creepy ads

I love the marketing tactic where the spokesmodel unleashes some not-so-subtle subliminal message on you that you MUST have what they are harking. Example: Britney's fragrance, Fantasy, has the logo "everybody has one"

The latest one: Sarah Jessica Parker's "Covet"... the whole reason for this post was because I was watching Beauty and the Geek (great show btw ahah) and every time this commercial came on (which was quite often), I had to switch to the next channel because the ending freaked me out. She looks CRAZY! Which I assume is what she's going for but it just stepped over that line from "funny creepy" to "creepy creepy" for me.

It looks scarier on TV, I must admit.

Recover Lost Temporary Files

I almost had a heart attack this morning because a memo I had spent hours working on was suddenly goooone. Turned out it was because I was saving it as I had opened it from a Gmail account, making it a temp file, making it disappear when I decided to be responsible and actually shut down my computer. So it wasn't in the recycle bin, wasn't in the temp folder, was unsearchable.

3 failed recovery programs and 1 hour of Google research later, I found a cure:

First, download this program: Restoration

http://www.snapfiles.com/get/restoration.html


Then, go to the application you need (word, excel, etc), click on the restored copy, and do one of two things (it should become evident which you need):

1) on the "Open" button, click the little down arrow on the right of the button and select "open and repair"

2) on the drop down menu "File Type" select "Recover Text"


It won't be formatted but it will be a hell of a lot better than starting from scratch.


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Ben & Jerry's Creme Brulee Flavor

I just tried this for the first time yesterday and it is deeeelicious. While searching for an image of it, I came across a negative review of it >:( So, as a disclaimer, I must first say that I really enjoy very sweet things, and that I like creme brulee.

The best part of this ice cream is the swirl of caramelized sugar. It really tastes like the crunchy top of creme brulee!!! and I love custard ice cream in general mmmmm.... and since it's pretty damn sweet, I can only eat a bit at a time which is good for me :)

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

I also tried the black berry frozen yogurt flavor for the first time this weekend, which was also deeeelicious.

Cutest Grim Reaper Ever

I'm not a big cat person, but this article was interesting:

When death comes calling, so does Oscar the cat

PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island (AP) -- Oscar the cat seems to have an uncanny knack for predicting when nursing home patients are going to die, by curling up next to them during their final hours.

Oscar the cat doesn't like to be put out in the hall when a patient is dying.

His accuracy, observed in 25 cases, has led the staff to call family members once he has chosen someone. It usually means the patient has less than four hours to live.

"He doesn't make too many mistakes. He seems to understand when patients are about to die," Dr. David Dosa said in an interview. He describes the phenomenon in a poignant essay in Thursday's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

"Many family members take some solace from it. They appreciate the companionship that the cat provides for their dying loved one," said Dosa, a geriatrician and assistant professor of medicine at Brown University.

The 2-year-old feline was adopted as a kitten and grew up in a third-floor dementia unit at the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. The facility treats people with Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease and other illnesses.

After about six months, the staff noticed Oscar would make his own rounds, just like the doctors and nurses. He'd sniff and observe patients, then sit beside people who would wind up dying in a few hours.

Dosa said Oscar seems to take his work seriously and is generally aloof. "This is not a cat that's friendly to people," he said.

Oscar is better at predicting death than the people who work there, said Dr. Joan Teno of Brown University, who treats patients at the nursing home and is an expert on care for the terminally ill

She was convinced of Oscar's talent when he made his 13th correct call. While observing one patient, Teno said she noticed the woman wasn't eating, was breathing with difficulty and that her legs had a bluish tinge, signs that often mean death is near.

Oscar wouldn't stay inside the room, though, so Teno thought his streak was broken. Instead, it turned out the doctor's prediction was roughly 10 hours too early. Sure enough, during the patient's final two hours, nurses told Teno that Oscar joined the woman at her bedside.

Doctors say most of the people who get a visit from the sweet-faced, gray-and-white cat are so ill they probably don't know he's there, so patients aren't aware he's a harbinger of death. Most families are grateful for the advance warning, although one wanted Oscar out of the room while a family member died. When Oscar is put outside, he paces and meows his displeasure.

No one's certain if Oscar's behavior is scientifically significant or points to a cause. Teno wonders if the cat notices telltale scents or reads something into the behavior of the nurses who raised him.

Nicholas Dodman, who directs an animal behavioral clinic at the Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine and has read Dosa's article, said the only way to know is to carefully document how Oscar divides his time between the living and dying.

