rant and/or rave

It’s soooo hot

Summer is here. :(

I ended up seeing Sex and the City, though I had no plans to. YP was going with his friend and invited me along. Neither of us are huge fans of the show. We’ve both seen a few episodes here and there.

The whole phenomenom is crazy, especially here in New York. The theater we went to was in Chelsea so it was packed with the gays and their hags, as well as the stereotypical threesomes and foursomes of “girlfriends.” (Have girls always been going around in super short dresses and sky high heels, or is it more now because of the movie?) Three or four girls together is pretty annoying – too busy chattering to realize they’re blocking the aisle, saying, “Hi!” to the ticket guy before I’m even done buying my ticket – but three or four girls together at Sex and the City are SUPER annoying.

MB and I ran into the same type of crowds when we went to see Kung Fu Panda (a different demographic, to say the least, and a really funny movie with excellent action scenes). Hordes and hordes of women in short dresses and heels, all chattering and tossing their hair.

I’m a woman and it scared me.

The movie was entertaining. Some parts were quite funny, and all the actresses were very good. But it was also ridiculous, and not just because of the outfits.

HEREBE SPOILERS SO IF YOU WANT SHUT YOUR EYES.

1) The whole getting married thing. The movie made it seem like it was all about getting married. Big and Carrie acknowledged that they were “perfectly happy before deciding to live happily ever after,” and yet they still got married.

2) The whole forgiving adultery thing. I can understand it. Sometimes it is just a mistake. But that the “girls” were so adamant that Miranda was making THE BIGGEST MISTAKE OF HER LIFE by leaving Steve for having cheated. Yet, Big leaving Carrie at the aisle was worse?

I thought I had more. Guess it was just those two.

The only relationship-related thing I liked was that Samantha left her boyfriend, saying, “I love you but I love me more.” Although I do think not every relationship calls for you to give yourself up, I like that she acknowledged that some do, and you should have a choice.

Overheard on the street: “I can’t believe Samantha left her boyfriend! He was SO CUTE!!!”

Oy.

I think what’s more interesting than the actual Sex and the City movie is the phenom itself, everyone’s reactions to it, whether they hate it or love it. Like I said, I’m not a huge fan, but here I am writing a post about it.

Most fun was YP and I making snide comments about every outfit: “What the hell is she wearing? Is that a bird in her hair? That’s the third time we’ve seen that belt.”

~ ~ ~

In other news, I got my hair cut yesterday and it’s SOOO short. Like Mia Farrow short, only I ain’t no Mia Farrow. Overall I like it, but in a few weeks I’ll like it more, and after I get some product to smooth it down and keep it from looking like 80s pseudo punk.

MB is in Europe currently doing another conference (this time all expenses paid in advance, yay!). I have homework to do today, but I’d much rather go shopping for some cute outfits. Since this haircut, I feel like I need some more skirts and sytlish clothes. Also for some reason I want to get my eyebrows done. Maybe cuz my face feels more open.

Now that it’s summer, I really miss the Park. It was so easy just to meander over and go for a run. Now it’s more of a trek than a meander, but still doable. I just need to make the effort.

Suffocating

Yesterday I spent the day with my parents for Mother’s Day, and for some reason, this visit felt particularly stifling.

My mother is quite pleased with my brother and me right now. My brother just got a permament gig, and I have the new job and the boyfriend (or the boyfriend and the new job, if Mom had any say in prioritizing), but she can’t really be satisfied with that. She has to constantly get her two cents in.

I received unsolicited advice/questions/opinions on:

Moving my office

Buying a new wardrobe for my new job

Moving my apartment [My parents think I’m moving in June, and don’t know that I’ve already moved. So I’m a wimp. But at least they know!]

What I should do about my furniture

MB’s apartment

Whether or not we should have a TV

Whether or not a grocery store is nearby

Whether or not the area is safe

That we should save money and buy a condo

That we should have some kind of commitment ceremony [Wha??? Well, at least she’s not pushing for marriage.]

MB’s job situation

That I should remind him to apply for unemployment

Other stuff about MB

Oy.

And that was just a few hours.

I don’t mind talking about this stuff, but hearing someone’s opinion and advice, especially when I haven’t asked for it, all day long is well, suffocating.

