Bragging time. Ok, part brag, but more so that I am proud of myself. Anyone that knows me knows I can be pretty selfish much of the time. Both on a personal level, and to society as a whole. These last few months have been slightly different.
1) Increased (significantly) my contribution to http://www.childsplaycharity.org/ . for those that don't know, Child's Play was started by the guys at Penny Arcade. I was originally a way to show that world that us violent video game players could also be pretty nice. Since that day, it has raised millions of dollars (this year will likely see 1.5+ million...most so far even durning the economic issues) to buy hospitals video games for kids. Not just for the fun of it, but apparently kids with games require less pain medication, and possibly recover quicker.
2) Sent an old friend of mind presents for his kids to help bolster their Christmas. It's someone I just reconnected with, so I don't even know his kids, but it felt good to make sure they had a good Christmas.
3) This fall I donated to NPR. This is something I listen to all the time, but have been too lazy to bother to call. I made myself do it this year!
4) I let your mom cancel her appointment with me on Christmas day so she could spend time with her family.
Ok, so I'm not perfect. But I'm getting better.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Japan+Sghoul= Problems
I have long had a 'thing' for Japan and Japanese culture. From fudal Japan to modern Anime. But my research has brought me to a problem that I may just not be able to get around: The Japanese don't like sarcasm.
How is a guy who is basically formed from distilled sarcasm supposed to visit a country that doesn't really like appreciate it? One site made it sound like sarcasm is the equivalent of piking them in the eye or something.
I guess I just won't talk to anyone. Which would probably be a good idea here too.
How is a guy who is basically formed from distilled sarcasm supposed to visit a country that doesn't really like appreciate it? One site made it sound like sarcasm is the equivalent of piking them in the eye or something.
I guess I just won't talk to anyone. Which would probably be a good idea here too.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Women+Hair: From a guy
In watching 30 Rock (I'm a new convert) there is a point where Alec Baldwin's character is talking to Tina Fey's, talking about her growing up. He says something to the effect of: 'You're going to get the urge to cut your hair short. Resist that urge.'
It really did make me think. I know quite a few women that have. and that urge goes up as they get older. I know I don't know anything about dealing with long hair. Mind you some of women's hassles in that area are self inflicted, as they refuse to let their hair be natural. But women tend to look better with long hair. With all of the things women do to try and look better, I am confounded why they would chop off one of our culture's more prevalent female 'things'.
So, in short, ladies: If you actually care what guys think of how you look, grow your hair longer.
It really did make me think. I know quite a few women that have. and that urge goes up as they get older. I know I don't know anything about dealing with long hair. Mind you some of women's hassles in that area are self inflicted, as they refuse to let their hair be natural. But women tend to look better with long hair. With all of the things women do to try and look better, I am confounded why they would chop off one of our culture's more prevalent female 'things'.
So, in short, ladies: If you actually care what guys think of how you look, grow your hair longer.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
You're different than me!
So, in a conversation with my friend V I started thinking about bigotry. Not just racial. Against any group. Gays, Christians, Races, etc.
What started it was talking about Gay folks. I wondered, if ALL gay people acted similar to other people of their gender, would people get up in arms as much? When you see someone on TV that's gay, they have a lisp or a high voice (for guys) or a butch haircut (the ladies). Gay pride parades have all kinds of overt sexual themes and costumes.
Now, I am well aware that these stereotypical images aren't representative of all gay people. But this is what people see and hear. It's something DIFFERENT than 'normal'. Normal being themselves of course.
So, if the gay people we usually saw on TV couldn't be differentiated from straight folks aside from them having sex with the same sex, would we care as much? If the footage from a gay pride parade just looked like the rose-bowl parade, would people freak about it? Heck, why even HAVE gay pride parades? Are their straight pride parades?
Anyway I got to thinking about human nature. When we are babies, some of the first things we start doing is learning how to differentiate things. Colors, shapes, letters, tones, sounds. Later we take that ability and start attaching value and connotation (I like blue better than red, Chocolate is tastier than vanilla, etc.).
So, why wouldn't we do that with people? We start life generally around people like us. As we progress, we start to see people of different colors. Assuming no one poisons us in telling us that people of some other color are different, I think most of us notice the difference (it's what we do) but don't judge it. Until something happens to change this.
Maybe some 'different' kid treats you poorly. Or other kids are making fun of the differences. Something negative happens. Now, sure, negative things have happened from those 'like you', but how do you filter that? You could. Maybe all the blond girls tease you. You start taking issue with blonds. That kid with the accent pushes you around, now you hate rednecks.
I really feel that we are wired to notice differences. And then we start putting evaluations on people or things that are different through experience and society. Everyone does it. Take races. Even WITHIN a race we do it. White folks have rednecks and WASPs. A more urban black guy may tell some other black guy that he isn't acting black enough because he wears a sweater vest. Gay people even have terms for various kinds of gay folk (like Bears for big hair men).
