I got a new computer. It is really exciting... I haven't had a new computer since I was a freshman in college. I've had it for a week, and I finally successfully migrated all my stuff from my old computer... First I tried to do it manually but things were messing up, so I decided to start over from the beginning. This involved completely erasing the new computer's hard drive and reinstalling everything, so I would have seamless user and home folder integration. It was actually almost worth it so I could see the apple 'welcome' video again... it's such a show off.
But now it's sweet! And I can start doing the wipe on the ol' 7 year old powerbook I've been using... it's a good little machine, but its time to move on to crazier shinier things.
I also feel really good I did all that stuff myself. Even though macs are so easy and user friendly, still. I did that all by myself.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Been a Hot Minute
Wow, I haven't blogged in a hot second. Like, 6 months! Guess I didn't have anything to say... not like I do now, really. BUT that's how you know I must be procrastinating!
Let's see... what is different in my life?:
1. Birthday- I turned 25 last week. Hollah! Although I was sick with strep throat (no bueno!) so I had no birthday party/ celebration whatsoever. I think I am rectifying that next month. But I am 25... so I am getting philisophical about being old... or older... or at least being solidly in my MID-20s.
2. Espanol: I took a Spanish class last semester at NYU-SPCS. It was cool, although I didn't get it together in time to register for the next level of the class this semester... oh well. I might take a class at Instituto Cervantes... so I don't lose everything. But it was fun, to be in a class, you know?
3. Crafts: I made some crafts, I got really into it before Christmas, and then I gave some away and it blew the air right out of my tires. But I have a box of crafting stuff and I want to get on that.
4. Work- Same old bullsh*t. Still am having a crisis because I have been working at this crappy job for almost a year... why did I go to college? Except now I am nannying too, which is actually kind of fun and awesome. So that's nice.
5. Yoga- I'm working on it... I like that it is exercise which is 1/6 lying down.
And I got internet. Well, reliable internet. So I'm on it more. So maybe I'll blog more? Although srsly, I'm still not sure what Imma write about.
Let's see... what is different in my life?:
1. Birthday- I turned 25 last week. Hollah! Although I was sick with strep throat (no bueno!) so I had no birthday party/ celebration whatsoever. I think I am rectifying that next month. But I am 25... so I am getting philisophical about being old... or older... or at least being solidly in my MID-20s.
2. Espanol: I took a Spanish class last semester at NYU-SPCS. It was cool, although I didn't get it together in time to register for the next level of the class this semester... oh well. I might take a class at Instituto Cervantes... so I don't lose everything. But it was fun, to be in a class, you know?
3. Crafts: I made some crafts, I got really into it before Christmas, and then I gave some away and it blew the air right out of my tires. But I have a box of crafting stuff and I want to get on that.
4. Work- Same old bullsh*t. Still am having a crisis because I have been working at this crappy job for almost a year... why did I go to college? Except now I am nannying too, which is actually kind of fun and awesome. So that's nice.
5. Yoga- I'm working on it... I like that it is exercise which is 1/6 lying down.
And I got internet. Well, reliable internet. So I'm on it more. So maybe I'll blog more? Although srsly, I'm still not sure what Imma write about.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
"Can Fiction Ever Be Real?"
I was off the clock! I don't even need this head-trip after I am off the freaking clock!
Let me back it up a minute:
So, for all you blogspotters out there who aren't down with the times, I work at a chain bookstore. It isn't the most glamorous gig on the planet, but I get to be around books all day long, which I like, and I get a discount, which I also like. But I am clearly pretty overqualified for this job. Case in point:
I was already clocked out and on my way to the bathroom before going out to get my party on, when a customer recognized me as an employee even sans nametag. I think it is because he's a regular and he's seen me there before. He's browsing the end of fiction, and he says he just has a quick question, and since I like answering fiction-related questions because I've read a lot of fiction I can actually sometimes offer a relevant opinion. So I say, okay... what is it?
And he says, "Can fiction ever be real?"
Pause.
"What?" I ask.
"I mean, is it ever true? If it's fiction, does that always mean it isn't real... I mean, true?"
I blinked at him for a few seconds because it was simply BLOWING MY MIND. Because all of the sudden my brain is like a vortex spinning with all these flashbacks of discussion groups and papers and me sitting in the library staring at the wall thinking and my whole academic study of litearature in a humanities-driven education that continuously danced and played with and engaged and challenged and questioned the nature of truth and reality in literature and art ALL THE TIME. It was like a faucet of incoherent analytical academic gobbledegook of jargon was all of the sudden turned on in my head, and I was trying to string it together into meaningful thought. Ah, there again the problem of language as a medium, constantly being the means of expression yet also a barrier to get to the actual MEANING of the thing. But that's a different problem all together.
