Surprise Party
Ok, so last night we had a surprise party for one of my friends 28th birthday. We got about 10 people to go over to her apt. and get things ready while her boyfriend took her to dinner. We got the call they were on the way back and dimmed the lights. Of course, we forgot to relock the deadbolt, so we hear her starting to get a little scared b/c she knows that she locked it. She comes inside and can sort of see us and thinks someone is robbing her. So, before she really even gets the lights on, we had to jump up and yell the obligatory 'surprise' before she started to freak out. I am not sure if she had any idea that we were going to do this, but it was an awesome time. 5 bottles of wine were purchased and 90 cans of Miller Lite. Again, this was for only 11 people. 90 cans. I do think we put away about 40, though. It was awesome. At the end of the evening, there was some aerobicizing--why, I am still not sure...there was also a bit of breakdancing in the form of the worm which was awesome if I do say so myself. Later!

Las Vegas
I would like to say that this post is about me going to Las Vegas, but alas, it is not. This is a small ode to a show that I have grown quite fond of in the last three weeks, even though it wasn't even on last week.

Anyway, I just had to put it out there that this show is pretty good. It has all the good elements--drama, comedy, romance, action. Who could ask for anything more, really...well, except for a little more shirtless Josh Duhamel, but then that is always a given. Last night was awesome. They had a convention there with collectors of swizzle sticks. There was a whole thing about how they needed extra security and then the president of the association's prize swizzle stick was stolen by the vice-president and they caught it all on tape. It was hilarious. If you aren't checking this show out, you should. Monday's at 9pm. Las Vegas Website

Feeling Better
Well, after my last entry, I am feeling a little bit better. I thought I would share a story of an invitation I received to celebrate the New Year. There is a local establishment where I reside wherein every Saturday night they have karaoke. I partake in this event some Saturdays, but the first time I had ever seen it, the man that was in charge of the karaoke was also dressed as Elvis since not only does he run the show, but he is part of the show as an impersonator. I must admit, he is quite good at his job. So, for the last couple of weeks, I have been in there to partake in such activities and have become friendly with some of staff and the karaoke man. So much so, that he invited the bartender and I to be his guests at his New Year's Eve show at the local Moose's Lodge. Now, I must admit when I was thinking about how I would spend NYE, this was one thought that totally didn't cross my mind. Now that it has though, I have to say that I am a bit intrigued. I think it would be truly fascinating and fun to witness the start of the new year in such a venue. I have not agreed to such a thing as of yet, but I am highly considering it.

Bad Day
I know most of the stuff that I post here is sort of whimsical and of a humorous nature. Well, today I am just not feeling it. I'm not sure I want to put this out there for all to see, but things have been a little hectic for me and I am not sure how to deal with it. It is very hard to watch someone that you love going through something very painful. Especially when you also have a personal stake in the situation. I guess you just have to keep moving forward, but sometimes isn't that the hardest thing of all. Making progress and feeling normal again. So far, I have been pretty lucky in my life and don't think that I am not aware of that fact, but sometimes things just suck. I guess in the end you hope that there is some sort of grand plan that we are all following, but sometimes it is extremely hard to see it. I suppose for me, this is one of those times.

Trojan Horse
So, got into work this morning to find an email detailing our holiday schedule. It seems as though management has decided to give us about 16 more hours of vacation than they had originally given us. Now, while I am entirely grateful for such a gift, it does leave me a little suspicious as to what their intentions are. Believe you me, I work in an industry that is all about the almighty dollar so I am a little concerned about this extra paid time off. They also mentioned that another token of appreciation would be coming to my house over the holidays. I hope it isn't a pink slip.

Car Trouble
Yet again, my car is acting up. That isn't the best part, though. The best part is that supposedly my boyfriend, who is now my ex-boyfriend, changed the sparkplugs in my car a couple of months ago when we were dating and apparently replaced them with sparkplugs that are not designed for my car. You know, I guess that is just the way things go in life. You think you might finally be getting ahead to be smacked in the face with such idiocy. I guess people are right when they say that something can be too good to be true. Although I don't know who those people are. Although, it is nice around the holidays to shell out $500 to fix a car that shouldn't really be having major problems in the first place. Oh well at least this time at the mechanic stuff wasn't stolen out of my car by the workers. That is a good sign, right?

