This journal is for personal navel gazing. Feel free to stick around if you like; I'm always happy to share the navel gazing. If, however, you've ended up here looking for a recording, might I suggest you head on in this direction to the my podfic journal.

Enjoy!
-
Issaro

Today started off all normal and annoying. Client 1 went a little crazy yesterday and I ended up working 14 hours then having to drag my ass out of bed early for a training for Sharepoint.

Boring.

Until the building started *rolling about underfoot* during one of our breaks.

We all evacuated out onto the Mall, where we stood around trying to get some sort of news.

Turns out, much to my surprise, no one blew anything up. Instead it was an Earth Quake.

What the Fuck?

Let me just say for the record that when your Federal building in downtown DC starts shaking, earth quake isn't your first thought.

Regardless. All Feds were sent home. Traffic became a nightmare. And I totally avoided the Metro insanity by judicious use of a taxi.

Am home safe and sound with the cats in my apartment, which shows now signs of today's shenanigans.

Happy Earth Day, everyone!

I'm not going to make a big long post here trying to convince you to recycle your soda cans or sell your car or install moss for flooring or any of that stuff. Really, it's not my place to tell you to 'green' your life. Instead, let me leave you with what I think the real message is in exactly 100 words.


Environmentalism is nothing more than trying to live your life in a socially responsible way.

It doesn't matter how much you recycle. It doesn't matter how big your carbon foot print is. If you're trying to live your life in a socially responsible way, you're as 'green' as you need to be. How you get there is all about what matters most to you. And that doesn't translate into trees hugged, trash diverted, energy saved or GHG emitted unless that's how you want to measure it for yourself and all the other people who do or will call Earth home.

Happy Earth Day!

Sometimes you just need NyQuil. It's gross and makes me want to gag but it lets me sleep instead of half pretending to almost sleep while I struggle to lie down in a manner that keeps my sinuses from overflowing like Niagara Falls.

But - really - why does green NyQuil even exist any more?

NyQuil is enough to gag you even when it's flavored like a drug induced dream of a cherry. The green, traditional flavor is even worse. Like ten times worse, if that's even possible.

Who stands in the aisle at CVS, contemplates Cherry Flavor or Original Flavor and then deliberately *choses* the original flavor? Seriously? Who does that? How can there possibly be a market for this stuff when the Cherry flavor is right there next to it and tastes half a gag worthy?

Inquiring minds want to know.

[This post brought to you by the lovely delivery people from PeaPod who brought me *green* NyQuil instead of Cherry NyQuil]

Today I left work early and since it was surprisingly nice outside I decided to walk the extra bit to the metro stop on the mall rather then the closer one by the DOT. It's a nice walk, after you get off the plaza, through the Castle gardens and over the mall with the view of the museums and monuments. Something I enjoy doing on a nice day but today was even better because the tourists were out in droves.

Visitors can, of course, be annoying but on the whole, I enjoy seeing how much they like our city. For example, today there was a little girl being led out of the metro by (I suppose) her mom. She immediately took a look around and started pointing. The conversation went something like this:



Look! Castle! Washington Monument! White House!!

Ummm... Nope, that's the American History Museum. They have the dinosaurs and bugs.

Oh. Much cooler!



And yes, I have to agree with her on that one. Much cooler.

Sometimes our metro drivers get creative. It makes for an amusing ride home. Gem of the day...

"I'm your metro train operator and I approve this message."


[Talking about standing clear of the doors or getting squished, sadly a common problem with our ridership. Dear tourists - the doors aren't like elevator doors. They don't stop closing or reopen if you stick a body part in them.]

I have passed my defense, with minor edits.

This is awesome as the other choice was do it over (major edits) or you FAIL.

So. Thesis. (almost) done. But PASSED. Which is the important thing.

I am now back in the States and going to sleep the clock around, I think.

I am in Toronto.

My thesis defense is scheduled for tomorrow morning beginning at 10 AM.

Any happy thoughts, little sacrifices, or whispered prayers you want to send my way around that time tomorrow would be loved.

*crosses fingers*

Thesis is written and submitted. Defense scheduled for three weeks from now. I look forward to having a life again.

I now officially live in my apartment. I won't have stuff until tomorrow but tonight I have internet and Peapod is bringing me groceries. Tomorrow there will be movers and meetings already scheduled at work.

Life continues to barrel along at a crazy pace. I'll be happy when my life is finally unboxed.