Well, the U.S. women's gymnast team won gold as did the men's relay swim team! Heck yes! The gymnasts were brilliant tonight - did you see that perfect vault from Mckayla Maroney?! Holy crap - and yet the judges somehow found something to complain about, as per usual. And, of course, Michael Phelps was big in the news. Yes, he came in second in his first race, but still. That's 18 Olympic medals. And the guy who beat him (South Africa's Chad le Clos) looked so utterly ecstatic at having beaten his idol you really can't begrudge him the medal. He won, fair and square. Good for him. But Phelps still got his gold in the 200m relay, along with Lochte, who truly redeemed himself tonight.
As proud as I was of these awesome Americans, I gotta say, I felt so bad for the Russian gymnasts, particularly over one floor routine (if you watched then you know which one - talk about cringe worthy). I hate to see people screw up like that. It was like watching the U.S. men's gymnast team, only that one was worse because national pride was involved.
All in all, great Olympics so far! I'm enjoying spending the majority of my days on the couch.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Who's Mature?
I don't know how many of you have done this (I'll bet quite a few) but this morning, I did the "how many marshmallows can I fit in my mouth?" deal. I know, I know. It's childish and stupid and idiotic and strangely enjoyable. Not only did I feel like a total rebel - remember when your mommy wouldn't let you eat twenty marshmallows at once? - but it was really yummy. I hadn't had those delicious, sugary goodnesses in several years. I guess I figured I was too mature and all that jazz. Marshmallows are for kids. I'm a big girl now. I watch Mad Men, not Barney (though that purple dinosaur was my first love). I'm too cool for such things.
Yeah, right.
I've decided it's time to embrace my inner child. To not be ashamed of the fact that I love superhero movies just as much as I love Shakespeare. To not deny the fact that part of the reason Kenneth Branagh is so brilliant is because he managed to make Thor a good movie - and that one really ought to have sucked. I should be proud of my stuffed animal collection. There's no reason why I can't enjoy both Lord Byron and Bill Watterson. Calvin and Hobbes is genius, after all.
Yeah, right.
I've decided it's time to embrace my inner child. To not be ashamed of the fact that I love superhero movies just as much as I love Shakespeare. To not deny the fact that part of the reason Kenneth Branagh is so brilliant is because he managed to make Thor a good movie - and that one really ought to have sucked. I should be proud of my stuffed animal collection. There's no reason why I can't enjoy both Lord Byron and Bill Watterson. Calvin and Hobbes is genius, after all.
Friday, July 20, 2012
The Aurora Shooting
I know I mentioned this senseless attack earlier today, but something about reading the list of the victims' names just made me unutterably sad. It's probably silly and a little selfish. I didn't know anyone there. I've no connection to anyone who knows anyone who was there. But it's tragic on a level that is beyond comprehension. What kind of depraved society do we live in? A man just walks into a crowded theatre and shoots men, women, and children alike? No pity, no mercy, no depth of feeling. It's sick. It makes you understand the point of speedy justice (quick, tidy public execution). And what's up with all this "alleged shooter" crap? Alleged is one of the most overused words in the English language. The man did it. Everyone knows he did it. People saw him do it. Why is he an alleged shooter? It's sheer idiocy.
But what's more important right now is to support the victims' families in thought and in prayer. There will be a time for dealing with Mr. Holmes later.
But what's more important right now is to support the victims' families in thought and in prayer. There will be a time for dealing with Mr. Holmes later.
The Trouble with Shopping
I just spent two hours at a store looking for new school clothes. Anything I buy has to meet three criteria: must be comfy, must be light, and must be cheap. As is, very, very cheap. So cheap even I can afford it. So, I find a few things here and there on various clearance racks. Try it all on. The problem was, of course, that I liked everything, but that would have meant spending more money than I wanted to. I like trying on clothes and then discovering that they look wretched on me simply so that I won't have to buy it, but I can say that at least I looked.
Then, I had to pick and choose. The capris or the leggings? The summer dress or the long purple skirt? I managed to find faults with each and every garment before returning them to the racks. However, on the way out, I caught sight of an adorable pink dog that I just had to buy.