Today's Activities
I got to spend today in lovely Northern New Jersey. Montvale to be exact. I must admit that the place doesn't have much, but it does have a really cool shopping plaza that also includes Anthropolgie. I have to give props to that store because it is actually more hip clothing that is made for women who aren't built like 12 year old boys. You know, made for women that actually have hips. That is one of the many reasons I enjoy that store. Another is because I found this really awesome pair of jeans that have some type of velvet-y feel and a really cool rinse. So, if you get a chance, hit Anthropologie!

Technological Advances
Well, here I am at work, unable to connect to anything on an internal server. No outlook, network, or intranet. Now, the scary thing is that I absolutely cannot be very productive without access to any of these things. What does that say about our dependence on computers. Quite a lot if you ask me. At this point to remain productive I think I might have to resort to cleaning out my file cabinets.

48 Hour Family Ties Marathon
This has to be the coolest thing that I saw on TV all of last week. A 48-hour marathon of one of the greatest sitcoms of all time. While there are many episodes to choose from that were good, I would like to note especially the episode where the entire Keaton family, with the exception of Mallory go to their Grandma's house. Mallory stays behind to work on a paper for school about the Louisiana Purchase which was not in fact about shopping in Louisiana. So, she and Skippy go into the basement to get some of Alex's old papers and end up getting locked down there. Chaos ensues wherein the water heater gets busted forcing both of them to don chipmunk costumes. Then they have this heartfelt talk still wearing the chipmunk costumes and fall asleep. They are rescued the next day of course, but the best part of all is that they weren't really locked in there in the first place. They just didn't know how to get out. That is awesome.

Microsoft's new policy aims to broaden licensing
This is taken from the Deseret News (Salt Lake City, Utah)

December 4, 2003, Thursday
SECTION:
BUSINESS;
Pg. E03

By Helen Jung Associated Press

SEATTLE -- Microsoft Corp. said Wednesday it will open its portfolio of patented technology for use by academic researchers and make it easier for companies -- including competitors -- to license its intellectual property.
The company said the changes are designed to respond to other technology companies who have wanted Microsoft to license its patented technology. Other companies, including IBM, have long made their intellectual property available.

"A number of other industry leaders have done (this) for a number of years and in some cases decades," general counsel Brad Smith said. "We're joining their ranks today."
The move comes as the company faces potentially severe penalties from the European Union over alleged anticompetitive behavior, that could include forcing the company to disclose more of its technical information in its Windows operating system.

Smith noted that the new licensing program satisfies some of the long-standing concerns from European regulators, but said it is not directly aimed at the European inquiry.

"This kind of step is consistent with the kinds of steps that others in the industry including our competition and some in government have been encouraging us to take," Smith said, "but this is something that has been in the works for some time."

Microsoft, based in Redmond, Wash., announced two programs.

The first is a royalty-free program, in which the academic community may access its portfolio of copyrighted and patented technology for noncommercial use and research. Microsoft had previously allowed only limited access.

The second is for commercial companies wanting to license its technology.

Microsoft on Wednesday announced two specific technologies available for licensing -- one for file transfers and one that makes reading text on computer screens clearer. But Microsoft is "open for business in terms of licensing our intellectual property," Smith said.

The move reflects that Microsoft is genuinely trying to change its ways, said Joe Wilcox, an analyst with Jupiter Research.

"This is a company that historically has been very, very tight with its intellectual property," said Wilcox. "And now it's realizing that it has something valuable that it can offer to industry, government, educational institutions and that sharing is a good thing -- for the company image, for fostering cooperation with other companies and for advancing technological adoption that also benefits Microsoft," he said.

"Microsoft is maturing and is beginning to recognize it must take more of a leadership role."