Room E

I am getting a new roommate. She made her preliminary move while I was home for a week and she in turn was home for a week when I got back. So while it has been a wonderful week of not having a roommate, I am now faced with a total stranger walking in to my apartment, to my room like she owns the place. Which she does as much as I do. And it is weird that this current stranger will be sleeping 10 feet from me tonight.
In the note that she left, she said she would be back today. No time was mentioned. I was up earlier then I would have liked as I didn’t want to be found still in bed. I also got fully dressed. Don’t want to meet the folks in my PJs, if it can be helped. The fact that my suitcases and clothes were strune all across the floor didn’t help.
We were both very close to having our own room. But another girl moved in, and suddenly this girl with who I was supposed to be suite mates, became my roommate instead. The other girl has no roommate. I silently curse her.
It was a weird transition as I was staying yet not all my former roommates who were all moving out had left by the time I did. I didn’t get a chance to organize and clean everything. So I left a note saying that it was okay to move stuff. Yet strange things were moved. Such as in the bathroom there are 6 shelves. I happened to use one of the middle ones. When I came back not only was my stuffed moved to a new shelf but other stuff had been added to it. Weird, no? I mean there were five empty shelves.
I can sense that I might not really like this suite mate but really do not have the energy for drama.
I don’t want to be there when she, my new cohabiter - arrives. So I venture out, wasting time writing this on the pretense of doing work. I feel strangely paranoid about meeting her. And that perhaps I snore. Or so something strange in my sleep as I got some weird vibes from my former roomie plus I oversaw a strange note from another suite mate. I feel like I am an easy person to live with but then again I am a bit biased.
Oh and I moved my stuff back to my shelf. Not that I really even liked it in the first place, seeing how it was a middle one but it felt like the thing to do.

Stalled-in-stall

My computer died. Long live my computer. Thankfully due to a lovely thing I like to call a warranty I have a new hard drive installed at no additional cost. I was tempted to say for free but that would not be counting the debt I am still in for purchasing the darn thing. My computer and incidentally I are now back up and running.

This was not an unexpected death. I knew the end was near so nothing is lost. My life in digital form is safe and sound. Or for the sake of not angering the mojo that is comeuppance, it all appears to be safe and sound.

There are actually many benefits of having a nee hard drive. It is like a brand new computer, all shiny and new. Perhaps with a little shmutz under the keyboard but ready for action.

Yet it appears my sanity might soon be lost. For while I like having it uncluttered, boy I didn’t realize how many things I had added to this thing. I am okay with reinstalling everything. I even get a little thrill of power as I bestow my authority in allowing that java plug in to be installed or to reinstall that program. The power is mine!

Or is it?

For while it seems like I have to be Goldilocks and fiddle with everything to get it just right, there seems to be a ton of stuff already installed that I

a)don’t want

b)have no clue what it is

c)will not let me totally remove

Case and point Movielink. I have no desire to have movelink. Yet movielink is a mockingly happy icon on my computer screen. When movie link goes bye bye to the trash, I get a message saying this will only delete the shortcut. So then I journey over to my add and remove and low and behold no movielink icon. How the devil is a computer dummy supposed to remove it. Google doesn’t really help though there is a program I can install to get rid of all this.

Oy. Crapware will not win this war though it may have won this battle!

Madeline Alice

Six Years

It has been six years since the war in Iraq started.

Six Years.

Perhaps I am going against the grain. I know that the five year anniversary usually warrants more attention than either the fourth or sixth, but I need to take a moment to reflect. While I am sure others will say this and have said this - whatever this is -more eloquently, here is inarticulate and very primitive thoughts on the past six years.

A quick google search yields that in that time:

4259 US soldiers have been killed

318 Coalition Troops have been killed

139 Journalist have been killed

1264 Contractors have been killed

and an estimated

1,320,110 Iraqis have been killed


These are just numbers

Incomprehensible numbers

With each one being a father or mother or daughter or son or sister or brother or friend

A person

Each one leaving a father or mother or daughter or son or sister or brother or friend


So the numbers grow


And then there are those who are wounded

And those who witness


The numbers grow


When I was thinking about what I would write, I was thinking vaguely of going off on where I was six years and where I think I will be in six years.

And then as I started to write and I saw my problem

This isn't about me


Remembering that the numbers are a representative

And an obscure one at that

Of all that has been lost

And that we can still dream and hope

For peace

And for the numbers to stop growing

Bananas

You can't help but laugh at this - I could watch it for hours.

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Prince Charles Scandal

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things With Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Economic Crisis

Three Hankie Movie

Going back from an episode of my youth of when "the horsey died" during a tv show, I am a known crier during movies. However I never cried through a whole movie or even enough to warrant three hankies.

