What Entertains Me

noreply@blogger.com (Starratt Scheetz) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:36:00 +0000

UNREGISTEREd

The Ultimate Couch Potato

noreply@blogger.com (Starratt Scheetz) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 18:48:00 +0000

ESPN had a contest this year for the Ultimate Couch Potato. Now, it's not as easy as it sounds. You have to sit in your seat and watch nothing but sports, with one bathroom break every 8 hours, a 5 minute stretching break every hour, and absolutely no sleeping. Guess who won? A woman. So I guess we have a newly crowned Queen of the Couch Potatoes, after sitting in a recliner for 70 hours and 22 seconds...watching nothing but sports...that is my definition of hell.

Wile E Coyote's Legacy

noreply@blogger.com (Starratt Scheetz) — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 19:42:00 +0000

More political goodness from The Daily Show:

Sooo...tired...

noreply@blogger.com (Starratt Scheetz) — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 19:36:00 +0000

Going off of Mirapex has been hell. Seriously...I've tried everything under the sun, and nothing works. The rebound effect of going off of Mirapex AND Clonazepam is torture. RLS isn't life threatening, but the lack of sleep may be. The only way I've gotten any sleep is by taking some left over pain medication I have for gall bladder attacks. I've just put in a call to my doctor asking if he could prescribe something like Ultram so that I can get some sleep on a regular basis, until the worst is over. . Ugh.

Multitasking: You're Not Getting As Much Done As You Think

noreply@blogger.com (Starratt Scheetz) — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:38:00 +0000

This morning on NPR, I heard a story about multitasking, and it seems that it's not all it's cracked up to be. According to the story,

"doing several things at once can feel so productive. But scientists say switching rapidly between tasks can actually slow us down."

I know I'm totally guilty of multitasking. Right now, I have my work e-mail open, am writing this blog entry, and am trying to look at some sample pages. Part of me knows that I'm not devoting 100% to any of these tasks. But, I've always been like this...I can't just do one thing at a time (no, I don't drive and talk on my cell...that's where I draw the line). And now I know why. Apparently, the brain gets addicted to multitasking! Great. That totally scares me, especially after reading,

"Multitasking causes a kind of brownout in the brain. [...] the lights go dim because there just isn't enough power to go around. ... So, the brain starts shutting things down — things like neural connections to important information."

There's a process called "spreading activation" that goes on when we're learning about a particular topic. So, when we multitask, the connections we were creating for, say, understanding what's being said in a complicated e-mail, get interrupted when we try to do something else in the midst of understanding that e-mail (say, read another e-mail, take a call, etc.). Thus, we have to recreate those connections in our brain when we try to go back to what we were originally doing. Efficiency goes down as a result. In short, that's making us work slower.

But, taken in small doses, multitasking isn't something we should totally discard. Like, listening to music, and doing work at the same time isn't a distraction. However, that's because it's not interrupting our consciousness, like seeing an e-mail notification might. We just have to learn to prioritize, not let those sorts of interruptions take over, and learn to say, "no, I'm not going to answer that right now."

Okay...I'll try that. Maybe my brain will thank me for it. :)

The Second Presidential Debate

noreply@blogger.com (Starratt Scheetz) — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 20:28:00 +0000

All I have to say is...glad I didn't hear the word "maverick" come out of McCain's mouth last night. Then again, I couldn't have a drinking game like I wanted to do with the veep debate...between "maverick" and "nukyular" that night, I could have had some fun...if I'd had any alcohol present in the house, heh. But, I did hear, "change" come out of Obama's mouth a lot...but it's something I don't mind hearing. :)

RLS Update

noreply@blogger.com (Starratt Scheetz) — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 19:43:00 +0000

It's been two weeks since I've tapered off of Mirapex for Restless Legs Syndrome, and I have to say it's been sheer hell. Why did I go off of it? Well, my doctor and I have reason to believe it caused me to sleepwalk during REM sleep, which is very dangerous not only for me but for my boyfriend. I was taking 2 mg of Clonazepam to keep the sleepwalking under control, but it was making me feel terrible the next day. So, I'm tapering off of that as well. I've turned to vitamin and mineral supplements. Apparently, a lack of folic acid, magnesium, and iron can cause RLS. While you can take magnesium and folic acid without any adverse effects, iron is a different story. Taking too much can cause major health problems...yikes! With that said, I've gone and had my iron tested. The results haven't come in yet, but I'm hoping it shows that I have low iron. If it does, my doctor tells me iron supplementation can help a great deal. Keep your fingers crossed!

