Dear Mozzi,
If your parents’ families will please forgive me, this is my open notice to them that I have adopted you and your older sister as my nieces.
Let me properly introduce myself, by paraphrasing from Patrick Dennis’ classic, Auntie Mame … ‘ “Darling!” she said dramatically, “I’m your Auntie Nettie!”’
Now, your mother has a large extended family of mommy bloggers, a smaller handful of daddy bloggers, and other assorted characters who have already adopted you as one of their own, but I am here to represent the Auntie Bloggers. (Adam has already claimed his spot representing the “uncle” bloggers. Go Adam!) Aunties are not as well-represented in the Blogosphere as the mommy bloggers, but our influence on the lives of our real and/or honorary nieces and nephews, like you and the Moosh, shouldn’t be underestimated.
As an “auntie,” we are not constricted by blood bonds, but linked by those forged by friendship. Oh, we’ll scold you when necessary, but we won’t s“mother” you. ... well, not so much. We can be the fun female figures in your lives, the mischievous mentors who will send you goodies and contraband items which your parents will not appreciate, or the “glamorous” gals who live in the Big Cities. Aunties can take you on adventures, providing glimpses into other lifestyles, or open windows into other worlds. Better yet, we can give you another set of shoulders to cry on, non-judgmental non-family members to whom you can complain about school, life, your parents, and/or your sister. When you are older, we’ll be the cool aunties who can provide safe places to go when you want to run away from home, (metaphorically, please, for your parents’ sanity), or when it comes time for college visits. (Those will come far too soon!)
I am the next in a long line of “aunties.” My mother was only child, so her college roommates are my honorary “aunties.” However, my best role model of auntie-hood is based on a silver screen and literary icon. I can’t remember when I first saw Rosalind Russell in the 1958 movie adaptation of Auntie Mame, but that character stuck with me. You’ll be much too young to read the book or watch the movie for many years yet, but I think I always knew that somehow, someway, I was going to be an Auntie Mame-figure. As the years have passed, I have “adopted” the children of my college friends, and have expanded my brood to include other “specials” like you and Addie. Please know, you are in no way a surrogate or substitute for my own children, or my other nieces and nephews. Our relationship is, and will be, special, just because you are the miracle of you.
Mozzi, if you are wondering how I got to know your mother, blame your “uncle,” my brother J. He’s always been more connected and “up” on things, and I remember him posting something on his blog a few years back that said something like, “if I really knew Casey in real life, I think we could be friends.” Now, it’s an older sister’s right to keep tabs on her younger brother, (like Addie will watch out for you) so I checked out this Casey person’s blog … and then lost a few hours of work productivity reading the riveting archives. Marveling at the courage, nay, chutzpah (stick with me kid, I’ll teach you lots of Yiddish/New Yorkerism), it took to write about some her experiences and then to share them with the big bad world, I became a follower of your mom in my own right.
Over the years, I was mostly a silent reader of her exploits in Indy. When the time came for me to “delurk,” I used my family connection to her tech guru (the aforementioned brother) to make sure she knew I wasn’t some weird stalker person. Apparently I didn’t scare her too much and now we’ve got a nice little rapport going on. (I *heart* you Casey!).
Your mother seems to engender that, Mozzi, and believe me, when you’ll get older you’ll realize it’s not easy to make friends when you are a grown-up. It takes courage to reach out to strangers, to make the overtures to make new friends, and then it takes lots of trust and generosity to welcome, build up, and to sustain new relationships. Not only that, but you’ll begin to notice that you’ll have many types of friends.
Church friends.
School friends.
Best, best friends.
Sister friends
Pinkie-swear friends.
Call-in-the-middle-of-the-night friends.
Friends-you-tell-things-to-before-other-people-type friends.
Internet friends.
The knack of transitioning “cyber” friends to real-in-person-actual-telephone-conversation-visits-sleepovers friends doesn’t always happen. Your mom has touched so many people, in so many ways, that she has all these different kinds of friends reaching out via this project.
You have a very special mother, Mozzi. I hope you’ll always remember that.
But, let’s be honest, the mother/daughter relationship can be fraught with all kinds of issues. We, your other bloggy parents and bloggy uncles and aunties, are here for you, Addie, and for your parents.
And always will be. No matter what. Through thick or thin. That’s what friends are for.
Mozzi, “my little love,” you have a standing invite to visit me again in Auntie Nettie’s Attic anytime you want. You see, you may have already been here, back when you were just beginning to be a flicker of energy in the cosmos. Bring your mama with you. She’ll need a New York fix soon. The guest room is all fixed up.
In the meantime, I’ve sent some presents out to you; one is your first MetroCard, ready for you to swipe in the turnstiles. I have so much to show you here, not the least of which are all the men in kilts parading up the streets today in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. (Your Auntie Nettie has a thing for men in kilts, so my lassie, you have to come to NYC on March 17th for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade so I can teach you about these things.)
Until then, remember, “life’s a banquet,” and I can’t wait for you to share in it.
Lots of love,
Auntie Nettie
Showing posts with label moosh in indy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label moosh in indy. Show all posts
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
"Snow Day" Ramblings
Warning: This entry is full of excess silliness toward the end of the post. Chalk it up to the barometric pressure. Or something.
I learned something about myself today. Not only am I more hyper than I thought, but WASP guilt and no distractions make Auntie Nettie a productive girl.
Let’s back up a bit.
Today I was really hoping for a Snow Day. Like really, really hoping, giddy with anticipation, mapping out my list of Snow Day movies and projects, and looking forward to the text at 6:00 a.m., hoping for a Snow Day.
The weather forecasters were making dire predictions about the inches, nay feet, that we might get. New York City administrators geared up to cover their collective butts after the mangling of the Blizzard of Christmas 2010. The mass transit system went on a reduced schedule to preserve trains and tracks. Some school systems were canceling classes/sessions/meetings before flakes flew.
Alas, The Big J did not have a Snow Day. My area of NY got maybe a foot at the most. I could have gotten to the office if I had had to, but boy … am I glad I didn’t.
I came back from vacation remembering how horrid it was trying to commute during snowstorms last year and began to make a plan. Thanks to wonders of modern technology, Internet friends, and product giveaways, I have been doing more personal “computer-things” (yes, that is a technical term) at home. However, the ability to truly, professionally “work from home” for my salaried/insured job was never in my grasp until the New Lenovo moved into the Attic.
