Since I'm pretty homesick and there's a chance I won't be able to go back home this summer, I found a fabulous website (an American's guide to Canada) that explains stuff to Americans about Canadians. Here's some of the best (everything non-italicized is courtesy of Emily Way emily_@_americansguide.ca):
What Every Canadian Knows
Thrills gum
A purple gum that looks like Chiclets. "Tastes like soap." I've never tried it -- I have some sitting in the cupboard downstairs, but I loathe gum -- but everyone says "tastes like soap!" whenever it's mentioned.
To be honest, i"ve seen it...i don't know anyone that's ever tried it. Doesnt' look appealing. In fact, I never even knew what it was called.
Canadian Tire money
Canadian Tire, a nationwide chain of great big automotive and hardware stores (many with attached gas stations), offers discounts in the form of Canadian Tire coupons to customers who pay cash. The coupons look like currency and can be spent at Canadian Tire just like cash. I don't think I've met a Canadian who doesn't have a stash of Canadian Tire money. There's even a Canadian Tire Coupon Collectors' Club.
HELL YEAH! My mom probably is a zillionaire when it comes to Canadian Tire money. It's so weird...you buy stuff, they give you canadian tire money. You go to buy more stuff with your canadian tire money, and they give you more money in return. Over time you're basically just exchanging monopoly money.
Why everyone wears poppies in early November
November 11, known as Veterans' Day in the US, is called Remembrance Day in Canada. In 1915, Lt. Col. John McCrae wrote a beautiful and moving poem called "In Flanders Fields":
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
This poem became very famous, and people began to associate war dead and veterans with poppies. The Web site for the Ministry of Veterans' Affairs has more about John McCrae and the symbolism of the poppy.
Now, the Canadian Legion sells poppy pins every year, starting around the end of October, and everyone wears them on their jackets.
This was actually a pretty big shock for me to realize that in the US, they don't know about Flanders Fields and all that. It's sorta sad, 'cause I dig getting poppies in November. Whenever we had school assemblies we'd make wreaths and cover them with homemade poppies which is really just taking a chunk of red tissue paper, putting it on the end of a pencil, dipping it in glue, and then sticking it to something (obviously the pencil doesn't stick, it's just to create the shape). Funny, I thought kids in the US did that too.
Language
anglophone
A Canadian whose first language is English.
francophone
A Canadian whose first language is French.
brown bread
In most of Canada, whole wheat bread. If you are at a diner for breakfast and you ask for whole wheat toast, they'll understand you, but "brown toast" is a lot more Canadian. Down east, "brown bread" refers to a sweetened, molasses bread.
Seriously. SERIOUSLY. It didn't even cross my mind that here in the US it's not called brown bread. Have I been saying wheat this entire time? It's all about the brown bread! yeah!
butter tart
A very small (single-serving) pie. They taste like pecan pies without the pecans. This is a fairly typical recipe. They're yummy.
Once again...i truly thought that was the word everyone uses. Kraig was like "wtf is that?"
donair
A pita containing spiced meat and a sauce made from sugar, vinegar, milk, and garlic.
I don't think I've ever had a donair, but they're everywhere...kinda like here in the US you'll see ghetto liquor stores that say "Liquor, cigarettes, deli"...well in Canada it's the donair.
Glosettes
Brand name for chocolate-covered raisins.
I really miss these. There's also Glosettes peanuts, but everyone just buys peanut M&Ms when they want chocolate-covered peanuts. I haven't found anything similar to Glosette raisins here though.
homo milk
Homogenized milk. Known in the States as whole milk. Nobody here thinks twice about what images milk cartons with the word "HOMO" in big letters on the side conjure up in the minds of Americans. A friend notes: "The term whole milk is actually used in Canada too, but refers to something different. Homo milk is homogenized milk with a butterfat content of 3.25%. Whole milk is not homogenized (it will separate if left standing for any period of time; this is the milk our parents drank). Almost all milk today is homogenized, although whole milk can still be found if one looks."
Yeah learned the hard way not to call it homo milk. Plus I say "skim milk" and people are like "WHAT?!"...the proper term in the US is "fat free milk"...
icing sugar
powdered sugar
Seriously, do they not call it that here?!!
Kraft Dinner, or KD
Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. No difference between what's in the boxes, just what's on them. Canadians eat a lot of KD.
Bring on the KD! Although my mom wouldn't letu s have that stuff in our house, I grew up going to friends' homes and whipping that stuff up after school. I saw a South Park Episode ("Not without my anus") last night and all they did was say "Let's have some Kraft Dinner"...to be exact, you would just say "KD".
Nanaimo bar
A confection, named for the town of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, that resembles a brownie but is topped with a layer of white butter cream icing and another of solid chocolate. The brownie part usually has coconut.
I've made Nanaimo Bars for people herei n the US and there isn't a single person who doesn't think it's pure heaven. If heaven were made of butter and fat.SOOOOO GOOOOOOOOOD!
poutine (pron. poo-TEEN)
Quebecois specialty. French fries covered in cheese curds and gravy.
Single handedly the number food item I miss most. I seriously fantasize about poutine. It gets me into a frenzy just thinking about it. I'm salivating as I type.
Rockets
Small, chalky candies packaged in rolls wrapped in clear plastic.
Okay this is where it gets complicated. What Canadians call Rockets are what Americans call Smarties. But what Canadian call Smarties are like super sugary versions of chocolate M&Ms.
Smarties
Not the ones you're used to seeing in the US. In Canada, Smarties are a candy resembling M&Ms. They do melt in your hand, and they're a lot sweeter. Smarties conoisseurs eat the red ones last.
True dat on the last sentence.
Timbits
Do(ugh)nut holes from Tim Horton's.
Mmm mmm mmm. Tim Horton's has doughnuts like Dunkin' Donuts. However since I live in Southern California, it's all about the Krispy Kremes. Which are nasty airy sugar coated pieces of garbage. Mmmmm timbits.
Beer Store
Where you buy beer in Ontario.
Every Canadian is in shock that they can buy liquor int he US anywhere. In Ontario (I can't speak for other provinces that much) you can only buy beer at the Beer Store, and liquore at the LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario). And they dont' stay open late, so if you need to do another beer run you gotta do it by like 8pm.
flat
A two-four.
I've NEVER heard of a "flat" before. But in case anyone cares, a two-four (aka TWO-FER) is a 24 case of beer. No one says "pick up a case"...they say, "get a two-fer".
LCBO
The Liquor Control Board of Ontario. Generally refers to the government-run chain of liquor stores.
See Beer Store...
mickey
A measurement of alcohol (13 ounces: it's a flat, curved bottle, supposed to fit in your pocket, but it doesn't, really).
I can't believe people here don't use the word mickey for that!
loonie
A dollar. The Canadian $1 coin has a loon (the bird) on the back.
No one really says "give me a dollar"...you would typically say "gimme a loonie" or "a buck". I think the dollar coin was introduced when I was in elementary school, so it's still a relatively new concept.
toonie, doubloon
The $2 coin. Gold in the middle, with a silver ring around the outside. The Queen is one one side, and a polar bear is on the other. (Several people have written to remind me of the painful little joke that the coin could be called a "moonie" because it's "the Queen with a bear behind." Har har.) When the coins were introduced in the winter of 1995-1996, Canada was overcome by a frenzy to pop out the middles of the coins. This was especially popular on the Prairies, where there's not much to do in the winter. (Would you go outside any more than you had to when it's -40 for days on end?) The most successful method for destroying this new piece of currency seems to be to put it in the freezer for a while and then hit it with a hammer. Throwing it off tall buildings was popular, too. The craze passed pretty quickly, though.
Yep, totally true. I was in high school at the time, and everyone was concerned over what they'd call it. For the record, Canadians have always been all about the $2 bill...it's a little odd to me to not have anything between a dollar and a $5 in my wallet. And yes, Canadian wallets get pretty heavy.
Holidays
Boxing Day
The day after Christmas. So named because of the British tradition of giving gift boxes to people such as mail carriers, milkmen, etc., on December 26. In Canada, Boxing Day is the date for many huge annual sales.
True dat.
Canada Day
Canada's birthday. July 1, the anniversary of the Confederation of Canada in 1867. The day is marked by parties and fireworks.
And ridiculous amount of drinking. Not so much about BBQing like July 4th is in the US.
The May Two-Four
See "Victoria Day"
Remembrance Day
November 11, known in the US as "Veterans' Day." Canadians were important and valiant fighters in the two world wars, and are still known and respected as military peacekeepers. See "Why everyone wears poppies in early November."
Thanksgiving
Celebrated on the second Monday of October, to reflect that Canada's harvest comes earlier than the American one. Very similar to the American Thanksgiving -- family get-togethers, big turkey dinner with potatoes, gravy, etc. -- but not as big a deal here, and there's no mention at all of Pilgrims.
Victoria Day
Queen Victoria's birthday, May 24th. It's celebrated the Monday before Memorial Day. Beer is the official beverage of the Victoria Day weekend, because it's more or less the first weekend of the summer, when everyone goes to their cottages or cabins and opens them up for the first time since fall.
If you're American, be aware that Canadians don't celebrate Independence Day (duh), Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Columbus Day, Memorial Day, or Presidents' Day.
Yeah people have asked me that actually. And yes, Canadians celebrate Hallowe'en.
runners
sneakers, running shoes
Oh come ON...don't tell me Americans don't call them runners either!!
toque
Rhymes with "kook." A kind of hat, ubiquitous in wintertime.
A toque is one of those knit hats that have a pom-pom thingy on the top.
corner store
A small variety store, usually on a corner in a residential neighbourhood of a city. Similar to the American "convenience store."
Please, people use corner store here...right?
dépanneur
A corner store or convenience store in Quebec.
And the only reason people care is because you can buy liquor there, and people elsewhere in canada think it's such a novelty to buy liquor at a convenience store.
eavestrough
A gutter, the sort that is attached to houses and funnels rain water down a pipe.
Okay that has GOT to be used here. I'm sure I saw that word in Family Handyman.
elastic
rubber band
Really, seriously, that word I had to get used to not saying at work..."elastic? A what? OHHH you mean a rubber band"...
Gravol
dramamine
Now you'd think this wouldn't be a big deal to learn, right? Shortly after I dated Kraig we took a cruise to the Bahamas. And he would talk about dramamine, and I'd be like "WTF? You mean Gravol?" and he'd be all "What language are you speaking you foreigner!"
GST
The dreaded Goods and Services Tax, 7% that goes on top of just about every purchase (in addition to the provincial sales taxes). The current Prime Minister, Jean Chrétien, got elected partly because he promised to get rid of this tax (also called the "Grab and Steal Tax" or the "Gouge and Screw Tax), and then promptly didn't. If you're visiting Canada and spend enough money, you can get your GST back by mail after you've gone home. Ask about this at the border.
Whoa, i didn't know i could get that back. Mother effer!
Joe job
A job passed down to the person lowest on the totem pole, as in "Let Joe do it."
Hmmm, I never thought about that. I guess we do use that term.
keener
Someone very eager and enthusiastic. Sometimes derogatory, in the sense of brown-noser, suckup, bootlicker. Someone obviously trying to get into someone else's good books.
Now this one I STILL use to this day, and every time people are like "a WHAT?!". I usually say "look at you being an eager keener". So if i say that, now you know what it means.
Pogo
A brand name for a corn dog (hot dog dipped in batter and then deep fried).
This is the word that prompted me to search the web and eventually find this site. I was talking to Kraig and Nicole about my friend Christine craving a Pogo after she got her wisdom teeth out, and they were like "uhh...corn dog?"...no one says corn dog in Canada. In fact, that sounds rather hillbilly.
reserve, or "rez"
A parcel of land allotted for Native Canadians, aboriginals, or Indians.
I'm pretty sure they say that here in the US too.
serviette
French for "napkin." This term is used by anglophones as well as francophones. One visitor noted that younger people don't seem to use this term.
I actually laughed when I saw this. Regardless if you're English or French, you do say serviette. Serviette implies a paper towel type, whereas napkin implies the fabric fancy shmancy kind.
The States
The USA. Canadians hate referring to the US as "America," because Canadians are just as much North Americans as Americans are.
True dat.
klick
Kilometer, or kilometer per hour. "Better slow down, Vern, the limit's 90 klicks here. Hand me the bottle."
Ha ha haaaaaaaaaaaaa. Yep.
Joe Louis
Cake treat similar to a Twinkie, with chocolate cake and a white icing interior. Available in Ontario and Quebec. No actual natural or redeeming ingredients.
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM I love Joe Louis! Funny it never crossed my mind you can't get Joe Louis or those moon pie thingies here...replaced by Little Debbit cakes.
canteen
can refer to a cafeteria or snack counter
This was new to me. Checked with Kraig. He told me the obvious answer that it's what soldiers use to hold water. Yeah we use that too, but canteen is also the snack bar at like a high school sporting event.
Jargon
Although the American and Canadian educational systems are similar in many respects, there are notable differences that can confuse people pretty thoroughly. Here's a list of Canadian educational terms, followed by their American equivalents:
Grade x ("She's in grade three")
xth grade
Once again, another thing I had to get used to. Along with Freshman, Sophmore, Junior, Senior...
Write a test
Take a test
Marks
Grades. In Canada, teachers mark students' work instead of grading it, and take "marks off" if the students give wrong answers.
We use grades too. But i never thought of the difference...but yeah, we say "what's your mark?" instead of "what's your grade?"
Supply teacher
Substitute teacher
Ha hahaaaaaaaaaaa....i think we all know in Canada that Supply Teacher isn't the proper term, but that's just what you say.
College
Community college or technical school
Now this is huge. Getting used to the educational system. If you went to UCI, you'd probably say you went to College. In Canada, college is like....Saddleback.
University
Four-year, degree-granting college or university
If you went to university, you would NEVER say that you went to college.
Residence ("He lives in residence")
Dormitory ("He lives in the dorms")
True dat. Dorms are so...american.
OAC, grade 13
An extra year of high school after grade 12, intended for students going on to university (not college). Only in Ontario, and they're phasing it out.
And that's why I did 5 years of high school. It's kinda like a pre-university year. You only truly need 6 OAC classes (I took 9 'cause you still gottaknow your stuff for university). Like let's say you wanted to pursue a B.Sc. in biology at university. Then you absolutely had to have: OAC English, OAC Calculus, OAC Algebra/Geometry, OAC Biology, OAC Chemistry, OAC Physics. Or something like that.
CEGEP (pronounced SAY-zhep)
In Québec, a post-high school college offering two-year pre-university programs and three-year professional development programs. CEGEP stands for Collège d'enseignement général et professionel. There are a few English-language CEGEPs and many French-language ones.
This one's for Nicole 'cause she asked me about it once.
Coles Notes
Analogous to Cliff Notes; Coles is a national chain of bookstores. A friend tells me that Coles Notes celebrated their 50th anniversary in 1998, and the press coverage noted that the original Cliff Notes were licenced versions of Coles Notes.
skipping out
cutting class
No one says "skipping out"...you just say "I skipped class" or "I'm gonna skip all afternoon". No one says "cut class".
minor niner
Ontario term for person in grade 9. In Ontario, high schools currently range from grades 9 to 13. Someone in grade 9 is indeed a minor niner.
Ha ha haaaaaaaaaaaaaa. Yep.
Canadians don't use the terms "freshman," "sophomore," "junior," or "senior," for high school or college students. What Americans would call "juniors in high school" are "grade elevens." University students are referred to according to what year they're in: an American junior would be a third-year in Canada.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Monday, May 14, 2007
Rules for the 30+
As my descent into madness continues (I got botox on Saturday...i'll post the before/after pics wheni get off my ass and upload them somewhere)...iv'e decided its time to create the general list of rules to abide by in my 30s. Because once i'm IN my 30s, it'll be too late.
My inspiration is a list I got from Cosmopolitan:
Moves that look lame past 30
Here's my "rules" for life in my 30s:
1. No more staying out past midnight on new year's eve. Wherever I am at midnight is where I'm sleeping.
2. No more clubbing past 11pm unless I'm with my husband OR i'm seeing a friend i havent' seen in ages. After 11, if you're not single, its kinda boring.
3. Seriously need to put the smackdown on the use of "and I'm all like, whatever, and she's all...". LIKE is not a word for SAID. ALL is not a word for SAID.
4. I will not feel bad declining events if I'm just in a grouchy mood or tired or whatever. Obligation is a thing of the 20s...in my 30s, I don't need to justify the use of my time. Suck it.
5. I will be diligent about taking vitamins.
6. I will be diligent about proper posture.
7. If I should ever be single again (aliens abduct Kraig, i don't know!), I refuse to embrace the cougar lifestyle. I will remember that any activity that a 21-year-old mocks is never a good thing.
8. I will never buy beaded glasses-holders.
9. I will go through my old makeup and chuck anything that seemed okay when I was a crazy drunk party girl but just not okay now. Do I really need ten different shades of aqua, purple, and other "only looks good in black light" makeup?
10. I will wear sunblock even if i'm NOT going out in the sun.
More to come as I think of them....
My inspiration is a list I got from Cosmopolitan:
Moves that look lame past 30
- Going the backpacker/hostel/couch-surf route every vacation.
- Dressing like a sexy cat, sexy devil, sexy cheerleader, or sexy hooker for Hallowe'en. oh thank the LORD...the pressure to be sexy at Hallowe'en is a bitch.
- Hitting last call and making out with a new guy each weekend. Too bad for all the Cougars out there..apparently they're all "lame".
- Screaming at your mom on the phone where people can hear. When is that EVER okay?
- Habitually skimping on your share when the check comes. Once again...was that okay to do in your 20s?!
- Ceasing communication with friends the minute you meet a guy. This also applies to a guy you've dated forEVER. He'll be there tomorrow. Chill. ANd if he's not there tomorrow, why the eff is he getting your free time and not your friends?!
- Buying drinks with "sexy" names that aren't clever, just plain dirty. WTF drink has that bad of a title?
- Prefacing every bite of junk food with "OMG, i'm soooo bad!!!"
- Using multiple emotions or LOLs within any email, text, or IM Okay i'm guilty for that. I use LOL alot and ":P" alot. Time to get that habit in check.
Here's my "rules" for life in my 30s:
1. No more staying out past midnight on new year's eve. Wherever I am at midnight is where I'm sleeping.
2. No more clubbing past 11pm unless I'm with my husband OR i'm seeing a friend i havent' seen in ages. After 11, if you're not single, its kinda boring.
3. Seriously need to put the smackdown on the use of "and I'm all like, whatever, and she's all...". LIKE is not a word for SAID. ALL is not a word for SAID.
4. I will not feel bad declining events if I'm just in a grouchy mood or tired or whatever. Obligation is a thing of the 20s...in my 30s, I don't need to justify the use of my time. Suck it.
5. I will be diligent about taking vitamins.
6. I will be diligent about proper posture.
7. If I should ever be single again (aliens abduct Kraig, i don't know!), I refuse to embrace the cougar lifestyle. I will remember that any activity that a 21-year-old mocks is never a good thing.
8. I will never buy beaded glasses-holders.
9. I will go through my old makeup and chuck anything that seemed okay when I was a crazy drunk party girl but just not okay now. Do I really need ten different shades of aqua, purple, and other "only looks good in black light" makeup?
10. I will wear sunblock even if i'm NOT going out in the sun.
More to come as I think of them....
Movie Review: THE QUEEN
Movie Review: THE QUEEN
Odds are, you haven't heard of this movie. Or Helen Mirren. In case you care, she won the Oscar for her role as Queen Elizabeth II.
