I started thinking about charity and finding a new organization to make a donation. After enjoying a gluttonous few days at Christmas and watching (somewhat horrified) a few episodes of Man v. Food, I decided to find a charity centered around ending hunger.
I have watched Man v. Food previously and any enjoyment the show had once provided me has been replaced with a feeling of disgust. I'm speaking only for myself and not to make anyone feel badly for enjoying the show... it's just that I can't watch someone stuff himself so that, once completed, an entire mid section of a cow has been consumed.
I also wonder about the host's health. I read an interview he gave to ESPN (I think) a few years ago. He said he works out a lot and stays fit, but he's definitely a big boy. What sort of long-term damage will this cause?
Anyway, the whole idea of one person eating much more than they need is really the catalyst for a hunger-ending charity donation.
Just today, I saw an article from the Times about a woman whose goal is to reach 1,000 pounds. At Christmas she ate a 30,000 calorie meal. Ridiculous! Her goal, which is now a career, will probably kill her.
I just want to scream. What is wrong with a society that encourages this? UGH.
So.
I'm going to do something, little, as it may be... it's something. I found the The Hunger Project though the American Institute of Philanthropy's charity rating. They gave the organization an A, and I've been moved to action by HP's principles.
This organization promotes ending hunger through teaching sustainable methods, and in doing so, empowers people to make the changes at a grass roots level. (I'm in love.) It brings me back to Introduction to Women's Studies in college. This organization's mission and principles might not be for everyone, but it's struck a chord with me. I'll continue to research other organizations out there, but this one has caught my interest particularly... and clearly enough to write about it.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
When your email is hacked.
My oldest email account was hacked a few weeks ago sending spam to all of my contacts. ALL of my contacts. Every person/email address I deemed important enough to save as a contact since the time I created the account in 2002.
The first person to notify me was a friend from high school, who, thanks to facebook we're 'friends'. Though, funnily enough, she texted me and I didn't have her number stored. So my first thought was it was a hoax/part of the scam. Nope.
The next day I heard from the recruiter at my company who I'd corresponded with a few years ago in applying for my current job. Ugh. And shortly after that, I received another half dozen forwards that looked something like this:
Hey Lany,
Not sure if you knew this, but your hotmail is sending out this message. It looked odd to me, is it legit?
And some even continued to say 'I tried to click the link, too.'
PEOPLE:
1) Don't forward me spam.
2) DON'T CLICK THE LINK.
3) Offer a possible solution.
Since my now preferred email address was also saved as one of my contacts, I received the spam messages, all 5 or so of them. (I never clicked the link.)
Here's a rundown of who I think got the spam:
- Craigslist people from whom I bought furniture
- The Clark Alumni Association
- People who responded to my own craigslist adds for rugby recruitment
- My grandparents' email address, which goes unchecked now
- Guys I used to correspond with from match.com and jdate.com when I lived in upstate NY
- And perhaps women I've corresponded with more recently (recently as in 3 years ago) also from match.com
I've now changed my password, deleted all the stored contacts, and closed the email account.
My next project is clearing out my gmail contacts. All 500+ of them.
The first person to notify me was a friend from high school, who, thanks to facebook we're 'friends'. Though, funnily enough, she texted me and I didn't have her number stored. So my first thought was it was a hoax/part of the scam. Nope.
The next day I heard from the recruiter at my company who I'd corresponded with a few years ago in applying for my current job. Ugh. And shortly after that, I received another half dozen forwards that looked something like this:
Hey Lany,
Not sure if you knew this, but your hotmail is sending out this message. It looked odd to me, is it legit?
And some even continued to say 'I tried to click the link, too.'
PEOPLE:
1) Don't forward me spam.
2) DON'T CLICK THE LINK.
3) Offer a possible solution.
Since my now preferred email address was also saved as one of my contacts, I received the spam messages, all 5 or so of them. (I never clicked the link.)
Here's a rundown of who I think got the spam:
- Craigslist people from whom I bought furniture
- The Clark Alumni Association
- People who responded to my own craigslist adds for rugby recruitment
- My grandparents' email address, which goes unchecked now
- Guys I used to correspond with from match.com and jdate.com when I lived in upstate NY
- And perhaps women I've corresponded with more recently (recently as in 3 years ago) also from match.com
I've now changed my password, deleted all the stored contacts, and closed the email account.
