I was at Walgreens today

and the woman at the register referred to the credit card machine as retarded. Three times. I was so embarrassed. I might need to send a note to the manager. I wonder if she will get in trouble? I hope not, but come on.

Get this...

Aine --

[adjective]: Smells like teen spirit

'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

Although I would be unable to live off the land...

I am an Indian. Just as I typed that I recognized how this is not PC. Are people still concerned with being politically correct?

You Are an Indian

It's likely that you spent a lot of time outdoors as a kid. You feel comfortable and at peace in nature. You identify with Native Americans. You are a truly helpful and giving person. You like to lend a hand. And while you do your best to do the right thing, people haven't always been kind back to you.

Are You a Pilgrim or an Indian?

Aine is mystified by Facebook.

My brother told me I should sign up on Facebook. Several months ago I did and I wish I hadn't.

I don't get it.

Do people really care about what other people are doing RIGHT NOW? Why is that something that needs to be shared? And what's with "friends" telling "friends" what they are doing when what they are really doing is telling their "friends" what they are doing?

I don't get Facebook just like I did't get High School. Maybe if I was under twenty I would understand.

That's all for now. I wish someone could explain it to me...

The most important thing you will do today.

You will wonder how you got on in life without knowing this.

You Are a Chocolate Chip Bagel

You are creative, experimental, and and self-aware. You are a very bohemian person, and you tend to live a strange life. Of all the types, you're the most likely to go for strange food combinations. You tend to have coffee for breakfast. Anything with lots of coffee will do.

What Kind of Bagel Are You?

From the Isle of Man...

comes a good story.

Regan - read it and we'll discuss (de Valera, Collins, uprising, civil war, treaty, etc.) later.

Blue Skies

With the start of the new school year, the e-mails from the sky-diving club at University College, Limerick have started up again.

I am not sure why I get these e-mails. I thought it was from when I helped the Irish Fest with and had e-mails forwarded to me, but I quit that months ago. I am kind of glad they didn't stop coming. I like to imagine I am:

1. A college student again.
2. In Ireland.
3. Ballsy enough to sky-dive.

I really want to go to the kick off club party at Molly's on Monday. It sounds like fun.

Blue skies! (that is how the club president closes his e-mails)

It is as if they know me...

Not really. I am stubborn, but flighty, extreme, and unstable? Please.

What Your Name Says About You

Your name says that you are mostly: Ambitious but stubborn Your name also says you are: Artistic but extreme Unconventional but unstable Passionate but flighty

What Does Your Name Say About You?

My Irish History

I won second-place in the Kansas City Irish Fest writing contest. The theme was "My Irish History". A couple caveats: the first-place entry was announced as having won by a "landslide" and there may have only been three entries...


It was usually around Thanksgiving when the teacher would gather us in a circle and ask us to share our ethnic backgrounds with the class. As my classmates struggled to piece together their intricate heritage pie charts (“I’m one-eighth French, one-eighth German, one-half Swedish, one-fourth Norwegian…”), I waited patiently for my turn. I had it easy.
“I am 100% Irish.”
Although I was proud to be Irish-American and liked the ease of being 100% something, I had never thought too much about what it meant.
Early in my life, my dad defined Irish for me. He was passionate about Ireland – from the history and the music to the legends and the poetry. He would sing along to The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem as he worked at his desk. I can hear his favorites like “Roddy McCorley” blaring from the stereo speakers in his den.
Dad was a bit of a romantic with a flair for the dramatic. He would get misty-eyed when reciting a poem by Yeats or when recounting the struggles faced by the Irish people throughout history. Sometimes the music was a little loud and my dad a little sappy, but this is what I thought being Irish was all about.
On a spring day in 1981, I came home to find an Irish flag draped across our front porch. I could only imagine what my dad was up to. Dad wasn’t around and when I asked my mom about the flag she told me it was to show support for Bobby Sands and his hunger strike in Northern Ireland. My mom explained the situation to me - the IRA, Sands, and the unjust treatment of the prisoners. Sands just wanted to be recognized and treated as a political prisoner.
I didn’t think my mom had it in her. She was the one who had put up the flag. What a surprise! My mom was just as Irish as my dad, only in a different way. New possibilities emerged to define what it meant to be Irish-American. I have embraced the complexities of my heritage and the expression of who I am.
Looking back, it was the other kids who had it easy. I doubt many of them spent much time wondering about what it meant to be Franco-German-Swedish-Norwegian-American. They could quantify who they were – they had a pie chart.