If you don't give a crap about the British Monarchy, then this movie is NOT for you. It's pretty slow, and in fact there's not really an ending...all it does is tell the story from the Queen's side during the time that Tony Blair got elected and Princess Diana's subsequent death. That's it. There's no resolution, and we all pretty much know what happened (the monarchy was accused of being cold and Elton John sang at the funeral).
"Is my refrigerator running? Why I believe it is....you want me to run after it? How rude!"
That being said, I adore the monarchy so I actually really enjoyed this movie. I can't justify WHY i like the monarchy...they're pretty useless. But since it's not my tax money that goes towards their elaborate lifestyles, I'm free to enjoy this somewhat archaic institution. I dig that they represent a particular class, that they have to always behave and look a certain way, that they're basically the country's mascots. I love that in an era before Paris Hilton and a pantyless-Britney Spears, they were what everyone wanted to be: rich, regal, eloquent, refined, and fabulous wardrobes.
They represent fairy tales.
Helen Mirren looks absolutely identical to the Queen, which sort of freaks you out after awhile. And she nailed the Queen's bow-legged walk.The other characters are a bit hard to distinguish becuase they weren't aiming for physical similarities.
The movie does a fabulous job of showing us the mentality from the inside. Apparently the week that Diana died, they stayed in Scotland and only came back upon pressure from Tony Blair for the funeral. As far as they were concerned, they thought "well...she's not a part of our family. It's up to the Spencers to decide how they want to handle it. We're not going to make a public statement because this is a family matter and the main concern right now is the boys. "
Their problem was that they underestimated the hold that Diana had on the people. You can't blame the Queen...why should she break centuries-old tradition for a chick who not only divorced from her family, who isn't an HRH anymore, but also pretty much spent the rest of her life publicly humiliating the monarchy? (I love Diana, but the girl really did know how to manipulate the press).
The flag is only flown to indicate when the royal family is in town...it has never, ever flown at half-mast before. So naturally the Queen was like "wtf, when my dad the KING died we didn't put the flag at half mast, why are we doing it for what is basically a regular civilian?". To be fair, there was some level of hysteria...if the monarchy were to cave every time people went psycho then...well they'd be really bad monarchy.
On the other hand, they really should have stayed in tune with how huge Diana was all around the world. In an era with the internet and all that, it would have been wise to address the death with a random statement saying "we're upset, the boys are grieving, now leave us the eff alone".
One thing I didn't know was that Elizabeth II had been a mechanic during the war. This isn't some hoity-toity princess-like chick...this woman is strong and has learned to fend for herself. Much like any female figurehead, she has to be stern and void of public feeling.
Anyway, alot of that is played out in the movie. Overall, VERY well done. Entertaining? Nope. Shocking? Nope. Interesting? Only to those of us who dig the monarchy.
As a side note, I think in my lifetime the death of Diana is the equivalent of the death of JFK. I remember exactly where I was (in Toronto visiting family), I remember all of us crowding around the tv, I remember all of us telling each other to shut up...I remember getting pretty emotional 'cause I grew up loving hte monarchy...my parents were married in England and i remember staying up watching Fergie and Andrew's wedding with her (too young to remember Diana's wedding). Plus the consipiracy theories will probably never go away. I can't believe it's been 10 years since she died...and thanks to her, Posh and Beckham are the new paparazzi favorites.
Odds are, you haven't heard of this movie. Or Helen Mirren. In case you care, she won the Oscar for her role as Queen Elizabeth II.
If you don't give a crap about the British Monarchy, then this movie is NOT for you. It's pretty slow, and in fact there's not really an ending...all it does is tell the story from the Queen's side during the time that Tony Blair got elected and Princess Diana's subsequent death. That's it. There's no resolution, and we all pretty much know what happened (the monarchy was accused of being cold and Elton John sang at the funeral).
"Is my refrigerator running? Why I believe it is....you want me to run after it? How rude!"
That being said, I adore the monarchy so I actually really enjoyed this movie. I can't justify WHY i like the monarchy...they're pretty useless. But since it's not my tax money that goes towards their elaborate lifestyles, I'm free to enjoy this somewhat archaic institution. I dig that they represent a particular class, that they have to always behave and look a certain way, that they're basically the country's mascots. I love that in an era before Paris Hilton and a pantyless-Britney Spears, they were what everyone wanted to be: rich, regal, eloquent, refined, and fabulous wardrobes.
They represent fairy tales.
Helen Mirren looks absolutely identical to the Queen, which sort of freaks you out after awhile. And she nailed the Queen's bow-legged walk.The other characters are a bit hard to distinguish becuase they weren't aiming for physical similarities.
The movie does a fabulous job of showing us the mentality from the inside. Apparently the week that Diana died, they stayed in Scotland and only came back upon pressure from Tony Blair for the funeral. As far as they were concerned, they thought "well...she's not a part of our family. It's up to the Spencers to decide how they want to handle it. We're not going to make a public statement because this is a family matter and the main concern right now is the boys. "
Their problem was that they underestimated the hold that Diana had on the people. You can't blame the Queen...why should she break centuries-old tradition for a chick who not only divorced from her family, who isn't an HRH anymore, but also pretty much spent the rest of her life publicly humiliating the monarchy? (I love Diana, but the girl really did know how to manipulate the press).
The flag is only flown to indicate when the royal family is in town...it has never, ever flown at half-mast before. So naturally the Queen was like "wtf, when my dad the KING died we didn't put the flag at half mast, why are we doing it for what is basically a regular civilian?". To be fair, there was some level of hysteria...if the monarchy were to cave every time people went psycho then...well they'd be really bad monarchy.
On the other hand, they really should have stayed in tune with how huge Diana was all around the world. In an era with the internet and all that, it would have been wise to address the death with a random statement saying "we're upset, the boys are grieving, now leave us the eff alone".
One thing I didn't know was that Elizabeth II had been a mechanic during the war. This isn't some hoity-toity princess-like chick...this woman is strong and has learned to fend for herself. Much like any female figurehead, she has to be stern and void of public feeling.
Anyway, alot of that is played out in the movie. Overall, VERY well done. Entertaining? Nope. Shocking? Nope. Interesting? Only to those of us who dig the monarchy.
As a side note, I think in my lifetime the death of Diana is the equivalent of the death of JFK. I remember exactly where I was (in Toronto visiting family), I remember all of us crowding around the tv, I remember all of us telling each other to shut up...I remember getting pretty emotional 'cause I grew up loving hte monarchy...my parents were married in England and i remember staying up watching Fergie and Andrew's wedding with her (too young to remember Diana's wedding). Plus the consipiracy theories will probably never go away. I can't believe it's been 10 years since she died...and thanks to her, Posh and Beckham are the new paparazzi favorites.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Yeah i haven't written in awhile. Lots of stuff has been going on and I'm not really in the mood to go in detail.
Today was the first day I've ever donated blood. It's not that I never WANTED to give blood...but in the past either I had something that required brainpower (like exams), i was way under the weight limit, or I had gotten a piercing. So today I scoped it out and figured taht I could fudge my weight enough in order to meet the requirements.
First they make you read this big huge schpiel about HIV, making sure you didn't have man-on-man sex, that you didn't travel to Random Country X...since I scoped it all out online I pretty much whipped through that. The volunteer lady was trying to get the attention of the nurses who were sitting around yakking. I was like "you need to holler!" but she told me they get mad at her for that...I'm like "you're a volunteer, you can yell all you want".
This is a side note: there's a type of person and job that basically means you do the crappy stuff but you're not exactly the type who'll fare well beyond a government job. I love slacking off or whatever, but I'm all about impressions. And government-type jobs offer such a guarantee, people don't mind taking hour long smokes breaks and all that. I'm not saying all government workers are slackers...my dad is a government employee and he works his ass off...but i can also say that ALOT of people i went to high school with who were slackers somehow ended up in the government. Put it this way: your perception of job stability is drastically different when you have a government-type job. It's not like every little project is what's going to make or break the organization and cause everyone to be laid off. I've done government work, i've done private sector work, and there's a HUGE difference in attitude. If today's blood drive had been run by an organization that had stocks, competitors, etc...there's no WAY those chicks would have been sitting around while a "customer" was waiting.That's the beauty of job stability...people will ALWAYS need blood.
So finally one chick came over and brought me beyind a screen where music was blaring so no one would hear us chat. She pricked my finger (which i knew was gonna hurt like a mofo 'cause they use the same tools that diabetics use, and i've used mine before when scoping out how much pain it was for me to take blood regularly from my cat). That was to check my iron levels. Then she put this paper stick thing in my mouth...it was a disposable thermometer. Took my blood pressure...then she left me alone to fill out some info on the laptop.
The questions pretty much consisted, once again, about man-on-man sex, diseases in South America, and whether I've ever had Hepatitis. Once that's done, they brought me over to a bed that looked like it came straight out of M*A*S*H. They scoped out my veins...which is pretty easily, since my veins look like a bodybuilder's on steroids...they bulge out of my arms.
So I'm chatting with the two nurse ladies about my cell phone (I thought it was going to take like an hour so i wanted entertainment) because they thought it was cute, and i'm asking them all these questions about who's most likely to faint, cry, blah blah...i asked if i could see the bag after its done...they asked me to turn away to not see the needle and I"m like "blah blah needles dont' bug me"...
Ohhh there's a REASON they don't show you the needle. I don't even know how that thing pierced my skin. It was crazy ass huge. My initial reaction was "dayyyyam...that is a big ass needle"...but the other nurse yelled "look over here! Think happy martinis" and did this cute little dance.
Then I sat there for a few minutes squeezing a ball, being bored out of my mind, my arm started to hurt, and i got super cold. Shortly after they disconnected the bag (they let me feel it...it's all warrrrm), they somehow managed to hook up one of those plastic thingies they normally use to draw blood and then take some more samples in a tube. After that I drank some water, juice, had some cookies...
I got to stand up and cheer when I found out taht I had the record so far that day for the fastest blood-pint-filling...6 minutes! And that's from rounding up! Woo hoo! One dude was there for like 20 minutes, wtf.
When I left, I was all "thank you ladies, I'll make sure to recommend you to all my friends"...uhhh not that the blood bank works that way. Overall, a pretty good experience...the literature part is a pain and having to sit around bored (and FREEZING) is a pain, but the actual blood withdrawal was a snap. The nurses were fabulous, and that volunteer was nice to let me quiz her about life in retirement (the secret: pay off your house and your car and retirement will be a breeze).
The nurses told me that high school kids are most prone to donating (way to go kids!), and chicks more than guys. But lots of high school chicks are anemic, so they faint more. And when one girl faints it becomes mass hysteria 'cause girls get all "omg my best friend! ohhhh myyy gawwwdd!".
I'm pretty surprised, I knew the stats were pretty low for donation...but i didn't know if was 2% out of people who are ELLIGIBLE! wtf! So subtract people who travel, weigh too little, and enjoy man-on-man boning, only 2% of the leftover people donate?! WTF people I didn't even meet the requirements and I still stepped up to the plate! I'm nto saying if you know you've got HIV to donate, but geezus...
Anyway, that's my story for today. I'm done chugging water and I'm sneaking in a diet pepsi 'cause i gotta have at least ONE (which is better than my normal 6-8...and yesterday I drank tea at work...its getting better people).
In quickie tv news:
1. Lost has picked up its pace and gotten SUPER good.
2. Heroes better get back on track, lately I've been pretty bored. Someone needs to shoot both Jessica/Nicky and Micah.
3. Desperate Housewives: slowly catching up, forgot how good that show is.
4. Notes from the Underbelly: my new favorite show. LOVE IT.
This weekend's home improvement project: replacing the faucets. Let's see how much can be accomplished with the least amount of water damage.
Today was the first day I've ever donated blood. It's not that I never WANTED to give blood...but in the past either I had something that required brainpower (like exams), i was way under the weight limit, or I had gotten a piercing. So today I scoped it out and figured taht I could fudge my weight enough in order to meet the requirements.
First they make you read this big huge schpiel about HIV, making sure you didn't have man-on-man sex, that you didn't travel to Random Country X...since I scoped it all out online I pretty much whipped through that. The volunteer lady was trying to get the attention of the nurses who were sitting around yakking. I was like "you need to holler!" but she told me they get mad at her for that...I'm like "you're a volunteer, you can yell all you want".
This is a side note: there's a type of person and job that basically means you do the crappy stuff but you're not exactly the type who'll fare well beyond a government job. I love slacking off or whatever, but I'm all about impressions. And government-type jobs offer such a guarantee, people don't mind taking hour long smokes breaks and all that. I'm not saying all government workers are slackers...my dad is a government employee and he works his ass off...but i can also say that ALOT of people i went to high school with who were slackers somehow ended up in the government. Put it this way: your perception of job stability is drastically different when you have a government-type job. It's not like every little project is what's going to make or break the organization and cause everyone to be laid off. I've done government work, i've done private sector work, and there's a HUGE difference in attitude. If today's blood drive had been run by an organization that had stocks, competitors, etc...there's no WAY those chicks would have been sitting around while a "customer" was waiting.That's the beauty of job stability...people will ALWAYS need blood.
So finally one chick came over and brought me beyind a screen where music was blaring so no one would hear us chat. She pricked my finger (which i knew was gonna hurt like a mofo 'cause they use the same tools that diabetics use, and i've used mine before when scoping out how much pain it was for me to take blood regularly from my cat). That was to check my iron levels. Then she put this paper stick thing in my mouth...it was a disposable thermometer. Took my blood pressure...then she left me alone to fill out some info on the laptop.
The questions pretty much consisted, once again, about man-on-man sex, diseases in South America, and whether I've ever had Hepatitis. Once that's done, they brought me over to a bed that looked like it came straight out of M*A*S*H. They scoped out my veins...which is pretty easily, since my veins look like a bodybuilder's on steroids...they bulge out of my arms.
So I'm chatting with the two nurse ladies about my cell phone (I thought it was going to take like an hour so i wanted entertainment) because they thought it was cute, and i'm asking them all these questions about who's most likely to faint, cry, blah blah...i asked if i could see the bag after its done...they asked me to turn away to not see the needle and I"m like "blah blah needles dont' bug me"...
Ohhh there's a REASON they don't show you the needle. I don't even know how that thing pierced my skin. It was crazy ass huge. My initial reaction was "dayyyyam...that is a big ass needle"...but the other nurse yelled "look over here! Think happy martinis" and did this cute little dance.
Then I sat there for a few minutes squeezing a ball, being bored out of my mind, my arm started to hurt, and i got super cold. Shortly after they disconnected the bag (they let me feel it...it's all warrrrm), they somehow managed to hook up one of those plastic thingies they normally use to draw blood and then take some more samples in a tube. After that I drank some water, juice, had some cookies...
I got to stand up and cheer when I found out taht I had the record so far that day for the fastest blood-pint-filling...6 minutes! And that's from rounding up! Woo hoo! One dude was there for like 20 minutes, wtf.
When I left, I was all "thank you ladies, I'll make sure to recommend you to all my friends"...uhhh not that the blood bank works that way. Overall, a pretty good experience...the literature part is a pain and having to sit around bored (and FREEZING) is a pain, but the actual blood withdrawal was a snap. The nurses were fabulous, and that volunteer was nice to let me quiz her about life in retirement (the secret: pay off your house and your car and retirement will be a breeze).
The nurses told me that high school kids are most prone to donating (way to go kids!), and chicks more than guys. But lots of high school chicks are anemic, so they faint more. And when one girl faints it becomes mass hysteria 'cause girls get all "omg my best friend! ohhhh myyy gawwwdd!".
I'm pretty surprised, I knew the stats were pretty low for donation...but i didn't know if was 2% out of people who are ELLIGIBLE! wtf! So subtract people who travel, weigh too little, and enjoy man-on-man boning, only 2% of the leftover people donate?! WTF people I didn't even meet the requirements and I still stepped up to the plate! I'm nto saying if you know you've got HIV to donate, but geezus...
Anyway, that's my story for today. I'm done chugging water and I'm sneaking in a diet pepsi 'cause i gotta have at least ONE (which is better than my normal 6-8...and yesterday I drank tea at work...its getting better people).
In quickie tv news:
1. Lost has picked up its pace and gotten SUPER good.
2. Heroes better get back on track, lately I've been pretty bored. Someone needs to shoot both Jessica/Nicky and Micah.
3. Desperate Housewives: slowly catching up, forgot how good that show is.
4. Notes from the Underbelly: my new favorite show. LOVE IT.
This weekend's home improvement project: replacing the faucets. Let's see how much can be accomplished with the least amount of water damage.
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Letter to the editor...
Sears guy $80 or spend $10 and 15 hours of your time trying to get it to work.
I'd rather have the guy put it in with a warranty, and spend my 15 hours doing something more productive... like sitting on a couch watching UFC re-runs and Joe Dirt for the 20th time.
Good lord it didn't take us 15 hours, and the thermostat is right in the living room, so the TV was on anyway. I'd say...maybe 1 hour of actual installation time, and maybe a total of 2 hours research time but that doesn't count 'cause I did that with a laptop while watching tv anyway (and I like researching this stuff).
So...3 hours plus newfound electrical knowledge for $10...vs. $80...not worth it. And the warranty is only for one year, which is hardly worth it for an $80 piece of plastic.
In the past 3 years of owning a home, I've learned:
- how to replace and install a chandelier
- how to replace and install a bathroom fan
- the "proper" way to drill holes in wood to avoid splitting
- how to maintain a garbage disposal when the kitchen pipes lay flat
- how to replace bathroom showerheads (no easy feat when the pipe thingies are INSIDE the wall not outside like now...thanks 1980s for making retarded home building decisions)
- how to clean and maintain outdoor wood structures
- heck, how to use a cordless drill
- kraig learned how to change out the plugs
- and a bunch of other random stuff....
Right now i'm researching how to replace the bathroom fixtures. Yay for plumbing.
All of that seems pretty minor, but for Kraig and I that's pretty huge. When he grew up, his brother was the construction guy and took care of everything. As for me, when I moved out of my parents' house, I always rented (and my dad is an engineer fo the Coast Guard, so he took care of crap himself)...so needing anything beyond a hammer and a screwdriver was wayyyy out of my realm. Now...i actually LIKE reading home improvement books and scoping out Home Depot...
The way I figure it, there's no excuse for me to pay money if its something I can do myself. Like washing my car...is it a pain? Sure. Is it time consuming? Yep. But..wtf, there's no reason why I can't do it myself and then treat myself to a pedicure later (okay well I wouldn't treat myself to a pedicure..but..well it gives me an excuse to meet up with friends for lunch instead of staying in).
Now the odds of me being able to replace the carpet with hardwood...that's a whole other issue because the cost of the mistake is significantly higher than just hiring someone (who already has the tools and can get things at a discount)...although if I had the tools already I wouldnt' mind learning from someone else how to do it. Oh and I don't have the vacation time to take days off work for it. BUT...in theory...i really would like to learn how.
That being said, I really just want to win the lottery so that I can sit around, watch tv, get fat, get liposuction, and never have to lift a finger ever again.
I'd rather have the guy put it in with a warranty, and spend my 15 hours doing something more productive... like sitting on a couch watching UFC re-runs and Joe Dirt for the 20th time.
Good lord it didn't take us 15 hours, and the thermostat is right in the living room, so the TV was on anyway. I'd say...maybe 1 hour of actual installation time, and maybe a total of 2 hours research time but that doesn't count 'cause I did that with a laptop while watching tv anyway (and I like researching this stuff).
So...3 hours plus newfound electrical knowledge for $10...vs. $80...not worth it. And the warranty is only for one year, which is hardly worth it for an $80 piece of plastic.
