Today I ran across this rather goofy paper. Here is the funniest line:

The technology was not designed by women, it does not take into account women's values, and therefore it is no surprise that women do not feel their internal needs are met by the technology.

(The rest of it isn't really worth reading.)

# : 3:03 PM : :

Check out this cool site. You can make your own snowflake, without any schnipzels. Here is mine:

# : 2:43 PM : :

I worked on my flex day on Friday so now I have enough leave to be home for a week and a half at Christmas! I will be in Cleveland Dec. 24 through Jan. 4. It's like a real vacation!

And I found a poem that I like a lot.

Eddi's Service
(A.D. 687)
BY RUDYARD KIPLING

Eddi, priest of St. Wilfrid
In his chapel at Manhood End,
Ordered a midnight service
For such as cared to attend.

But the Saxons were keeping Christmas,
And the night was stormy as well.
Nobody came to service,
Though Eddi rang the bell.

"'Wicked weather for walking,"
Said Eddi of Manhood End.
"But I must go on with the service
For such as care to attend."

The altar-lamps were lighted, --
An old marsh-donkey came,
Bold as a guest invited,
And stared at the guttering flame.

The storm beat on at the windows,
The water splashed on the floor,
And a wet, yoke-weary bullock
Pushed in through the open door.

"How do I know what is greatest,
How do I know what is least?
That is My Father's business,"
Said Eddi, Wilfrid's priest.

"But -- three are gathered together --
Listen to me and attend.
I bring good news, my brethren!"
Said Eddi of Manhood End.

And he told the Ox of a Manger
And a Stall in Bethlehem,
And he spoke to the Ass of a Rider,
That rode to Jerusalem.

They steamed and dripped in the chancel,
They listened and never stirred,
While, just as though they were Bishops,
Eddi preached them The Word,

Till the gale blew off on the marshes
And the windows showed the day,
And the Ox and the Ass together
Wheeled and clattered away.

And when the Saxons mocked him,
Said Eddi of Manhood End,
"I dare not shut His chapel
On such as care to attend."

# : 11:34 AM : :

This is no good... I found a website about raising lynxes as pets (with pictures!) and now I want to. They are so cute!

Yesterday morning I volunteered at Amy's church putting together Thanksgiving boxes for poor families. My assembly line was doing nine hundred boxes per hour; there were three lines and overall we made seven thousand boxes. As you might imagine, the church is huge! It has two parking garages (we did our assembling in one of them) and apparently there are several thousand members. The weird thing was that of the hundreds of people there yesterday, I didn't see anyone over 50. Amy assures me that there are elderly people, though.

So now I feel like I got run over by a truck. Apparently pushing or carrying boxes containing a turkey and ten pounds of potatoes among other things is not so good for my back. Also, I think I have food poisoning, though I don't know what it could possibly be from. I don't recall eating anything sketchy. Humph.

# : 11:32 AM : :

This new Pew report on religious beliefs and opposition to homosexuality is shocking. In particular, the fact that "a narrow majority of Americans also oppose allowing gays and lesbians to enter legal agreements that fall short of marriage." Think about that! Half of the populace of this country does not believe that people should be allowed to select and legally designate a next of kin!

It seems to me that allowing people to choose their own next of kin is in line with every principle this country is founded on. It doesn't have to be about sex. If two old ladies decide to combine households after their husbands pass on, they should be able to save themselves money and hassles by filing for a civil union.

Of course, that's the problem. For the religious right, it is ALWAYS about sex. Slightly ironic, but true.

# : 10:01 PM : :

I saw Love, Actually Saturday night. I had expected a silly romantic comedy and was surprised when it was actually quite sad and touching in parts. I had a tough time following all NINE story lines because I'm not that great at recognizing faces. So the Hugh Grant, Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, cute little kid stories worked great for me, and the others were a little less so because it was halfway through the movie before I realized we were seeing the same people again. (Well, the Hugh Grant storyline only worked because I could follow it. He was completely unbelievable as the PM.) And that little kid is the cutest kid I've seen in a movie all year. There were really hilarious moments, some cringe-inducing ones, and some that made me cry. Overall, not excellent, but enjoyable.

