randomly snarky

Do you know someone who doesn't have an office supply fetish? Get them help.

The folks at io9 put together a list of supplies of the future, which got me to thinking of my own list, of course.

First and foremost, I need a notebook that changes appearance every day. New covers, with different colors and weights of the paper, and variations of line spacing.

That may address my regular purchase of new notebooks - and my collection of barely-used castaways.

I also need a pen implanted in my finger. I've been known to lose a pen while writing. Bet you didn't know they could fly.

The pen needs a perfectly smooth flow, in never-ending bright blue ink.

I need file folders that organize and catalog the contents, without ever getting bulky. I like flat file folders. In pretty colors.

These would make me a happy fetishist.What's on your list?

Posted by suzie at 07:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

You have been a constant in my life for 11 years. Oh sure, we only fooled around the first two years in the greenhouse, but we’ve been mutually exclusive for the past 9 years.

We’ve shared a lot of good times – a handful of great times – and our relationship survived more than its share of mishaps and mayhem. But you helped me see the world, supported my personal and professional growth, provided comfort and shelter, and introduced me to a lot of wonderful people.

You were often there when I needed you, and I was there for you, too. Even when some of my family and friends didn't care too much for you, I stood by you and guided others to feel good about you too.

So, it’s hard to tell you this, but in the past few months I have been seriously thinking about ending our relationship. I did consider trying to take our relationship in a new direction, finding different things to do together, but I feel the only way to preserve what we once had is to end this for good. And I have a hunch you have grown tired of me too.

The truth is I’ve moved on. Next week I'm going on a trip out west, and while I’ve always kept in touch while I traveled, you won’t be hearing from me this time. Let’s face it – letting you tag along would just be awkward now.

While it is a little sad for me knowing I won't be able to rely on you anymore, some of my friends still do. Be good to them.

Best Regards,
Suzie

Posted by suzie at 11:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (0)

I’m a horrendous mobile keyboardist, unable to text message without a series of typos. I prefer quality typing of course, but the keys of my Blackberry are small and my nails are very long, which is, by the way, fine for full-sized keyboards.

Sadly, my friends and colleagues consistently point out the typos, which is unnecessary and very annoying. They all suck.

Posted by suzie at 11:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Buying this today was so wrong, but owning it feels so right.

Welcome to my geeked-up life.

Posted by suzie at 10:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

An article about the Hula Chair came through my news feed this weekend.

Intended to help you “exercise while you work,” the chair puts the sitter though fairly rigorous spinning. The kind where typing and drinking a glass of water doesn’t work as well as its marketers imagined – check out this clip from Ellen as well as an MSNBC reporter's tests.

Imagine some of your best (and worst) colleagues at their desks or in a conference room full of these babies conducting business as usual. Fan-freaking-tastic!

By the way, as someone who still loves the Tilt-a-Whirl at carnivals and is a practiced office chair twirler, I’d love the ride. But doesn’t the mechanized chair spinning reduce the actual, um. exercise? And I use that term loosely my friends.

Posted by suzie at 10:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Damon, I don't know you yet Plaxo is letting me know it's your birthday this week. Are we separated by two degrees or three? More? To be honest, I do not care about your birthday but hope you have a good day just the same.

Plaxo, why do you spam me so? Your site claims I'll stay in touch with the people I care about. Yet, you spam my inbox with updates on strangers. It's a crappy experience.

Your email did push me to your Website, though, and I couldn't help but notice the distinct lack of female presence on your management team page. Coincidence? Probably not.

Posted by suzie at 10:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

"I did nothing. I did absolutely nothing, and it was everything that I thought it could be." I salute you Peter Gibbons!

I stupidly left Office Space off my list of rewatchable movies. I caught half on Sunday afternoon as I blissfully did my own form of nothing, including designing a blog for a friend, getting my hair done, and eating a delicious grilled cheese on oatmeal bread.

True nothingness is not easy to achieve. 

Posted by suzie at 07:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

"You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain."
 - Harvey Dent

Posted by suzie at 08:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Need a new office distraction? Of course you do. Check out TypeRacer.

I haven't joined a race yet, but it looks fun. In an i-geeky way.

Posted by suzie at 07:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

Mac vs. PC remains an open challenge for me. I've been working part-time on a MacBook Pro for several weeks but have yet to fall in love. Oh, I'm definitely crushing on Silver, but I spend so much time deprogramming from my PC, it's hard to sit back and enjoy the Mac.

Love the UI, operational speed, and ease of some functions, like how CDs work with iTunes. The keyboard, menus and overall desktop navigation are still alien to me. Of course I've spent as much time with the Mac over several weeks that I generally spend in 1-2 days with my PC.

My two blog posts on Sunday were done on the Mac. No difference in the MT interface but saving and cropping the miShare image on my desktop was a snap. Next weekend I'll try working with photos off my camera... graphics are supposed to be the genius of a Mac, right?

Still loving the Mac ads... but I swear they're not the reason I took the plunge. Mostly.

Posted by suzie at 09:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This is directly outside the gate I use to enter the office... ouch!

Posted by suzie at 10:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This was posted at work with good intentions. Aimed at foodies, but clearly not written by one.

Please, keep ground beef in your fridge or freezer until you're ready to cook. Otherwise, your "experiment" will be less about spices and more about killing vermin in your pantry.

