5/31/2004 08:16:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|I love this about blogging...click on a link, then another link, and you find yourself reading great stuff like this. I'll be keeping my eye on this one. :)|W|P|108605272140535334|W|P|More fun reading|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/30/2004 10:59:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Ah, lovely rural PA. I'm back home for the holiday weekend, and have been enjoying some quality time with the fam. Today I had the joy of helping my 5-year-old cousin Brandy work on a school project. I thought the assignment was a bit, um, advanced for kindergarten. Whatever happened to naptime? cookies? coloring? Sigh... She had to cut pictures out of magazines and create a book, about a particular topic. The assignment sheet made it sound like it had to be a STORY. As in a plot. Wha? (Remember, she's five. And supposed to do this on her own. HA.) So it turned into a bunch of pictures with unrelated sentences written about each one. And getting her to do that was painful. As my other cousin Dani pointed out, "Five-year-olds do not have the attention span for this." You can say that again! I must say, kindergarten teachers are very special people... But it got done, and we all survived. :) As long as I'm on the topic, here's something that's been on my mind lately. As I approach the ripe old age of 30, I can't help but think about what my future holds as far as marriage/family/etc. I have never imagined my future self without kids. Someday. And adorable as she is, spending time with my little Brandy just proves to me that I am not ready for children. But...when is "someday"? Will I be ready? The idea of motherhood terrifies me. But on the other hand, the idea of not ever having a family makes me sad. Wow. Didn't mean to get all heavy there. Let's find a lighter topic. Like helium! And how it makes your voice sound all munchkin-y! Discuss.|W|P|108597697682640311|W|P|I was born in a small town...|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/28/2004 11:44:00 AM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|What are people saying about erin-go-blog? "It's blogalicious!" -Eden "erin-go-blog is two times cool." -Curtis "adoring your blog" -Lee But don't take their word for it. See for yourself!|W|P|108576278506713257|W|P|You like me. You really like me!|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/28/2004 09:50:00 AM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|I was at Barnes & Noble last night, and was so enjoying the CD they had playing that I had to go and see what it was. Turns out it was Jamie Cullum, a 22-year-old from the UK. He sings big band/jazz type music, some old standards and some original, and has a Billy Joel-esque voice. I enjoy him. Check him out. (Sidenote...I haven't had the heart yet to go off on my Billy Joel rant. Dating a woman who is barely older than your daughter? Wrecking cars all over Long Island? Sigh. What has become of the piano man?)|W|P|108575605729201441|W|P|Effective marketing|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/27/2004 08:15:00 AM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Check out these new links... Glitter for Brains, only the most fabulous new blog I've come across in a while... ;) and Pseudo Irish Lass (Caoimhe). |W|P|108566381770083410|W|P|For your linking pleasure|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/26/2004 10:20:00 AM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|My horoscope in the Buffalo News: You will be bigger than life today. Take on a new look or attitude, and your love life could be a lot of fun and certainly very exciting. hmmm...interesting. ;)|W|P|108558487522668624|W|P|That's my horoscope for todaaaaaaaaaay...|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/25/2004 09:15:00 AM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|So I was out Sunday evening and had to tape the season finale of Alias. I watched it yesterday when I got home. Holy crap! I loved it. Jen warned me that I was "going to need therapy" when it was over...yeah, I'll get to this one in a minute! One of the things I've found about this show is that creator JJ Abrams has a real talent for turning the show upside down and inside out (boy you turn me...) just when you think you've got it figured out. I love that. Keep me guessing. Keep me on the edge of my seat. That's what makes this such a fun show. But here's my gripe about the final episode of this season...JJ has left us with the loyalty of my beloved SpyDaddy in question! No! Say it ain't so...and to make it worse, I understand that ABC is holding the show for January. Apparently, Fox is doing the same with 24. On the plus side, people are saying this will help with the flow of the show (for both shows), showing the whole season back to back with no interruptions, hiatuses, reruns, etc. That's good. But you're sticking me with a cliffhanger like this and not resolving it until January? That's just cruel.