Archive for December, 2007

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December 19th, 2007

Welcome Techsophist & Safari Bob to the Blogroll of Buddies

I added two new bloggers to my Blogroll of Buddies tonight. It occurred to me a while back that if you come to A Fool of Myself and aren’t me, then my three blogrolls mean pretty much nothing to you. So henceforth (I have a Master of Arts in Writing. I can use that word.) when I add bloggers to those blogrolls, I’ll introduce those bloggers to you. That said, tonight I introduce to you Techsophist and Skeptic Safari.

I know both of these bloggers personally: Techsophist was my Modern Rhetorical Theory professor and one of my thesis readers. She writes mostly about digital rhetorics, and she’s a Harry Potter fan, so no complaints here.

Safari Bob, as he’s known around these parts, is a fellow troublemaker from the Missouri State English Department TA office. He’s skeptical about pretty much everything and is a PhD student at Texas Tech. He also goes by the alias Pablo. Consider yourself warned.

More later…

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Posted in sarahjoaustin.com | 2 Comments »

December 18th, 2007

Top Ten Slacking-Off Activities for Recent Graduates

As a recent graduate, I’m looking for ways to explore my new freedom this holiday season. Here’s a list of my favorite slacking-off activities:

  1. Stay up until 4 AM and sleep until noon.
  2. Make out with your significant other.
  3. Post a fake resume on Monster.com.
  4. Play Tetris until your thumbs are numb.
  5. Put together a 1,500 piece Christmas puzzle.
  6. Watch all five Harry Potter movies in one weekend.
  7. Reread all seven Harry Potter books in one week.
  8. Update your Facebook status every hour.
  9. Torment your cat by practicing your hog-tying skills.
  10. Record all your slacking-off activities and make a YouTube video.

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December 17th, 2007

Top Ten Ways to Identify a Master of Arts in Writing

  1. You read your friend’s blog and wonder at her way with words.
  2. You write a heart-warming note to your friend, and she marks necessary corrections in red pen and returns it to you for a revision.
  3. Your friend uses the word “pedagogy” rather than simply saying “teaching theory.”
  4. Your friend not only corrects the grammar on television commercials and billboards but mutters that the TV/billboard writers are morons under her breath.
  5. Your friend’s bookshelves are lined with books that have the word “writing” or “style” in the titles.
  6. You routinely receive grammatically correct text or instant messages from your friend.
  7. Your friend belongs to the Fans of the Serial Comma and Good Grammar Is Hot groups on Facebook.
  8. When you greet your friend with her name, she corrects you: “No, it’s Master Sarah.”
  9. Your friend is wearing a pompous-looking, cape-type garment lined in white.
  10. Your friend is Sarah Austin!

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Posted in brilliantly creative | 2 Comments »

December 14th, 2007

Are You Bored With Your Name?

Anyone whose name is Sarah can attest to the fact that Sarah is a very common name. Not that we’re complaining. On our team, we have Sarah Michelle Gellar and Sarah Jessica Parker, who are both strong representatives of the name, but there’s a reason our fellow teammates use their middle names: Sarah is a little boring!

That’s why I’ve gone by Sarah Jo for most of my life. It started in elementary school when Sarah after Sarah moved to my town, and I learned that the name Sarah wasn’t so special even though it means ‘princess’ in Hebrew. So I kept my middle moniker through high school and college as a way to help my teachers separate me from the other Sarahs in my classes. But even Sarah Jo isn’t as special as I sometimes want it to be. I mean, I met half a dozen Sarah Jos in college, and let’s face it, it sounds a bit country.

Maybe it’s the Jo. It’s redeemed by Jo in Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, because Jo was pretty strong. But it’s sorta common, too, at least in my circle: Amy Jo (my college roommate), Vicky Jo (my mom), Martha Jo (my mother-in-law), and Hannah Jo (my niece).

Sometimes you just need a change. I found the Random Renamer at BabyNames.com today. (No, I’m not pregnant. I went to the site because it was referenced on NPR and I was bored.) I entered my name and gender and selected a personality type, and the Renamer gave me these new names based on the personality type selected:

  • Stylish Jia Kuniko Austin
  • Traditional Milan London Austin
  • Wild Oona Ayanna Austin
  • Creative Eirlys Fleur Austin
  • Natural Mirah More Austin
  • Quiet Evadne Satya Austin
  • Friendly Uta Qing Austin
  • Philosophical Zara Quasar Austin
  • Ambitious Ciqala Justine Austin

I was bit sad that they didn’t have a personality type for abrasive. I was once called that by a customer at Applebee’s, and it’s always stuck with me, so I’ve created my own name for that personality type:

  • Abrasive Harmony Oklahoma Austin

Harmony makes you think I’m a nice person at first, but then you realize that Oklahoma makes me a little bad ass. I’ve had the name sitting in my back pocket for a while, and I thought it was time to break it out. Get out of the way, Sarah Michelle and Sarah Jessica, Sarah Jo “Harmony Oklahoma” Austin is in town!