Seeing people get engaged, married, have babies makes me NOT want to go down the traditional path again. It’s everyone’s own choice of course, but for me, I hate feeling those social pressures, from people who think they can comment on my life.

I told several colleagues that I was moving, and of course they asked what prompted the move, so I told them I was moving in with MB. And two asked about marriage. “Do I hear wedding bells?” one said.

I think it’s nosy and inappropriate. You don’t know what someone’s beliefs or past experiences are. It’s like asking about children. IT’S NONE OF THEIR DAMNED BUSINESS.

I’m not saying, woe is me, I’m so scarred from my past, that’s why I don’t want to do this. It’s like this: I envision a road, let’s call it the Road of Tradition, and the first marker is Getting Engaged, next is Getting Married, next Buying a House, and finally Having Kids. (Of course there’s lots more after that, but that’s about as far as I can see right now.)

And all along the Road are family, friends, acquaintances, colleagues, and strangers, waving and smiling. For some that’s all they do, but others are also doling out advice and opinions, and expressing their expectations, whether or not you give a shit.

Meanwhile over at the Road Less Traveled, there is no one. There is just me and MB, and maybe some birds and shit, walking hand in hand. What’s down that road is visible only to us.

library / rant and/or rave / sick / tcob / work — 1 Comment
09
May 08

My final is over, yay!

It took me the entire class time, which I wasn’t expecting since I had finished the midterm early, but suddenly it was the last 10 minutes, and I looked up surprised to see that 2/3’s of the room was empty.

I was able to answer some questions very fully, like the significance of FRBR, and the advantages and disadvantages of Dewey Decimal vs Library of Congress classification. These were two areas I felt shaky in, and so studied like crazy.

I feel like the teacher didn’t do a good job teaching these concepts. When comparing the two classification systems, for instance, she was very vague. I didn’t even know for instance that mostly academic and government libraries use LC while public and school libraries use Dewey, till I did my own research online. I didn’t know that LC subclasses are completely inconsistent since they’re developed by experts in each class, rather than across classes.

Of course there were a few questions I felt like I was bullshitting, or didn’t have much to say about it. Oh well. At least it’s over. My summer session starts right away on Monday. Web design.

My cold seems to have completely evaporated. Very strange. A few days of a sore throat, one day of a runny nose, and gone. Not bad. MB had it much worse.

Yesterday I was finally able to get my passport photos. First I went to CVS but they were a hot mess. The girl couldn’t even tell me how long it would take.

Me: “Will it be a few minutes? Shoud I wait?”
Her: “Ummm, uhhh. No, I wouldn’t wait.”
Me: “Okay, I can come back. When? In an hour?”
Her: “Ummm, uhhh.”
Me: “At the end of the day? Five? Six?”
Her: “Ummm, uhhh. Can you come later?”
Me: “I’ll just come back tomorrow.”

I felt like I was at an auction. Do I hear five minutes? How about 10? An hour? Sheesh.

So I returned the next day, which was yesterday. Chaos! At least three other customers appeared to be unhappy/irate. My turn came and asked for my photos. The same girl looked through a couple of different envelopes. Nothing.

“Who took your picture?” she asked.

“Uh, I think you did,” I said.

Then she disappeared in the back, and was fiddling with a camera. Fiddle, filddle. I saw her take the battery out and put it back in.

“So are they ready?” I asked.

“Umm, uhhh.”

I had a feeling she hadn’t even downloaded them from the camera. Luckily I hadn’t paid a penny. “Forget it,” I said. “I’ll get them somewhere else.”

And get them somewhere else I did, from this little hole in the wall down the street. Took five minutes. Now all I have to do is send my stuff in and I’ll have a valid passport. Yay!

This afternoon my coworkers are taking me and my other colleague who’s leaving out for drinks. That’s very nice of them, but I wish I could use the time to work out instead. Then again, I could have gotten myself up early and gone to the gym then. Oh well. At least I got three workouts in this week.

Our dresser arrives today! Now I can organize my clothes better and free up some closet space.

Glad it’s the weekend and with no homework to do. :)

food / rant and/or rave — Comments Off
14
Apr 08

Slop

A new noodle bar called Slurp just opened in my neighborhood, which MB and I were both excited to see. Usually we go to Ramen Setagaya, but it’s eight blocks away, which isn’t far but sometimes around the corner, which Slurp is, is nice.