|W|P|108549457530192444|W|P|More TV talk|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/24/2004 07:15:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Ah, reruns of The West Wing on Bravo! just remind me how much I miss this show. Here's a good article from the Buffalo News critic Jeff Simon that pretty much sums it up. Even an election year can't save 'West Wing' from itself The tragedy - and it's all of that - is that Sorkin assembled one of the best and brightest casts in the history of TV. For the past year, some of us have been tuning in just because we'd happily watch Martin Sheen, Stockard Channing, Allison Janney, Richard Schiff and Bradley Whitford enact for us the back of a box of Cocoa Puffs. And oh, yeah...I miss ya, Sam Seaborn.|W|P|108544447416428416|W|P|I serve at the pleasure of the president|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/24/2004 10:08:00 AM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|I am still alive, just in case anyone was wondering. My stupidity and cowardice concerning a certain situation got me into some trouble (email me if you want more information, I really don't want to get into it), and I was a little bit sad about that. But there's nothing I can do about it, so I'm done worrying. For much of my life, I've been concerned, probably too much, about what others think of me. I don't want people to dislike me. I avoid confrontation as much as humanly possible. I'm getting better about this, little by little, and recent events have just solidified that. This is me. Better or worse, like me or not, I am who I am. And I think that a big part of getting older is coming to terms with that...most of us (I think women, especially. Correct me if I'm wrong?) spend a lot of time struggling with who we are, from the time we swim in the shark tank of middle school (anyone see Mean Girls? Exaggerated, yes, but really not so far off), throughout adolescence, college, career, etc. I hear that this improves greatly in the 30s. I do hope that's true!|W|P|108541135695404990|W|P|I yam what I yam...|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/22/2004 09:43:00 AM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|If you remember my quandary about whether or not to participate in my graduation ceremony...well, I decided not to. After a lot of wavering, contacting the school (very late) and finding out that I still could, it just seemed like too much of a hassle. It was all anticlimactic...my degree was officially conferred in December, I have my diploma, I didn't really have the money for the garb, and I was going to have to try to arrange my work schedule to go to rehearsals and such. I was fine with this decision...and then I heard that my good friend Mary (congrats, Mary!) was participating in her graduation ceremony today. Made me a little wistful, wondering if maybe I should have done it. So, happy graduation day to me!|W|P|108523738516339078|W|P|Graduation Day|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/21/2004 07:53:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|I just had a comment/email conversation with another writer type, and one thing we (writer types in generao) have in common is that we want validation. We want to know that people are reading. That's what drives us to keep writing. So, basically, if you're entertained, amused, annoyed, baffled or otherwise inspired by something I write here, let me know! Leave a comment, send an email, but talk to me! You may have noticed the counters I've installed at the bottom of the page...both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, I can see who (at least generally) is reading the blog. On the other, I can see that people are reading and not commenting. Here are some ISPs that I see frequently, but I'm not sure who you are. Get out from behind that wall of anonymity. Show yourself! Comcast Verizon Adelphia Wells Fargo, San Francisco Cypress Communication, Atlanta Bell Canada, Toronto Central Telephone Company, Lincoln, NE Erie 1 Boces, West Seneca|W|P|108518757980231781|W|P|Talk to me, people...|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/21/2004 12:17:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Too bad. :) I wouldn't say that I'm John Kerry's biggest fan or anything, but I have to say that I admire the way he's handing the flak he's getting from the Catholic Church. A quote from Senator Kerry: "What I believe in personally as a Catholic as an article of faith is an article of faith...(But it is not) appropriate in the United States for a legislator to legislate personal religious beliefs for the rest of the country." Amen, brother. I am so tired of the Church trying to dictate policy, by telling people how to vote, and doing so on a single issue. This is a huge debate. No one is ever going to win it. Period. So in the meantime, you'd rather Americans vote in their leaders based on this ONE thing, as if nothing else matters. (or at least doesn't matter as much...) George Weigel writes that "not all issues are equal...the bishops of the United States in a 1998 pastoral letter made unmistakably clear that the pro-life issue carried more weight than other issues because it involved the moral foundations of American democracy." So let me get this straight...I agree with where a candidate stands on ALL issues, but the candidate happens to be pro-choice. On the other side, I have a candidate with whom I vehemently disagree with on all other issues, but who is pro-life. I'm "supposed" to vote for the pro-lifer? Or face eternal damnation? What a completely preposterous idea. And let me just say again, for the record...I am in no way, shape or form in favor of abortion. It's not a choice that I would ever make. However, I am grateful that, as an American woman, I have a right to MAKE that choice. (Boy, this soapbox is getting an awful lot of use lately...)