Fortunes

Fortune cookie says:
"Don't wait for success, start ahead without it."

"You will enjoy razor-sharp spiritual vision today."

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Mood: chipper

What I'm reading: If success is a game, these are the rules

From Cherie Carter-Scott's If Success Is a Game, These Are the Rules: Ten Rules for a Fulfilling Life :

The rules:

1. Each person has their own definition of success
2. Wanting success if the first step toward attaining it
3. Self-trust is essential
4. Goals are the stepping-stones on your path
5. Your actions affect your outcomes
6. Opportunities will be presented
7. Each setback provides valuable lessons
8. Managing your resources maximizes your efforts
9. Every level of success brings new challenges
10. Success is a process that never ends

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Mood: successful

What I'm reading: If love is a game, these are the rules

From Cherie Carter-Scott's If Love Is a Game, These Are the Rules: 10 Rules for Finding Love and Creating Long-Lasting, Authentic Relationships:

The rules:

1. You must love yourself first
2. Partnering is a choice
3. Creating love is a process
4. Relationships provide opportunities to grow
5. Communication is essential
6. Negotiation will be required
7. Your relationship will be challenged by change
8. You must nurture the relationship for it to thrive
9. Renewal is the key to longevity
10. You will forget all this the moment you fall in love

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Mood: in love

What I'm reading: My freshman year

From Rebekah Nathan*'s My Freshman Year: What a Professor Learned by Becoming a Student:

An undercover professor reports on her experiences as a college student. Some of her findings:

• Community and diversity are central to the college experience, yet it is difficult to build community on college campuses and in residence halls due to the widely varying student schedules and interests: "It is hard to create community when the sheer number of options in college life generate a system in which no one is in the same place at the same time," (p. 38).
• Very few students utilize residence hall lounges, opting to watch the super bowl individually in their own rooms instead of the floor lounge with food provided by the RA.
• Not only do all of the black kids sit together in the cafeteria, but for the most part men are least likely to eat with men of a different race (they sometimes ate with women of a different race), while women more often ate with other women of any race.
• Each professor had vary different course policies and expectations, and it was difficult to keep them straight. Many office hours, departmental events and activities conflicted with others.
• The university is becoming more market-driven, especially as state support dwindles. Lack of financial support is leading more students to affordable community colleges. Most instruction is now done by non-tenure track instructors.

This was a very interesting read to see how college life is now perceived, and some of the perceptions serve as a warning to keep close tabs on the state of higher education in america. Small believes that:

"we are ultimately the guardians of the university's very special functions in society. There are serious questions about how universities can maintain their 'liminal' transformative qualities when the world is so much with them. Although we may want universities to address the needs of our states and our businesses, we cannot rely on either the politics of government or the profits of corporations to guide the educational mission. In the long run, we would not want a university to become so immersed in the wold as it it that it can neither critique that world nor proffer an ideal vision of how else it might be. These are purposes of universities that none of us should surrender." (pp. 152 & 153)

*Pseudonym for Professor Cathy Small, Northern Arizona University

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Mood: cynical

What I'm reading: The G quotient

From Kirk Snyder's The G Quotient: Why gay exectuvies are excelling as leaders... and what every manager needs to know:

Snyder presents reseach on traits the best gay executives use in their daily work. The book contains leadership tips for any sexual orientation, including:

• Knowledge + Interconnection = Employee Empowerment
• Types of motivation: Achievement, authority and power, affiliation
• Inclusion affects both personal and professional relationships: employees wonder "What is the organization committed to and how do I fit in?" "How do these commitments apply to the daily processes of my work?" "Is my work making a difference?"
• Creativity with concepts, possibilities, and people
• Adaptability and ability to work with ambiguity, nonconformity, and flexibility
• Connectivity through external networking and internal awareness
• Communication: listening to all organizational levels in an ethical manner
• Intuition or perceptual intelligence as a business skill
• Creating a professional community through collaboration

These skills are said to come from gay men "survival skills" including: adaptability, intuitive communication, and creative problem solving. A key message of this book is that quality of life and personal skills outside of the workplace contribute to workplace engagement and performance. Snyder suggests inclusion is profitable, happiness matters, mistakes can lead to innovation, and employees need to own their jobs. He closes with 10 things every manager should know about G Quotient Leadership:

1. G Quotient leadership is both objective and subjective.
2. G Quotient leadership focuses on the processes of work rather than the final product.
3. G Quotient leadership models a systems approach to management.
4. G Quotient leadership places value on experiential learning.
5. G Quotient leadership focuses on the present.
6. G Quotient leaders are still in the trenches.
7. G Quotient leaders manage inspiration.
8. G Quotient leaders focus on positive employee characteristics.
9. G Quotient leaders run their organizations like entrepreneurs.
10. G Quotient leaders understand and value themselves.

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Mood: working

Fortune

Fortune cookie says:
"Make everyday your best. You will improve yourself greatly."
"It's not the amount of time you devote, but what you devote to the time that counts."

