Rant about Warcraft

I normally don't like to hate things. It makes me feel ugly and small. I much prefer to try and be understanding, which doesn't always work. This is one of those times.
I hate that my boyfriend plays Warcraft. Hate hate hate hate hate. And I don't know how to tell him. I've tried so hard to be gentle and compassionate, then upfront, and then pissed off, but I'm seriously at my wit's end. I'm afraid that if it continues and he doesn't follow through on his promise to change, it's going to be an ever-growing wedge between us. I don't want that, and I don't think he realizes just how much it's happening.
Last night was our last night in our little house before moving next door. I wanted to spend some time with him, cuddle a bit in our little house. He told me he would be finished by 10pm, 10:30 at the latest, and I said I would wait up for him. Well, I did, and he wasn't finished, because his friends were late in "showing up" and it was taking "longer than he anticipated." I ended up staying up until 11:30 for him and he never got off the fucking computer. I think he was on there until past midnight, which he promised me wouldn't happen anymore.
I talked to his mom about it this morning and she said she's had it with his addictive game behavior. I think she's going to have a serious talk with him, which is good, because apparently he isn't listening to me, no matter how hard I try.
I hate Warcraft.

new house!

Moving into my new digs today. Goodbye to the little house! I wish I'd take more pictures of it. Julien's parents are needing to stay with us for a week or two because there was a storm, meaning they can't bring their new boat up from Santa Barbara.
Oh yeah, forgot to mention, the house we're moving into is the one Julien's parents used to rent, right next door to ours! It's been the easiest move I've ever had.
I'll show you some footage of the new house as soon as it looks presentable, i.e. without a bunch of boxes clogging up the works.

Barefoot and pregnant

I just read this appalling article online: Women's Right to Vote, the Beginning or the End of America? The person who wrote it actually had the audacity to claim that women shouldn't vote, because they are too emotional to really know what they're doing. And by giving women the right to vote, America is heading on a downward spiral of doom.
Well, I was so stricken by the hell-hole that is this article, that I posted what I considered to be a logically-based argument against his misguided theory. Make sure to read the article before reading my response, otherwise you might not understand:

Dear Writer,

I'm not going to assume your education level, religion, even your gender - I'm just going to speak to you as a person. Your claim that men are ruled by logic and women are ruled by emotion is weak, misguided and completely ridiculous, both scientifically and philosophically.
You do realize that every motivation, regardless of any physical characteristic, including gender, comes from a personal, subjective standpoint ... which is, guess what, emotional. It is impossible for anybody to be completely logical, because logic implies a complete lack of meaning, response or personal interest.
And before you claim that those are "women's words," those ideas are philosophical findings that were introduced by men far before women had any rights apart from their fathers or husbands. These philosophical concepts were reinforced by scientific research into the brain that was introduced, again by men, in the mid 19th century.
In addition, the idea of the word "emotion" (and all that's attributed to it) is merely an umbrella term for any physiological response that the brain provides in order to assist in a reaction to outside stimuli. That's the very definition of logical thought: see, process, respond.
So in retrospect, are emotions logical or are logistics emotional?
Maybe you should do a little more research before ranting about something you don't understand.

Signed,
Anonymous
p.s. I suppose you feel like slavery should still exist, too.

Survey

Found this on Lady Croissant.

what is your current obsession?
The weekend.

what are you wearing now?
Libertine for Target button-up blouse, black mid-waist pants, my red robot socks, Camper sneakers and a yellow fedora with the tag cut out. This entire outfit only cost me $8 (for the hat, everything was was hand-me-downs or gifts).

do you nap a lot?
No, because my mind is always way too busy.

why is today special?
Because it's Friday and I get to pack for the move this weekend!

what would you like to learn to do?
I want to perfect my French before I learn anything else.

what's for dinner?
Je ne sais pas. I might cook up that gnocchi I've been saving, grab some gorgonzola from the store and cook it with some veggies. Sounds pretty yummy. Jules will be jealous.

what was the last thing you bought?
Groceries. So exciting.

what are you listening to right now?
An air condition. I really should turn on some music.

what is your favorite weather?
Depends on my mood. It's a beautiful sunny day today and I'm loving it.

what is on your bedside table?
Don't have one right now.

what's your style?
Hmm ... I would say a mix of boho and preppy. I like to mix things up. Oh, and I always like wearing a bit (or a lot!) of color. Hence, the hat.

what is your most challenging goal right now?
To clear this little debt I have from having to replace all the brakes in my stupid car.

say something to the person who tagged you.
Nobody tagged me, I volunteered for this little thing.

if you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where do you want it to be?
Paris.

favorite vacation spot?
Gualala. Going there next week!

name the things you cannot live without.
Life, love and edamame.

what would you like to have in your hands right now?
My boyfriend.

what would you like to get rid of?
My debt.

what was the last book you read?
Technically it was my French textbook. Don't have much time for reading, my dear.

if you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
Home. Sleep.

what language do you want to be able to speak?
I think I've already established that.

why did you start blogging?
Because it's fun!

