Long lost pals

Interesting weekend. I caught up with no less than 4 people that I haven't talked to in some time.

On Friday, my friend R. called. He was in New York, on his way to Ft. Lauderdale to catch the last leg of his cruise to Seattle. This last part was a spur of the moment decision. He took 5-ish months off to do a cruise around the world, and was originally going to fly back home, but then decided to just cruise all the way back. This adds about another 18 days to his trip, and will allow him to see several ports in Mexico, which think is highly worth it. He called about a month ago from goodness knows where and left a message to say hi, since I wasn't able to answer when he called. I'm looking forward to his return, since we always go to see really cool movies when he's in town. It sounds like he'll be staying with his parents briefly before heading back to Pennsylvania and work.

On Saturday, my friend C. called. He's actually the reason that I'm in the computer industry now. After graduating from college with my humanities degree, he asked what I was going to do with my life. I had abandoned the idea of doing law school, since the thought of another several years in school made me want to bang my head against a wall. So, I answered that I'd probably go into teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) students, as that was what I was currently doing as a tutor. He suggested that I go into software testing, to which I laughed as I knew little more than how to turn on a computer and type my term papers. But, he convinced me to try and after a few years of software testing, I made my way into technical writing, and viola! A star was born. Anyhoo, C. is now living in Chicago and does a super secret job. He's one of the smartest guys I've ever known - one of those people you just look at and wonder how they can be that brilliant. Graduated early, and got several degrees, etc. Cool guy.

That afternoon, L. and I headed over to visit my friend, E. who is in the middle of a bathroom remodel following his divorce. We went to a tile store downtown and found a really good option. I'm helping out with the decorative side of things, while he worries about the stuff like subflooring and drywall. We then headed to his watering hole, where we drank some beers and played Scrabble. I won.

Tonight, my friend M. called, but I wasn't able to pick up. So, he just left a message. I'll have to give him a call back tomorrow and see what he's up to. It's been a few months since we last chatted.

Anyway, I think it's really interesting that out of all of the friends I've had in my life, it's my guy friends that are the best about keeping in touch with me. Everyone talks about how good girls are at doing such things, but I have to say that in my experience, it's my guy friends who are better at reciprocating with communication. I only occasionally hear from any of my high school girl friends. And by occasionally, I mean like once every few years or something. But, all of these guys this weekend are guys that I've known at least 11 years or more - in the case of R., he was my 7th grade boyfriend and first kiss, so we go waaaayyyy back. And my friend, エリック, went to Japan for over two years, and we kept in touch the whole time. So, I'm very glad that I have such good friends. It's nice to hold on to people who knew you way back when :)

Cough, cough

Sick. Yep. Definitely gotta cold goin' on. I should probably eat more than a handful of crackers, but everything seems like so much work right now. Blah.

Update
Just made some noodles with olive oil and garlic. Garlic always boosts immunity, right? Kick ass, garlic!

Tiffany & Co

I was at lunch with a friend the other day, and I was admiring her wedding ring. She has a beautiful ring from Tiffany's Legacy Collection. It's so pretty, and has a lot of sparkle. I love princess and cushion cut diamonds, because they seem more antique and traditional than a lot of settings that I see popular today. So, yesterday this friend brought in an advertisement from her Vogue magazine with a new style from Tiffany - the Tiffany Novo.

Originally, I was quite intrigued. It looks quite lovely in the ad, and it's sort of a cross between a brilliant cut and a cushion cut. I was looking for it on Tiffany's Web site, but they don't have it on the English version of the site for some reason. So I ended up finding it on the Japanese version of their site. After looking at the different angles, I have to say that I'm not that impressed. The center diamond and the surrounding diamonds on the band are lovely, but the prongs and ring itself seem much heavier than the other rings they carry. It doesn't really lend itself to the fluid design of some of their other rings, such as the totally simple but fabulous Lucida (a square cut) or even the more common, but pretty, round cut brilliant with bead-set diamond band. Of course, unless you try one on, it's really hard to tell whether you'll like the ring. It all depends on your hand size, finger size, etc. I've tried on some really dainty rings and they look horrible b/c I have big hands and long fingers. And there are some cuts that are just awful. Like, I hate baguettes, marquise, heart, and pear-shaped diamonds. Shudder.

I tell ya. My absolute dream ring is their round cut brilliant with a melee diamond border. I about died when I saw the price though. Starts at $16,600. Somehow, it seems very wrong for a piece of jewelry, albeit one of the most important pieces of jewelry you'll ever own, to cost as much as a car. Even the Legacy one I pointed to is pretty pricey for the engagement ring alone - starting at about $4000. I mean, at least the Lucida and round cut ones I pointed to are between $1900-2500 for the engagement ring. And then you get the wedding band, and that's probably around $1500-2000. That's still a lot of money, but then again you do wear it for the rest of your life and it is an important symbol.

