Verbiage

People, "verbiage" is not synonymous with "wording" or "language."

What Would You Do?

While walking to work today, I passed a man lying in the middle of the sidewalk. He appeared to be homeless, and it was unclear whether he was sleeping, passed out or even breathing. In the 5 seconds from the time I spotted him to the time I walked by him, a rush of thoughts came to me: Was he dead? Sleeping off a bender? Was it my social responsibility to stop and check on him? Did I really want to touch him? Should I at least call 911? Would this even qualify as a 911 emergency? Was this some social experiment in the vein of the Kitty Genovese studies? Well, I didn't stop, but called 311 when I got to the office a few minutes later. I figured that was a happy medium response. Turns out somebody else had already called and somebody was already dispatched to check on him. So I can continue my day with a clear conscience and a happy appreciation for 311, which was remarkably efficient.

Hot Wes Mess

So sad to leave eye candy Wesley leave so early (even though I'm sure he doesn't even play for my team), but that dress really was, in the words of Christian, one hot tranny mess. I cannot believe they picked Suede's dress as the winner. The only rationale is that Bluefly didn't really want to commit to manufacturing a ton of dresses, so they picked the dress that they knew only a handful of Carrie Bradshaw-wannabes would actually buy. And Suede, where do I even start? First, your name is Suede. Second, you refer to yourself in the third person, and third--hell (or "h-e-double hockey sticks" as T would say), I don't even need a third because the first two reasons are enough for me to dislike you on sight.

The Little Things

It's easy to get down, discouraged and frustrated, and it's amazing how a small gesture can turn things around. Work has its ups and downs--a lot of downs lately as I've been busy and plagued with crazy deadlines and unrealistic expectations. So I've been feeling frustrated and unappreciated until just a few minutes ago, when I received a beautiful orchid plant from a client with a simple note saying he enjoys working with me. Actually, this is not the first time I've gotten something from a client--I've gotten lots of beautiful floral arrangements--but those were usually in response to a particular crazy project and this was more of a general appreciation. So nice, and it totally lifted my spirits!

No Good Deed...

... goes unpunished. Or however the saying goes. H had guppies in her classroom this year and the guppies needed new homes when school let out. They seemed relatively low maintenance (i.e., no special tank needed), so I acquiesced to H's pleading. We started with 5--2 adults (male and female) and 3 babies. Two of the babies disappeared, the victims of apparent guppy infanticide. Then the parents started to reproduce, well, like guppies, and the other day there were about 2 dozen new babies. Thankfully, the parents continued their carnivorous ways and we're down to about 10 babies. It's survival of the fittest in our house! But I still don't know what I'm going to do with all these guppies.

T planted some type of bulb at school and brought that home for the summer. It hadn't sprouted anything, so I've been faithfully watering and nurturing it, hoping to help it grow. Unfortunately, the only thing it seems capable of is being a breeding ground for gnats, which I've spent the last couple days swatting dead. It's like the fruit flies from last summer all over again. I finally gave up and with a tinge of guilt, put the pot of dirt with unsprouted bulb outside to peter out.