Back burner.

I am not actively pursuing a guide dog right now. Not the right time. I think what I want right now is more of a pet. Like a turtle or a bird.

Or maybe I just need my brother and his family to move here - I think nieces are way better than pets.

My first niece just turned one-year-old yesterday. She is absolutely the cutest thing ever. And I will have another niece in September. Yippy! I can't wait.

The perfect thing to determine my personality...the beach!

What the Beach Test Says About You

You like people, but you're careful about who you get close to. Friendship is important to you... so important that you aren't just friends with anyone. You don't fall in love easily. It takes you a long time to get used to someone. Intimacy doesn't come easily for you. You are deeply passionate about several things in your life. You're not passionate about much... and the few passions you have are truly obsessions. Your sense of humor is sarcastic, snarky, and realistic. You're not exactly happy-go-lucky.

The Beach Test

Guide Dog

I think I want to get one. I never thought I would want one, but I think it might be time. It has been ten years since I became (mostly) blind. There are a few problems:

1. I am very allergic to dogs (and just about everything else) and even the so-called "hypo-allergenic" breeds still can be a problem to an allergy sufferer.
2. I am not sure I am a dog person.
3. I don't want to get close to a dog only to have it die. I was reading a little bit on the web about when you have to retire your dog and it broke my heart.

I still think I want one. I will report back when I have more info.

Who is that?

I just turned on David Letterman and I could not figure out who the guest was. He really sounded familiar, but didn't look even vaguely familiar to me.

It was Al Pacino. Freaky. I felt the same way when I saw Robert Redford on the Academy Awards several years ago.

The personality analysis is questionable, but dead-on with the shoes1

What Your Little Black Dress Says About You

You are flirtatious and playful. You prefer a casual environment. It's hard for you to take anyone too seriously... including yourself. Your style is fresh and modern. You are often the first to experiment with new trends. If you were a shoe, you would be: A ballet flat

The Little Black Dress Test

"I've found that prayers work best when you have big players."

Knute Rockne died this day in 1931.

I had a good group to chose from today including Charlotte Bronte, John Donne, Grandma Moses, and George Braque. I couldn't resist the sports quote. I guess once a coach's daughter, always a coach's daughter...

Yesterday I saw In Bruges. Excellent movie.

A couple of weeks ago I saw "The Other Boleyn Girl". That was the worst movie made since that gymnastics movie in the Eighties with Mitch Gaylord. I thought it would be entertaining but it was HORRIBLE! I am not sure if it was the screenplay or the acting that turned interesting historical figures living in a fascinating time into huge snore jobs, but it was bad.

I was pleasantly surprised with "In Bruges". Go see it.

"There is only one absinthe drinker, and that's the man who painted this idiotic picture."

The French artist Thomas Couture who died March 30, 1879 said this in reference to Manet's "The Absinthe Drinker".

I have heard of Couture, but only as an early teacher of Manet. Funny, isn't it? Today no one remembers the large-scale, romantic, landscape crap Couture painted (I don't know this, but I am guessing it is true). But "this idiodic picture" helped revolutionize painting. I wonder if Couture was bitter or just arrogant? He definitely didn't have much vision.

Manet is probably my favorite artist and I especially enjoy his guys. I could look at "The Smoker" at the MIA for hours: http://www.artsmia.org/viewer/detail.php?v=12&id=1689.

How did they know...

I have been going by this name for years.

