Matt Sweet

This morning I got off to a slow start because my first appointment wasn't until 10:30. I actually had time to watch two complete episodes of Buffy: The Vampire Slayer on FX. Then I went to the bank, and then I had a Tim Horton's muffin for breakfast. I love Tim Horton and his muffins. Tim can tempt me with chocolate and croissants, and I would gladly follow him to his homeland of Canada--the land of pastries and beer and same-sex marriages.

And now I am eating a piece of Red Velvet cake, from the lady who sells sandwiches and baked goods to our office. Sigh. Is there anything that binge eating cannot cure? Apart from diabetes, that is.

Today is Wednesday, which as all my little Droogies know is my Day of Sloth. (That should be pronounced with an echo.) My last client is over at 4:30 today, and then I'm going home to sit on the couch and watch TV all night. I don't care what is on TV... I just don't want to think for a couple of hours. I might do a little surfing as well, although that could sucker me in to actually thinking about stuff. The scoop:

A Buddhist monk's tale of loss. This is the kind of really well-written pieces that make The New York Times such an excellent paper. Thank you, Jay, for drawing my attention to this article.

"Good evening, and welcome to Masterpiece Theatre. I'm Alistair Cooke." Rest in peace, Mr. Cooke.

I am booked solid today from 9:00 am until 7:00 pm, except for the next 15 minutes, which I will use to write in my blog.

Jay sent me this, because he knows I'm anal about this kind of thing:

The official spelling is Daylight Saving Time, not Daylight SavingS Time. Saving is used here as a verbal adjective (a participle). It modifies time and tells us more about its nature; namely, that it is characterized by the activity of saving daylight. It is a saving daylight kind of time. Similar examples would be dog walking time or book reading time. Since saving is a verb describing a single type of activity, the form is singular. Nevertheless, many people feel the word savings (with an 's') flows more mellifluously off the tongue, and Daylight Savings Time is also in common usage, and can be found in dictionaries.

Part of the confusion is because the phrase Daylight Saving Time is inaccurate, since no daylight is actually saved. Daylight Shifting Time would be better, but it is not as politically desirable. In fact, scientifically misguided politicians sometimes misunderstand. In 1995, the British Time (Extra Daylight) Bill was introduced by John Butterfill, attempting the impossible -- to legislate extra daylight. The bill did not pass.

Wasn't that informative? Now you too can act superior!

News:

Barbie is dumping Ken. I think I'm going to need therapy.

Bob Edwards is in trouble at NPR. I am quite angry at NPR for wanting to shift their programing. Don't they realize that the reason I listen to them is that they are better than the bullshit they want to imitate? The article I linked says that Bob Edwards "often seemed less engaged on the air." Well, that's why we loved him! He's not a sensationalist. Go here to voice your concern. (I know... you're all thinking "Who the hell cares?")

Good news. Jay and I made an offer on a house last week (find that story below), which was accepted on our terms! Yay! If everything goes as planned, Jay and I are going to be homeowners by this summer.

My internet is moving very... very... slowly this morning, so I'm just eating and waiting for Yahoo! news to load. Lunch today is beef stew with sweet potatoes, and chili from the lady who sells sandwiches to my office. Yum.

Extra! Read all about it:

Here is a story about how the Bush campain attacked John Kerry's use of a Bible verse to criticize the administration. Administration officials are quoted as saying "Kerry's comment "was beyond the bounds of acceptable discourse and a sad exploitation of Scripture for a political attack." Which was better than their first response, which was: *ring* *ring* "Hello, kettle? This is the pot. You're black."

Read this. It's the story of a war hero pigeon. Make sure you read the last line.

Just when you thought it was safe to take your children to church, now Baptists are going the way of Catholics. Just remember people: Church is not safe for children. (I know. I'm just a bad person--I can't help it.)

I'm waiting for my parents to call. We're supposed to go to lunch with them this afternoon, but their phone is busy, and they're not calling me. And I'm getting hungrier.

I updated the picture on this site, and swapped my face for Vin's. I think I prefer Vin, but the current pic is more honest.

Later.

Mad Mad House last night was fun, even though my favorite guest was eliminated. And Sharon Osbourne was on Will and Grace. I love Sharon Osbourne. She's my favorite fictional character.

Today is über-busy, sort of. I have a full client load this morning, but I'm adminstering psychological tests to most of them. That is probably the easiest part of my job. I hand someone a test booklet, sit there and watch them take the test, then collect my paycheck. Scoring the tests is a little time-consuming, and interpreting them is slightly more difficult. But here's the golden part: I don't interpret them. I have consultation and supervision with a psychologist who does that for me. So I see why so many psychologists in the world earn their bread and butter doing evaluations. If you're interested, here is the test I'll be adminstering this morning.