|W|P|108515987704792550|W|P|Sick of me yet?|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/20/2004 09:22:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|How cute is Brad Paisley? Jen and I caught his "Inside Fame" on CMT the other day (also known as CMTs version of Behind the Music) and he's just too cute. And how's this for a story that would make me want to puke if it weren't so darn adorable... It seems that Brad had his heart broken by a girl back home, before he made it big. Most of his sad country songs are about her. On their first date, they went to see Father of the Bride. Brad was smitten with the lovely Kimberly Williams, the bride in said film. After becoming more well known, he decided he had to meet her. He called her "people," under the guise of wanting to use her in a video. Her assistant (or publicist? or something like that) looked him up and said "You have to do it. He's cute!" And now they're married...awwwwww. I also started to watch the CMT show "Crossroads" (CMT Crossroads shows the far-reaching roots of country music by pairing country artists with musicians from other genres.) with Brad and John Mayer but needed to go to sleep...taping it at 1 am today! And on Crossroads this Saturday? Martina McBride and Pat Benatar! Whee! I didn't realize how much I missed CMT. :)|W|P|108510711179211963|W|P|Country Cutie...|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/20/2004 08:30:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|like this? Sigh. The movie is on tv right now. The one where my boyfriend Michael Vartan plays an English teacher who falls in love with Drew Barrymore. He is so HOT in this movie. I can't decide whether or not the sexy English teacher is hotter than the sexy spy... Anyway, for whatever reason, I've been thinking about kisses. Have a lyric: It's the way you love me it's a feeling like this-- It's centrifugal motion, it's perpetual bliss It's that pivotal moment-- it's (aaaah)impossible This kiss, this kiss unstoppable. Oh, how I want this. :) So Mr. Vartan? If things don't work out with Jen, I'm waiting... |W|P|108510333019609418|W|P|Never Been Kissed...|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/19/2004 03:28:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|The letters to the editor going in our next issue are the most annoying things I've ever read. I'm not kidding. "Do we want our children thinking same sex 'marriages' are OK, and the possibility of more and more children growing up to be homosexuals?" Oh my God. I've been over and over this one. Just shut UP, stupid person. And then there's three about abortion and the election. (I'd better be careful here. I may be excommunicated) Okay, first offthe way that pro-lifers paint anyone not violently opposed to abortion (no, wait, that's wrong...not violently opposed to LAWS which allow abortion) as "pro abortion" or "pro death" is ridiculous. How many people do you know who love the idea of abortion? who say "yeah, let's kill babies. it's great!" Why is it that so many people see fit to appoint themselves judges of the moral fiber of society? [Jesus wail]If your slate is clean then you can throw stones...[/Jesus wail]|W|P|108498809814049288|W|P|Being a Catholic reporter=good blog fodder|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/19/2004 10:36:00 AM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|An interesting (and funny) article on Slate.com comparing the Harry Potter and Left Behind series. (I'm just finding out more about this Left Behind thing now. Sounds scary.)|W|P|108498106424580480|W|P|It's the end of the world as we know it...|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/18/2004 05:00:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Job Predictor Enter your name, and it generates what the perfect job for you would be. It appears to be based somewhere in the UK, so don't be surprised if you get some unusual responses. Here's what I came up with (based on different versions of my name): first name only: nursery teacher first and last name: heavyweight boxer first, last, middle initial: the job you have now and my favorite... full name: mad scientist |W|P|108491786727672888|W|P|Hours of fun for everyone!|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/16/2004 08:25:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Um, not so much. I'm so sick of these commercials. I want to write to Dr. Neil Clark Warren and tell him MY story. Immediately after the breakup with assboy, I put myself out there on a few of the dating sites. On roommate's urging, I did the eHarmony thing, mostly to find out if it was a secret Christian dating site. (it's not...but when she did it, she was ONLY getting the Bible bangers.) And what happened? I met the craziest of all the crazies I've ever dated. Ever. Anyone who's been keeping up with the blog, I give you Rich, the country-singing financial planner with the one-legged bass player and psycho ex-fiance. 29 Dimensions of Compatibility my ass.|W|P|108475740512616142|W|P|I met my husband on eHarmony.com!