I dunno. I love Tiffany, but it's hard sometimes when you can find something beautiful in another store for a lot less. I guess the thing that I keep coming back to is that Tiffany is a company that has been around a long time and I think is pretty ethical. Originally, I started thinking about all of this after seeing the movie Blood Diamond (with Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Connelly). A lot of these issues never even occurred to me before watching that movie, so after some research on jewelry companies and the diamond industry in general, I found that Tiffany is a very responsible and respectable company. I really respect their goals to be socially and environmentally responsible, such as by being a member of the World Diamond Council to stop importing conflict diamonds to focusing on the detriments of mining for precious metals in environmentally delicate areas. So, there is a lot to say for supporting companies that do the right thing. Although, according to my cousin (who is currently studying to get her gemology certification), most all companies are good about tracking conflict diamonds now. So, that's not as much of a concern these days.

All of this makes me think about my wedding ring. Since the divorce, it sits in my jewelry box, looking up and me and wondering what I'm going to do with it. I've thought a lot about having it remade into something else, since the diamonds in it are very beautiful and good quality. And honestly, I'd never get a good return on it in the marketplace if I were to try and sell it. Plus, I'll never actually know if it was a conflict diamond or not, so it's not like you can turn back the hands of time. It's a shame, and I really should do something with it. But for right now, I'll just continue wearing the sterling silver Tiffany 1837 ring that I bought myself after the divorce.

Condolances to people at Virginia Tech

As I sit here watching and reading the news coverage, I can't even begin to imagine how horrible this must have been for all involved. I hope that as time goes on, we'll have more answers as to why this happened, but that will never make up for the fact that it happened.

I just want to say that my thoughts and prayers go out to everyone there and all of the families and friends of those who were killed. There really isn't anything more to say.

Mom's 60th birthday party

Well, we had the big 60th birthday bash for my mom on Saturday. We held it at my cousin's house, because she and her husband have a large house with a nice yard that backs up to a pond and golf course. Even though the weather reports said it was going to rain all weekend, it actually turned out to be rather nice, so some people ventured outside during the party to hit golf balls and play bocce ball.

The thing that really got me was how many people showed up. We invited about 90 people altogether, and about 65 of them came. And even though it was an open house format (so people could come whenever and leave whenever) a lot of the people who came stayed most, if not all, of the time. I think it was a nice testament to the fact that my mom is very well regarded and loved by her friends and family.

It was really interesting, too, that she wore this old fake pearl necklace. I didn't think too much about it when she came in, but later that night she told the story of how my sister, P., and I made that necklace for her after our house was robbed. I was probably about 8 years old, and my sister came home from school to find the house had been broken into. The thief took all of my mom's jewelry, and all of my step dad's collectable coins. They were understandably upset, and I guess the only thing P. and I could think to do was make her some new jewelry. So, we got out our beads and made her this fake pearl necklace. I can't believe that she still has that, some 20 years later. It's funny that I didn't really remember that part. I do remember wandering around our neighborhood with P. looking for anything that we could find for clues, but all we found was a purse of a student who lived down the street from us - and who had also been robbed. Anyway, I think it's really sweet that my mom has kept that necklace all these years, and that it still means so much to her. Apparently she decided to let my niece, A., wear it because it was a special occasion, and my nephew ended up breaking it somehow. So, A. collected all of the beads, and restrung it for my mom. I was really proud of A. for doing that. She is growing up to be a very responsible young woman, and is very sensitive about such things.

But, I digress. I'm very proud of my mom. She has overcome a lot of obstacles in her life, and is very successful both in her personal life and her professional life. When I was growing up, she was fairly strict, but she knew when and how much to give for the most part. And we went through our periods of difficulty, especially in my pre-teen years, but we made it through. Whenever I made a new friend, she always made a point of going over to meet their parents, and to see what was up. When I'd stay at a friend's house, she always called to talk to their parents to make sure that I was really going where I said I was going, and to make sure that we were really going to do what I'd said we were going to do.

I was a latch-key kid early on, but she raised me to be smart and never let me get away with anything. And the funny part is that because I really respected her and understood that she held the power, I never wanted to tick her off. So, the times that I actually got in trouble were pretty few and far between, and it was always because I'd done something just plain stupid. I remember when I was 16, I went out with a few of my girlfriends on a Saturday night to see a movie. They all had later curfews than I did, but I knew that I had to be back to my friend's house in time to call my mom and let her know that we'd made it home before my curfew. Unfortunately, the movie we'd gone to see was longer than I'd thought it was going to be, and I didn't want to get in trouble - there were no excuses. Since we were heading home anyway, I decided to call her from the payphone outside the theater and lie to her that we were home. We then got back to my friend's house about 20 minutes later. Dumb me. She played along when I called her, but she already knew that I was lying. When I walked in the next morning, she reminded me that we'd just gotten caller ID on the phone and that she knew I was calling from a pay phone. I then had to explain everything and I was grounded for a week.