Your DJ Name Is:

DJ Juicy Beats

What's Your DJ Name?

Your Thinking is Abstract and Sequential

You like to do research and collect lots of information. The more facts you have, the easier it is for you to learn. You need to figure things out for yourself and consider all possibilities. You tend to become an expert in the subjects that you study. It's difficult for you to work with people who know less than you do. You aren't a very patient teacher, and you don't like convincing people that you're right.

What Kind of Thinker Are You?

This is mostly right on. I have quite a bit of

"Not everyone who drinks is a poet. Some of us drink because we're not poets."

Dudley Moore died on March 27, 2002.

Yeah, right

I couldn't find anyone interesting that died today, so how about a birthday.

"There's nothing remarkable about it. All one has to do is hit the right keys at the right time and the instrument plays itself."

Johann Sebastian Bach
(03/21/1685 – 07/28/1750)

The Definitive Personality Test...

What Your Easter Egg Says About You

You are truly optimistic, open, and hopeful. And your optimism gives you the courage to live life adventurously. You love new experiences, ideas, and challenges. You see life as a fluid, growing process.

The Easter Egg Personality Test

Which egg did you pick?

Brendan Behan died on March 20, 1964. What a life he had. Behan was kind of a media darling for his antics which were usually accompanied by a great quote. Do you think he was the mid-century equivalent to Britney, only witty and Irish?

My favorite of his quotes:

"I have a total irreverence for anything connected with society, except that which makes the road safer, the beer stronger, the old men and women warmer in the winter, and happier in the summer."

Oh, and here's another. I have always liked McDaids in Dublin. I wish I could have been a fly on the wall...

"Yeats can have his f—ing castle and Joyce his tower...I'm happy in McDaids. We don't talk crap about literature here. We talk about who's goin' to buy the next f—ing pint."

Me too

"I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires."

Susan B. Anthony died March 16, 1906. Remember the dollars? I wish those would have caught on.

No surprises here

My score on The Deep and Meaningful Winnie-The-Pooh Character Test:

Eeyore

(You scored 18 Ego, 17 Anxiety, and 13 Agency!)

http://panther.is1.okcimg.com/users/646/324/6463248183938708387/mt899894324.jpg

"Do you know what A means, little Piglet?"
"No, Eeyore, I don't."
"It means Learning, it means Education, it means all
the things that you and Pooh haven't got. That's what A means."
"Oh," said Piglet again. "I mean, does it?" he
explained quickly.
"I'm telling you. People come and go in this Forest,
and they say, 'It's only Eeyore, so it doesn't count.' They
walk to and fro saying 'Ha ha!' But do they know anything about
A? They don't. It's just three sticks to them. But to the
Educated--mark this, little Piglet--to the Educated, not
meaning Poohs and Piglets, it's a great and glorious A.
You scored as Eeyore!
ABOUT EEYORE: Eeyore lives in his own thistley corner of the forest and wonders why people don't come to visit him more often. He is master of the Guilt Trip, and is always gently forgiving his visitors for neglecting him. Eeyore considers himself to be smarter than the other inhabitants of the Hundred Acre Wood, and is often exasperated by their habit of having adventures and general merriment.
WHAT THIS SAYS ABOUT YOU: You are an anxious person, and you tend to expect the worst. Your friends find you somewhat cynical at times, because you have found that it is best to expect disappointment. You often feel unappreciated by the people you work with, but you rarely actually try and do anything to change that fact.
Your close friends admire you more than you think they do. They wish that you would learn to stop worrying so much and actually start trying to fix what is bothering you. If something is making you unhappy... change it!

Link: The Deep and Meaningful Winnie-The-Pooh Character Test

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Happy Birthday, Ang!

It is my best friend's birthday today. I remember the first birthday I spent with her like it was yesterday - sort of.