In the past 3 years of owning a home, I've learned:
- how to replace and install a chandelier
- how to replace and install a bathroom fan
- the "proper" way to drill holes in wood to avoid splitting
- how to maintain a garbage disposal when the kitchen pipes lay flat
- how to replace bathroom showerheads (no easy feat when the pipe thingies are INSIDE the wall not outside like now...thanks 1980s for making retarded home building decisions)
- how to clean and maintain outdoor wood structures
- heck, how to use a cordless drill
- kraig learned how to change out the plugs
- and a bunch of other random stuff....
Right now i'm researching how to replace the bathroom fixtures. Yay for plumbing.
All of that seems pretty minor, but for Kraig and I that's pretty huge. When he grew up, his brother was the construction guy and took care of everything. As for me, when I moved out of my parents' house, I always rented (and my dad is an engineer fo the Coast Guard, so he took care of crap himself)...so needing anything beyond a hammer and a screwdriver was wayyyy out of my realm. Now...i actually LIKE reading home improvement books and scoping out Home Depot...
The way I figure it, there's no excuse for me to pay money if its something I can do myself. Like washing my car...is it a pain? Sure. Is it time consuming? Yep. But..wtf, there's no reason why I can't do it myself and then treat myself to a pedicure later (okay well I wouldn't treat myself to a pedicure..but..well it gives me an excuse to meet up with friends for lunch instead of staying in).
Now the odds of me being able to replace the carpet with hardwood...that's a whole other issue because the cost of the mistake is significantly higher than just hiring someone (who already has the tools and can get things at a discount)...although if I had the tools already I wouldnt' mind learning from someone else how to do it. Oh and I don't have the vacation time to take days off work for it. BUT...in theory...i really would like to learn how.
That being said, I really just want to win the lottery so that I can sit around, watch tv, get fat, get liposuction, and never have to lift a finger ever again.
Video game article...
Since so many people ask me about my husband's job (since most of all of ours is about as interesting to discuss as the merits of watching paint dry), I read this article today on MSNBC about video game making as a profession...from a wife's perspective, they nailed it:
Sure, it's a cool job. But do games pay?
Annual survey finds that industry's median salary is $73,000
By Kristin Kalning
MSNBC
Updated: 3:00 p.m. PT May 2, 2007
When I told my mother I was dating a guy who made video games, there was a long pause on the other end of the phone.
“Is that a good way to make a living?” she asked.
She needn’t have worried. That guy, who became my husband, has a great job in a booming industry. His colleagues are smart and talented. And the salaries are nothing to sneeze at. According to Game Developer Magazine’s annual salary survey, the median salary in the video game biz is $73,000.
That sounds like a lot, doesn’t it? These folks aren’t saving lives or even doing your taxes. So why would the typical game developer — whose average age is somewhere between 31 and 35 — make twice as much as the average social worker?
“Because the industry as a whole makes a lot of money,” says Matthew Tateishi, a San Francisco-based game designer with nearly 13 years of experience. “And for the most part, a lot of that gets passed on to the employees.”
Big business, big salaries
Of course you’ve read the stories about game-industry revenues topping $12.5 billion in the United States last year. Video games are big business. I know my mom read that story. It’s bragging ammo when her friends look skeptical about her son-in-law’s profession.
But if you think game-makers spend all day playing “Quake,” think again. This is a fast-paced, competitive business with inflexible ship dates and punishing hours.
Exactly. This is why I can rarely commit to anything with Kraig in terms of formal plans, because I never know down the road if he's going to be stuck at work. Heck, awhile back we had to flake on Rena's bday because Kraig was working late on a Saturday night.
“If you want to work nine to five, this is the wrong industry,” says David Riley of the NPD Group. “Deadlines are fierce.”
So are the pressures. Only about 10 percent of games released in a given year will make any real money. And every few years, the technology changes — new hardware, new software.
“Who knows how to program for the PS3 right now? Nobody.” says Marc Mencher, president of GameRecruiter.com. “It’s a limited talent pool.”
Steep learning curve
To stay cutting edge, development teams need to learn all new systems every couple of years. Artist, programmers, designers — nobody’s exempt from the steep learning curve. And the fan base can be punishing if a game doesn’t meet expectations.
It's pretty crazy...I'm in tech, but in the grand scheme the technology just improves over time. It's not like things stay the same for 2 years and then suddenly there's a brand new thing to work with. And it kind of blows for us, because for him to stay current that means he's gotta own the most current game systems...wtf we can't afford a PS3, XBox 360, PSP, and a Wii! (So we just have a Wii).
This tends to translate into some pretty long hours — called “crunch” in the game biz. The industry is rife with horror stories that sound like urban legends: Two years worth of 70-hour weeks, no weekends. Postponed weddings until ship dates. Guys phoning the office from the delivery room.
“Full-time game developers in most states are classified as exempt, meaning they're not eligible for overtime,” says Jill Duffy, managing editor of Game Developer Magazine and the principal researcher on the salary survey. “Developers do work immense amounts of overtime.”
Game Developer’s survey cuts across all disciplines in the industry: art, design, programming, business and quality assurance. And it’s a national average, pulling in salaries earned by developers in places like North Carolina as well as high-rent areas like San Francisco.
High cost of living
With a few notable exceptions, most game development hubs are in expensive areas like the Bay Area, Los Angeles and Seattle. So when you factor in cost of living, says Marc Mencher, president of gamerecruiter.com, that average salary just isn’t that high.
“That might be the average across America,” he says. “But who’s going to be able to live on $73,000 in San Francisco?”
One of the most telling metrics of the survey, says Duffy, are the home-ownership numbers. While California game-makers pull in the most money — a median of $79,000 per year — only 36 percent of those surveyed own a home.
“The outdated American standard of having a wife and a kid and a house is pretty hard in the Bay Area,” says Dan Chao, a producer and designer with PlayFirst in San Francisco.
When I first moved to the bay area someone told me this, which is very true: the bay area is meant for single guys. If you've got a wife and kids, forget it. It's not that it's impossible...obviously that's not the case. But even renting something half-decent in and around san francisco will run you over $2500 for a 1 bedroom apartment. If you think Orange County is expensive, figure this...the median home price here is like $400K, whereas in San Francisco it's $800K. That's nuts to pay for a place that probably doesn't even have a garage.
Chao, who got a degree in computer science, worked as a programmer in the “core” games industry — the one that gives you PlayStation, “World of Warcraft” and “Final Fantasy.” A few years ago, he switched gears out of programming, and then into the more relaxed casual games industry.
“People are getting paid less in casual games,” he says. “But you can really leave work at 6 or 5:30 and you’re not sitting there working until 2 in the morning.”
What's a casual game and how do I get my husband into it?!!!!
Wanted: Better quality of life
Quality of life issues are coming to the fore in game development, says Mencher. As game developers move from their 20s into their 30s, they want more stable jobs — and are even willing to trade life in the hubs for lower-cost areas.
“Five or six years ago, it was impossible to pull people from San Francisco and L.A.,” he says. “Now I call and they say ‘get me out of here.’”
Some developers “age out,” tired of the long hours, the constant pressure and the ever-present fear of the pink slip. Which is why it’s so important, says Duffy, for young people looking at games as a career to know what they’re in for — and have a backup plan. “You’re very likely to get fed up with the game industry,” she says.
True dat. I sometimes feel bad because I know Kraig's missing out on opportunities because of me. When we were engaged he had an offer for a company north of LA (don't want to give away the exact location)..but it was so pricey to live there and so when he scoped out the more affordable, commutable areas he realized it wasn't an option if he was going to be married; a place that's safe for a single guy isn't necessarily safe for a married chick and potentially children.
Such was the case with Ron Little, a senior-level programmer from Half Moon Bay, Calif., who left the business altogether in 2001.
I have no comment on that, just that I wonder if Ron Little ever got called Chicken Little when he was...well...little.
“I took a salary cut to go out of game industry, but I was tired of the volatility,” he says. “I wanted more time with family.”
But after programming tools for a civil engineering company for nearly six years, he accepted a position as a senior software engineer at Sony — back in games, with a significant salary bump.
But Little says he’s motivated to jump back into the fray for reasons other than money.
“It’s enticing to have your work be appreciated by a lot of people,” he says. “And it’s a rush to see your product on store shelves.”
Christine Miller, a Seattle-based level designer with seven years of experience, agrees. “$73,000 sounds great until you realize you've just spent 6 months or more working 80 hour weeks, your friends forgot who you are and you haven’t seen your new niece or nephew yet,” she says.
“But I can't picture doing anything else.”
© 2007 MSNBC Interactive
Sure, it's a cool job. But do games pay?
Annual survey finds that industry's median salary is $73,000
By Kristin Kalning
MSNBC
Updated: 3:00 p.m. PT May 2, 2007
When I told my mother I was dating a guy who made video games, there was a long pause on the other end of the phone.
“Is that a good way to make a living?” she asked.
She needn’t have worried. That guy, who became my husband, has a great job in a booming industry. His colleagues are smart and talented. And the salaries are nothing to sneeze at. According to Game Developer Magazine’s annual salary survey, the median salary in the video game biz is $73,000.
That sounds like a lot, doesn’t it? These folks aren’t saving lives or even doing your taxes. So why would the typical game developer — whose average age is somewhere between 31 and 35 — make twice as much as the average social worker?
“Because the industry as a whole makes a lot of money,” says Matthew Tateishi, a San Francisco-based game designer with nearly 13 years of experience. “And for the most part, a lot of that gets passed on to the employees.”
Big business, big salaries
Of course you’ve read the stories about game-industry revenues topping $12.5 billion in the United States last year. Video games are big business. I know my mom read that story. It’s bragging ammo when her friends look skeptical about her son-in-law’s profession.
But if you think game-makers spend all day playing “Quake,” think again. This is a fast-paced, competitive business with inflexible ship dates and punishing hours.
Exactly. This is why I can rarely commit to anything with Kraig in terms of formal plans, because I never know down the road if he's going to be stuck at work. Heck, awhile back we had to flake on Rena's bday because Kraig was working late on a Saturday night.
“If you want to work nine to five, this is the wrong industry,” says David Riley of the NPD Group. “Deadlines are fierce.”
So are the pressures. Only about 10 percent of games released in a given year will make any real money. And every few years, the technology changes — new hardware, new software.
“Who knows how to program for the PS3 right now? Nobody.” says Marc Mencher, president of GameRecruiter.com. “It’s a limited talent pool.”
Steep learning curve
To stay cutting edge, development teams need to learn all new systems every couple of years. Artist, programmers, designers — nobody’s exempt from the steep learning curve. And the fan base can be punishing if a game doesn’t meet expectations.
It's pretty crazy...I'm in tech, but in the grand scheme the technology just improves over time. It's not like things stay the same for 2 years and then suddenly there's a brand new thing to work with. And it kind of blows for us, because for him to stay current that means he's gotta own the most current game systems...wtf we can't afford a PS3, XBox 360, PSP, and a Wii! (So we just have a Wii).
This tends to translate into some pretty long hours — called “crunch” in the game biz. The industry is rife with horror stories that sound like urban legends: Two years worth of 70-hour weeks, no weekends. Postponed weddings until ship dates. Guys phoning the office from the delivery room.
“Full-time game developers in most states are classified as exempt, meaning they're not eligible for overtime,” says Jill Duffy, managing editor of Game Developer Magazine and the principal researcher on the salary survey. “Developers do work immense amounts of overtime.”
Game Developer’s survey cuts across all disciplines in the industry: art, design, programming, business and quality assurance. And it’s a national average, pulling in salaries earned by developers in places like North Carolina as well as high-rent areas like San Francisco.
High cost of living
With a few notable exceptions, most game development hubs are in expensive areas like the Bay Area, Los Angeles and Seattle. So when you factor in cost of living, says Marc Mencher, president of gamerecruiter.com, that average salary just isn’t that high.
“That might be the average across America,” he says. “But who’s going to be able to live on $73,000 in San Francisco?”
One of the most telling metrics of the survey, says Duffy, are the home-ownership numbers. While California game-makers pull in the most money — a median of $79,000 per year — only 36 percent of those surveyed own a home.
“The outdated American standard of having a wife and a kid and a house is pretty hard in the Bay Area,” says Dan Chao, a producer and designer with PlayFirst in San Francisco.
When I first moved to the bay area someone told me this, which is very true: the bay area is meant for single guys. If you've got a wife and kids, forget it. It's not that it's impossible...obviously that's not the case. But even renting something half-decent in and around san francisco will run you over $2500 for a 1 bedroom apartment. If you think Orange County is expensive, figure this...the median home price here is like $400K, whereas in San Francisco it's $800K. That's nuts to pay for a place that probably doesn't even have a garage.
Chao, who got a degree in computer science, worked as a programmer in the “core” games industry — the one that gives you PlayStation, “World of Warcraft” and “Final Fantasy.” A few years ago, he switched gears out of programming, and then into the more relaxed casual games industry.
“People are getting paid less in casual games,” he says. “But you can really leave work at 6 or 5:30 and you’re not sitting there working until 2 in the morning.”
What's a casual game and how do I get my husband into it?!!!!
Wanted: Better quality of life
Quality of life issues are coming to the fore in game development, says Mencher. As game developers move from their 20s into their 30s, they want more stable jobs — and are even willing to trade life in the hubs for lower-cost areas.
“Five or six years ago, it was impossible to pull people from San Francisco and L.A.,” he says. “Now I call and they say ‘get me out of here.’”
Some developers “age out,” tired of the long hours, the constant pressure and the ever-present fear of the pink slip. Which is why it’s so important, says Duffy, for young people looking at games as a career to know what they’re in for — and have a backup plan. “You’re very likely to get fed up with the game industry,” she says.
True dat. I sometimes feel bad because I know Kraig's missing out on opportunities because of me. When we were engaged he had an offer for a company north of LA (don't want to give away the exact location)..but it was so pricey to live there and so when he scoped out the more affordable, commutable areas he realized it wasn't an option if he was going to be married; a place that's safe for a single guy isn't necessarily safe for a married chick and potentially children.
Such was the case with Ron Little, a senior-level programmer from Half Moon Bay, Calif., who left the business altogether in 2001.
I have no comment on that, just that I wonder if Ron Little ever got called Chicken Little when he was...well...little.
“I took a salary cut to go out of game industry, but I was tired of the volatility,” he says. “I wanted more time with family.”
But after programming tools for a civil engineering company for nearly six years, he accepted a position as a senior software engineer at Sony — back in games, with a significant salary bump.
But Little says he’s motivated to jump back into the fray for reasons other than money.
“It’s enticing to have your work be appreciated by a lot of people,” he says. “And it’s a rush to see your product on store shelves.”
Christine Miller, a Seattle-based level designer with seven years of experience, agrees. “$73,000 sounds great until you realize you've just spent 6 months or more working 80 hour weeks, your friends forgot who you are and you haven’t seen your new niece or nephew yet,” she says.
“But I can't picture doing anything else.”
© 2007 MSNBC Interactive
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Victory is ours mooo ha ha haaaaaaaaaaa....
I am the master genius....I did mass amounts of research and figured out why there were thermostat problems...Kraig played electrician and followed my feeble attempt at leadership...and VOILA....thermostat works.
I feel ALOT better for not paying the Sears guy over $80 for the thermostat installation considering this one was one sale for less than $10 at Target.
I feel ALOT better for not paying the Sears guy over $80 for the thermostat installation considering this one was one sale for less than $10 at Target.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Mel Gibson's the Passion Fanclub....
So what you are saying is that you don't relate well to your parents generation? Therefore they deserve to get skipped? Sounds like age discrimination to me.
Didn't your mom & dad love you enough?
Ahhhh...its not age discrimination...It's discrimination against the "next in line to the throne" so to speak. If you're running for president, prime minister, next in line to being King...just do everyone a favor and let your kid take that spot.
And don't be dissin' my parents! Only *I* can make fun of my parents!!!
In other news, I was all for giving the thermostat a second attempt, however after some research online I started to get freaked out about horror stories about electrocution and not knowing if my thermostat is 24vdc...vac? Aaack see!
After realizing that I might have to admit defeat to the thermostat, I picked up Family Handyman's issue of "Essential Home Skills" (Family Handyman kicks ass for any homeowner...too bad I had a subscription when I was effing renting and I threw most of them out) so even if I can't change a thermostat at least I can learn How to keep my appliances humming as well as how to Burglar-proof your home.
Didn't your mom & dad love you enough?
Ahhhh...its not age discrimination...It's discrimination against the "next in line to the throne" so to speak. If you're running for president, prime minister, next in line to being King...just do everyone a favor and let your kid take that spot.
And don't be dissin' my parents! Only *I* can make fun of my parents!!!
In other news, I was all for giving the thermostat a second attempt, however after some research online I started to get freaked out about horror stories about electrocution and not knowing if my thermostat is 24vdc...vac? Aaack see!
After realizing that I might have to admit defeat to the thermostat, I picked up Family Handyman's issue of "Essential Home Skills" (Family Handyman kicks ass for any homeowner...too bad I had a subscription when I was effing renting and I threw most of them out) so even if I can't change a thermostat at least I can learn How to keep my appliances humming as well as how to Burglar-proof your home.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Letters to the editor...
Marlene: lol Kraig just rolls with it...
I haven't seen this movie, but I have seen pix and lil video clips of Jessica Simpson which makes me almost wanna get it. There are better movies out there right now, so I think that I'll pass.
Yep, there are WAYYYYYYYYY better movies out there. And all of those pix/videos that you've seen are pretty much 99% of what you'd want to see anyway. She's barely in the movie, and when she is (other than the stuff you've seen), she's trying to look "tough" by fixing some plumbing (and no, you don't see any cleave or a$$)...I figured at the very least watching her half naked would be good inspiration to work out, but even that infamous bikini scene (when she walks in the police station) was all of 15 seconds...so do a search on YouTube and you'll save yourself the pain of watching that horrible, HORRIBLE movie.
In other boring news about my life, Kraig and I spent 2 hours this weekend trying to replace our thermostat with a nifty new one because our old mercury one was pretty ugly...and...well needless to say we now have a big chunk of the wall with a different paint color and a thermostat that doesn't work hanging from the wall by the cords. Sure hope it doesn't get crazy cold or crazy hot anytime soon or else we're screwed. Hey Honeywell: maybe your retarded website could have information on replacing crazy old models, maybe you could surf the web and realize that every message board on thermostats also say that your site sucks for replacement info, maybe you could start printing model numbers on ink that doesn't FADE so that in the future people don't have to go blind trying to read wtf the numbers are, maybe you could tell your moron webmaster that the search engine doesn't work and keeps returning errors...
"By the power of grey skull...damn you Honeywell! Damn you and He-Man all to hell!"
I haven't seen this movie, but I have seen pix and lil video clips of Jessica Simpson which makes me almost wanna get it. There are better movies out there right now, so I think that I'll pass.
Yep, there are WAYYYYYYYYY better movies out there. And all of those pix/videos that you've seen are pretty much 99% of what you'd want to see anyway. She's barely in the movie, and when she is (other than the stuff you've seen), she's trying to look "tough" by fixing some plumbing (and no, you don't see any cleave or a$$)...I figured at the very least watching her half naked would be good inspiration to work out, but even that infamous bikini scene (when she walks in the police station) was all of 15 seconds...so do a search on YouTube and you'll save yourself the pain of watching that horrible, HORRIBLE movie.
