relief. I'm tired of seeing my previous, whiny post about how illness ruins my life, so I figured I'd write a short post about how much I got accomplished yesterday.

As I Twittered, things didn't go perfectly smoothly without me. There are things only I know how to do, things I've told people how to do but they're a little rough at it, and things I've trained people on but I'm just better at doing. I had a little bit of catch-up work to do to get things up to my level. I know I sound egotistical, but I'd like to think that everyone sets standards for their work and then tries to meet them, and you wouldn't think that way necessarily when you're filling in for someone else's job--so see, it's just realism, not egotism.

;>

Regardless, I got the site to where I wanted it to be, and then did some work I'd been putting off due to other projects, and then did what I call my TPS reports (they actually do serve a purpose, but they are so boring). At some point I took a 45 minute lunch break and went to Wendy's with Elgin and Fichtel, which was cool. I did not have a Frosty, shockingly, but alas, I did have fries. Back at work, I handled an ad issue for sales, made two calls on another ad issue for sales (but no answer), and then dove into a design project I volunteered for last week. I had received an email from the printing company that they needed the artwork ASAP. The files I was working with were huge, so I literally could not have any programs open but Photoshop while working on them, so I had to work it in during a non-busy time. Fortunately I was able to do so yesterday, and I got the design done! Now I just have to hope it's acceptable for printing...it has a lot of color and I'm not sure what that might do to the price.

Then I did my usual evening tasks--my job ramps up during the last two hours due to the evening newscasts. I ended up staying a little late, but since I don't have any sick hours left and I missed two and a half days this week I guess that's a good thing ;P

Now it's Friday, the last day before my vacation. I'll finish up my TPS reports today, work on uploading some video to various places, make sure that project is acceptable for the printer, and do my regular tasks. I also have a doctor's appointment this morning and a salon appointment this afternoon, and I'm supposed to take pictures of the weekend talent at some point.

Ah, what a life I lead :)

I'm getting tired of this ;P

I got a fever late Saturday night, and it kept coming back throughout Sunday and Monday. I took Tylenol Cold whenever it got too bad--i.e., I was freezing to death--and otherwise just tried to rest and drink juice. This morning I had a bit of a fever so I called my GP's office for an appointment to see what he thought. He only had an afternoon appointment available, so I took that and then went to work.

I got caught up on a few things and realized the breadth of work that is still to be done, then headed over to see Dr. B. I told him my symptoms--neck pain, slight sore throat, occasional cough, throat and nasal congestion, fever--and that I had been sick like this a couple weeks ago.

He surmised that I have just had two different viruses back to back, but he took a throat culture and prescribed Penicillin just in case I have strep throat.

As we were walking out of the exam room, he asked, "Do you need a work excuse?"

"For yesterday?" I asked. "I'm working today."

"You shouldn't be," he replied.

"...well, then, yes, I need an excuse."

And he wrote me a note that says I can't go back to work until Thursday.

Seriously. I have been out of sick days forever, and I have work that needs to get done, and I don't know how I can expect to be regarded as a professional if I'm out sick every couple of weeks! This is really frustrating.

I went to Walgreens to fill the prescription, and I picked up some hand sanitizer and Lysol disinfectant spray. I'm going to try to be ridiculous about cleanliness from now on. I'm also thinking I'd like to see what sorts of HEPA room filters are available on the market and if I could afford one, or preferably two: one for home and one for work. That might not be possible given all the other medical bills (another reason I'd like to be able to work!), but it's definitely worth looking into at least.

Bah!

I apparently can't live without Twitter

If I could have been Twittering this morning, you would know that I am home sick from work today, that I'm watching Lois & Clark season 3, that I'm drinking V8 fruit juice, and that I need to get over to the mailbox soon, if I can. I might have added other notes, like the fact that The Abominable Charles Christopher is back up, and that I've added it (and other comics) to my webcomics list on the sidebar.

But there was no Twitter this morning, and yea, there was wailing and gnashing of teeth all 'cross the intarweb.

Fortunately, it's back now--so all of you who live to read the minutiae of my life, rejoice.

Which Disney princess are you?

I'm Belle and Aurora, apparently.

Cinderella:

[ ] One of your parents is dead.

[x] You are expected to do a lot of chores.

[x] You love to dress up.

[x] You love animals.