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Mood: productive

I'm so proud...

James ate 4 lbs. of ground beef in the form of four 10-patty burgers. Mmmmmm artery clogging. I'm not sure which is better, a customized t-shirt or front page of the Ann Arbor News.
Yes, this was "Top News":

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Mood: full

What I'm reading: Saving the self

From Cristian Lacatus' Saving the Self: Consumerism, Freedom and You:

Saving the Self is a challenging wake up call to the multinational consumer, that offers ways you can reclaim personal choice from politics, religion, and class. An interesting read on the philosophical and practical levels, Lacatus examines community, food, obesity, health, entertainment, education, the environment, sexuality, and spirituality. I was most intrigued by his concepts of eating meat (it is okay as long as you kill it) and death (using it as a tool and not a marketing ploy or nonexistent thing that only happens to others).

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Mood: reflective

What I'm reading: What happens to a torn dollar bill?

From Dr. Knowledge (Charles Reichblum)'s What Happens to a Torn Dollar Bill?:

This book features trivial facts about US and world currency. Includes historical accounts, statistics, and anecdotes about bills, coins, counterfeiting, credit, debt, engraving, financing, and more. Perfect waiting room book - many stories are 1-2 pages long and easy to enjoy bits at a time.

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Mood: full

What I'm reading: The seventeen traditions

From Ralph Nader's The Seventeen Traditions:

Nader reflects on his childhood and important timeless traditions to pass on to children, including the traditions of:

1. listening
2. the family table
3. health
4. history
5. scarcity
6. sibling equality
7. education and argument
8. discipline
9. simple enjoyments
10. reciprocity
11. independent thinking
12. charity
13. work
14. business
15. patriotism
16. solitude
17. civics

I am very grateful of my parents, grandparents, and extended family for helping instill many of these traditions during my childhood.

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Mood: nostalgic

Fortune

Fortune cookie says:
"Courage is the mastery of fear - not the absence of fear."

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Mood: courageous

Quiz of the Day: Elvish Name

And my elvish name is: Taurnil Telrúnya

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From: massless.org
Mood: drained

Quiz of the Day: Hobbit Name

My hobbit name is: Bodo Gamgee-Took of Bywater

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From: massless.org
Mood: tired

Good wine

Here are some great wines I recommend:

• Bowers Harbor Claret, Old Mission Peninsula, MI USA
• Chaumette Chambourcin, Ste. Genevieve, MO USA: a hybrid breed of European (French) and American varieties.
• Chaumette Club Cuvée, Ste. Genevieve, MO USA: an excellent blend of Norton varieties, selected with the help of wine club members!
• Quady Electra, Madera, CA USA: A sweet, orange flavored treat! Has a very low (4%) alcohol content.
• Quady Essensia, Madera, CA USA: An orangey-desert treat!

While creating this list, I found a great new website, cork'd. You can view my reviews, wine cellar, and shopping list.

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Mood: drunk (not really)

What I'm reading: Getting it

From Alex Sanchez's Getting It:

Unlike most gay-themed novels for teens, the main character in Getting It is a straight ally. Carlos befriends Sal to give him a Queer Eye-type makeover so he can win the affections of a girl. I thought that this was a great point of view, and hopefully many gay and straight teen readers will enjoy this book. Its makeover plot may even teach readers a thing or two about hygiene and style!

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Mood: refreshed

What I'm reading: The hamster revolution

From Mike Song, Vicki Halsey, and Tim Burress' The Hamster Revolution: How to Manage Your Email Before It Manages You:

I first heard of this book and Cohesive Knowledge Solutions from the "Getting out of e-jail" article in the Sunday, February 4, 2007 The Ann Arbor News. The article, book, and consulting firm are all about managing your e-mail workload. Here are some of the top tips:

• Reduce your e-mail volume by limiting the number of e-mails you send and coaching your colleagues: ask yourself if each e-mail is needed, appropriate, and targeted to the right people.
• Use agreed upon shortcuts with your colleagues: NTN - no thanks needed; NRN - no reply necessary; put your entire message in the subject line followed by EOM - end of message; message headings such as action, info, request, confirmed, delivery.
• Improve e-mail quality: strengthen your subject and sculpt the body of your message.
• Use standard file system to find info fast: the authors suggest a filing system for managing your communications using common business process (COTA).

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Mood: rushed

What I'm reading: The order of the poison oak

From Brent Hartinger's The Order of the Poison Oak:

I enjoyed this sequel to Geography Club that covers the three friends at their summer camp job. The relationships with each other, the campers, and other counselors are very well developed and the basis for this novel. The story of the Order of the Poison Oak is very touching.

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Mood: satisfied

What I'm reading: Geography club

From Brent Hartinger's Geography Club:

I am torn about this book, an accurate gay teen coming-out story, because it is so accurate. At the end of the book, a friendship is very strained and the newfound relationship falters - not a very happy ending. But as is life...