|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/16/2004 07:45:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|NO! Here's a quick rundown of the weekend... Friday night, met up w/Stephanie and her sister Stacey to go to the piano bar Howl at the Moon. (Sidenote...this place is such great fun. Why can't Buffalo-Niagara get in on this action?) Sadly, Stephanie's favorite guy Billy was not working. However, the girls and I quite enjoyed T, with his happy-smiley demeanor and oddly Weird-Al sounding voice. (more to come, on the Britney-clone whore and her white hat, bachelorette Stacey and Stacey's mom, and Pauly Shore) I did, in fact, dance on stage for one number...at the urging of my friends, of course. :) Saturday, we experienced lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. But for the long wait (nearly an hour...at an OFF peak time...), it was fabulous. I had the Chocolate Pecan Turtle cheesecake. Yummy. Saturday night, of course, our Jackdaw boys at Brendan O'Neill's in Westlake. It turned into an all-out crazy dancefest on a dance floor approximately the size of my office cubicle. Every single man in the place danced with us. Two drunken Irishmen and their bald friend asked me if my breasts were real, tried to teach me Gaelic, bought me a drink...and one of them turned into a dancing machine. It was insane. :) The boys played "Rattlin' Bog," which was fun, because we haven't heard that one in quite a while...complete with covers of "Low Rider," "Dirty Deeds (Done Dirt Cheap)" and even a little Modern English and Sting. Great fun. People were dancing on bars and tables, jumping onto the railing in front of the stage, dragging strangers onto the dance floor. It was wild. :) And today, we enjoyed a Cleveland Indians game, lodge seating, courtesy of Stephanie's law firm. Wow! Very nice. I could get used to the VIP treatment. :) And the Tribe won, which always makes a baseball outing all the better...|W|P|108475560646665034|W|P|Ever get tired of drinkin'?|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/14/2004 08:45:00 AM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Oh, I am SO not in work mode. I'm working on this godawful boring article about an instruction released by the Vatican on conforming to liturgical norms. Snooze. So I'm doing everything I can to avoid it... Doesn't help that I'm already in weekend mode. Jen and I head off to Cleveland this afternoon to visit good friends, hang out at the piano bar Howl at the moon tonight (yay!), see Jackdaw tomorrow (YAY!), and I just want it to start already! Listening to the radio, and hearing that there is a Goo Goo Dolls press conference set for 5 pm today. Hmmm...wonder what that's all about. A concert announcment maybe? I really enjoy the Goos. Weird thing is that I had a dream about Robby Takac last night. So why isn't anyone commenting? Am I that boring? :) I've been way too busy lately. Haven't been to the gym in two weeks. Have a ton of stuff to read for Toasted Cheese (it's ezine selection time...) If you're inspired to write, send an email to my yahoo account...stupid hotmail is apparently not compatible with my ancient web browser here at the office: lowgirl_27 [at] yahoo [dot] com. (use @ and . of course. trying to avoid spambots.) Okay, back to work for me...|W|P|108454242593786723|W|P|It's Friday! Hurrah!|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/13/2004 09:40:00 AM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|New commenting policy for erin-go-blog, adopted May 13, 2004: 1. Erin-go-blog enjoys your comments. However, comments which are offensive or inflammatory in nature, either toward erin-go-blog or other commenters, will not be tolerated. 2. Erin-go-blog reserves the right to delete such comments as she sees fit. So for a moment, I seriously considered eliminating most of the "personal" content from my blog. But then someone convinced me that was silly. Instead, I give you comments by backblog, which I have the power to delete. Come back, and I shall taunt you a second time!|W|P|108445925267091398|W|P|You are the weakest link. Goodbye!|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/12/2004 09:24:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|It only encourages them. :-P|W|P|108441510363055378|W|P|Do not feed the trolls....|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/12/2004 12:28:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|She opens her heart to an old memory. She closes her eyes and she smiles. Just ask her if she ever still thinks about me... She'll say 'every once in a while' -Blackhawk The other day, I was talking to Ray, and I realized that I had to count on my fingers to verify how long it had been since the breakup w/assboy. "That's a good sign," he said. I agree. It is a good sign. However, the conversation got me to thinking...I wonder how it's possible that he's not tried to contact me. I wonder if he's still living with mom. I wonder if, one day, I'll hear that he's getting married and collapse into a puddle of Sally-like goo. All of this time, I've been saying that he just didn't want to get married, but the truth is, he didn't want to marry ME. Why didn't he want to marry ME? I am afraid of this scenario. I am afraid that my "no really, I'm fine" attitude is a facade that could collapse at any moment. Probably pointless to spend any time thinking about, though. No? In other dating news, I was supposed to see John yesterday but he cancelled. Is this worth it? :-P|W|P|108438309152192953|W|P|Every once in a while...