because you really want to know about my alphabet.

You've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with the ABC's of YOU.

A - Age: 29

B - Bed size: queenie

C - Chore you hate: scrubbing nasty, old, wet, formerly crusty crap off pots and pans

D - Dogs or cats: small baby kittens only

E - Essential start your day item: coffee & smoothie breakfast combo

F - Favorite color: rojo

G - Gold or Silver: Silver

H - Height: 5'11.72"

I - Instruments you play: I used to be able to play clarinet and took piano in college. Plus my singing voice is AMAZING.

J - Job title: scientific & English document editor; future bookstore owner

K - Kids - I sure do love them, but I don't want any of my own.

L - Loud or quiet: this is silly. But I'll choose quiet.

M - Mom's name: Mary Carol

N - Nicknames: Jan, Janny, J-bird, Regretta Person, Janevie, Jan-Jan, Janey, Janny, Handicapped Twin (or "HT"), ROSE, Neighb, Bonzi, Jon, Jonny, Jenny, Jynni, Word, Geddeeeeeeezzzz....The list goes on and on, really.

O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: no thank you.

P - Pet Peeve: pen-tappers in otherwise quiet spaces

Q - Quote from a movie: "Ted, where's that fancy corkscrew? You know that fancy corkscrew for the wine bottle? Uh-Ted?" (Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter)

R - Right or left handed: Right

S - Siblings: Rosaurio Dawson Rose Rosacea Rosalita Rosalia

T - Time you wake up: rarely before 9:30, dahling

U- Underwear: under WHERE?

V - Vegetable you dislike: eggplant, and I had way too much that soggy stuff served to me in Argentina a couple months ago. Yech!

W - Ways you run late: I tend to forget VERY IMPORTANT THINGS inside and have to run back and forth to grab all the goods pre-departure. Once I was on the way to the Atlanta airport for a trip to Europe and realized I had left my suitcase in the parking lot. Neat.

X - X-rays you've had: Teefs, neck, foot

Y - Yummy food you make: breaded chicken breast! Pasta with sauce! artichoke & spinach dip! Guacamole! Hummus! Stirfry! I am a CHEF!

Z - Zoo favorite: In Melbourne, FL, it's the crazy birds who have been known to peck at my father's head A. Hitchcock-style

why do I keep watching Brothers and Sisters?

I mean, the show drives me crazy. There are lots of good actors, that's true. Maybe I'm wishing Brenda--ahem, Rachel Griffiths--will be as frustratingly terrible and lovable and hate-able as she is on Six Feet Under. Maybe now that I've started involving myself in the Walker family story I can't just bow out.

Here's an email I just wrote to my mom. The show is making me mad! Not as mad as The L Word does, but still.

This new half-brother is annoying the crap out of me! The whole show is, as usual, but of course I keep watching.
1. All the Walkers are happy.
2. Oh wait. Each person suddenly has a personal crisis.
3. Nora decides everyone should come over for dinner.
4. All the kids realize what each other's crisis is. They decide not to tell their mom.
5. During the group dinner, everyone acts crazy and, one by one, the secrets start to spill.
6. Nora gets upset.
7. The kids yell at each other.
8. Nora yells at all of them to be quiet.
9. People storm off.
10. Later, Nora explains that she is strong enough to hear whatever they have to dish out.
11. Everyone apologizes and says "I love you."
12. Start at beginning again.

Love,
me

P.S. I have entertained myself. Time for a blog entry. But first I must kill Ryan the obnoxious half-brother!

something an ol lady said once

I just remembered one of my favorite quotes of all time.

Here's my dad a couple summers ago in Geneva, OH with two cousins.

Once my dad and I were visiting my grandma in Pittsburgh. We were near the elevator bank when we came upon a woman in a wheelchair. She stopped dead in her tracks, looked at my dad in happy surprise, and said, "And who is this tall, shiny building of a man?!"

I hope he was flattered. I know I thought it was a pretty awesome compliment.

I'm not here.

At long last, someone from Charter came today. At 6 PM, an hour later than promised. But that's a story for another time.

Turns out a Charter agent had driven out here last Thursday morning and physically disconnected my internet connection. Pair that with this event, and I feel like a ghost: I got a hot pink slip in my mailbox today informing me that my house was vacant and no mail should be delivered.

What's going on? Is this a prank? Is the Charter disconnection connected to the USPS note? Did I perish a week ago yet continue to think I live? Is there a Janet living in a parallel universe who just moved out of her house?!

WHOA! Then I got this message from blogger just now!

Conflicting edits

There was more than one attempt to edit this resource at the same time. This may have been because you double clicked on a link or a button or because someone else is also editing this blog or post.

tipping the babysitter...?