In other boring news about my life, Kraig and I spent 2 hours this weekend trying to replace our thermostat with a nifty new one because our old mercury one was pretty ugly...and...well needless to say we now have a big chunk of the wall with a different paint color and a thermostat that doesn't work hanging from the wall by the cords. Sure hope it doesn't get crazy cold or crazy hot anytime soon or else we're screwed. Hey Honeywell: maybe your retarded website could have information on replacing crazy old models, maybe you could surf the web and realize that every message board on thermostats also say that your site sucks for replacement info, maybe you could start printing model numbers on ink that doesn't FADE so that in the future people don't have to go blind trying to read wtf the numbers are, maybe you could tell your moron webmaster that the search engine doesn't work and keeps returning errors...
"By the power of grey skull...damn you Honeywell! Damn you and He-Man all to hell!"
If your monkey arrived in the box dead....
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Monday, April 23, 2007
Movie Review: Dukes of Hazzard
Uhhh...movie review...so far, sadly, Jessica Simpson is probably the best actor in this movie. Minus the friend with no pants who blows up the safe, he plays a smart-but-hillbilly pretty well.
Only watching this 'cause I don't have anything else recorded.
I know i'm supposed to root for the Dukes even though they make illegal moonshine for a living....but I really WANT the crap beaten out of them and if that's a legit excuse for it, fine by me...At least Jessica Simpson has a job as a waitress....
Yep. I'm on the Police's side for this movie...you can't go wrong, the main police chief is the Other from Lost who boned Juliet. Don't mess with The Others. Even if they show up in Hazzard county.
Only watching this 'cause I don't have anything else recorded.
I know i'm supposed to root for the Dukes even though they make illegal moonshine for a living....but I really WANT the crap beaten out of them and if that's a legit excuse for it, fine by me...At least Jessica Simpson has a job as a waitress....
Yep. I'm on the Police's side for this movie...you can't go wrong, the main police chief is the Other from Lost who boned Juliet. Don't mess with The Others. Even if they show up in Hazzard county.
I hate neighbors. They blow goats.
One of the reasons I wanted to buy a house was 'cause I had this rationale that I didn't want to have a kid down the road and deal with neighbors above, below, and on either side of me making a ton of noise keeping my kid up. I didn't want to climb up stairs, or deal with crappy parking, and random retardedness that comes with renting.
Well...most of that was right. Except the noisy neighbor part. Thanks to the wonderfully overpriced world of Orange County, we got a condo...aka townhouse...thankfully we're an end unit so its just one shared wall....
Which you'd think wouldn't be so bad...
If I wasnt' next door to a dude who looks like a pedophile. I'm sure one day this will bite me in the ass and he'll stumble across this blog, but something tells me those odds are remote. Especially since he never remembers my name anyway.
He's super creepy. With a southern drawl. He's got this crazy loud motorcycle, a huge ass SUV, and like 10 toilets in his garage.
He's got a frickin' jungle in his little backyard...which wouldn't be so bad if mine wasn't connected with just a wall separating us...he's got one tree that's pretty much growing into MY backyard, and i'd hack it down if I had a ladder and a saw...and i refuse to buy a ladder and a saw just to deal with it based on principle...
He also smacked into Kraig's car, and didn't say anything until our other neighbors told him they saw that he's the one who backed into him. So now things are especially awkward (exchanging hundreds of dollars between neighbors always creates awkwardness)...
But all of that STILL wouldn't be so bad...if he just didn't work such dumbass hours so that he can stay up ALL night listening to his really, REALLY bad jazz/rock music. And what with one shared wall, needless to say, this irritates the crap out of me.
Right now, I have my tv on super loud to countereffect HIS loud tv. Sometimes he falls asleep with a DVD on loop...you know on a DVD how the main menu is like 20 seconds long and then loops around? Yeah...that's what I gotta hear when I try to go to sleep. Actually I think right now he's listening to music. I don't know. It's loud, annoying, and I don't see how I have a half million dollar house but STILL have to be subjected to thin walls and the sound of my neighbor picking up his phone.
Now...you'd think I could knock on his door and tell him to shut the eff up right? Wrong. Because he's got a middle unit, there's no actual front door. You either get in through the garage or through the back gate, but he keeps it locked. One time I tried to throw little rocks at his window to get him to look out, but that didn't help (plus I got scared that I would break a window or something).
Anyway, that's my bitching.
Well...most of that was right. Except the noisy neighbor part. Thanks to the wonderfully overpriced world of Orange County, we got a condo...aka townhouse...thankfully we're an end unit so its just one shared wall....
Which you'd think wouldn't be so bad...
If I wasnt' next door to a dude who looks like a pedophile. I'm sure one day this will bite me in the ass and he'll stumble across this blog, but something tells me those odds are remote. Especially since he never remembers my name anyway.
He's super creepy. With a southern drawl. He's got this crazy loud motorcycle, a huge ass SUV, and like 10 toilets in his garage.
He's got a frickin' jungle in his little backyard...which wouldn't be so bad if mine wasn't connected with just a wall separating us...he's got one tree that's pretty much growing into MY backyard, and i'd hack it down if I had a ladder and a saw...and i refuse to buy a ladder and a saw just to deal with it based on principle...
He also smacked into Kraig's car, and didn't say anything until our other neighbors told him they saw that he's the one who backed into him. So now things are especially awkward (exchanging hundreds of dollars between neighbors always creates awkwardness)...
But all of that STILL wouldn't be so bad...if he just didn't work such dumbass hours so that he can stay up ALL night listening to his really, REALLY bad jazz/rock music. And what with one shared wall, needless to say, this irritates the crap out of me.
Right now, I have my tv on super loud to countereffect HIS loud tv. Sometimes he falls asleep with a DVD on loop...you know on a DVD how the main menu is like 20 seconds long and then loops around? Yeah...that's what I gotta hear when I try to go to sleep. Actually I think right now he's listening to music. I don't know. It's loud, annoying, and I don't see how I have a half million dollar house but STILL have to be subjected to thin walls and the sound of my neighbor picking up his phone.
Now...you'd think I could knock on his door and tell him to shut the eff up right? Wrong. Because he's got a middle unit, there's no actual front door. You either get in through the garage or through the back gate, but he keeps it locked. One time I tried to throw little rocks at his window to get him to look out, but that didn't help (plus I got scared that I would break a window or something).
Anyway, that's my bitching.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Life is as interesting as a piece of lard
Okay so I haven't written jack. I've tried to think about stuff to bitch and gripe about, or comment on (come ON...I Love New York should be enough right?), but the sheer act of thinking and writing at the same time makes me tired.
In other words...my life pretty much revolves around going to work, running one errand after work (today's errand: going to target to pick up birthday decor to decorate an unsuspecting coworker's cube), then going home and sitting my ass down in front of the tv.
What's even MORE sad is that I bittorrented a bunch of south park episodes (which i can watch over and over till the cows come home) so I can watch them on my cell phone while working out, but somehow that's not even enough to drag my ass off the couch to go to the gym and...watch more tv.
Sad. Very sad.
I don't even LIKE Mythbusters but I'm too lazy to get off the couch to NOT watch. (Can you really split a boat in half if you drive super fast and smash into a pole? Apparently you gotta turn it last minute. And if you have a truck full of birds, and the birds start to fly, does that make the truck lighter?)
Sad. Very sad.
In other random boring news, I took Friday off work 'cause I gotta get fingerprinted for my US citizenship. GOod times. I also have my botox appointment, which at this point I'm thinking about putting the money towards something educational...since my ass sits in front of the tv anyway, maybe my MIND should be getting pumped, not my face.
In case anyone cares, in preliminary tests, the truck with birds doesn't change weight when the birds fly.
In other words...my life pretty much revolves around going to work, running one errand after work (today's errand: going to target to pick up birthday decor to decorate an unsuspecting coworker's cube), then going home and sitting my ass down in front of the tv.
What's even MORE sad is that I bittorrented a bunch of south park episodes (which i can watch over and over till the cows come home) so I can watch them on my cell phone while working out, but somehow that's not even enough to drag my ass off the couch to go to the gym and...watch more tv.
Sad. Very sad.
I don't even LIKE Mythbusters but I'm too lazy to get off the couch to NOT watch. (Can you really split a boat in half if you drive super fast and smash into a pole? Apparently you gotta turn it last minute. And if you have a truck full of birds, and the birds start to fly, does that make the truck lighter?)
Sad. Very sad.
In other random boring news, I took Friday off work 'cause I gotta get fingerprinted for my US citizenship. GOod times. I also have my botox appointment, which at this point I'm thinking about putting the money towards something educational...since my ass sits in front of the tv anyway, maybe my MIND should be getting pumped, not my face.
In case anyone cares, in preliminary tests, the truck with birds doesn't change weight when the birds fly.
Friday, April 13, 2007
Grandma's boy...
Watching Grandma's Boy right now...
Pretty funny so far, and even though there's no WAY a hot chick would come in all dressed up to work at a video game company...but at least the main guy has the same laptop that Kraig's company gave him, so that's relatively accurate (pfft and they didn't give him a mac...enough of seeing those things in movies! Sorry Marlene, but you're the only person I know with a mac laptop)...
If the scene of the dude lifting up the couch to vacuum (and all the dead cats) doesn't make you laugh out loud, something is so very VERY wrong with you.
Pretty funny so far, and even though there's no WAY a hot chick would come in all dressed up to work at a video game company...but at least the main guy has the same laptop that Kraig's company gave him, so that's relatively accurate (pfft and they didn't give him a mac...enough of seeing those things in movies! Sorry Marlene, but you're the only person I know with a mac laptop)...
If the scene of the dude lifting up the couch to vacuum (and all the dead cats) doesn't make you laugh out loud, something is so very VERY wrong with you.
Indians of the world...UNITE!
Okay so I'm only half-Indian...but I totally support my peeps!
By Bill Keveney, USA TODAY
It's not just Apu anymore.
After years of relative anonymity, performers of Indian heritage are establishing a small but growing presence in TV and film, breaking stereotypes along the way. From Sanjaya Malakar of American Idol to actors on some of TV's most popular shows, U.S. viewers are seeing a broader range of performers who trace their roots to the world's second most populous country.
"Things are opening up — very slowly, but it's definitely happening," says Sendhil Ramamurthy, who plays genetics professor Mohinder Suresh on NBC's Heroes, TV's biggest freshman hit.
Navi Rawat, a native Californian of Indian and German heritage, encountered a first when seeking the role of mathematician Amita Ramanujan on CBS' Numb3rs. "It was the first time I was cast in a role specifically written as someone who was Indian," she says.
Woo hoo...i'm sorta like that...a native Canadian living in California of Indian and Austrian heritage...POWER TO THE PEOPLE!
Other actors of at least partial Indian descent on network TV include Naveen Andrews, ABC's Lost; Parminder Nagra, NBC's ER; Mindy Kaling, NBC's The Office; Ravi Kapoor, NBC's Crossing Jordan; and Aasif Mandvi, CBS' Jericho. Kal Penn, who stars in the film The Namesake, appeared this season on 24 and is in an ABC pilot, The Call.
Rawat says it's good for audiences to see that actors who share the same heritage can represent a range of birthplaces, backgrounds and appearances: "They don't fit one stereotype."
For decades, people of South Asian descent rarely were series regulars. (Kavi Raz held that status in the 1980s on St. Elsewhere, and Apu is a long-running animated character on The Simpsons.) In 2002, CBS' Presidio Med, a medical drama set in San Francisco, premiered with no doctors of Asian heritage.
That many of the characters have a medical or scientific background shows TV is starting to reflect a reality in which many doctors are of South Asian heritage (not to mention medical correspondents, such as CNN's Sanjay Gupta), says Karen Narasaki of the Asian American Justice Center, a civil rights organization that has studied diversity on TV.
Oddly, acting opportunities grew in the aftermath of 9/11 as films and TV cast actors of Indian heritage as Middle Eastern characters, says Ramamurthy, a Chicago native who speaks in Indian-accented English on Heroes.
Narasaki wants to see Asian-Americans getting to play all roles, such as Penn's stereotype-defying stoner in Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, and not just those that fit a newer stereotype, such as "the model minority." TV also needs more diversity on its writing staffs, she says.
Kaling, also a writer on The Office, called on her knowledge to write "Diwali," an episode that featured the Hindu festival of lights. Says Mala Chakravorty of the online Indian-American magazine NRIPulse.com: "It brought about this sense of cultural sensitivity and acceptance."
By Bill Keveney, USA TODAY
It's not just Apu anymore.
After years of relative anonymity, performers of Indian heritage are establishing a small but growing presence in TV and film, breaking stereotypes along the way. From Sanjaya Malakar of American Idol to actors on some of TV's most popular shows, U.S. viewers are seeing a broader range of performers who trace their roots to the world's second most populous country.
"Things are opening up — very slowly, but it's definitely happening," says Sendhil Ramamurthy, who plays genetics professor Mohinder Suresh on NBC's Heroes, TV's biggest freshman hit.
Navi Rawat, a native Californian of Indian and German heritage, encountered a first when seeking the role of mathematician Amita Ramanujan on CBS' Numb3rs. "It was the first time I was cast in a role specifically written as someone who was Indian," she says.
Woo hoo...i'm sorta like that...a native Canadian living in California of Indian and Austrian heritage...POWER TO THE PEOPLE!
Other actors of at least partial Indian descent on network TV include Naveen Andrews, ABC's Lost; Parminder Nagra, NBC's ER; Mindy Kaling, NBC's The Office; Ravi Kapoor, NBC's Crossing Jordan; and Aasif Mandvi, CBS' Jericho. Kal Penn, who stars in the film The Namesake, appeared this season on 24 and is in an ABC pilot, The Call.
Rawat says it's good for audiences to see that actors who share the same heritage can represent a range of birthplaces, backgrounds and appearances: "They don't fit one stereotype."
For decades, people of South Asian descent rarely were series regulars. (Kavi Raz held that status in the 1980s on St. Elsewhere, and Apu is a long-running animated character on The Simpsons.) In 2002, CBS' Presidio Med, a medical drama set in San Francisco, premiered with no doctors of Asian heritage.
That many of the characters have a medical or scientific background shows TV is starting to reflect a reality in which many doctors are of South Asian heritage (not to mention medical correspondents, such as CNN's Sanjay Gupta), says Karen Narasaki of the Asian American Justice Center, a civil rights organization that has studied diversity on TV.
Oddly, acting opportunities grew in the aftermath of 9/11 as films and TV cast actors of Indian heritage as Middle Eastern characters, says Ramamurthy, a Chicago native who speaks in Indian-accented English on Heroes.
Narasaki wants to see Asian-Americans getting to play all roles, such as Penn's stereotype-defying stoner in Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, and not just those that fit a newer stereotype, such as "the model minority." TV also needs more diversity on its writing staffs, she says.
Kaling, also a writer on The Office, called on her knowledge to write "Diwali," an episode that featured the Hindu festival of lights. Says Mala Chakravorty of the online Indian-American magazine NRIPulse.com: "It brought about this sense of cultural sensitivity and acceptance."
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Letter to the Editor...
I haven't had a hamburger since 6th grade camp. I only ate it because that's all we had for lunch n' I was hungry. I have no problem with other people eating burgers, but I guess I just don't care for the texture or taste of ground beef. I never really ate steak that much either, but in the past few years I have grown to love a good steak. I mostly eat chicken.
Hmmm, what about ground turkey or ground chicken burgers?
Anna: good lord you SO didn't offend me! And I've seen cows being slaughtered too...in the grand scheme, that's life (I'm certainly not down with letting cows randomly roam free...as far as i'm concerned, a cow is sorta domesticated)...it was more like: it was effing CREEPY as hell to see something so cute get shot in the head, no matter how quick and painless it is...plus, i DID use to work at McD's, and I know how nasty in general it is to eat anything there (including the ketchup...shudder...ALWAYS ask for the packets!!)
Remember, I"m the girl who thinks chicken meat comes off the chicken tree...raw meat creeps me out, especially when I've seen it ALIVE beforehand.
Which is why I had a chicken pita today for lunch with Carrie...if I don't see it raw, then it's just another vegetable as far as i'm concerned.
NORM: heck yeah In N Out rocks!! I'll probably crave it once I get that image of the cow shlopping off the conveyer belt out of my head.
Hmmm, what about ground turkey or ground chicken burgers?
Anna: good lord you SO didn't offend me! And I've seen cows being slaughtered too...in the grand scheme, that's life (I'm certainly not down with letting cows randomly roam free...as far as i'm concerned, a cow is sorta domesticated)...it was more like: it was effing CREEPY as hell to see something so cute get shot in the head, no matter how quick and painless it is...plus, i DID use to work at McD's, and I know how nasty in general it is to eat anything there (including the ketchup...shudder...ALWAYS ask for the packets!!)
Remember, I"m the girl who thinks chicken meat comes off the chicken tree...raw meat creeps me out, especially when I've seen it ALIVE beforehand.
Which is why I had a chicken pita today for lunch with Carrie...if I don't see it raw, then it's just another vegetable as far as i'm concerned.
NORM: heck yeah In N Out rocks!! I'll probably crave it once I get that image of the cow shlopping off the conveyer belt out of my head.
Enough with Don Imus already!
You know what I don't get? WHy every radio station and tv show are saying "hey, what's the big deal with Imus, he's been doing this for years"...well if it's not a big deal, why the eff are you still discussing it?!!
The only reason I know who Imus is is 'cause of Howard Stern, and since I love Howard I pretty much was biased as soon as I heard the story. I mean, come ON...who does this old creepy guy think he is calling some chicks "nappy headed hos"?
Well...then I actually HEARD the clip from his show...what the BLEEP is everyone freaking out about? Okay, granted, I'm not black. I'll give you that. And I'm also not from the east coast, which is his target audience. I live in Southern California where even the whitest kids think they're gangsta...must I remind people about BuckWild from Flavor of Love season 2? She's from Rancho Cucamonga for God's sakes.
Thing is...it's not like he just started a rant. He was chatting about women's basketball, about how scary these chicks looked (and dont' tell me that a team of somewhat professional women's basketball players wouldn't creep you out, they're tall and muscular and jock-ish), and he's talking about how the other teams were like "dang, these girls are scary looking!" and he called them a bunch of "nappy headed hos"...not in a BAD way, but just in a "these girls are tough, I wouldn't mess with them either! They look rough!"...
Was it the smartest thing to say? Obviously not. But to his defense, he's one of the first radio "shock jocks", he didn't get where he's at because he's held back...you can't have your shock jocks showing restraint whenever you see fit. Suddenly NOW you want to fire the guy?
Plus it's not like the dude's got a written script. News flash: radio jockeys ad lib. For HOURS. You can't take alot of time to THINK when you're ad libbing your content. If he'd said "damn, those ugly ass whores should be shot", that's one thing. But to say "damn, those chicks are scarrryyyy!" is another. And okay, for him to call them "hos"...well, wtf...if he were black, would he still be under fire? I get that only black people can call each other the N-word (Alanna, you're still my niglet though! booyah!), but "Ho" is for Whore, and that goes across all races...
As for the "nappy" comment, do a search in google...Take a look at some things that come up...
Nappy Hair Affair
But A Nappy Hair Affair (ANHA) is about so much more than hair. It is about reclaiming and respecting our culture. We have been conditioned to hate one of our most unique characteristics-our hair in its most natural state. We have been conditioned to accept European standards of beauty and to reject our own. ANHA exists to cause a shift in such negative mindsets and promote a positive image of people of African descent. We do it through support, affirmation and education.
So wouldn't that imply that it can also be a GOOD thing to be nappy haired?
Nappturality
Napptural hair is the type labeled "bad", nappy hair that needs to be "fixed."