|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/11/2004 10:04:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|For some reason, blogger will not let me post my profile as a permanent link. And I don't have time to deal with changing my template right now. So here ya go: All about me! And while I'm at it, check out a couple of my new favorite pastimes: Electablog and Davenetics He's too funny. :) |W|P|108433132851625603|W|P|Wanna know more about me?|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/11/2004 10:46:00 AM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|So I was all excited yesterday upon reading in Singing Loudly that ABC was airing a made-for-tv version of Madeline L'Engle's "A Wrinkle in Time," which is only my most favorite book ever. Jen and I decided to take a little walk and have coffee, so I put a tape in the VCR and hit record. What I forgot was that the default record speed is SP (only two hours of tape). So I didn't get the whole thing. :(|W|P|108429095364269691|W|P|Bleeping technology...|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/11/2004 09:00:00 AM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|So I'm playing with the new blogger profile feature, and I see that I've written over 50,000 words since I started blogging. And now that I'm in a writing-type job again, I'm probably writing several thousand words a week there. Not to mention journaling (which has fallen off somewhat) and e-mailing, papers, projects, student teaching journal, etc. My point? If I spent the same amount of time on my fiction (which really doesn't amount to all that much. It's not like I sit for hours on end blogging. Or writing academic papers) I could have easily written a novel by now. Must use writing skills for good! :) |W|P|108428401837660907|W|P|Channeling my energy...|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/10/2004 06:26:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|I get things like this in my inbox: Diocese under attack at conference Ongoing story in Albany. I don't know all of the details, but here are some of my favorite highlights. My comments in bold. Oakes, a 51-year-old Catholic with strong views against abortion, was one of the 250 people who attended a daylong conference in Latham sponsored by the Coalition of Concerned Catholics of the Albany Diocese. The group, which last year demanded Bishop Howard Hubbard's resignation and says the diocese under his leadership has become too liberal in teaching human sexuality, also hosted two Midwestern activists who are working to force out Hubbard. okay, if this bishop really has been hiding pedophiles, that's despicable...it's the other stuff this organization talks about that irks me...keep reading. "I just came to this for information. Have my eyes been opened. What you are seeing here today is the purification of the Catholic Church." says some random guy attending the conference Likoudis chided local media, saying it has not reported that the diocese under Hubbard encourages androgyny, bisexuality, radical feminism and New Age spirituality. GASP! NO! Not feminism! And New Age spirituality! Lord save us all... In February, his battle escalated dramatically when he brought forth accusations from two men who say Hubbard engaged in homosexual behavior during the 1970s. "This isn't an anti-homosexual agenda," Aretakis said. "It's about pedophilia and mutual blackmail between gay priests and a gay bishop, and the pedophiles who sneak in underneath the dark of night." blaaaaaaaaaaaargh! augh! "gay" does NOT equal "pedophile." so what are we trying to say here...that the fact that this bishop is gay, if it is indeed true, is a motive for covering up sex abuse???? or that he covered because he was afraid of being outed? Madigan attended St. Monica's Church in Johnsonville, which was closed by the diocese in 2001. She said the diocese assigned several gay priests to the church and ignored complaints from parishioners. "You can appeal to the bishop on these issues and he does not intercede," she said. I'm saying my prayer to St. Jude daily that I find a teaching job soon... |W|P|108423204945660269|W|P|The joy of being a Catholic reporter|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/10/2004 08:43:00 AM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Just testing out the new blogger email feature. BEEEEEP! |W|P|108419662192318449|W|P|this is a test|W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/09/2004 07:52:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Do you hear the people sing? I saw a fantastic high school production of Les Mis this weekend. Truly, I kid you not. When I heard that Ridgway High School (one town over from where I grew up)was putting it on, I said "No way. How are they going to pull that off?" Well, they did. It was by no means perfect, but wow. I was stunned. Eponine was amazing. She's going to be something. I guarantee it. And the little boy who played Gavroche? Unbelievable. I don't know where they found him, but wow. He was better than this one kid that I saw in an professional (traveling) production in Buffalo a couple of years ago. The kid was so bad that, when he was dying on the barricade, I felt like screaming "Just shut up and die already!" Yeah, it was that bad. This kid, though? Tears. So, kudos to Ridgway High School and director Jason Phipps. It makes me want to get into the classroom already, so I can be a part of