Note to readers: A poorly written Information Organization textbook can induce sleep, boredom or daydreams about EDITING like nothing else in creation.

I’m having a bit of a brainstorm, though. I’m wondering what the limit on blogs in Movable Type is since perhaps I could convert the books and movies pages to blog-tastic style pages. Then I could update things more easily and classify things more efficiently (see the effects of the Information Organization class??)

It would still be a separate page, but the entries would be dated, I could categorize them, and it would be so much easier to create lists and reviews and miniature recommended reading segments in that format. I will look into it shortly.

Around 10:00, though, LJ is going to call me on his way home from law school so I can meet him at his apartment and bring him a big heaping helping of the chili I made last night. It’s protein! It’s fiber! It’s low-fat! It’s spicy! It’s tasty!

And I know that if I were stressed and overwhelmed with full-time work and full-time school and lack of sleep (because I have been before for extended periods of time and it was HELL) I would appreciate having a friend bring over some home-cooked food to save me the trouble of having to cook at 10:00 at night when I get home from class. A nice Tupperware dish full of food could extend this favor for 2 or 3 nights’ worth of meals, thus making the week a little less stressful… maybe. A little.

Is this another case of Eva being too nice to a friend? Nah. I think that it’s only “too nice” when the person on the receiving end feels awkward about it or begins to take it for granted. I’ve been guilty of being too nice with other friends before and they’ve let me know that it made them feel indebted or beholden to me in some way. So, I stopped being “that” nice and offering help or doing favors. Having respect and consideration for those aspects of friendship is just as important, if not more so, than being nice.

And away I go to see if this Movable Type idea is feasible.

I am trying to very quickly learn the APA style of citing and writing a paper. I have been using MLA since 7th grade. This shouldn’t be hard, but it’s annoying.

I have a little paper due tomorrow night - it’s simply opinion-based and won’t be hard to write, but I’ve read that this professor takes off points for not adhering to the APA style.

Ah, well. I have a research writing guide that covers all the documentation and writing styles in brief and it should be enough for something this short and lacking a bibliography/works cited list. I’ll tackle this for an hour or so and then read my next set of readings and maybe unwind here again.

Today’s work day was actually rather busy, but in a way that left me feeling like I’d done nothing productive. But I know I did, it’s just my perception of what qualifies as “productive” work. Having a meeting doesn’t always feel productive if I don’t have things to do as a result, but that’s because I’ve been used to meetings that end up meaning work for me. Now that I’m having some meetings where I delegate things to other groups or people, I have done something, but I haven’t done it with my own two hands. That’s why I begin to feel idle.

However, I’ll get to a point where I see the merit in all of that - in recognizing my ideas, thoughts and conversations as valid expenditures of energy and time, even though I don’t have a document or cake or scarf to show for it. For example, I know the one meeting I had today - while it didn’t mean any work for me - will accomplish a lot of things for a future project, and one phone call I had was also a very productive and creative brainstorming session that might lead to some really exciting and fantastic things.

Anyway. Paper-writing time.

Last night, I was too tired to write much, so I just wussied out.

Today, I left work about an hour early since I didn’t take a lunch and also since my boss went home sick and I honestly didn’t have anything left to do other than wait for people to respond to email, and that’s not really productive.

So I’m home, my sister’s home, and we’re going to spend some quality time making chili since, in her words, “I’m very particular about chili.” I had asked her if she liked chili and that was her response. Thus, if she wants chili to suit her, we shall make it together.

Woah. Major deja vu right there. The last sentence about “chili that suits her” set off major bells so I needed to check to see if I’ve written that before. I’m known to repeat myself. I’m known to repeat myself. But a quick search of the rants did not yield that sentence or phrase or anything, so it’s all good.

Book me… why such a title for this rant? Well, Since they just announced this year’s Booker Prize (or Man Booker Prize) winner, I wanted to check out the last few years of winners and shortlist titles.

Many of the shortlisted titles from previous years have been books I’ve enjoyed tremendously, so I figured it was a safe bet to go for a few others in their ranks. Among Booker Prize nominees and winners I’ve enjoyed are:

Kazuo Ishiguro - Never Let Me Go
Zadie Smith - On Beauty
Sarah Hall - The Electric Michelangelo
Susanna Clarke - Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell
Arundhati Roy - The God of Small Things
Margaret Atwood - Alias Grace
Michael Ondaatje - The English Patient
A. S. Byatt - Possession
Margaret Atwood - Cat’s Eye
Margaret Atwood - The Handmaid’s Tale
Salman Rushdie - Midnight’s Children
V.S. Naipaul - A Bend in the River

Based on my enjoyment of those, I purchased one of the shortlisted titles for this year, The Accidental by Ali Smith, and then two previously shortlisted titles, When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro and Fingersmith by Sarah Waters.