My client's here. Gotta Run.

Why does it feel like Friday?

Last night Jay and I found out that the offer we made on the house was sort of accepted, but the seller added some new conditions to the deal. We requested more information, and have yet to hear back from them. So now we're in house limbo. The truth is that we really, really like the house. But if we have to pass on it, then so be it. There are and will be other houses that we like on the market. Of course, that does nothing to cut my nervousness.

Read all about it:

Richard Simmons slaps a man in an airport. The story is of the "who cares?" variety, but check out the file photo they used for this piece.

Hypochondriacs often drop out of therapy. File this under "Duh." I've seen this before... someone comes into my office complaining of phantom pains. They tell me, "My doctor insists I see you. He says that I'm just making this up, but I know I'm not crazy, and I don't want to waste my time with a shrink." So, I get their medical information, and find out that they've been to every specialist under the sun, all of whom have stamped the word "inconclusive" on the tests. When you get that many physicians saying that all the test results are "inconclusive," it means that there is an overwhelming chance that nothing is wrong with you, but the physicians don't want to be sued on the off chance that there might be. Then the hypochondriac goes home, watches Oprah and sees a story about someone who went to a million doctors and was finally diagnosed with some bizarre illness. The hypochondriac thinks, "Oh! That's my problem! I just haven't seen the right doctor yet!" Then the call me, say "Thanks, but no therapy." And the cycle begins again. I once asked a client point blank: "If therapy can reduce your symptoms, wouldn't it be worth it?" The client responded with: "I would rather know that something's wrong with me, and know what it is, than have the symptoms go away."

It turns out that Medicare is in worse trouble than we thought. This is something to think about for those of us who are starting to save for retirement.

Looking at other blogs, I realize that my layout is not very exciting. I'm mostly OK with this. But, in an effort to add some interest to my otherwise boring life, I thought I'd change the colors of the blog. I also added a picture of Vin Diesel, because you can't go wrong with pictures of Vin Diesel.

So. Last night Jay and I made an offer on a house. I debated writing about that, because I'm superstitious and belive that I'm jinxing the offer. But the upshot is that now I'm really nervous. I just want to eat and eat and eat and eat. (I know... maladaptive coping skills... You shut up about that! I'm the therapist here!) I don't know if I can describe the feeling of terror that comes when you realize, in the car on the way home, that you just offered to purchase something that costs more than twice what you and your partner earn in a year combined, and before taxes. A picture is worth a thousand words.

The news of the day:

The Supreme Court is considering the whole "Under God" in the Pledge thing. Today could be an interesting day for democracy: Will the Supreme Court uphold the law (and remove the mention of God), despite the fact that only the pro-God side has any visible support?

The FDA approves two generic versions of what could be the most abused medication in history. Maybe they'll release generic versions of crack next.

I started feeling like crap yesterday about 3:00, and I canceled all of my afternoon and evening appointments so I could go home and sit in a dark room with a cat on my lap. Now, the clients I'm supposed to see today are cancelling on me. I think I tampered with my karma, or something.

I'm starting to crave baked goods. Damn this new healthy living! For lunch today, I ate a tomato basil and swiss cheese veggie burger. It was über-healthy. It was unsatisfying. It also gave me heartburn. Serious heartburn, like I now have a molten core. Maybe some good old-fashioned chocolate chip cookies will fix that. There's really not much that chocolate chip cookies can't fix.

News round up:

I need to start drinking more.

West Virgina Govenor: Shhh... the truth will get out!

The Bush administration fabricates a news story about the new Medicaid reform, then sent it to various local television stations to air. When are we impeaching this president?

Weekend roundup:
Friday night, dinner with Jay.
Saturday: Meeting with our mortgage lady, clients, touring houses with our realtor lady, dinner with Bill and Laura. I called our night with Bill and Laura short because I was falling asleep.
Sunday: Grocery shopping, lunch with my parents, cleaning the house.
All in all, it was a pretty full weekend.

Plus side: Jay and I are thinking about making an offer on one of the houses we saw on Saturday. I must say, nothing in my life so far has prepared me for the anxiety that comes with taking out a loan for six figures. I have this image of Jay and me signing the papers, and then the room comes crashing down on our head. So far, I've been able to keep the panic at bay, but as we go forward, I'll keep you updated.

