Inside the Head of a TV Junkie

Okay, I realize that this post is a bit behind schedule.  I’ve been very busy with work and Mike.  :)  Anyway, the 4th of July this year was full of good times.  My friend Erin had come up from Sierra Vista for a weekend of Diamondbacks baseball and invited me to go to the game on the 4th.  There were going to be fireworks after the game and I figured, why not!?  Last year I spent the 4th sitting out at Tempe Town Lake from 7pm in 100 degree heat*, let’s just say that this was much better.  For my $10, I got to see a baseball game (we lost) and fireworks in an air conditioned ballpark?  What could be better?!  The photo above is one I took of the fireworks after the game.

I also attended another game with Erin on Saturday.  Again, the D-Backs lost.  Oh well, it was still fun!  I’ve been to more baseball games this year than I have in the past two years.  I think the thing I like most about going to baseball games is that you don’t really have to watch the game.  Don’t get me wrong, I watch the game but I also spend a fair amount of time socializing.

*For those of you not familiar on how things work in Phoenix, Arizona, it can easily be over 100 degrees for hours after the sun has gone down.

Last Thursday I was paid… that means time to give to another worthy cause.

This period, I have decided to donate to Equality Arizona. The mission of Equality Arizona is to secure, protect and defend the rights and welfare of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Arizona. Currently, Equality Arizona is looking for funds to fight SCR-1042 which is currently in the Arizona Senate waiting to be voted on. If this bill makes it through the Senate, it will be on the November ballot. Arizona has already answered the question about same-sex marriage and domestic partner benefits. Read more at Equality Arizona. The official statement can be found here.

Check my Benevolent Blogger Project page for an up to date list of all the causes I have contributed to. Also, more information on the whole Benevolent Blogger Project can be found at Mike’s website.

Today Mike begins a new adventure with a new job.  Just posting this quick note to wish him all the luck on his first day.  I know how crazy those can be and hopefully his first is a great one.

That is all.

Here’s a small pop quiz for all you loyal readers.  This quiz is sort of in conjunction with the Grammar Police post from earlier this week.

Which of these sentences are acceptable?

1) I lent him my favorite toaster oven on Thursday.
2) I loaned him my favorite toaster oven on Thursday.

Any ideas?  The phrasing of my question should have tipped you off.  Both of them are correct (hence my use of are in the question.)  Many will tell you that loan cannot be used as a verb, but this is not true.  Feel free to use loan as a verb as much as you want.  It is completely interchangeable with lend.  There is only one exception to this rule and that is in the figurative sense.  Example:  “Friends, Romans, countryment: lend me your ears!”  Obviously you’re not going to give the speaker your ears, so using loan would not be correct. 

Now that I’ve bored most of you… lesson over.  :)

P.S.  I found out something interesting about Mike when we discussed this topic.  He uses borrowed in a way that doesn’t even sound right.  For example, he would say this sentence is correct.  “I borrowed Mike my copy of Friday Night Lights season one.”  I guess people from the upper midwest use this phrasing a lot but it’s technically incorrect English.  Interesting (at least to a nerd like me.)

Mike has created the Benevolent Blogger Project and has challenged other bloggers to join. This is a very cool concept and after reading about it here, I have decided to join.

The whole process of getting started is very easy. As Mike mentions, searching for organizations you deem worthy of your time/money is the fun part. Since I just had a payday last week, my first contribution has been made. I will keep a running list of the organizations that I support at the bottom of this post. They will consist of groups, associations, and charities that are important to me and those I love. The list will grow as I give each month.

My pledge to the project is to give 4% of each paycheck away to a worthy cause. After running the numbers, I feel that this amount fits perfectly within my budget. This percentage has the ability to grow over time, but I think it is a good starting point.

I recommend you read about the project on Mike’s site and take some time to think about it. This project has the potential to become something big and affect many people around the world.

Who I Support

• American Diabetes Association

I will admit that I sometimes act as the grammar police around my friends.  Mostly I call them on inproper useage for laughs.  I am defnitely no expert in the grammar department, but there are certain rules that I do try and call people on in work emails and other written communication.  Mike also reminded me of a great grammar rule through a joke he told me.  Never end a sentence with a preposition.  It’s a hard one to remember and it sometimes makes you wonder how to rewrite a sentence when you notice that you’ve just broken this rule.  Here’s an example of an email conversation that I had with a friend/co-worker over this rule.

Friend: Where are the envelopes at?

Me:  Incorrect grammar usage.  Please revise your sentence and resend.

Friend: What?  I’m asking you where the envelopes are at.  What part don’t you understand?

Me:  Seriously, I have no idea what you are asking.  Please revise your incorrect sentence and resend.

Friend:  AH!  You are so dumb!  Where are the envelopes?

Me:  They have a stack located by the printer.  I’m glad you were able to catch your mistake without me having to explicitly point it out.

Yeah, it is sort of extreme but I really only do it to get them all worked up.  It’s all in good fun and they know it.  Maybe it’s a bit annoying, but I don’t care.

I was surfing the web today and found this article at The Onion about commas.  It’s pretty funny and very difficult to read.  Check it out here.

Do you ever find yourself being the grammar police?

Today is Cinco de Mayo.  Unlike St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland, Cinco de Mayo is not celebrated throughout Mexico.  In fact, it’s largly ignored.  I had a discussion with Mike about this day this past weekend.  For the record, Mike was correct that it is not celebrated in Mexico and I was right that it exists because of the Battle of Puebla.  Read the very short Wikipedia entry here.

Today, Starbucks and my iPhone saved the day. I was at lunch when my friend Erin called me from the airport. It seems that she left her itinerary information for her business trip at the office. She was left with a dead battery in her work notebook and needed some assistance gaining access to her Expedia account.

Lucky for her, I was making a pit stop on my way back to the office at Starbucks. I was sitting using my iPhone on my T-Mobile HotSpot account. Had I been using the EDGE network, I wouldn’t have been able to chat and surf at the same time. A few mins after she called, I has retrieved the information she needed and the day was saved.

**By the way, this is post #400 for this blog. Thanks for reading!

Partly due to the gifts given to me by [Mike] and partially of my own volition, I got down to business today after work and cleaned my home office desk. Below you will find the before and after photos. Now, the real test is how long will it stay this way?! I’m going to make a conscious effort to keep it looking as good as it does in the “after” photo below. We’ll see!

Before:

After:

My work friend Jenie bought everyone at work “spring gifts” and passed them out on Monday.

She went to Cost Plus and bought the pipe cleaner chicks above and gave them to people at work. Kind of pointless but really kind of cute. I kind of like them. These two are sitting on my computer looking at my while I work. One looks kind of creepy… hmmm.