The agreed upon time has elapsed for sister to unwind from her workday. It’s chili time.

Blue Monday <– click there for the original article

January 23 is the most depressing day of the year, according to one scientist.

Psychologist Dr Cliff Arnall has weighed up the influence of a number of January-specific phenomena to explain why many of us get the blues at this time of the year.

The Cardiff University expert has come to his conclusion by taking into account miserable weather, mounting debt, the length of time since Christmas, failed New Year’s resolutions, a lack of motivation and a need to take action.

Keeping fit and active is one of the keys to staying happy at this time of year, he says.

The Community Service Volunteers (CSV) Make A Difference Day, have suggested people can beat the blues by getting involved with charitable organisations.

Their research indicates that half of people who have volunteered for more than two years feel less depressed and 63% of 25 to 34-year-olds say they feel less stressed after volunteering.

Dr Arnall backed up the findings.

He said: “Keeping physically and mentally active can often improve your state of mind and helping others can sometimes boost self esteem. Volunteering, especially if done on a regular basis, is a great way to feel happier and healthier.”

Watch this video.

Sometimes you see something so stupid and frought with nostalgia that it makes you smile. And then feel guilty for having wasted those few minutes of your life.

I watched “Party Girl” for the first time yesterday afternoon and enjoyed it thoroughly. Apparently, it’s one of two seminal movies for wanna-be librarians to watch. The first one is “Desk Set” with Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. The second is “Party Girl” with Parker Posey as the wanna-be librarian/party girl. I was highly amused.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - I’ve missed out on a lot of the films I “should have” seen in my teens… films from the late 80’s and early through mid 90’s. I was busy doing homework, babysitting, and sitting home feeling sorry for myself instead of going out and seeing movies or anything fun like that.

I’ve discovered something else on eBay that I would like to purchase. I want a truly British dome umbrella - the huge clear dome that covers half your body when it’s unfurled and looks like something Twiggy would’ve carried. They still make them just like that and apparently a particular maker of that umbrella, Fulton, is Her Majesty the Queen’s authorized umbrella maker. Seriously. That’s the one I want. It’s only about $20, but the shipping will cost just as much.

This is something I would like since I’m totally fed up with my umbrellas flipping inside-out in the wind. Hoboken, the town in which I work, is right on the Hudson River. The street upon which I work is River Street, which is the road that runs along the Hudson River. Our office building looks out over the Hudson. So, since we’re super close to the water, it’s even windier and more treacherous for umbrellas.

I figure that umbrellas made and used in the U.K. are a little more prepared for rainy conditions since they have more rainy days per annum than my little section of the States.

We’re supposed to have a really rough morning tomorrow in the New York metro area - snow and ice and rain and ickiness. So I am going to go fold my laundry and get to bed so I can get up early in case I need to scrape ice off the car. That’s the worst. Snow is easy to brush - no problem. ICE is a pain in the arse. Ugh.

The first stitch dissolved!
I will pretend it was the result of the splendid dinner I just made and ATE.

I made some buckwheat soba noodles, cut up some cubed chicken breast, cooked that up with a little olive oil, then sauteed diced red pepper and tomato with cilantro and powdered lemongrass. I combined the chicken and veggies and added about a 1/3 of a bottle of Thai Peanut Sauce (I forget the brand, but it’s not Annie Chun’s and it had a black and red label… I want to say Penang, but I could be wrong).

Then I cooked that all for a bit so the flavors and juices could combine and then poured it over the soba in a serving dish. I found some peanuts in the mixed nut tin and threw those on top for additional crunchiness and flavor. My brother - though he complained that it was spicy - came back for seconds. And I recommended a glass of milk to counteract the spiciness, which he imbibed. My mother (the only other person home at this time other than my brother and I) had a little bowlful and told me it was scrumptious.

I felt a sense of accomplishment as I always do when I cook and it turns out well, and I ATE SOLID FOOD!!! Without wincing, without ouching. I had to rinse thoroughly with the magic Syringe, but at least one of the stitches is now GONE. Only two more to go.

There are so many things I should do right now, but I really have all day tomorrow to get things done. So I’m going to relax and watch a movie. I have to be up early to go to the bank since I overslept today and didn’t make it there in the morning. Me this morning:

[Waking up at 6 a.m. for no reason - realize it's 6 a.m.]

Eva: (internally) I don’t need to be awake for another hour!

[I sleep until 7:37]

Eva: (aloud) Shit!

[Run to shower, blowdry hair haphazardly, run out the door with no money and no food - thank goodness I have a stash of oatmeal at my desk!!]