My next project is clearing out my gmail contacts. All 500+ of them.
Monday, August 16, 2010
The world doesn't revolve around the US of A
I experienced that feeling where you realize that the world doesn't revolve around the United States.
I know that sounds harsh and ignorant, and coming from someone who is educated and listens to NPR every morning, this reaction surprised myself.
The women's rugby world cup kicks off in a few days in England. 13 games will be televised by Sky Sports in the UK. Their schedule reveals they'll show the Wales v Australia, New Zealand v South Africa, England v Ireland, France v Scotland, New Zealand v Australia, England v Khazakhstan, New Zealand v Wales, and Australia v South Africa matches as well as the semi-finals and final matches (teams to be determined).
Understanding that rugby in the United States is not as popular as American football or even baseball, or even soccer, and that women's rugby is even less so... and (unfortunately) I don't think the Eagles are favored to win (NOT my opinion!, just sayin') -- I was still surprised that their matches won't be shown on Sky. They are in the same bracket as England and Ireland, so I thought maybe those would be aired.
Luckily, the President of USA Rugby has confirmed that Universal Sports will broadcast some of the US Eagles matches AND it looks like all matches in the world cup will be available through the IRB's website.
In all honesty, I don't think you can get Sky Sports here -- well, I can't with the cable I currently have. It was just one of those moments that made me go 'wow. no kidding.' And I'm reminded that the world doesn't revolve around the US... nor does the women's world cup revolve around the US Eagles.
A few of us in Boston will likely be gathering to watch US matches projected onto a wall in someone's living room... or hopefully at PJ Ryan's (Teele Square, Somerville) on Sunday, August 29th (streamed on demand after their England and Ireland matches have occurred).
I know that sounds harsh and ignorant, and coming from someone who is educated and listens to NPR every morning, this reaction surprised myself.
The women's rugby world cup kicks off in a few days in England. 13 games will be televised by Sky Sports in the UK. Their schedule reveals they'll show the Wales v Australia, New Zealand v South Africa, England v Ireland, France v Scotland, New Zealand v Australia, England v Khazakhstan, New Zealand v Wales, and Australia v South Africa matches as well as the semi-finals and final matches (teams to be determined).
Understanding that rugby in the United States is not as popular as American football or even baseball, or even soccer, and that women's rugby is even less so... and (unfortunately) I don't think the Eagles are favored to win (NOT my opinion!, just sayin') -- I was still surprised that their matches won't be shown on Sky. They are in the same bracket as England and Ireland, so I thought maybe those would be aired.
Luckily, the President of USA Rugby has confirmed that Universal Sports will broadcast some of the US Eagles matches AND it looks like all matches in the world cup will be available through the IRB's website.
In all honesty, I don't think you can get Sky Sports here -- well, I can't with the cable I currently have. It was just one of those moments that made me go 'wow. no kidding.' And I'm reminded that the world doesn't revolve around the US... nor does the women's world cup revolve around the US Eagles.
A few of us in Boston will likely be gathering to watch US matches projected onto a wall in someone's living room... or hopefully at PJ Ryan's (Teele Square, Somerville) on Sunday, August 29th (streamed on demand after their England and Ireland matches have occurred).
Friday, March 26, 2010
Saturday's a Rugby Day
This is my mantra beginning today and and will last through May 23.
Then it will be my mantra on and off during the summer (I am determined to play 7's this summer, though my position is not actually on the field in 7's, but a flank turned lock can dream, can't she?).
Four years ago, I hadn't even heard this phrase and if I did, it wouldn't mean anything to me. Seriously, who cares?
But this has changed my life and I owe it to my friend and teammate Tammy. She and another teammate suggested I come to practice.
When you've had a few beers, really, is anything a bad idea?
Tammy called me a few days later and reminded me that I was going to practice with her. Naively, I asked if there was a lot of running involved. It's not that I was completely out of shape then; It was that I didn't know anything about rugby except that I'd always had a penchant toward the rugby style shirt.
Tammy and I took a run around my block twice that night and, presto! I was ready to join the team.
Oy.
I started playing the sport at 25 years old. I wish I'd learned about it sooner. I wish it had been an option for me in high school or in college.
No, I should say: I wish I'd known sooner that I needed this in my life.