So far I’ve been to Slurp twice, once with MB and last night on my own for takeout. Both times I’m afraid I wasn’t that impressed. The crispy rolls were good, but my pho was mediocre. The first time I had a spicy beef and last night the oxtail, and both times the meat was horribly fatty and gristly. Inedible in fact.

Now I like some fatty meat, but melt-in-your-mouth fatty, like the pork medallions at Setagaya, not as chewy as a wad of rubberbands. And for $14, a bowl of mediocre, gristly oxtail pho is so not worth it in my book.

Now if only Setegaya would move eight blocks closer to where I lived.

rant and/or rave / work — 2 Comments
11
Apr 08

It’s unofficial

Ahem:

Angela,
Would you please confirm that your manager is aware that you are interviewing for our position. Once we receive your confirmation we will be able to begin the offer process.

Woot!

This is for the communications manager position, the one I really want. I was getting so down about my job yesterday, I emailed the HR person, just asking about timing re: the decision, and above was her response to me.

It’s kind of weirdly worded – it took me a second to realize she meant the offer was for me!

My boss was NOT happy when I told him. In fact he was borderline unprofessional. He didn’t try to hide his unhappiness at all, and then said, “You should have told me sooner, now I can’t backfill your position,” which is BULLSHIT because what, I tell him I’m interviewing and he starts looking for my replacement before I get the job?

Only now he realizes how much will be left hanging after I leave. Yesterday we had a more civilized conversation, starting to work out my transition plan and who would take over what.
The timeline? Next week he’ll get the official call from HR, after which I’ll get the official notice, at which point we’ll work out when I can leave.

This changes my whole attitude. Now I feel much more energetic because I know there’s an end in sight, and want to wrap up my projects as tightly as possible.

I’ve been telling way too many people before the official word is out, but I can’t help it. :)

One of my other coworkers has also been particularly annoying. He has a vision on how I should be doing one of my projects – yes, MY project – and has come in assuming that nothing has been done, and keeps stopping by with his ideas.

I want to say, “Dude, I so don’t care cuz I’m outta here!”

To tell the truth, I don’t care anyway. I was actually quite candid with him and said this project was one of the more boring ones to me, but he keeps saying, “This is a golden opportunity! You should feel passionate about it!” Did I just not say I found it boring? If I need to force myself to feel passion about something, that’s an issue.

This has been my situation for quite some time: people thinking I should feel more passionate about marketing, and the fact that I JUST DON’T. The only one who actually listened to me was my old boss. He said look at your strengths and decide where to go. He implied that it was okay that I wasn’t into marketing.

Everyone else says, “Give yourself my credit! You’re smart enough to do it!” What difference does it make how smart I am if the subject bores me to tears?

And I’ve been equating my lack of interest as a shortcoming on my part. That I wasn’t a good enough worker, that I didn’t belong here at my company, that I just wasn’t good enough. After speaking with the people I’ve interviewed with for my new job, I realize that’s not the case. The woman I talked to on Tuesday basically said she thought “strategic thought” was bullshit. There’s this document out about our company’s plan for the future. She picked it up from her desk and said, “I’ve read this six times. I sitll have no idea what it means.”

YES! Someone like me! Someone who thinks corp speak and business thought is total bullshit!

This woman is no dummy either. She has a background in both finance and communications, and came over from a large tech company. She was also great fun to talk to.

I can’t wait to tell my annoying co-worker I’m leaving.

crazy stuff my mom says / moving / random / rant and/or rave — 1 Comment
08
Apr 08

Tuesday randomness

It’s only Tuesday and I’m already ready to get random.

I finally got my watch fixed. After several years of not wearing a watch, I’ve recently started wearing my again. Only I either a) can’t stop looking at it, especially in long boring meetings, or 2) forget that I have it on so that I’m wandering around, wondering what time it is. Today I forgot to wear it.

Firefly was a good show. MB downloaded a bunch of episodes and we’ve been watching them for the past few days. What a good show. It’s neat that Chinese is thrown in here and there (the Alliance is a U.S.-Sino Alliance, since in the future America and China will be the only true super powers left), but sometimes the actors’ accents are so bad, I can’t tell what they’re saying. Too bad the show was canceled.