Posted by suzie at 10:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

So, a random plug for a new app we launched this week, pixnay.com.

Ever play “who’d-you-rather”? That's pixnay.

Posted by suzie at 11:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

I've been in and out of Dulles airport so much the past few weeks, I bumped into myself at baggage claim on Saturday.

First there was Beverly Hills, then Naples FL, and most recently, India. Good spots and not a bad gig, but work (the productive kind) piles up, family and friends are ignored, and chores, well, they're overrated anyway.

Last week my cat sitter called me in Bangalore to say Conan was depressed. A colleague suggested this was a ploy for a "mental care" pay increase, but he's been so clingy since I got home, it's likely true.(And there were no extra fees.)

I love to travel - personal, business - it's all good. But I'm sticking closer to home in March. Well, maybe one trip to Florida. And a hop up to Jersey to see nana. But that's it.

Posted by suzie at 10:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Twice in the past couple of months I've been tasked with sharing 20-30 "fun facts" about myself in a matter of minutes as a team building exercise.

It goes like this: Each person is given a sheet to move around the room sharing and capturing quick facts about  everyone. Every fact shared must be unique, so the scope of the info is relative to the size of the group.

A mixed blessing at best; hearing what people share IS fun. (Well, except for those who "share" favorite songs and movies.) But remembering interesting bits about yourself is a pain in the ass.

Here's some I've used:

* Stephen King scared me away from red meat as a teen and it pretty much stuck
* A bowling ball fell on my head when I was 17 (ouch)
* I appeared with my ex on "Unsolved Mysteries" (in a local murder reenactment)
* My given name is Lucy -- I go by the nickname of my middle name
* I was once busted for drag racing my 1971 Pontiac LeMans
* My first car was that 1971 Pontiac LeMans bought at an auction for $300
* I'm a first generation American
* I can sing "Jingle Bells" in Gaelic
* I'm ambidextrous
* I can touch my nose with my tongue
* I lettered in Volleyball, Soccer and Bowling (really) in high school
* My name is Lucy and my dad's name was Desi (see Nick at Nite)
* I had my ears triple-pierced while visiting England in the late 80s
* I can't get a pedicure because I'm too ticklish
* I was born with a broken foot - and had a cast by the time I was 3 days old
* My family nicknames are "Bootie" and "Boots" (thanks to the cast)
* I went to a 2-day Bruce Springsteen event (long story)
* I play the piano (although way out of practice, and own one too)

Hearing what others say sparks ideas -- but you're guaranteed to think of several cool things long after the event is over.

Posted by suzie at 12:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (2)

It's 9pm and I'm packing up to leave the office. Today wasn't a bad day, just long.

As I type there are cleaning crew rumblings with the distinct resonance of a lurking serial killer hunting more than dust bunnies. Seriously - loud and frequent footsteps (but no people to be seen), muffled grumblings (talking?), and a metallic whirling sound like a hacksaw waved in the air.

I'm going home.

Posted by suzie at 09:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

The LinkedIn tips that circulated today had some great points. Most of which I have yet to fully embrace - like bringing my profile details to 100%.  

I love LinkedIn as a professional tool, but the article made me think of pet peeves I've developed since I joined, including:

* Blind linking. Try me again on MySpace.
* Random requests for recommendations. Were we in a meeting or something once?
* Feeling obligated to recommend someone just because they asked.
* Copying other people's profile text. Blah.
* Request a recommendation, receive one, and not thank the author. (!)
* Update your profile and request recommendations... then pretend you're not job hunting. (FYI, we're all talking about you now.)
* Sorry, let's go back a step: You asked -- thank me them for chrissakes.
* Now that you can add a photo, how about choosing one sans the skullcap, freakish blurring or 20-foot view?

Hm. Did I miss any?

Posted by suzie at 06:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

I am a QVC shopper.

I'd be happy to hold this info closer, but I bought this nifty little humidifier for the office and the point of purchase is a natural part of the discussion.

Funny, I never knew how deep inside the QVC closet I was, until someone asked if I shop online or via the cable channel.

Both he and I were relieved by the answer: I shop QVC online.

Posted by suzie at 07:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by suzie at 08:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

• We're remote!
  
• Your beaver is cute (It was about a SuperBuddy, but sent to my EA via IM? Funny.)
  
• The five minute rule - anything put into an email can be retracted, no questions asked, for five minutes
  

Posted by suzie at 10:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Last week I dreamt that my friend and former colleague Bob was alive and well, hiding out in rural Virginia. No explanation given or needed.

I woke up with a start and the shift from happiness to sadness was physically jarring as my mind shifted to reality. Bob and the dream are still hanging with me a week later.

It's almost a year since he was killed in an accident. When I told Nancie about the dream we reminisced for over an hour. I hesitated telling her because I didn't want to make her sad too, but it was good to share. Bob affected us in personal, individual, ways. He was a good egg.

Posted by suzie at 07:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I'll skip typing that a third time, just in case.

Two recent entries from my blog-rollers (once, twice) complained about the candy dish in my office. Maybe I should replace the chocolate with fruit. I failingly tried sugar-free candies in the dish a couple of years ago.

Don't tell anyone, but I cheat - I buy stuff I mostly* don't like.

(*no chocolate is absolutely unavoidable)

Posted by suzie at 11:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)