So one of the top stories on Google News talks about holiday tipping. And babysitters are mentioned as one of the people in one's life who should be tipped. Now I have been babysitting for years and have never received a holiday tip. I'm not complaining, just noting.

In New York, I was what a family called the "alpha babysitter," or the main babysitter. I watched an adorable and hilarious four-year-old boy four nights a week in his rather upscale Gramercy Park home. Now that's a family you'd expect a holiday tip from, eh? But no. No tip.

Before that NYC job, I babysat a lot but never regularly enough to be the recipient of a tippy tip tip. Nowadays I am the regular babysitter for a couple of families (I share this duty with Kelli M.!) but didn't get any holiday tippage last year; I don't expect it this year. That being said, I won't be disappointed not to receive it.

It's almost strange to me to see that people are supposed to tip the folks that help them out throughout the year even more over the holidays. Does anyone else do this? I am already so overwhelmed with needing to get presents for my family and the boyf--I can't go spending money on my elevator operator and parking lot attendant.

Anywho. Mainly I wanted to know if anyone else out there gave holiday tips to his or her hairdresser, handyman, or pet groomer. It seems such an adult thing to do. Surely I can be excused since I only have a part-time job and little to no cash. Tee hee.

you know you're in love when you buy...

THIS.

yelp me, yelp me!

I didn't feel inspired to write a blog post today, but I have written a few things on my homepage here at yelp.com. I know I've put a plug in for it before, but I again encourage you to visit this handy-dandy website. There are more and more people posting reviews about Athens places, and if you're getting set to travel, it's a great resource! Find places to eat based on customer recommendations and
not advertisements. What a novel concept!

Nighty night.

new & old fun things of the day

My new iBook battery arrived today. $113 brought me happiness and a blissful relationship with my baby computer once again. The old battery died what I now know to be a predictable death after 18 months or so of working like crazy to keep my computer on almost constantly. (I never turn my computer off. Apparently that's a bad habit.) I charged the new girl up and it's been running for nearly three hours so far--over two to go 'til it conks out. Worth the investment, I tell you. I'll take a more expensive Mac with the more expensive, long-life batteries over the quick-to-decharge Windows-based laptops any day. At least the laptops I had, for they never lasted longer than 45 minutes or so before needing to be plugged in.

In other news, I rediscovered my online persona here today. I think this evening marked the third time I stumbled across my internet self on 43things.com. Interesting to see my goals outlined like that. (Check it out if you remain clueless--it's kind of cool, but only if you can maintain 44,123 personalized websites at once. I obviously cannot.) After months of not logging in, it was rather satisfying to click the "I've done this!" icon next to a couple of my goals. It seems I'd not logged on since my trip to Europe--before that trip, I must have added "travel to Europe" to my list of goals.

Anywho.

I'm also going to buy a replacement battery for my iPod mini. Most folks would get a new iPod for tons of money. Not I, said the cat. I have friends like F'n Jimmy who let me know about replacement batteries that are cheap and can be replaced by yours truly or by Jimmy himself, who likes to tinker with electronics. I love you, Mac, but if I can spend less than $20 getting a replacement battery kit on ebay, I'm going with that instead of a $200 iPod. Yip dee do, working iPod, here I come!

Time to finish up packing. Jim and I head to Florida tomorrow. We must leave bright and early to make sure we arrive in time for the IRCC happy hour. Entertainingly drunk old folks, here we come!!!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

inspiration during the drought

For those of you who don't know much about Found Magazine or their accompanying website, I encourage you to look it up, listen to the This American Life episode(s) related to it, and spend lots of time sifting through the amazing "finds of the day" that date back to a few years ago. That's all I'll say in regards to the content.

Check out this find from November 21, 2005. Weird--tomorrow would make that two years ago exactly!

I like the dude passed out on the shore. Doesn't seem like he sees this place as the land of sun and fun.

chug a lug

Today I spent a couple of hours outside playing with a young little lad I babysit. While we were running around his yard and the cul-de-sac his family's house is on, a big ol' TruGreen ChemLawn (sp?) truck drove up. The driver sat in his truck for a good five minutes, engine loudly idling, while he did who knows what. The windows were down, so I know he wasn't using the engine to supply power to the AC or heater. (It was, after all, in the mid-70s this afternoon.)

He eventually emerged from the truck without having turned it off. Maybe he needs to hook up some hoses to the back of the vehicle or something, thought I, but instead he took out a simple pushable fertilizer dispenser and went on his way. For ten minutes he pushed this thing around the yard WHILE THE HUGE TRUCK WAS STILL ON.