The only time that we've really come to blows was over my high school boyfriend, M. And truth be told, he did start out in a pretty bad way and treated me horribly. So, my parents weren't off base to not like him. But, I still think that they way that they handled things prolonged my interest in him in some ways. You know how sometimes you just get a rebellious streak, and decide that when someone tells you that you can't have something, you decide that you're going to have it no matter what? Well, that's what happened with me and M. But, these are all things that you realize in hindsight, and I had to learn my own lessons. And, I suppose they did, too. It all worked out in the end, but those were a few very long, tense years at the end of high school and beginning of college.

I don't know how she did it sometimes. Not only did she work full time, and put in a lot of overtime (because she's a teacher and now a program chair at a community college), but she was always home to make a good dinner for us and to help me with homework when I needed it. When I was about 9 years old, she delegated one night a week to me and one to my sister to make dinners, and she helped us pick out recipes so that we'd know what to get when we went grocery shopping that week. In a day and age where most people don't even sit down for a meal together, we managed to be together almost every night of the week because she made us the priority. And because of her, I never even had a TV dinner until I was about 15 years old, babysitting some kids of family friends.

I don't know what I'd ever do without her. I still talk to her a few times a week, and tell her everything. And the nice thing is that she knows me better than anyone else in the world, so she will always tell me when I'm overreacting. It's nice to have someone like that who you trust to tell you the truth, but who loves you no matter what. I hope that someday, if and when I have a child, I will have the same kind of relationship. What I have with my mom is something I'll never have with anyone else, and I think I'm the luckiest person in the world to have her as a role model.

Pharmacists required to fill prescriptions regardless of personal objections

Yay Washington! This is one small step in the right direction. I wrote about this almost two years ago, and finally we're getting some results.

Days are growing longer

I love this time of year. It's such a great feeling to notice the days grow longer and longer. I didn't leave work until 7:00 tonight, since I spent all day setting up my new computer, and rearranging things in my office. When I drove out of the parking garage, it was still light and even a bit sunny outside. Usually after work, all I want to do is head home and curl up in my blanket on the couch in front of a good episode of Judge Judy or People's Court. But tonight, I felt like being out and about. So, I decided to stop by the grocery store and do some shopping.

I love all of the trees in bloom, too. There's a georgous tree outside of my place, and L. has a tree full of flowers, too. Neither one of us remembers it being so full of flowers like it is this year. Ah, spring and the glorious promise of summer.

Goodbye Kurt Vonnegut

I will always remember Slaughterhouse-Five with fondness. Thank you for your honesty and may you rest in peace.

Judge Judy

I love the court show Judge Judy. I know that she's not everybody's cup of tea, but there is something about her that I just admire. There are times when I can only dream of being able to say something as scalding as she does. And to be honest, if you're dumb enough to go on that show, you deserve all that she dishes out.

One thing that totally cracks me up, though, is how she refers to email and the Internet. She always asks her Officer Byrd questions when it comes to things like that and says, "because I, myself, do not use that machine." Like email is a machine or the Internet is a machine instead of realizing that they are a complicated network of servers, computers, and numerous services, protocols, and applications. Maybe she doesn't really need to know the particulars, but I find it somewhat irresponsible of her to not learn something about those technologies considering a lot of cases these days involve email and the Internet. I mean, if part of your job is understanding all aspects of a case, shouldn't you at least have a little bit of knowledge in that area? At least understand something about eBay and Craig's List.

Oh well. She's light years ahead of most people intellectually, so what do I know. All I know is that I enjoy her program and all of the clueless people who end up there.

Dear back muscles

I am sincerely apologetic that I have upset you so. You know that I understand that you are my one and only back, and that I try to be very good to you. I know that you decided to throw yourself out several years ago, and that you're threatening to do the same now. I would really appreciate it if you'd forgo that part of it and just let me take very good care of you the next few days so that you feel back to your normal strength and don't cause pain when I try to move.

I realize that we humans have not developed the world in a back-friendly way. For instance, I am aware that my bathroom sink is not placed at a level that makes brushing teeth very easy. And getting things out of the refrigerator isn't exactly possible without bending. So, it is critical that you get better so that I can do such things without being in pain. It would also be nice to sit again, so that I can type in an upright position instead of laying on the floor.

Sincerely,
Your body