[ ] You are waiting patiently for your Prince Charming. (Or princess)

[ ] Your mom is really strict.

[ ] You have sisters who seem kind of jealous of you.

[ ] You're afraid to speak your mind sometimes.

[ ] You have left your shoes at a friend's house before

[x] You have blond hair.

TOTAL: 4


Belle:

[ ] You've fallen in love like with someone your friends didn't like.

[x] You've been lost in the forest.

[x] You love to read.

[ ] You are not shy at all, and not afraid to speak your mind.

[x] One of your family members is a bit weird.

[x] You have done volunteer work.

[x] You have a wild imagination.

[x] You love to take care of people in need.

[ ] You've had guys like you only because they think you're pretty.

[x] You've rejected at least one person when they've asked you out.

TOTAL: 7


Jasmine:

[ ] Your dad is very rich/important.

[x] You are very clever.

[x] You've fallen in love like with someone way different from you.

[x] You're unique and different from everyone else.

[x] You'd never marry someone just because they were rich.

[ ] You have set a lot of goals for yourself.

[ ] You don't have a lot of friends.

[x] You're independent

[ ] You are wealthy

[ ] Your parents try to control your life.

TOTAL: 5


Ariel:

[x] Your parents expect a lot from you.

[ ] You really try to follow the rules, but you always seem to break them.

[ ] You're a bit of a trouble maker.

[ ] You're the youngest in your family.

[ ] You have a sister.

[x] You collect something.

[ ] You have/had long, red hair

[x] You have/had a pet fish.

[x] You're extremely curious.

[ ] You believe everything people tell you/you're a bit gullible.


TOTAL: 4


Snow White:

[x] You know that you're beautiful.

[ ] Sometimes it seems like your mom is jealous of you.

[ ] You've almost been killed.

[x] You have at least seven good friends.

[ ] You've had food poisoning.

[x] You have/had short hair.

[x] You get along with (most) everyone.

[x] All of your friends are different ... in a good way...

[x] You love to have a good time.

[ ] You're happier when you're out of the house than in.

TOTAL: 6


Mulan:

[x] You can be a tomboy sometimes.

[ ] People wish you could be a bit more girly.

[ ] You've pretended to be someone you're not.

[ ] You've had a physical fight with someone.

[x] You have/had considered running away from home.

[ ] Your parents try to plan your life out.

[x] Some of your friends are boys.

[ ] You sometimes find yourself in bad situations.

[x] You love your family so much that you'd do anything to protect them.

TOTAL: 4


Aurora:

[x] You live/have lived with someone other than your parents. (Assuming my husband counts ;P)

[ ] You almost died at a very young age.

[x] You are gentle, loving, and/or thoughtful.

[x] You have a decent singing voice.

[x] You like to sleep in late on the weekends.

[ ] You spend most of your time outside

[ ] You're adopted

[x] You have/had long hair.

[x] You're very romantic.

[x] Pink is one of your favorite colors

TOTAL: 7


Pocahontas:

[x] You love to walk around and explore your city.

[x] You are more spiritual than religious.

[ ] You've been in an interracial relationship.

[ ] One of your siblings is dead.

[x] Your parents are very protective of you.

[x] Someone you know has been in war.

[x] You love nature.

[ ] You have/had black hair.

[x] You would love to move somewhere exotic and beautiful.

[x] You're very adventurous

TOTAL: 5

Unofficial!

I have some time to kill before I head over to Wicked Wasabi for Samantha's birthday, so I thought I'd share the photos I took today at the Unofficial Superlatives luncheon, held at Teresa's Mexican Restaurant.

The station did superlatives officially last year and announced them at the Christmas party. (I won "Neatest" and "Biggest Nerd", as I recall.) This year, for whatever reason, it was decided that superlatives wouldn't happen. Kassay and I thought this was rather lame, so we organized our own unofficial superlatives. Today was the day they were awarded.

A pretty big group of us were able to head over to Teresa's at lunchtime. Miraculously, we got a table right away, and we only had to wait a few minutes for everyone to arrive.

After everyone had ordered their food, I started announcing the winners, and Kassay passed out the beautiful gold-embossed certificates I had printed the day before. There were a lot of categories, and even more winners, because where there were ties I just decided to let everyone win rather than having a runoff. Several people won more than one superlative.

Scarily, Chris C. and I won superlatives in the exact same categories. (Does this mean we're BFF now?)