Thanks to a few well-placed, okay, CONSTANT bribes of treats this year, and a few late night Skype calls to Big J’s IT wunderboy(s) last week, today was my first day to “work from home.”
And you know what? I was actually much more productive working from home than I am in the office.
Mostly it was guilt – the fear that someone would swivel my office desktop screen to see what it was I was working on (which no one would actually do). Or it might have been something else all together.
There were certainly fewer distractions – no one walking my outside my cubby, no one walking up to the coffee machine, no one filing in my direct eye line, no treats on the office shelf to go over and taste test, and no long hike down the halls to a clean bathroom, which only encouraged me to stop by other offices and engage with other colleagues.
Time clicked by and I barely seemed to notice the clock -- whereas in the office time is marked by the morning mail delivery, lunch/gym /errand time, the afternoon mail delivery, the 3:00 p.m. stir-crazies, and then the sssssslooooooow movement of the clock from 4:45, to 4:50, 4:55, to last the run to the bathroom, to THANK THE DEAR SWEET LORD it’s 5:00 p.m. let’s blow this pop-stand, run for the train.
All of this is AFTER the morning commute where I would have had to fight for a space to stand on the one crowded local train an hour that was running from my part of the ‘burbs into the City, and the schlep and dodge through the subway that would have put me in a foul mood to begin with. THEN I'd only get to do it all over again, in reverse, with MORE cranky people. (Don’t even get me started with the Oh-It’s-a-Snow-Day Let’s-go-to-the-City-DumbA$$ tourists!)
I was actually up, presentable, logged on, and communicating with the office long before 9:00 a.m., and then, for some reason, I worked until 8:00 p.m. More of my annoying months-long, never-ending project actually got done in one day than I’ve managed to do in weeks. My trips to the bathroom took seconds, and I was back on the desk schlogging through data -- data that requires close concentration when you are comparing a series of 13-digit GL codes to other notations and GL codes. I also answered e-mails in seconds rather than letting them stack up in the in-box (which I should have cleaned out too).
I still ate lunch at my desk, but my environment sure smelled and felt better. There were no competing aromas, like my office-mate’s curry wafting everywhere or the odor of reheated fish (really people? REALLY!?). There was no lunch-hour office politics, like the mystery of why some people seem to think they get to take 2-hour lunches while others do not, or why some people get invited to lunch and others don’t.
Not today. Today lunch smelled of the brownies and brittle I made for the IT boy(s) who made this day possible. (Well under my allotted hour, thank you very much!)
As for all those other Internet distractions that I usually surf to avoid work – blogs, infotainment sites, and Twitter? I kept looking at those to a bare minimum, or read them during my lunch hour/baking break. In the office, I’d rather be surfing than working. (Regular readers of this blog/my e-mail friends and/or people who know me could probably attest to this.)
Now I can totally understand why some people telecommute.
Don’t get me wrong. I wouldn’t want to do this everyday. I can see how it can be isolating and how you lose the social bonds that come along with working in an office, not to mention how perceived "special arrangements" like this can cause office tensions.
But if I have major projects like this, or proposal research/writing to do? And if I’m not transporting sensitive materials like patron information, checks, or proprietary data?
I’m totally going to work from home more often.
Again, my dear friend Casey and Lenovo who made this possible?
SUPER HUGE TREMENDOUS THANK YOUs!
Special thanks to:
Dave, you know who you are – you don’t have to share if you don’t want to.
Molly at 711 – thanks for not commenting on how I look before I have hair and makeup done. Nettie
needed her Big Gulp of Diet Coke, no matter the weather! (That's the one thing I forgot to stock up on.)
Mr. Visine Bottle – Thanks for being full. 12 hours at a computer is not good for me, but you made it better. (Although, Note to Self: It is time to see the eye doctor. One can only ZOOM so much on some screens.)
And most importantly Mother Nature and Jack Frost. Thanks for the WORK DAY! (to be read sarcastically)
Another foot over this area of NY next time, please. Montauk and CT don’t want any more.
I learned something about myself today. Not only am I more hyper than I thought, but WASP guilt and no distractions make Auntie Nettie a productive girl.
Let’s back up a bit.
Today I was really hoping for a Snow Day. Like really, really hoping, giddy with anticipation, mapping out my list of Snow Day movies and projects, and looking forward to the text at 6:00 a.m., hoping for a Snow Day.
The weather forecasters were making dire predictions about the inches, nay feet, that we might get. New York City administrators geared up to cover their collective butts after the mangling of the Blizzard of Christmas 2010. The mass transit system went on a reduced schedule to preserve trains and tracks. Some school systems were canceling classes/sessions/meetings before flakes flew.
Alas, The Big J did not have a Snow Day. My area of NY got maybe a foot at the most. I could have gotten to the office if I had had to, but boy … am I glad I didn’t.
I came back from vacation remembering how horrid it was trying to commute during snowstorms last year and began to make a plan. Thanks to wonders of modern technology, Internet friends, and product giveaways, I have been doing more personal “computer-things” (yes, that is a technical term) at home. However, the ability to truly, professionally “work from home” for my salaried/insured job was never in my grasp until the New Lenovo moved into the Attic.
Thanks to a few well-placed, okay, CONSTANT bribes of treats this year, and a few late night Skype calls to Big J’s IT wunderboy(s) last week, today was my first day to “work from home.”
And you know what? I was actually much more productive working from home than I am in the office.
Mostly it was guilt – the fear that someone would swivel my office desktop screen to see what it was I was working on (which no one would actually do). Or it might have been something else all together.
There were certainly fewer distractions – no one walking my outside my cubby, no one walking up to the coffee machine, no one filing in my direct eye line, no treats on the office shelf to go over and taste test, and no long hike down the halls to a clean bathroom, which only encouraged me to stop by other offices and engage with other colleagues.
Time clicked by and I barely seemed to notice the clock -- whereas in the office time is marked by the morning mail delivery, lunch/gym /errand time, the afternoon mail delivery, the 3:00 p.m. stir-crazies, and then the sssssslooooooow movement of the clock from 4:45, to 4:50, 4:55, to last the run to the bathroom, to THANK THE DEAR SWEET LORD it’s 5:00 p.m. let’s blow this pop-stand, run for the train.
