Chawlk

1. Drawar
2. Fenxy
3. Decaflon
4. Two Credits
5. Wriging
6. Loose Suits
7. Chixe
8. Dud3s
9. Wing Colors

 

Valentine's Day coincides (3 days off) with my anniversary, so we're going to celebrate our year marker along with VDay. I'm making him a time capsule, with memories from the past year, old ticket stubs, love notes, and a letter to us in 5 years. It'll be an intimate dinner out at our favorite restaurant, followed by a mellow evening in with our homemade presents, candles, and probably a classic romantic movie.

I agree 100% with what you say, auburn, but unfortunately, not everyone does. There are few of us who enjoy learning and college for what it is - most students are there because society requires a good education to get a good job. Non-traditional paths, while surely better for certain students, will often yield questions regarding the future job-seeker's lack of motivation/commitment/clear foresight/you-name-it.

I guess my point is that U.S. News & World Report's #1 is not everyone's #1, but for many on the path to traditional jobs & such, it's necessary to do what makes you most desirable to an employer, regardless of what's best for you.

I didn't know you were a copywriter, Gnorb! (I am, too.) How I didn't, I do not know. Any other professional writers on 9rules?

I went to a local butterfly garden & wilderness area here in the city this past weekend, and it was beautiful! Very relaxing.

I see that I'm in the absolute minority here, but I thought the film was trash. I generally love Will Smith, but this movie has me firmly believing that he is much better suited for the comedy genre.

I love 28 Days Later, and though I realize that both films are based off of the same book, I think the prior was much better done. I Am Legend mixed too many things together and excuse me for saying it, but the death of the dog was absolutely unnecessary and it was at that point that I began to hate the movie. If I hadn't been there with two other people, I would have walked right out of the theater. What crap.

Hehe, that was just what I needed!

The only thing I kept thinking throughout the whole thing though was that ew, the men are either naked or almost so, and yet the willingly sink their tushes into a chair that takes coins??

I have a set of Logitech speakers (like these) and they are absolutely fantastic. So much so that I sometimes hook them up to my TV, too. :)

For the last year, my boyfriend has been in love with my old Casio Exilim camera. He's never had a digital camera, so he basically commandeers mine whenever we go somewhere that's picture-worth (fine with me). So this year, I got him the new Exilim, which is even slimmer and sexier than mine. I know he's going to love it, and I cannot wait for him to open it!

Being bloggers, blog readers, Internet junkies, etc., I don't think we can even understand the mindset of some less-savvy Internet users. My boyfriend, who is intelligent and uses the Internet daily is completely and totally hopeless when it comes to other browsers. When I first mentioned Firefox, he had no idea what it was and when I said it was another browser, he asked how much it cost. His ignorance on browser choice may have something to do with living in a "third world" country, but he definitely represents the majority of Costa Ricans that I know: they use whatever browser comes with their computer and have no idea that there's any alternative.

Whether this is grounds for a lawsuit or not is completely beyond me, but I don't think that anyone could debate that having IE packaged with Windows gives MS an [unfair?] advantage in the browser war.

Thankfully, even though I freelance, I hardly ever spend time on the phone with my clients. I go to battle only for customer service issues where I'm on the customer end of the call. In the unfortunate cases where I do need to make a complaint, I spend my time formulating my plan of attack (=how to get my way) and scribble notes about what the reps have previously said. Spending my free moments/hours like this, I usually come out on the winning end.

When I was younger, we always vacationed in the Caribbean and one of my favorite signs (in many of the bathrooms) read:

In the land of sun and fun, we don't flush for number one.

Cleanliness/personal preferences aside, not flushing will definitely help you save money. In addition, baths use up more water than showers.

Ok, you've mentioned chicken tikka masala... I don't even know of a restaurant in Costa Rica that makes it. I'm going to go have a good, long cry now.

If you're talking about bigger lies (not the "I'll be home early" type, as jensized detailed), I think a lot of women believe in the infinite potential of their crush/boyfriend/life partner. When they hear something that sounds too good to be true, they want to believe that, at the very least, their man wants life to be like that. That's why they put up with it. I also think this is much more common among younger/women with less relationship experience -- I used to put up with this crap, but wouldn't any longer.

Ooh, I love turkey on Christmas Day!! Unfortunately, turkey costs $2.27/pound instead of $0.60/pound where I now live, so I had to go with something else. I just wrote up my whole Xmas Day menu today, and decided on one rosemary garlic roasted chicken & one beer butt roasted chicken... should be fun!

That was very amusing. :)

Tupperware on top, cardboard on bottom, relocate.

