read this

i'd been one of those dedicated google reader users. for my mom and anyone else over the age of 45, google reader was a very cool rss service--this lets you import feeds from websites and such into one streamlined place.

i loved google reader, especially because of the unqiue share functionality. i shared news articles, videos, and blog posts with a select group of people. it was private and friendly without becoming all social media-in-yo'-facey. to put it into the most simplest of terms, it was heaven.

but this week, google revamped the service and in doing so, purposefully deleted the share/following/friend functions with the intent to drive all of us google reader folk to its highly successful (wink, wink) google+. i haven't yet heard of anyone who is happy with this "upgrade."

yesterday's google reader "tips and tricks" offered this little bevy of advice:

You can hit the space key to page down and/or move to the next item. This way you can move through your reading list by using only a single finger.

i think they mean the middle one.

and today, as eve and i chatted back and forth on facebook about this (facebook! not google+), check out the ad to the right of our convo.





thank you, giftly.com, for caring. at least someone does.

i need a maid

saw this "car" this morning. it's a repurposed meter maid cart, now someone's personal set of wheels. my favorite part is the wooden roof rack.

in the same walk, i overheard a three-year-old boy telling his mom that in order to get enough money to buy a dozen bagels (mom could only "afford" to get him one for breakfast), he is going to sell all his legos. the kid had better hurry. lunch is almost here.

let me be illogical, captain.

i tried to use priceline to bid on a rental car today. not traveling until next month, i thought, "why not bid low? REALLY low? we're in a recession. saving money results in a quality, well deserved high-five from your hubby!" i bid $11/day for a compact car, and felt good about it until forced to stare at william shatner's pulp fiction pose for two minutes. boy, did he make me feel guilty. his image may be intended to solidify his role as my price[pause]line neh[pause]goh[pause]shee-ay-TOR. but instead, my inner save-a-holic is positive he's telepathically telling me "F you." apparently, all participating rental car agencies agreed. tomorrow, i'll chin up and re-bid.

how my week normally begins

it's the dawn of a new day, and i'm beginning my trek to work. the sidewalks are empty, save for a few people bumbling side to side, half awake with dark circles cast under their eyes and their shirts barely tucked in. they make odd groans as we pass each other, me saying "good morning" and them responding with "gawewahaa" or something similar. i admit, my street can emit an eerily vacant vibe early in the day, and i consider running back inside to hide under a blanket and wait out whatever the day may have in store for me. that is, until i see several cars come and go. zombies don't drive cars, which means this is just a typical monday and all is well in the world.

good knight

i've been reading the "song of fire and ice" series recently (aka "game of thrones" for all of you hbo buffs), and last week, i finally finished book 4 of 5. i loved the first two books, but the last two have left me perplexed and tired. before i take on book 5 and become even more jaded, here's some constructive advice for author george r.r. martin:

1. stop killing the good guys (namely ned and king robb). and stop screwing over the still-living good guys (namely, the rest of the stark family). it's really hard to root for someone when it feels like they'll be stuck in some mildew-infested, dank old castle for all of eternity, being forced to smack lips and tangle tongues with their is-she-or-isn't-she-dead mother's sort-of-ex-and-very-creepy-friend-slash-boyfriend.

2. "must needs" may sound all britishy, but it drives my brain crazy. please reduce your verbage to what you need.

3. your continent of westeros is sunk in a medieval mindset where children are married off at the onset of puberty, sisters and brothers get jiggy with it (albeit quietly), rape is more common than baths, and the rights of women include nothing worth mentioning. as a woman reading your books, i keep hoping conditions improve, but i continue to be offended at every turn. and yet i keep reading, hoping one day women's lib comes to king's landing.

4. if you send your knights and what-not out on a quest (or a journey. or a supper run. or a sprightly walk through the godswood), please give them maps. it would save everyone lots of time and, maybe ONE DAY, they just might arrive at their destination. because, dude, none of us (including you) are getting any younger.

i love shiny things

i found a chilean 100 peso coin in my office at work last week. i have never been to chile, nor do i know of anyone who recently has traveled there. the coin roughly translates into 20 cents (US).

i've kept the coin at my desk, looking at it in awe and confusion. i don't know how it got onto my dirtier-than-a-sidewalk carpet, but it's good looking coinage, hefty at 7.58 grams, and a shiny mix of silver and gold coating. for now, i think i'll keep it.

ding-a-ling

last week i updated my main ringtones. i used to have a one-for-all-and-all-for-one three musketeers approach minus the pointy swords, finely groomed facial hair, and velvet capes. no matter who called me, my phone ribbetted and tweeted like a rainforest. but not any more! ladies and gents, i've finally joined the age of basic-yet-useless technology for dummies age.

when my mom calls, my phone tells me via "mom is calling back" (a parody of justin timberlake's "sexyback"). for todd, i get the smooth, hip hop rhythms of usher. and when my older younger sister calls, i get "scoobydoobydoo." for our real estate agent? house music. umf-uh umf-uh umf-uh.