Now, I say all of this because I don't think bigotry and ever FULLY go away. I feel that humans are built to be that way. And, worse, so long as a segment of a group choose to REALLY be different, it will make the divide greater. I do think we can get to a point where people are generally cool. Heck, I think we are pretty close to that in some areas. But it really depends.
America showed that it can look past 'differences' by voting for Obama. Even those that didn't vote for him, I knew of few that didn't vote for him because of race. BUT, I really do feel that was because the only real difference between him and average white America was skin color. I you had taken the same man, but given him Jesse Jackson's voice I think we would have seen a different outcome. Because that would have made him too 'different' for white America. The same could probably be said for Clinton if he had headbanger hair.
Not sure where I was going with this. Mostly just the we need to acknowledge that this is something humans do. Our brains segment everything we see and do. Basically we ALL profile. I believe Chris Rock said something to the effect of 'Even Black people don't wanna walk down MLK blvd after dark'.
We will always find someone to blame and dislike. Whether it be skin color, nationality, religion (or lack thereof), social status, hobbies, whatever. Deal with it people. And if you choose to do things to make yourself even more different than the 'majority' you need to make sure you blame yourself as well as them.
What started it was talking about Gay folks. I wondered, if ALL gay people acted similar to other people of their gender, would people get up in arms as much? When you see someone on TV that's gay, they have a lisp or a high voice (for guys) or a butch haircut (the ladies). Gay pride parades have all kinds of overt sexual themes and costumes.
Now, I am well aware that these stereotypical images aren't representative of all gay people. But this is what people see and hear. It's something DIFFERENT than 'normal'. Normal being themselves of course.
So, if the gay people we usually saw on TV couldn't be differentiated from straight folks aside from them having sex with the same sex, would we care as much? If the footage from a gay pride parade just looked like the rose-bowl parade, would people freak about it? Heck, why even HAVE gay pride parades? Are their straight pride parades?
Anyway I got to thinking about human nature. When we are babies, some of the first things we start doing is learning how to differentiate things. Colors, shapes, letters, tones, sounds. Later we take that ability and start attaching value and connotation (I like blue better than red, Chocolate is tastier than vanilla, etc.).
So, why wouldn't we do that with people? We start life generally around people like us. As we progress, we start to see people of different colors. Assuming no one poisons us in telling us that people of some other color are different, I think most of us notice the difference (it's what we do) but don't judge it. Until something happens to change this.
Maybe some 'different' kid treats you poorly. Or other kids are making fun of the differences. Something negative happens. Now, sure, negative things have happened from those 'like you', but how do you filter that? You could. Maybe all the blond girls tease you. You start taking issue with blonds. That kid with the accent pushes you around, now you hate rednecks.
I really feel that we are wired to notice differences. And then we start putting evaluations on people or things that are different through experience and society. Everyone does it. Take races. Even WITHIN a race we do it. White folks have rednecks and WASPs. A more urban black guy may tell some other black guy that he isn't acting black enough because he wears a sweater vest. Gay people even have terms for various kinds of gay folk (like Bears for big hair men).
Now, I say all of this because I don't think bigotry and ever FULLY go away. I feel that humans are built to be that way. And, worse, so long as a segment of a group choose to REALLY be different, it will make the divide greater. I do think we can get to a point where people are generally cool. Heck, I think we are pretty close to that in some areas. But it really depends.
America showed that it can look past 'differences' by voting for Obama. Even those that didn't vote for him, I knew of few that didn't vote for him because of race. BUT, I really do feel that was because the only real difference between him and average white America was skin color. I you had taken the same man, but given him Jesse Jackson's voice I think we would have seen a different outcome. Because that would have made him too 'different' for white America. The same could probably be said for Clinton if he had headbanger hair.
Not sure where I was going with this. Mostly just the we need to acknowledge that this is something humans do. Our brains segment everything we see and do. Basically we ALL profile. I believe Chris Rock said something to the effect of 'Even Black people don't wanna walk down MLK blvd after dark'.
We will always find someone to blame and dislike. Whether it be skin color, nationality, religion (or lack thereof), social status, hobbies, whatever. Deal with it people. And if you choose to do things to make yourself even more different than the 'majority' you need to make sure you blame yourself as well as them.
Monday, November 17, 2008
More random Writing
The following was done as a writing prompt. The first paragraph was fed to us and the rest we filled in. I ended up doing 2 different stories. He is the short one. It's about cows!
I'm not sure when it started, exactly. It might have been with the series of reoccurring wolf nightmares, or maybe the ones where I was being chased incessantly. But at some point, I decided to wake up.
I knew the wolves would get me eventually. But my dreams had prepared me.
"Frank, you know I can hear you, right?"
I could hear their baying in the distance. Sometimes I could practically feel their hot breaths on my neck.