Cause I'm the Tax Man

noreply@blogger.com (Starratt Scheetz) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 22:25:00 +0000

So...I got my tax refund, but it was wiped out by the local taxes I owed for 2007, and 1/4 of 1.5% of my estimated taxes for 2008. No fair! I have to send in quarterly taxes now, which I'm not used to. That's where one of my savings accounts comes in. I've made one into my local tax account. I'd rather make it my HDTV savings account, but oh well. Guess taxes are more important, since the tax man will get you eventually if you're not paying your taxes. Sometimes, I wish we'd have a fairer tax system (no, not the fair tax...I don't see that happening anytime soon). It'd make life easier for a lot of people, I think.

Word

noreply@blogger.com (Starratt Scheetz) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 22:20:00 +0000

I think I've met my match when it comes to word games, like Scrabble and Upwords. Yes, you guessed it...it's my new main squeeze! I was expecting to smash him, since he's more of the mathematical type of person. But he's beaten me almost every single time! And I work in publishing! I'm supposed to win, heh. Guess not, since he's beaten me by like 100 points (just one time, though). It's still fun, though, because I've never dated anyone who loved playing word games like I do. Yes, I, who am uber-competitive, do not mind losing to this guy. Hmmm...

You...Play Golf? No Way!!

noreply@blogger.com (Starratt Scheetz) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 22:14:00 +0000

I almost fell off my chair the other day when my boyfriend told me two of his bandmates were golf addicts. They do NOT look like your typical golfer...although, what does a typical golfer look like? I have no idea, really. Anyway, he mentioned he plays every now and then, which also surprised me. So who knows? Maybe I'll be buying him Titleist golf balls for his birthday or something. He's the first guy I've ever dated who's even touched a golf club...putters notwithstanding. So, we played an X-box version of golf, and you know what? I had fun! So, I'm thinking that maybe, just maybe...I might try it. Now, knowing my history with sports involving hitting a ball with a racket or bat, I'm not sure how well it'll go. But I'll never know if I don't give it a shot. :)

It's Quiet...Too Quiet

noreply@blogger.com (Starratt Scheetz) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 22:09:00 +0000

Okay, so maybe I've not been watching as much TV or reading as many entertainment or gossip blogs as I used to, but doesn't it seem like it's been a long time since someone like Paris Hilton getting another DUI or Britney Spears has been out of the limelight? Isn't it about time for us to hear about Britney's latest addiction treatment? Or maybe not. I'm kinda glad that things have settled down in that respect. Of course, there will always be some celebrity scandal brewing. But for now, it seems fairly quiet in Hollywood. Must be time for something big!

Boys and Their Toys

noreply@blogger.com (Starratt Scheetz) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 22:04:00 +0000

Okay, as I may have mentioned before, I've been dating someone now for about 2 months. We met on Valentine's Day...yes, I'm not lying, it was Valentine's Day.

Anyway, so, he just bought a house in November, and he's trying to set up a home theater in his basement. He's got all of the equipment, but he doesn't have any home theater furniture. Well, he doesn't have much furniture, period. He was going to get this sofa he found "as-is" at IKEA for $110, with the slipcover. But, they sold it before he could get back with a truck to haul it in. Bummer. So, he's keeping an eye out for some cheap, decent-looking furniture for this room. Because once he does, it will be a sweet setup. I know I'll be over watching movies...that is, when he's not playing in one of his bands. :)

Click

noreply@blogger.com (Starratt Scheetz) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 21:46:00 +0000

I think I've found my hobby, finally, something that I love doing...photography. Well, I actually fell in love with it in college when I took a photography class, developing in a darkroom and all. I had my parents ancient Konica manual focus camera, when everyone else had their parents' SLRs. I felt slightly inadequate at first, until my art professor practically drooled over my camera, telling me it was a classic. That made me feel a little better. Then I started taking pictures and developing them, and I started feeling really, really good about it. Granted, I had no flash, so all of my pictures were in broad daylight. But, I found some really interesting subject matter that lent itself to great pics (black and white, mind you). When I had to display my portfolio, one of the other art professors was very taken with a lot of my work, and told me I should think about pursuing a career in photography. I would have loved to, but I didn't have access to a dark room, or any of the equipment for developing film. So, I dropped it.