I was quite confused.

And peeved.

Had he been just one house closer, I would have asked him why the car was on and wasting that much gas as toxins needlessly spat into the air. Instead, I remained timid and continued to be victim to the whims of a five-year-old, who kept insisting that we were astronauts or bratty teenagers at a birthday party. Walking up and accosting the man with a machine full of chemicals? Not such a comfortable prospect. Pretending to be a bitchy teenager at a party? Perhaps a role I could play a little better.

Passively, I stayed where I was. But that doesn't mean I'm not going to give the company a call and ask them what's up.

The end.

Wondering why I posted this on here,
Janet

Mission: Space

I was just watching a show on PBS about space exploration. I tuned in during a synopsis on the Apollo 13 mission and, as always, got nervous as the astronauts in space and scientists on the ground had to figure out a way to get the men safely home despite a huge hole in the spacecraft, a defunct second oxygen tank, and a possibly malfunctioning heat panel. And when they landed with success in the water? Of course my vision went blurry with tears. Space exploration always gets to me.

After some unknown force guided my hand to ABC's supposedly addictive Dancing With the Stars, a show I found to be intolerable for more than two minutes, I flipped back to ol' trusty PBS, right in time to see the Challenger explode. It's funny--when I think back to the Challenger disaster, I remember being in Miss Johnson's class. I seem to recall learning about it then. I knew for sure it was in 1986, but this Wikipedia article confirms that it was in January of '86 and not after my first grade school year with Miss Johnson would've started in August. Funny how the mind convinces you of these things.

When I was younger, I remember feeling especially saddened about the death of Christa McAuliffe (back row, second from left), the teacher who was to be sent up in space along with the all-astronaut Challenger crew. In reading about her now, I understand that my sympathy was somewhat constructed by NASA and the media--one of the goals of her presence and of the Teachers in Space program was (and is) to generate more public attention for the space program. Well, it worked for me. Any time photographs of the deceased astronauts was in the paper or on television, my eyes would drift straight to hers. She had a daughter my age, and she was a teacher. A teacher. And everyday person.

Now when I look at the photo of the seemingly energetic and ecstatic crew, it's Ron McNair's face that gets my attention. He's the one in the front row, sitting on the far right. He just looks so eager and ready. I just know he was the nicest guy, quick with a joke or to light up your smoke. I get the feeling--the altogether faulty one, I'm sure--that this photograph was taken minutes before they boarded the shuttle, ready to face the final frontier.

I can't imagine what it must have been like to be in sight of the Challenger when it took off, let alone to know someone on board as we stood and watched it leave from its port. Seventy-three seconds between blast-off and explosion. Imagine the noise--the machinery, the rumbling, the vibrations, the crowd, the running.


My parents can see and hear shuttle takeoffs from their house in Melbourne, FL. Cape Canaveral is just 10-20 miles away. Oh, why do I shy away from exact mileage here? My parents tell me the exact distance frequently. It's 17 miles away. At least I think so.
The first time I went to their house after they relocated to Florida, I was up in the middle of the night. I started sensing a rumbling in the tiles under my feet, the keys under my fingertips as I typed late-night emails to my friends. What was that? I checked the dryer; I felt the dishwasher to see if it was running. I pressed my palm against the warm glass of the window. The window was vibrating, ever so gently and rapidly. Nervously, I stepped outside the front door and onto the driveway that was brand-new to me. The vibrations and rumbling were much louder out here and getting more intense by the second. Everywhere, sound. Nothing was visibly shaking, but there was an energy to the thick, humid air. I was shocked to see that my parents, their neighbors, the cops! weren't outside on the streets, curious and demanding to see what the ruckus was about. An earthquake in Florida? Doubtful, plus it was going on for too long...right?

A few minutes passed, and the sound began to subside. I crept back into the house, where things were suddenly serene and eerily quiet.

The next morning, I mentioned the strange incident to my mom--the light of day made the whole thing less alien-invader-like but I was still discombobulated. "Oh," she remarked lightly. "I told you--we're right near Cape Canaveral. There are shuttle take-offs in the middle of the night sometimes....it's really loud." With that, she left the kitchen.

Johari window

I'd forgotten I'd done this. It's kind of neat to set one of these up for yourself, especially if you're curious to know what others think of you as compared to what you think of yourself.

Or if you're just bored.

Well, looks like it's time for another Scrabble game before bed. I think I have a steady Scrabble partner until the day he beats me. Then will he decide the game's boring? Oh, no!!!

Am I smarter than a 5th grader?