If rugby was offered at my college (which I found out there had been a team years earlier), I don't know that I would have joined. My hobbies in high school were mostly theater arts-related. When I started smoking cigarettes in college I quit singing, and didn't see myself as an athlete (beer pong and keg stands excluded).
Is it just that I'm part of a team now? Nope. I did play softball through the parks and rec in my town and actually did indoor track for two seasons in high school (until I broke a hurdle with my trail leg toe). I've been on teams before. And, it's also not the same as being a cast member, though, my closest friends in high school were my cast mates.
It's nearly indescribable for me, this feeling I get when I'm playing or even just thinking of playing. I get intimidatingly enthusiastic on the pitch. And I'm thankful and fortunate that my teammates understand this about me enough to know it's a fire inside me.
Part of my love of the game is that it feeds so well into my feminist ideals. I want women to play rugby with the same frequency that men play (though it's a minority sport in the US, the number of men's to women's teams is... a lot more. I don't have the statistics). I want women of all ages to help spread the sport here. I want women to say that they're playing this sport they never imagined playing and to find more women with whom to share this bond. AND, I want women's rugby to be held with the same regard as men's rugby.
To date, I've had four black eyes (one involving stitches, another involving a golf ball bruise on my forehead), a softball-sized hematoma under my knee which was eventually drained, and I'm currently icing my ankle for its second sprain of this season. (Tomorrow my team is playing a night game in Portland, ME. I'll be driving two hours to watch and yell from the sidelines in 37 degree weather.)
I've also had a dozen conversations with my family about this and I think they're starting to understand it more -- not the rules of the sport -- they're starting to realize that rugby is in my life. For reals. While they don't know why I am so torn about choosing to play or choosing to miss a match on the big Jewish holidays, they know this is one of the biggest decisions I face every fall.
Rugby has taught me so much about myself. I want to play for as long as I can. I get sad thinking about the time when I won't be on the pitch anymore. I get fired up every season as younger and younger women are joining us. The fear that a new teammate could take my position is what motivates me to keep pushing, to keep driving, to keep. going.
And, I think, what if I knew at 18 years old how much I needed rugby...
(tears welling)
Then it will be my mantra on and off during the summer (I am determined to play 7's this summer, though my position is not actually on the field in 7's, but a flank turned lock can dream, can't she?).
Four years ago, I hadn't even heard this phrase and if I did, it wouldn't mean anything to me. Seriously, who cares?
But this has changed my life and I owe it to my friend and teammate Tammy. She and another teammate suggested I come to practice.
When you've had a few beers, really, is anything a bad idea?
Tammy called me a few days later and reminded me that I was going to practice with her. Naively, I asked if there was a lot of running involved. It's not that I was completely out of shape then; It was that I didn't know anything about rugby except that I'd always had a penchant toward the rugby style shirt.
Tammy and I took a run around my block twice that night and, presto! I was ready to join the team.
Oy.
I started playing the sport at 25 years old. I wish I'd learned about it sooner. I wish it had been an option for me in high school or in college.
No, I should say: I wish I'd known sooner that I needed this in my life.
If rugby was offered at my college (which I found out there had been a team years earlier), I don't know that I would have joined. My hobbies in high school were mostly theater arts-related. When I started smoking cigarettes in college I quit singing, and didn't see myself as an athlete (beer pong and keg stands excluded).
Is it just that I'm part of a team now? Nope. I did play softball through the parks and rec in my town and actually did indoor track for two seasons in high school (until I broke a hurdle with my trail leg toe). I've been on teams before. And, it's also not the same as being a cast member, though, my closest friends in high school were my cast mates.
It's nearly indescribable for me, this feeling I get when I'm playing or even just thinking of playing. I get intimidatingly enthusiastic on the pitch. And I'm thankful and fortunate that my teammates understand this about me enough to know it's a fire inside me.
Part of my love of the game is that it feeds so well into my feminist ideals. I want women to play rugby with the same frequency that men play (though it's a minority sport in the US, the number of men's to women's teams is... a lot more. I don't have the statistics). I want women of all ages to help spread the sport here. I want women to say that they're playing this sport they never imagined playing and to find more women with whom to share this bond. AND, I want women's rugby to be held with the same regard as men's rugby.
