I suppose I will update this for kicks and giggles

Now half the people I know are on LJ and half are on Blogger. Plus I read several community Blogger-type news sites so I might as well jump in the fray. This can be my 'Journal mostly for people who don't know me through real life or livejournal' though if you are reading this and you do know me in real life, HI!!

Not much going on here. The economy is crap, and apparently because of this gasoline is down to $1.87 in my part of ohio.

As of today I am 8 weeks pregnant. Go me! I am excited/nervous/happy the husband is very excited/nervous/happy. My digestive system is pissed off royally. Everything that my digestive system is supposed to do and has always done normally and quietly it has decided to now do only grudgingly and with much discomfort. I am trying to make it up to my body by feeding it whatever weird things it decides it wants.

Bulletin board update: save our ship!

Today, more LifeSavers, and then - at some point within the last two hours - a picture of the Bermuda Triangle.

It's looking so much less bleak now. I mean, it's pratically a collage. I mean, another week or so and we could enter it in a high school art show. I will have to snap a picture on my cell phone before it goes away.

Monday titanic update

As of this morning the Titanic Bulletin board now sports a large picture of a life preserver and (more amusingly, in my opinion) four or five peppermint Life-Savers candies stuck to the board in some fasion or another. It's a nice touch. Everyone's getting very creative.

Had a telephone interview today for a new job, and I think it went well but I was getting weird vibes from the lady on the phone. Not sure how I feel about that, but I know HR does not equal the rest of the company. Will have to ask around to find out if they are a good employer or a souless corporate graveyard.

update on previous

In the four or so hours since I made that last post, someone has printed out a picture of a large iceburg and pinned it up next to the ship so that the two are touching.

This just gets better and better!

the power of imagery

It's so trite that a picture is worth a thousand words. This is only true, however, if it's the right picture. I wonder sometimes about myself, why I chose to be an English major, and why I still defend that choice internally - years later when it's gotten me nothing but unemployment.

Then something reminds me of how fascinating I find symbolism, words, imagery and their various combinations.

The department that I am currently working in is going to be closing in a couple of months. They've known this for a while now, and most people have become resigned to it over the months. The company is simply bleeding money from our department, and changing things over to a more productive environment would cost more and take years to put into effect - so instead they're outsourcing to another (American) company who handles outsourced call centers. Much like another company I worked for once. I don't say it's a bad idea, it's just a bummer for those of us who like working here.
Anyway, the department is closing and everyone knows it. They've started taking down the decorations all over. A framed poster falls down and it disappears instead of being rehung. There were two enormous bulletin boards right by the entrance to our wing of the building. Full of announcements, and lots of motivational posters about teamwork, customer service, achieve, reach, hope, etc. blah blah blah. You've seen it all before.

About a month ago, both bulletin boards were cleaned off. All the decorations taken down, and they sat there, empty for about a week. It looked very stark, and - to me- depressing. Then one day someone posted a small picture that they'd printed off from their computer. About 5" x 7" big, it was a nice, clear color photo. Of the Titanic. It's still there, by the way. It sat in the direct center of the largest bulletin board for a while, it was recentered a few times, and someone added more push-pins so the corners wouldn't curl, and you could see a lot of my coworkers snickering as they walked passed it for the first week or so.

This week someone took the picture and tilted it at a 45 degree angle, and then repinned it to the board. That was Monday. Since then the picture has tilted further forward and is making a slow decent toward the bottom of the bulletin board.
I think in this case a picture is worth at least a thousand words. It pleases me to no end, that the department seems to be banding together again to do this one little expression of our feelings, and I wish I could articulate better how great I feel to be able to witness this perfect example of the non-academic use of symbolism.

About the name...

I just wanted to make a quick post about the name of this blog. Originally it was going to be something like "unwanted thinker" or "useless genius" or something that - to me - sounds equally emo. I can get into that post later, perhaps. But the issue is this: I am an intellient woman. I read a lot. I think a lot. Yes, I overthink sometimes. And sometimes I wonder if there's a point to thinking about "beauty" or "truth" or whatever other abstract nouns exist in any given language. It doesn't feed or clothe us, or take care of our families.

But I believe they bear thinking about anyway.