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Mood: aggravated

What I'm reading: So hard to say

From Alex Sanchez's So Hard to Say:

Similar to his Rainbow series, the story is told from multiple points of view, this time two main characters Frederick and Xio. The story details Frederick's transition to a new high school and new understanding of his sexuality. Sanchez did a good job of capturing the eighth grade persona - the issue is as much how do I tell someone I don't like them like them as it is sexual orientation.

As many other stories in this genre, So Hard to Say points out the unfortunate reality that out gay kids are picked on. Nice.

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Mood: nostalgic

What I'm reading: Eats, shoots & leaves

From Lynne Truss' Eat's, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation:

Who knew grammar could be so much fun?

This was a great quick read all about commas, "full stops," semicolons, colons, dashes, and other punctuation marvels. The history of these publishers' marks and warnings for the future were interesting; her examples were the best. Ms. Truss sure does like her Opal Fruits.

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Mood: amused

Quiz of the Day: Which super-villain are you?

Your results:
You are Apocalypse

Apocalypse 78% Magneto 66% Dr. Doom 65% Lex Luthor 65% Juggernaut 60% Mystique 56% Riddler 55% Poison Ivy 46% Dark Phoenix 46% Catwoman 44% Venom 39% Kingpin 38% The Joker 35% Mr. Freeze 29% Two-Face 24% Green Goblin 20%

You believe in survival of the fittest and you believe that you are the fittest.

Click here to take the Supervillain Personality Quiz

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From: Wil Wheaton's blog
Mood: evil

Quiz of the Day: Year in Review

In 2006, did you:

1. Go to a party? Yes, and hosted a couple too!
2. Try something new? I hope so... I tried to be less controlling ;) lots of wine tastings, test driving cars, changed my deoderant scent (thanks Nick Lachey!)
3. Have someone change your life? I always learn a lot from everyone, and particularly had more help learning about my self from others last year
4. Kiss someone? Uh yeah!
5. Tell your family and friends you love them? As often as I can
6. Buy something extravagant? Oh yes, the year of upgrades: new laptop, new house, new car, video iPod.
7. Had someone else do something nice for you? Mike is regularly nice to me, but I am greatful for all of the support we got this year with moving and other life changes.
8. Do something terribly wrong? I don't think so, I hope not!
9. Move? Yes! We are homeowners!
10. Go to a concert? I don't think so actually, this was more of the year of the theatre

Best of the Year:

1. Party: parties don't really make my best of the year list anymore :( I did enjoy the turn-out and company at our housewarming though.
2. Show: I didn't really enjoy new TV this year, the only new show I added was Jericho. A good TV moment was seeing Jeffrey win Project Runway against my friends' wishes - told ya so told ya so
3. CD: I didn't purchase any new CDs this year, but am LOVING me some CD trading on lala! Best lala trade: Deborah Cox:Remixed
4. Movie: Dreamgirls or The Devil Wears Prada
5. Song: SexyBack
6. Experience: The return of the BBQ grill.
7. Purchase: our house.
8. Book: Either The G Quotient or My Freshman Year
9. Month: April.
10. Day: May 2 - moving day.

Worst of the Year:

1. Party: no such thing as a bad party!
2. Show: I make Mike think Ugly Betty troubles me deeply.
3. CD: Why would I know about an awful CD?
4. Movie: A "bad" movie that was a total guilty pleasure is The Covenant.
5. Song: Again, I don't remember bad things, I just change the music.
6. Experience: times when Mike was not able to be with me
7. Purchase: My car itself was a great purchase but the dealer talked me into some crap I don't really need
8. Book: Bad books REALLY don't stand a chance with me...
9. Month: July
10. Day: I learned my grandma died

Hopes for 2007:

1. Predict something that you think will happen in 2007: not a lot politically (unfortunately), V(ideo)OIP will be the new V(oice)OIP, a new "Internet revolution" helped along by Vista and Leopard if the non-interface interface takes off/works
2. What do you hope changes about your country? partisan politics, homophobia, racism, more concern for the poor & working-classes/less of an economic divide.
3. What do you hope for yourself? Exercise more, enjoy more days off/rest, read more.
4. What do you hope for your family? We keep in touch & visit as often as possible.
5. What do you hope for your best friend? a happy & healthy year, better financial situation.

During 2006:

1. Where were you when it began? it was only New Year's I've spent in Ann Arbor to date; with Mike & friends.
2. Did you stay up? Uh, yeah
3. What was your new year wish? get in shape, eh...
4. How many boyfriends/girlfriends? Uh, one if you call him a "boyfriend"
5. Broke up? Uh, no.
6. Have any crushes? Not really, just the typical teenage girl starstruck sometimes.
7. Missed anyone? mostly family & friends I don't get to see as much as I would like.
8. Best place you went to? Salt Lake City was nice and all, but Epcot still has my heart.
9. Happiest moment? many of them - moving in, #6 w/Mike, new office/new job title.

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From: Jeff's LJ
Mood: grateful