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Monday, December 29, 2008

i got a new baby




so, i got a new toy the other day...a christmas git really, from my mother...my digital cameras always die when i buy them, so i figure this one from her, ill try to keep alive for awhile... anywho, my mom bought a camera from this camera store she loves (she says she goes there because you get 100 free prints, even though nobody has ever actually gone in to redeem these prints). after snapping a couple pics on christmas, i decided that i didn't really like the pentax, so we went to the store to exchange...after about fifteen minutes of the girl trying to say that there woudl be no difference with another camera (i was upset that the auto flash wouldn't work in low light, thus causing my pictures to be fuzzy and a little dark), we found a camera (see pic above) that i decided would work. that said, im super excited to snap pics. i already took a couple of the daisies i brought home for my mom from whole foods(they were a peace offering, sort of a way to appease her since i didn't get home till late on christmas eve night). im excited about my babes...i think ill name her betsey...i dont know why i feel the need to start naming my objects...maybe its that maternal need for a child thing kicking in...scary...

maybe i've been partying too much

P!nk "Sober" Music Video

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

happy merry christmas eve!


so, because i'm at work, and have nothing better to do...furthermore, because no one else is at work, because apparently they all have something else to do...i am going to do a post. this is my first chrismas eve away from home, and honestly, im not very happy about it. i wanted to be at my parents house sleeping in, and enjoying playing with all those darn dogs, and talking to my family, and hanging out with my friends...i miss my girls so much...we had a blast when they came up to visit. people have been calling me all week, trying to figure out where i'm at, so we can hang out...i've become almost robotic in answering :im still in chicago. i have work. ill be there wednesday.bye. i don't even want to talk about it.

there's the cutest little girl in the office, wishing everyone a "happy christmas". it makes me miss being at home and being around kids. they make everyone so much happier...overall, i guess im just feeling a bit nostalgic today, so on that note:


me and my little brother...takes me back to a simpler time

Saturday, December 20, 2008

resolved

so, i've been thinking a lot about the things that i want to accomplish in the new year. these have to do with the things i want to learn, goals i want to accomplish,and the person i want to become...i've never really been a big new years resolution person, so i don't know if i would call this that...i think of it more as a list of things i want to pursue


  1. learn how to network more effectively, which is going to require that i let go of my shyness

  2. end relationships with people who aren't furthering my growth. i've noticed that i have a lot of negative people around me, and i don't like it at all

  3. start living a more healthy lifestyle...sure i look healthy, but in actuality, i don't eat well or exercise nearly enough

  4. take dance classes...i used to really enjoy modern when i took it, but for some reason i've fallen off.

  5. become more active in delta. i think had i still been in undergrad it would've been much easier. alumnae chapter is so big, it's easy to get lost in all the people

  6. do more service...i used to be so active in community service, and now i've let that go. i think i figured that delta would provide me with enough opportunities to do service, but im seeing that isn't really true

  7. expand my social contacts. i have my group of friends, and im content with the people that i hang out with. i wonder what would happen if i opened that up a bit

  8. travel. im planning trips to houston, new york, and possibly dc for this year...london for next year...wish i had more time off so i could do more



that's all i got for now...there are a few more things,but maybe ill get to those later

Thursday, December 18, 2008

thursday

recently, i've been finding random corrine bailey ray songs that i really like, but hadn't ever heard. This odd because i consider myself a serious fan of her music...most recent fav song


anywho, i stood myself up for my self date the other night...i was supposed to go to the oriental institute, but there was way too much snow. sometimes i wonder why i live here. i know i can't figure out why people ever settled in this cuty...it's way too cold...and it snows way too much. but whatevs, maybe saturday it'll work out better, and i'll find somewhere else to go.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

hump day thoughts

nothing really to share today.
-working on new year's eve plans...since when did my life become all about partying? i miss nye with the fam, and i wish i could go down there for that holiday
-our next door neighbor knows way too much about our schedules and whether we are home or not...this makes me really nervous. he knocked on the door this morning because the garage door was open, and wouldn't stop knocking until someone answered (our assumption is that he knew someone was still home)
-movie night with the roomies tonight with the bootleg dvd that one of the janitors from work gave me. i'm going to miss them when i leave
-got to work early today with hopes of leaving early. we'll see if that works out.
-my best friends are coming into town this weekend. im excited to see them, but a little worried about how it'll be because we haven't all hung out together in a long time.i'm not sure how the group dynamics will play out.