And I heard different replies formulating in my head. What does it mean for something to be true or real? Do you mean "true" in the way that books are often somewhat based in life? Even if they aren't based in life, if our response to it is true, does that make it true? How much does context matter? Insofar as the book exists as an idea in someone's head, does that make it "real"?... and on and on and on. They came so fast they were like a giant thought pile-up in my head.
But I knew that wasn't what he was actually asking. What he wanted to know was whether or not the crime thriller/ lawyer mass-market mystery in his hand was based in this dimension, human, "real-life" Fact with a capital F. So I said:
"No. It's fiction... None of it is true. It's all fake."
But that isn't what I wanted to say. And I feel like because the words are out there, in an invisible word bubble floating through the air, somewhere the gods of art literature are throwing up their hands and lamenting the loss of a seeker of truth and meaning in fiction... so I just wanted to alleviate their dissappointment. I am still a seeker.
I just wanted to get to the party.
Let me back it up a minute:
So, for all you blogspotters out there who aren't down with the times, I work at a chain bookstore. It isn't the most glamorous gig on the planet, but I get to be around books all day long, which I like, and I get a discount, which I also like. But I am clearly pretty overqualified for this job. Case in point:
I was already clocked out and on my way to the bathroom before going out to get my party on, when a customer recognized me as an employee even sans nametag. I think it is because he's a regular and he's seen me there before. He's browsing the end of fiction, and he says he just has a quick question, and since I like answering fiction-related questions because I've read a lot of fiction I can actually sometimes offer a relevant opinion. So I say, okay... what is it?
And he says, "Can fiction ever be real?"
Pause.
"What?" I ask.
"I mean, is it ever true? If it's fiction, does that always mean it isn't real... I mean, true?"
I blinked at him for a few seconds because it was simply BLOWING MY MIND. Because all of the sudden my brain is like a vortex spinning with all these flashbacks of discussion groups and papers and me sitting in the library staring at the wall thinking and my whole academic study of litearature in a humanities-driven education that continuously danced and played with and engaged and challenged and questioned the nature of truth and reality in literature and art ALL THE TIME. It was like a faucet of incoherent analytical academic gobbledegook of jargon was all of the sudden turned on in my head, and I was trying to string it together into meaningful thought. Ah, there again the problem of language as a medium, constantly being the means of expression yet also a barrier to get to the actual MEANING of the thing. But that's a different problem all together.
And I heard different replies formulating in my head. What does it mean for something to be true or real? Do you mean "true" in the way that books are often somewhat based in life? Even if they aren't based in life, if our response to it is true, does that make it true? How much does context matter? Insofar as the book exists as an idea in someone's head, does that make it "real"?... and on and on and on. They came so fast they were like a giant thought pile-up in my head.
But I knew that wasn't what he was actually asking. What he wanted to know was whether or not the crime thriller/ lawyer mass-market mystery in his hand was based in this dimension, human, "real-life" Fact with a capital F. So I said:
"No. It's fiction... None of it is true. It's all fake."
But that isn't what I wanted to say. And I feel like because the words are out there, in an invisible word bubble floating through the air, somewhere the gods of art literature are throwing up their hands and lamenting the loss of a seeker of truth and meaning in fiction... so I just wanted to alleviate their dissappointment. I am still a seeker.
I just wanted to get to the party.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Uh, Didn't You See This on Facebook?
I donated my hair! No one who doesn't know this already really reads this, but I wanted to post about it because I really want to tell the world about my haircut. And maybe my blog will show up on Google somehow. Bonus! Here are some search terms that might be relevant:
hair donation
pantene beautiful lengths
free haircut
New York City salon
cute short cut for hair donation
So here's the story, of a gal named Casey, who really wanted to donate her hair and get a sweet haircut but didn't want to pay a fortune. Cause it is a recession, ya heard?
Before:
After:
I decided awhile ago I wanted to donate my hair, and decided on Pantene Beautiful Lengths as the place I wanted to donate, mainly because their length requirement is a minimum of 8 inches. I got a lotta hair cause it is thick, but it isn't super long. So this is something I could swing. I actually did some searching then, to see if I could find a place that would do free or reduced priced haircuts when you are donating. I didn't have to look too far... I found out about the Mark Garrison Salon on the Pantene blog. Hahaha! I made an appointment for a wednesday (because that is the only day it is free, every other day you pay half. Weird. Why Wednesday? Is it because it is in the middle of the week?) and went in and got a seriously awesome $200 haircut for nothing. But I tipped the stylist and the shampoo lady, so really it was less than 1/4 of the price it could have been. And now I have a sweet new 'do for the month of August. Hooray!
hair donation
pantene beautiful lengths
free haircut
New York City salon
cute short cut for hair donation
So here's the story, of a gal named Casey, who really wanted to donate her hair and get a sweet haircut but didn't want to pay a fortune. Cause it is a recession, ya heard?
