Feast Number One Hundred & Fourty Two

Appetizer: Name something you would not want to own.

• Any sort of firearm.

Soup: Describe your hair (texture, color, length, etc.).

• Thick, straight, blonde, chin length bob.

Salad: Finish this sentence: I’ll never forget ___________.

• I’ll never forget my first opera or what Alex thought passed for good pizza.

Main Course: Which famous person would you like to be for one day? Why?

• Honestly, as difficult as life can be sometimes, I really wouldn’t want to be anyone other than myself.

Dessert: Write one sentence about yourself that includes one thing that is true and another thing that is not.

• Despite being in two car accidents in 12 years, I’ve never been in the driver’s seat when an accident occurred.

Condiments:

1. Whether you’ve ever been there or not, what are your thoughts on Texas?
   I’ve spent some time in Houston and didn’t mind it. Granted, I was working so I spent most of my time shuttling back and forth between work and the hotel. While I honestly don’t remember too much about the city, I did meet some wonderful people there.
2. Who was the last person you sent a text message to? If you’ve never sent someone a text message, is there some reason?
   Most likely Robin (former co-worker).
3. Who’s usually the first person you go to when you have a tech-related problem, especially for computers?
   For computers – no one. If I can’t figure it out, it’s gonna be fried and broken beyond repair. If it’s anything to do with the TV/DVD/Stereo/Bazillion associated remotes thingy (love those technical terms) – I make the hubby fix it.
4. What was the best textbook you were ever assigned?
   Mager, Robert F. Preparing Instructional Objectives. Center for Effective Performance: Atlanta. 1997. On page 21, it has the best example of an objective “Given a stick, beat a dead horse into oblivion”. Even better is the fact that this example, however humourous, wouldn’t be an effective objective, since “oblivion” can’t really be measured 😉
5. What are your thoughts on techno music??
   Don’t have any either way.

h/t to Caylynn’s Contemplations for the FF graphic. I shamelessly swiped it from her site.

Technorati Tags: Friday’s Feast, condiments

Welcome to the 25th edition of the screaming pages Thursday Thirteen.

This week I was planning on posting photos of the paintings, prints, and watercolours in our house. However, after taking the pictures and discovering that I have no skill with a camera (where’s the hubby when you need him?), I’ve decided to put that plan on hold and do a basic rundown of things that have happened since last week’s Thursday Thirteen.

Thirteen things about my week. Went to dinner with ex-coworker from the evil empire. Had a fabulous time. She’s one of the few people left working there that I miss on a daily basis. There’s something to be said for those who share the cube farm and your crazed outlook on life. Received the most amazing you escaped from the evil empire gift from said former co-worker. She presented me with my own mike for Karaoke *wheeee* so I can practice at home. She also included a CD of music for me, and lent me her giant collection of music to practice with. Went grocery shopping. I now have real food in my cupboards and fridge. Too bad it can’t cook itself… Took the dogs for a slow meander (daily). I’m not co-ordinated enough to run while out with two dogs. Scratch that, I’m not co-ordinated enough to run outside where there are cracks in the sidewalk to trip over! Got a new haircut. I was tired of looking like some sort of 80’s throwback and got it chopped into a bob. Now, considering the pre-ugly haircut was a just-past-the-shoulders bob, you can imagine how thrilled I am to now be sporting a new chin length one. Maybe I just should have shaved it all off and started fresh again… Ordered and received new books from Chapters.ca. Ordered books from Amazon.com. Connected with a potential employer – yes, this is the job I really, really want – and received a list of recommended reading and a referral to an online course to complete. I’m hoping this is a good sign. The company works in a very small field and completion of these items wouldn’t help me get a job anywhere else. I’m hoping that means that the company is seriously considering hiring me. They said I have the right attitude and aptitude – that’s good right? Filled the gas tank before the crazy price hike shennanigans started. Completed my pension transfer forms and sent them off to my investment advisor. Cleaned up the back yard, trimmed the hedge at the front of the house, made a honey-do list for the hubby when he gets home 😉 Paid all our bills. Talked to the hubby for the first time in a week. He got access to a phone and called tonight. *wheeee* There’s nothing quite like the 35 minutes a week the gov’t graciously gives families to connect while their loved ones are away. Bonus: Posted my T13 early so I can spend some additional time tomorrow working on completing the online course mentioned in #8. Get the Thursday Thirteen code here! The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted! View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Technorati Tags: thursday thirteen, t13, meme,

Anyone who’s been to university or college knows that textbooks don’t come cheap. To help mitigate the costs, the hubby and I trade in our areoplan miles for chapters.ca gift certificates. Today, some of the books we recently ordered arrived in the mail *yippee*.