My mother can be so annoying. I called her late last week to tell her about the jobs I’ve been interviewing for, and how I actually feel hopeful. She said, “That nice. But it’s not like your job is so bad now.” Um, have you not been listening to me complain for the past year?

But that’s not all: “Sure, getting a new job is nice, but what’s more important is that you’re with someone now.”

Wha? Hunh?

One doesn’t preclude the other – career and relationship are in two different realms for me. I was perfectly fine boyfriend-less, but in a crappy job with a shitty boss, I’m still unhappy. No boyfriend = happy. With boyfriend = happier. Crappy job = UNHAPPY. Uncrappy job = happy.

My mother didn’t really see my point.

And the rest. Reposted my furniture ad and have gotten more responders. Hopefully tonight “Jenny” will buy my tea tables. Another woman is supposedly interested in the dressers and couch. Don’t tease me!

Had another digital marketing interview bright and early this morning. I think it went well, but who knows. Have my last one for communication manager in a little bit.

friends / moving / rant and/or rave — 2 Comments
06
Apr 08

More furniture fun

I’m slowly but surely selling pieces of my furniture.

Needless to say, the flaky girl who couldn’t keep straight what time she wanted to come by backed out. “Oh gee, I measured my apartment and I don’t think they’ll fit.” Maybe that’s something you should have thought about before being so annoying about me holding those two tea tables. Lame ass bitch.

I hate to say this, but so far it’s been the guys who have been very straightforward – “Want. Buy.” – and the women who are flaky and can’t make up their minds. The three people who have actually bought stuff (namely the leaning desk, both bookcases, and my bedframe, which I never thought I’d get rid of) have all been guys. The women?

Case #1
Saturday morning “Sabrina” stopped by bright and early and said she wanted the bookcases. But first she’d have to see if her husband would move them, and she’d let me know about Sunday. Not a word.

Case #2
“Iris” emails me about the Sleep Number bed, saying that recently her husband has died and that she needs a new bed and a “good night’s sleep.” Oh my, TMI. :(

In any case, I send poor Iris a picture of the bed. Her reply?

“Is that a real Sleep Number bed? It doesn’t look like a real Sleep Number bed.”

Why, because Lindsay Wagner isn’t lounging on it saying, “I’m a 34”? I didn’t even bother answering her.

Case #3
“Nikki,” the annoying tea table girl.

MB was back in time to help me with the bed this afternoon. Luckily he was around to help take it apart because I don’t think either the guy or I would have figured it out. Or it’d have taken 2 hours instead of 20 minutes.

Aside from all the furniture madness, I also saw Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day with YP. It was really good. I enjoyed it immensely.

I’m mostly caught up with school so I think I’ll work on my writing tonight.

library / moving / rant and/or rave / tcob / work — Comments Off
04
Apr 08

TCOB

Place Craig’s List ad to sell furniture – check!

Send thank you card and small gift (a box of Neuhaus chocolates) to the very nice librarians at my site visit – check!

Go crazy with interviews – check and check and check!

Library School
My school has the worst student registration site. What we had to do was fill in this “worksheet,” email our advisor – which turned out to be just the office assistant so who knows if she actually checked anything – wait for his/her approval, THEN register for classes.

Also there are separate searches for classes and sections. Like you could pick a class for summer session 1, only to find out it’s not available during that term. Good usability. PLUS on top of everything the whole system was down at peak registration time.

Luckily one of my classmates told me about her whole experience so I knew what to do. I will be taking:

Summer 1: Web design. Wanted to take Digital Libraries but no one else signed up for it so it was canceled.

Summer 2: Electronic Collections and Services.

Fall: Information Technologies & Information Sources and Services.

The summer classes are compressed so instead of just one day a week for two and a half hours, they are two days a week, three hours at a time. Pretty intense. But I have all of August off, yay!

Work
This week I had a total of five interviews, two for that communications manager position, two for digital marketing, and one for a new position, project manager in compliance.

Both for communications manager went well; I am crossing all of my fingers and toes.

The first one for digital marketing was stupid. The guy just went on and on and on about the position and the website that I’d be managing, and then proceeded to tell me all about his own background. I talked for maybe two seconds.

But the second one, which I had this morning, went well I think. The woman and I got along and had an interesting conversation, and she said a few “very goods.” She also made the position sound more appealing than I thought it was from my first interview.

