Quoth the Raven

- mad about yelp -

Recent reviews by Faith H.

What's this?

The future seems bright with Yelp in my life.

Recent reviews by Faith H.

What's this?

Art is in the eye of the Yelper

This was the caption for my latest e-newsletter from my favorite directory on the web - Yelp - and I found it appropriate being that I am currently doing a course in Art Appreciation this quarter. Of course, I may have chosen this class for a couple of reasons; one was out of an interesting in Art and the other was out of a need for an easier class. Now don't get me wrong. I am in no way looking to cruise through college courses but 2006 had been a tough year in the classroom and I guess I was feeling a little burned out. Also, Joel had surgery to repair a ruptured distal tendon in his bicep in December, and I knew I would need to commit some time to taking care of him.

So back to the Arts and the difficult class that I have signed on for this quarter. The workload is absolutely crazy and it is really only an elective class! The online class began on a Monday and we had to take a 3 hr revision exam by 9pm on the Wednesday. Can you believe it? I may have read the required chapters for the week, but in no way did I feel confident to take a 3 hr exam on the material. I began to tell myself that it must consist of multiple choice questions, but again I was wrong. It was made up of essay questions, questions that force you to find artwork that relates to certain techniques and styles, AND interpreting various pieces chosen by the professor. Well, I came, I saw and I conquered, and I managed to complete the exam and scored 33/35 - so maybe there is a hidden artist within me.

* Artwork - 'I and the Village' by Marc Chagall

 

I am soooo special in a Yelp kind of way!

I love Yelp. Maybe you already knew that, but maybe not. I guess you could say that Yelp is my dirty little secret - well that is about as dirty as I get. Boring. Of course, Yelp is now so popular among people in the know that the secret is now out there. Way out there....

I have to say that my feelings for Yelp are even stronger today. No reason. Ok, so there is a reason and that reason might have something to do with the fact that they have hit my recent post with the coveted title of 'Review of the Day'. How cool is that!

Review of the Day

 Voted by our members!

Faith H.

You say I'm a bitch like it's…

Greenlake Animal Hospital

We love this place so much that Zoe and I are all packed up and ready to move in! Ok, so the initial reason for choosing this vet was location - of course - they are a quick 5 minute walk from my… Read more »

Oh, my that's awesome!

Yes, it is and you wanna know what else is awesome?

This blog is Awesome!

What do you mean "what's Awesome"

The name of the blog is Awesome.

No, that is the name.

Oh, no I wasn't meaning the name chosen for the blog is Awesome.

The blog title is Awesome.

Yes, it is awesome, isn't it.

So go here and check it out.

What are you waiting for?

You need more information from me before you will click on here.

Ok.

This website is made up of brilliant writers such as Wendy

and Sarah

...and they will tell you about many cool items that you never knew existed, and some you couldn't live without!

As the World Churns

Alienation, anxiety, and the working bored



TEXT BY TODD PITOCK     ILLUSTRATION BY ALAN BAKER     SEPTEMBER 13, 2006

"There are days that feel long, but only for nebulous reasons. Everything is a task, and even the completion of one thing is only the beginning of something else that must be endured rather than enjoyed.

My malaise has internal features and particular behaviors. I am aware, for example, that time is being squandered and yet it paradoxically hurtles along; there is too much of it, and not enough of it. I have neither the patience to think nor the energy to do. I am consumed by utilitarian but empty busyness. I call up big companies over small discrepancies on bills. I agree to take online surveys or look up airfares or exchange rates for no immediate reason; play games of TextTwist or electronic Solitaire, noting my speed and scores. I eat, and the first bite has some flavor and the rest of the thing is somehow consumed and I can't even remember having chewed, and soon enough have only a vague memory of having eaten at all.

At night, I channel- and Internet surf, which leads to another notable feature. All things merit my attention, and nothing holds it. The end of the day is characterized by a kind of gossamer of regret: nothing too intense, only a resolution to do better tomorrow.

This self-indulgence comes and goes. Lately, I have become more attuned to my tendencies and see how work can sling me between boredom and anxiety, between not wanting to do something at all and feeling pressure to do it to perfection.

Engaged, disengaged, and "other"
Evidently such doldrums are commonplace. According to an article in the Gallup Management Journal, 59 percent of employees are "disengaged" and another 14 percent are "actively disengaged."

"There is probably a continuum from the mildly bored to people who have resigned themselves to their situation and checked out," says Dennis Reina, co-author, along with Michelle Reina, of Trust and Betrayal in the Workplace. "We're all in a constant process of reinventing ourselves. Are we growing, going to our next developmental level? We can start out in a situation and become skilled and do it in our sleep. But unless we're learning, growing, taking some risks, even making mistakes, and getting ourselves to the next level developmentally--whether it's a job or a relationship--we have to be growing or we're dying. Otherwise, it's just a slow death, death by a thousand paper cuts."

If you would like to continue reading go here. Yes, you know you can't resist the temptation. Hey, don't feel bad - I am the one who found it in the spam file...not you.

