The Film Noir Experience

If you are out walking around and you see someone wearing a big, wooly sweater with a reindeer on it, I think it would be fair to wish them a Merry Christmas. Or, if you are at a coffee shop and someone is wearing a Santa hat, you can wish them to a Merry Christmas. But, in general I'm not down with wishing random people I don't know a happy holiday that they may or may not be celebrating.

I think its presumptuous. But, that's just me.

Today, I had some spare time and I went to the yarn shop and Hobby Lobby and outside Hobby Lobby there was a Salvation Army bellringer. A Bellringer that wished me Happy Holidays. Now, given my previous rant about how presumptuous it is to wish people who aren't wearing santa hats or unfortunate wooly jumpers notwithstanding, its the Salvation Army. The Salvation Army, who were founded by a methodist minister and his wife in 1865. Good, god-fearing, temperant people who started an organization to reach out to the people living in poverty in London's East End. The Salvation Army, in my book, gets a free ride. They're allowed to tell people Merry Christmas, because they're not out bell-ringing for the holidays. They didn't ring for Ramadam. They're not ringing for Chanukah or Kwanzaa. They're out their ringing because its Christmas and because its good to remember to be kind to one's fellow man at least once a year. I love the bellringers. Its such silly thing to be happy about, hearing that bell. It just makes me think that people are alright, knowing that when its freezing cold outside there are people willing to volunteer to raise money ringing a bell in order to help others out.

Posted by Kate at 09:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

For what feels like the first time since I've been back in the country, the sun is out. We had an ice storm a few days ago, so the trees that were made crystaline and delicate with ice are now dripping their diamonds all over the pavement. It sounds a lot prettier than it is. All the snow is becoming slushy and in some places its beginning to mix with the dirt so its also a little swampy. Even with the ice slowly dripping off the trees, they still look shiny and alive.

Posted by Kate at 06:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

You know, they tell you to get things done early, not so that things are done and that they are out of the way and you can enjoy life. But rather because there are a thousand little things that crop up that you aren't aware are important that have to be done.

The little things will get you every time. The little things like remembering the exact date and time of something that seemed innocuous and unimportant but that turns out to be vital if you need to retrieve a random bit of documentation.

I am slowly checking little things off of my list of little things How is that possible? Ah, the wonders of relative time.) And, as it turns out, whilst you are checking little things off of your list, you find that other things are being added to it.

For example, if what you need is to send a GRE score someplace, you have to remember things like when you took the test.

Or, if you need to have a transcript someplace and it turns out to be quicker to do it online, you have to call and get your University account reinstated so that you may sign online and make the request. The good news is, I suppose, that things should be done by Monday. That means I have to work extra hard between now and then, though.

Posted by Kate at 05:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

To get to Chicago, I first had to fly through Dublin. Aer Lingus had the cheapest flight. It was a nice little flight. Its only about 55 minutes. I got to sit in the exit row and stretch my legs. They still have the flight attendants doing the safety speech instead of having a video. No turbulence, no problems.

When we got to the airport, the captain came on and said, "Welcome to Dublin. Just to let you know, we are using the stairs instead of the jetway because Dublin is having a power shortage."

I thought, "shortage" meaning that they didn't have enough for everything. They meant "shortage" as in "electrical shortage" as in the power was out. So, we were waved straight through immigration and told to go upstairs where we joined the people milling about waiting to check in and the ever growing queue of people who had been waved through immigration and already had their boarding cards and were just waiting to get a connecting flight. The power wasn't out that long, only about half an hour. (At least, I was only present for about half an hour of the shortage.) After that, they got lights and x-ray machines and computers back. They didn't have the monitors back that told you which gate you should be heading to. So, you had to go through security and then wait patiently in a crowd of people while someone in a yellow safety vest looked up each flight on a list and told everyone where to go. This only the delayed the flight for about half an hour, but I think its the best reason I've ever heard for a flight delay.

Posted by Kate at 11:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Greetings!

I will update with an extensive set of show notes for this show. However, I wanted to get it posted while I was still in Cardiff. You can left click on the link to listen to it from the site, or you can download it by right-clicking and then "saving target as..."

The Last Curiosities from Cardiff

Posted by Kate at 07:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This image came from Partofeverything

Ya, so here we are. This is most likely my last post from Cardiff. (Although, I do hope to do a podcast throughout today while I finish up my packing.)

This is also the end of NaBloPoMo '07. Thanks to the people of NaBloPoMo for inspiring me to post every day this month. And, to Beth, Lisa, and Melissa for attempting to do it with me!

Today is going to be a semi-busy day of finishing stuff up and saying my good-byes. Right now we're having curry from the deli/catering place down the road from us. Curry with real big chunks of steak in it. Its incredible. If you are in Cardiff and have a chance to have a bite from Simply Steve's (or have a chance to eat something catered by them) I highly recommend it. We've not had a bad thing from them.

Also, Preston, I will send you a nice long email re: your comment hopefully by the end of the week. Just been a bit busy.

Posted by Kate at 01:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)