jaemie.com

The Longest Day Ever

jaemie@jaemie.com (Jaemie) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 21:10:00 +0000

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Ear, Nose, and Throat

jaemie@jaemie.com (Jaemie) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:53:00 +0000

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ER Visit

jaemie@jaemie.com (Jaemie) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 21:39:00 +0000

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Big Day in Johnstown

jaemie@jaemie.com (Jaemie) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 01:56:00 +0000

Yes, world, Johnstown once again has a Dunkin' Donuts. A Dunkin' Donuts that just opened today and actually ran out of donuts because Johnstown was THAT excited.

I, however, am THAT excited about the return of cinnamon coffee. Mmm ...

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Powdered Sugar Covered

jaemie@jaemie.com (Jaemie) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 20:19:00 +0000

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Spill

jaemie@jaemie.com (Jaemie) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 19:33:00 +0000

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Design

jaemie@jaemie.com (Jaemie) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 03:19:00 +0000

I decided that i'm sick of the polka dots. I tried finding a nice template to post here until I find the time to make my own, but, of course, I can't just use a template as is.

Editing a template is difficult, especially when the CSS is not semantic and the nesting is ridiculous. This is why I refuse to take on clients who just want me to update their site. Sorry — new design first, updates second.

So, sooner than later an actual design will be posted here because now I'm determined.

Reincarnation

jaemie@jaemie.com (Jaemie) — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 23:32:00 +0000

The vet called my mom yesterday with the results of KD's bloodwork and told her that in his next life he would like to come back as one of our family's pets. I have to admit, that would be a pretty sweet gig. Our pets are beyond spoiled.

Her bloodwork came back normal for what tests were done; we're still waiting on the thyroid workup. She got really sick last Sunday, but she seems to be better now. All 4.25 pounds of her.

Trend

jaemie@jaemie.com (Jaemie) — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 04:29:00 +0000

Another Friday night, and another bout of illness. I'm not sure what's going on, but it isn't pleasant: migraine, fever, chills, and stomach cramps.

Goodnight.

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Benton

jaemie@jaemie.com (Jaemie) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 04:21:00 +0000

I just spent the last 15 minutes trying to remember the name of the character that Eric LaSalle played on E.R. I refused to look it up on the internet, convinced that I would remember in time. I did, but only came up with "Benson." Close, but not quite: Peter Benton.

I have also decided that a channel with nothing but reruns of E.R., House, and Law & Order would be my ideal television network. OK, maybe some Gilmore Girls and Felicity, too.

Text Message Round Up

jaemie@jaemie.com (Jaemie) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 00:25:00 +0000

I'm set to clean text messages off of my phone, and here are a few that are just too good to send off into oblivion.

Random Stranger: Why do you say one thing @ do another so what should i do?
Me: Huh? Wrong number dude.

Phil: quirk
Me: Cheese doodle

Me: He's been in meetings since u called
Ryan: AKA avoiding stroke boy and his sidekick crime fighting contacts

Ryan: Pondo (ETA: as in Ponderosa)
Me: Ew.

Me: FYI - it's pmissile's g'day
Me: Or bday - predictive text is gay

Ryan: Mmm cheesy cream of potato soup
Me: Mmm vacation

While waiting in the ER
Ryan: My mother needs breath mints every time we come to the hospital
...
Ryan: Why is twinkle twinkle playing on the intercom system? :-(

Productive

jaemie@jaemie.com (Jaemie) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 03:12:00 +0000

I have nothing exciting to report for the day. You can stop reading now.

The day went like this: woke up at 3:30 on the dot after falling asleep at 2:30 as usual. Was awoken by one of the dogs at 5:30 because she was cold. She wanted under the covers with her head on the pillow and snuggled. Woke up 10 minutes late and got to work five minutes early. Drank a sugar free Red Bull and got hives. Then froze in my office for three hours while I finished all of my pending client updates.

Then I went outside and was cold. Got coffee. Got hives.