To date, I've had four black eyes (one involving stitches, another involving a golf ball bruise on my forehead), a softball-sized hematoma under my knee which was eventually drained, and I'm currently icing my ankle for its second sprain of this season. (Tomorrow my team is playing a night game in Portland, ME. I'll be driving two hours to watch and yell from the sidelines in 37 degree weather.)
I've also had a dozen conversations with my family about this and I think they're starting to understand it more -- not the rules of the sport -- they're starting to realize that rugby is in my life. For reals. While they don't know why I am so torn about choosing to play or choosing to miss a match on the big Jewish holidays, they know this is one of the biggest decisions I face every fall.
Rugby has taught me so much about myself. I want to play for as long as I can. I get sad thinking about the time when I won't be on the pitch anymore. I get fired up every season as younger and younger women are joining us. The fear that a new teammate could take my position is what motivates me to keep pushing, to keep driving, to keep. going.
And, I think, what if I knew at 18 years old how much I needed rugby...
(tears welling)
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Yankee Swap
I'm pleased with a gift idea for my company yankee swap. Yes. In December, around the holidays. Last year was the first one I'd been to, having only been with my company for five months at the time. I knew it was sort of an "anything goes" kind of swap. And being jokey mcjokerson, I didn't want to show up with a gift anyone would actually want. So, while at a car show last year I picked up a poster of a Nissan -- one of their sports car models. I got a cheap frame from Target and wrapped my present in copies of that week's Metro newspapers. I even included the pages with my 75% completed crosswords.
The person who selected my gift opened it with such gusto! I found out afterward that he was expecting it be a Farrah Fawcett poster or something more scintillating than the car. As with all yankee swaps, he had the option of switching with someone else but he didn't and so took home my brilliant gift. Perhaps he'd bring it next year to the swap! And maybe, this would be one of those amazingly awful gifts that makes its way to swaps year after year...
A week later, I asked him if he'd hung up the poster. Our conversation was in passing, as in, he never fully stopped walking in his path. Maybe he was in a hurry or just didn't think it was important enough to stand still for a moment. He told he me that the poster wound up in his garbage can... and continued to walk away.
I was crushed. To this day, I mentally give him hairy eyeballs. Well, I hope it's mental and doesn't outwardly show. His arrogance puts me off. And I've spent the last 9 months thinking on what I could bring to the next swap.
Yes. I really have been thinking about this for 9. whole. months.
I'd thought about super gluing $10 to a rock, making it unusable, to reflect how I felt my last $10 spent on the frame was treated. But then I'd have blown $20 on yankee swap gifts, further creating more waste.
Another idea was these mini orange traffic cones at my desk that have Volvo's logo on them. I typically give them to new hires who get a company car (yes, it is a Volvo). But since I'm the only one with the cones, it would remove all anonymity.
It came to me today.
I'm going to buy a bunch of non-perishable food items: pasta, soup, beans, tuna fish, etc. I'll get decent stuff, too, avoiding dented cans, etc. I'll include a note that says something like, "I was dismayed after hearing that the gift I thoughtfully brought last year was thrown away. Feel free to keep these items for your family, or donate them to a local food shelter, as there many in our communities that go without daily."
Boo-ya.
The person who selected my gift opened it with such gusto! I found out afterward that he was expecting it be a Farrah Fawcett poster or something more scintillating than the car. As with all yankee swaps, he had the option of switching with someone else but he didn't and so took home my brilliant gift. Perhaps he'd bring it next year to the swap! And maybe, this would be one of those amazingly awful gifts that makes its way to swaps year after year...
A week later, I asked him if he'd hung up the poster. Our conversation was in passing, as in, he never fully stopped walking in his path. Maybe he was in a hurry or just didn't think it was important enough to stand still for a moment. He told he me that the poster wound up in his garbage can... and continued to walk away.
I was crushed. To this day, I mentally give him hairy eyeballs. Well, I hope it's mental and doesn't outwardly show. His arrogance puts me off. And I've spent the last 9 months thinking on what I could bring to the next swap.
Yes. I really have been thinking about this for 9. whole. months.
I'd thought about super gluing $10 to a rock, making it unusable, to reflect how I felt my last $10 spent on the frame was treated. But then I'd have blown $20 on yankee swap gifts, further creating more waste.
Another idea was these mini orange traffic cones at my desk that have Volvo's logo on them. I typically give them to new hires who get a company car (yes, it is a Volvo). But since I'm the only one with the cones, it would remove all anonymity.
