April 02, 2003
Birthdaze and Burgers
My birthday cake read, "Happy Birthday to Me" ...
I had two bacon cheeseburgers on two separate days ...
Oh, and I decided to change the look of this page somewhat... :-)
April 07, 2003
It's Snowing in NYC
April showers? I don't think they meant snow. And today's flurries are expected to continue throughout the day. This one's a gross one though; wet snow always makes everything in the city dirtier than one cares to look at. That, plus it's cold. Brrrrr......
ION, my favorite self-deprecating heartthrob, Hugh Grant, is the poster boy on the latest issue of Vanity Fair magazine. Seems HG is weary of the whole acting thing and is taking some time off to ponder his navel. Though his fellow Brits look at him with a good amount of disdain, I know that there are some Americans out there, (admittingly, myself being one of them), who can appreciate him for his "floppiness." And who really cares that years ago he was caught with a hooker. The only thing bad about that is that he was caught - period. As if there are no other men in this world who were caught en flagrante delicto ...
Oh, and did I mention that he's Oxford-educated????? I think he should come to NYC and knock on my door. Just for fun.
April 11, 2003
It's Raining in NYC
Yup, April showers. At least it's not snow.
ION, I haven't had much time for waxing poetically on this page as I was busy getting the e-commerce site ready for launch (funny, I almost typed "lunch.") Anyway, I've never sat on this side of the white picket fence before, so being the client is completely alien to me. What I once took for granted (I never had to worry about hosting, if the scripts would work, etc.) in my previous life in Web development is now something which has me wearing many different hats. Thankfully I've had some superb help and guidance on this, my latest venture -- the jewelry Web site. Go check it out at www.mariebernadettejewelry.com All opinions are welcome! Oh, and did I tell you I make the jewelry also? Seems that's the easiest part of all of this. It's what happens after that boggles the mind (but I'm having fun and learning quite a bit!)
While I was busy moving the DNS for MBJ.Com to its new home in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (yes, it was time to move DNS) I also found a condo for my other domain, squipper.com, which has been sitting silent on the sidelines for some years now. When I get around to it, everything will be moved to squipper.com. Stay tuned!
April 18, 2003
Still Turtleneck Weather Here
Even though Wednesday's temperature reached a balmy 80-something degrees in New York City, nice enough to inspire yours truly to head for the beach, today's temperature is a brisk 40-something. What you'd think would finally be the onset of Spring was really just a tease ... so the turtlenecks will hang in the closet until further notice. Oh and I forgot to mention the lovely and toasty gray v-necked sweater I recently acquired and have been wearing ever since the temperature dipped.
ION, I've been religiously reviewing the access logs for my jewelry Web site. [Y'all please take a look -- feedback is mucho importante!] Though I've done little promotion or marketing for it, those I did poke electronically have indeed gone through it, along with some bots and the oddball AOL user ... but I have managed to keep my hopes to a subdued level for now. I've been so caught up in the mechanics of making the site work for e-commerce that I've been remiss in my duties as the marketing/branding/PR person, but hopefully that will change soon.
My apartment smells like something burned ... and it did indeed. Hunger pangs at 5:30 p.m. from not eating all day long, then walking away from the frying pan produced some extra crispy and black macaroni ... Remember, this is a great way to diet - cook it just enough so it is rendered inedible.
:-)
Over and out.
April 23, 2003
Reality Check
A smart man once told me, "there are those who get it, and those who will NEVER get it." Thankfully, he continued by noting that I was one of those who got it. It continues to amaze me that there are people in this world who favor ignorance and carry on because their lives are the very most important thing on the face of the earth. Empathy for other human beings is non-existent; the narrowed focus of these individuals brings to mind an image of a horse running with blinders on. It boggles the mind.
I'm on my virtual soapbox today because I've wanted to write for the longest time now about a daily weblog I found written by a guy in the UK by the name of Stuart Hughes. Mr. Hughes, a BBC World Affairs Producer, had been in Iraq on assignment when his foot and part of his leg was blown off by a landmine. Regardless of the trauma induced by losing a part of one's body, Mr. Hughes has managed to update his blog on a daily basis, giving us all a combination platter of what he's going through-- the harsh and ugly realities facing anyone who has lost a limb. Make no mistake, Mr. Hughes' blog does not reek of "feel sorry for me." On the contrary, he has managed, through his horrific ordeal, to display a tremendous amount of humor in what others would address in a festival of self-pity.
I must admit that I've become addicted to Mr. Hughes' weblog. It is my daily reality check, and one which I highly recommend to those who spend all their time whining and complaining and bitching because they didn't get the raise they wanted, or didn't get the VP position, or didn't buy the right cell phone, or the girl at the deli had a snarky attitude this morning. In the BIG PICTURE of life, it REALLY doesn't matter. The daily slams don't matter; it's all just bullshit. When life deals you a blow, it's what you do with it that matters most.
