8.

8 is the number of times I have moved since I graduated college 6 years ago. Putting my economics degree to use, that comes out to about 1.33 moves a year. I have lived in studios, on couches, fancy apts, and have been a squatter with family members. When I moved from DC I remarked, with some disappointment, that my entire life fit into the smallest truck Uhaul had to offer with room to spare.

I have since upgraded to the next level of Uhaul and it was pretty flipping full...not nearly as exciting as I might have expected. I expect move number 9 to take place sooner rather than later but until them i will happily blogging from my country home!

adios

I realize you all may be tired of reading posts about Rafa...funny thing is, I am not even close to tired of writing about him. Yesterday I returned home just in time to watch the remainder of his rain delayed semi-final match against Andy Murray. It was a sad showing and ultimately my rafa was unable to pull it off (maybe i wasn't cheering loudly enough, who knows). That loss marked the end of what has been a phenomenal tennis season for my amigo who is now numero uno.

let's be honest, I wrote this post so I could use this picture and provide you all with this link: http://nymag.com/fashion/08/fall/49256/ (please ignore the ridiculous title of the article).

Whoa.

This may not seem like such a feat to many people but for me I feel liked I just cracked a top-secret code. I got my AIM contacts to appear in my gchat!!! This is one of those times when technology just seems like magic to me.

The internets where I work are very heavily protected (it's amazing I can get to my blog...I consider it a little gift) so I can't download anything-like the application to use AIM. But now I don't need to!!!!!!!!! I can just use my trusty gchat.

Back to the techie part of this. I had heard mention of this IM glory before but dismissed or forgot it...until NOW. In the end, it was as simple as clicking on the "sign into AIM" link on gchat and remembering my password. I, neverthless, feel incredibly accomplished!!

In the Land of Cubes

I have recently begun working in the Land of Cubes. It is a strange place with its own customs, mores, and behaviors. Upon walking through the double doors of the new land, one is greeted by an overwhelming labrynth of metal and fabric squares: the modern day cubicle.

Each of these compartments houses a unique creature who is able to fully come to life inside the cube. Though the close quarters would suggest a need for modesty and discretion to the uninitiated, this is not the law of the land in cube world. Instead, it appears that 3, four foot, walls provide all the privacy and soundproofing one could possibly need here.

Let's take exhibit A, the cube-dweller directly behind me. Judging from this dude's cube decorations, his love for Obabma is matched only by his love for American Idol. The pictorial displayed on the side of his cube is updated daily. This cube-dweller is a busy little bee, frequently leaving his cube...which allows his phone to ring (at full volume) unanswered at least a dozen times a day. Adding to the cacaphony, is his cell phone which even when he is there goes unanswered. In fact, it just rang and he didn't answer it or silence it but rather let it ring and just danced in beat to his ringtone.

That is the way in the Land of Cubes, I suppose.

The Pants

Just when I thought the didn't make quality films anymore a gem like the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 comes along and surprises me. In a surprisingly full theater I sat in the front row with my aunt, uncle, and cousin (great pick jen) and watched as this beautiful film about four young women unfolded before me.

They laughed, they cried, they fell in love and when they would look as though they were about to veer off course I knew it wouldn't be long before those pants instilled some sense in them and they were back on track.

Furthermore, these girls seems to be loaded and are not bothered by the typical constraints of reality. You loose your pants, of course the natural response is to book flights for the next day to go to Greece to find them. I think other films would be a lot better off if the didn't worry so much about plausibility...it's really kind of a drag.

On my list of things to do today after running and possibly while poolside is read the first pants book. With a sequel this good I can only imagine how amazing the original is.

J-Roll

Last night my roommate and I partook in our nation's pastime and went to the Phillies game. It was the perfect night for a game: great weather, great seats, good weiners, and beer (coke for the roommate).

As you may or may not know, the Phillies' star player has been receiving a little heat lately for calling Philly fans "front-runners" meaning, when the team is doing well we are all about it, however, if they stumble the team does not get additional support from the crowd to encourage them, but rather merciless boos and yell from the stands. As my roommate says, those players are there to do a job and need to know when they are not doing it well. I, for one, think I would really respond well to a boss who simply booed me when my work was not the quality it needed to be!

So, in true Philly fashion, the fans did not disappoint last night. Rather than trying to prove J-Roll wrong they acted to exceed his expectations of their "front-runnerness". Every time he was up to bat the entire crowd booed in resounding unison. I said to my roommate "aw, I wish I could give Jimmy Rollins a hug" To which he responded "I wish I could kick him in the dick".

What Would Oprah Do?

Over the last few months, I have perfected the arts of cynicism, whining, complaining, griping, and general belly-aching. My displeasure with my job has given me ample opportunity to perfect these skills. Then yesterday I read this article about a woman who has decided, for one year, to live her life like Oprah. Now, this broad seems totally bat shit crazy to me, but I thought maybe there is something to learn here. What if, instead of complaining for the 1,000th time about the unpleasantness I face at work everyday, I took a moment and thought to myself "What Would Oprah Do"?

Oprah, it turns out, has many tools to rely on during times of stress and uncertainty. She has Maya, Nelson, Gayle, and of course Maria Shriver...all of whom offer some level of Get Better Guru-ness. Luckily for me, Oprah, and her fellow spiritually fulfilled folks put their tricks of the trade on the Internets. Google can show me the way to enlightenment!

Of all of the Oprah-endorsed books that guarantee inner peace, I was most intrigued (much the same way I am intrigued by people who work at Whole Foods with those wooden discs in their ears) by The Secret. This gem of wisdom was penned by a former TV producer, obvious credentials for instructing people on how to live their best lives. The gist of it is: if you think/visualize positive things they will happen. You have to go about life thinking that what you want is already real. That's it, all you have to do is want it enough in your mind and sooner or later it will materialize in real life. The flip side of that, of course, is that if something bad happens to you like say war or an incurable disease than maybe your just weren't thinking enough positive thoughts.

All I can say is I love my new job, puppy, car, and vacation home so much I could almost burst.