Fast forward to 2008, when I started dating someone who plays in two local bands (In Ten Cities and The Smoky Basement Project). I started taking pictures of the shows with my fairly decent Kodak, which has manual settings for f-Stops, apertures, shutter speed, etc. But because the shows are all in very low-light conditions, I've been having to use flash, which takes away some of the ambience of the lighting that's used. Enter the Olympus E-Volt E-510, which I fell in love with online and bought this weekend. It's shipping next week (thank you, Dell...what, are you building it or something??). My next step is to find some classes I can take, especially using Photoshop (really interested in swapping out backgrounds).

It's About Time!

noreply@blogger.com (Starratt Scheetz) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 01:04:00 +0000

Next Friday, I finally...FINALLY...get to see a dermatologist. I made the appointment back in December. He's apparently one of the best in the city. He better be, after waiting this long. I'll be curious to see what sort of acne treatment he'll put me on. I'm hoping he'll try aldactone, a diuretic which is similar to the progesterone that's in Yasmin, also known to me as the "Miracle Worker" for my skin (not so much for my mood, though). A friend of mine used to go to him and said he's a big fan of Accutane...so I'm hoping he doesn't want to jump straight to that. I really, really don't want to go on it, unless nothing else works. My general practitioner has me on topical clindamycin, which I combine with benzoyl peroxide. And that works to clear up my breakouts, but not to control them, unfortunately (namely the cystic stuff which is totally hormonal). So, wish me luck!

Time after Time

noreply@blogger.com (Starratt Scheetz) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 01:00:00 +0000

The other day, I was going through my jewelry box and drawer, and I realized I have a TON of watches...a TON. But, none of them works. I've been too lazy to get the battery replaced in any of them. So now I'm wearing a cheap digital watch, which has actually lasted longer than any of the luxury watches I have (well okay, they're not luxury watches like Tag Heuer, but they are nice). How about that, sports fans? My favorite is my Anne Klein II watch, and I keep meaning to take it to a jeweler to replace the battery. But, as with most things in my life, I procrastinate...so it's just sitting there, gathering dust.

Bargain Shopping

noreply@blogger.com (Starratt Scheetz) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 00:52:00 +0000

So I've been scouring clearance racks lately (Target, I love you!), and that's always fun...especially when I accidentally rifle through racks that have maternity clothing on them! Whoopsie! Although I have to say, maternity clothes have come a long way. Some are really, really cute! If I ever do get pregnant, at least I know I'll be able to look stylish...although after 9 months, I'm sure that'll be the last thing I care about, heh. If my pregnancy is anything like my mother's...well, I'll be very, very pregnant at 9 months, so I'll be lucky if anything fits! But that's not something I have to worry about...although I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to be worrying about it sometime soon. Maybe someday, I will. :)

Paris Hilton's Grade Card

noreply@blogger.com (Starratt Scheetz) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 00:47:00 +0000

Tonight I saw this little report on Paris Hilton, and how well she's done on her pledges to help create halfway housing for women, do more for MS, work with children, not drive drunk, and not party as much. Well, she's actually cut down on the partying, and she hasn't driven drunk. But the other pledges? Hasn't done a thing with them. Oh well, I guess she can only do so much with her time and money, right? Damn. At least she hasn't been in alcohol rehab or anything, but still. You'd think she might have made a little more effort on some of the causes she said she'd champion. Maybe once she gets older, she will. Or is that too much to ask, too? Who knows.

Bouncy Bounce Bounce

noreply@blogger.com (Starratt Scheetz) — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 01:27:00 +0000

More exercise equipment is the last thing I need, you know? But, I'm thinking that a mini trampoline might be a good thing to have to drag out into the living room so I can jog in place and watch a little TV, now that the shows I love are going to be back on. Actually, I've gotten hooked on The Riches on FX. My boyfriend gave me his DVDs of last season, so I'm sitting here watching the first two shows. Wow, I sure missed a good first season! This is good stuff! And, there are no commercials to deal with. Woo hoo!

Free Samples!

noreply@blogger.com (Starratt Scheetz) — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 01:22:00 +0000

I'm a sucker for samples, promotional products, anything that I like I can get for free, I'm all for it. One time I bought $50 worth of stuff from Beauty.com just so I could get samples of stuff from Philosophy, Stila, Kinerase, and a plethora of other things I can't even remember. Was it worth it? Oh yeah. I also got a nice little red patent leather bag for makeup that I now can't live without. I think there were a total of 12 samples of stuff, which is a lot if you think about it. Some were almost full-size. Bonus! I haven't seen anything like it since then, but if I do and I have some extra cash...I'll be sure to get it.