This perception needs to change. We need to stop being afraid of our hair. We need to learn about our natural hair. We need to see natural hair worn on women who have embraced it. And the only way we can do that is to showcase our natural hair on its own merit without seeing it compared with other hairtypes.
See! Spread the word people! Nappy might be a GOOD thing!
Okay, okay, I get it...you think I'm stretching. And I kinda am. But really...point is...it's not THAT bad...it wasn't meant to be malicious, he was chatting about sports, if they had been big tall WHITE chicks he would have made an equally rude comment (and really, I'm not afraid to say how female athletes can be frickin' scary)...but people, he APOLOGIZED...cut him some slack and let's move on. There's a pretty big difference between what Imus said vs. Michael Richards.
On another note, I'm finally trying to catch up on Lost...at least now I know what happened to John Locke and why he ended up in a wheelchair...I bet in 50 years if they ever watch reruns they'd say "wow, things would be so different if that happened now 'cause he could get some stem cells and fix his spine..."....kinda like how we watch movies now and think how things would be SO different if the victim could just dial *69.
The only reason I know who Imus is is 'cause of Howard Stern, and since I love Howard I pretty much was biased as soon as I heard the story. I mean, come ON...who does this old creepy guy think he is calling some chicks "nappy headed hos"?
Well...then I actually HEARD the clip from his show...what the BLEEP is everyone freaking out about? Okay, granted, I'm not black. I'll give you that. And I'm also not from the east coast, which is his target audience. I live in Southern California where even the whitest kids think they're gangsta...must I remind people about BuckWild from Flavor of Love season 2? She's from Rancho Cucamonga for God's sakes.
Thing is...it's not like he just started a rant. He was chatting about women's basketball, about how scary these chicks looked (and dont' tell me that a team of somewhat professional women's basketball players wouldn't creep you out, they're tall and muscular and jock-ish), and he's talking about how the other teams were like "dang, these girls are scary looking!" and he called them a bunch of "nappy headed hos"...not in a BAD way, but just in a "these girls are tough, I wouldn't mess with them either! They look rough!"...
Was it the smartest thing to say? Obviously not. But to his defense, he's one of the first radio "shock jocks", he didn't get where he's at because he's held back...you can't have your shock jocks showing restraint whenever you see fit. Suddenly NOW you want to fire the guy?
Plus it's not like the dude's got a written script. News flash: radio jockeys ad lib. For HOURS. You can't take alot of time to THINK when you're ad libbing your content. If he'd said "damn, those ugly ass whores should be shot", that's one thing. But to say "damn, those chicks are scarrryyyy!" is another. And okay, for him to call them "hos"...well, wtf...if he were black, would he still be under fire? I get that only black people can call each other the N-word (Alanna, you're still my niglet though! booyah!), but "Ho" is for Whore, and that goes across all races...
As for the "nappy" comment, do a search in google...Take a look at some things that come up...
Nappy Hair Affair
But A Nappy Hair Affair (ANHA) is about so much more than hair. It is about reclaiming and respecting our culture. We have been conditioned to hate one of our most unique characteristics-our hair in its most natural state. We have been conditioned to accept European standards of beauty and to reject our own. ANHA exists to cause a shift in such negative mindsets and promote a positive image of people of African descent. We do it through support, affirmation and education.
So wouldn't that imply that it can also be a GOOD thing to be nappy haired?
Nappturality
Napptural hair is the type labeled "bad", nappy hair that needs to be "fixed."
This perception needs to change. We need to stop being afraid of our hair. We need to learn about our natural hair. We need to see natural hair worn on women who have embraced it. And the only way we can do that is to showcase our natural hair on its own merit without seeing it compared with other hairtypes.
See! Spread the word people! Nappy might be a GOOD thing!
Okay, okay, I get it...you think I'm stretching. And I kinda am. But really...point is...it's not THAT bad...it wasn't meant to be malicious, he was chatting about sports, if they had been big tall WHITE chicks he would have made an equally rude comment (and really, I'm not afraid to say how female athletes can be frickin' scary)...but people, he APOLOGIZED...cut him some slack and let's move on. There's a pretty big difference between what Imus said vs. Michael Richards.
On another note, I'm finally trying to catch up on Lost...at least now I know what happened to John Locke and why he ended up in a wheelchair...I bet in 50 years if they ever watch reruns they'd say "wow, things would be so different if that happened now 'cause he could get some stem cells and fix his spine..."....kinda like how we watch movies now and think how things would be SO different if the victim could just dial *69.
Movie Review: 16 Blocks
So thanks to the joys of 1 week free HBO, I recorded a bunch of movies (i.e. be prepared for more bad movie reviews).
16 Blocks
16 Blocks stars Bruce Willis as a tired, overworked police officer who clearly hates his job, his life, but loooves his liquor. He's ready to go home but then finds out he's gotta take a dude (played by Mos Def) to the courthouse so he can testify.
Things go crazy sour when it turns out that Mos Def is gonna testify against some big wig police officer dude, and everyone is out to get him. For some reason, Bruce Willis decides that even though he hates life, he wants his liquor, he's got a limp, and he sweats like a pig...he's gotta get Mos Def to that courthouse, 16 blocks away, with all of the NYPD chasing after them.
This was a pretty entertaining movie, I definitely recommend it. My main beef is that Mos Def's voice or accent or whatever he's got going on with his mouth is irritating beyond belief. Buddy doesn't shut the eff up at ALL during the movie and you can't understand half of what he's saying other than random babbling about how he wants to make cakes.
Ummm...and that's my review, since I don't want to give away anything else.
16 Blocks
16 Blocks stars Bruce Willis as a tired, overworked police officer who clearly hates his job, his life, but loooves his liquor. He's ready to go home but then finds out he's gotta take a dude (played by Mos Def) to the courthouse so he can testify.
Things go crazy sour when it turns out that Mos Def is gonna testify against some big wig police officer dude, and everyone is out to get him. For some reason, Bruce Willis decides that even though he hates life, he wants his liquor, he's got a limp, and he sweats like a pig...he's gotta get Mos Def to that courthouse, 16 blocks away, with all of the NYPD chasing after them.
This was a pretty entertaining movie, I definitely recommend it. My main beef is that Mos Def's voice or accent or whatever he's got going on with his mouth is irritating beyond belief. Buddy doesn't shut the eff up at ALL during the movie and you can't understand half of what he's saying other than random babbling about how he wants to make cakes.
Ummm...and that's my review, since I don't want to give away anything else.
Saturday, April 07, 2007
Effing nasty...going vegetarian...
Listen, it takes me ALOT to get grossed out. I love Nip/Tuck, horror movies, all that stuff.
The last time I got super creeped out was when I saw the footage of that Canadian figure skater who got whacked in the face by her partner's skate blade.
Anyway, I rented Fast Food Nation. I had read most of the book, but had to put it down after reading hte chapter about how the cows are killed...not that I'm all pro-animal rights or anything, but it's pretty horrific nonetheless.
That was a few years ago and I got over it fast enough to keep eating red meat (I can't give up my chicken! As far as I'm concerned, chicken meat comes from trees). Well...for some stupid reason I decided to watch the movie.
Wait, let me backtrack. I've SEEN cows slaughtered in real life. I've been to farms in Canada and seen cows get shot and then their necks slit. I've been to Pakistan where, after Ramadan, everyone's cows and camels had their throats slit and then my family would chop up the meat in the backyard courtyard area...At age 12, I sat with a cow's head on one side of me, and a pile of MOVING meat next to me (it was explained to me that electricity still goes through meat long after the animal is chopped up). I took my cousin's broken necklace and placed the beads in the cow's eye socket.
Seriously. It takes ALOT to gross or creep me out (exclusing spiders. Spiders FREAK ME OUT big time).
So I'm watching Fast Food Nation, not really paying attention 'cause I was catching up on my magazine reading...getting kind of annoyed with the illegal aliens in the movie (don't get me started on that...WHYYYY did i pay $70 to get biometrics done AGAIN?! My fingerprints didn't change mother effers...department of Homeland Security is EFFED UP), getting annoyed with the extra random footage that wasn't needed, kind of surprised that a low-budget movie would have people like Bruce Willis, Wilmer Valderamma, Greg Kinnear, Avril Lavigne, Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, which is a pretty significant list, and being reminded of my days working at McDonald's.
Finally I get to the part where they show REAL footage from slaughterhouses.
Holy CRAP. I threw everything on the ground and curled up on the couch with my shirt covering my mouth yelling "ughghg!...aaachghghghg...ughghghhhhhh". Listen, cows are kinda cute. They have those big doe eyes, they're kinda stupid, they're funny-looking...so when you see one just standing there and then a gun against its head and it gets SHOT and then it jerking around and all the blood trailing out of it and then it strung up and all the blood just pouring out and the scenes where the intestines are slopped into a big bin...seriously vomit inducing.
I do believe...I'm done eating meat*.
* for at least a week anyway.
The whole industry really IS effed up. I'm anti-illegal immigration, however I don't think that gives the right for anyone to start abusing their power over those people. I'm not okay with food being that...artificial...while trying to act relatively healthy (I don't care what anyone tells me...the lettuce at McDonald's might as well be deep fried. NONE of their salads are healthy. Their WATER isn't healthy. Basically, only eat their if you're hours away from dying of starvation). And one thing that I remember from the book was that the success of places like McDonald's is that they hire teenagers on purpose, not because they're cheap but because they don't COMPLAIN...in hindsight, I was exposed to some seriously dangerous conditions and I was burnt SOOOO many times I would go to school comparing my war wounds with the other people who worked at McD's. You think an adult will tolerate that crap? I can buy whatever I want in order to ensure proper ergonomics at my work station so that i don't get back pain. BACK PAIN. Compared to burning yourself, that's pretty minor.
Argh I don't know what my point is. Just that I don't want to eat a burger for awhile. And that I think I need to adopt a baby cow.
The last time I got super creeped out was when I saw the footage of that Canadian figure skater who got whacked in the face by her partner's skate blade.
Anyway, I rented Fast Food Nation. I had read most of the book, but had to put it down after reading hte chapter about how the cows are killed...not that I'm all pro-animal rights or anything, but it's pretty horrific nonetheless.
That was a few years ago and I got over it fast enough to keep eating red meat (I can't give up my chicken! As far as I'm concerned, chicken meat comes from trees). Well...for some stupid reason I decided to watch the movie.
Wait, let me backtrack. I've SEEN cows slaughtered in real life. I've been to farms in Canada and seen cows get shot and then their necks slit. I've been to Pakistan where, after Ramadan, everyone's cows and camels had their throats slit and then my family would chop up the meat in the backyard courtyard area...At age 12, I sat with a cow's head on one side of me, and a pile of MOVING meat next to me (it was explained to me that electricity still goes through meat long after the animal is chopped up). I took my cousin's broken necklace and placed the beads in the cow's eye socket.
Seriously. It takes ALOT to gross or creep me out (exclusing spiders. Spiders FREAK ME OUT big time).
So I'm watching Fast Food Nation, not really paying attention 'cause I was catching up on my magazine reading...getting kind of annoyed with the illegal aliens in the movie (don't get me started on that...WHYYYY did i pay $70 to get biometrics done AGAIN?! My fingerprints didn't change mother effers...department of Homeland Security is EFFED UP), getting annoyed with the extra random footage that wasn't needed, kind of surprised that a low-budget movie would have people like Bruce Willis, Wilmer Valderamma, Greg Kinnear, Avril Lavigne, Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, which is a pretty significant list, and being reminded of my days working at McDonald's.
Finally I get to the part where they show REAL footage from slaughterhouses.
Holy CRAP. I threw everything on the ground and curled up on the couch with my shirt covering my mouth yelling "ughghg!...aaachghghghg...ughghghhhhhh". Listen, cows are kinda cute. They have those big doe eyes, they're kinda stupid, they're funny-looking...so when you see one just standing there and then a gun against its head and it gets SHOT and then it jerking around and all the blood trailing out of it and then it strung up and all the blood just pouring out and the scenes where the intestines are slopped into a big bin...seriously vomit inducing.
I do believe...I'm done eating meat*.
* for at least a week anyway.
The whole industry really IS effed up. I'm anti-illegal immigration, however I don't think that gives the right for anyone to start abusing their power over those people. I'm not okay with food being that...artificial...while trying to act relatively healthy (I don't care what anyone tells me...the lettuce at McDonald's might as well be deep fried. NONE of their salads are healthy. Their WATER isn't healthy. Basically, only eat their if you're hours away from dying of starvation). And one thing that I remember from the book was that the success of places like McDonald's is that they hire teenagers on purpose, not because they're cheap but because they don't COMPLAIN...in hindsight, I was exposed to some seriously dangerous conditions and I was burnt SOOOO many times I would go to school comparing my war wounds with the other people who worked at McD's. You think an adult will tolerate that crap? I can buy whatever I want in order to ensure proper ergonomics at my work station so that i don't get back pain. BACK PAIN. Compared to burning yourself, that's pretty minor.
Argh I don't know what my point is. Just that I don't want to eat a burger for awhile. And that I think I need to adopt a baby cow.
Monday, April 02, 2007
I'm the whitest brown girl EVER.
Went to a crazy hip hop cardio class with Alanna and Janet tonight.
Now back in the day (and when I say "back in the day", that means 10 years ago when Stacey dragged me to 7am step aerobics classes at Ottawa U), I could totally keep up.
However, keeping up to like...Paula Abdul...is NOT the same as keeping up to remixed Ludacris and Justin Timberlake...I had all the dance moves of an 80 year old tone deaf senior citizen.
Moral of the story: I blow goats.
Time to watch Fast Food Nation. Stay tuned for the review. It'll be better than The Inside Man i'm sure (which can be summed up as...Clive Owen literally WAS inside...the entire time.)
Now back in the day (and when I say "back in the day", that means 10 years ago when Stacey dragged me to 7am step aerobics classes at Ottawa U), I could totally keep up.
However, keeping up to like...Paula Abdul...is NOT the same as keeping up to remixed Ludacris and Justin Timberlake...I had all the dance moves of an 80 year old tone deaf senior citizen.
Moral of the story: I blow goats.
Time to watch Fast Food Nation. Stay tuned for the review. It'll be better than The Inside Man i'm sure (which can be summed up as...Clive Owen literally WAS inside...the entire time.)
Friday, March 30, 2007
Rena kicks ass...
Props to the birthday girl...check out her pics of cakes she's made...she needs her own tv show! These cakes look gorgeous!
Movie Review: THE DEPARTED
Movie Review: The Departed
Yeah yeah I know, everyone's seen this movie except me. Suck it. I'm anti-movie theater so I gotta wait till stuff comes out on DVD.
For reference sake, "the departed" is a fancy shmancy term for "the dead guy".
The movie takes place in Boston, noted by the crazy accents. Key players:
Jack Nicholson: local meanie "ohh i'll have you shaking in your booties" mob boss. Don't mess with this mofo. Likes his cocaine big time.
Matt Damon: as a kid, Jack Nicholson took him under his wing. He goes to police academy and ends up working for the state as some big wig, all the while secretly maintaining his ties to Jack.
Martin Sheen and Marky Mark: heads of the undercover cop department. Only they know who's undercover...the rest of the police force (including Matt Damon) have no idea who in the bad guy world is actually a real cop.
Leonardo Decaprio: dude who also graduates from police academy, but when he applies to the police force Martin Sheen and Marky Mark flip out on him that his entire family is full of criminals and theythink he's fake. SO...they offer to let him be an undercover cop.
And so begins over a year of hell for Leo, 'cause he's a legit cop working for Jack Nicholson acting like a bad guy, while Matt Damon gets praise and promotions when really he's a bad guy acting like a cop.
Alot fo suspense...alotta gun shooting...alotta swearing...oh somewhere in there Matt Damon's girlfriend, who's a cop psychiatrist, befriends Leo on the side...which is a killer for her since Matt's got one of those male issues where he can't get it up and she's jonesin' for some good nookie.
It's a fabulous movie...worth all the accolades given to it. There was ONE movie mistake: a scene where Jack Nicholson is freaking out about the rat on his team, one moment Leo has nothing next minute he's got a cigarette in his mouth. I have to admit, some endings are predictable but in this case, I was like...WTF! I kind of get the impression that they ran out of ideas on how to wrap everything up so they just winged the most violent outcome.
Hey, worked for me. I give this movie 9 out of 10 stars.
Yeah yeah I know, everyone's seen this movie except me. Suck it. I'm anti-movie theater so I gotta wait till stuff comes out on DVD.
For reference sake, "the departed" is a fancy shmancy term for "the dead guy".
The movie takes place in Boston, noted by the crazy accents. Key players:
Jack Nicholson: local meanie "ohh i'll have you shaking in your booties" mob boss. Don't mess with this mofo. Likes his cocaine big time.
Matt Damon: as a kid, Jack Nicholson took him under his wing. He goes to police academy and ends up working for the state as some big wig, all the while secretly maintaining his ties to Jack.
Martin Sheen and Marky Mark: heads of the undercover cop department. Only they know who's undercover...the rest of the police force (including Matt Damon) have no idea who in the bad guy world is actually a real cop.
Leonardo Decaprio: dude who also graduates from police academy, but when he applies to the police force Martin Sheen and Marky Mark flip out on him that his entire family is full of criminals and theythink he's fake. SO...they offer to let him be an undercover cop.
And so begins over a year of hell for Leo, 'cause he's a legit cop working for Jack Nicholson acting like a bad guy, while Matt Damon gets praise and promotions when really he's a bad guy acting like a cop.
Alot fo suspense...alotta gun shooting...alotta swearing...oh somewhere in there Matt Damon's girlfriend, who's a cop psychiatrist, befriends Leo on the side...which is a killer for her since Matt's got one of those male issues where he can't get it up and she's jonesin' for some good nookie.
It's a fabulous movie...worth all the accolades given to it. There was ONE movie mistake: a scene where Jack Nicholson is freaking out about the rat on his team, one moment Leo has nothing next minute he's got a cigarette in his mouth. I have to admit, some endings are predictable but in this case, I was like...WTF! I kind of get the impression that they ran out of ideas on how to wrap everything up so they just winged the most violent outcome.
Hey, worked for me. I give this movie 9 out of 10 stars.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Movie Review: The Devil's Rejects
Movie Review: THE DEVIL'S REJECTS
Disclaimer: Ihaven't seen the prequel, House of a Thousand Corpses.
Devil's Rejects =
Natural Born Killers +
Dazed and Confused +
Pulp Fiction -
any good looking people in the above movies.
Will this movie win an Oscar? Nope.
Was it highly entertaining, effed up ((bleep))? Absolutely. I give it 8.5 out of 10 in terms of entertainment value.
And...that's pretty much the only way I can sum up this movie.
Disclaimer: Ihaven't seen the prequel, House of a Thousand Corpses.
Devil's Rejects =
Natural Born Killers +
Dazed and Confused +
Pulp Fiction -
any good looking people in the above movies.
Will this movie win an Oscar? Nope.
Was it highly entertaining, effed up ((bleep))? Absolutely. I give it 8.5 out of 10 in terms of entertainment value.
And...that's pretty much the only way I can sum up this movie.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Movie Review: Without a Paddle
Movie Review: Without a Paddle
Without a Paddle features 3 actors that I kinda dig in random comedies...Dax Sheppard (of PUnk'd fame), Matthew Lilliard (sp) (from Hackers) and Seth Green (hello...can you say Austin Powers??)...so I actuallyhad pretty high hopes for this comedy.
WELL...let me tell you...formulaic doesn't even begin to explain the half of it.