"There aren't any wolves around here Frank."
I had to keep moving. If I stayed too long in one place...well, I didn’t want to think about it.
"FRANK! You're narrating to yourself again!"
"What?"
"Where do you get this stuff from? You've never even SEEN a wolf. And what do you mean "keep moving"? You've been in the barn for 3 days!"
"Maybe not seen, per say, but I found some tracks around back."
"Those are Toby's tracks. You know, the Farmer's dog?"
"Maybe he's in league with the wolves."
"What WOLVES!?"
"I thought the narrator did a pretty good job of explaining that."
"That was YOU!"
"I think I'd remember taking a narration job, Charlie."
"You-...I-...grrrraaahhh!"
"Wow, this wolf thing really has you upset."
"hurgh!"
"We'll be fine. I have been taking some self defense courses. And I read where leather comes from. We're like walking leather armor!"
"GAH!"
"Maybe I can find someone to enchant me. Then I'd be, like, +2 leather armor!"
"Hey Frank. Charlie. Charlie, are you ok?"
*twitch*
"Hiya Sanders. Charlie is just upset about the wolves."
"You mean the ones the narrator was talking about?"
"The very same."
"I ordered a series of tapes on how to fight off a wolf attack. The first one only deals with a single wolf. I can't wait until I am ready to deal with a whole pack. You're lucky, wearing that leather armor like you are."
"Yeah, well you can fly...at least a little bit."
"SHUT UP! BOTH OF YOU! There's no wolves, no narrator, you don’t even have the money to BUY tapes, let alone the ability to order them. I mean, what company would even SELL them?"
"Amazon.com"
"Wha--fine, fine. I can handle this. Just go along. What can it hurt? Ok Frank, tell me what I need to know to protect myself."
"Hmmm. I don't know if I qualify as a teacher. What do you think Sanders?"
"First off, Charlie, I would cover that Udder. Pretty vulnerable."
"That's not an udder."
"Wait, you're a guy? My tapes only cover women."
"Same with my classes. Can't help you Charlie."
"Frank...you're a guy too. Why do you think you only have one, and that it doesn't give milk."
"Are you sure? I just figured I wasn’t done blossoming yet. And when I find the right guy, there will be some honey making insects and various fowl, and I shall experience the great gift of bringing life, which I will feed from my burgeoning udders..."
"Don’t you ever say 'burgeoning" around me again, Frank."
"I think it’s a nice udder, Frank. It'll look good when they all come in. I bet you'll be a great mother."
"Thanks Sanders. Hey, where'd Charlie go?"
Outside
"Here wolfie wolfie wolfie! Fresh beef! Won’t even put up a fight!"
I'm not sure when it started, exactly. It might have been with the series of reoccurring wolf nightmares, or maybe the ones where I was being chased incessantly. But at some point, I decided to wake up.
I knew the wolves would get me eventually. But my dreams had prepared me.
"Frank, you know I can hear you, right?"
I could hear their baying in the distance. Sometimes I could practically feel their hot breaths on my neck.
"There aren't any wolves around here Frank."
I had to keep moving. If I stayed too long in one place...well, I didn’t want to think about it.
"FRANK! You're narrating to yourself again!"
"What?"
"Where do you get this stuff from? You've never even SEEN a wolf. And what do you mean "keep moving"? You've been in the barn for 3 days!"
"Maybe not seen, per say, but I found some tracks around back."
"Those are Toby's tracks. You know, the Farmer's dog?"
"Maybe he's in league with the wolves."
"What WOLVES!?"
"I thought the narrator did a pretty good job of explaining that."
"That was YOU!"
"I think I'd remember taking a narration job, Charlie."
"You-...I-...grrrraaahhh!"
"Wow, this wolf thing really has you upset."
"hurgh!"
"We'll be fine. I have been taking some self defense courses. And I read where leather comes from. We're like walking leather armor!"
"GAH!"
"Maybe I can find someone to enchant me. Then I'd be, like, +2 leather armor!"
"Hey Frank. Charlie. Charlie, are you ok?"
*twitch*
"Hiya Sanders. Charlie is just upset about the wolves."
"You mean the ones the narrator was talking about?"
"The very same."
"I ordered a series of tapes on how to fight off a wolf attack. The first one only deals with a single wolf. I can't wait until I am ready to deal with a whole pack. You're lucky, wearing that leather armor like you are."
"Yeah, well you can fly...at least a little bit."
"SHUT UP! BOTH OF YOU! There's no wolves, no narrator, you don’t even have the money to BUY tapes, let alone the ability to order them. I mean, what company would even SELL them?"
"Amazon.com"
"Wha--fine, fine. I can handle this. Just go along. What can it hurt? Ok Frank, tell me what I need to know to protect myself."
"Hmmm. I don't know if I qualify as a teacher. What do you think Sanders?"