Before:
After:
I decided awhile ago I wanted to donate my hair, and decided on Pantene Beautiful Lengths as the place I wanted to donate, mainly because their length requirement is a minimum of 8 inches. I got a lotta hair cause it is thick, but it isn't super long. So this is something I could swing. I actually did some searching then, to see if I could find a place that would do free or reduced priced haircuts when you are donating. I didn't have to look too far... I found out about the Mark Garrison Salon on the Pantene blog. Hahaha! I made an appointment for a wednesday (because that is the only day it is free, every other day you pay half. Weird. Why Wednesday? Is it because it is in the middle of the week?) and went in and got a seriously awesome $200 haircut for nothing. But I tipped the stylist and the shampoo lady, so really it was less than 1/4 of the price it could have been. And now I have a sweet new 'do for the month of August. Hooray!
Monday, August 3, 2009
This is When I Get a Little Meta...
I've been going to a few different library-related networking/ job-hunting type things in the past couple of weeks, and they all really like to talk about Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Flickr, Twitter, and blogging as things that are important to be proficient at, as well as how to utilize those websites when you're looking for a job. (An example of the infamous Web 2.0 people are always talking about. Turns out they really just mean the participatory internet.) However, there hasn't been a whole lot of suggestion about the kind of content to include in these online versions of yourself, other than it's just important to have one. Or several, as the case may be.
I get that with social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace, you can limit your profile's privacy settings so potential employers can't see pictures of you taking tequila shots on your birthday, but your friends can. And I like the idea of LinkedIn, because that is supposed to be specifically for professional networking and recruiting, so theoretically one doesn't run into those sorts of issues. But what about Flickr, or Blogger? What kind of blog does a potential employer want to see that you have? It seems like perhaps it wouldn't necessarily be about the written content, but more about the layout, or the hyperlinking, or that it simply exists. But am I missing something? Do I need to be blogging about libraries to get a library job?
I started writing this blog because I moved to a new place (Brooklyn) and it felt like a good idea. Also to have a place to write where I feel like maybe someone is reading it... so I get some practice writing for someone other than me. But in terms of content, I thought it could just be about stuff that I'm interested in in a really immediate in-the-moment kind of way, because that's what blogging is.
I am interested in libraries, but I'm also thinking about work I could do in lots of other fields, like doing some environmental thing, or journalism, or something in the non-profit sector. Or being a scuba- dive instructor. Plus, in a more personal way, I think about fashion, media consumption, living in New York City, navigating post-grad life/ my "quarter life crisis," and a whole myriad of other crap. In the future, I can think of other things I might want to blog about, like dating, or child-rearing, or gardening, or whatever. I can wait until I work for a library, or at least am in graduate school to blog about librarianship. Also, I want to have a life and interests outside my work. But for some people nowadays, the blog can become their work (see Julie and Julia). It's the beauty of independent publication in an instant, easily consumable form. Anyone can be the next hot thing online.
But is it okay to have a blog that's kind of about everything? Or do I have to have a focus? It's the difference between the online me and the real-life me... and how much I want the professional me to be a part of the online me. Maybe it would be better to have a topic...
I don't like it when I get this meta.
I get that with social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace, you can limit your profile's privacy settings so potential employers can't see pictures of you taking tequila shots on your birthday, but your friends can. And I like the idea of LinkedIn, because that is supposed to be specifically for professional networking and recruiting, so theoretically one doesn't run into those sorts of issues. But what about Flickr, or Blogger? What kind of blog does a potential employer want to see that you have? It seems like perhaps it wouldn't necessarily be about the written content, but more about the layout, or the hyperlinking, or that it simply exists. But am I missing something? Do I need to be blogging about libraries to get a library job?
I started writing this blog because I moved to a new place (Brooklyn) and it felt like a good idea. Also to have a place to write where I feel like maybe someone is reading it... so I get some practice writing for someone other than me. But in terms of content, I thought it could just be about stuff that I'm interested in in a really immediate in-the-moment kind of way, because that's what blogging is.
I am interested in libraries, but I'm also thinking about work I could do in lots of other fields, like doing some environmental thing, or journalism, or something in the non-profit sector. Or being a scuba- dive instructor. Plus, in a more personal way, I think about fashion, media consumption, living in New York City, navigating post-grad life/ my "quarter life crisis," and a whole myriad of other crap. In the future, I can think of other things I might want to blog about, like dating, or child-rearing, or gardening, or whatever. I can wait until I work for a library, or at least am in graduate school to blog about librarianship. Also, I want to have a life and interests outside my work. But for some people nowadays, the blog can become their work (see Julie and Julia). It's the beauty of independent publication in an instant, easily consumable form. Anyone can be the next hot thing online.