The 3 guys were childhood buddies and are forced to reunite upon the death of their 4th childhood buddy. They find their old treehouse and decide as a group they're going to find some Random Old Dude's Lost Treasure...jobs and girlfriends and real life be damned.
Let's see...Seth Green plays the piddly nerdy guy...BAD choice of roles. He's better off being the snot-faced brat we've seen him as. Matthew Lilliard plays this responsible wall-street type...wtf is that about?! Did the casting director not SEE Hackers or Scoopy Do? This guy is best at playing oddball freaks. And Dax playing the screwup of the bunch is just depressing.
So of COURSE Seth Green thinks it's a bad idea and complains the entire time. And of COURSE their journey into nature goes downhill...apparently when this movie was made (2004?), cell phones were very rare because only one of the three guys had one. Which...NATURALLY...gets consumed by a bear.
Hijinx ensue, including being chased by some pot growers with guns, meeting gorgeous tree hugging hippies, and getting saved by some wilderness dude played by Burt Reynolds.
I can't tell you exactly how it ends because at this point my netflix rental totally got jacked up in the DVD so I had to return it. Needless to say, the moral of the movie was that the "treasure" isn't money...it's about appreciate life, this moment, and making it last.
Whatever. Try telling a homeless person to choose between a meaningful life or money and i'm sure they'll pick the latter. Heck, I would.
Without a Paddle features 3 actors that I kinda dig in random comedies...Dax Sheppard (of PUnk'd fame), Matthew Lilliard (sp) (from Hackers) and Seth Green (hello...can you say Austin Powers??)...so I actuallyhad pretty high hopes for this comedy.
WELL...let me tell you...formulaic doesn't even begin to explain the half of it.
The 3 guys were childhood buddies and are forced to reunite upon the death of their 4th childhood buddy. They find their old treehouse and decide as a group they're going to find some Random Old Dude's Lost Treasure...jobs and girlfriends and real life be damned.
Let's see...Seth Green plays the piddly nerdy guy...BAD choice of roles. He's better off being the snot-faced brat we've seen him as. Matthew Lilliard plays this responsible wall-street type...wtf is that about?! Did the casting director not SEE Hackers or Scoopy Do? This guy is best at playing oddball freaks. And Dax playing the screwup of the bunch is just depressing.
So of COURSE Seth Green thinks it's a bad idea and complains the entire time. And of COURSE their journey into nature goes downhill...apparently when this movie was made (2004?), cell phones were very rare because only one of the three guys had one. Which...NATURALLY...gets consumed by a bear.
Hijinx ensue, including being chased by some pot growers with guns, meeting gorgeous tree hugging hippies, and getting saved by some wilderness dude played by Burt Reynolds.
I can't tell you exactly how it ends because at this point my netflix rental totally got jacked up in the DVD so I had to return it. Needless to say, the moral of the movie was that the "treasure" isn't money...it's about appreciate life, this moment, and making it last.
Whatever. Try telling a homeless person to choose between a meaningful life or money and i'm sure they'll pick the latter. Heck, I would.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Elementary school...
Oh thank the LORD that I've learned the art of dressing as well as plucking my eyebrows. And Bryan...you look SO MUCH better now! 8th grade memories should be burned.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Nastiness to the nth degree
Supersizing it: McDonald's tests bigger burger
Angus Third Pounder exceeding sales goals in California roll-out
Okay seriously people...SERIOUSLY! A third of a pound! Most of the time people want to LOSE a pound...not add a 3rd of it! Seriously..if you ate one for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you'd be a pound heavier! Granted some of it gets converted to energy, but take it from someone who's worked at McD's...you might as well consume a third of a pound of lard.
I mean, if you're THAT hungry...just order two burgers...
Angus Third Pounder exceeding sales goals in California roll-out
Okay seriously people...SERIOUSLY! A third of a pound! Most of the time people want to LOSE a pound...not add a 3rd of it! Seriously..if you ate one for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you'd be a pound heavier! Granted some of it gets converted to energy, but take it from someone who's worked at McD's...you might as well consume a third of a pound of lard.
I mean, if you're THAT hungry...just order two burgers...
Friday, March 23, 2007
Movie Review: The Descent
Movie Review: The Descent
I heard this movie was super scary so I was pretty psyched to see it. I haven't seen a terrifying movie since The Ring (although 28 Days kinda creepy me out...but just 'cause I would go to bed thinking "what if there WERE some sort of disease that made people like that?)...
But...I digress.
The Descent is a semi-low budget movie with no famous people in it. Which oftentimes is good, because then it feels a bit more "real" (as in, if Angelina Jolie were in it, I'd be fully aware that her fate isn't at risk).
The title of the movie has two different meanings...the obvious one is that 6 girls go off to explore underground caverns. The other relatively obvious meaning is the descent into madness.
So the general gist is that there's 6 girls who are adventurous "yeah girl power woo hoo" types and they get together for a weekend of girly adventure crap. One chick's husband and child died recently, and it's hinted early on that one of the other chicks (aka Asian Tough Girl) was having an affair (even if just emotional) with the Dead Husband.
The 6 girls are:
Asian Tough Girl
The Widow (our heroine for the movie with a brit accent)
Party Girl Friend (brit accent)
Plain Girl (american)
The Medical Intern (american, younger sis of Plain Girl)
The Irish Lesbian (I don't know if she's a lesbian, but she kinda looks it)
The girls all go underground, they're all oohing and ahhing, with Asian Tough GIrl leading the way. They go through this nook in the cavern, until the nook collapses. So they're trapped in the cavern, they've lost a bag of ropes, and then Asian Tough Girl admits they're not in a mapped out cave...it's one no one's ever gone through and she thought it would be great if they could explore it and then name it. They start FREAKING out.
Ohhh snap...does this hardhat make me look fat?
Along they go, deeper and deeper in this underground cavern with just flashlights and flares. The Widow keeps hearing little noises and thinks she sees a dude...but everyone thinks she's nuts.
The Lesbian at one points sees light and runs towards it (turns out, some rocks glow phosphorus), trips, falls in a hole, jacks up her leg to the point the bone has popped. Insert the convenience of having a Medical Intern to rig something up so they can keep moving.
At this point their flashlights are dying out, they're filthy, they're bitchy...and that's when the Movie Monsters appear.
Now I have to give this movie credit. Since it's supposed to take place where ther'es little/no light, they got pretty creative in showing the scenes. The flares make stuff look red, and when they introduce the Movie Monsters it's because one chick uses the night vision on the camcorder to see stuff, which has a greenish creepy glow to it.
As you can imagine, chaos and screaming ensues. Maybe I would have been more scared if I hadn't watched it at 1pm in the afternoon, with daylight pouring in through all my windows.
God, why is it always so chilly in here?!
Overall, the movie was decent. It was VERY entertaining, once you get past the boring crap of the girls drinking and catching up the night before their descent. I guess I just say "decent" because it didn't scare me per se, but other than that I'd give the movie an 8 out of 10. The ending wasn't what I expected, and I like that these girls' reactions to things are much more realistic than in other movies (as in, there's ALOT of freaking out. Which is how it should be.)
I'm having a not-so-fresh feeling right now...
The big downfall: the "behind the scenes" stuff. The way they show how they build the sets and all that was cool...but wtf do I really give a crap to hear from the Director and what everyone thought of him? And his vision? And his life at that moment? NO! When will moviemakers get that? Unles you're a celebrity director or producer (a la Lucas and Spielburg), shut yer piehole and show the stuff the actors went through and how you made the movie.
I heard this movie was super scary so I was pretty psyched to see it. I haven't seen a terrifying movie since The Ring (although 28 Days kinda creepy me out...but just 'cause I would go to bed thinking "what if there WERE some sort of disease that made people like that?)...
But...I digress.
The Descent is a semi-low budget movie with no famous people in it. Which oftentimes is good, because then it feels a bit more "real" (as in, if Angelina Jolie were in it, I'd be fully aware that her fate isn't at risk).
The title of the movie has two different meanings...the obvious one is that 6 girls go off to explore underground caverns. The other relatively obvious meaning is the descent into madness.
So the general gist is that there's 6 girls who are adventurous "yeah girl power woo hoo" types and they get together for a weekend of girly adventure crap. One chick's husband and child died recently, and it's hinted early on that one of the other chicks (aka Asian Tough Girl) was having an affair (even if just emotional) with the Dead Husband.
The 6 girls are:
Asian Tough Girl
The Widow (our heroine for the movie with a brit accent)
Party Girl Friend (brit accent)
Plain Girl (american)
The Medical Intern (american, younger sis of Plain Girl)
The Irish Lesbian (I don't know if she's a lesbian, but she kinda looks it)
The girls all go underground, they're all oohing and ahhing, with Asian Tough GIrl leading the way. They go through this nook in the cavern, until the nook collapses. So they're trapped in the cavern, they've lost a bag of ropes, and then Asian Tough Girl admits they're not in a mapped out cave...it's one no one's ever gone through and she thought it would be great if they could explore it and then name it. They start FREAKING out.
Ohhh snap...does this hardhat make me look fat?
Along they go, deeper and deeper in this underground cavern with just flashlights and flares. The Widow keeps hearing little noises and thinks she sees a dude...but everyone thinks she's nuts.
The Lesbian at one points sees light and runs towards it (turns out, some rocks glow phosphorus), trips, falls in a hole, jacks up her leg to the point the bone has popped. Insert the convenience of having a Medical Intern to rig something up so they can keep moving.
At this point their flashlights are dying out, they're filthy, they're bitchy...and that's when the Movie Monsters appear.
Now I have to give this movie credit. Since it's supposed to take place where ther'es little/no light, they got pretty creative in showing the scenes. The flares make stuff look red, and when they introduce the Movie Monsters it's because one chick uses the night vision on the camcorder to see stuff, which has a greenish creepy glow to it.
As you can imagine, chaos and screaming ensues. Maybe I would have been more scared if I hadn't watched it at 1pm in the afternoon, with daylight pouring in through all my windows.
God, why is it always so chilly in here?!
Overall, the movie was decent. It was VERY entertaining, once you get past the boring crap of the girls drinking and catching up the night before their descent. I guess I just say "decent" because it didn't scare me per se, but other than that I'd give the movie an 8 out of 10. The ending wasn't what I expected, and I like that these girls' reactions to things are much more realistic than in other movies (as in, there's ALOT of freaking out. Which is how it should be.)
I'm having a not-so-fresh feeling right now...
The big downfall: the "behind the scenes" stuff. The way they show how they build the sets and all that was cool...but wtf do I really give a crap to hear from the Director and what everyone thought of him? And his vision? And his life at that moment? NO! When will moviemakers get that? Unles you're a celebrity director or producer (a la Lucas and Spielburg), shut yer piehole and show the stuff the actors went through and how you made the movie.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Book review
Book Review: My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
Since I was bed-bound all weekend, I cranked through all 423 pages in one day.
This book is phenomenal.
The general gyst of the story is about a chick (Anna) who is born specifically to be a cord-blood donor for her sister (Kate) who's got leukemia. Her parents specially "picked" the same genes as the dying sister to make sure they're an exact match.
13 years later, Anna's had to donate bone marrow and platelets and other medical mumbo jumbo...and now Kate needs a kidney, and Anna doesn't want to give it. So she seeks out an attorney to have the right to NOT give her kidney, knowing that without it her sister will die. Opposing counsel? Her own mother, who used to be a lawyer in her previous life before the world of cancer came through...
What really makes this interesting is that the story progesses on a day-by-day basis until the trial, and everyone involved has a chapter. The lawyer, the chick responsible for making sure Anna's taken care of, the parents, the brother....So you can truly sympathise with all sides.
The ending is a wee little bit predictable, but still shocking to say the least.
This one paragraph actually had me bawling (okay, to my defense, I was on my deathbed...a Hallmark commercial would have made me cry). This is Sarah (the mom)'s chapter, she's in the hospital talking to Kate about her time at some camp for kids with cancer:
I pull my chair closer to the hospital bed. "Do you remember the summer we signed you up for camp? And the night before you left, you said you'd changed your mind and wanted to stay home? I told you to get a seat on the left side of the bus, so that when it pulled away, you'd be able to look back and see me there, waiting for you." I press her hand against my cheek, hard enough to leave a mark. "You get that same seat in Heaven. One where you can watch me, watching you."
Man, if the thought of ever having to tell your child that doesn't rip you apart,nothing will!
Since I was bed-bound all weekend, I cranked through all 423 pages in one day.
This book is phenomenal.
The general gyst of the story is about a chick (Anna) who is born specifically to be a cord-blood donor for her sister (Kate) who's got leukemia. Her parents specially "picked" the same genes as the dying sister to make sure they're an exact match.
13 years later, Anna's had to donate bone marrow and platelets and other medical mumbo jumbo...and now Kate needs a kidney, and Anna doesn't want to give it. So she seeks out an attorney to have the right to NOT give her kidney, knowing that without it her sister will die. Opposing counsel? Her own mother, who used to be a lawyer in her previous life before the world of cancer came through...
What really makes this interesting is that the story progesses on a day-by-day basis until the trial, and everyone involved has a chapter. The lawyer, the chick responsible for making sure Anna's taken care of, the parents, the brother....So you can truly sympathise with all sides.
The ending is a wee little bit predictable, but still shocking to say the least.
This one paragraph actually had me bawling (okay, to my defense, I was on my deathbed...a Hallmark commercial would have made me cry). This is Sarah (the mom)'s chapter, she's in the hospital talking to Kate about her time at some camp for kids with cancer:
I pull my chair closer to the hospital bed. "Do you remember the summer we signed you up for camp? And the night before you left, you said you'd changed your mind and wanted to stay home? I told you to get a seat on the left side of the bus, so that when it pulled away, you'd be able to look back and see me there, waiting for you." I press her hand against my cheek, hard enough to leave a mark. "You get that same seat in Heaven. One where you can watch me, watching you."
Man, if the thought of ever having to tell your child that doesn't rip you apart,nothing will!
Knot in one's stomach indeed!
Thanks to everyone for being concerned about my potential trip towards the white light lol.
On another note...one of the many things that puts a knot in your stomach...when your spouse's company lays off 30% of the company...
On another note...one of the many things that puts a knot in your stomach...when your spouse's company lays off 30% of the company...
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Death is coming for me....
Karma's a bitch. This is what I get for snorting pepper. (Don't ask, 'cause I'm not gonna post what i mean on this blog!)
I can't remember the last time I was this sick. I'm thinking high school. It's a tough call, because when I lived in Canada I used to get sick on a weekly basis...the usual cold and runny nose thing, so that's the norm of life...and I moved to California and practically never got even a mild cold, I'm guessing either because I've battled so many cold viruses my immunity is made of steel OR because withthe weather and all that, it's not very conducive to getting sick.
Last Tuesday I ended up with a crazy bad fever but I toughed it out for the week....by Friday night, I was DEATH. Seriously. Death.
I did manage to get to a clinic to make sure I didn't have strep, and they said I don't but there's definitely something that's jacking up my throat (ha ha insert whatever joke you want here) and i've got a fever. I spent Friday night being delirious between crazy fever and super chills....Kraig kept asking if he could take me to the hospital but I thought between then $20 I spent on the clinic copay, plus my $50 copay to go to the hospital...pfft eff that! For $70, I can suffer.
And suffer I have...not to sound like a whiney bitch, but seriously...I'm hoping someone can club me like a baby seal and put me out of my misery. To top it off, I have laryngitis...
I'm all for sucking stuff up,hell even the nurse after the colposcopy was shocked that I would actually go back to work after that procedure and my girlfriends ripped me a new one for not having them or Kraig there with me (I don't "do" people coming in with me to the doctor)...but I've been wallowing in self misery 'cause the weather this weekend was gorgeous, I have a ton of stuff to do for Kraig's company due Monday, my house is so filthy I might as well have a sign saying "white trash lives here", and I can't begin to explain the laundry baskets full of laundry begging to be burned at this point.
Anyway, so if I'm incognito for awhile it's either because i'm in bed hacking up a lung or becuase I've figured out how to do that thing where you sit in your car with the engine running.....thank the LORD for my husband, who actually thinks that my raspy lack of a voice is cute (as he said, he likes it because i can't yell at him) and because I'm so independent, he actually LIKES it when I need him. Stab me now PLEASE.
I can't remember the last time I was this sick. I'm thinking high school. It's a tough call, because when I lived in Canada I used to get sick on a weekly basis...the usual cold and runny nose thing, so that's the norm of life...and I moved to California and practically never got even a mild cold, I'm guessing either because I've battled so many cold viruses my immunity is made of steel OR because withthe weather and all that, it's not very conducive to getting sick.
Last Tuesday I ended up with a crazy bad fever but I toughed it out for the week....by Friday night, I was DEATH. Seriously. Death.
I did manage to get to a clinic to make sure I didn't have strep, and they said I don't but there's definitely something that's jacking up my throat (ha ha insert whatever joke you want here) and i've got a fever. I spent Friday night being delirious between crazy fever and super chills....Kraig kept asking if he could take me to the hospital but I thought between then $20 I spent on the clinic copay, plus my $50 copay to go to the hospital...pfft eff that! For $70, I can suffer.
And suffer I have...not to sound like a whiney bitch, but seriously...I'm hoping someone can club me like a baby seal and put me out of my misery. To top it off, I have laryngitis...
I'm all for sucking stuff up,hell even the nurse after the colposcopy was shocked that I would actually go back to work after that procedure and my girlfriends ripped me a new one for not having them or Kraig there with me (I don't "do" people coming in with me to the doctor)...but I've been wallowing in self misery 'cause the weather this weekend was gorgeous, I have a ton of stuff to do for Kraig's company due Monday, my house is so filthy I might as well have a sign saying "white trash lives here", and I can't begin to explain the laundry baskets full of laundry begging to be burned at this point.
Anyway, so if I'm incognito for awhile it's either because i'm in bed hacking up a lung or becuase I've figured out how to do that thing where you sit in your car with the engine running.....thank the LORD for my husband, who actually thinks that my raspy lack of a voice is cute (as he said, he likes it because i can't yell at him) and because I'm so independent, he actually LIKES it when I need him. Stab me now PLEASE.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Facebook...myspace...StalkMe.Com....
Yeahhhh...I got a Facebook profile finally. Not because I really give a crap, but it seems like everyone in Canada uses Facebook and no one I know uses myspace...it's absolutely insane how many people from my high school and university have profiles and it's super creepy to see everyone..well...OLD.
Time to go work on stuff for Kraig's company...I'm whoring my time for money.
Why I've been bitchy for a few weeks....the Colpsocopy
So...the colposcopy.
Be warned: this is gonna be graphic. You're going to squirm. Maybe. I don't know. I haven't written it yet. All i can say is that it's DEFINITELY going to fall under the category of Too Much Information. If you don't want to read about women's gonads, skip this post.
Every year I'm very diligent about getting my girly checkups from the doctor...if there's any area I want to keep intact, it's "down there". This year
was no exception.
Fast forward 2 months later...I get a call from my doctor saying that there's some abnormal cell crap going on. This was at like 7pm at night and I was driving around Lake Forest trying to find a house 'cause I was buying something off a chick from Craigslist, so I was a bit out of it when she was trying to explain this to me.
Finally I had to pull into a parking lot and stop the car. I was like "but...but...I always get checked...but..." and she told me I would need a colposcopy because they want to make sure it's not cervical cancer.
So I look this whole "colposcopy" thing online, and it seems pretty simple and (allegedly) the same pain level as a regular pap. Since regular pap smears don't hurt at all, i didn't think much of it (I mean, you feel like an a-hole laying down with your knees spread out and your feet in stirrups, but it's not PAINFUL.)...