All of this is AFTER the morning commute where I would have had to fight for a space to stand on the one crowded local train an hour that was running from my part of the ‘burbs into the City, and the schlep and dodge through the subway that would have put me in a foul mood to begin with. THEN I'd only get to do it all over again, in reverse, with MORE cranky people. (Don’t even get me started with the Oh-It’s-a-Snow-Day Let’s-go-to-the-City-DumbA$$ tourists!)
I was actually up, presentable, logged on, and communicating with the office long before 9:00 a.m., and then, for some reason, I worked until 8:00 p.m. More of my annoying months-long, never-ending project actually got done in one day than I’ve managed to do in weeks. My trips to the bathroom took seconds, and I was back on the desk schlogging through data -- data that requires close concentration when you are comparing a series of 13-digit GL codes to other notations and GL codes. I also answered e-mails in seconds rather than letting them stack up in the in-box (which I should have cleaned out too).
I still ate lunch at my desk, but my environment sure smelled and felt better. There were no competing aromas, like my office-mate’s curry wafting everywhere or the odor of reheated fish (really people? REALLY!?). There was no lunch-hour office politics, like the mystery of why some people seem to think they get to take 2-hour lunches while others do not, or why some people get invited to lunch and others don’t.
Not today. Today lunch smelled of the brownies and brittle I made for the IT boy(s) who made this day possible. (Well under my allotted hour, thank you very much!)
As for all those other Internet distractions that I usually surf to avoid work – blogs, infotainment sites, and Twitter? I kept looking at those to a bare minimum, or read them during my lunch hour/baking break. In the office, I’d rather be surfing than working. (Regular readers of this blog/my e-mail friends and/or people who know me could probably attest to this.)
Now I can totally understand why some people telecommute.
Don’t get me wrong. I wouldn’t want to do this everyday. I can see how it can be isolating and how you lose the social bonds that come along with working in an office, not to mention how perceived "special arrangements" like this can cause office tensions.
But if I have major projects like this, or proposal research/writing to do? And if I’m not transporting sensitive materials like patron information, checks, or proprietary data?
I’m totally going to work from home more often.
Again, my dear friend Casey and Lenovo who made this possible?
SUPER HUGE TREMENDOUS THANK YOUs!
Special thanks to:
Dave, you know who you are – you don’t have to share if you don’t want to.
Molly at 711 – thanks for not commenting on how I look before I have hair and makeup done. Nettie
needed her Big Gulp of Diet Coke, no matter the weather! (That's the one thing I forgot to stock up on.)
Mr. Visine Bottle – Thanks for being full. 12 hours at a computer is not good for me, but you made it better. (Although, Note to Self: It is time to see the eye doctor. One can only ZOOM so much on some screens.)
And most importantly Mother Nature and Jack Frost. Thanks for the WORK DAY! (to be read sarcastically)
Another foot over this area of NY next time, please. Montauk and CT don’t want any more.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
From Luddite to Lenovo-lover
Hi! My name is Auntie Nettie, and, for the last decade or so, I'm been a semi-Luddite in my personal life.
Because of an overly active professional life, I had made a decision to let technology pass me by during most of this decade.
Outside of the office, that is. Let's just clarify. I wasn't THAT out of touch.
At all of my various jobs, I was in-touch -- an information professional fully wired into the WWW, surfing full-speed down the information superhighway, cresting the waves tossed up by Google, surfing and clicking away through databases/libraries/sites ... and many times teaching others. Between the many gigs, the homework, the papers and proposals, and the teaching and teching, I was overwhelmed. My poor little state-of-the-art (from the tail end of the last century/millennium), dial-up-modem, 10 lb. PC laptop just couldn't hack it anymore. So, once I left the offices, I was on a much-needed break from technology.
However, in the last year or so, I've realized that has to change.
Beyond the need to be able to telecommute, I realized that I really shouldn't be relying on my work PC/office file server to store my digital photolibrary or all my personal non-work documents. I realized that it was probably a better use of my working hours to concentrate on my responsibilities than to catch up on my infotainment, post to my blog, or reading other people's content. I also felt that it probably wasn't a good idea to do work for your other job(s) while at your main employer, so running my side businesses, or getting ready to go online with them? A no-no! Plus, there was the whole issue of wanting to Skype all the far-flung nieces and nephews in various time zones. There was no way to justify me getting wired for Skype on the office computer. Not even a little.
So, I had started to think about getting a computer for home. I knew I would need storage --actually LOTS of storage; a hi-speed Internet connection and/or wi-fi; definitely a disc drive that would play/burn to DVDs; new and up-to-date software programs; not to mention web-cams, speakers, and mics. Alas, all of this would also require research and funding. None of which I really have/had time to invest.
For an information professional, I'm woefully inept when it comes to technology. Most of the upgrades made in my life have been due to other people being annoyed that I hadn't joined the modern world. If I hadn't already gotten cable, the government would have forced me off the rabbit-ear antennae with their recent format changes. The shift from a tape player to a CD player? A friend and her mom. The shift from shooting on a 35 mm film camera and to my current banged-up/taped-together Nikon digital? Santa Claus/Birthday Fairy. I did manage to move myself over from a discman to an MP3 player/iShuffle, but that's not saying much. (I'm not getting rid of my VHS tapes yet, thank you very much!)
Some other things you should know about me:
I'm not really that impulsive.
I'm mostly a lurker on other people's blogs.
I'm majorly passive aggressive.
AND
I never win anything. (Of course, you can't win if you don't play.)
Oh, and I'm not a major blogger. I'm not even a medium-sized blogger.
I'm a teeny, tiny, blink-and-you-miss-her-blogger. Heck. Most of my immediate family doesn't even read this thing.
Also, I don't link to advertisers, so obviously I don't get advertising sponsorships. Companies don't ask me to try out/hawk/laud/critique their products. And I'm fine with that. That's what the big girls are for -- people like Casey, over at mooshinindy.com.
I've read Casey's blog for a couple of years now, and have mostly lurked, with an occasional comment from time to time. I've been moved and amused by her, and marvelled about her courage in sharing alllll kinds of things. Our lifestyles are a little different, so most of her product giveaways haven't really applied to me.
All of that changed one day in July ... with four little words.