• The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil – Philip Zimbardo
• Telling Ain’t Training – Harold D. Stolovich
• Training Ain’t Performance – Harold D. Stolovich
• Transferring Learning to Behavior: Using the Four Levels to Improve Performance – Donald L. Kirkpatrick, James D. Kirkpatrick
• The First-Time Trainer: A Step-by-step Quick Guide For Managers, Supervisors, And New Training Professionals – Tom W. Goad
• Crossing The Chasm: Marketing and Selling High-Tech Products to Mainstream Customers – Geoffrey A. Moore
• Inside The Tornado: Strategies For Developing, Leveraging, And Surviving Hypergrowth Markets – Geoffrey A. Moore
• Born In Death – JD Robb
• You Suck Lp – Christopher Moore

I also had an Amazon.com gift certificate burning a hole in my online account that was given to me by Susan and Erica as part of their Debut a Debut contest prizes. I had the best intentions when I went shopping on Amazon – intending to either pick-up a book by new debut author or put it towards a textbook – but in the end I ended up picking up a new series of books by a “new to me” author.

So, from Amazon I ordered the following and am now anxiously awaiting their arrival:

• Undead and Unreturnable – MaryJanice Davidson
• Undead and Unappreciated – MaryJanice Davidson
• Undead and Unemployed – MaryJanice Davidson
• Undead and Unwed – MaryJanice Davidson

Thanks to Laughing Muse I now have a list of recommended books to read once I chug through these ones.

Technorati Tags: books, reading, gift certificates

I think I need to set a new goal. It’s only the beginning of the 5th month and I’ve already read 50 books. I’ve ordered some new textbooks and training manuals with the bulk of my vast collection of Chapters.ca gift certificates and hope they’ll arrive sometime next week.

I’m breaking the list down into two parts. The fist list will contain paperback and hardcover books I’ve been able to find and list on Shelfari and the second list contains all the eBooks I’ve been reading that I can’t figure out how to add to Shefari yet. Their ISBN’s don’t bring up any information. If anyone knows how to get an eBook added to Shelfari, please let me in on the secret.

Hardcover/Paperback

1. A Dirty Job – Christopher Moore
2. The Last Juror – John Grisham
3. Goal Analysis – Robert F Mager
4. River’s End – Nora Roberts
5. Rebellion – Nora Roberts
6. Don’t be Afraid – Rebecca Drake
7. Who Moved My Cheese – Spenser Johnson
8. On The Run – Iris Johansen
9. Every Which Way But Dead – Kim Harrison
10. Five Point Someone – What Not to do at IIT – Chetan Bhagat
11. One Night at the Call Center: A Novel – Chetan Bhagat
12. Jack Knife – Virginia Baker
13. The Opium Clerk – Kunal Basu
14. I, Lucifer – Glen Duncan
15. Our Iceberg is Melting – John Kotter, Holger Rathgeber, Spenser Johnson
16. The Thirteenth Tale – Diane Setterfield
17. Dead Until Dark – Charlaine Harris
18. Living Dead in Dallas – Charlaine Harris
19. Club Dead – Charlaine Harris
20. Dead to the World – Charlaine Harris
21. Dead as a Doornail – Charlaine Harris
22. Definitely Dead – Charlaine Harris
23. Practical Demonkeeping – Christopher Moore
24. Mind over Matter – Nora Roberts
25. Island of Flowers – Nora Roberts
26. Unfinished Business – Nora Roberts
27. Irish Thoroughbred – Nora Roberts
28. Irish Rose – Nora Roberts
29. Deja Dead – Kathy Reichs
30. Death du Jour – Kathy Reichs
31. Fatal Voyage – Kathy Reichs
32. Bare Bones – Kathy Reichs
33. Monday Mourning – Kathy Reichs
34. Dragonflight – Anne McCaffrey
35. Dragonquest – Anne McCaffrey
36. The White Dragon – Anne McCaffrey
37. A Mortal Bane – Roberta Gellis
38. Sullivan’s Woman – Nora Roberts
39. Irish Rebel – Nora Roberts
40. The Master Stroke – Elizabeth Gage

eBooks

1. Stripped – Rhonda Stapleton
2. Improper Longings – Dawn Ryder
3. High Seas Desire – Mlyn Hurn
4. Call of the Untamed – Michelle M. Pillow
5. After Sundown: Redemption – Eden Robins
6. Crime Tells: Lyric’s Cop – Jory Strong
7. Elisabeth’s Wolf – Lora Leigh
8. Malachi – Shiloh Walker
9. Mythe: Vampire – Shiloh Walker
10. Stud Finders Incorporated – Alexis Fleming

Technorati Tags: 52Books, reading, ebooks, books

Blogs are all about confession and opening ourselves to ridicule – or at least this entry is. Tonight I lost the inner battle and watched a Dukes of Hazzard movie – no, not the one with Jessica Simpson – and man, John Schneider aged well. There’s nothing quite like reliving childhood memories and watching the General Lee run around Hollywood!