Monday, December 8, 2008

smash into you

of course my day would never be complete without a bit of youtube-ing...so, i found this cover of one of the songs from "i am". i randomly appreciate acoustic music.



btw,

i think one of the janitors is trying to get me to do his plumbing school homework...it was like, one minute he was offering to do a complimentary vacuuming of my area (sidenote:it's not complimentary, you are getting paid!). the next minute he's asking if i can google some stuff about bathtubs. i said sure, if i have time, but clearly, after all the time i waste aimlessly browsing the internet, i really have no time for doing his homework. i really can't believe he would ask me such a thing. i dont know him like that

in other news,

i think i'm catching a cold, so i'm drinking lots of tea, and going to bed as soon as i get home. glad i didn't set my self-date for tonight

Friday, December 5, 2008

fridays news

i think i've found an apartment. i can't wait til i can move in. i miss my puppy so much. he'll finally be able to come up an live with me. it's close to the lake, which is nice, but it means bitter cold and little parking...you would think that once the temperature got to a certain point, the amount of cold wouldn't matter, but you would be wrong...the lake effect is serious. anyway, im excited to move in, and probably will do so by the week before christmas...im pushing for living room furniture as a gift from my parents...hopefully everything will work out

btw, two more people introduced themselves to me today, one person asked me where the chief of staff was, as if i were his secretary, then asked me for advice with her phone, and never introduced herself to me, two random security gaurds were rude to me (we're having a job fair and they hired some random people to make sure everything went smoothly). i feel like if you are here, looking for a part time job with the cta, the last thing you need is someone being rude to you...but hey, maybe that's just my opinion. one janitor gave me some cajun rice (super tasty), and one girl told me i look "good" in green, aftermaking a random comment about my crimson and cream deask decor...i still have no clue what her name is...but i appreciate the sisterly jokes.


and now...back to work

Thursday, December 4, 2008

date night

so, i've decided to begin taking myself on weekly "dates" just to get out of the house and have some alone time...next week, im participating in the u of c alumni book club, so tonights day will be to go pick up the book from the library, and find a cafe somewhere to sit and get some reading done...haven't decided where yet though

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

its official

so, yesterday was my official welcoming at the office. they sent out an email to the entire staff letting them know that yes, she has arrived. it had a little blurb abotut me that was based off of my resume.while i was reading it, i couldn't help but think that this blurb actually said little about me...but whatever.

since the e-mail went out, people have been treating me a little different. people started introducing themselves to me...even though i've been here since july, and very few people found that necessary prior to yesterday. one lady introduced herself to me today in the bathroom, even though she works on my floor, and i see her at least once a day. one guy won't quit calling me rookie, and asking me to do things for him (low key, i feel like im being hazed by him). several other people have decided that they must now start treating me with a little more respect. it's all really interesting, because my qualifications haven't changed, and i've been in the office everyday for about a month, and before that i was here often enough for people to decide to treat me well. i guess its just human nature.

Monday, December 1, 2008

recession

It's official: Recession since Dec. '07
The National Bureau of Economic Research declares what most Americans already knew: the downturn has been going on for some time.



NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The National Bureau of Economic Research said Monday that the U.S. has been in a recession since December 2007, making official what most Americans have already believed about the state of the economy .

The NBER is a private group of leading economists charged with dating the start and end of economic downturns. It typically takes a long time after the start of a recession to declare its start because of the need to look at final readings of various economic measures.

The NBER said that the deterioration in the labor market throughout 2008 was one key reason why it decided to state that the recession began last year.

Employers have trimmed payrolls by 1.2 million jobs in the first 10 months of this year. On Friday, economists are predicting the government will report a loss of another 325,000 jobs for November.