Win a Lenovo A70Z
Remember how I said I wasn't impulsive, how I usually lurked on blogs, and how I never win anything?!
To this day I don't know what made me click through to the comments, or where the words came from. I wrote something pithy, hit Send, and forgot about it for a while. Because, you know. I never win things. I got on with my busy (and illness-filled) summer. I checked back on the contest a while later and saw that it had closed.
Oh well, I thought. Just like I figured. I never win things.
Since this was actually the second time I had tried to win a computer via a blog, I didn't think much about the contest after that. Even AFTER I got an vague and ambiguously worded e-mail from Casey.
A few weeks later, a HUGE box showed up in my office. FOR ME! What? IT'S A COMPUTER FOR ME! Casey and Lenovo made my year!
Ask and ye shall receive indeed ... I'm not ashamed to admit that there was gushing and embarrassingly girlish high-pitched squealing, plus some e-mails to Casey saying things like ARE YOU SURE? I'M NOT WORTHY! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
Before she could change her mind and contact the company to have it shipped to someother deserving commenter, I hauled that thing back to the Attic studio and unboxed it.
I have to say -- it was better than some of my recent Christmas/Birthdays combined! (Sorry friends and family. A new gift of a computer? Seriously trumps you ALL!)
Because of an overly active professional life, I had made a decision to let technology pass me by during most of this decade.
Outside of the office, that is. Let's just clarify. I wasn't THAT out of touch.
At all of my various jobs, I was in-touch -- an information professional fully wired into the WWW, surfing full-speed down the information superhighway, cresting the waves tossed up by Google, surfing and clicking away through databases/libraries/sites ... and many times teaching others. Between the many gigs, the homework, the papers and proposals, and the teaching and teching, I was overwhelmed. My poor little state-of-the-art (from the tail end of the last century/millennium), dial-up-modem, 10 lb. PC laptop just couldn't hack it anymore. So, once I left the offices, I was on a much-needed break from technology.
However, in the last year or so, I've realized that has to change.
Beyond the need to be able to telecommute, I realized that I really shouldn't be relying on my work PC/office file server to store my digital photolibrary or all my personal non-work documents. I realized that it was probably a better use of my working hours to concentrate on my responsibilities than to catch up on my infotainment, post to my blog, or reading other people's content. I also felt that it probably wasn't a good idea to do work for your other job(s) while at your main employer, so running my side businesses, or getting ready to go online with them? A no-no! Plus, there was the whole issue of wanting to Skype all the far-flung nieces and nephews in various time zones. There was no way to justify me getting wired for Skype on the office computer. Not even a little.
So, I had started to think about getting a computer for home. I knew I would need storage --actually LOTS of storage; a hi-speed Internet connection and/or wi-fi; definitely a disc drive that would play/burn to DVDs; new and up-to-date software programs; not to mention web-cams, speakers, and mics. Alas, all of this would also require research and funding. None of which I really have/had time to invest.
For an information professional, I'm woefully inept when it comes to technology. Most of the upgrades made in my life have been due to other people being annoyed that I hadn't joined the modern world. If I hadn't already gotten cable, the government would have forced me off the rabbit-ear antennae with their recent format changes. The shift from a tape player to a CD player? A friend and her mom. The shift from shooting on a 35 mm film camera and to my current banged-up/taped-together Nikon digital? Santa Claus/Birthday Fairy. I did manage to move myself over from a discman to an MP3 player/iShuffle, but that's not saying much. (I'm not getting rid of my VHS tapes yet, thank you very much!)
Some other things you should know about me:
I'm not really that impulsive.
I'm mostly a lurker on other people's blogs.
I'm majorly passive aggressive.
AND
I never win anything. (Of course, you can't win if you don't play.)
Oh, and I'm not a major blogger. I'm not even a medium-sized blogger.
I'm a teeny, tiny, blink-and-you-miss-her-blogger. Heck. Most of my immediate family doesn't even read this thing.
Also, I don't link to advertisers, so obviously I don't get advertising sponsorships. Companies don't ask me to try out/hawk/laud/critique their products. And I'm fine with that. That's what the big girls are for -- people like Casey, over at mooshinindy.com.
I've read Casey's blog for a couple of years now, and have mostly lurked, with an occasional comment from time to time. I've been moved and amused by her, and marvelled about her courage in sharing alllll kinds of things. Our lifestyles are a little different, so most of her product giveaways haven't really applied to me.
All of that changed one day in July ... with four little words.
Win a Lenovo A70Z
Remember how I said I wasn't impulsive, how I usually lurked on blogs, and how I never win anything?!
To this day I don't know what made me click through to the comments, or where the words came from. I wrote something pithy, hit Send, and forgot about it for a while. Because, you know. I never win things. I got on with my busy (and illness-filled) summer. I checked back on the contest a while later and saw that it had closed.
Oh well, I thought. Just like I figured. I never win things.
Since this was actually the second time I had tried to win a computer via a blog, I didn't think much about the contest after that. Even AFTER I got an vague and ambiguously worded e-mail from Casey.
A few weeks later, a HUGE box showed up in my office. FOR ME! What? IT'S A COMPUTER FOR ME! Casey and Lenovo made my year!
Ask and ye shall receive indeed ... I'm not ashamed to admit that there was gushing and embarrassingly girlish high-pitched squealing, plus some e-mails to Casey saying things like ARE YOU SURE? I'M NOT WORTHY! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
Before she could change her mind and contact the company to have it shipped to someother deserving commenter, I hauled that thing back to the Attic studio and unboxed it.
I have to say -- it was better than some of my recent Christmas/Birthdays combined! (Sorry friends and family. A new gift of a computer? Seriously trumps you ALL!)
It was as easily to set-up as promised, and is compact enough to not be intrusive on the worktable.
I'm still working my way through all of the software installations -- made much easier now that I'm connected to the Internet. My semi-Luddite status is probably something that computer manufacturers like Lenovo aren't too familiar with. You can't completely do primary installations without an Ineternet connection. My one piece of feedback: Don't assume everyone is au courant and connected.
Finally: This photo? Is of Casey in the Market at Grand Central Terminal in August 2010, when she came out to visit for the Blogher Convention. How could I not arrange to see her and say thank you in person? She even got to come to the studio and see the Lenovo in its new home. Thanks to her Verizon Wireless MiFi Card, we both got to connect to the Internet before I could get set-up via my cable provider.