It was 1993. Early in the evening, we met Ang's brother Jeff and his friend Mike at a bar at Seven Corners. It wasn't Sgt. Preston's - maybe Bullwinkle's? We had a couple of beers, or in Ang's case, amaretto sours. I am not sure what we did after this, but we ended up at St. Anthony's East - a dive on near Central and University that's no longer there. Marie came with us. This is real fuzzy but I remember the drunk across the bar who struggled to keep one eye open as he slurred incoherently.

Doesn't sound all that interesting and I doubt it was the twenty-first birthday of Ang's dreams, but I am sure we laughed. I always laughed a lot (and still do) with Ang.

Thanks for being a great friend these past fifteen years. And they said it wouldn't last...well, one person did anyway...

Again, happy birthday.

Baseball

I am excited that baseball is underway. Just hearing a couple of words about what's going on at Spring training on the 10 o'clock news puts a smile on my face.

I was without a favorite player for the second half of last season, after the Luis Castillo trade. Who will be annointed my favorite Twin? It may be to early to decide, but I will have to have someone by opening day. Once I see how things flesh out, this may change, but it is good to go into opening day with a designated favorite.

Speaking of baseball, Joe DiMaggio died March 8, 1999. This is my favorite quote of his: "They call a man graceful because he hits a little ball with a certain swing. My father hammered piles on a railroad out of Martinez for 10 cents an hour to support a family. That was grace."

What These Daisies Say About You

You have a spirt of pure optimism. Your view of the world is eternally cheerful. You are bold and vibrant. Incredibly striking, you always stand out in a crowd. You are adaptable and flexible. You can thrive in almost any situation.

What Do The Flowers You Pick Say About You?

What a Day

Several notable women passed away today...

1. Louisa May Alcott died in 1888: "If Mr. Clemens cannot think of something better to tell our pure-minded lads and lasses, he had better stop writing for them."

2. Ayn Rand died in 1982: "When I die, I hope to go to Heaven, whatever the Hell that is."

3. Georgia O'Keefe died in 1986: "I don't very much enjoy looking at paintings in general. I know too much about them. I take them apart."

4. Pearl S. Buck died in 1973: "Every great mistake has a halfway moment, a split second when it can be recalled and perhaps remedied."

"The business of art is to reveal the relation between man and his environment."

D. H. Lawrence died on March 2, 1930.

It was difficult to chose this quote - he had many good ones. Today I saw an exhibit of Sean Scully's prints at the MIA. I also heard him speak. It was so cool to hear an artist talk about his art rather than someone else's interpretation. He put slides up of his paintings and prints and compared/contrasted them. This quote reminded me of what he talked about today. Thanks Regan - I had a great time today!

"The shortest answer is doing the thing."

English writer George Herbert died March 1, 1633.

My sister and I were just talking about how when your superior at the office asks you to do something and their description and instructions actually take up more time than if they were to have simply done the stupid thing in the first place. People can be so inefficient. I am not sure this is to what Mr. Herbert is referring, but it is what I took from the quote.

Bill Carlson died early Friday evening. This is kind of sad for me because I grew up watching Channel 4 - Dave Moore, Bud Kraehling, Pat Miles. I always thought, and still think, that the other channels are cheesy. My grandma always watched channel 4, too. I am nostalgic about things I relate with my childhood (our yellow VW bug, those tall glass bottles of pop, Kangaroo sneakers), but I am especially sentimental when things remind me of my grandma. I remember the day five or six years ago when I was talking to her on the phone. She asked me if I had seen Bill Carlson lately, because she hardly recognized him. He was doing the noon news but had gone away for a spell and returned with a new look (thanks to a little plastic surgery). Gram didn't understand why someone would alter their looks, but "to each his own".

An interesting assortment of people died on February 27th, including Pavlov (1936)and Lillian Gish (1993). I chose this quote from film producer Harry Cohn who died in 1958. I picture him with a cigar and an old-fashioned.

"Give me two years, and I'll make her an overnight star."

Slow day

"There is no easy method of learning difficult things. The method is to close the door, give out that you are not at home, and work."

