Pregnant need not apply?

This is why America is so far behind the rest of the world:

Just days before starting a new job as a receptionist, Kimberly Sudhoff took a telephone call from a hiring manager who asked for her uniform size.
Because she was four months' pregnant, Sudhoff said she wasn't sure about her size. A few days later, she said, the manager rescinded the employment offer and questioned Sudhoff's commitment to the job.
Sudhoff said she was encouraged to reapply after having the baby.

Wookie on my wedding invitations?

OH MY GOD oh my god oh my god this is the best idea the post office has EVER had.....The Boston Globe says:

WASHINGTON --Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi will do battle one more time -- and the emperor, Han Solo, Princess Leia and others will join in the struggle. A set of 15 stamps commemorating the Star Wars movies will be released in May, the Postal Service said Wednesday.

The 41-cent stamps will be released May 25. The price of sending a letter goes up to that rate on May 14.

The 15 stamps will be issued on a single sheet that resembles a movie poster. Once the stamps are available, people who want to vote for their favorite will be able to do it online at http://www.uspsjedimaster.com.

Wedding day hair salon

Check out the salon where I'm going to get my hair and nails done.....if you want in, let me know! I'm going to book a huge girlie (ugh) appointment for the day of the wedding, and all are welcome.

www.moodzspa.com

There's something worse than the T?

To think all this time I thought Chicago would HAVE to have a superior subway system to the T....I mean, seriously, IT'S THE T.

But the New York times says, "deteriorating tracks and trains, chronic budget shortfalls and a region ever more dependent on rail service are forcing Chicagoans to confront the possibility that the system, commonly known as the El or the L, may be at a breaking point.

The El, with its 1,190 rail cars and 222 miles of track, is the rail component of the transit authority, the second-largest public transit system in the country after New York’s.

Replacing coffee with water...

.....has been an outright failure. I know that buying coffee every day is silly, so I can see cutting down. But for some reason this weekend I got the bright idea to stop drinking coffee every morning -- except for Wednesday's deadline day, which is an early morning with a late night -- in favor of water, which is supposed to help complexion, health, general wellbeing.

Yeah, not so much. Somehow water doesn't do anything to cure the blinding headache that results from coffee withdrawal. Not only was I yawning every five minutes and rubbing my eyes in a most unprofessional manner, I couldn't think about work at ALL because my mind was stuck on the smell and taste of delicious iced coffee.

And so I bought one. Also I can't stop thinking about the fact that I can't see Mark in FOREVER, which usually I deal with a bit better. The problem is that now I have nothing to look forward to; before, it was "after 'On the Town, I'll get to see him." Now, it's "after the summer, maybe I'll get to see him."

If I can remember who he is at that point!

So, in the meantime, I cling to my next closest codependency: coffee.

Engagement Pictures

I have to give a shout out to our wedding photographer and my great friend, Joe. He did these engagement shots and he's shooting our big day in October.

Check out his blog at jpgphotography.blogspot.com.

the winning dress!

Click here to see it!

I signed up!

Folks, I've talked about it for years....now, I've decided to finally get involved with the Pan Mass Challenge.

Since my wedding is coming up right after this year's ride, I am going to postpone training for the ride until next year. So this year, I'll be volunteering instead. I'll be registering riders on Friday afternoon. This way, I'll be able to get a feel for the ride before I do it myself, which next year I'm determined to do, after I save up for a good road bike and get this wedding planning behind me.

Unlike the riders, I'm not obligated to raise money, but I will be gathering donations to support this worthy cause. Here's a link to donate to my profile if you wish:
http://www.pmc.org/egifts/giftinfo.asp?EgiftID=AM0182

I've written about it for years, and I knew from the very first article I did that I'd be doing this race some day. This is the first step toward me getting there next year.
I'm pumped!

Holy crap, the corruption

From the L.A. Times:
WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats signaled Sunday that of the eight federal prosecutors abruptly ousted by the Bush administration, the case in San Diego is emerging as the most troubling because of new allegations that U.S. Atty. Carol C. Lam was fired in an attempt to shut down investigations into Republican politicians in Southern California.

Appearing on CBS' "Face the Nation," Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) revealed evidence that Lam had notified Washington about search warrants in a Republican corruption case last year. Soon thereafter, a top Justice Department official in Washington wrote to the White House about a "real problem we have right now with Carol Lam."

Wedding hairstyles that I like

A view from a refugee camp

This is a vivid and disturbing video project of Sudanese refugees in Chad....one woman describes being gang raped, and others tell how they survived raids on their homes and watching their family members get killed.

(Photo by Travis Fox, the videographer of the above link, courtesy of Washingtonpost.com)

Pigging out

Even if we do raise them for food, I can't see treating animals like this.

Don't ask, don't tell?

From the Washington Post, today's top article:

In World War II, a British mathematician named Alan Turing led the effort to crack the Nazis' communication code. He mastered the complex German enciphering machine, helping to save the world, and his work laid the basis for modern computer science.
Does it matter that Turing was gay?
To fill its needs, the Army is granting a record number of "moral waivers," allowing even felons to enlist. Yet we turn away patriotic gay and lesbian citizens.


Read the rest here.

Funniest video of the day:

Belly up to the barre

Is 80 the new 65?

Interesting article about how life will change as Americans live longer and longer...

The expectations of Americans will have to change, starting with the outdated idea that one can retire at 65. And it's not just an extension of working years that individuals will have to accept. We can also expect health problems to multiply, at least temporarily, as people live longer in bodies that didn't have the benefit of the latest in nutritional knowledge, new treatments or better working conditions.

Click here to read the full L.A. Times article.

Thoughts on these dresses?

Stitch N' Bitch

Off to Panera Bread in Saugus for the Monday night stitch n' bitch group. I'm doing an article on them, but I might go back in the future to de-stress!

Free ice skating too!

This is last minute, but anyone who hasn't gone to the community skating rink in Kendall Square -- I tried it on a below-zero, windy day and still had fun -- can get in on it for the last time, this Thursday, for FREE. It's between second street and Athenaeum, and there's parking nearby. Skate rentals are also free this Thursday from noon to 8.

Mark, in case you weren't aware, I'll likely be dragging you to this:)

Free iced coffee day!

Alert!
On March 21, Dunkin' Donuts is giving away FREE small iced coffees. Don't miss it! They're usually overpriced!

Vacation's over, time for iced coffee

Vacation ending is bad enough. But today also marked the end of me seeing Mark until....April, May maybe. He is in two shows and one of them he's directing; the schedules for both go 'round the clock, weekdays and weekends. It sucks. And yes, I'm feeling bad for myself.

Hence I'm going to buy coffee and do some errands so I can mope in public, instead of burdening my office mates.

Oh, and my reporter is leaving for another newspaper. So when I get back, I'm going to be ringing up some freelancers. Anybody know anyone?!???

I found my Liz

I don't think anyone understands how momentous this is.
The very DAY I decided to transfer my blog to this spot, I found my long lost friend Liz -- actually, I found her sister -- blogging right here.
I've been searching for Liz for, like, a year. We lost touch, changed phone numbers and addresses, and now I'm trying to find her to invite her to my wedding. To be honest, if I had been able to find her sooner, I would have probably forced her to be IN my wedding!
Lucky for her she got out of that.
Anyway, I thought that was a nice way to start off my new blog. In the future, I hope it's less about the mundane happenings of my life, but for now -- I'm too happy to let this pass.
Liz, you are hard to find. But I'm so glad I found you again!