The Art of Conversation is, like, kinda dead and stuff...

So,
I was at the gym the other day, again, and I was watching the TV there, again (though for some reason the last few weeks the audio for the TV hasn't been working, it's just all static, so I have to rely on my iPod to drown out the rap music on the stereo and focus really hard on the subtitles...)
Anywho,
saw another commercial that made me angry. Had nothing to do with food this time, but it still fell in the same vein of our society today, crunching many things into a little bit of time and also just the disconnection of everyone. It was for some sort of cell phone, the Samsung 4G or something, I think. Part of their shpeel was that you could be face to face with someone, without actually being there, face to face, the scene showed a guy and girl sitting at a table talking, then transition into the guy holding his phone with the girl's face on the phone during a video chat, etc.
Now, this commercial reminded me of an article I read in the Boston Globe the other day, about how these days we are all super connected by technology and that the newest type of pining is longing for you cell phone to receive a text message. The article then launched into long distance relationships and how they work much differently these days, but also how technology can hinder them as well as help, e.g. you send a text message and it is not replied to right away, what is the other person doing?!
So, back to this TV commercial, you can now be face to face with someone without actually being there, blah blah blah.
Well, the first thing that popped into my head was that scene from Wall-E when there are two guys on their little hover-chairs talking to each other via video, but they're floating right next to each other as well. Also, the scene where Mary's video screen goes away and she's actually seeing where they live for the first time, since her whole life has been lived through that screen.
Is this where we are headed?

That in mind, a friend of mine recently posted a FB status saying something along the lines of "Does anyone ever have real conversations anymore?" since our daily lives are all wrapped up in texts and comments and "likes" (if you have a facebook that is, I do know quite a few people without them)
In any case, I responded to said FB comment with this link
It seemed fitting.

the things you own end up owning you

I had my first day of my internship yesterday. Well, technically it was my 2nd...ish. I went in last week for faculty meetings, and yesterday I went in, went to a meeting, then my supervisor showed me and the other intern around the building.
Public school buildings are like a college dormitory, they have no ventilation. And August & Early September are a tease, their names invoke the feelings and thoughts of autumn, but then they hit you with a heat wave, just as you're pulling all those comfy sweaters out of storage...

Anyway, I haven't had a chance to work with any students yet. I am also terrified about having to do so. There are 2 other interns with me (one is completely new, like me, the other has worked in the school for awhile in a different department) but we have our own room to be our "office" with a phone that we can set up an intern voicemail for, and a scheduling board, to schedule sessions with kids...I AM AN INTERN! gah!

So, that, compounded with my house being a complete mess (due to a recent roommate move-in) my classes starting, staying up until 1am/getting up at 6...and taking on a babysitting job (it's only for 2 hours once a week, but I am selfish and like my "me" time) is just beginning to overwhelm me. It probably won't be as bad next week, since I won't also have things planned for almost every night of the week...
because I had Saturday -Tuesday off (though I didn't realize I had Tuesday off until I showed up to work and was told I wasn't scheduled, but it was ok, I don't like that far away)
so I had 4 days to clean, organize and chill, and I did, but not enough. Saturday I spent most of the day doing laundry and working on my renaissance faire costume, then went to a party that night, Sunday was all me, then Monday was less cleaning, more slacking, then my new roommate started moving things in, which halted any cleaning I was doing, and then she wanted to take me and her friends (who helped with all the heavy stuff) out to dinner, we just went to a place the next street over, but being Labor day it was very busy (take out Thai food) so we were there a lot longer than planned, and by the time we were done it was late and we were all tired
Tuesday the first half of the day was wasted, cause I thought I had work at 1pm, so I just worked on my costume some more and chilled, since I didn't think I could commit to anything, only to show up at work and be handed 4 hours of extra time I wasn't expecting, this allowed me to go to the gym, but then I didn't get to the farmers market cause I wasn't prepared, and even though it's not that far from my house, I got home and didn't want to leave and come back, especially since the new roomie and I were supposed to organize a few things,
but alas, no farmers market means less food, and I have to wait until next Tuesday to go back...when I won't have as much time, ugh, I am so foolish sometimes...
but then I did get to hang out with my mom Tuesday night, she was in the city and staying at a hotel for work, we went to "happy hour" at the concierge and proceeded to enjoy a few large glasses of wine, each, it was so fun :) talking about life, relationships, eavesdropping on the conversations of the people below us, my mom cracking up while on the phone with my step-dad as he whined at her, haha, sigh
Then yesterday was the first day of classes so I had small pockets of time between 8am and 6:30pm then came home to try and organize more at the apartment...but we started later than I expected, so things got moved around, but everything is still in chaos, and I need shelving, BADLY
moved some shelving I had in my living room to the kitchen, but now I have no place to put a bunch of my books and DVDs, though it's my own damn fault, if I had actually read more this summer and gotten rid of books, like I said I was going to then this wouldn't be that much of an issue...
wow I am ranting today...
but yeah, on a break from work right now, work 8am-10 then working again 1pm-3pm, then I am meeting up with my friend who's daughter I am babysitting so she can show me where to pick her up and everything, it's only from 6-8/8:30ish on Thursday, and I definitely have the time, just this week it's stressing me out...cause I want to go home and clean my apartment and have everything settled and in place and not a big freaking mess
not that my apartment was all settled before, but it was getting there, now, ugh, I don't even know where to begin...

it's a wonder I have so much stuff, for all the stress it causes me...tonight is probably gonna be another late night, but time I am going to really purge...

Mini Rant

So,

I don't own a TV. A few reasons being: cost, too easily sucked in...and also the news makes me depressed.

That being said I do get some TV time at the gym, which is just the right dose it seems, though lately it's been too much.

Why?

Well, as much as I loved "Grounded for Life" reruns (no lie, love that show) I really could do without the commercials. And it's not the amount of commercials, really, but what they are about.

5-hour energy commercials: get 5 hours of energy from drinking this tiny bottle of mystery crap...or you could GET MORE SLEEP.

Kellogs Fiber-Something or other bar: girl sitting on a bench "wishing" for a more fiber-ful & healthy snack...eat some fucking fruit.

Lean Cuisine (I think) commercial: you see a woman cooking a bunch of stuff, tons of pots on the stove, she's looking frazzled, wiping her brow, over-voice/text says something along the lines of "Think a good meal means a lot of work?" then shows her cooking up a pasta dish thing from a steamer-bag or something from Lean Cuisine...yes, cooking on the stove is SO much work, instead you should eat sodium & preservative laden crap from a bag you got in a grocery store freezer...

UGH.

It's such a mystery why Americans are fat, lazy and full of medical problems...

AH ah!

I may be slacking with my blog, but I have not fallen behind in my cooking adventures, and even gone so far as to upgrade to actual stove work!

In this corner we have, homemade oatmeal!

with milk and honey! mmmm

and over here we have potatoes and chives!

made this with my sister just last night, store bought potatoes and scallions, from chives from my grandmothers garden ^_^

in other news, I have rediscovered a farmers market that is close by, since during the summer I was away on Tuesdays, and it's on the same day, and they're running until at least October 26th, if not later! :D so excited

in other, other news, I have two (fairly simple) things going on at the moment, freezing some grapes, and also made some banana pops, which basically means cutting a banana in half and then putting it on a popsicle stick in the freezer, I didn't have popsicle sticks, so I used some chopsticks...they look kind of silly, I also rolled two of them in honey (I am making 4) because I want to see which kind I like better ^_^

unfortunately I didn't think to do this until now, so who knows, by the time they are frozen it might not be disgustingly hot and humid out...