I don't care about my lack of Y chromosome... to answer the question: Whichever one is Mel B. I thought she was cute on the few episodes of Dancing that I saw, and since I know nothing of the others, I'm sticking with her.

Don't you have something like the Salvation Army, Goodwill, or something similar? How about calling up local places of worship - they often know where to send items.

I wouldn't feel safe traveling alone, even within the States or Costa Rica. Being a woman, there are just too many risks and, even if you take precautions to not put yourself in a risky situation, there are unforeseen events. No, thanks. Furthermore, I just wouldn't have fun alone! Half the fun for me is sharing the vacation experience with my travel buddy.

My Dad make a similar gravy... best in the world! I also love a turkey that's been roasting for hours. Yum!

If you bought it less than a year ago, I say make Apple fix it all (or replace). You may be without your computer for a week or two, but that's a lot better than shelling out another $3000 for a replacement.

@dotcommakers: If you think Windows is user-friendly, then the only comparable sentence would be that OS X is cat-friendly. Trust me, it's loads easier and more intuitive than Windows!

I say to get a Mac. Yes, there is a learning curve, but it's small. Coming from Windows, I almost had a panic attack (sweaty all over, elevated temperature, etc.) when I bought my Mac, thinking of all the work and learning and trial & error I was about to undertake. None. Seriously. It was a dream.

As a designer, you'll love the Mac. Not only does it have everything you need, but it also has most things you could want. Plus, the interface is so smooth and lovely that you'll be inspired by just looking at the machine.

Skype lets you call U.S. 800 numbers for free, just like if you were in the States. It's great!

I think I'd prefer to have had a 1-yr old Macbook that had never blown up, but this is an okay solution.

I'm with peroty on this one, though. Trust me, you'll find him the second you stop looking!

I called them on their 800 number, so yep, it was a lot cheaper! ;-)

Thanks, Mike! I was worried about that, too, but I googled the info (getting a replacement Mac) and quite a few people said patience and a good dose of honey would go a long way. Instead of my usual toughguy charade, I tried the nice route (in addition to a bunch of "ok, well if you won't help me, connect me to someone who will!"), and the moral of the story is that is the way to go with Apple!

@computerjoe: As far as I understand it, my situation is definitely not the norm, so here's hoping that you got a typical (dependable) Mac.

I know dark chocolate is better for me, and so I usually eat that, but if I were to choose, I'd want milk chocolate for the rest of my life. Creamy, smooth, sweet milk chocolate... fighting a craving right now!

I'm a freelance writer, not designer, but I'll add my $0.02: I almost always charge per word (similar to per hour), unless it's a large project. In that case, I'll estimate how many words each piece will be, then come up with a nice lump sum. In my experience, if a client wants 20,000 words and I tell him that it'll cost $0.30/word (or whatever), he'll have a more negative reaction than if he saw $6,000 for everything included. That's just the way I do it, though. There are plenty of people who work differently - I think you need to figure out what you do and how you do it in order to develop the best pricing strategy for your business.

What do the parents of the couple wear?

Whatever fits the theme? Whatever they want? I'm sure the bride & groom take them into account, but when it comes down to it, the day is about the new couple... if they want a fun theme, so be it! :)

There is attraction at first sight, there is strong connection at first sight, but I will not believe in love at first sight. The romantic part of me won't allow it.

The notion of "love at first sight" downplays the depth, beauty, and sheer wonder of love. To think that it can happen all in one glance... what of the scent, the touch, the taste of your lover? Love is all-encompassing. It takes over our brains, our hearts, and all five senses. I don't believe it can be born by just one look.

I keep in touch, so to speak, with lots of friends who live in other states, countries, etc. To be perfectly honest, there's no way I'd know anything about their lives if it weren't for Facebook. With just one click, I can see where they're living, what job they have, if they're married, etc. I can also check out photos of where they've been lately, who they're dating, and who they still hang out with from way back when. All those things, in one easy spot, keeps us interacting. In addition, having them just a click away is a lot easier than trying to find their phone # or AIM screenname: I can just log on, write on their wall, and have it be done with. That's why I like Facebook.

since when is this your.9r?

You didn't get the memo?

Today's the last day to vote for this month's nonfiction book, so get your votes in!

Today's the last day to vote for this month's fiction book, so get your votes in!

Those photos are very depressing, though I have to admit that I've seen offices like those. I really think there should be laws in place to force companies to treat their employees with at least a modicum of respect for their person.

My home office isn't large and is crowded, but I'm having a carpenter build me a HUGE desk (about 67 inches long and 27 inches deep) so that I can work like a queen. I'm too embarrassed to upload a photo of what I've got, but in a month or two when I get my new one, I'll be happy to show it off!