who figures this stuff out?

I've been a little bored from my work lately. Actually, that is an understatement. I've been incredibly, stupendously, horrendously bored at my work recently (note: I do enjoy the company I work for). It's unfortunate because working in the advertising "retail" industry, the strain of the economy is thick. Clients are going under, other clients don't want to spend advertising dollars because business isn't what it used to be and how on earth do we convince the non-profits to spend money on advertising for donations when consumers don't want to donate?

Now I'm not worried about losing my job (although my boss did mention that we might go to 4-day work weeks which I am totally for) but there are times that I feel guilty since 90% of my day is surfing the internet. I am getting paid nicely to surf the web and that is where I feel guilty. I've asked for more stuff on my work plate and yet, it still doesn't seem to add much more to my job. I don't want to look for another job because I like the people here and once the economy starts getting better, the work load should be getting better too. Besides, I want to stay at this company for two years and then quit to travel again. I don't want to leave this job, find another job only to quit from that job one year later. I want to stick through this company until Fall of 09 so there is logic behind me wanting to stay here. There are just times (like now) when I am so bored of being bored.

At least my life outside of work keeps me busy. We just moved so it won't be for another month until things start getting settled in the home life. I'm trying to be proactive about keeping busy once we are settled in and try to amuse myself with evening classes in something (not sure what but it will be something, darnit). I need to find something to keep my mind and idle hands busy and am open for suggestions.

Anyway, I did stumble across this little ditty today during my mindless web surf and it made me wonder, who on earth comes up with this stuff? I know that there is a simple (ha) mathematical equation to determine this but I just love that someone took the time to make this challenge for us simple people. It made me scratch my head when I played along. Of course I sent it over to Marijn and he provided me with the scientific, mathematical solution of how this works (geek) which of course, took all the fun out of it. I won't post the equation but anyway, here it is:

1. Key in the first three digits of your phone number (NOT the Area code…)
2. Multiply by 80
3. Add 1
4. Multiply by 250
5. Add to this the last 4 digits of your phone number
6. Add to this the last 4 digits of your phone number again.
7. Subtract 250
8. Divide number by 2

purging my life...

With each move, I take that as an opportunity to clean out the material objects in my life. Since the college days, I've lived in four places: my parents, my cousin's house (which was reverting completely back to the college days since it included the pool table, a go-go cage and random passed out people on the floor), the insanely huge apartment that I lived in but looked so empty due to the limited amount of furniture and the incredibly small apartment Marijn and I are about to leave. I'm now on my fifth move...we got a super cool and huge house in Santa Clara (complete with a personal hot tub in the backyard) and will be living there for the next two years.

Every move, I have always cleaned out parts of my past by throwing away pieces of history that only means something to me. It's cleansing to me, I think that it's my version of Spring cleaning. It surprises me at the amount of stuff that we collect in life and although it might hold some memory or two, it's only another object that will mean nothing later in life. I've become very good at purging things in my life. On my last move from LA to NorCal, I did a master clean and actually got rid of the ex-boyfriends of the past. I'm sure a lot of us hold on to a few things: pictures/letters/gifts. Maybe we hold on to this stuff to remind us of what we loved about the person or there is something that we don't want to let go of. I was still holding on to small gifts/knick-knacks/letters from my past relationships and couldn't believe at the amount of stuff that I held on to. I kept most of the photos but everything else found it's way to the trash bin. It was a new weight lifted from my belongs, eliminating things that no longer held a specific meaning.

Now on this next move, I'm going through the same motions. What else can I get rid of that I no longer need. I've purged the clothes that I no longer wear or are out of fashion. I've thrown the past relationships into the trash can. I didn't think that I had anything else to really throw away.

Did you know that since high school, I have held on to my movie ticket stubs? Weird, I know. I can tell you what substance I was on, how much alcohol was consumed or who I went with: date, solo or group. I always thought that maybe I would do something cool with them like align them all into a large frame or put them all in a huge vase and use them to anchor dried flowers. The tickets aren't only limited to movies but also flight tickets, concert tickets, bus tickets, etc. Why do I need to keep all of this? I can't get rid of the concert tickets yet but everything else I can't find the reason to hang on to them. I know that I will never get around to doing something cool with them, I've been saying it since high school! So now as I clean up my life again and start the moving process again, this move will be the purging off all the tickets of my life past.

a home for books...

• In the midst of a big step in life: combined furniture shopping

• Stumble across these photos that have no link for purchase

• So where oh where can I find these delectable furnishings?!

don't push my buttons...

So it's a little quirk that many people have that I'm trying to figure out where it stems from... the need to push a button more than once.

Standing at a light today waiting for the little green man to allow us to cross, I noticed the patterns of people who were pushing the buttons. There was the man who pushed constantly with aggressive force. The little girl who banged on the button ten times until her mother pushed her hand away. To even Marijn, who pretended that it was a musical instrument.

So why do people push the button so many times? Do they think that it will make the light change faster? The faster you push the button or the more times you push, it will make it go faster? Same with elevator buttons...if you ever watch the people pushing the buttons for their floor, many push it a couple of times. Does it make it go faster?

I think that this subconscious urge to press buttons more than once probably stems from the same area in the brain that makes us lower (or turn off) the car stereo when we are looking for that street address.

• although if there was push button cooking, i sure would push that button more than once!