The NBER also looks at real personal income, industrial production as well as wholesale and retail sales. All those measures reached a peak between November 2007 and June 2008, the NBER said.

In addition, the NBER also considers the gross domestic product, which is the reading most typically associated with a recession in the general public.

Many people erroneously believe that a recession is defined by two consecutive quarters of economic activity declining. That has yet to take place during this recession.

This downturn longer than most
The NBER did not give any reasons or causes of the recession. But it is widely accepted that the housing downturn, which started in 2006, is a primary cause of the broader economic malaise.

The fall of housing prices from peak levels reached earlier this decade cut deeply into home building and home purchases. This also caused a sharp rise in mortgage foreclosures, which in turn resulted in losses of hundreds of billions of dollars among the nation's leading banks and a tightening of credit.

The current recession is one of the longest downturns since the Great Depression of the 1930's.

The last two recessions (1990-1991 and 2001) lasted eight months each, and only two of the 10 previous post-Depression downturns lasted as long as a full year, according to the NBER.

In a statement, White House Deputy Press Secretary Tony Fratto said that even though the recession is now official, it is more important to focus on the steps being taken to fix the economy.

"The most important things we can do for the economy right now are to return the financial and credit markets to normal, and to continue to make progress in housing, and that's where we'll continue to focus," he said. "Addressing these areas will do the most right now to return the economy to growth and job creation."

President-elect Obama's transition team did not have an immediate comment on the recession announcement. But other top Democrats said this is further proof of the need for another economic stimulus package, which Obama has advocated.

"With rising costs of living, rising unemployment, record foreclosures and depleted savings, we must do more to help families make ends meet," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in a statement. "With the cooperation of our Republican colleagues, we intend to send a plan to the White House as soon as possible following President-elect Obama's inauguration next month."

How long will it go?
Nonetheless, several economists said the real concern is that there is no end in sight for the downturn.

Some suggested that the best case scenario for the economy is that it would reach bottom in the second quarter of 2009. And even if that happens, that would still make this recession the longest since the Great Depression.

Rich Yamarone, director of economic research at Argus Research, said the only good news for the economy is that some of the steps already taken by the government earlier this year could start to spur growth soon. For example, he said interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve, which started in September 2007, "should be working their magic any day now."

In February, Congress passed a $170 billion tax rebate meant to stimulate the economy. But that only boosted GDP during the second quarter.

The financial market and credit crisis worsened during this summer, prompting Congress, the Treasury Department and the Fed to pump trillions of dollars into the economy through a variety of programs, including a $700 billion bailout of banks and Wall Street firms and hundreds of billions of lending by the Fed to major companies and lenders.

But Lakshman Achuthan, managing director of Economic Cycle Research Institute, said that at this point, the only solution for the recession is time.

"All the hand waving and real cash that policymakers are throwing at the problem won't change the fact we're stuck in this nasty recession," he said. "The ultimate cure of a recession is letting it run its course."

Achuthan's research firm tracks weekly leading economic indicators that are supposed to signal a change in direction for the economy four or five months ahead of time. Those indicators are continuing to fall at a record pace.

Still, he said he's not worried about the current recession turning into a depression, as many Americans fear.

"Even with indicators in a tailspin, this still is only a very severe recession," he said. "There's lots of gloom, but we don't see doom."

First Published: December 1, 2008: 12:26 PM ET

monday work stuff

so, the illinois senate passed a bill a few weeks ago that would raise the legal age at which a perosn can be tried as an adult for a misdemeanor from 17 to 18...makes sense to me...you can't vote, smoke, or even get a tattoo until you're 18. clearly these laws are based onthe idea that you can't make a rational and reasonable decision until that age...anyway, i'm working on an article for the job about the issue, clearly Rod B. needs to sign this bill into law...illinois senate bill 2275 if you're interested. anyway, in my research, i found an interesting video concerning the effects of raising the juvenile age in drug offenses, and it's effects on youth. it also highlights a pretty neat program called youthbuild.