But is it okay to have a blog that's kind of about everything? Or do I have to have a focus? It's the difference between the online me and the real-life me... and how much I want the professional me to be a part of the online me. Maybe it would be better to have a topic...
I don't like it when I get this meta.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Okay Fine, Elle, You Don't Suck As Much.
Elle Update from last post:
On the online comments about Elle's 'Women in Music,' playlist they deleted all the comments (including mine) being like, "Hello, where is the free music?' and had one comment that said essentially, if you are having issues with the downloads, email this dude. So I emailed the dude, and he got back to me really promptly (or his intern did) and said where you could find the info about the free music in the magazine (between pages 110 and 111 on a tear-out cardboard thingie).
Note that this tear-out was nowhere NEAR an article about music, but was smack dab in the middle of the beauty section, wedged between two pages with an article about inflammation, some crazy new derm technique. But okay, I found it! Elle wasn't lying! Yay, free music downloadS! Just pop in that ol' redeemer code and you are on your way to some slammin new tuneS.
Notice that is plural. As it was on the cover. And on the tear-out. Yet the redeem code they gave was good for one song. WTF, Elle? WTF?
Is this still false advertising? I don't know. But although I am not as supremely pissed as I was before, I still think it is kind of sneaky and lame. I hate it when people are sneaky and lame!
So to recap:
Elle: 1,000,000 extra magazines sold. CaseyA: 1 free song.
On the online comments about Elle's 'Women in Music,' playlist they deleted all the comments (including mine) being like, "Hello, where is the free music?' and had one comment that said essentially, if you are having issues with the downloads, email this dude. So I emailed the dude, and he got back to me really promptly (or his intern did) and said where you could find the info about the free music in the magazine (between pages 110 and 111 on a tear-out cardboard thingie).
Note that this tear-out was nowhere NEAR an article about music, but was smack dab in the middle of the beauty section, wedged between two pages with an article about inflammation, some crazy new derm technique. But okay, I found it! Elle wasn't lying! Yay, free music downloadS! Just pop in that ol' redeemer code and you are on your way to some slammin new tuneS.
Notice that is plural. As it was on the cover. And on the tear-out. Yet the redeem code they gave was good for one song. WTF, Elle? WTF?
Is this still false advertising? I don't know. But although I am not as supremely pissed as I was before, I still think it is kind of sneaky and lame. I hate it when people are sneaky and lame!
So to recap:
Elle: 1,000,000 extra magazines sold. CaseyA: 1 free song.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Elle, you suck!
Man! I am so pissed! Maybe part of this is that I stayed up too late watching my new My So-Called Life dvd box set special features disc (you know you are jealous, and it's okay... you should be), so I am grumpy. Perhaps this outrage will fade by the morning... but I don't think so. This is straight up false advertising! Or I am a moron... but again, I don't think so.
This July issue of Nylon and Elle have a few things in common. They are both "music" issues. I don't really get what this means, there's always stuff about music in both of these magazines, but I guess it just means music is the focus. AND they also both advertise, in big bold letters, "free" music/ songs right on the front cover.
"Sweet!" I think, "Free music to jam to over the summer! Yes!" (You know how much I love free music, just ask indiefeed!)
While Nylon's free music was totally easy to find and download, Elle's alleged free music is nowhere to be found! Nowhere in the magazine can I find any mention of the free music touted on the front cover. Nowhere on their website, using multiple search terms, can I find this free music. I find PLENTY of music that I have to pay for, but none that is free.
I don't know who's idea it was first, but Nylon definitely did it better, because it was actually true! Maybe an intern snuck in the word 'FREE' on the front cover as a practical joke at the last minute. They should get fired. And I should get their job (no shame, I tell you, NO SHAME). I could be a Stylista... maybe? Call me!
This July issue of Nylon and Elle have a few things in common. They are both "music" issues. I don't really get what this means, there's always stuff about music in both of these magazines, but I guess it just means music is the focus. AND they also both advertise, in big bold letters, "free" music/ songs right on the front cover.
"Sweet!" I think, "Free music to jam to over the summer! Yes!" (You know how much I love free music, just ask indiefeed!)
While Nylon's free music was totally easy to find and download, Elle's alleged free music is nowhere to be found! Nowhere in the magazine can I find any mention of the free music touted on the front cover. Nowhere on their website, using multiple search terms, can I find this free music. I find PLENTY of music that I have to pay for, but none that is free.
I don't know who's idea it was first, but Nylon definitely did it better, because it was actually true! Maybe an intern snuck in the word 'FREE' on the front cover as a practical joke at the last minute. They should get fired. And I should get their job (no shame, I tell you, NO SHAME). I could be a Stylista... maybe? Call me!
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