things like this! |W|P|108415116721665352|W|P||W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/09/2004 12:12:00 AM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Shut up, Avril Possibly the funniest thing I've ever seen (at least ranking right up there...) was SNL's Amy Poehler imitating Avril on last week's completely hilarious episode. "I have black fingernails. That mean's I'm punk." Heh. This week, however, we get Avril, live and in person. Really, I don't see what the fuss is about. Her insightful, deep, intelligent lyrics? Sample: Don't think that your charmin' and the fact that your arm is now around my neck Will get you in my pants, I'll have to kick your ass and make you never forget I'm gonna ask you to stop, thought I liked you a lot, but i'm really upset,really upset. Get outta my head, get off of my bed, yeah that's what I said Did I not tell you that I'm not like that Girl the one who throws it all away Did you think that I was gonna give it up to you, this time Did you think it was something I was gonna do, and cry Don't try to tell me what to do, don't try to tell me what to say You're better off that way And here's someone who agrees with me. You said it, sister. :) And just for fun, check out Weird Al's A Complicated Song.|W|P|108407955427548697|W|P||W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/05/2004 03:21:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|It's a small, small world. Congrats to my little brother, who will soon start a new job at WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh! I'm trying to ignore the weirdness that will surely manifest itself over this fact...assboy's brother-in-law is a meteorologist at WTAE. But that's my issue, not his. :-P On blogging So I've gotten to wondering...how personal is too personal? On the one hand, fancying myself a bit of a writer, everything is out there. My life is an open book...er, blog...I tend to write fiction out of personal experience, and most of what happens in my life will probably end up in a short story/essay/novel/screenplay one day. (At least I hope so!) But the blog forum is strange. My own blog is a mixture of personal insights, pop culture, social/political commentary, links, and journal. Sometimes my purpose is to rant; sometimes it's to entertain; sometimes it's personal catharsis. My closest friends read it. My family (occasionally) reads it. Random strangers read it. And it's concievable that the subject of a particular post could stumble across it. Is this wrong? Should I be more guarded about what I put into this forum? Thoughts? :)|W|P|108378848037084843|W|P||W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/05/2004 10:34:00 AM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Then why choose fear? Thanks for your comments, thoughts and insights on the dating life of erin-go-blog. I'm closing discussion on this topic for now. Some close friends have convinced me that I need to "save tomorrow for tomorrow, think about today instead." (yep, I'm all about the musicals today...) : ) So that's what I'm going to do. Relax. Take a chance. Stop putting so much pressure on myself. Be honest about my feelings. Live, laugh, love. Because that's what it's all about, isn't it? (And to you cryptic commenters, show yourselves!) : )|W|P|108377127057512883|W|P||W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com5/03/2004 05:30:00 PM|W|P|Erinna|W|P|Country Music Television? So I've had cable again for a week. On my random surfings, I have found one of three things on CMT: 1. The movie Days of Thunder 2. Something (else) having to do with NASCAR 3. Another repeat showing of the Flameworthy Video Awards. So it's official. CMT has made its transition to MTV for the country fan complete. I have yet to see a single video. Side note on this topic...I do like country music. I used to enjoy CMT. When it showed videos. Also, while I know that there are a great number of people out there for whom country music and NASCAR go hand in hand, I am not one of them. This reminds me of a stand up comedian I saw once who did a bit about NASCAR. You know where the term "NASCAR" came from, right? Bunch of guys were looking at one of the racecars, and one of 'em said 'Yeah, that's a naaaas car.' A lot about livin' (and a little 'bout love...) Still on the country kick, I guess...heard that one on the radio earlier today. Back from the days when I used to actually like Alan Jackson. Before the whole "Where Were You When the World Stopped Turnin'" thing happened. I'm feeling deflated today. The guy from West Seneca? Um, I called him (again) today, and he finally called me back. To tell me that they're not interviewing me. Yeah, so why exactly did you call me in the first place? Really, how ridiculous is that? I'm hoping, really hoping, that my decision to stay in WNY wasn't completely foolish. So here's a question...is it more important to find a place you like, that feels like home, and make the job situation fit into it, or should one find the job and make the place where the job is into home? I feel comfy here. I feel like this place fits me. Are there other places that might fit? Probably, I suppose. But the places where I could be assured of finding a job--Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Florida--don't appeal to me. So what's the right answer?|W|P|108362344207589156|W|P||W|P|27chronicles@gmail.com