Mazes and Jungles

noreply@blogger.com (Starratt Scheetz) — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 01:15:00 +0000

The other day, I was in one of my company's server rooms, and I was blown away. I had no idea what one really looked like...a jungle of blade servers, towers, CAT6 cables, etc. And it was freezing cold, but apparently that's the way it's supposed to be. If it gets hot, that's a bad, bad thing. Anyone who can manage a room full of these things has got to be mechanically minded, because I have no idea how they tell one thing from another. It's a maze that I have no desire to get lost in, that's for sure.

My TV Is Back!

noreply@blogger.com (Starratt Scheetz) — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 01:54:00 +0000

Woot! Next week, Grey's Anatomy comes back! And soon, House will be back! I'm already enjoying Lost being on. And now...when the television season is usually going to end, it's just beginning. With the weather getting warmer, that's going to make things difficult. Although...it's why I have a DVR, I guess. Ah, television...can't live with it, can't live without it.

Listen to the Music

noreply@blogger.com (Starratt Scheetz) — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 01:32:00 +0000

So tomorrow night, I'm going up to Dayton to see my boyfriend's band called The Smoky Basement Project, which is his original band. He's also in a cover band called In Ten Cities, which played a huge St. Patrick's Day show last Saturday. There's a third band he's trying to get into, which is local. What can I say? The boy loves being a musician. And I have to say that I really enjoy dating a musician, mainly because I love music so much. I never have had the opportunity to date one, so this is a first for me. But it's really inspiring to me to see him and his band mates up on stage playing their hearts out. He's not the front-man, but the bass guitar player...and he's really good, in my humble opinion. His bandmates are excellent, too. Together, they form a really tight band. And I'm getting to work on another hobby of mine...photography. Taking pictures of them is hard, but I'm getting better at it. If I get good enough...maybe I'll use that tax refund to buy a digital SLR camera! Heh.

Getting Paid to Post

noreply@blogger.com (Starratt Scheetz) — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 01:18:00 +0000

What do I love about PayPerPost? It's the fact that I can make money off of what I love most, writing...well, my attempts at writing anyway. I'm not published anywhere, although I'd like to be. Maybe this blog will get noticed...someday? The chances are slim to none, but there's hope. Maybe if I wrote more about one particular subject, it might be noticed. But there's too much I like to write about, from politics, television, health, relationships...I could go on with the list, because there's really no subject I lack an opinion on. :) And as long as I can make $20 for posts like this one, I think I'll be happy with just writing about whatever comes to mind (or whatever they tell me to...or I'm "qualified" to write about). One day, they might not allow paid posting like this, but until then, I'm going to make the most of what I get paid to blog about. If I had the time, I'd post a lot more on here and make more money...but I can't post while at work. They think this is a paid-to-surf site, unfortunately. Oh well, guess I can do more at night...because I sure need the money.

Happiness at Last?

noreply@blogger.com (Starratt Scheetz) — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 01:13:00 +0000

Well...I'm dating a new guy, and it's going great. Actually, it's better than it's ever been with any guy. I think he could (just maybe) be the guy I end up with. He's smart, funny, sweet, talented (industrial designer and a musician), cute, easy-going...I could go on, but I won't...because he has something I can't describe that makes me like him the more I get to know him. We play Scrabble and have a great time. We go to see his former band mates on St. Patrick's Day, and we have a blast. We sit and watch The Riches, and just enjoy being around each other. Perhaps it's the honeymoon period, but I don't think so. What's so amazing is...I think he likes me for me. And I like him for him. What more could I ask for? :)

I admit it...

noreply@blogger.com (Starratt Scheetz) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 17:17:00 +0000

I watch American Idol, despite my every intention NOT to watch it. But, I find myself getting sucked in every year by the auditions shows, which are like a train or car wreck...you don't want to watch people make complete idiots out of themselves, but you can't help it! So now, we're down to the final 10. Who will win, I really can't say. My personal favorite "dark horse" is Shikezie, who blew me away last week with his rendition of The Beatles "She's a Woman." Brooke is also good, but I'm not sure how long she can keep going with the whole Carly Simon vibe she has going. David Archuleta has an impeccable voice, but something about him annoys me. Michael Johns could be great...not sure why he hasn't blown us out of the water yet.

Anyway, so, I've been looking for forums and sites, besides the American Idol official site, to see what other people have to say, and I found this site called Idol Exclusive. It allows you to talk about the show through blogs, forums, pictures, etc. Heck, you can even access it through your cell phone, if you want. That's a bit much for me, but for the pure addicts (and I know you're out there!) it's sheer genius on their part to add that to their site.