Enjablog

From the Alfred Hitchcock magazine:

“I believe you are unfamiliar with the penal system in our country,” said the warden, as he led the new prisoner to his cell. “We find that it improves prison morale for each prisoner to have a chance to end his sentence at any time. In your case, we have set up a combination lock on your cell door. There are ten dials, on which you can set up any ten-digit number. If you set up the right one, the cell door will unlock and you will be free to leave.”

“I see,” said the prisoner. “Then if I try every possible number, I’m sure to hit the right one.”

“True,” said the warden, “but even if you were able to change the numbers at the rate of one per second without rest, it would still take you a hundred years to hit the right combination. However, you could try numbers at random and have a chance of choosing the right one. Or, you could search for the clue which we always provide.”

“What sort of clue?”

“Well, it might be almost anything. For example, one of our prisoners was put in an escape-proof cell and told that he would be pardoned if he could break out. He was also given permission to keep any plants he wished in his cell.”

“What became of him?”

The warden chuckled. “After more than two years, he suddenly realized that some words may have more than one meaning. He requested a poison ivy plant. Soon after receiving it, he broke out – in a rash. Naturally, he received his pardon.”

The warden unlocked the cell and ushered the prisoner in. “Your cell contains a desk calculator and writing implements. Good luck.”

The prisoner was left alone. He tried a few combinations on the lock without success. What could the clue be? A thought struck him. It seemed worth a try. He made a few calculations, and then set up a number on the lock. The cell door opened and the prisoner strolled out, after serving less than an hour of his sentence.

What number did he try?

So, I get up in the morning and check my email and the morning news. Then, I sit at my desk at work for ~8.5 hours staring at my computer. Then, I go home and stare at my computer listening to lectures or doing homework another 2 hours or so. Then I goof off for a little while playing games or catching up on blogs and whatnot. And then… the next day I repeat the process and wonder why my eyes hurt. A lot.

LOTD: Eyestrain

- When I ask, “Is this the tank you are referring to?” that doesn’t mean I need a lecture on the difference between types of engines or the history of ships. A yes or a no will suffice. Thanks.

- If you ask a question and don’t like my answer, feel free to ask me to double-check or show you where the information came from. Don’t ask my boss, who then asks me, and will turn around and give you the exact same answer. Then, when you don’t like his answer either, wait two weeks and ask again. We remember you from the last time you asked!

- Yes, I’m a girl. But that doesn’t mean I’m NewGirl. One of the Bobs has been working with NewGirl periodically for the past couple months, but can’t seem to tell her apart from me. We’re different races, heights, and have different hair color (hers is curly and mine is straight). Also, I’ve only met him twice. The first time, he insisted that we met already and my name is NewGirl. When I corrected him, he failed to tell me his name. Today, he stopped by to ask if I received his email. But, unfortunately, no, I did not receive the email you sent to NewGirl.

- Do not paste the text from 500-page documents into the body of an email and then send it. That’s just dumb.

- The last issue, I don’t even know how to deal with. I have a sensitive nose and sometimes smells that other people don’t notice or don’t smell on themselves bother me. There are the smokers, who I think know, OffensiveGuy who smells like onions, some others who smell happily of soaps (I passed someone from 2-3 ft away yesterday and I could smell that he used Dial.)… and then someone in my office today reeked of OldManSmell and my nose started to burn. Last time, this guy smelled like he ate a box of Altoids, which I must admit I now prefer.

How do you politely say, “I’m sorry, but I need you to leave my office now. My face is burning from your stench.”

And in gossip news, my cousin is interning at *GOOGLE* this summer!! So awesome!

QOTD: “If you happen to find an extra 100mt of fuel around here, I think people would be happy.”
“Yeah, let me go check my other pants.”

Happy Pi Day, everyone! I can’t believe I almost forgot about this today. And, I was distracted and missed seeing 1:59. Sigh…

Oh well. There’s always next year. And I’ll be prepared next time and actually have pie to eat.

QOTD: “make a pie in a square pan and tell people ‘this pie are squared’”

I went out with NewGirl and TattooGirl last week for a visit to a spa and then dinner. I got a facial and they got a haircut and a massage.

I’ve never had a facial done before, but I figured it’d be good for me. I have a lot of clogged pores and my skin gets really dry. So, I filled out the survey and said that I have sensitive skin, eczema, etc. And then the woman did her thing. She used her special blends with all hypo-allergenic ingredients. It was all fine and good at the time. And, afterward, my face felt really clean and fresh.

The next night, my right cheek started to feel warm and itchy. When I checked on it in a mirror, I looked flushed in that area. I figured I must have scratched it or something, causing that area to get irritated. But the next morning, my whole face was burning. It kind of evened out because my hands were really cold that day. But I felt really splotchy. Another day later and I was no longer burning up, but my skin was completely dried out. Two days later, I’m still trying to re-hydrate my face.

Never again.

Man, what a full weekend.

Friday date night. First one in a while. We went to Hops for dinner and wandered around to look at shoes and clothes before watching 300. Not really the type of movie I would pick on my own, but it was very cool and I enjoyed it.

Saturday morning started out with a visit with Baby Juniorita [and her parents]. Hung out there with the family for a couple hours before heading over to Sonny’s to clean up his house. Fortunately, we had seen 300 on Friday because so had Sonny and his friends and the day was filled with references to it. Sorry to Yenny who was the only who missed out. :(

New discovery: Magic Erasers. They removed years of scuff marks on the foyer and kitchen linoleum and old paint that had gotten on light switches and the banister. Claimed some of Sonny’s stuff and then headed home and lounged for the evening.

Sunday, got up “early” to have brunch! Mmm… brunch. Then spent the day doing homework and then Ian’s birthday dinner with his family. Cake!

Baby Juniorita (my eldest bro’s first) was born 1:30am March 9, 2007. She was 7lbs 6oz, 19″ long.

Baby Juniorita with her great-grandmother!

… and Happy Ian’s birthday! :)