So it's amazing how I go in for clothes and come out with a stuffed pooch.
Then, I had to pick and choose. The capris or the leggings? The summer dress or the long purple skirt? I managed to find faults with each and every garment before returning them to the racks. However, on the way out, I caught sight of an adorable pink dog that I just had to buy.
So it's amazing how I go in for clothes and come out with a stuffed pooch.
Batman Tragedy
It's odd to think that last night while I was safely in bed, a massacre was ongoing. It's unfathomable to sane people why anyone would break into a movie theatre, shoot dozens of people, and then claim to be Batman's arch nemesis. And it's unbelievably sad: people waiting in line for the midnight showing, full of anticipation and excitement over the prospect of seeing a movie they'd looked forward to for years, and then -
Thursday, July 19, 2012
What's Happened to Us?
So the last Batman moving is coming out tonight - as we all know. We've been told in the ads that it's going to be the greatest thing since sliced bread and all that jazz. And who knows? It could be. Though I don't know if anything can ever topped sliced bread. Think about it: can you imagine the tedium of living a life with non-sliced bread?
But I digress. Some critics have pointed out that The Dark Knight Rises (God, what a freaking mouthful - why not call it Dark Knight 2?) is not as good as its predecessors. Or just not good at all. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem. But, you see, we don't live in a normal world anymore where people can disagree and move on. What happened to agreeing to disagree? What's happened to respect? What's happened to being a civilized, controlled human being with, you know, some humanity? Without it, we're no better than wild beasts. Now, imbeciles have taken over the internet and are threatening to kill any critic who does not say that TDKR is God's gift to mankind. And these comments are coming from people who haven't seen the bloody movie yet. That is at least five different levels of stupid. People are so obsessed, so sure that they will love this film, that they are going wacko on movie critics. In fact, I went to several websites and read through comments from critics who gave negative or neutral reviews. There were hundreds of posts - all frighteningly hateful, many sexist, and others just murderous.
Come on! Aren't there more important things in life to get upset over? How about the millions of people suffering from AIDS or starving to death in Africa? How about genocides? How about the fact that national governments are getting out of hand (you too, USA) and taking rights away from their citizens? Where was the outrage when the Patriot Act was passed? It's... disheartening. It makes you feel very alone. Like you're the only person on Earth who cares about the things that really matter- and then you start to wonder what does matter anymore. So why is everyone so wound up? - so ready to snap at the slightest provocation? Relax. Breathe.
It's the same way now with politics. Mr. Right and Mr. Left can't have a frank discussion over a cup of coffee and plan to talk again later. No - there is a great deal of garment rending and mouth foaming. And over what? Differing opinions?
Why can't people be just civilized, polite, and kind? Why does everyone feel the need to be so enraged? Is being angry fun?
But I digress. Some critics have pointed out that The Dark Knight Rises (God, what a freaking mouthful - why not call it Dark Knight 2?) is not as good as its predecessors. Or just not good at all. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem. But, you see, we don't live in a normal world anymore where people can disagree and move on. What happened to agreeing to disagree? What's happened to respect? What's happened to being a civilized, controlled human being with, you know, some humanity? Without it, we're no better than wild beasts. Now, imbeciles have taken over the internet and are threatening to kill any critic who does not say that TDKR is God's gift to mankind. And these comments are coming from people who haven't seen the bloody movie yet. That is at least five different levels of stupid. People are so obsessed, so sure that they will love this film, that they are going wacko on movie critics. In fact, I went to several websites and read through comments from critics who gave negative or neutral reviews. There were hundreds of posts - all frighteningly hateful, many sexist, and others just murderous.
Come on! Aren't there more important things in life to get upset over? How about the millions of people suffering from AIDS or starving to death in Africa? How about genocides? How about the fact that national governments are getting out of hand (you too, USA) and taking rights away from their citizens? Where was the outrage when the Patriot Act was passed? It's... disheartening. It makes you feel very alone. Like you're the only person on Earth who cares about the things that really matter- and then you start to wonder what does matter anymore. So why is everyone so wound up? - so ready to snap at the slightest provocation? Relax. Breathe.