All in all, it was a really fun time. Even the people who didn't win anything said they enjoyed it. Really, it was just great to go out with so many coworkers at once. We had a blast :)

Great Christmas movies

All the Christmas stuff going on lately has got me thinking about my favorite Christmas movies. Here's a list of the ones that get me into the spirit:

Home Alone - The original, of course. Quintessential Christmas.

An Affair to Remember

Die Hard - Yes, Die Hard.

Elf

The Nightmare before Christmas

The Santa Clause

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

While You Were Sleeping

The Star Wars Holiday Special - Okay, this one's a joke.

What are your favorite holiday films? Here's a pretty good list if you need to jog your memory.

Infused with Christmas spirit

The Christmas spirit is on overload here at work. There's a door decorating contest going on and all the different departments are going crazy to try and win. Today's the deadline, and all of a sudden more and more doors are being covered in wrapping or crepe paper and decorated to the hilt.

I went all out with my office, hanging tinsel and lights, setting out decorative boxes and bows, and bringing in the two little Christmas trees I bought last year. Now that I don't have a huge desk at home I really don't have a place to put them, so they're sitting on the printer table here in my office. I hung stockings from the doorknobs, and as a final touch, I hung candy canes from pretty much every handle in the room.

To complete the look, I turned off one set of lights to let the Christmas lights set the mood, and I've been playing Christmas mp3s all week.

My boss has jumped on the bandwagon, and now she has a boom box blasting Christmas songs down the hall.

I don't remember it being this spirited last year, but I'm glad for it. It's a lot of fun! I took some time this morning to run around the station with my camera getting pictures of different places in various states of decoration. I'll add pictures to this post once they're uploaded.

Mom is (as Logan would say) awesome.

I called Mom before bed and we chatted for about 40 minutes. She is home again after a nice weekend vacation to Indianapolis with Aunt Bev. We talked about that and about what everyone's up to and our plans for Christmas.

"Dad's making little instruments now," she said. "You'll have to see them when you get here. They're pretty cute." She paused. "Actually, they're not cute at all. They're kind of ugly. But they make sounds!"

I laughed so hard I cried.

Birds

The other day I took a lunch to Riverwalk and snapped a few photos.

There were a lot of birds on my favorite train bridge, so I spent a lot of time trying to get a good shot of them.

I love Riverwalk :)

You can see the rest of the pictures here.

Sleep study #2

After my first sleep study back in October, it was determined that I have moderate sleep apnea. I was seen by a sleep specialist and the ear nose and throat doctor again, and then I was sent back to the sleep study place to be fitted for a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine. With sleep apnea, you stop breathing while sleeping because your airway collapses. A CPAP forces air into your nose, helping you to breathe properly.

Coincidentally, I ended up with the same sleep study technician as last time, Chris, and had my study in the same room.

I had to wait for some time as Chris set up the patient next door, a small baby. Fortunately, this time I'd brought my laptop and box set of Initial D, so I got ready for bed and then watched several episodes. There was a hospital wireless network available, but it was unsecured so I decided not to get online.

Finally Chris arrived to wire me up. This time I was able to get a picture before he put the hair net on:

Chris was just as talkative as last time, but I was pretty tired, so I wasn't as involved in the conversation as I might have been.

In the middle of getting me set up, Chris had to leave the room to get a humidifier for the CPAP, and while I waited for him to get back I drew a picture of Batman on the markerboard door of the closet.

Finally it was time to sleep. I got into place and Chris helped me put on the face mask. It only covers the nose. There's a bunch of soft padding on it so it's comfortable, and there's a piece of plastic that connects to a padded bar that goes on your forehead, to add stability. That whole unit is then strapped to your head with adjustable fabric belts, which you can slip off of hooks if you need to remove the mask quickly.

It was weird after it was on and Chris first started the flow of air. My first instinct was to rip the mask off, as if I was being suffocated. But I forced myself to breathe the air that was blowing into the mask.

Then Chris asked me a question, and let me tell you, it is very weird to try to talk only to hear a weird raspy sound and feel a torrent of air blowing out of your mouth.

"Did I ask you the question because I wanted to know the answer, or because I wanted to hear you do that?" Chris asked. Hmm, let's all think about that! ;>

We got the mask settled in on my face and I got comfy for the night.