Click here to get involved in the campaign to save my favorite TV friend, Angel. Or, click here for a website the encourages people to do good work, inspired by the show. Fun fun fun.

In the spirit of a more healthy lifestyle, my lunch today was a salad and a carton of yogurt. Apparently, thin people are hungry all the time. I think I'm going to need to stop by the vending machine (AKA, my hookup) for chocolate later.

I was crazy busy yesterday. I saw clients, taught a parenting class, went to the doctor for a 2 1/2 hour appointment (!) and then saw more clients, and then dropped my car off for service. I'm carpooling with Jay today, which rocks, because I love him. (Awwwwww.....)

So, the good doctor tells me that I have unusually high blood pressure, and should probably go on a special diet. (I have a stressful job, rage issues, and I get no exercise apart from binge eating. What are the odds?) So how sexy is that for someone in their late 20s?? There's no mistaking me... I'll be the 30 year old in Big Boy's ordering off the "Heart Smart Menu." I've never been cool, and now I hate my life.

Click here, and read about obnoxious straight people.

And this story... well, it speaks for itself.

More bad news, Michigan State is out of the NCAA tournament. I mean, we knew that they wouldn't go all the way, but they could at least have one the first game!

Anyway... this is cute. I got it from Rotten Ryan, who got it from beetlebummer.Take the questions, answer them using lyrics from a single artist or band. I toyed with using Duke Ellington, which would be fun, but for shits and giggles, I choose to use Matthew Sweet.

1. are you male or female? "Brotherhood"
2. describe yourself. "How Cool"
3. how do some people feel about you? "Devil with the Green Eyes"
4. how do you feel about yourself? "Sick of myself"
5. describe your girlfriend/boyfriend. "Someone to Pull the Trigger"
6. where would you rather be? "Half Asleep"
7. describe what you want to be. "Ultrasuede"
8. describe how you live. "Holy War"
9. describe how you love. "100% Fun"
10. share a few words of wisdom. "The Alcohol Talking"

Read this for a little St. Patrick-themed controversy. Some people take things way too seriously. (And note the orange above. Just adding fuel to the fire.) For some real info on the holiday, click here. Oh, and for the record, the legend about St. Patrick driving the snakes out of Ireland probably means that he drove the native religious practioners out of Ireland, who were associated with serpents and Satan. So there.

I am going to celebrate by drinking Guiness and eating ribs. Yum. After all, tonight is "Matt's Night of Sloth." Revelry would involve far more energy than I am willing to expend.

For a laugh, click here. This is a link to the NPR story entitled, "The Poetry of Donald Rumsfeld, Set to Music." Someone wrote down the statements of the Secretay of Defense, and then someone else set them to music. You can download file samples, which are actually pretty good. Very Kurt Weill, actually, which is oddly appropriate for the statements of Donny Rumsfeld.

Today wins the "most irritating day Matt's had in a while" prize.

First, it's snowing outside, and has been since about 7:00 am. "What? Snow? In mid-March?" You say? Welcome to Michigan, where St Patrick's Day is celebrated with a blizzard. And, what's worse, is that all the Detroit Motorists (AKA "Yahoos with Wheels") seem to have forgotten how to drive in snow in the past two months. There were, like, fifteen-zillion accidents on the freeways today. Most of them were fender-benders. I have nightmares of soccer moms driving their SUV's at 70 miles per hour through the snow and plowing into my little fuel-efficient Honda civic.

Second, I fell down in the parking lot while I was brushing the snow off my car today, TWICE. That's right, my little Droogies, I fell down, got back up, and fell down again. Then Shemp threw a pie at me.

Third, I'm busy beyond belief. I didn't even start eating lunch until 1:30, and even then I had to actually look at a co-worker and say, "Go away now. I'm eating." Matt's getting grumpy. Put down the chocolate, and back away slowly. Do not make eye contact.

I was reading His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman. This trilogy was reviewed positively in The New Yorker, The New York Times. and on NPR all in the same week. It was a sign, I tell you.

I was also reading Siegfried, by Harry Mulisch. Again, this was an NPR recommends.

And, to keep my clinical skills fresh, I was working my way through Lesbian and Gay Families Speak Out.

Music:

I was listening to:

Oasis (What’s the Story) Morning Glory. I still like this CD.

Joshua Bell, playing Sarasate’s Carmen Fantasy. It’s sublime, and he’s hot.

The Dave Brubeck Quartet, Time Out. Take five is the coolest piece ever written, period.

Links I visited often:

Amazon

Ask Oxford

Le Monde

NPR

The New York Times

WDET

Yahoo! News