I just played Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? on fox.com and cheated on the last question. That's right--I cheated! That's something my fifth grade self wouldn't do. But seriously: who would take the twenty minutes to play this boring online game in the first place? The time between questions is agonizing--there's a slow-motion eraser that erases the question, posts a "correct!" or "incorrect" sign on the blackboard, and then you must click another button for the magic eraser to reappear and do its slow stuff so the next question will appear.

It's so annoying, yet I sat through it for many questions until I became one of the winners. I'm now on the honor roll. But this was the last question:

Who composed the opera Carmen? It's Bizet. I didn't know this, but google.com taught me. Maybe I am smarter than a 5th grader because I could be resourceful enough and quick enough to do a google search before my time was up.

The end.

P.S. Don't go play the game. It sucks.

10/14/06 0 my 15-year-old style weekend night activity

October 14, 2006 - Saturday

11:05 PM - my 15-year-old style weekend night activity In early high school, I used to be stuck inside on some weekend nights, not having much to do if I didn't get a chance to sleep over at Kate Rauscher's house. And if I'd had myspace.com then (if we'd even had regular internet access then, kids!), I probably would have filled out a survey such as this... (As it turns out, though, I'm just EXHAUSTED. And, like last night, I'll most likely turn in before midnight. Funny what working jobs starting early in the morning combined with lifting of heavy tables and such will do to a girl...) Come on, you know you want to fill this out! I don't even care if you skip the ones you don't like. :) 1. Full name? Janet Evelyn Geddis 2. Were you named after anyone? First name: Aunt Janet; Middle: Grandma Geddis & Aunt Evie 3. Do you wish on stars? often 4. When did you last cry? a few tears during Grey's Anatomy, and then two days before in a middle of the night "discussion" with a friend, one that was healed shortly thereafter. Whew. 5. If you were another person would you be friends with you? hell yeah! 6. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you said? apparently I still have the skin of a 15 year old. 7. When is the next time you will make out? less than 24 hours from now, baby! 8. What's a word that rhymes with "LUCK..? stuck 9. What's your favorite planet? JANET THE! (yes, I am a cheese.) 10. Who's the 4th person on your missed calls list? Brandi Goodson, but I think Kelli McConnell was actually calling me from Lockjaw's phone... 11. What is your favorite ring on your phone? Melody ..7 or something of an equally mundane title 12. If you're alone in a room with two beds, which one do you sleep on? The one closest to a window 13. What were you doing at midnight last night? being a sleepytime kitty 14. What did your last text message you received on your mobile say? "Yeehaw! I can't wait for xmas rendezvous 2006." (From Sweet Blond!!) 15. What just so happens to be the best song in the world? that question will forever remain unanswered. 16. What's a word or phrase that you say a lot? "Sweet Jesus," "Kitty," "rul," and "by that I mean.." (to name 3 of 3,000) 17. Who told you he/she loved you last? Kimmie Dau 18. Last furry thing you touched? Baby Bob 19. Favorite age you have been so far? every age...so 26 right now. But I tend to love each and every year. 20.What is the last thing you said to someone? "Goodnight." 21. Do you love someone? approximately 1,523. 22. What's your favorite pair of pajamas like? favorite? I don't know that I have one. 23. Have you ever seen a shooting star? Yes, just earlier tonight the first moment I looked up at the sky--and a few minutes ago on the phone I told Jim about it, so you know it's true! 24. List five things you want to do in your lifetime: a.have an inordinate number of jobs b.not worry about money so often c. find a career that holds my interest for a significant amount of time d. e. 25. What do you put on your hamburgers? Cheese, and sometimes some onion, too. To quote Jenn R., "I will NOT eat a burger without cheese." 26. Do you eat raw hot dogs? Nasty. 27. Do you have a journal? I have boxes of them. But I haven't written an entry in a year or so. 28. Do you use sarcasm a lot? I have no idea what you're talking about. 29. Would you bungee jump? I'd like to say yes, but I'm thinking no. Not yet, anyhow. 30. What is your favorite cereal? Dear lord, I love Crispix. 31. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? nope. 32. Do you think that you are strong? I sure did lift a lot of heavy tables the past two days. Check out my muscles! 33. What is your favorite ice cream flavor? Mint cookies and cream is good. 34. Red or Pink? ROJO. Red is my favorite color on earth. Makes it hard to live in UGA land where everyone assumes it's a Dawg-related obsession. 