I have a love-hate relationship with this photo (which Chris kindly took for me). Obviously, I wouldn't send this out with my Christmas cards. I mean, it's just not flattering. But at the same time, it's so perfectly representative of what it's like to be wired up for a sleep study.

It doesn't look comfortable, does it? But remarkably, my biggest complaint about the situation would have to be that the pillow didn't provide proper neck support. I'm spoiled by Tempur-Pedic. And that's it!

The mask didn't really bother me while I was asleep. When I first started trying to go to sleep I wondered if I would wake up, forget about the mask, discover it, and freak out. But that didn't happen. I vaguely recall the mask moving off my nose slightly, and moving it back myself, and I also vaguely pulling the mask off as best I could, only to have Chris come fix it, but I wasn't particularly distressed by any of these events.

I slept very soundly, and I was very unhappy when Chris woke me around 7.

The exit questions were the same, but my answers were really different. Can you remember any dreams? No, not at all. How long were you asleep? I have no idea. What time is it right now? No clue. What time did you go to sleep? Um. It's kind of scary that my answers were so precise before, and this time...nothing. Does this mean that I was so asleep that my internal body clock took the night off? And am I not going to have dreams anymore? Because I'll miss those :>

It took awhile for me to feel like I was awake after that. Chris told me that around the middle part of the day I'd realize that I felt refreshed, but I wasn't sure about that. I did, thankfully, wake up enough that I felt comfortable driving home.

When I got here I had planned on going straight to bed, but it turned out that we forgot to pay the rent, so I relaxed a little with the intention of going and doing that, and I ended up watching more Initial D and running that errand and just staying awake.

Until, abruptly, I fell asleep on the couch.

The nap was somewhat restful, but not ideal. I kept waking up and hearing the DVD menu music and thinking that I should turn it off, and then falling back asleep. But afterwards I at least felt like I could make it through the rest of the day.

I think what happened is that I actually did get some restful sleep, and when it stopped prematurely my body was very unhappy about it.

I originally thought wearing a face mask was going to be a colossal pain, but now I'm excited to see what will happen when I have my own CPAP. It'll be cool to see if I actually do feel more rested in the daytime, and have more energy to do things. I would love to start being active again.

I'm not actually sure when all this will happen, though. I think I'm going to get the prescription in three weeks when I go back to the ENT.

Move faster, time!

Worry-less wireless

Me (3:02:05 PM): I was going to ask you earlier if you had any good ideas for getting rid of a sore throat
Me (3:02:12 PM): but then I sucked on a cough drop
Me (3:02:16 PM): and what do you know?
Me (3:02:53 PM): we don't really have a good term for sucking on stuff, other than "sucked on it"
Me (3:02:59 PM): like you "take" a pill
Mom (3:03:03 PM): losenge
Mom (3:03:04 PM): LOL
Mom (3:03:15 PM): lozenge
Mom (3:03:20 PM): how do you spell that
Me (3:03:21 PM): in Japanese they actually say that you "drink" pills
Mom (3:03:26 PM): lol
Me (3:03:36 PM): with a z
Me (3:04:00 PM): I've heard people here say you eat pills
Mom (3:04:04 PM): lol
Me (3:04:07 PM): but I would just say "take" or "swallow"
Me (3:04:17 PM): "I ate a Motrin" just sounds funny
Me (3:04:37 PM): but anyway, the point of all that was, I wouldn't say "I took a cough drop" either
Me (3:04:44 PM): because I feel like that implies immediate swallowing
Mom (3:05:14 PM): lol
Me (3:05:24 PM): at about this point, my friend Brandon from work would say, "When you don't have to think about your wireless plan, you're free to think about OTHER things"
Me (3:05:34 PM): have you seen those commercials?
Me (3:05:45 PM): those people are always talking about the stupidest stuff
Me (3:05:47 PM): lol
Me (3:06:00 PM): I like to pretend that my silly tangents are on a higher level at least
Me (3:06:01 PM): ;>
Mom (3:06:49 PM): yes is silly
Me (3:07:07 PM): lol
Me (3:07:17 PM): "no is not on higher level"?
Mom (3:07:30 PM): no the commercials are silly
Mom (3:07:31 PM): LOL
Mom (3:07:32 PM): not you
Me (3:07:35 PM): hahaha

Edit: Hai points out that "you HAD a cough drop". Fair enough.