It's the same way now with politics. Mr. Right and Mr. Left can't have a frank discussion over a cup of coffee and plan to talk again later. No - there is a great deal of garment rending and mouth foaming. And over what? Differing opinions?
Why can't people be just civilized, polite, and kind? Why does everyone feel the need to be so enraged? Is being angry fun?
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Poor College Students
Why are things so expensive? Everything is ridiculously overpriced. Life is overpriced. I think most people now consider themselves poor in one way or another.
Recently, my family bought another vehicle since the old one was dying. We got the last car for about $9000 back in 2002 - it was a year old then. Now, 2001 vehicles identical to the one we had are selling for ten thousand. What is wrong with car dealerships?! It's idiotic. And houses - one year, a house will be priced at a couple hundred thousand dollars when it's only worth ninety grand the next.
Taxes are going up. Fees of every kind imaginable are popping up. Which, for a college student like me, is bad news. And if you are a poor college student whose mommy or daddy can't afford to pay for your education, that makes things even worse. You have to rely on financial aid that never amounts to quite enough, no matter how much you scrimp and save.
So how do poor college kids manage to make it through? You work all the time. Or beg on street corners, whichever works best for you. Universities have fees that are absurd, unnecessary, and just plain stupid. When most universities (like the one I'm attending) are funded by the state government, there is no reason to charge $30 for an ID card that students are required to have. Can you imagine paying for your own freaking ID card when it's just cheap plastic and ink? And not only that, state taxes keep going up in order to support such institutions. So, the average Joe gets screwed twice: first by the crazy high taxes you have to pay - much of which funds these universities - and then, as if that isn't enough, you have to pay $30 for an ID card, $50 to apply to the school, thousands of dollars for each semester, and $300 for one book. And each class requires three.
Heck, I'm just getting a typical Bachelor's degree. I can't imagine having to pay for years of medical school.
Recently, my family bought another vehicle since the old one was dying. We got the last car for about $9000 back in 2002 - it was a year old then. Now, 2001 vehicles identical to the one we had are selling for ten thousand. What is wrong with car dealerships?! It's idiotic. And houses - one year, a house will be priced at a couple hundred thousand dollars when it's only worth ninety grand the next.
Taxes are going up. Fees of every kind imaginable are popping up. Which, for a college student like me, is bad news. And if you are a poor college student whose mommy or daddy can't afford to pay for your education, that makes things even worse. You have to rely on financial aid that never amounts to quite enough, no matter how much you scrimp and save.
So how do poor college kids manage to make it through? You work all the time. Or beg on street corners, whichever works best for you. Universities have fees that are absurd, unnecessary, and just plain stupid. When most universities (like the one I'm attending) are funded by the state government, there is no reason to charge $30 for an ID card that students are required to have. Can you imagine paying for your own freaking ID card when it's just cheap plastic and ink? And not only that, state taxes keep going up in order to support such institutions. So, the average Joe gets screwed twice: first by the crazy high taxes you have to pay - much of which funds these universities - and then, as if that isn't enough, you have to pay $30 for an ID card, $50 to apply to the school, thousands of dollars for each semester, and $300 for one book. And each class requires three.
Heck, I'm just getting a typical Bachelor's degree. I can't imagine having to pay for years of medical school.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Fate
A rather serious title, don't you think? Especially since I'm not going to get into the twisted intricacies of destiny, fate, etc, beyond the fact that I wasn't meant to see The Amazing Spiderman. So yes, I broke down, and went with one of my buddies to see it this morning at the local theatre. We walked in during the "pre-show" opening stuff - it was an ad for Elementary. You know, the show that's a modern-day Sherlock Holmes but it isn't Sherlock. My immediate reaction to Elementary was something along the lines of "Wow, seriously?" but, I decided to give it a shot. Benefit of the doubt and all that. However, I only heard the ad. The screen was black.