I stumbled upon this fanzine while searching the endless inbound spam that we receive on a daily, if not hourly basis in my office. No, let me re-phrase that, as it is incoming on an almost minute by minute account. I work in a small office and I took the initiative and decided to start checking the inbound spam rather than pay our out-of-office IT person a ridiculous amount of money to do so. Yes, it is very noble of me as it is a tedious task but don't engrave my name in the Nobel Peace Prize award just yet. I also chose to do it so that I can procrastinate without appearing too obvious about it. Yes, the correct spelling is F.A.I.T.H. - thanks for asking.

Oh, yeh, back to the fanzine. I WAS NOT snooping. I couldn't help reading the email and with the title 'Jugglezine' wouldn't you be curious? After reading the beginning of this article you must admit that your couldn't have stopped yourself from reading more. So I did. I knew I was going to read even more than that so I just went ahead and transferred a copy to my inbox just to make it easier. That is until I make find some time to subscribe the Jugglezine so I don't have to search for it like a bottom-feeder squirming along the bottom of the ocean.

So anyway I thought this article was great, and so spot on. Of course, in saying that I am also admitting that I myself am dying a slow, painful death...slow and painful.

Need help checkout Yelp

Got a Secret?

Share a Secret. Post a secret - POSTSECRET

This site is fantastic.

Sometimes disturbing, mostly amusing...but always a secret.

You can choose to post your secret, or maybe just read someone else's.

The choice is always up to you...

Or you can do nothing but read, read, read a secret posted by someone somewhere else in this big, wide world.

Go for it!

* This photo was just one of the postcards listed on the Postsecret site. If you are having trouble deciphering the secret on the keyboard it says, "I've been having cyber sex with Dad he doesn't knows it's me". Like I said before, some of the secrets are disturbing!

Dead Bloggers Society

So I was just speaking to my dear friend Katherine and we got to talking about the lack-of-blogging pit that we have both been sucked into. Ok, so we weren't really discussing it. She blogged about her dilemma and re-commitment to blogging on a daily basis, and I agreed with her and told her so in the comment I left her. It is sort of like communication, isn't it? That's what communicating is. She talks, then I talk, then she talks and the conversations pretty much goes on like that for a little while....and then you say goodbye. Well bloggunication is exactly the same. Katherine posts, then I post, then she comments on my post and I will comment on her post and we are bloggunicating while still keeping up with our hectic lives. A beat is not missed and the friendship continues...

So what was I going to tell you about anyway? Oh, that's right our little chat. So Katherine has bloggunicated that she will commit to posting blogging on a daily basis. Wow, now that is one hell of a grand statement for someone with the social calendar of a mini celebrity status like Katherine. I am totally only kidding. She is the social butterfly that I was in my younger years while now I just dream about recluse status. I have a dream that I will one day be sitting in my study reading, writing and communicating with the chosen few via the internet. Ok, maybe just the reading and writing part will suffice for now.

Now back to our conversation...so we were talking about blogging. I, then had a brainwave that we should start our own exclusive club for other fellow non-bloggers, or non-frequent bloggers. Then the club names started to come to me....'We'll blog when we wanna blog' club or the 'What the blog is going on' club or maybe even the 'Dead Bloggers Society'.

'What the Blog is going on' club sounds good to me as it really says it all, don't you think? Obviously, if I am not posting something it usually means that nothing exciting is going on so why blog? On the other hand, most often I have much to say but no time to write about it as I am too busy working or studying to write about it, or I am have too much fun living life to make time to write about it. Now the last one that is right down my alley is the 'Dead Bloggers Society' - it really makes sense in those times when you are going through that grieving process when the right word is just no where to be found.  Yes, I seem to have many of those days, though it appears that today is not one of them?

So go ahead. Blog someone today and tell them you love them! (I guess this joke will be lost on those people living in America but this was the catch phrase in an old australian commercial encouraging people to use the telephone to 'phone home'. Ok, so it is crazy the dumbarse things that I can remember and I working ever so hard to remember everything I need to for my Psych midterm that is coming up on Tuesday. Ok, so this is my cue to hit the books.

Why battle the bulge alone? Join...

About Fat Fighter Blogs

Who?

fatfighterblogs.com is a 1 Bee operation created to unite & promote health, fitness & weight loss bloggers.

What?

The site has two missions:

1. Provide a comprehensive directory of health, fitness & weight loss bloggers
2. Maintain a blog covering all aspects of health, from the latest food craze to the politics of food. The blog will also highlight fat fighting bloggers, provide educational tips, motivational quotes, group challenges and more. Much more

When?

The blog and directory officialy launched on 10/03/2005.

Where?

When the Bee isn't tooling around cyberspace, she's happily buzzing around Atlanta.

Why?

A ♥ of health topics + A ♥ of fitness blogs = fatfighterblogs.com OR how I found a way to combine two of my favorite things things. Hopefully others view the site as a helpful resource and stick around.

And the Bees?

The idea came from this quote:

"Aerodynamically the bumblebee shouldn't be able to fly, but the bumblebee doesn't know that so it goes on flying anyway." – Mary Kay Ash

One morning I was having a very hard time getting myself motivated and read that quote and it absolutely moved me. I thought to myself, if only we all could think like the bumblebee and become oblivious to our limitations, our biggest dreams can come true.