Thanks to Lenovo for the give-away and to Casey for being connected!
I'm still working my way through all of the software installations -- made much easier now that I'm connected to the Internet. My semi-Luddite status is probably something that computer manufacturers like Lenovo aren't too familiar with. You can't completely do primary installations without an Ineternet connection. My one piece of feedback: Don't assume everyone is au courant and connected.
left: another computer company PC lap-top c. 1998-2000 -- large/heavy/old/expensive
CD drive/dial up modem/no ethernet connection
right: NEW FREE Lenovo! SOOOO shiny and new and pretty and modern.
right: NEW FREE Lenovo! SOOOO shiny and new and pretty and modern.
I'm proud to say that this is my first blog post from the Lenovo ThinkCentre ... in my studio ... using media stored on my own desktop. As I'm typing, I'm listening to my iTunes library, and music is pouring out of my speakers. I have two different e-mail accounts open, while on another tab, I have my new Twitter account keeping me posted on friends. My Skype account is set-up and ready to call a friend in London that I haven't talked to in two years. (Darn time zones!) PLUS, while I'm doing this my external hard-drive is busily uploading all my personal files and photos from the work computer into all of the storage room I have. What a change!
Finally: This photo? Is of Casey in the Market at Grand Central Terminal in August 2010, when she came out to visit for the Blogher Convention. How could I not arrange to see her and say thank you in person? She even got to come to the studio and see the Lenovo in its new home. Thanks to her Verizon Wireless MiFi Card, we both got to connect to the Internet before I could get set-up via my cable provider.
Hi! My name is Auntie Nettie, and I've finally entered the 21st Century. I'm in love with my Lenovo ThinkCentre. We're going to be holed up in the Attic here for a while, getting to know each other. I'd say respect our privacy during this time, but that would be weird....
Thanks to Lenovo for the give-away and to Casey for being connected!
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Faux Twits
This blog is my only foray into social media. I don't LiveJournal, Facebook, or Twitter. I just don't have time or opportunity. I do understand the allure of Twitter, but the format of 140 characters is limiting. Getting me to be succinct is usually the trouble.
I've been a bit busy this week, and had a bit of bloggers block, so I decided to keep a post-it filled with notes, as if I had a Twitter account. These are some of my musings. After reviewing them, I don't think I'll be getting an account anytime soon:
Here are my Treat or Tweets (times are estimates, since they weren't really posted):
Posted 12 hours ago:
Leftover chocolate cake with purple frosting from Magnolia Bakery makes the afternoon go by much easier.
Posted 16 hours ago:
Do I know anyone who wants a pair of Carnegie Hall symphony tickets? UM, HELLO? ME! Thanks people with box seats and other social plans.
Posted 18 hours ago:
RT @mooshinindy: the moosh ended her prayer today with dot com. As in "In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. Dot Com." [c.11/18/09 ]
Posted 18 hours ago:
I did this but it was after a shift at Mickey Dees and was all like "Welcome to McDonald's, may I take your order please?"
Posted 18 hours ago:
Saddest thing? No one in family noticed when I broke off mid-phrase trying not to laugh.
Posted 25 hours ago:
Dear #Castle Location People: You can't fake Grand Central Terminal with LA locations. NOPE. NOT AT ALL. We have a better ceiling in NYC.
Posted a day ago:
Yes, my e-mail friend. Rainy days and Mondays do get me down.
Posted a day ago:
Is it time to go home yet? I need me some Big Bang Theory and some @NathanFillion charm.
Posted a day ago:
Hoping that outstanding invoices come in ASAP so I can have money for laundry, Dt. Coke and rest of rent. Though it should be rest of rent, laundry and THEN Dt. Coke.
Posted a day ago:
Processing two checks for working totaling $150,000 just makes me feel even more poor. When is pay day again?
Posted a day ago:
It doesn't bode well for your work out if you manage to strain your neck muscles and almost dislocate your shoulder just trying to put ON your sports bra. Just saying.
Posted 4 days ago:
Spring is here. The biggest sign in NYC? The Mr. Softee trucks are out on the street corners. It’s 2:15. Time for an ice cream run. Chocolate Ice Cream mid-afternoon = YUM!
Posted 4 days ago:
Saw a want ad that said: "you must love books." What if you just "like like" them?
Posted a week ago:
#overheard in office Excessive spreadsheet manipulation can apparently lead to softening of the brain.
To Twit or not to twit? That is the question ... Perhaps I will continue to accumulate these Faux Twits in a post-it until I have something worth Twitting.
I've been a bit busy this week, and had a bit of bloggers block, so I decided to keep a post-it filled with notes, as if I had a Twitter account. These are some of my musings. After reviewing them, I don't think I'll be getting an account anytime soon:
Here are my Treat or Tweets (times are estimates, since they weren't really posted):
Posted 12 hours ago:
Leftover chocolate cake with purple frosting from Magnolia Bakery makes the afternoon go by much easier.
Posted 16 hours ago:
Do I know anyone who wants a pair of Carnegie Hall symphony tickets? UM, HELLO? ME! Thanks people with box seats and other social plans.
Posted 18 hours ago:
RT @mooshinindy: the moosh ended her prayer today with dot com. As in "In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. Dot Com." [c.11/18/09 ]
Posted 18 hours ago:
I did this but it was after a shift at Mickey Dees and was all like "Welcome to McDonald's, may I take your order please?"
Posted 18 hours ago:
Saddest thing? No one in family noticed when I broke off mid-phrase trying not to laugh.
Posted 25 hours ago:
Dear #Castle Location People: You can't fake Grand Central Terminal with LA locations. NOPE. NOT AT ALL. We have a better ceiling in NYC.
Posted a day ago:
Yes, my e-mail friend. Rainy days and Mondays do get me down.
Posted a day ago:
Is it time to go home yet? I need me some Big Bang Theory and some @NathanFillion charm.
Posted a day ago:
Hoping that outstanding invoices come in ASAP so I can have money for laundry, Dt. Coke and rest of rent. Though it should be rest of rent, laundry and THEN Dt. Coke.
Posted a day ago:
Processing two checks for working totaling $150,000 just makes me feel even more poor. When is pay day again?
