Overheard at Work #1

With all the new technology that's become indispensable in the last few years, is it ironic that over mobile internet and GPS, the item I really wish I had with me all the time is a simple tape recorder? Probably. But, strange as it may be, I would love the ability to capture snippets of life and the conversations around me and save them somehow, before they give way to more mundane daily tasks and are forgotten. Sometimes they're interesting insights, sometimes they're issues or ideas I want to look into more, and sometimes they're just plain funny.

But barring a trek out to the nearest electronics store to track down a tape recorder (do they even make them anymore?), the next best solution may be to record them here. So, here goes:

Overheard at Work #1: "So does the rest of Massachusetts not have an accent then?"

I definitely giggled.

Hello!

You know, this isn't the first time I've started a blog. My old one, created in 2005 at the insistence of my then-roommates, lasted all of three entries. They told me it was a good way to keep in touch with people. Because of course you need a blog to keep in touch with the girls you share a room with, right?

This one was also suggested by a friend. I'm hoping the second time's the charm and this lasts a little longer than three entries. It definitely took a lot more effort to get started. Like picking a title, for example. Whose idea was it to pick a title for your blog before you even write the first entry? Google's normally pretty intuitive but this...it's like titling a book before you even know what it's about. At age 22, I'm not even sure if I know what I'm about yet. And with my unusually unwieldy name - the spellcheck thinks my first name is a mistyped "nailing", and my last name always gets the confused "no spelling suggestions" - I couldn't just take the easy way out and use my name.

That name of mine. It always makes things tricky. So I did what many of you seem to do when you come across it: call me Nal. I toyed with the idea of adding an adjective in there for all of two seconds, until I realized that would require choosing an adjective. So much for that idea. I'm the sort of person who answers a request to describe myself in three words with the phrase "can't be done."

(Or rather, I'm the sort of person who would answer it that way. I've never actually been asked that question, and I'm curious how an interviewer would respond to my answer. Thoughts?)

At any rate, hello and welcome. I think for now, I'll forego a more detailed introduction of me and my interests, and let my future posts speak for themselves. Sweet dreams.