Make that change

Magnet #836 - Mind the Gap

One of the most familiar phrases associated with London, "Mind the gap, please, mind the gap." It's one I know and love, particularly when it's done a very thick accent. Heh.

This magnet (which I can't remember if I've used, gasp!) isn't the red, blue and white color scheme I picture in my head when I hear the phrase. But, I suppose you can't get any more official than part of a set bought at the London Transport Museum.

I picked it for today in honor of a friend of mine who just moved to London with her Brit hub.

I rarely get jealous of other people's lives, but my friend moved. Moved. As in, packed up her belongings, dumped Raleigh, NC, and hit the road. Or, air, as the case may be.

Jealous. Jealous. Jealous.

Not sure if I'm more jealous that she's made such a drastic change in her life, or if it's because she moved to London - probably both.

I have this small cartoon (that I should make into a magnet, really) on my computer monitor that has a chick daydreaming at her desk and the thought balloon says, "I wish something would happen to push me violently in the right direction."

I've always had a love-hate relationship with this cartoon, because while I absolutely hate the laziness of her inaction and her passiveness of waiting for change to happen to her, I do know it's hard to make that change. Mind you, I did find this cartoon after I fell into the subway 8 years ago this month. And I'm still here at this job, for all intents and purposes, doing the same thing I was doing when I walked into this office 12 years and 3 months ago.

How's that for not learning a lesson.

But, I've had almost week facedown in a pillow to think about it, and I'm slowly but surely committing myself to some sort of change. Whether it's change at work or change in my life, hopefully the back end of 2010 will see something happen.

And, with any luck, it'll finally be change for the good.

Oh, and hopefully it won't be as violent as that chick in the cartoon's wishin' for.

*crosses fingers*

eta:
Huh. Maybe the Universe didn't quite get that I meant change for meeeeeee. Jealous, as another friend of mine is accepting a job offer in Singapore today. Wow. I need to get on the stick. Heh.

Change is good

Magnet #835 - Grand Central

Or so they say.

This little tile magnet is one of a really cool MTA map set that I picked up from the Transit Museum Annex at Grand Central Terminal.

The MTA has revamped our subway transit map, set to be released next month. It's like the first time in several years they've redone it, but it kinda makes me crazy.

I mean, it's not like they're renaming subway lines, or making superdupermajor changes to it. (Unless you're from Staten Island, in which case I have to wonder how ya'll feel about being shrunk superdupersmall.) And, at least they're making big announcements about it. When they dumped the 9 line, I was like the last person to hear about it. I didn't even notice they'd eliminated the line until months later. And that's one of my major lines!

So, yeah, when I actually notice it, I get a little unnerved by change. I should be getting used to it, given the year I've had. I dunno. All I keep hearing change is good, and I've yet to see how that's truly the case.

But who knows, maybe this map will keep me from getting on the wrong lines - I'm still always the one who has to double-check my lines when I'm headed to Queens or Brooklyn...otherwise, I head to both.

Brace yourself, Vinnie

Magnet #834 - Self-portrait with a Straw Hat

If you're on the U.S. Doctor Who viewing schedule. Stop reading now.

Van Gogh, one of the greatest painters that ever lived. He painted like twenty self-portraits, using himself as a sitter, not being able to pay others to sit for him. This one's over at the Met.

Picked it for today, because the Doctor takes Amy Pond on the best adventure ever, first, to a retrospective of Van Gogh's work at the Musee d'Orsay (one of my most favorite museums ever), and then back in time to meet the grand master himself.

No real spoilers here. Suffice to say that this one's probably in my top Doctor Who episodes ever - joining the ranks of the Doctor's visits with Queen Victoria, Shakespeare and Agatha Christie. Sigh. Clearly, I'm a sucker for the Earth historicals.

In fact, I'll wager a guess that my blogger friend, GoldenGait might even come out of hiding and do an episode review/recap - I totally thought of her when I wondered how the BBC production folks produced all the Van Goghs. Did they just photo-reproduce them on to canvas? Did they hire artists to reproduce them?

I guess I should watch the Doctor Who Confidential to find out. Maybe they'll explain why not Claude Monet instead. My guess is that Vinnie's personal problems were likely the key to that puzzle, given how the BBC plugged their helpline at the end of the episode.

Anyway, be on the lookout for this episode and the fantabulous paintings, coming up in like a month or so here in the U.S.

So. Darn. Good!

Man in a balloon

Magnet #833 - Stick figure

One last sickbed magnet, because hopefully when I wake up on Saturday morning, I'll rejoin the human race again. And perhaps catch up on the hundreds of work emails in my inbox.

Because I didn't check emails. I couldn't. Not when I couldn't sit up long enough for more than an early morning Tweet here and there, not when I barely left my bed. So I know there's a thousand work explosions lying in wait for me, and I know I'll be paying for it, and cursing before the end of the catch-up.