Posted a day ago:
It doesn't bode well for your work out if you manage to strain your neck muscles and almost dislocate your shoulder just trying to put ON your sports bra. Just saying.
Posted 4 days ago:
Spring is here. The biggest sign in NYC? The Mr. Softee trucks are out on the street corners. It’s 2:15. Time for an ice cream run. Chocolate Ice Cream mid-afternoon = YUM!
Posted 4 days ago:
Saw a want ad that said: "you must love books." What if you just "like like" them?
Posted a week ago:
#overheard in office Excessive spreadsheet manipulation can apparently lead to softening of the brain.
To Twit or not to twit? That is the question ... Perhaps I will continue to accumulate these Faux Twits in a post-it until I have something worth Twitting.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Veterans Day 2009
In this family, this means remembering to thank Dad for his service, and remembering the grandfathers for their service before, during, or after WWII. I also am reminded that my paternal grandmother should also be thanked for her service to this country, for her work as a "Rosie." (See this article in today's NYTimes about "Rosies." )When that grandmother, Grandma Roa, passed a few years ago, I inherited the bulk of her vintage jewelry. In a small box, mixed in with assorted lapel pins, Boy Scout insignia, and sweetheart jewelry, there are various Naval items, from my grandfather's stint in the service. For various reasons, the meaning behind much of the memorabilia has been been lost, though the appreciation for the sacrifices that they represent--and gratitude that they were saved--remains.
I need to have the "stars and bars" identified, and then I need to mount and shadowbox these pieces for our family history. (If any Navy vets stumble across this blog and can id these for me, I'd be greatly appreciative.)Happy Veterans Day to all those who have served and are serving our country, including those family members holding up the fort on the homefront.
Update: With thanks to Casey over at mooshinindy.com, I found out about ancestry.com's offer to let people troll through the military databases free of charge. After looking around a bit, I was able to discover that Grandpa J was on the U.S.S. Cowpens in July of 1944, plus his service number, and when and where he enrolled in the service. That's more information than I had an hour ago! Plus, I'm pretty sure I saw about four of my forefather's military records in there as well, but as I'm supposed to be oh, I don't know WORKING, I have to get out of personal research mode.
Awesome. Thanks Casey. Thanks ancestry.com. Thanks also to all the Clydes, Horaces, Elijahs, Roys, and LeRoys!
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Summer Fridays 2009 - Part One
One of the best things about working at the Big J is that fact that we get about 10-12 Fridays off from June to August, in exchange for some of the Monday holidays throughout the year. This comes in very handy for vacations, explorations, etc. After working so hard for so many summers, sometimes I don't know what to do with myself with all this time off. In an effort not to sink into the horridly debilitating depression that clouded last summer, this year I made a list of places to go and things to try and do. Luckily the weather cooperated, for the most part, and I was often joined by friends, or persuaded by others to deviate from the list. Here's a partial sampling of some of the things that I did on my summer Fridays (besides going to the office and blogging about them!)
Right next to the computers are some of the amigurumi animals that can be made by various knit/crochet patterns.
The front window display is changed up occasionally. When I visited, it was a knitted display of the New York City skyline and other notable landmarks/institutions.
There was even a knit replica of the Mayor knitting. Having just seen the mayor outside the office, this guy looks better and more approachable. 
During my walk-about downtown, I strolled by some very interesting window displays. Since I was on my way to the Lion Brand Studio, I was in a crafty state of mind. 
My list of places to visit this summer included the Pearl River Market downtown. This wasn't Jane nor my first visits to the store, but we couldn't resist going back. It's just a sensory delight. From the incense that wafts through the building, the rich brocades of the various shoes, jackets, and children's mandarin-style outfits, to the feel of the fine origami papers, and all the various blue porcelain-wares that I was lusting over, it was fun to explore the two levels of the emporium. It caters to tourists and locals alike. Not only did I buy the typical I heart New York stuff, but I finally got some spicy chili sauce to soup up the Chinese food that my local purveyor just won't make hot enough for me.
For YEARS I have been watching various Travel Channel Sandwich Paradise shows, not to mention Rick Sebak's documentary on PBS, and have seen this shop. It's ridiculous that I've been in New York this long and not gone. Now I can cross another thing off my list.
Luckily Jane I have different food tastes, so we were able to pick different things off the menu.
When at Peanut Butter & Co., you have to try the Elvis ("A grilled peanut Butter sandwich, stuffed with bananas and honey. Try it with bacon for that extra indulgence. Long live the King!") Jane had hers without the bacon.
I hate banana, but love bacon, so I had a specialty sandwich with their Mighty Maple peanut butter and bacon. Salty, sweet, drippy, goofy, and DELICIOUS. So good. (All of their sandwiches are served "homestyle with a side of Cape Cod potato chips and carrot sticks. Just like Mom used to make!") HA! My mother didn't put bacon on our sandwiches. Fried baloney maybe, but not bacon.
Here Jane models the fab ring she bought at MoMA. We had a corner booth. Now when I see Sandwich Paradise again, I know exactly where we were sitting, and I can enjoy it even more.
It was pretty busy when we were there. We weren't the only ones influenced by the Travel Channel as the clientele was pretty obviously all tourists. After a while Jane and I had more fun watching the construction workers from next door removing a door papered over with flyers. Of course, that may had more to do with the naked male dancer from Pilobolus on the posters than anything else.
After reading about the studio for so long, I finally had a reason to be downtown. I planned my perambulations to include a walk over to the very lovely Lion Brand studios, where I spent some time ogling the wall of yarn, downloading patterns for projects, and ordering more materials. I tried not to be intimidated by the serious knitters and other crafters. I'm a rank amateur compared to those people.
Right next to the computers are some of the amigurumi animals that can be made by various knit/crochet patterns.
The front window display is changed up occasionally. When I visited, it was a knitted display of the New York City skyline and other notable landmarks/institutions.There was even a knit replica of the Mayor knitting. Having just seen the mayor outside the office, this guy looks better and more approachable. During my walk-about downtown, I strolled by some very interesting window displays. Since I was on my way to the Lion Brand Studio, I was in a crafty state of mind. These are a little creepy though.
I think I was so distracted by what I had seen in these windows, I almost completely missed the fact that I walked right by a very low key Spike Lee.