Next came a series of other adverts - sound only. I went to the front desk and told them the situation. They informed me that it was completely normal. Really? It's normal for the screen not to work in a movie theatre? I'd have thought that was at least a little bit important. So anyway, I went back to my seat. And waited. And waited. There were random sound clips from various TV shows. Then we lost the sound for several minutes. And then, rather ironically, the speakers started banging out The Avengers' soundtrack.
Needless to say, the movie never came on. I guess I'll just stick with The Avengers.
Next came a series of other adverts - sound only. I went to the front desk and told them the situation. They informed me that it was completely normal. Really? It's normal for the screen not to work in a movie theatre? I'd have thought that was at least a little bit important. So anyway, I went back to my seat. And waited. And waited. There were random sound clips from various TV shows. Then we lost the sound for several minutes. And then, rather ironically, the speakers started banging out The Avengers' soundtrack.
Needless to say, the movie never came on. I guess I'll just stick with The Avengers.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Rain!
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| magnificent cloudiness! |
Spicy Food
Spicy food is the most amazing thing on the planet. The hotter, the better. I like my food so spicy I feel like my tongue is going to fall out of my mouth. I was at a friend's house a couple days ago, and we had burritos for dinner. To me, it was like eating a warmed up tortilla with some boiled chicken stuck inside of it = no flavor. Nada. Now I don't know if that's because I've ruined my taste buds with endless spicy meals or if some people simply don't have much of a tolerance for it, but my friend got sick off it. As in, very sick. Mucho grande sick. She begged for a fire extinguisher to put out the blaze in her mouth.
I was hurt. I mean, come on. I was considering taking my amiga to an Indian restaurant this week, but if she can't handle boiled chicken, then how the heck can I expect her to eat chicken korma?! It really puts a damper on your social life when you patronize certain eateries yet none of your friends will go with you because they have the taste buds of Gordon Ramsay. (Seriously - if you watch Hell's Kitchen or whatever, if one of the contestants sprinkles pepper onto the food, he can't eat it. It's hilarious!)
Spicy food is one of my reasons to exist. In fact, I'm gonna go have my leftover Mexican from dinner last night.
I was hurt. I mean, come on. I was considering taking my amiga to an Indian restaurant this week, but if she can't handle boiled chicken, then how the heck can I expect her to eat chicken korma?! It really puts a damper on your social life when you patronize certain eateries yet none of your friends will go with you because they have the taste buds of Gordon Ramsay. (Seriously - if you watch Hell's Kitchen or whatever, if one of the contestants sprinkles pepper onto the food, he can't eat it. It's hilarious!)
Spicy food is one of my reasons to exist. In fact, I'm gonna go have my leftover Mexican from dinner last night.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Spiderman
I know it came out about ten years ago, but I haven't seen anything since The Avengers. Seriously. And my last viewing was relatively recent. My friends keep pestering me about The Amazing Spiderman, but I'm just not interested. I think it's because The Avengers was so ridiculously awesome that the place in my heart for a silly superhero movie has already been taken. There is no room for poor Peter Parker - plus, Andrew Garfield's hair is ridiculous. There is no way that mop would fit in Spidey's outfit, but I suppose I'm reading too much into it. Heck, in the old Spidey films with Maguire, Peter's mouth didn't move. At all. So it would be really annoying when he'd yell "NOOO!" as Mary Jane was being thrown off a bridge or whatever - and his mouth didn't move.
So how was The Amazing Spiderman? (Real original title, by the way. So different from, you know, Spiderman.) Was it too soon? Was it so awesome who cares about the old ones? Or was it just a retread? Was there an upside down kiss or something equally cheesy but cute?
Now that I think about it, superheroes are totally weird. Besides the fact that they are all mutants or ninjas or something crazy like that. I'm referring to their names. Spiderman? I mean, yeah, he's got web goo coming out of his wrists (awkward...) and he can climb walls. But spiders are nasty. Not to sound like a complete loser, but I scream when spiders pop out of nowhere and try to pounce on me - which they always do. Sneaky little nasties. (I make up many, many words. If Seuss could do it, why not me?) And Iron Man. He isn't made out of iron. His suit isn't iron. Why not Aluminum Man or Steel Man? Either way, those are sucky names. Even I will admit it.