Came back to work and figured out how to fix my broken asp email form - CDO not CDONTS. It works. Did a little dance on the inside. Turned over all updating responsibilities to a client. Breathed a huge sigh of relief. Password protected a directory on IIS with out bringing down the site. Breathed another sigh of relief. Left work only 30 minutes later than I wanted to. *knocks on wood* My to do list for tomorrow is doable. Finally.

Went to dinner with Mom and Dad for Mom's birthday. Had a mango Mai Tai and grilled garlic shrimp. Very sleepy now. Just realized alcohol makes me very sleepy, and I'll have to remember that for Sunday nights when I can't fall asleep before 4:00AM.

*Yawn*

Trains

jaemie@jaemie.com (Jaemie) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 04:55:00 +0000

I almost didn't make the cut on this post, and all because of a train.

It has been years since trains have rumbled through town. Sure, they have passed on the outskirts of town for as many years as I have been alive, but the last one I can remember making its way through town, stopping traffic was years ago. I had to have been at least sixteen. I remember running late for my babysitting job because the train would go through town, halting everything. Taking forever to pass. Rumbling. Noisy.

Today the trains are back, but we no longer have the arms that come down to close the streets and block traffic. Now we get a police car on each side of the train flashing their lights. Call me old fashioned, but I prefer the regular signals with the dinging bells and flashing lights.

Not all of my memories of trains are negative though. Train whistles actually trigger some of my fondest memories. Even now, when I hear the train whistles in the late night or early morning, I am reminded of my Grandma. Odd to think that train whistles would remind me of her, but they do. During the day, my brain doesn't quite make the connection, but at night I get the faintest twinge of deja vu. I begin to remember...

When I was little, four, maybe five, maybe even younger, I used to spend the night at my Grandma's every once in a while. It was quite the occasion when it did happen. If I hadn't eaten dinner, she'd make it for me, then she'd let me "cook" dessert. Dessert always consisted of melting various candies and caramels in the microwave to make some gooey concoction that, at the time, was delicious. Now, I'm certain that I'd gag or go into some sort of diabetic coma if I ate that mess.

Dessert was always followed by some sort of activity. Sometimes we would work on painting her ceramics or we would draw. I still have -- somewhere I hope -- a pen drawing of a bunny that we drew together. I remember cutting up fabric scraps and taping them to it. I remember the red ink pen that we'd draw with and then blot out with a damp tissue to make the blush on the bunny's cheeks.

Then I'd get into my pajamas, and we would watch the Wheel of Fortune, and maybe Jeopardy. I think I can remember watching the Golden Girls and Empty Nest, but I'm not quite sure.

When it got late, she'd get me ready for bed. I'd brush my teeth with my special tooth brush. I remember it was pink, and maybe it had a bear on the handle? I'm pretty sure it had glitter. She'd put me into her bed on the side closest to the window, tuck me in, and then crack the window just a bit.

She lived on the fourth floor of a retirement complex near the two sets of tracks that made their way through the center of town. Without fail, whenever I stayed over, the train would rumble by and the whistle would blow. I would look out the window and see the night sky, occasionally a star. If I would get out of bed to look, I could glance at the church steeple next door.

We would wake up on Sunday mornings, and she'd let me drink coffee -- black with sugar, no cream. I'd dip Girl Scout Trefoil cookies in it until they melted into a spongy mess. We'd watch the Today show. Then in the afternoon we'd watch Bonanza. All too soon, my time would be up, and Mom would be by to pick me up.

If I think hard enough and clear my mind, I can still picture how her room looked, how it smelled, where everything was, and, for just a second, I can remember being four years old, visiting Grandma.

Mosaic

jaemie@jaemie.com (Jaemie) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 04:45:00 +0000

What is your first name? Jaemie
What is your favorite food? (gluten free) macaroni and cheese
What high school did you go to? Windber
What is your favorite color? orange
Who is your celebrity crush? John Cusack
What is your favorite drink? soy latte
What is your dream vacation? relaxation
What is your favorite dessert? ice cream
What do you want to do when you grow up? illustrate a children's book
Who/what do you love most in life? Ryan
Choose one word that describes you. stubborn
What is your Flickr name? jaemie

I followed most of the rules, except one. Why would I use a photo of someone else when I knew I had taken the perfect photo and uploaded it to Flickr myself?