35. What is your least favorite thing about yourself? I have no inclination to share that with you. 36. Do you want everyone you know to repost this? EVERYONE I KNOW? No. That would take years to read. Please, everyone, don't. Maybe, like, 4 of you? That'd be enough. 37. What color pants and shoes are you wearing? Blue jeans, charcoal grey Chucks. 38. Last thing you ate? Cheese plate at Aromas, one I split with Tamara. Yum. 39. What are you listening to right now? "Humming of the Fridge" by My Kitchen. 40. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? True Red 41. Favorite Smells? the stairs down to the cellar in my grandparents' old house at 910 Franklin Ave; Moonlight Path; honeysuckle (even though I just found out that Japanese honeysuckle is an invasive plant--did you know?) 42. The first thing you notice about the opposite sex? height, smile, and (let's be cheesy but honest) the vibe 43. Favorite Drink? no one can choose just one! 44. What is your favorite sport? swimming 45. Eye Color? mine? blue. see current default photo where they look extry-kellerful. 46. Favorite Food? good sushi sure is yummy. 47. Last Movie You Watched? Ordinary People, for about the 20th time. 48. Favorite Day Of The Year? May Day (May 1st). And my birthday (Feb. 21) 49. Favorite Movie Endings? oh, the finales where there's some predictable overcoming-of-seemingly-insurmountable odds and there's an audience present and everyone begins to clap and cheer and the underdog finally has his day? Those tearjerkers get me almost every time. But they're not my favorites. I don't think I have favorites. 50. Summer or Winter? summa summa summatime. And the seasons don't need to be capitalized. 51. Hugs or Kisses? I'm into the cuddling and hugging with a hint o' smooch. 52. What books are you reading? Just one right now: Praying for Sheetrock by Melissa Fay Greene 54. What's On Your Mouse Pad? ain't got one. 55. What Did You Watch Last night on TV? Full House! didn't watch TV last night, though I did see Oprah and Bono go on a RED shopping spree. 56. Favorite Sounds? laughter, thunderstorms, favorite records, my mom bustling about while I'm taking a nap (reminds me of when I was little) 57. Rolling Stones or Beatles? Both, though my heart leans towards the latter. 58. What's the furthest you've been from home? Buenos Aires, I suppose. 59. Do you have a special talent? Well, jeepers. I'm good at lots of things. 60. Where did you take your default pic? in the bright evening sun on the drive to Atlanta 61. What makes you most happy? spending time with my friends and my family (it's true) 62. Do you ever watch MTV? not in a really long time, no 63. What's something that really annoys you? lack of compassion for other people, though I guess that goes beyond mere annoyance. 64. Nicknames: Jan, Janny, Jenny, Jynni, Rose, Rosie, J. Geddis, Geddeeezzz, Jan-Jan, Bonzi, Janet the Planet, Super Jan, Janevie, and the list goes on and on and on and on and ON. 65. Do you have any Siblings? one older sister (who just got OLDER yesterday when she turned 31!). Her name is Julianne "Rose" Geddis, and she'll be visiting Athens in a week!! Yeehaw. Do You.. 1. Write on your hand? I used to in middle & high school. 2. Believe in love? Yes. 3. Sleep on a certain side of the bed? I always start on a certain side, but I like to sleep diagonally if I have enough room. 4. Have any bad habits? Of course! Have You... 1. Broken a bone? nope 2. Sprained stuff? probably, but nothing major 3. Had physical therapy? nope 4. Gotten stitches? nope 5. Taken painkillers? indeed (owie) 6. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling? snorkeling only, though I want to learn to SCUBA. I only want Brookie to teach me. 7. Been stung by a bee? Lots, but usually in a boring way: I often stepped on them at Huntley Hills Pool while waiting in line for the diving board when I was younger. 8. Thrown up at the dentist? nasty. I have never heard of this. 9. Sworn in front of your parents? No, though my mother curses like a sailor and would probably be fine with it. 10. Had detention? Once in 6th grade when Ms. McMorris gave detention to our whole class. Other than that, I was good. (See my smile twinkle when I say that?) 11. Been sent to the principal's office? Don't think so. Who/What was the last. 1. Person you hugged? Carrie "Licky" Jedlicka at the TAILGATE! 2. Person you tackled? no recollection... 3. Thing you touched? my little baby iBook. 4. Thing you did? took a sip of the beer I've been nursing for over an hour now. This was not as exciting as I thought it'd be. As it turns out, I'm just trying to avoid doing the writing I *should* be doing. What a wimp. I just caught on to my own reasoning now. I am so good at tricking myself, dammit! 1 Comment - 1 Kudo

Joe

These things are fun. I've learned a lot about my li'l Geddis from this. Hell no I'm not gonna do it myself though. Cause I don't want to. But I liked reading it. So. Posted by Joe on October 17, 2006 - Tuesday at 11:02 AM