There are all sorts of theories as to why this food poisoning knocked me down so hard this week. There's the theory of last week being a never-ending series of craptastical weeks, and my nerves were frayed to the point I couldn't hold any conversations regarding my work well-being without being all teary. (That's the broken workhorse theory.)

The other part of me refuses to let that crazy place get me down. (That's the Sister Mary Sunshine, albeit deluded, theory.)

There are several other theories. But this is a magnetblog.

I wanted to use this Kristina Myers Crafts magnet that came from her mistake bin because first, it kinda cracks me up. I can't figure it out. I mean, it's a stick figure in a quote balloon. What can it possibly be saying?

For me, it's saying, I can count the number of meals I've had since Tuesday, only 2 of which included solid food, 2 of which consisted of Cheetos, and the rest was really just liquids.

So, yeah, this magnet is probably more representative of how I feel right now, a mere stick figure of myself. Oiy.

By the way, who knew Cheetos could be a good stand-in for Saltines? I know! They should use that in their marketing materials.

Growly bear

Magnet #832 - Bear

This mean-looking bear looks like how I feel, like a dead stuffed bear of a girl.

My sister got me this giant bearhead magnet. I both love it, and feel sorry for it.

I love it, cuz it's a huge giant bearhead! It's so big, its snout fits in the palm of my hand!

I feel sorry for it, because as I placed it on the wall, I realized it looks like a stuffed bear head on my wall! Even then, it makes me think of Teddy Roosevelt, the great conservationist president with his stuffed animal collection.

Still, it's awesome, awesome, awesome.

And, it reminds me of how much of a bear I am when I'm on my sickbed. When I woke up this (Friday) morning feeling worse than I have since Tuesday, I was all set to head over to the ER. But then I remembered every late-night phone call that came to the house growing up, rousing everyone out of their beds, and realized that I should just call my mommy instead.

All things entertainment

Magnet #831 - Geppi's Entertainment Museum

This magnetpost will be timestamped last Wednesday, but it's being written 11:31pm Friday night, after I've finally surfaced from a 4-day bout with food poisoning, thank you very much, Bojangle's.

Or, rather, that's what we think. I basically spent a whole weekend sharing the same meals, and no one else got sick, until Tuesday, when I just had to grab a Bojangle's breakfast.

Tuesday, with a 10-hour drive back to New York, and the yuckiest drive ever. So yucky that I was alternately praying to break the land-speed record and practically begging for stops along the way, just to get out of the car.

Geppi's Entertainment Museum was one of those stops. It's a great museum, a perfect pitstop in Baltimore. I've been meaning to go to this museum since they had a booth set up at NY Comic-Con a couple of years ago.

I wish we'd had more time to wander the rooms of the museum. From the little books, to the comics, to the timeline and all the associated memorabilia along the way, the museum truly was a tribute to pop culture.

It was just chock-full of basically my childhood - from Howdy Doody to Disney, from the California Raisins to Dick Tracy, it was fun taking that stroll through time. My only complaint is that they didn't have magnets. A pop culture museum, sans magnets! Mind you, I basically just took my museum badge and stuck a mighty magnet on it, but still! Oh, the horror!

Anyways, Geppi's Entertainment Museum, recommend!

Food poisoning, not recommend! Of course, I'm blaming the breakfast and not the iced tea, lest you think I've sworn off Bojangle's forever.

Knock, knock, ding dong

Magnet #830 - U.S. Census

Ya'll, the U.S. Census is not playin'. If you guys haven't gotten in your Census forms from earlier this year, they're seriously sending a merry and not-so-merry band of Census-takers to your houses!

To. Your. Front. Doors.

Yesterday, while visiting some friends in Chapel Hill, we went over to some of their friends for a BBQ. (I'd heard this kind of stuff happens, but honestly, when's the last time you've had a bonafide BBQ in New York City? Cooked by a person you've actually met, and with no tab to pay at the end of the day?)

So, while we were over there, the doorbell rang, and it was the Census-taker! And immediately, everyone gasped, pointed at the husband accusatorily, saying, "You didn't turn in your Census form!" (Which, if you think about it, is fantastic for those [how did they get those celebrities to do those, anyway] ads the Census ran on rather heavy rotation a few months ago.) Meanwhile, the wife went outside to answer the guy's questions, while the husband maintained that they totally did turn in their form.

Which then leads you to, really? The guberment's missing some forms and sending Census-takers around to households that already submitted the forms? And on holidays? Are they getting time and a half, those Census-takers? Feel so bad! It was Memorial Day, and instead of partaking in BBQ, he was walking around knockin' on doors!

It's so weird, knowing these guys are running around. Mainly because honestly, if he'd knocked on my door in NYC? Totally wouldn't have answered it.

What? I already turned in my form, I promise! Didn't you hear, it's in our hands!