Meme Credit:
Idea stolen from Jayesel.

Photo Credits:
1. Pink Shoes, 1, 2. Mac-n-Cheese Shells, 3. SS. Peter and Paul, 1, 4. hold me pls..., 5. "Championship Vinyl" from the John Cusack movie "High Fidelity", 6. Soy Latte - Auoli Cafe, Vivian street, 7. Raindrops on calm water, 8. 4 New Flavoured Ice Cream Plush Toys from Chocolate Log, 9. Cow Sneezed: cover, 10. OMG Crabs!!, 11. She rocks rough and stuff, 12. Imagine, 3

It's a New Day

jaemie@jaemie.com (Jaemie) — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 01:25:00 +0000

This isn't quite what I was expecting, not quite like 'Yes We Can'. I was hoping for segments of the victory speech mixed in, but I'm sure that will be coming sooner than later. I like it anyway.

Food Poisoning

jaemie@jaemie.com (Jaemie) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 02:45:00 +0000

I think I had food poisoning. Or, at least, I ate something that I shouldn't have. Ew.

It's 9:30PM on a Friday night, and I am at home. Boo.

I'm not sure exactly what happened. Ryan and I went to grab some dinner at Eat 'n Park. He got his usual, and I got something new: BBQ chargrilled chicken, chili, and a baked potato. All of it was gluten free according to the Celiac-friendly menu, even the bbq sauce.

We finished dinner and headed to the mall. We stopped at Staples to get my dry erase markers, and then headed to the AT&T store. I started to not feel well, but I thought it would pass. Then as we started to go up the stairs to the second floor of the mall, I got really dizzy. Then the skin on the back of my head and neck started to tingle. Then I felt nauseous. Ryan took me back into the mall so I could use the restroom.

Of course, what I ate was not staying in my stomach. So I crossed my fingers that the bathroom was empty. It was for about three minutes, then this obnoxiously loud woman and her daughter came in and spent way too much time in there. The woman yelled at her daughter for leaving her shopping back outside the door of the bathroom instead of taking it into the stall with her all while I'm trying to keep my dinner down so as not to disgust. Finally they left, I wrapped my bout with nausea up, and left.

So, here I am. Ryan drove me home. I still feel like crap ... and to make things even better, I'm going for bloodwork in the morning -- fasting bloodwork -- so I can't even get some 7up in my system. Boo.

Four Things

jaemie@jaemie.com (Jaemie) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 04:59:00 +0000

Four Jobs I've Had

Web designer/developer
Marketing director of a community college
Marketing manager for a newspaper
Graphic artist for a newspaper

Four Movies I Can Watch Over And Over

Field of Dreams
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Better Off Dead
Stranger than Fiction

Four Places I've Lived

In my current home
In a different house in the same town
In a different different house in the same town
In room 1321 in Tower C at the University of Pittsburgh

Four TV Shows I Love

Heroes
House
Clean House
The Office

Four Places I've Visited

Chicago, IL
New York, NY
Washington, D.C.
Orlando, FL

Four Of My Favorite (Gluten Free) Meals

Rey Azteca's chicken taquitos with cheese sauce
Amy's Organic Tamales Verdes
Grilled buffalo chicken salad with fries, a hard boiled egg, and ranch dressing
Turkey sandwich with DeLane Bakery's millet and potato bread (with Miracle Whip, Guigissberg Swiss cheese, and potato chips) and a dill pickle spear

Four Sites I Visit Daily

Google Reader (news, blogs, design repositories)
Gmail
Google Calendar
Lifehacker

Four Places I Would Rather Be Right Now

On vacation again
Chicago, IL
Somewhere I haven't been before?
Probably in bed, under the covers, sleeping

Tag, you're it! If you're stuck for a NaBloPoMo idea, you're welcome.