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Posted in brilliantly creative | 2 Comments »

December 13th, 2007

Who Knew Liza Minnelli Was Still Performing?

According to this BBC article “Liza Minnelli collapses on stage,” she is. Maybe I’m thinking of Elizabeth Taylor…

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December 13th, 2007

Sarah’s Three-Point Zit-Popping Scoring Guide

I had a three-point zit last night. When you’ve had acne as long as I have and have spent as much time as I have in front of the mirror squeezing blackheads and popping pimples, you have to make it fun, so I have a zit point system:

  • 1 pt.: Black heads
  • 2 pts.: White heads
  • 3 pts.: White heads whose innerds hit the mirror

(This is what I’m condemned to write about when I can’t talk about running. Pray for recovery.) I’ve had acne since third grade. Well, I don’t particularly remember my first pimple, but I remember that my mom took me to a dermatologist in third grade and that afterward I had a whole regimen of washing to do. Personal hygiene isn’t high on the to-do lists of any third-graders I know, so you can imagine how thrilled I was by this new discipline.

My acne was totally out of control by my sophomore year of high school despite my efforts to keep it at bay with over-the-counter remedies, so Mom and I visited the dermatologist once again. I came home with some vengeful zinc soap and two kinds of powerful ointments. The acne cleared up within a week.

I maintained that regimen through college but put it aside when I got engaged to Chris. See, the ointments tasted awful, and I didn’t want it to interfere with married life, so I switched to Arbonne International’s Clear Advantage products, which are expensive but do the trick, especially when paired with Arbonne’s Exfoliating Masque with Thermal Fusion. I haven’t used them in about six months because money has been tight and insurance doesn’t pay for the Arbonne stuff. Thus, last night’s three-point zit.

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Posted in brilliantly creative | 4 Comments »

December 12th, 2007

23 Ways I Celebrate Christmas—A Meme

Nevadamtnbear tagged me for this Christmas meme, and I’m uber stoked because I’ve never been tagged before! I’ve tagged two groups: running bloggers who I don’t really know and who I enjoy reading and my own buddies who need something to do. OK. Here we go…

  1. Wrapping paper or gift bag? Wrapping paper. Gift bags are so easy, but you really have to put thought into wrapping a gift. Maybe I’m a bit jaded from my mother putting all of my gifts into bags one year because she didn’t have time to wrap them until after my brother and I went to bed on Christmas Eve. Of course, later on, she recruited me to wrap my own gifts by sealing the box and putting my name on it. Maybe that’s why I like wrapping gifts now.
  2. Real tree or artificial? Artificial. They don’t grow trees that come pre-lit.
  3. When do you put up your tree? Thanksgiving weekend.
  4. When do you take down your tree? New Year’s weekend.
  5. Do you like eggnog? Bleh. No.
  6. Favorite gift received as a child? There were a series of awesome gifts I got in high school: tent, tennis ball hopper, and punching bag. I think my favorite gift from my childhood was my She-Ra action figure.
  7. Do you have a nativity scene? No, but I’m hoping to one day inherit my mom’s Home Interiors nativity scene. It’s plain, unglazed and unpainted ceramic. Its simplicity makes it beautiful.
  8. Hardest person to buy for? Chris’s grandparents. We always have to get ideas from his mom, but whatever we get them, I always feel like they get the short end of the stick on Christmas Eve.
  9. Easiest person to buy for? Chris. The man drops hints all year long if you pay attention. The problem with his gifts, though, is the cash factor. He’s got great, but expensive, taste.
  10. Worst Christmas gift you’ve ever received? A giant, red, heart-shaped pillow with the word ‘love’ written on it. The aunt who gave it to me said she saw it and immediately thought of me. I saw it and immediately thought, “How do I get rid of this thing?” It was recycled last Christmas during a game of Dirty Santa.
  11. Mail or email Christmas cards? Neither. I prefer to write one giant Christmas greeting in the sky. It saves on postage.
  12. Favorite Christmas movie? White Christmas. Music, dancing, romance, snow, and sneaky plans. Gotta love it.
  13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Summer. With Chris’s expensive tastes, I’ve got to spread out the purchases so I don’t break the bank.
  14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yes. See Number 10.
  15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Grandma Helen’s Chex Mix.
  16. White or colored lights? White.
  17. Favorite Christmas song? Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. I was in choirs through elementary, middle, and high school, and this is the one song we never sang, so I’ve never grown tired of it.
  18. Traveling for Christmas or stay home? Staying home, but my parents and brother are coming for Christmas dinner, which is more stressful than traveling.
  19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeers? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, Rudolph, and Biff.
  20. Angel or Star on top of tree? Neither. We have a replica of the 1978 Heismann trophy atop our tree.
  21. Open presents Christmas Eve or Morning? Both. We do Christmas with Chris’s family Christmas Eve. Unloading everyone’s stockings takes about three hours. Then on Christmas morning, Chris and I open our main gifts for one another.
  22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Christmas music and trips to Wal-Mart.
  23. What I love most about Christmas? Spending time with my family and friends.