Thoughts, comments, recipes, etc are always welcome!
So how was The Amazing Spiderman? (Real original title, by the way. So different from, you know, Spiderman.) Was it too soon? Was it so awesome who cares about the old ones? Or was it just a retread? Was there an upside down kiss or something equally cheesy but cute?
Now that I think about it, superheroes are totally weird. Besides the fact that they are all mutants or ninjas or something crazy like that. I'm referring to their names. Spiderman? I mean, yeah, he's got web goo coming out of his wrists (awkward...) and he can climb walls. But spiders are nasty. Not to sound like a complete loser, but I scream when spiders pop out of nowhere and try to pounce on me - which they always do. Sneaky little nasties. (I make up many, many words. If Seuss could do it, why not me?) And Iron Man. He isn't made out of iron. His suit isn't iron. Why not Aluminum Man or Steel Man? Either way, those are sucky names. Even I will admit it.
Thoughts, comments, recipes, etc are always welcome!
A Little Bit About Me...
I suppose it's only fair for me to reveal a little bit about myself. For the sake of organization, I'll put my lovely attributes into a list. (This list may include completely random, utterly ridiculous, totally unnecessary items. Just so you know.)
1) My friends think I'm hilarious. I prefer droll - it sounds so much more sophisticated. Now, I don't know if my amigos are just easily amused or what, but when I'm with them, someone usually has milk coming out of his/her nose. - Score on political correctness!
2) When I was a kid, I used to give the meat part of my meal to whoever was sitting next to me and then request more spinach. Yum.
3) Penguins are the coolest animals. No arguments.
4) I think I'm the only person alive who is not dying with excitement over the prospect of seeing The Dark Knight Rises. Not that I'm not a fan... just not thrilled. (Please don't hate me!)
5) I love working. I love my job. I love waking up in the morning and going to work/school. In fact, I just love waking up in the morning. The birds are singing, the sun is shining. What's not to love? However, I am also a night person. And that can be a little exhausting. I wake up at 8 ("YES! I'M AWAKE! - song and dance routine ensue) and then at midnight, it's still "YES! I'M AWAKE!"
That's all for the moment. I'm sure I'll think of more delightful facts before too long.
Bye for now!
1) My friends think I'm hilarious. I prefer droll - it sounds so much more sophisticated. Now, I don't know if my amigos are just easily amused or what, but when I'm with them, someone usually has milk coming out of his/her nose. - Score on political correctness!
2) When I was a kid, I used to give the meat part of my meal to whoever was sitting next to me and then request more spinach. Yum.
3) Penguins are the coolest animals. No arguments.
4) I think I'm the only person alive who is not dying with excitement over the prospect of seeing The Dark Knight Rises. Not that I'm not a fan... just not thrilled. (Please don't hate me!)
5) I love working. I love my job. I love waking up in the morning and going to work/school. In fact, I just love waking up in the morning. The birds are singing, the sun is shining. What's not to love? However, I am also a night person. And that can be a little exhausting. I wake up at 8 ("YES! I'M AWAKE! - song and dance routine ensue) and then at midnight, it's still "YES! I'M AWAKE!"
That's all for the moment. I'm sure I'll think of more delightful facts before too long.
Bye for now!
My First Post!
I am both oddly thrilled and proud of myself.
Goodness - this is my first ever blog, so I am both excited and nervous about the prospect. On this site, I intend to write about anything and everything that comes to mind. If I have a question, you - my reader - will be the first to know and hopefully to answer. If I get all serious and analytical, please bear with me. And if I am utterly ridiculous, well, I won't mind if you laugh at my expense.
Goodness - this is my first ever blog, so I am both excited and nervous about the prospect. On this site, I intend to write about anything and everything that comes to mind. If I have a question, you - my reader - will be the first to know and hopefully to answer. If I get all serious and analytical, please bear with me. And if I am utterly ridiculous, well, I won't mind if you laugh at my expense.
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