Uhhh...riigghtt....
My first mistake was working through lunch so I could do the colposcopy late in the afternoon and then come back to work. BIG BIG mistake.
I get there and the nurse tells me waht's gonna happen. And...here's what DID happen:
1. I had to be in a big special room, not a normal room like they use for pap smears.
2. Doc puts in the usual contraption they use for pap smears. That thing that looks like a stork's beak. I can't remember wtf those things are called but you get the point.
3. This bizarre solution on a gauze pad had to be rammed up inside, up against the cervix, to get skin samples and to clean up the area. This was part 1 of the bleeding...it hurt like a mofo and it's a bit alarming to see a doctor put a cloth with your blood in a jar full of solution.
4. Doc gets a colposcope, which is like a combo microscope plus lamp, and looks deeeep inside to scope out which areas have abnormal cells.
5. Doc then CUTS out the areas on the cervis with the abnormal cells and puts them in a different container with solution.
I've felt alot of pain in my life...i've had brutal ear infections, i've had a brazillian wax, i've burned myself on lord knows what, i've slashed my hand with a huge ass knife...when i was getting that fixed the doctor even commented to kraig that i've got a crazy huge tolerance for pain...ummm yeah. Getting 2 chunks of skin cut off your cervix
is the craziest pain i've ever felt. It's not that it was so horrible as much as just...BIZARRE...it's like someone's set your internal organs on fire. To be honest, I imagine it would feel alot like if someone squeezed a dude's nuts super duper hard.
6. Think it's over yet? ohhh...no...
Then this brown goo that looks like slimy peanut butter has to be applied across the cervix to make sure everything heals (sort of like a liquid bandaid if you will). It was like pouring battery acid all over the exposed flesh.
7. FInally all the instruments are taken out of me...
My take-home instructions said I couldn't have anything inside me for 2 weeks (which includes penises and tampons) and that peanut butter stuff would come out of me in black chunks so I had to wear a pantyliner immediately after the procedure ...
Now this is the part where I remind you, the disgusted reader, that this was all during my delayed lunch break...and I actually went back to work. First off, i just felt lousy...I've been molested with a camera probe before (that was for when I did the egg donation thing, which didn't pan out since they couldn't easily find my right ovary, only AFTER the rape-age of the camera occurred), but this was like...ick factor. And my stomach had super bad cramps, like when you drink a ton of water while playing sports.
The worst pain came days later, when my period started. First off, PADS. WTF. How 70s is that? Who the eff wears pads in this day and age?! If that's not straight up Judy Blume, I don't know what is. Secondly, the cramping was out of control (I never cramp during my period). I wanted to keel over and die. Well okay that's a bit much, but it was extremely uncomfortable.
A week later I had to go back for the result of the biopsy on my precious cervical skin tissue...got regular pap smear so they could scope it all out taht it was healing properly (it was), and the results are: YAY i'm A-OK!!! I gotta get regular pap smears every 4 months for a year to make sure the abnormal stuff doesn't eventually turn into cancer, but no more colposcopies!! Yaaayyyy!
Be warned: this is gonna be graphic. You're going to squirm. Maybe. I don't know. I haven't written it yet. All i can say is that it's DEFINITELY going to fall under the category of Too Much Information. If you don't want to read about women's gonads, skip this post.
Every year I'm very diligent about getting my girly checkups from the doctor...if there's any area I want to keep intact, it's "down there". This year
was no exception.
Fast forward 2 months later...I get a call from my doctor saying that there's some abnormal cell crap going on. This was at like 7pm at night and I was driving around Lake Forest trying to find a house 'cause I was buying something off a chick from Craigslist, so I was a bit out of it when she was trying to explain this to me.
Finally I had to pull into a parking lot and stop the car. I was like "but...but...I always get checked...but..." and she told me I would need a colposcopy because they want to make sure it's not cervical cancer.
So I look this whole "colposcopy" thing online, and it seems pretty simple and (allegedly) the same pain level as a regular pap. Since regular pap smears don't hurt at all, i didn't think much of it (I mean, you feel like an a-hole laying down with your knees spread out and your feet in stirrups, but it's not PAINFUL.)...
Uhhh...riigghtt....
My first mistake was working through lunch so I could do the colposcopy late in the afternoon and then come back to work. BIG BIG mistake.
I get there and the nurse tells me waht's gonna happen. And...here's what DID happen:
1. I had to be in a big special room, not a normal room like they use for pap smears.
2. Doc puts in the usual contraption they use for pap smears. That thing that looks like a stork's beak. I can't remember wtf those things are called but you get the point.
3. This bizarre solution on a gauze pad had to be rammed up inside, up against the cervix, to get skin samples and to clean up the area. This was part 1 of the bleeding...it hurt like a mofo and it's a bit alarming to see a doctor put a cloth with your blood in a jar full of solution.
4. Doc gets a colposcope, which is like a combo microscope plus lamp, and looks deeeep inside to scope out which areas have abnormal cells.
5. Doc then CUTS out the areas on the cervis with the abnormal cells and puts them in a different container with solution.
I've felt alot of pain in my life...i've had brutal ear infections, i've had a brazillian wax, i've burned myself on lord knows what, i've slashed my hand with a huge ass knife...when i was getting that fixed the doctor even commented to kraig that i've got a crazy huge tolerance for pain...ummm yeah. Getting 2 chunks of skin cut off your cervix
is the craziest pain i've ever felt. It's not that it was so horrible as much as just...BIZARRE...it's like someone's set your internal organs on fire. To be honest, I imagine it would feel alot like if someone squeezed a dude's nuts super duper hard.
6. Think it's over yet? ohhh...no...
Then this brown goo that looks like slimy peanut butter has to be applied across the cervix to make sure everything heals (sort of like a liquid bandaid if you will). It was like pouring battery acid all over the exposed flesh.
7. FInally all the instruments are taken out of me...
My take-home instructions said I couldn't have anything inside me for 2 weeks (which includes penises and tampons) and that peanut butter stuff would come out of me in black chunks so I had to wear a pantyliner immediately after the procedure ...
Now this is the part where I remind you, the disgusted reader, that this was all during my delayed lunch break...and I actually went back to work. First off, i just felt lousy...I've been molested with a camera probe before (that was for when I did the egg donation thing, which didn't pan out since they couldn't easily find my right ovary, only AFTER the rape-age of the camera occurred), but this was like...ick factor. And my stomach had super bad cramps, like when you drink a ton of water while playing sports.
The worst pain came days later, when my period started. First off, PADS. WTF. How 70s is that? Who the eff wears pads in this day and age?! If that's not straight up Judy Blume, I don't know what is. Secondly, the cramping was out of control (I never cramp during my period). I wanted to keel over and die. Well okay that's a bit much, but it was extremely uncomfortable.
A week later I had to go back for the result of the biopsy on my precious cervical skin tissue...got regular pap smear so they could scope it all out taht it was healing properly (it was), and the results are: YAY i'm A-OK!!! I gotta get regular pap smears every 4 months for a year to make sure the abnormal stuff doesn't eventually turn into cancer, but no more colposcopies!! Yaaayyyy!
Letter to the editor
Is it any better at Ballys or LA Fitness?
I get the feeling that this is the hierarchy:
LA Fitness > Ballys > 24 Hour Fitness
And to branch on that...
LA Fitness > Ballys > riding yer bike > stabbing yourself in the eye > 24HF
The only other gyms I've belonged to were private gyms OR Gold's....Gold's kicked ASS because the people who work out there truly want to improve their physique, they're not there to socialize or be retarded like at 24HF. They have spray bottles everywhere and you HAVE to wipe down your equipment after each use with disinfectant spray or else you'll get serious flack from the other members.
That being said...as I've said before...24 Hour Fitness is the McDonald's of gyms. It's not healthy, it's not ideal, but it'll do in a pinch.
(Which is sad that the trainer I had at 24HF actually used my quote when he interviewed for a job at a more elite gym)
I get the feeling that this is the hierarchy:
LA Fitness > Ballys > 24 Hour Fitness
And to branch on that...
LA Fitness > Ballys > riding yer bike > stabbing yourself in the eye > 24HF
The only other gyms I've belonged to were private gyms OR Gold's....Gold's kicked ASS because the people who work out there truly want to improve their physique, they're not there to socialize or be retarded like at 24HF. They have spray bottles everywhere and you HAVE to wipe down your equipment after each use with disinfectant spray or else you'll get serious flack from the other members.
That being said...as I've said before...24 Hour Fitness is the McDonald's of gyms. It's not healthy, it's not ideal, but it'll do in a pinch.
(Which is sad that the trainer I had at 24HF actually used my quote when he interviewed for a job at a more elite gym)
These so-called vacations will soon be my death
Wow, for a brief moment...i feel smart.
I'm trying to find info online on the courses that I took in University...some of these
actually sound like I required brain cells to pass them:
CSI2114 Data Structures (Last offering 2006/05) (3,0,1.5) 3 cr.
Introduction to abstract data types. Trees, binary search trees, balanced trees. Searching. Sorting. Simple examples of complexity analysis. Graphs, simple graph algorithms: depth-first and breadth-first search, minimum spanning tree, shortest path. (Lab work will be done in the Java programming language).
Prerequisite: CSI1101 or CSI1102.
CSI2121 Principles of Assembly Language Programming (Last offering 2006/01) (3,0,1.5) 3 cr.
Assembly language fundamentals, addressing modes, number representations, arithmetic and logic instructions, program control instructions, arrayprocessing. Procedures, parameters passing, stack operations and interfacing with high-level language. System functions interrupts, and input/output operations.
Prerequisite: CSI2111. Corequisite: CSI2167.
CSI3125 Concepts of Programming Languages (Last offering 2006/09) (3,0,2) 4 cr.
Classification of programming languages. Syntactic description of programming languages. Imperative programming languages: data objects, data types, control structures, sub-programs, principles of implementation. Logic programming languages. Functional programming languages. Object-oriented programming languages. Modules.
Prerequisites: CSI2114, two programming language labs selected among CSI2165, (CSI2171 or CSI2172 or CSI2173) and CSI2174. Cannot be combined for credits with CSI2115.
CSI3310 Operating System Principles (Last offering 2007/05) (3,0,1.5) 3 cr.
Review of computer architecture. Processes and threads. Processor scheduling. Concurrency, mutual exclusion, and synchronization. Deadlock and starvation. Memory management and virtual memory. File management and I/O management.
Prerequisite: CSI2121 or CEG3131.
Ha ha funny that alot of the classes I took are now obsolete. Much like my degree I guess.
MAT2343 Elements of Discrete Mathematics (3,0,0) 3 cr.
Basic counting techniques. Generating functions. Recurrence relations. Inclusion-exclusion principle. Graph theory: eulerian and hamiltonian graphs, planarity, coloring, digraphs, graphs and matrices. Matching.
Prerequisite: MAT1341 or MAT1361.
MAT1322 Calculus II (3,0,0) 3 cr.
Further techniques of integration. Improper integrals. Applications of the integral. Separable differential equations. Euler's method for differential equations. Sequences, series. Taylor's formula and series. Functions of two and three variables. Partial derivatives, the chain rule, directional derivatives, tangent planes and normal lines.
Prerequisite: MAT1320.
Ahhh good times feeling remotely smart. Now...not so much. In case anyone really cares,
here's the link
to the exact program that i did.
On another note, I was emailing Nicole D about St. Patty's day and I got this freakin'
Canadian drinking song in my head so I started singing it at work...well then I absolutely had to
find the mp3 online so I could play it for the poor souls who sit near me...I can't believe i actually found it
easily online for free..listen to it here...Home for a Rest...i dont' care
what kind of swanky high class bar you're in, that will ALWAYS be played at some point in the night 'cause it's upbeat (it gets faster after the first few lines),
it's about drinking, and allows drunk Canadians to hug each other while drinking and jumping up and down.
These so called vacations will soon be my death! I've been drunk for a week, I've been drunk since I left!
I got some medical results back from the doctor, i still ahve to discuss the colposcope (ohh joy), but on another note I have "dangerously low" levels of B12. When babies
are born, they have on average 2000 (whatever units) of B12 in 'em. I had....141. So that explains:
1. My general retardness...I find myself not being half as sharp as I used to be...I guess a lack of B12 can cause dementia. At least I have an excuse!
2. The fatique...thank the LORD 'cause I really was feeling like I was going insane. I can't begin to tell you how much I fantasize about sleep during the course of the day. Okay, granted,
part of that comes from the diet pepsi addiction, but even when i'm pounding that stuff back i'm exhausted. It doesn't even give me a jolt...i only drink it because I get headaches when I don't.
For now, i'm popping multi-vitamins and I've gotta get checked again in a month 'cause if vitamins don't help, it could be a lack of "intrinsic factor", blah blah.
I absolutely cannot WAIT for memorial day weekend. Four days of nonstop sleeping. That's the weekend where I wean myself off the diet pepsi...not even so much 'cause I care about the addiction
but more because I'm very vain about my teeth (and there's only so often I can bleach 'em) and I'm thinking that I'll kick myself when I'm old and my bones break.
Mmm....sleeeeeep....I'm gonna curl up in a ball on the bed with the cats around me and i'm gonna be in HEAVENNNNNN....
I'm trying to find info online on the courses that I took in University...some of these
actually sound like I required brain cells to pass them:
CSI2114 Data Structures (Last offering 2006/05) (3,0,1.5) 3 cr.
Introduction to abstract data types. Trees, binary search trees, balanced trees. Searching. Sorting. Simple examples of complexity analysis. Graphs, simple graph algorithms: depth-first and breadth-first search, minimum spanning tree, shortest path. (Lab work will be done in the Java programming language).
Prerequisite: CSI1101 or CSI1102.
CSI2121 Principles of Assembly Language Programming (Last offering 2006/01) (3,0,1.5) 3 cr.
Assembly language fundamentals, addressing modes, number representations, arithmetic and logic instructions, program control instructions, arrayprocessing. Procedures, parameters passing, stack operations and interfacing with high-level language. System functions interrupts, and input/output operations.
Prerequisite: CSI2111. Corequisite: CSI2167.
CSI3125 Concepts of Programming Languages (Last offering 2006/09) (3,0,2) 4 cr.
Classification of programming languages. Syntactic description of programming languages. Imperative programming languages: data objects, data types, control structures, sub-programs, principles of implementation. Logic programming languages. Functional programming languages. Object-oriented programming languages. Modules.
Prerequisites: CSI2114, two programming language labs selected among CSI2165, (CSI2171 or CSI2172 or CSI2173) and CSI2174. Cannot be combined for credits with CSI2115.
CSI3310 Operating System Principles (Last offering 2007/05) (3,0,1.5) 3 cr.
Review of computer architecture. Processes and threads. Processor scheduling. Concurrency, mutual exclusion, and synchronization. Deadlock and starvation. Memory management and virtual memory. File management and I/O management.
Prerequisite: CSI2121 or CEG3131.
Ha ha funny that alot of the classes I took are now obsolete. Much like my degree I guess.
MAT2343 Elements of Discrete Mathematics (3,0,0) 3 cr.
Basic counting techniques. Generating functions. Recurrence relations. Inclusion-exclusion principle. Graph theory: eulerian and hamiltonian graphs, planarity, coloring, digraphs, graphs and matrices. Matching.
Prerequisite: MAT1341 or MAT1361.
MAT1322 Calculus II (3,0,0) 3 cr.
Further techniques of integration. Improper integrals. Applications of the integral. Separable differential equations. Euler's method for differential equations. Sequences, series. Taylor's formula and series. Functions of two and three variables. Partial derivatives, the chain rule, directional derivatives, tangent planes and normal lines.
Prerequisite: MAT1320.
Ahhh good times feeling remotely smart. Now...not so much. In case anyone really cares,
here's the link
to the exact program that i did.
On another note, I was emailing Nicole D about St. Patty's day and I got this freakin'
Canadian drinking song in my head so I started singing it at work...well then I absolutely had to
find the mp3 online so I could play it for the poor souls who sit near me...I can't believe i actually found it
easily online for free..listen to it here...Home for a Rest...i dont' care
what kind of swanky high class bar you're in, that will ALWAYS be played at some point in the night 'cause it's upbeat (it gets faster after the first few lines),
it's about drinking, and allows drunk Canadians to hug each other while drinking and jumping up and down.
These so called vacations will soon be my death! I've been drunk for a week, I've been drunk since I left!
I got some medical results back from the doctor, i still ahve to discuss the colposcope (ohh joy), but on another note I have "dangerously low" levels of B12. When babies
are born, they have on average 2000 (whatever units) of B12 in 'em. I had....141. So that explains:
1. My general retardness...I find myself not being half as sharp as I used to be...I guess a lack of B12 can cause dementia. At least I have an excuse!
2. The fatique...thank the LORD 'cause I really was feeling like I was going insane. I can't begin to tell you how much I fantasize about sleep during the course of the day. Okay, granted,
part of that comes from the diet pepsi addiction, but even when i'm pounding that stuff back i'm exhausted. It doesn't even give me a jolt...i only drink it because I get headaches when I don't.
For now, i'm popping multi-vitamins and I've gotta get checked again in a month 'cause if vitamins don't help, it could be a lack of "intrinsic factor", blah blah.
I absolutely cannot WAIT for memorial day weekend. Four days of nonstop sleeping. That's the weekend where I wean myself off the diet pepsi...not even so much 'cause I care about the addiction
but more because I'm very vain about my teeth (and there's only so often I can bleach 'em) and I'm thinking that I'll kick myself when I'm old and my bones break.
Mmm....sleeeeeep....I'm gonna curl up in a ball on the bed with the cats around me and i'm gonna be in HEAVENNNNNN....
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Movie Review: OPEN WATER
Movie Review: Open Water aka: a movie about 2 people surrounded by sharks and not even scared of them becuase they're too busy complaining about how they want a refund on their diving trip.
When the movie Open Water hit the theaters, it got crazy good reviews. I'm guessing because it's based on a true story. And when people say "Based on a true story" or "Based on actual events", you know that the only part that is "actual" is the part where the main character brushes their teeth.
But I figure...it's a shark movie, so I don't really care for accuracy as much as the "crap my pants" factor.
Well...let's just say...I'm betting this really is exactly how it happened.
It's 2 hours of a couple swimming in the ocean combined with 3 minutes of a shark taking a chomp out of the dude's leg. That's it.
Well let me even elaborate...It's 2 hours of...
1. Cheap filming (you can hear every background noise).
2. Them packing their bags and heading in the dude's car. Her being frantic about leaving work behind.
3. Them vegging out on vacation.
4. Them in their hotel room (alert! boob shot! and they don't even have sex! Miss Thang has a sunburnt nose!)
5. Buddy brushes his teeth.
6. Middle of the night, the guy has to kill a fly.
7. They go out on a tour boat thingy to go diving
8. Some new york guy forgot his mask. He freaks out for like 20 minutes.
9. Everyone goes diving.
10. The couple accidentally gets left behind.
11. They're in the water.
12. They stay in the water.
13. They pee in the water.
14. Girly finds candy in her wetsuit.
15. They argue in the water.
16. The timeline is displayed on screen. It's been like 8 hours.
17. Girly gets stung by a jellyfish and complains.
"Ohhhh jellyfish! It hurts! It hurts! This is the most screaming I'm going to do for the next 24 hours because I'm more scared of a frickin' jellyfish than Jaws! Ohhh my pedicure is ruined!"
18. It gets dark.
19. They complain they want their money back.
20. A shark comes by and chomps a chunk out of the guy's leg.
21. They complain some more.
22. Nighttime comes. It's cold.
23. Morning comes. it's cold.
24. Chicky realizes the boy is dead.
25. She takes her stuff off and then slips underwater.
And that's it.