Nameless

(this was inspired by the story of Rumplestiltskin, as assignment for my Creative Writing class, as well as some other things going on in my life.)

Nameless

You give everything
and still I don't know you.

You take everything
and still I don't know you.

You dance in fields,
laughing, shouting.
I watch from the darkness
like a stranger.

Two Things

I've had a crazy week, which is why I haven't been writing. I'm really really really really tired now. Here's what's been going on:

1. I had to take my car in to get my brakes fixed. I figured I probably should after they would screech when I accelerate and shake when I braked. 2 days of crappy sleep and $500 bucks later and I have my car back, good as new. The only downside is the bad brakes really took a toll on my two rear tires, which I have to replace now. Gonna cost another $200 bucks or so. Yippee. Luckily I get to sleep in my own bed tonight and use my own car in the morning. I've been staying at my parents because my repair shop of choice is in their town and my boyfriend currently doesn't have a car.
2. The 'avant-green' fashion event that I've been planning for 2 months happened last night. I've got to tell you, I'm so glad it's over! It was fun, but I am exhausted. The models were great, except one didn't show up. The problem I had was with my fellow volunteers. I had to show up at 5:00 because I worked, and when I got there it was like there were no volunteers helping the models, even though at least two of them were assigned JUST to help them. I had to drag people in to help me just to keep everything going. And then I kept having to drag them over the course of the entire night, which sucked for me, because I wanted to relax at least a little bit. But no, I'm not allowed that luxury. Overall the event was a success, but it really battered the crap out of me.

Virginity

I recently came across a blog entry in The Daily Beast (not something I typically read, mind you) written by "Natalie Dylan," the self-proclaimed virgin who's about to collect almost $4 million dollars by selling her virginity online. This article spewed out a few fancy trigger words like "experiment" and "oppression," but the main point of the article, perhaps one she did not intend, says this: if we're seen as objects, we should become objects, that way we can get a little extra cash.
In the article, "Natalie" mentions how society has always viewed virginity as a valued commodity, i.e. fathers would sell their virginal daughters for profit and status, which is true. That's not what bothers me, although it essentially does ... but that's for another article. It's the next part that bothers me. She says that she considers herself independent for taking that tradition and "flipping it" so that she's benefiting from it financially instead of some man. Now, that's the part that isn't true.
She isn't flipping it, she's helping it.
By selling her virginity online in such a crude and lucrative way, "Natalie" is perpetuating a ludicrous and sexist system that only serves to continue viewing women as objects to be purchased. "Natalie" is creating a bad example for young women everywhere - that, as long as we live in crooked times, we should accept what we're given and milk it for all it's worth. Those kind of things never turn out well, both principally and emotionally.
Am I the only one who sees the heartlessness is this?
Now, I'm not advocating for treating your virginity like some priceless artifact that needs to be handed over to your dear husband for him to put on his shelf. But I do believe that one's virginity is something that is personal, private and should be shared with someone who matters to you. Not some John Doe with an extra mil or two to spare.

It happens everywhere

Read this article about the atrocities of sexual violence happening in Congo right now. This article made me physically sick to my stomach, but it's something that everybody should read. It just shows how bad things can get when we don't work to stop sexual abuse and violence.

Women in Congo Speak Out About Rape

The neverending awesomeness ...