Yes We Did

jaemie@jaemie.com (Jaemie) — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 02:37:00 +0000

I thought of this last night, but I was late to the CafePress party with it. I'm looking for an EPS of the Obama logo to make a bumper sticker of this. There are many on CafePress already, but none I was completely happy with (wrong typeface, punctuation, etc.). So, I made my own version. If you are interested in using this image on your site, please feel free to do so, but please save it to your own server. Thanks.

Thank You, Pennsylvania

jaemie@jaemie.com (Jaemie) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 03:13:00 +0000

It has been two hours and thirteen minutes since the Pennsylvania polls have closed. And I am proud to live in a BLUE state. Thank you, Pennsylvania.

Today, I voted in the first Presidential election where I was actually aware of the issues. I am aware of where I stand on the issues. And I am proud to have voted in this most historic election, and I am patiently awaiting the final tally.

Yes we can, Barack Obama. Yes we can.

Rest in peace, Tim Russert. You were sadly missed this Presidential election.

Cap'n Pee Wee

jaemie@jaemie.com (Jaemie) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 00:18:00 +0000

This is the most awesome piece of mail that I have received this election year. I only wish that they would have hired me as the graphic designer for this initiative.

High Points

Cap'n Pee Wee, of course
The superimposed face on the body on the front
Quote: "Wealthy Republican Chris Voccio spends his time flying around in his private jet, and he just moved here four years ago."

Related Posts

Vacation

jaemie@jaemie.com (Jaemie) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 04:15:00 +0000

Unfortunately, my vacation is over, or, at least, nearly so.

231 hours of not working. Or, at least, not doing the work I get paid for every day.

Ok, so maybe not 231 hours exactly. 36 minutes of my vacation was spent working past five on my last pre-vacation day to try to wrap everything up. And about ten minutes were spent being angry that someone called me from work and woke me up on Monday, and then another five minutes or so on Tuesday being angry because I found out why I was woken up and it wasn't because someone died or a client's site crashed. So, 230 hours and nine minutes of work-free vacation?

I can say that this is probably my first real work vacation. Sure, I've had the opportunity to vacation time at my other jobs, but this is the first one I have taken where I have actually relaxed and not worried about work at all.

When I interned right out of college, I didn't expect any vacation time. I did receive pseudo-vacation time in the two weeks after I quit. That time was spent searching for a new job with a non-bitchy boss. Before my two week non-vacation was up, hired at the local newspaper. A little over a year in at the paper, I took my week's worth of vacation and I can't even remember what I did. I think I went to see a band? A half a year later I was on my way out again, starting a new job at the local community college. Sure I took a few days off inbetween, but those days were spent trying to find proper work attire and making sure that no loose ends were left at the paper. I took no time off at the college except for utilizing our half day Fridays and half a vacation day throughout the summer -- which were often spent checking work email anyway. I think if I would have taken a week of vacation, my boss would have cried - literally. A new job opportunity came along before I could take any vacation there, and I only had a few days of down time before I started my current job. So, nearly a year later, I actually took my first official vacation.

Aside from whatever vacation I took at the paper, all of my other downtime was when I was transitioning between jobs. And that, my friends, is not exactly a relaxing time off.

So, tomorrow it's back to the grind, and I can honestly say that I'm not looking forward to it. I got so much accomplished at home this week that I'm hesitant to go back to work so that all of my personal life goes back to being shoved into whatever free time I can muster. I do know this - there will be no more of the working until 7 or 8 every night to get "caught up." Caught up never happens, and I have to accept that.

Hello, World

jaemie@jaemie.com (Jaemie) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 01:18:00 +0000

To some, first impressions are everything. To others, first impressions are just that – the first, not the last. I’d like to think that I discount first impressions, but in all honesty, I don’t. I tend to give them a little more weight than the subsequent conversations and encounters. I’d like to think that I have a sixth sense about people, whether they are good or bad, arrogant or timid, likable or an asshole. Not to toot my own horn, but 99% of the time, my first reaction or sense of a person is hardly ever wrong.