It came to me today.
I'm going to buy a bunch of non-perishable food items: pasta, soup, beans, tuna fish, etc. I'll get decent stuff, too, avoiding dented cans, etc. I'll include a note that says something like, "I was dismayed after hearing that the gift I thoughtfully brought last year was thrown away. Feel free to keep these items for your family, or donate them to a local food shelter, as there many in our communities that go without daily."
Boo-ya.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Area Woman Abbreviates, saves tm
Colleagues of local area resident woman Elena "Lany" Mamlok report that Mamlok is saving time by shortening the spelling of words.
"Thx", commented Mamlok. She went on to say, "At first I was worried I'd hurt the integrity of the English language.. but I've just saved so much time. Even cutting back on the ellipses helps."
To interview Mamlok for this article, she suggested we meet at the "Du Do" in Davis Square, Somerville, and grab a cup of coffee.
Studies have shown that the measures Mamlok has taken have provided her another whole minute over the past three months. Mamlok and her sister, Charna Mamlok Westervelt, also an abbreviator, combined their saved time and applied it to Cape Cod traffic.
"I'll admit, I was a little disappointed that I didn't use my time more wisely.. but there are still other ways I can get that back." Mamlok feels strongly that if she starts referring to the National Broadcasting Company as NBC, she will gain an additional five minutes by the end of 2010, since it's not a leap year.
However, not everyone is on board with Mamlok's verbiage. "I have no idea what she's saying half the time -- either in person or over e-mail", expressed a colleague who asked to remain anonymous. "And she also just sounds unprofessional. She calls a sandwich a 'sammich'. How does that save time? It's the same number of syllables. She just sounds like an imbecile." When asked to comment, Mamlok said she would have chosen "idiot" over "imbecile" to gain the milisecond in the long run.
"Thx", commented Mamlok. She went on to say, "At first I was worried I'd hurt the integrity of the English language.. but I've just saved so much time. Even cutting back on the ellipses helps."
To interview Mamlok for this article, she suggested we meet at the "Du Do" in Davis Square, Somerville, and grab a cup of coffee.
Studies have shown that the measures Mamlok has taken have provided her another whole minute over the past three months. Mamlok and her sister, Charna Mamlok Westervelt, also an abbreviator, combined their saved time and applied it to Cape Cod traffic.
"I'll admit, I was a little disappointed that I didn't use my time more wisely.. but there are still other ways I can get that back." Mamlok feels strongly that if she starts referring to the National Broadcasting Company as NBC, she will gain an additional five minutes by the end of 2010, since it's not a leap year.
However, not everyone is on board with Mamlok's verbiage. "I have no idea what she's saying half the time -- either in person or over e-mail", expressed a colleague who asked to remain anonymous. "And she also just sounds unprofessional. She calls a sandwich a 'sammich'. How does that save time? It's the same number of syllables. She just sounds like an imbecile." When asked to comment, Mamlok said she would have chosen "idiot" over "imbecile" to gain the milisecond in the long run.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Fun in the Office!
My office is really beautiful -- who ever thinks to say that about their office? I mean, this building is stunning, for an office building, of course. To promote the concept of openness, all the offices and conference rooms have glass walls. The conference rooms do have curtains, but the only curtains in people's offices are the window shades. I can see what my colleagues are doing -- the walls are see-through. (I guess that's redundant. Redundant.)
It's Friday. And it's a warm, sunny day. I'm at the point in the week where I'm only operating at about 79% if my co-workers are lucky. I'm having these grand delusions of running or skipping or trotting by my Senior VP's office waiving my arms hysterically just to see if he notices out of the corner of his eye. It's not really inappropriate office behavior... just different. And it may be a distraction, I suppose, but there are lots of other distractions that happen all the time here and I'm never one of them. I'm just sayin I don't think there'd be any real harm...
It's Friday. And it's a warm, sunny day. I'm at the point in the week where I'm only operating at about 79% if my co-workers are lucky. I'm having these grand delusions of running or skipping or trotting by my Senior VP's office waiving my arms hysterically just to see if he notices out of the corner of his eye. It's not really inappropriate office behavior... just different. And it may be a distraction, I suppose, but there are lots of other distractions that happen all the time here and I'm never one of them. I'm just sayin I don't think there'd be any real harm...
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