French diplomat Joseph Marie de Maistre died February 26, 1821.

The best I coul come up with today. Not many people with anything interesting to say died on this day.

"I'm a lousy writer; a helluva lot of people have got lousy taste."

Grace Metalious, the author of Peyton Place, died on February 25, 1964.

I enjoyed Peyton Place, but not because it was the most finely crafted piece. I am not sure Ms. Mealious really thought she was a lousy writer. It made for a good quote.

The leader of the band is tired...

As if the trip down memory lane with the soft rock sounds of Dan Fogelberg wasn't emotional enough, I found out at the end of PBS's Soundstage that he passed away last year. He was just 56.

I don't know why all of his tunes are so familiar to me. I can't remember any Dan Fogelberg records at my house when I was growing up. I need to ask my mom and dad if they liked him. I bet my dad went through a Fogelberg stage, while my mom thought he was too sappy. Oh, and I suppose the KDWB-am playlist was heavy on the Fogelberg in the late 70s.

How disappointing...Jewel? Come on.

Your 1996 Theme Song Is: Who Will Save Your Soul by Jewel

Who will save your soul when it comes to the flower Who will save your soul after all the lies that you told, boy Who will save your soul if you won't save your own?

What's Your 1996 Theme Song?

What's yours?

"A proverb is no proverb to you until life has illustrated it."

John Keats was twenty-five when he died on February 23, 1821.

Can you imagine this kind of insight and talent from a twenty-something today? Really from anyone of any age, but especially one so young.

What?

"Where would the Irish be without someone to be Irish at?"

Author Elizabeth Bowen died on February 22, 1973. I am not sure what she means, but it sounds like something the daughter of an Anglo-Irish landowner might say...is this offensive to the Irish?

I am ashamed.

I never heard of Mary Edwards Walker. She died February 21, 1919.

"Let the generations know that women in uniform also guaranteed their freedom."

What an amazing person. She is the first and only woman to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for service in the Civil War as a surgeon. She was just fascinating - a suffragette, an abolitionist, a spy, a POW, an inventor, a writer, a lecturer, a cross-dresser.

She was a passionate advocate for women's dress reform, saying women's dress was immodest and inconvenient.

Frederick Douglass died on February 20, 1895.

"The mind does not take its complexion from the skin."

I wish this was my Irish Fest.

I really enjoy Dan Regan. He cracks me up while keeping me current on Irish stuff. He talks about what's going on in Ireland as well as at the Kansas City Irish Fest. They seem to have so much fun in KC being Irish.


I feel like the Irish community here in Minnesota is less Irish and more Renaissance Fest. I don't get into the Renaissance Festival. This is a generalization, I know, but it is something I have observed as of late.

"The color of truth is gray."

Andre Gide, French novelist and essayist, died on February 19, 1951.

I have to mention another of his quotes - he had so many gems.

"I find just as much profit in cultivating my hates as my loves."

444 years ago...

Michelangelo died. February 18, 1564.

"If people only knew how hard I work to gain my mastery, it wouldn't seem so wonderful at all."

Maybe I was adopted...

On 60 Minutes tonight they had a story about how the people of Denmark are the happiest in the world. Apparently the keys to happiness are low expectations and contentedness. A word of advice to Americans from one young Danish man: stop believing in the American Dream.

Duh.

Mrs. Clinton

Excuse me, Cokie. I think you mean Senator Clinton. I haven't heard anyone calling him Mr. Obama or Mr. McCain. That bothers me.

I put them around my waist, like a belt.

I just saw the episode of NewsRadio where Bill tries to quit smoking and he has a reaction to the patch. He said he didn't know you were supposed to only wear one at a time. He used fourteen or so at once. Phil Hartman was sooooo funny.

The Seventies were a great decade for men's hair.

Think the guy from "The Paper Chase" (1973: it just happens to be on TV). Or the tutor's boyfriend in "One on One" (Seen my sandals?). Or even my dad. My dad did have a perm, but it was a time men wore perms proudly. Who else had really great hair in the Seventies?