All right, it’s time to do some tagging: bgbrendle, Cubicle Queen, xgravity23, So I Was Thinking, Marc Backes (those five are my friends), laurel, lifestudent, SarahTheQueen, runningtwig, and runningchick (those are the runners). Can’t wait to hear from you all!

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Posted in brilliantly creative | 3 Comments »

December 11th, 2007

Food & Injury Prevention

The bum still hurts—in fact, I think the pain is getting worse and the Aleve I took this morning has yet to help—, so I was glad when I came across Liz Applegate’s article “Food Rx: Eating for Injury Prevention” today. Her advice isn’t foreign to anyone who does a lot of intense exercise; she says that to avoid injury you need to

  • Eat enough calories.
  • Eat plenty of protein.
  • Supplement your diet with zinc and iron.

If you’re already injured, she says not to worry about gaining weight because you’re still burning calories with the muscle you’ve put on during training, and after two weeks of rest, you can usually start up easy exercise again. In addition to the tips above, she says to add calcium, vitamin A, and vitamin C to your diet so your body has all it needs to mend itself.

I’ve been closely watching the scale over the last few weeks to make sure I haven’t gained any weight during what has turned out to be a recovery month. With December in full swing and social functions packing my calendar, I’m trying to eat wisely. Of course, that doesn’t count this weekend’s batch of snickerdoodles or the tin of cheese and caramel popcorn I munch on when I’m at home. At least popcorn has some nutritional value, right?

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Posted in fitness/health | No Comments »

December 10th, 2007

The Weather Outside is Frightful, but the Fire is so Delightful

There are just twelve shopping days left until Christmas, which means there are four days until graduation and five days until dinner at Kai with the Fros. I’m uber stoked about all three! Chris and I ordered the remainder of our online gifts last night, and I made my list of remaining Christmas gifts to purchase. I’m off to make a few Ozark/Nixa purchases after work, and tomorrow night I’m heading in Springfield for a trip to Missouri State (for the cap and gown), Hobby Lobby, PetsMart, and Target.

My bum is still incredibly sore from my fall down the garage steps last Wednesday, but I don’t have any bruising. It’s the strangest thing. Bending over, sitting down, and standing up all hurt horribly, so working out my bottom half is out of the question. That and Ice Storm 2007 Part II is rolling through the Ozarks, so running outside is a bit treacherous, too.

I must say that I do love this weather and this time of year. We’ve had a fire in the fireplace almost every night; I’ve been crocheting fun little scarves, mittens, and hats; we’ve been watching random movies whenever we want; and I made snickerdoodles Saturday night. Yum!

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Posted in personal | 2 Comments »

December 8th, 2007

15 Items You’ll Always Find on My Grocery List (And 5 Items You Won’t)

I read somewhere a million years ago that skinny people have very boring eating habits and generally eat the same things every day, that most people have a stable of less than 15 foods that they eat every week, and that we need to diversify our diets to get the most nutrients. These stats came to mind today as I wrote out my grocery list, which I have memorized. Why? Well, except for dinner, I eat the same thing every day. And, heck, even my dinners rotate between instant oatmeal, mac and cheese, salmon and rice, and eggs and waffles. So unless I’ve cooked the week before or am planning a meal for the upcoming week, my grocery list rarely strays from these 15 items:

  1. Honey-roasted turkey breast from the deli
  2. Provolone cheese from the deli
  3. Granny Smith apples
  4. Pineapple tidbits and mandarin orange fruit cups
  5. Fiber One bars (chocolate and peanut butter)
  6. Instant oatmeal
  7. Diet Coke
  8. Fat-free Fig Newtons
  9. Orange juice
  10. Skim milk
  11. Whole-grain bread
  12. Almonds*
  13. V8
  14. Salmon
  15. Whole-grain rice
  16. Baked Cheetos*

* These items aren’t on the list every week, but show up just when I’m running low.

The list above seems uber healthy to me, and it drives my hubby crazy because he is a snackaholic and loves to munch. You’ll never find the five items below(most of which the hubby loves) on my grocery list because I, too, love to munch and these are too much of a temptation to keep in the house:

  1. Dark chocolate M&M’s
  2. Oreos (any variety)
  3. Twizzlers
  4. Honey-roasted peanuts
  5. Nutter Butters

Not to say that I never buy those items, but I rarely allow munchies like those above in my house because I eat them nonstop until they’re gone. I know I’m a creature of habit, but I think my daily eating routine makes eating healthy easier.

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