End of soapbox rant.
April 24, 2003
I'll Just Crawl Back Under that Rock
No one can hear you curse in cyberspace. I dutifully read updated weblogs this morning when I found my last post quoted on Stuart Hughes' log. He didn't hear me say "oh, shit!" out loud. I'll assume his suggestions that I take two tablets and sit in a darkened room were in jest. I was fine until I read your post. I am somewhat embarrassed to be written about on his log -- and it's his content that matters. Mr. Hughes, for those who are regular readers of my somewhat daily blatherings on this page (since 1993) -- it is a known fact that I can be quite blunt in this space as well as emotional about topics which move me. [Geez, I'm defending my post here. This is not good.] What I mean to say is, I certainly hope you were not offended by my writing about you, and yes, it is a reality check in a world where it's way too easy for people (including me) to bitch about things that are unimportant. Whether you like it or not, there are indeed people in this world who have a deep admiration for those who, no matter what the circumstances, rise to the occasion and carry on despite any type of hardship.
I now assume I've dug myself a little deeper into the hole I now find myself in.
Lesson learned. Good intentions gone awry.
I think my next topic will be more along the lines of discussing the weather in NYC or last night's "The Bachelor" reality show or Mayor Bloomberg's latest attempt at screwing things up in NYC...
April 25, 2003
Zzzzzzzzz's
I've often heard of people who, while in a deep sleep, continue utilizing brain cells by doing things such as putting together a shopping list for the grocery store, or adding that writer's blocked paragraph to the paper that needs to be handed in, or remembering another tech-related item that needs to be learned. Lately I've experienced this myself. Suddenly I have been designing jewelry in my sleep. For someone who has: a. tried to sleep and couldn't for 3 months, and b. finally falls into a deep sleep and has no recollection of dreams, or nightmares, or c. had dreams but at least not the skeleton-under-the-bed nightmare I had for many, many years -- the realization I'd designed a necklace in my sleep was quite a surprise.
The dream had me putting together semi-precious beads of two unlikely color combinations, but I made it work (things always come out better when your dreaming than in real life, it seems.) I remember waking up the next morning and writing down the color combinations, plus the types of stones, and creating the necklace -- it was a thing of beauty.
Last night, however, brought a completely different type of dream my way. This one had nothing whatsoever to do with jewelry design, but instead, technology. Swirling around in the back of my mind, out popped the forgotten components I'd like to add or learn more about in relation to the jewelry site. Things such as making the database searchable by item, creating a mailing list, blah, blah, blah. The mind is overloaded with technology-related topics, and reminds me that stereotypically, females aren't supposed to have any interest in tech. Yeah, right. But, as always, I DIGRESS...
Skipping past the dream-related fodder, I must comment on the upcoming nuptials of former Mayor Giuliani. He'll wed his sig-other Ms. Nathan, and current Mayor Bloomberg will perform the ceremony. Hmm...I find this highly amusing. In other news, one of the cast members of "Will and Grace" was caught shoplifting in LA. If this is indeed fact, do we think this is a pattern developing? First Winona Ryder, now another actress. Who is next, Liz Taylor? I have friends who are quite well-off financially that seem to fall into this as well. One friend, who is quite petite, walked out of a restaurant some years ago with a pepper mill almost half her size. How she did this is beyond me, but it wasn't her first theft. She has since walked out of other restaurants with an ashtray she liked and a cup and saucer that matched the decor of her home. Another friend walked out of a restaurant with the candle on the table just because he liked it, not because he couldn't afford to buy it. *shrug* I guess it's the thrill of not being caught.
Over and out, for now ...
April 26, 2003
Travels
Seems as though everyone's away. The Donald is somewhere in the Carolinas, and hopefully those he's meeting with will make him their number one choice for the position he's been interviewing for ... I think Marcus is in Binghamton visiting with his folks ... Andrew went to visit his mom and sister in Poland ... and my brain is now far, far away in a distant land ...
April 29, 2003
Funny, It Was Only January 2003 ...
... open mouth, insert HUGE foot? If you bothered to read my fodder from January, '03, you'd see that I went off at the mouth (drooling, most likely) about weblogs and what's the difference and blah, blah, blah. Well, well, well. I'll readily admit that I was phobic ... but now I'm a believer.
So ... now that I've joined the ranks of blogging and actually built all of this cute stuff (with some purple added in - think Barney ...) my "official" blog was born today, April 29, 2003 at around 11 a.m. this morning.
This is only the beginning .... ;-)