That was until I saw Taking Chance.

From the opening credits of darkness with his death to the end credits when we finally see Chance from home footage of him as a child, I was a blubbering mess. I had a tissue at hand - or more acurately at nose and eyes - for all 80 minutes.

A long 80 minutes and yet so heartbreakingly short.

For like in the movie where his escort felt like he was still alive while he is still on his final trip home, somehow he still lived during the movie.

Until he is finally home for the last time. And with a last salute is gone.

Just writing this has made me a sobbing mess once more - another tissues is needed.

Maybe two.

For I miss Chance - a person I never knew and will never know - too.

It’s All Relative

Today it was 44 degrees. Back home in California I would have bundled up as this would be a cold day. However here in Boston coming off of a rather cold streak, it felt warm. In fact I was tempted to go out in flip flops.

On another front, I wish that everyone has good health. Or at least I thought so until today.

tomorrow class canceled?: POLU580.57198.sp09
To all:

I am coming down with a nasty flu. I am canceling the class for tomorrow, but please check out your emails tomorrow morning for additional notice. If I feel better, we will hold the class as scheduled and I will send a new message to announce that.

--L.Topaloff


Yet now I won’t deny that a part of me really hopes that my professor is a feverish phlegmy mess tomorrow. A startling large part.

Hallmark has got my mark

Is there anything more moving then a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie?

Is there anything more moving then a Hallmark commercial.

Sheesh – they get me everytime!

Ms. Roller Goes to Washington

More to come when I get back!

A Reflected Year : 2008

I found this on another blog and while some of the questions are hokey, overall I think it is a nice way to reflect back on a year.

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?

The candidate I voted for President won! I worked a semi-retail job.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

No – on that front I failed miserably. At least now I have 12 months to do better not that I have made any yet.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

One of my cousins gave birth at the beginning of the year and another one at the end.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Two people. First my Grandfather in August. Then Micah in October.

5. What countries did you visit?

No traveling for me in 2008. I did make it to the Cabin. And back to Boston.

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?

My drive.

7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

I am terrible with dates but there are several moments that will stay with me forever. The search for a rock in Disneyland with my brothers. Sitting on the deck of the Cabin watching the sunset. The cars pulling over out of respect at Micah’s funeral procession and then being saluted by the patrol officer. Curbside seats to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Moving all my stuff in. Getting my mom to do the Bay2Breakers. Playing rockband at Pesach. Having all my Roller cousins together. Putting dirt on my Grandfather’s grave.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Getting back into school – now if I could only finish!

9. What was your biggest failure?

Quite a few actually – though the root of all comes from the fact that I seem unable to finish or truly start anything. Schoolwork for example…

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Knees and scissors where not my friends in 2008.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

Well by not going to school for most of the year, I “bought” time with my family. In doing so I discovered so many tales and pictures. All the photo stuff I bought for it enabled and started many great conversations.

Oh the Wii Fit which I got for the family. I have my dad doing exercise! My mom too but she already and was much easier to get to do it.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

Barack Obama? That seems like a cop-out though.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

Sarah Palin comes to mind. Mine would be a close second though.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Paying off debt.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

The election.

16. What song will always remind you of 2008?

Breaking Love and Down to Earth from Wall-E

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? Happier
b) thinner or fatter? Thinner - barely
c) richer or poorer? Richer - technically

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

I wish I had actually finished all that I started

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Doing nothing – time wasted

20. How did you spend Christmas?

At home with family. Dinner menu consisted of Chinese food, dinner rolls and pie!

21. Did you fall in love in 2008?

Perhaps started to

22. What was your favorite TV program?

I think I am going to go with Chuck. Pushing Daises, The Daily Show and Colbert Report also up there.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

No – peace love and mickey mouse people!

24. What was the best book you read?

I really enjoyed Inkheart.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Ha! This question implies I have some music coolness which just isn’t the case

26. What did you want and get?

Back to Boston

27. What did you want and not get?

My old self back

28. What was your favorite film of this year?

Toss between The Dark Knight and Wall-E

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

Nothing particularly special and it was my first year anniversary of turning 21.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

If I could have gotten my schoolwork in hand

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?

Jeans and t-shirts

32. What kept you sane?

Not sure I really did…

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Toss between Jon Stewart and Christian Bale

34. What political issue stirred you the most?

The election and proposition 8

35. Who did you miss?

My Grandfather and Micah

36. Who was the best new person you met?

What a question! I am going the easy route here and will say my new first cousins once removed Eliza, Carly and Clayton.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.

Avoiding things only makes the problem harder to deal with when you have to and usually by then it is so much bigger than what you started with.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

Did you think you’d escaped from routine
By changing the script and the scene?
Despite all you made of it
You’re always afraid
Of the change