This trip also included an excursion to the famous Strand Bookstore. Now, I love books. I love the smell of old books. I enjoy reading. Unfortunately, I have a problem with narrow aisles and crowds. I like to browse without feeling squished and rushed. I also like my sci-fi sections not be regulated to the back tiny corner of bookstores. Sadly, I've also found that when you are looking for obscure sci-fi books you run into the dilemma that sci-fi geeks hang on to their materials, so the likelihood that you are going to find that rarity is pretty slim. While I did find a few things on my list, I have to spend more time looking on-line for my missing volumes. Maybe my real problem with the Strand that day was that it was a muggy Friday at lunchtime and everyone was hanging out in the a.c.?
Since I was starving and it was lunchtime, I headed uptown and dove into the Union Square Green Market. After the quick walk uptown, the inhaled dust in the Strand, the inferiority complex I had also picked up at the Lion Brand Studio, I was even more susceptible to the aromas emanating from all the food vendors hawking their wares. The breakfast radishes, cilantro, and lettuce that went in my bag were later joined by jalapeno cornbread, maple-flavored breakfast rolls, and chocolaty baked goods. If I had had a cooler with me, I would have picked up fresh cheese and homemade bacon. Somehow, after all the browsing and purchasing, I never did get an actual meal! Once back in Grand Central, I finally bought a Jamaican beef patty at Golden Krust. I've only been walking by it almost every day for three years. For under $5, a well-balanced meal of an ice-cold Diet Coke and very hot, fried dough and spicy meat is the best. thing. ever!
On other rambles around the Upper West Side, I walked right by the former residence of famed composer, Sergei Rachmaninoff.
Since I was starving and it was lunchtime, I headed uptown and dove into the Union Square Green Market. After the quick walk uptown, the inhaled dust in the Strand, the inferiority complex I had also picked up at the Lion Brand Studio, I was even more susceptible to the aromas emanating from all the food vendors hawking their wares. The breakfast radishes, cilantro, and lettuce that went in my bag were later joined by jalapeno cornbread, maple-flavored breakfast rolls, and chocolaty baked goods. If I had had a cooler with me, I would have picked up fresh cheese and homemade bacon. Somehow, after all the browsing and purchasing, I never did get an actual meal! Once back in Grand Central, I finally bought a Jamaican beef patty at Golden Krust. I've only been walking by it almost every day for three years. For under $5, a well-balanced meal of an ice-cold Diet Coke and very hot, fried dough and spicy meat is the best. thing. ever!
On other rambles around the Upper West Side, I walked right by the former residence of famed composer, Sergei Rachmaninoff.On another Friday, my good friend Jane (from Flax Hill Gardner) joined me in the City. We went back downtown, bought goodies at one of the MoMA design stores, had our nasal passages assaulted in a Lush store, were serenaded by mourning Michael Jackson fans, discovered art works in new places, and were reminded that a City of over 7 million people is just too darn small.
My list of places to visit this summer included the Pearl River Market downtown. This wasn't Jane nor my first visits to the store, but we couldn't resist going back. It's just a sensory delight. From the incense that wafts through the building, the rich brocades of the various shoes, jackets, and children's mandarin-style outfits, to the feel of the fine origami papers, and all the various blue porcelain-wares that I was lusting over, it was fun to explore the two levels of the emporium. It caters to tourists and locals alike. Not only did I buy the typical I heart New York stuff, but I finally got some spicy chili sauce to soup up the Chinese food that my local purveyor just won't make hot enough for me. The true purpose for our trip this time to New York was to visit Peanut Butter & Co.
For YEARS I have been watching various Travel Channel Sandwich Paradise shows, not to mention Rick Sebak's documentary on PBS, and have seen this shop. It's ridiculous that I've been in New York this long and not gone. Now I can cross another thing off my list.Luckily Jane I have different food tastes, so we were able to pick different things off the menu.
When at Peanut Butter & Co., you have to try the Elvis ("A grilled peanut Butter sandwich, stuffed with bananas and honey. Try it with bacon for that extra indulgence. Long live the King!") Jane had hers without the bacon.I hate banana, but love bacon, so I had a specialty sandwich with their Mighty Maple peanut butter and bacon. Salty, sweet, drippy, goofy, and DELICIOUS. So good. (All of their sandwiches are served "homestyle with a side of Cape Cod potato chips and carrot sticks. Just like Mom used to make!") HA! My mother didn't put bacon on our sandwiches. Fried baloney maybe, but not bacon.Here Jane models the fab ring she bought at MoMA. We had a corner booth. Now when I see Sandwich Paradise again, I know exactly where we were sitting, and I can enjoy it even more.It was pretty busy when we were there. We weren't the only ones influenced by the Travel Channel as the clientele was pretty obviously all tourists. After a while Jane and I had more fun watching the construction workers from next door removing a door papered over with flyers. Of course, that may had more to do with the naked male dancer from Pilobolus on the posters than anything else. After such a yummy lunch, you would have thought we were done with food for the day, but Jane indulged me in back-tracking to find the Baked by Melissa cupcake stall I had spotted on my previous trip downtown. 
The whole trip back to the cupcake stall was because I promised Casey that I would eat a chocolate cupcake for her, and I wanted to find a vanilla cupcake to eat in honor of Nie's birthday. These little tiny cupcakes are scarily addictive (and expensive too!). One bite and they are gone.
While I didn't quite fulfill my promise to either lady, in some respects the flavors at Baked by Melissa represent their lives a little bit more accurately. I bought a dozen or so with the intent of taking pictures of them in strange locales and for a photo essay for Casey. However, the subway ride and the heat and the humidity conspired to create what what can only be called a 'hot mess' in the box. Happily, after refrigeration, the gooey mess was still edible and was devoured in a New York minute.
Thanks to Jane for schlepping around with me to cross a few things off my Summer Friday list!
For more information about my summer Fridays, stay tuned or check out the Shushing Librarian's adventures.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Friday Festitivies -- Update
Sniff. Casey has left the building. The Big J Building that is.
Casey is, as expected, AWESOME and gracefully put up with my getting us lost in the Big J hallways (it's still a construction site), my ramblings, and babblings etc. She also helped me remember why the Big J is so cool. You spend time there and you forget, as you get caught up in the administrative details of making an institution this size work, and the rush of one concert/event to the next. It's really the staff and the students, from the crazy security guards, to the Dance and the Drama staff that let you duck onto stages and into rehearsal rooms, and the students practicing away in little rooms, dancing their feet off in studios while strangers lurk in doorways, and or just going about their lives. The music can be a cacophony of vocalises, scales, percussive drills, timpani, combined with the sounds of rip saws, or wonderfully familiar classical melodies floating around corners or across the vastness of empty recital halls.