I knew within minutes of meeting the new girl during my sophomore year in high school that she was snarky and sneaky and would spill her guts about whatever had been said to the next “cooler” person she could find. I warned my friends; they didn’t listen.

I knew within seconds of meeting my assistant at one of my jobs that he was going to be a pain and not do any work. He was “let go” with in two months and not by my doing.

I can usually sense if someone is “questionable” before they even speak. If you pay close attention to me, you can probably notice that I avoid even walking past certain people because they set off some sort of trigger in my brain that says “don’t go there.”

So, what kind of first impression do I think I give?

I’m sure it’s not completely favorable. And probably not completely unfavorable. I’d like to hope that it’s average.

I probably come off as either shy or snobby. Shy because I’m hesitant to talk to people I don’t know very well, and snobby because of the same. I’m not sure why it works that way, but I’ve been called both. I take offense to neither. I know I’m not a snob – at least not a snob about superficial things like clothes, cars, and money.

If you ran into me on the street, I’d hope that you’d realize:

I don’t care what you think about me. Sure, I may give it some thought at first, but, honestly, in the end, I know it doesn’t matter. I’ll shrug it off, good or bad. This is me, take it or leave it.
I do not accept laziness or stupidity as an excuse for anything. Stupidity and laziness go hand in hand, and if you’re either one, you better be willing to prove yourself to me if you want a moment of my time. Bad grammar, malapropisms, etc. make me want to mock you mercilessly. Sorry. Also, not being able to do things for yourself (things that you should be capable of), make me want to slap you. If you can’t take the two minutes to try to figure it out for yourself before you ask me, why should I take my time to help you? Don’t ask others to do what you can’t do for yourself.
I’m open minded about everything except close mindedness. If you make a racist, sexist, homophobic, or classist joke that isn’t funny and/or is tasteless, I probably won’t want to talk to you anymore. I know that some of these jokes are funny, and I’ll laugh. But I also know that some are just in poor taste.
I’m a geek. If you don’t even try to learn how to use a computer, and you’re under the age of 70, don’t waste my time.
I don’t care how much money you have. Seriously. You can be trashy with money or without money.
I don’t care what clothes you wear as long as they cover what they should. Seriously. Cover up.
I don’t care where you come from. Seriously. You could be from outer space, and I wouldn’t care unless you tried to eat my family.
I don’t care how “cool” you think it is to act stupid/trashy/slutty/skanky/frat-boy/sorority-girl/etc. It isn’t. Grow up, cover up, get a job, and contribute to society.

I think too many people waste their time trying to be something they aren’t, rather than accepting who they are. I won’t waste your time trying to fake an impression of what I think you want me to be, so why should I accept anything less from anyone else?

Things I Have Learned This Week

jaemie@jaemie.com (Jaemie) — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 23:17:00 +0000

I have learned the following things during my vacation:

Some people are born annoying, and you cannot change that no matter how hard you try. Was it necessary to wake me up on Monday morning? I think NOT.
Some people have no boundaries and will cross lines to annoy you because they think it is appropriate. I don't know how some people don't get beat up/yelled at/slapped every single day.
The week before the election is probably not the best time to take a stay-at-home vacation. If you choose to take your vacation during the last week of October, turn your phone ringers off.
It can actually snow a lot in October. Perhaps I should have gone to Florida?
I do not like tofu.
A flu shot doesn't hurt at all. I'm just going to cross my fingers to hope that I don't get the flu at all this year.
Vacations are way too short.

Extreme and Dangerous

jaemie@jaemie.com (Jaemie) — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 19:26:00 +0000

Someone must have got my memo that he looks like PeeWee. This mailing made me laugh ... a lot.

SNL Johnstown

jaemie@jaemie.com (Jaemie) — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 20:25:00 +0000

Yeah, not funny.

That was the ONLY funny thing on SNL last night. It kind of sucked. I think they use up all of their good stuff on SNL Thursday.