July 28, 2008 by pam.

Thumbs up for Juno. It’s been such a long time since I’ve seen a good movie. Everything I watch on DVD lately is a ‘thumbs down’ so it was nice to watch something that was witty and well done. I liked all the characters, or at least thought they were well played, and that the movie didn’t cop out at the end with some totally unrealistic ‘Hollywood-Happy-Ending’. Thumbs up.

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July 28, 2008 by pam.

Ugh. Thumbs down for I Am Legend. It had me for the first 55 minutes. The beginning intrigued me. I wanted to know more. Then, I just wanted to know how much time there was until the end. I was so disappointed. Thumbs down.

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July 23, 2008 by pam.

I realized the other day … I’ve watched too many Crime Dramas. I love CSI, NCIS, and Bones. I like the mystery, the puzzle, the science, and the pursuit of answers.

Last week I came out of the Westgate branch library. Next to the library is a barber and next to the barber is a Thai restaurant. The restaurant has glass walls, ceiling to floor. It was a couple of hours before lunch and the restaurant was dark - it was closed. A man, heavy set, Asian, and older-than-average sat at one of the tables right next to the front window. He faced out to the world, sat slightly slumped in the chair and it looked like his eyes were closed.

I did a double take. My first thought was that he was sitting at the table at the front of the restaurant for the daylight - perhaps reading or doing the books. But there wasn’t anything on the table in front of him. He wasn’t moving. I continued to my car and thought maybe he was sleeping … or maybe he was dead! A mystery in the making. I went back and forth in my mind: continue to the car or check to see if the guy was alive?

I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to check out a mystery. Walking slowly to the window, I saw his eyes were indeed closed and then observed his chest rising and falling in that slow, easy rhythm of sleep. Mystery solved!

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July 22, 2008 by pam.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote: Although I didn’t like the story/plot/characters I think Truman Capote certainly had a gift for writing. He is eloquent and it’s a pleasure to read his sentences. It’s not long, in fact, the copy I read had another short story or two printed in it.

Room with a View by Forster: I hated it from page one. I suffered through the first two chapters and took it back to the library. It was so distasteful I wanted to throw it across the room somewhere in the middle of the second chapter. I wouldn’t have even considered picking it up and only did because it’s the title for our next book discussion group. I doubt any of the book discussion group members will finish it. Maybe I’ll watch the movie.

Tortilla Curtain by TC Boyle: This is a title I would recommend if you can deal with a non-ending (as well as an unhappy ending). I think Boyle does a good job at detailing two different couples, their drastically different lives, and the issues of illegal immigration.

Then We Came to The End by Josh Ferris is a strange, funny, and nothing of a book. After the first 80 pages I thought it was a hoot but didn’t think it was going to keep my attention for another 300 pages. I was wrong. I read the whole thing, partially out of interest, partially because I’m the discussion leader next month, and partially out of curiosity. The book is about a bunch of office workers (in an ad agency) and the gossip and, sometimes, weird behavior and perspectives that they have.

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July 21, 2008 by pam.

In a Midland mall parking lot Daniel and I spotted the Elvis Tribute Performer van near the Taco Bell. So, we went over and snapped a few pictures of him. Daniel took my picture *with* him. He was quite happy to have the attention and quite happy to chat. He was on his way to a 25 year wedding anniversary party where the couple was planning to renew their vows. I didn’t think to ask him if he was ‘officiating’! There aren’t very many places you run into someone dressed like Elvis … Vegas (regularly) and Ypsilanti, MI during ‘Elvis Fest’ every July. Other than that … it’s a rare sighting.

Here are the pics.
share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8BcMWbNu2ZKTCQ

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July 17, 2008 by pam.

It’s been a gorgeous summer in Michigan. We’ve had perfect temps and lots of sunshine. Yesterday was one of those perfect summer days. The kind that make you want to live in Michigan and the kind that make you forget about the cold, dark, long winter. I can always tell which days will (likely) be free of rain. The motorcycle parking area is full when I get to work. Yesterday there were seven motorcycles in the cycle parking spots! I think that’s a record.

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June 5, 2008 by pam.

Yesterday, I discovered I can whistle and hum at the same time. It makes kind of a weird spooky sound. Try it!

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June 4, 2008 by pam.

Yesterday was my anniversary at Malloy. I have been employed there for 23 years. Today I realized I’ve been employed there more than half my life. That’s a long time. I started thinking about all the things I really like about Malloy and reflecting on how I felt about working there so long.

PROUD - There have been days where I am so proud of my work place. So many things make it a weird and special place (the fact that I get to teach my coworkers yoga, the 200+ pumpkins in shipping for the pumpkin growing contest in the fall, and the way people show support for those who are hurt or sick) that I suppose other work places probably have … in their own way.

FORTUNATE - At lunch today I asked my coworkers what they thought about working so long at Malloy. All but one have been there longer than I have. The consensus was that I should be happy I have a job.

FRUSTRATED - We are a slow moving organization. Unless the issue is directly about making a book or servicing a customer, it goes on the back burner. Change is slow … sometimes glacially slow. Sometimes set-my-hair-on-fire slow.

EMPOWERED - When it comes to red tape, there’s not much. We do not have many layers, not a lot of things need approval and when things do, those who do the ‘approving’ are pretty accommodating. There have been times when I have had an idea to do something, change something, add something and just done it. That’s a rush.

GRATEFUL - I am grateful for a place that has taught me volumes, allowed me to be creative, and a workplace that is stable and secure. Although I’ve worked for one company for 23 years, I haven’t had just one job. I feel grateful for the opportunities I’ve had, to change jobs, learn new things, and stretch and grow.

SUCCESSFUL - Because there have been opportunities to take on many different roles, I have been successful at many of them. One opportunity has lead to another - whether I’ve wanted it or not.

MADDENING - Not every day was rosy. I wrote my resignation letter more than once over the last couple of decades. Times were tough - tough on the organization, me personally, and others in the organization. Days when I felt satisfied certainly outweigh those that brought me to tears - but they were still present.

PROUD - Most of the time I come back to feeling proud of my workplace. A place that makes books … we don’t make widgets, car parts, or mold things out of plastic. We put ink on paper, bind those pages together into something someone learns from or gets pleasure from. Something that is, in the least, a collection of ideas - the result of hard and creative work - and at the most, something that can change a life.

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June 3, 2008 by pam.

Thinking about my favorite sounds got me thinking about my favorite smells.

When I was growing up in Fargo there was a bread factory and every time we drove by, we could smell the bread baking. It’s one of my favorite smells.

Today, it’s raining and I love the smell of rain.

Oddly enough, another one of my favorite smells is plastic. I think it reminds me of Christmas as a child … all those plastic Barbie doll toys that were made of plastic.

I especially like this time of year when the plants are blooming: Russian Olives, lilacs, hyacinths, and peonies are some of my favs.

What are your favorite smells?

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June 2, 2008 by pam.

One of my favorite sounds is a train whistle in the night. Tonight, it is warm and I have the windows open - and a passing train blew its whistle. What are your favorite sounds?

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