If Oscar really is a furry grim reaper, it's also possible his behavior could be driven by self-centered pleasures like a heated blanket placed on a dying person, Dodman said.

Nursing home staffers aren't concerned with explaining Oscar, so long as he gives families a better chance at saying goodbye to the dying.

Oscar recently received a wall plaque publicly commending his "compassionate hospice care."

A Thousand Splendid Suns-- B+

The only book review I have left to do is Khaled Hosseini's (author of The Kite Runner) second novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns. I give it a B+ with the kindest praise possible. Just as in The Kite Runner, I couldn't help but get sucked into the story, so it is definitely a quick read. That's always a good sign.

However, perhaps because it followed The Kite Runner, I just wasn't as blown away by this story. It is still very interesting to read about the region during this time, but I felt that a lot of the styling and descriptions seemed overplayed the second time around. Hosseini is praised for his ability to aptly describe emotions and surroundings. I definitely felt that with The Kite Runner. Here, while it is mostly true, there were a few times that I found it to be a bit forced, almost cheesy.

The story itself is wonderful. The book transitions between the viewpoints of two different women whose lives start out very differently but end up very intertwined. Hosseini is undeniably masterful at this. Despite my criticisms earlier, I do find his ability to write from a woman's viewpoint impressive.

I would definitely say this is a successful second novel, no sophomore slump here. I just personally enjoyed his first work more.

Like Water for Chocolate- A-

Great book. Just finished reading this as part of my "self-prep" for my Mexico City trip, to get a flavor of Mexico. The short novel is broken up into monthly installments, each beginning with a recipe that is tied in to the story of Tita, the narrator's grandaunt. A classic love story with some unexpected fantasy thrown in. The book's unusual format and exaggerated storylines are hilarious and insightful, making for a unique and enjoyable read. Highly recommended.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-- B+/A-

7/27 Update: WITH SPOILERS!

So we did make it out to the B&N store (party was pretty disappointing besides the costumes), but when 1130 rolled around we took one look at the MASSES of people forming outside the door (seriously I think a thousand people were there)and realized that this was not going to go down smoothly. So we hightailed out of the Grove and drove to the nearest Ralph's (yes, Ralph's), where we picked up a copy at midnight without any wait.

I liked the story a lot, right up to the epilogue. Just like any other Harry Potter book, I couldn't put it down... I liked Dumbledore's backstory and I LOVED the Snape story... even the Kreacher story was cute. What I didn't like was JKR's odd pacing of the story. She spent so much time elaborating on Harry, Ron, and Hermione being lost and hungry, and then hardly any time discussing the end of the book, which is what people really care about!

The ABSOLUTE WORST part of the book was definitely the epilogue. This was supposedly written a long time ago, maybe even during the first few books, but it doesn't mean she couldn't edit it. It's not so much the "perfect clean ending" I oppose, but more what was included and what was NOT included. Case in point: I do NOT care about Percy, but I DO care about George/Luna/etc. I wish we knew more about what everyone was doing, that Fred's death was addressed better (she seriously spent more time on George's ear than Fred's death), that Harry's reaction to learning the truth about Snape was developed more, etc etc. I have read that she may publish an "encyclopedia" of sorts to explain every character's back story and what happens to them, but it won't be the same.

But all in all, the story was good. Some people thought the Deathly Hallows themselves were pointless, but I thought it was important to show that even though Harry could have decided to possess all of them himself, he chose to give them up. A lot of contrasting done between Harry and Dumbledore/Voldemort/common person. I think JKR had several glitches in her story, but they all could have been forgiven easily had the epilogue been better...

All in all, I can't believe Harry Potter is over! :*(

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I'm going with my two co-workers to a Harry Potter book release party tonight at a Barnes & Noble. W thinks this is very nerdy :) I'm excited! I've never been to one... I've never even pre-ordered a book. But I think my co-workers and I fuel each other's HP craziness. It's fun to get excited for things. I'm avoiding all media outlets until I finish the book... I just better not overhear someone on the street spoiling the ending!


My predictions: - Snape is good. I think it'd be a great story if he died showing his good side.
- Harry will die or lose his wizardry powers (become a muggle)
- Dumbledore not making a Gandalf-like comeback.
- Horrible romantic plots.

Can't wait!

By the way, I saw the UK covers for the first time and think they are ugly. One of my co-workers prefers them though. Look how old Harry looks in these!! When did Clark Kent start playing Harry Potter??