Once upon a time, coming to the Big J as a musician was more than a few people's dream for me. At the time I couldn't convey why I just knew, in my heart of hearts, that being a concert pianist wasn't to be my path. Somehow I was aware even then, that you didn't have to BE an artist to be in the service of Art. It may have taken more than a decade or more, some rebellion, and different career explorations, but ultimately my current journey has merged paths with that other, older one. I'm at the Big J, but just in a way that no one could have imagined back when I started piano lessons as a 7-year old.
Hey Casey? Thanks for helping me remember why the Big J is such a special place. Glad I could help you check off something on "the list." You actually helped me do the same and to keep a resolution or two for the year. Travel safe. Be Well. Be Happy.
Much love to you, Cody, and the Moosh.
Xo Auntie Nettie
Casey is, as expected, AWESOME and gracefully put up with my getting us lost in the Big J hallways (it's still a construction site), my ramblings, and babblings etc. She also helped me remember why the Big J is so cool. You spend time there and you forget, as you get caught up in the administrative details of making an institution this size work, and the rush of one concert/event to the next. It's really the staff and the students, from the crazy security guards, to the Dance and the Drama staff that let you duck onto stages and into rehearsal rooms, and the students practicing away in little rooms, dancing their feet off in studios while strangers lurk in doorways, and or just going about their lives. The music can be a cacophony of vocalises, scales, percussive drills, timpani, combined with the sounds of rip saws, or wonderfully familiar classical melodies floating around corners or across the vastness of empty recital halls.
Once upon a time, coming to the Big J as a musician was more than a few people's dream for me. At the time I couldn't convey why I just knew, in my heart of hearts, that being a concert pianist wasn't to be my path. Somehow I was aware even then, that you didn't have to BE an artist to be in the service of Art. It may have taken more than a decade or more, some rebellion, and different career explorations, but ultimately my current journey has merged paths with that other, older one. I'm at the Big J, but just in a way that no one could have imagined back when I started piano lessons as a 7-year old.
Hey Casey? Thanks for helping me remember why the Big J is such a special place. Glad I could help you check off something on "the list." You actually helped me do the same and to keep a resolution or two for the year. Travel safe. Be Well. Be Happy.
Much love to you, Cody, and the Moosh.
Xo Auntie Nettie
Friday Festivities
Have you ever had a week that just was a blur of work and exhaustion? One where you came home completely drained, leaving you to resort to putting jammies on by 7:00, eating no dinner, and just going to sleep by 9:00?
(Realize that this is the "no dependents" scenario here. Add in pet(s)/spouse/partner/kid(s) to the equation and you just don't get to do this. I am completely aware of grateful I should be that I get to revel in this sort of "indulgent" and "selfish behavior" AND for the fact that I HAVE a job. [Actually I have two@once now; that might have something to do with the exhaustion].)
The only redeeming quality to this week has been knowing that FRIDAY was coming, and knowing that there was a special treat in store for THIS Friday!
I'm supposed to meet the famous Casey of ...
How DO you act when you're meeting a blogger? It's one thing when you know lots about them from the blogosphere, it's another thing to actually meet. Throw in the fact that YOU are completely shy and retiring, and argh ... I just hope I maintain some sense of togetherness and don't scare her off OR make her break the famous camera lens.
(Realize that this is the "no dependents" scenario here. Add in pet(s)/spouse/partner/kid(s) to the equation and you just don't get to do this. I am completely aware of grateful I should be that I get to revel in this sort of "indulgent" and "selfish behavior" AND for the fact that I HAVE a job. [Actually I have two@once now; that might have something to do with the exhaustion].)
The only redeeming quality to this week has been knowing that FRIDAY was coming, and knowing that there was a special treat in store for THIS Friday!
I'm supposed to meet the famous Casey of ...
How DO you act when you're meeting a blogger? It's one thing when you know lots about them from the blogosphere, it's another thing to actually meet. Throw in the fact that YOU are completely shy and retiring, and argh ... I just hope I maintain some sense of togetherness and don't scare her off OR make her break the famous camera lens.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Brain Freeze
I haven't been able to think about much but this delectable treat since Casey twittered about it. Thanks A LOT Casey!
Thankfully I will be in Utah soon, so I'm going to be haunting the aisles of Harmons or the Mavericks until I find me one.
Yo bro!? 'Haps you can do some recon for me? I might even share with you if you stock some up for me.
k? thanx
(of course, if I eat too many of them, then I can't skydive ...)
Thursday, February 7, 2008
EBS -- Enviable Blog Syndrome
It's blogs like these that contribute to what I'm dubbing EBS -- Enviable Blog Syndrome.
It's like "Molly Mormon"* syndrome (or inadequate homemakers disease aka Martha-Stewart-makes-me-feel-unworthy-for-not-making-EVERYTHING-from-scratch-including-your-clothes to you non-LDS types) crossed with literary envy.
I wish I had the time and talents to be like the following:
Homemade by Jill
Moosh in indy
and her other blog
Linoleum Dynamite (the best name EVER)
I'm sure there are many more blogs of this caliber, but for just my recent explorations into the blogosphere, these ladies really (excuse the pun) take the cake.
Jill and Casey -- you ROCK!
* I don't mean Molly Mormon in a bad way, purely the crafty/homemakery kind o' way, thank you very much.
It's like "Molly Mormon"* syndrome (or inadequate homemakers disease aka Martha-Stewart-makes-me-feel-unworthy-for-not-making-EVERYTHING-from-scratch-including-your-clothes to you non-LDS types) crossed with literary envy.
I wish I had the time and talents to be like the following:
Homemade by Jill
Moosh in indy
and her other blog
Linoleum Dynamite (the best name EVER)
I'm sure there are many more blogs of this caliber, but for just my recent explorations into the blogosphere, these ladies really (excuse the pun) take the cake.
Jill and Casey -- you ROCK!
* I don't mean Molly Mormon in a bad way, purely the crafty/homemakery kind o' way, thank you very much.
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