The one for the compliance project manager position was yesterday, and went well too I think, similar to the first one had for communications manager. When they scheduled it with me, the assistant called and said, “This is Whomever from Corporate Compliance,” and I thought, What did I do?

I’m glad to have all the interviews, but I want to KNOW NOW if I got any of those jobs. I had an extremely annoying meeting with my boss (and others) yesterday, and I just sat there silently. I really don’t care to fight the fight anymore; all of this bores the shit out of me. And my boss continues to micromanage and be paranoid.

I don’t know if the possibility of getting another job makes me feel better or worse about my situation. I think better in general: when I imagine a new position with the people I’ve met with, I get very happy. But in contrast my current stuff seems even worse.

Furniture Craziness
People are so annoying. Most are reasonable – can I see a picture of that chair? – but some are just unbelievable. For instance, regarding a time for a pick up:

Her: How about after work on Friday?
Me: Okay, how’s between 5:30 and 6?
Her: Okay so I’ll be there at 5:15 tonight.

Also,

Her: Actually do you think you could bring the tables to my workplace?
Me (What are you smoking?): No.

Supposedly this person is coming tonight at 5:30. We’ll see.

More rumbling on the train

Ah, a no meeting day! Yippee! Yesterday for some reason I was clobbered with meetings, and that was even after playing hooky from two of them in the morning.

Last night I got into it with this woman on the subway. I was on my way to class and the train was very crowded. Unlike a lot of dumb fucks, when I get on the train, I don’t stand by the door, blocking the way. I push as far inside as I can, which was what I did last night. I saw a space, albeit tiny, and made my way there.

Then this woman kept getting in my way. Glancing at me, she moved in front of me every time I tried to move to the space I had my eye on. So I did what any enterprising New Yorker would do: I squeezed past her, into that space, thereby creating room behind me.

Her reaction? “You could say excuse me.”

Why, cuz you’re the queen of England? I said, “You saw that I was trying to get in here.”

“Why don’t I just get right off this train?” she said. “Why don’t I take a taxi?”

“That would be nice,” I said before I knew it.

Is it me or them? Not sure anymore.

MB and I are both in town this weekend. Yay! Need to get me some more furniture for his place, which before me was sort of, um, spare. I already have a desk. Still need a comfy chair and a dresser.

Last night we saw The Bank Job. It was an entertaining heist movie. We both thought the actress who played Martine was very strange-looking. Like her cheekbones and chin were extremely exaggerated, and her lips were very pronounced, and it looked like she had trouble moving the top one, though it didn’t seem like she had any work done. We hope to see Horton Hears a Who! this weekend.

Off to lunch.

news / rant and/or rave / work — 3 Comments
13
Mar 08

Too much about Spitzer

But here’s a little more.

David Byrne ( yes, that David Byrne) makes a really good point on his blog. Spitzer is identified as client #9 (kind of like Chanel No. 5, only dumber) – what about clients 1 through 8? They were all part of the prostitution ring that the FBI wiretapped so the feds know who they are – how come they’re not being plastered all over the news?

Byrne’s theory these are mega rich bigwigs, possibly Republicans with a vendetta against the Caught Crusader. MB and I discussed over lunch who the possible 8 could be:

8) Some movie star. Lots live in New York – Robert DeNiro? Kanye? Woody Allen? Take your pick.

7) Mob boss #1

6) Mob boss # 2. Hey, the Emperor’s Club apparently covered New Jersey too.

5) A Yankee. Derek Jeter? A-Rod?

4) Some super-rich CEO of some overbloated corporation or another

3) Rich bigwig Republican #1

2) Rich bigwig Republican #2

And finally. . .

1) Slick Willy himself, and Westchester County resident.

“It’s good to be President.”

~ ~ ~

In other news, I had an interview today for a communications manager position. This would essentially be coordinating and creating communications – whether via announcements, emails, presentations – between four different groups that are now under one worldwide group, which sounds really good to me.

With my other interviews, I couldn’t tell how they went. All I knew was they didn’t go badly, but they weren’t fabulous. This one I think – knock wood – went well. It was more of a discussion and exchange of ideas, rather than an interview. Then he asked that I send him some PowerPoints and other communications I’ve created.

Like everything, wait and see.

Class tonight. And MB’s off to Chicago, boohoo! He’s back Monday night.

Angela Tung Oversharing on the internet since 2005.