Tomorrow night, depending on this, that and the other thing, I might be seeing “Underworld: Evolution.” Since I missed “Aeon Flux” in the theatres, I still need my dose of over-produced special effects features starring women in black vinyl catsuits. I actually like the first “Underworld” a lot, so that’s not at all meant to be demeaning.

I’m suddenly quite tired.

I got back into the swing of things today. Starting my daily routine as usual - drying my hair, driving to the train station, taking the train to work, walking… - helped me clear my head and step right back into work.

Unfortunately, tomorrow’s already Friday - but I guess that just means I can start next week super fresh and clear-headed. I did get some good things accomplished today, however, both creative and analytical. So that was a good feeling; I used both sides of my brain.

As a matter of fact, I stayed late at work tonight and didn’t return home until after 7. The LAST thing I wanted was to sit for two hours in a chat room for class. I’d prefer to read the articles for next week, really. So I checked the syllabus and three magical words made themselves known to me - “attendance not required.”

What a delight.

Now I’m going to share some links… some of which you’ve probably already seen…

One way cool clock.

Bullshit Bingo - for fun at work!

SCRABBLE.

And that’s it from me.

When the Motrin wears off, I feel sore. Boo.

So… I got up the nerve to ask my father if he was still willing to help me pay for grad school. This semester’s tuition waiver was applied and left me with a grand total of just under $2000 to pay.

After a wee bit of cajoling, he agreed to it and I just did that online. I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders because I was thinking I’d have to cash out part of my old 401(k) or something to make the payment deadline.

But it’s all good. I guess some things come through in the end.

I have the check from my old Borders 401(k) to roll over into my new one, and I just checked out some info online to make sure I go about processing the rollover properly. I’ll also call the benefits department at my new job since they actually HAVE such a thing and they can realistically help me with taking care of this properly. It never hurts to be a little informed beforehand, though.

In case you were wondering…

When you leave a company’s employment and your have not yet reached 59-1/2, your retirement plan may be the farthest thing from your mind. If you have a 401-K plan with your former employer, however, you should take some time to consider what to do with the funds. How you handle your 401-K account can result in anywhere from zero to hefty taxes and penalties.

You have several options regarding your 401-K and your former employer should provide you with information regarding your options. One of those options is to rollover your 401-K funds into an IRA. To avoid taxes being withheld and/or a penalty, you must follow certain procedures and be aware of time limitations.

Before beginning the rollover process, determine which financial institution you would like to deposit your 401-K funds into. Your choices are many, including brokerages, banks, and mutual funds. Obtain an IRA application (if you do not already own an IRA at the financial institution) and learn the procedures for rollovers. Call a service representative if you have any questions after reading the material.

Once you understand the procedures for opening and funding your IRA, you are ready to begin the rollover process. If your IRA’s financial institution requires you to open an account before funding with a rollover (as opposed to simultaneously opening and funding), then submit the IRA application first.

In general if you have not yet reached 59-1/2, then lump sum payments that were “before-tax” when contributed by you to the 401-K plan are eligible for rollover. A rollover can be paid directly to you or it can be implemented as a direct rollover:

Direct Rollover. In a direct rollover, the funds in your 401-K account are paid directly into the IRA. With a direct rollover, the 401-K administrator is not required to withhold any income tax and you do not owe a penalty. Study the 401-K documents you received from your former employer to determine the exact procedure to perform a direct rollover. Most likely, you will have to complete and submit one or more forms. The forms and documents will also let you know if your 401-K funds will be deposited directly into your IRA account or if you will be sent a check payable to your IRA account. If you receive the check, you must then deposit it into your IRA account.
Payment To You. When you have not yet reached 59-1/2 and chose to have your 401-K funds paid to you, it is critical you be aware of potential tax penalties. When you receive your 401-K distribution, you will notice that your former employer has withheld 20% as taxes. This withholding is a requirement. It does not mean you will owe the tax. In order to avoid taxes and tax penalty you must:
1. Complete the deposit into your IRA account within 60 days of receiving the funds and
2. Deposit 100% of your 401-K funds. This means you must replace the 20% that was withheld for taxes with your own additional funds. When you file your taxes for the year you will not owe taxes on your rollover, but will be able to include the 20% withheld as income tax paid.

If you do not complete 1 and 2 above, expect to pay:
1. Income taxes at your current tax rate on the amount of 401-K funds you did not rollover plus
2. An additional 10% tax penalty is due because you received retirement funds before you reached 59-1/2.

Needless to say, a direct rollover is less risky and not as complicated as a payment made to you. A 401-K rollover into an IRA can be time consuming and tedious, but the resulting peace of mind is well worth it.