I also watched Manhattan Murder Mystery on Friday. I enjoyed it, which isn't a surprise since I love Woody Allen, but talk about unrealistic situations! The first half of the movie isn't bad on the believability front, but then it swings toward ridiculous.

In general, I hate movies that are so absurd I keep wondering what the trick is, only to find out that there was no trick; that was the actual plot. (Cf. Goonies, which I saw for the first time about fifteen years too late. I'd've loved it as a kid, but was completely confused as an adult.)

It works in MMM, though, I guess because there isn't a whole lot of suspension of disbelief going on in a Woody Allen movie to start with. Plus the movie is actually funny.

# : 11:02 AM : :

I had the cutest experience ever this weekend. Midway Mall in Elyria has a mini zoo in it. The animals are mostly rescued, and only stay in the cages for a few hours per day. I guess then they swap them out and exercise them, or something. There was a Plain Dealer article about it, which quoted the head of the county APL as saying the animals were being treated well. So I didn't feel too bad about going to the zoo. And getting a picture taken with an animal cost $15, half of which went directly to vet bills and food, so I felt OK about that too.



The lion cub was only a month old. His head seemed way too big for his body, and his legs too short. It looked like he could hardly walk, though of course he did fine. He was very fuzzy and cuddly - like a puppy more than anything. He loved being held by us. I think he is still so young that he thinks anything big and warm is his mama.

Eric had just eaten lunch, and his hands still apparently smelled like corned beef, so the hungry baby lion sucked on his fingers while we were holding it. (It didn't have any teeth yet, and had to be fed with a bottle.)

There was an ocelot in the next cage. It had very long, slender arms, which it could and did stick through the fence into the baby lion's cage. It was really funny to watch, because the lion would follow it back and forth, hanging back just enough to be safe. Then, his curiosity got the better of him and he came right up to the fence. The ocelot quickly slipped his paw through and whapped the baby lion right on the face. Poor baby made a big noise and retreated back to his blanky, and the zoo staff put a barrier in between the cages so the mean ocelot couldn't beat up on our young friend anymore.

I think I might go back at Christmas to see it again.

# : 4:58 PM : :

I'm still on track to enter med school in Fall '05. I got accepted to George Mason University as a non-degree student, so as long as I can actually get in to the O Chem meeting times I need, I will be ready to take the MCAT in April.

I applied to be a volunteer at a hospital, and haven't heard back from them yet. I need to give them a call, I guess. Man, if I'm volunteering and taking o chem and studying for the MCAT and, you know, working full-time, I am going to be super busy. On the plus side, I'd have fewer free (read boring) weekends so I will spend less money on gas coming back to Cleveland.

Speaking of money... I finally have enough money to do pretty much what I want without worrying, but I still worry! The whole "quitting work and being destitute for 4 years and poor for at least 3 more" idea is kind of scary. I'm concerned that when I fill out financial aid apps, they will say "hey, you make $60k/year, you can afford med school by yourself! no federal loans for you!" So I am trying to figure out what is best to do now. I'm paying extra on my car so that'll be paid off. And I just signed up for a retirement plan. I'm putting in 5% and getting it matched, which is pretty nice. If I were planning to stay here until retirement, I'd put in the maximum and be so set when I'm old. Of course, that is NOT what I'm planning to do, so either I will have a little nest egg quietly increasing in value, or have to take it out early to come up with cash for tuition. I need to have a friend who's a financial planner!

When I don't worry, though, I am still really excited about this plan. Hopefully that stays that way, since I am investing a lot of money in o chem (I'm considered an out of state student). OK, that is enough worrying for now.

# : 4:39 PM : :

This should give me something to do when I'm bored at work. I am going to change the template first, I think, as soon as I think of a good color scheme.

# : 4:27 PM : :