Despite the fact that, generally, I consider myself to be a lucky person (I once won a hot air balloon ride by entering a free contest at Safeway), I've never really had good luck with computers. My (now) previous laptop was no exception. I bought it less than 2 years ago and since then it has probably been at the Best Buy repair center more than I've ever had it at home! It's been a never-ending stream of small problems and little annoyances, like a broken wireless button or 2 small dots of light on the screen that would never go away. Thank goodness for my 3-year Geek Squad plan, or this computer would've seen the hard end of a bat months ago.
Anyway, after the 4th time of having to send it in for repairs, I finally got annoyed enough to request a no-lemon policy, which would allow me to get a new computer. The Geek Squad guys didn't go for it at first, but I wouldn't back down, and they finally relented and sent in the request. Last Thursday I got a call saying it had been approved! I went it straight after work on Friday to collect on my one piece of computer good fortune that I'd had in years.
This is the part where it gets good.
So I went in to Best Buy, expecting to get a newer version of the computer (which I would've been happy with, since my old laptop was only 1g and the average one was 4g now). Instead, they told me that I would get a credit that I could use toward whatever new laptop I wanted. I got scared for a minute, because my computer was way passe. I bought it for $800 but feared I wouldn't get more than $400.
Well, next thing you know, the Geek Squad guy tells me that, since the average price of the laptop was $791, that was the price they were going to give me. Can you believe that?! I was stunned. He told me that I could get any laptop for up to that price. Hmm ... well, I tried another approach.
Let me introduce this next section by saying that I'd always wanted a MacBook, but could never afford it.
I asked the guy if I could use some of my money and get an upgrade, and sure thing, he said yes! So I went straight over to the Mac section, found the MacBook of my dreams and picked it right up. After over an hour of tweaking the cash register, the total for my laptop finally came up ... including tax, $580. A hell of a lot better than $1300, I'll tell you that!
One more thing. Despite the fact that my Geek Squad rep told me that I could transfer the one year remaining on my warranty, the guys upstairs said that I couldn't. However, to make up for all the shit I had to go through, they offered to pay for half of a new plan. I didn't want to spend much, and figured I could buy a new policy later, so I decided to go for the $100 accidental coverage to go with my manufacturer warranty.
Well, just as you know it, the guy ringing me up accidentally comped me for the entire warranty! Afterwards, he said that he was too tired to undo it and didn't care, so he gave it to me. So, in essense, I DID get my one-year policy transferred to my new laptop! Isn't life great?
So that's my happy ending. And you know what? After all the crap the last computer put me through, I tell you what, I deserve it :).

RapeLay

It's hard to imagine anyone trying to make rape positive. To me, rape is one of those subjects that will never be funny, amusing or good in any way. I was outright disgusted when South Park did an episode that depicted Indiana Jones getting raped, and wrote quite an opinionated entry about it in my former Myspace blog. I honestly thought I couldn't witness anything worse than that in popular culture.
I should've known better.
Meet 'RapeLay', an underground Japanese eroge video game ... or as it's often referred to, a rape simulator. That's right, a rape simulator.
The sole purpose of this game is to play a wealthy man who was accused of being a pervert years ago, and is now taking his revenge by raping a series of women without getting caught. Yes, he's the protagonist. You go through a series of interactive scenes that guide you to "corner" women and rape them. Apparently they struggle at first, but then start to enjoy it. Because all women secretly enjoy being raped, right?
The United States is considering banning it, but since it's not publicly available at any American stores, real or online, it probably won't end up happening. Besides, any idiot can download it through to their system.
This kind of mentality about sexual violence is just another piece of the puzzle that creates tolerance of domestic abuse and rape. We as a society need to look at rape, sexual violence and domestic abuse and really see it, rather than just know it's there. Because if more Rihanna / Chris Brown situations continue to happen, especially because he'll most likely get off on parole without serving any jail time, then we're looking at a cultural disease that we won't be able to cure.
Say no to rape.

What kind of message?