Mind-numbingly boring, I know. But necessary, like so many things in life. I think my little sister wants to watch a movie with me, so I’ll check in with her. It’s nice that she’s at an age where we can be friends of a sort in addition to sisters.

Here I am.

No particular reason for using that song other than that I heard it on the radio on the way back from the oral surgeon. I drove into work this morning in POURING TORRENTIAL RAIN with DANGEROUS winds. It took me a solid hour. I worked from 9:30 until 1:30 and then left to drive back home (and then some) to the oral surgeon for my post-op checkup.

It’s all good - everything is healing beautifully, the stitches should be dissolved completely by this weekend and I am to start eating some more solid type foods since that will actually help the healing. And I want to help the healing! So, with that in mind, I succumbed to the hunger for solid food and stopped at a McDonald’s on the way home for some chicken mcnuggets and a strawberry milkshake. I think I ordered chocolate, but whatever. As long as they didn’t give me vanilla, I’m sated.

And the doctor gave me The Syringe. Are you familiar with The Syringe? It’s a huge plastic syringe with a curved tip so you can fill it with lovely lukewarm water and squirt it back into the spaces where your teeth used to be. If you feel that there’s something undesirable stuck back there, The Syringe will dislodge it. I am glad to have it. I was getting a little paranoid about being able to keep those areas clean since I can’t brush back there properly yet.

I have an ARSE load of work to do tomorrow as a result of being out for three days as opposed to two (though either way, it includes the MLK Jr Holiday so it should be two days or one)… in a way, it’s a good feeling. Except that I was so ‘out of it’ today (for reasons emotional, mental and physical) that I was responding to email three or four times after realizing that I had no idea what I’d written or read before. Bad form - so I sort of made myself write back to people who had a question/issue/project that required some THOUGHT, “I’m wading through email from the past three days. I’ll get back to you with a proper, well thought-out response tomorrow morning.” And I will.

There is no sense in jeopardizing my reputation as someone who knows what she’s doing and does it well by being “out of sorts” after oral surgery and several days out of the office. I can’t do everything wonderfully and perfectly and instantly all the time. Another day’s delay (with explanation) won’t postpone the discovery of a cure for cancer - I work in publishing, for the love of Pete!

Still, I have to take my positive self-image from wherever I can, and if part of that is tied up in work, then so be it. It’s better than lots of other places I could pretend I’m finding self-esteem and confidence… and it sure beats sitting here and crying and feeling absolutely pathetic.

I am going to take advantage of this extra time to do my grad school reading for tomorrow night and see if there’s anything new and exciting going on in the world at large (check Google News.)

Crap. Just got the hiccups. Cold strawberry milkshake hiccups. Suck.

I got up and got ready this morning fully intending to go to work. Then things went wonky…

- I couldn’t find socks.
- I went out to the car to discover that it was blocked in by my little brother’s car - and that he was still asleep. I called him and he moved his car - very politely and without argument.
- I was stuck behind morons at the traffic light at the entrance to my neighborhood. Even when the light turned green, there were three cars ahead of me that did not move. I was stuck through two long red lights.
- I got to the train station late and had missed the train, so I went and got money, then got gas and decided to drive in.
- About 15 minutes into the drive, traffic was horrible and I was feeling increasingly nauseated. I only get motion sickness when I’m not the driver - and this was a nausea that was not motion sickness.
- I think it was antiobiotic induced nausea since that is one of the effects on the label. And I hadn’t had breakfast yet.
- I called work and told my boss that I was feeling cruddy and asked if I should come in or turn around and go home… basically since I felt guilty taking a day off after only having been there three months. She told me to stay home and recover…
- I went home and slept for another three hours - just passed out on my bed. I think perhaps it’s the antiobiotics and lack of real good food since I still can’t chew.

So I stayed home, slept, had some more soup (UGH) and then had class at 6 p.m. I cried, I read, I watched “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and “The X-Files.” I made the mistake of eating some three-cheese and spinach ravioli and getting bits of spinach and cheese and pasta caught back in my teeth… then I had to rinse my mouth out and take another 4 Motrin since the pain returned.

I’ve got the bedtime music all queued up already and I’m just going to bed early. If I get up at 6 a.m. tomorrow, fine. I’ll just be up early and do some reading or head into work early since I MUST drive in tomorrow in order to make my appointment with the oral surgeon for the post-op checkup.

For tomorrow, they’re predicting heavy rain and thunderstorm activity for my area of Jersey. This might be a good thing for me mentally since I enjoy that. I’ll just have to be extra special super careful of other drivers while driving since intelligence levels drop along with the rain.

I’m still emotionally overwrought and really bummed and not enjoying the thoughts running through my head. I’ll just read.