You know what would be great?

My sister asked me this evening. She was excited about something. I had no idea what she thought would be great. She told me:

A snowsuit. I need a snowsuit because my upper body stays really warm in my down jacket, but my legs just about froze off today. It is just ridiculous how cold my legs are. I especially need it after work when I start my car and have to sit there while it warms up. I tell you, these pants are like paper. I think I'll get a snowsuit.

This was too funny - I pictured her in one of those metallic silver numbers with orange, white, and black stripes on the sleeves. I her swooshing into the office past the receptionist being annoyed at how her purse keeps sliding off her shoulder. Then I see her later in the day, still in the suit because the zipper got caught stuck.

I outline all the reasons a snowsuit is impractical for an adult, but she sticks with her argument that a snowsuit is the answer.

This cracked me up. She was completely serious about the snowsuit, at first. You know how it is when you verbalize something you've been thinking about for a long time? In your head it makes perfect sense. I think she realized what a silly idea it was...

I had the best dream last night.

It starred my grandma. We were in her apartment; I lounged on the couch while she reclined in her chair, studying an almost-complete crossword puzzle. She read aloud clues and I asked how many letters and by the time I formed the visual, she had the answer. She set the puzzle down next to her chair atop a pile of magazines, newspapers, and mail, turned toward me, took off her glasses, smiled, and said, "There. Now that's done."

That is all I remember about the dream, but my memories of my time with Gram are as vivid today as ever. Under the feelings of missing my Gram, there flows an undercurrant of calm and contentment I felt every minute I spent with her (except maybe the time I almost punched that lady at Cub who triedd to cut in front of us in line...but that didn't have anything to do with Gram - she just happened to be there).

Happy birthday, Gram.

This covers everything

What Aine Catherine McCormack Means

You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing. You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long. You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start. You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people. You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts. You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals. You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together. You are very open. You communicate well, and you connect with other people easily. You are a naturally creative person. Ideas just flow from your mind. A true chameleon, you are many things at different points in your life. You are very adaptable. You are a seeker. You often find yourself restless - and you have a lot of questions about life. You tend to travel often, to fairly random locations. You're most comfortable when you're far away from home. You are quite passionate and easily tempted. Your impulses sometimes get you into trouble. You are truly an original person. You have amazing ideas, and the power to carry them out. Success comes rather easily for you... especially in business and academia. Some people find you to be selfish and a bit overbearing. You're a strong person. You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something. You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense. You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun. You are confident, self assured, and capable. You are not easily intimidated. You master any and all skills easily. You don't have to work hard for what you want. You make your life out to be exactly how you want it. And you'll knock down anyone who gets in your way! You are well rounded, with a complete perspective on life. You are solid and dependable. You are loyal, and people can count on you. At times, you can be a bit too serious. You tend to put too much pressure on yourself. You are a seeker of knowledge, and you have learned many things in your life. You are also a keeper of knowledge - meaning you don't spill secrets or spread gossip. People sometimes think you're snobby or aloof, but you're just too deep in thought to pay attention to them.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Obama: People Unite!

If I understand his message correctly, Obama is saying that Americans can unite with him and change the government and the path of the United States. He tells us to have hope that the future will be better if we all work together.

Not that I don't have faith in the American people, but we won't stop driving our cars, our gas-guzzling vehicles, every dang place we need to go, nor will we stop buying products made in China because they are cheaper, even if they are full of lead paint poisoning our children, made by their children in sweat shops.

If I believe then the dollar with start to be worth something? If I hope, then our trade deficit will disappear? All it takes is faith and then our educational system will be fixed? If I vote for Obama, I can trust that our soldiers will come home?

I don't get it. His popularity is understandable. This country did elect Bush twice, I guess we don't really care about reality.

A new year

I feel differrent this new year. I think this is a good thing. Maybe I will get something accomplished.