Like many people, especially those who have experienced or witnessed domestic violence, I have been following the Rihanna / Chris Brown situation pretty carefully. I don't normally follow celebrity news or gossip, but this one really got to me.
Domestic violence isn't something that's normally reported on so diligently - although approximately 1 in 4 women have been or will be abused by a spouse or partner in their lifetime, domestic violence tends to grab far less headlines than shark attacks, shootings or lightening strikes ... all of which are far less common.
Domestic violence has always been something I've felt very strongly about. I've witnessed emotional and physical domestic violence before, a couple of my friends used to be in abusive relationships, as well as seen the long-term effects that it has had on them. It can effect someone for years, maybe even decades. Some people never get over it.
But since I have never been in an abusive relationship myself, it's hard for me to look at it from a sympathetic viewpoint. I personally have virtually no sympathy for abusive people, and do not have any room in my heart to include them in my life. I also do not believe that couples should stay together after any abusive confrontations.
It's true: when someone abuses you, they're going to do it again, because they know they can get away with it. The only solution for any abusive situation is to leave. Let that person get therapy on their own, and hopefully develop a healthy relationship with someone else after they've cured their own demons.
Nothing can ever be the same after abuse comes into the relationship. It's exactly the same with cheating. Once you have brought mistrust, doubt and fear into a relationship, it can never be completely vanquished. You can patchwork it together into a working relationship, but it will never be healed. I know that probably sounds harsh, but it's just my opinion on the matter.
I hoped that Rihanna would follow that advice and end things with Chris Brown. After all, she's a woman who's a role model for countless young girls out there, girls who need to be shown that it's okay to say no to abuse, violence and degradation. It would be the best decision, for both her personal health and her career.
So when I heard that Rihanna, despite being beaten almost to death, got back together with Chris Brown after just a few weeks, I was crushed. What kind of message does that send to young girls, other than that abuse is okay?
I can just imagine the scores of young teenage girls suffering from abusive boyfriends and saying: "Yes, he may have physically harmed me to the point where I may have permanent brain damage, or tell me I'm stupid long enough where I lose my scholarship and am forced to work the Returns at Walmart, but I know he didn't mean it. He's going to get better and I am going to help him. That's what Rihanna and Chris Brown did."
That kind of thought behavior is criminal. If Rihanna or Chris Brown have any kind of real successful careers after this, they are going to be built on failure to truly understand what it means to be role models for others and themselves. Abuse is a viscious cycle that never ends until someone comes in with a pair of scissors and just snips.

Staredown with the crooks at Dreamworks

How many bland copies does it take to annoy me? Well, I've just found out.
I've had a bone to pick with Dreamworks Pictures for quite some time now. It first started when they allegedly (although anyone with a brain knows it's true) stole Pixar's ant-world idea and created Antz in a rush so they could beat the premiere of A Bug's Life, a much more original and highly developed movie with a better storyline.
I'm still on the shelf about Madagascar and The Wild. It's obvious that one was a complete rip-off of the other, and whilst Madagascar DID come out first, I'm not convinced that Disney was the copycat, because The Wild had much better animation and a more diverse voice casting. And given Dreamworks' track record with Antz, I wouldn't be surprised if they had ripped off The Wild too.
Then the whole Shrek thing. I did enjoy the first and second ones, but it seemed a little tweakish that they could create an entire trilogy out of copying ideas from Disney copying ideas from original fairy-tales. It seems like such a complete hack, like those 'Disaster Movie,' 'Date Movie' and 'Meet the Spartans' spoofs that only serve to further dumb down the population by hurling physical gags and sexual innuendo until we're ready to kill ourselves. Not to mention the whole farting, burping and whatnot (that's in just about every scene from Shrek) really gets on my nerves. By the way, did you know they're making Shrek into a musical? There's an entire song devoted to burping and farting as some sort of romantic gesture. I'm not kidding. Seriously.
But now they've really crossed the line into desperation. The new Dreamworks movie, 'Monsters vs. Aliens,' features a character named Bob, a slick, sarcastic, yet somewhat endearing piece of blue goo that has the ability to slide around and move his arms in and out of his body.

Sound familiar? That's the exact same character description for Bloo (see way above), one of the stars of 'Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends,' a darling and highly original show on Nick. The only real difference that I've noticed, other than the animation quality differences, is the fact that Bob has only one eye, whilst Bloo has two. Everything else about them, in retrospect, is exactly the same. In fact, you can create the name Bob from Bloo by combining the 'l' and 'o' into one letter and putting it at the end! It's mind boggling!
It's totally obvious that Dreamworks wanted to capitalize on the success of Bloo's character by morphing it just enough to avoid a lawsuit and plucking it into this movie. It's pretty mental, if you ask me. The only thing that saves the character of Bob from bring thrown headfirst into the bottomless pit of my eternal malcontent is the fact that Seth Rogan is providing the voice.
Ten bucks says I'll still end up seeing this movie. But I'm goin' in a Bloo t-shirt. If I can find one. I'll have to make a stop at Hot Topic.

Thank goodness!

Turns out I don't have pneumonia, it's just a virus thing. The doctor said I'm probably having trouble breathing because my chest is sore from the congestion and coughing. I don't really buy it ... but I guess we'll see what happens. I'm just grateful it's not something long-term.