Uhhh call me crazy, but when you say "based on a true story" that actually allows you to toss in moments that might be interesting to the viewer, regardless if it happened or not. Otherwise, that's THE TRUE STORY and its boring as hell.
If there was a movie about paint drying, this was it. I actually got mad after I saw it. I mean, wtf. Do they really know if they woke up to catch flies? Do they really know if she was obsessed with her laptop? No. They made it up and put it in the movie. Do we really know if she went to bed naked with sunblock on her nose (uhhh word to the wise: chicks don't SLEEP naked unless they want to stay up all night doing naked activity). Of course we don't. THey made it up. Couldn't they have made up the SHARK ATTACK A LITTLE BIT BETTER?!!!?!??!
Like the guy screaming bloody murder, the girl pulled under water, them fighting off the shark...OH yeah they had a weapon...a knife...but Dude drops it before ever using it. Hey just a thought moviemakers: show us a scene where he stabs a shark inthe eye!??!?!?!!!
Seriously. Paint drying. In movie format.
Then I thought maybe the DVD extras would maybe show a bit more about the true couple and all that. Umm...no. It was about the married couple who directed this movie. And you know what they talked about? How much the birth of their child impacted their view on moviemaking. WTF.
If I gained anything from this movie, it's that sharks aren't scary at all and that you should make sure your tour boat person remembers to pick you up.
When the movie Open Water hit the theaters, it got crazy good reviews. I'm guessing because it's based on a true story. And when people say "Based on a true story" or "Based on actual events", you know that the only part that is "actual" is the part where the main character brushes their teeth.
But I figure...it's a shark movie, so I don't really care for accuracy as much as the "crap my pants" factor.
Well...let's just say...I'm betting this really is exactly how it happened.
It's 2 hours of a couple swimming in the ocean combined with 3 minutes of a shark taking a chomp out of the dude's leg. That's it.
Well let me even elaborate...It's 2 hours of...
1. Cheap filming (you can hear every background noise).
2. Them packing their bags and heading in the dude's car. Her being frantic about leaving work behind.
3. Them vegging out on vacation.
4. Them in their hotel room (alert! boob shot! and they don't even have sex! Miss Thang has a sunburnt nose!)
5. Buddy brushes his teeth.
6. Middle of the night, the guy has to kill a fly.
7. They go out on a tour boat thingy to go diving
8. Some new york guy forgot his mask. He freaks out for like 20 minutes.
9. Everyone goes diving.
10. The couple accidentally gets left behind.
11. They're in the water.
12. They stay in the water.
13. They pee in the water.
14. Girly finds candy in her wetsuit.
15. They argue in the water.
16. The timeline is displayed on screen. It's been like 8 hours.
17. Girly gets stung by a jellyfish and complains.
"Ohhhh jellyfish! It hurts! It hurts! This is the most screaming I'm going to do for the next 24 hours because I'm more scared of a frickin' jellyfish than Jaws! Ohhh my pedicure is ruined!"
18. It gets dark.
19. They complain they want their money back.
20. A shark comes by and chomps a chunk out of the guy's leg.
21. They complain some more.
22. Nighttime comes. It's cold.
23. Morning comes. it's cold.
24. Chicky realizes the boy is dead.
25. She takes her stuff off and then slips underwater.
And that's it.
Uhhh call me crazy, but when you say "based on a true story" that actually allows you to toss in moments that might be interesting to the viewer, regardless if it happened or not. Otherwise, that's THE TRUE STORY and its boring as hell.
If there was a movie about paint drying, this was it. I actually got mad after I saw it. I mean, wtf. Do they really know if they woke up to catch flies? Do they really know if she was obsessed with her laptop? No. They made it up and put it in the movie. Do we really know if she went to bed naked with sunblock on her nose (uhhh word to the wise: chicks don't SLEEP naked unless they want to stay up all night doing naked activity). Of course we don't. THey made it up. Couldn't they have made up the SHARK ATTACK A LITTLE BIT BETTER?!!!?!??!
Like the guy screaming bloody murder, the girl pulled under water, them fighting off the shark...OH yeah they had a weapon...a knife...but Dude drops it before ever using it. Hey just a thought moviemakers: show us a scene where he stabs a shark inthe eye!??!?!?!!!
Seriously. Paint drying. In movie format.
Then I thought maybe the DVD extras would maybe show a bit more about the true couple and all that. Umm...no. It was about the married couple who directed this movie. And you know what they talked about? How much the birth of their child impacted their view on moviemaking. WTF.
If I gained anything from this movie, it's that sharks aren't scary at all and that you should make sure your tour boat person remembers to pick you up.
Bathe yourself in someone else's sweat
So i have absolutely HAD IT with the excessive heat at 24 Hour Fitness. It's crazy hot in that frickin' ghetto-ass gym. Last night I was there till 11pm...which means taht it should have been relatively cool with less bodies and all...it was 78 effing degrees!
And worst of all, I know employees aren't allowed to change the temperature. WTF is up with that?! Like some dude in some random corporate office knows what it should be in southern california at night?!?!
So i did some research, and clearly i'm not the only one who feels this way:
The Squeaky Wheel
Upon a fourth call, I was told that gym employees are forbidden to adjust the AC controls and would be fired if they did so. An operations mgr. stated that only a corporate employee is allowed to set and adjust the AC. The mgr. also stated, amiably, calling 24 Hour Fitness corporate would be a waste of time since a myriad of such complaints had preceded mine; I tend to agree.
Epinions for TX location
Now recently 24 Hour Fitness has made another stupid decision by choosing to raise the temperature of their clubs to 78 degrees from 69 degrees. This was done without doubt to cut costs and boost profits at the expense of their members. The clubs blame this on the corporate office and tell you to go online and complain to them, which I did and NEVER have gotten a response yet even after 20 complaints. I then decided to call the corporate phone number presented on their website, when I called them they blame it on the club saying they have no authority over individual clubs.
So my plan is to call corporate myself and get to the bottom of this. 'Cause seriously, SERIOUSLY, it's retarded how hot they keep their gyms. Heck, eff air conditioning, just install some/more fans!
And worst of all, I know employees aren't allowed to change the temperature. WTF is up with that?! Like some dude in some random corporate office knows what it should be in southern california at night?!?!
So i did some research, and clearly i'm not the only one who feels this way:
The Squeaky Wheel
Upon a fourth call, I was told that gym employees are forbidden to adjust the AC controls and would be fired if they did so. An operations mgr. stated that only a corporate employee is allowed to set and adjust the AC. The mgr. also stated, amiably, calling 24 Hour Fitness corporate would be a waste of time since a myriad of such complaints had preceded mine; I tend to agree.
Epinions for TX location
Now recently 24 Hour Fitness has made another stupid decision by choosing to raise the temperature of their clubs to 78 degrees from 69 degrees. This was done without doubt to cut costs and boost profits at the expense of their members. The clubs blame this on the corporate office and tell you to go online and complain to them, which I did and NEVER have gotten a response yet even after 20 complaints. I then decided to call the corporate phone number presented on their website, when I called them they blame it on the club saying they have no authority over individual clubs.
So my plan is to call corporate myself and get to the bottom of this. 'Cause seriously, SERIOUSLY, it's retarded how hot they keep their gyms. Heck, eff air conditioning, just install some/more fans!
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Case of the Ex
Maybe he was drunk. ..he had the phonezs
Nope. He called me originally 8am his time, and then again at 8am our time...and he was working...that's why i kept asking if he was high, but he definitely wasn't drunk....
Nope. He called me originally 8am his time, and then again at 8am our time...and he was working...that's why i kept asking if he was high, but he definitely wasn't drunk....
Gettin' old....
How I know I'm getting frickin' old...
- I get hangovers when I drink (like the one I'm experiencing right now). I never used to get hangovers.
- there's wrinkle formations on my forehead
- the #1 spot where age shows: hands. And my hands are NOT looking too good anymore. (I was very vain about my hands back in the day, and even did a cheesy hand modeling thing for Suzanne's company, but now my hands look like those of the crypt keeper)
- I found myself at the magazine rack yesterday and Cosmo, Marie Claire, and Glamour didn't interest me. The "Better Homes and Gardens" special issue of Budget Decorating did. WTF. Maybe it was because when I flipped through the Cosmo article on "99 Things You Didn't Know About Sex", I discovered that I did indeed know 99 things about sex and didn't need an article to remind me.
- I'm worrying about the effects my soda drinking is having on my bones.
- I'm worried about the effects of my bad posture to my overall frame (for when i'm REAL old)
- I actually find myself appalled with the stuff that teen girls wear today. Don't get me wrong...I used to sneak out of the house with itty bitty short skirts and little crop tops (ahhh the cellulite-free days), but I was also legal drinking age when I did that....The stuff I see 14 year olds wear, i'm like, wtf! Don't go out of your way to make your daughter attractive to perverts.
- I'm valuing comfort over looking good. That applies to shoes, clothes, makeup, you name it. What I used to wear when grunging it up at home now seems very appropriate to go to social events wearing.
I had to draw the line last week when some people were trying to convince me that I could wear a purse with a big floral pattern...ummm no. The day I have a leather purse with big floral patterns all over it is the day I get my pass to Leisure World.
And I really don't want to hear the schpiel about how I'm not that old or how i look young blah blah...unless you're 18, you have no credibility as to what looks young or not.
Mannnnn...the day I get a grey hair is going to be BAD. Like, REAL bad. It's not that I'm that vain about my appearance...but deep down, I associate age with all sorts of responsibilities that I'm either ill-equipped to face or just don't want to even deal with. I was trying to think of the ideal age, 'cause I remember perfectly well at 10 wanting to be a grownup and my mom saying "yeah well trust me, you're going to wish you a kid when you grow up" ...so as a kid, i hated being a kid and as an adult, i hate being one...So the ideal age is Conception to 4 years old. Now THAT'S when life is grand.
- I get hangovers when I drink (like the one I'm experiencing right now). I never used to get hangovers.
- there's wrinkle formations on my forehead
- the #1 spot where age shows: hands. And my hands are NOT looking too good anymore. (I was very vain about my hands back in the day, and even did a cheesy hand modeling thing for Suzanne's company, but now my hands look like those of the crypt keeper)
- I found myself at the magazine rack yesterday and Cosmo, Marie Claire, and Glamour didn't interest me. The "Better Homes and Gardens" special issue of Budget Decorating did. WTF. Maybe it was because when I flipped through the Cosmo article on "99 Things You Didn't Know About Sex", I discovered that I did indeed know 99 things about sex and didn't need an article to remind me.
- I'm worrying about the effects my soda drinking is having on my bones.
- I'm worried about the effects of my bad posture to my overall frame (for when i'm REAL old)
- I actually find myself appalled with the stuff that teen girls wear today. Don't get me wrong...I used to sneak out of the house with itty bitty short skirts and little crop tops (ahhh the cellulite-free days), but I was also legal drinking age when I did that....The stuff I see 14 year olds wear, i'm like, wtf! Don't go out of your way to make your daughter attractive to perverts.
- I'm valuing comfort over looking good. That applies to shoes, clothes, makeup, you name it. What I used to wear when grunging it up at home now seems very appropriate to go to social events wearing.
I had to draw the line last week when some people were trying to convince me that I could wear a purse with a big floral pattern...ummm no. The day I have a leather purse with big floral patterns all over it is the day I get my pass to Leisure World.
And I really don't want to hear the schpiel about how I'm not that old or how i look young blah blah...unless you're 18, you have no credibility as to what looks young or not.
Mannnnn...the day I get a grey hair is going to be BAD. Like, REAL bad. It's not that I'm that vain about my appearance...but deep down, I associate age with all sorts of responsibilities that I'm either ill-equipped to face or just don't want to even deal with. I was trying to think of the ideal age, 'cause I remember perfectly well at 10 wanting to be a grownup and my mom saying "yeah well trust me, you're going to wish you a kid when you grow up" ...so as a kid, i hated being a kid and as an adult, i hate being one...So the ideal age is Conception to 4 years old. Now THAT'S when life is grand.
Friday, March 09, 2007
Canadian $$$
Hey what is Canadian Money called?
Because I called the bank and I was like yea do you have any Canadian Money in stock I need like whatever the equivalent is to $40. The lady on the phone is yeah Euros we have them in stock. And I was like NO Canada...Canadian Money. She gave the phone to someone else. So yea whats the money called there?
It's a Canadian dollar :)
Because I called the bank and I was like yea do you have any Canadian Money in stock I need like whatever the equivalent is to $40. The lady on the phone is yeah Euros we have them in stock. And I was like NO Canada...Canadian Money. She gave the phone to someone else. So yea whats the money called there?
It's a Canadian dollar :)
I've got top of the line baby fetuses!
Mannnn total chaos the past few days. I feel like I've had my head up my ass.
First off: US Citizenship paperwork. I was all happy because I FINALLY filled out the paperwork (no easy feat...do you know the EXACT date you started a job 5 years ago? Or the date you flew somewhere 5 years ago?!?!)...then I was searching for the addy to send the paperwork to as well as the costs...
It's $330 for the filing, plus $70 for the biometric fingerprinting. Thing is, i already DID that for my green card. They scanned it in electronically. Every frickin' finger. MY FINGERPRINTS HAVE NOT CHANGED. Why the EFF do i have to pay $70 for that again?
And then I came across a part where it said "refer to The Guide. I'm like "what guide?!"...there's no part number or form number referenced and on the website it doesn't link to this alleged Guide...so after serious hunting on the USCIS website I found THE GUIDE...
Uh yeah the Guide tells me I need proof of marriage, tax returns, new photos with enough border to sign my name on it, blah blah...wtf! I DID ALL THAT ALREADY...other than the photos, there's no point for that!
Argh.
Then my phone co mpletely crapped out today, I called Verizon, they figured it was the phone itself and that i need to get a replacement (its under warranty)...but then it suddenly started working sorta...really bizarre. A manager at work had the same problem, verizon made him get a new phone too and that didn't make a diff...apparently it's 'cause of the time change situation, it's effing up some people's phones...
AND...finally...the boyfriend I had in university called me today...that was super bizarre...so we chatted for a bit 'cause I thought he had a point (like he was going to tell me he's dying or that he ran into a friend of mine or something), and i kept asking "are you high? seriously, did you high-dial me?"...
Weird weird day.
First off: US Citizenship paperwork. I was all happy because I FINALLY filled out the paperwork (no easy feat...do you know the EXACT date you started a job 5 years ago? Or the date you flew somewhere 5 years ago?!?!)...then I was searching for the addy to send the paperwork to as well as the costs...
It's $330 for the filing, plus $70 for the biometric fingerprinting. Thing is, i already DID that for my green card. They scanned it in electronically. Every frickin' finger. MY FINGERPRINTS HAVE NOT CHANGED. Why the EFF do i have to pay $70 for that again?
And then I came across a part where it said "refer to The Guide. I'm like "what guide?!"...there's no part number or form number referenced and on the website it doesn't link to this alleged Guide...so after serious hunting on the USCIS website I found THE GUIDE...
Uh yeah the Guide tells me I need proof of marriage, tax returns, new photos with enough border to sign my name on it, blah blah...wtf! I DID ALL THAT ALREADY...other than the photos, there's no point for that!
Argh.
Then my phone co mpletely crapped out today, I called Verizon, they figured it was the phone itself and that i need to get a replacement (its under warranty)...but then it suddenly started working sorta...really bizarre. A manager at work had the same problem, verizon made him get a new phone too and that didn't make a diff...apparently it's 'cause of the time change situation, it's effing up some people's phones...
AND...finally...the boyfriend I had in university called me today...that was super bizarre...so we chatted for a bit 'cause I thought he had a point (like he was going to tell me he's dying or that he ran into a friend of mine or something), and i kept asking "are you high? seriously, did you high-dial me?"...
Weird weird day.
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Weekend wrap up
So I've been crazy lazy on posting anything, mostly because I'm tired of my own random griping and bitching and actually THINKING.
So...some upcoming topics that i WILL get around to griping about, once my brain actually wakes up...
1. Why Tom Lykas' "Lykas 101" is correct.
2. Usual tv and movie reviews
3. The joys of a colposcope (not to be confused with colonoscopy)
4. Why the Anna Nicole Smith news made bigger headlines than the war in Iraq
5. Why "smug married" couples annoy us non-smug as well
In other news, I learned last night that guys will not drink a beverage called Blue Balls, unless it's a shot...if it's a drink they won't go near it. If it's renamed to Blue Thunder then its manly enough for them to drink.
I also tried Mead for the first time ever last night...I hadn't even heard of it but the bartender tried to push beer on me (I was at a brewmaking place), I tried to explain that i don't like beer, i'm not a beer drinker, blah blah...and he said i had to try their homemade Mead...but then everyone told me it wasn't beer, it's more like a type of wine...so I don't know what hte point was. Well other than that I got a free sample so I guess I can't complain.
And...finally...MUST FILL OUT THE US CITIZENSHIP paperwork...it has to get done 'cause I can't plan any trips back to Canada until I get my head out of my ass and get all that stuff scheduled.
So...some upcoming topics that i WILL get around to griping about, once my brain actually wakes up...
1. Why Tom Lykas' "Lykas 101" is correct.
2. Usual tv and movie reviews
3. The joys of a colposcope (not to be confused with colonoscopy)
4. Why the Anna Nicole Smith news made bigger headlines than the war in Iraq
5. Why "smug married" couples annoy us non-smug as well
In other news, I learned last night that guys will not drink a beverage called Blue Balls, unless it's a shot...if it's a drink they won't go near it. If it's renamed to Blue Thunder then its manly enough for them to drink.
I also tried Mead for the first time ever last night...I hadn't even heard of it but the bartender tried to push beer on me (I was at a brewmaking place), I tried to explain that i don't like beer, i'm not a beer drinker, blah blah...and he said i had to try their homemade Mead...but then everyone told me it wasn't beer, it's more like a type of wine...so I don't know what hte point was. Well other than that I got a free sample so I guess I can't complain.
And...finally...MUST FILL OUT THE US CITIZENSHIP paperwork...it has to get done 'cause I can't plan any trips back to Canada until I get my head out of my ass and get all that stuff scheduled.
Letter to the editor
I guess that Canadian humor... like there choices in many things differs greatly from us American.
I watched it with someone who is a huge Office fans, and neither of us even laughed in the slightest.
Sorry, but this skit sucked... Lazy Sunday and D.I.T.B will live on forever.
First off, i said it was the best INTRO ever...and it's DIAB, not DITB....
Secondly, it's not Canadian humor...a bunch of people I know who watch the show thought it was a kickass intro...
Note the use of the word INTRO. Not the best SKIT ever...just the best INTRO ever.
And your "someone" who is a huge office fan better not be your roommate, because he isn't a "huge" fan...he waits days to download the episode and watch it...a huge fan won't go more than 24 hours without watching it after it's aired!
I watched it with someone who is a huge Office fans, and neither of us even laughed in the slightest.
Sorry, but this skit sucked... Lazy Sunday and D.I.T.B will live on forever.
First off, i said it was the best INTRO ever...and it's DIAB, not DITB....
Secondly, it's not Canadian humor...a bunch of people I know who watch the show thought it was a kickass intro...
Note the use of the word INTRO. Not the best SKIT ever...just the best INTRO ever.
And your "someone" who is a huge office fan better not be your roommate, because he isn't a "huge" fan...he waits days to download the episode and watch it...a huge fan won't go more than 24 hours without watching it after it's aired!
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