"First off, Charlie, I would cover that Udder. Pretty vulnerable."
"That's not an udder."
"Wait, you're a guy? My tapes only cover women."
"Same with my classes. Can't help you Charlie."
"Frank...you're a guy too. Why do you think you only have one, and that it doesn't give milk."
"Are you sure? I just figured I wasn’t done blossoming yet. And when I find the right guy, there will be some honey making insects and various fowl, and I shall experience the great gift of bringing life, which I will feed from my burgeoning udders..."
"Don’t you ever say 'burgeoning" around me again, Frank."
"I think it’s a nice udder, Frank. It'll look good when they all come in. I bet you'll be a great mother."
"Thanks Sanders. Hey, where'd Charlie go?"
Outside
"Here wolfie wolfie wolfie! Fresh beef! Won’t even put up a fight!"
Arrested...
My buddy T.H. Elliott posted this poser.
If you saw me in a police car, what would you think I got arrested for?
Answer me, then post to your own journal.
If you saw me in a police car, what would you think I got arrested for?
Answer me, then post to your own journal.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Time for some sexy fictional women
So, let's roll out some fictional hotties.
For Comics I will start with Harline Quinnzell. Harley Quinn. Silly, crazy, violent, and in love with Joker. She can hit me with that hammer ANY time! And how can you not like a woman who calls you puddin'?
For TV Cartoons, April O`Neal. Let's face it, her hotness is all in her chest. Not to mention, if she could love mutated turtles, a guy like me might have a shot. I also kinda had a thing for Irma.
Firey Tika from the Dragonlance novels. I wish I could find a better picture. A buxom warrior woman who is used to men calling her 'wench'. We need more of those.
From the silver screen, Elastigirl. Admit it guys, when you watched Incredibles, you were trying to figure out what various things YOU would do if your sexy woman was effectively infinitely flexable.
For video games, Fran from FFXII. I wanted Shania from Shadown Hearts, but good pictures of her are impossible to find. Fran is a good runner up though. And her accent in the game makes her even better. She makes me hungry like a wolf who wants to catch a naughty bunny!
So, who would YOUR picks be?
For Comics I will start with Harline Quinnzell. Harley Quinn. Silly, crazy, violent, and in love with Joker. She can hit me with that hammer ANY time! And how can you not like a woman who calls you puddin'?
For TV Cartoons, April O`Neal. Let's face it, her hotness is all in her chest. Not to mention, if she could love mutated turtles, a guy like me might have a shot. I also kinda had a thing for Irma.
Firey Tika from the Dragonlance novels. I wish I could find a better picture. A buxom warrior woman who is used to men calling her 'wench'. We need more of those.
From the silver screen, Elastigirl. Admit it guys, when you watched Incredibles, you were trying to figure out what various things YOU would do if your sexy woman was effectively infinitely flexable.
For video games, Fran from FFXII. I wanted Shania from Shadown Hearts, but good pictures of her are impossible to find. Fran is a good runner up though. And her accent in the game makes her even better. She makes me hungry like a wolf who wants to catch a naughty bunny!So, who would YOUR picks be?
Thursday, October 16, 2008
A Dash of Paprika
Thanks to the wonderfulness that is Netflix, I watched Paprika the other day. Man, the Japanese make some awesome animation.
I'm not gonna tell everyone to watch this flick. It ain't for everyone. It's about dreams and a device for getting into people's dreams. So, dealing with dreams you know it's going to be surreal.
But it was so wonderfully animated and the story told so well, I fell in love. It also got me thinking. I really want to find a book that disects how and why and what makes our culture so different than the Japanese. The narrative in this would never pass muster in the states. It leaves WAY too much for your mind to have to fill in the gaps. But this is far from the first Japanese movie to do this. I am guessing that culturally they are cool with that. Why are we less tolerant?
Also, it pisses me off that in Japan cartoons are not seen so snugly in arms of children. Sure they have kids cartoons, but they have adult ones too. The visual skill of movies like Paprika (or Spirited Away, grave of the Fireflies, etc) is as good or better than visual treats like Lord of the Rings. Here in the states, Pixar does this to a degree, but we don't have much of a hand animated adult tradition here. And I'd really love to read about how these difference came to be.
Regardless, I thank Japan for making these wonderful stories and that we get there here. At least some of us can appreciate them :)
I'm not gonna tell everyone to watch this flick. It ain't for everyone. It's about dreams and a device for getting into people's dreams. So, dealing with dreams you know it's going to be surreal.
But it was so wonderfully animated and the story told so well, I fell in love. It also got me thinking. I really want to find a book that disects how and why and what makes our culture so different than the Japanese. The narrative in this would never pass muster in the states. It leaves WAY too much for your mind to have to fill in the gaps. But this is far from the first Japanese movie to do this. I am guessing that culturally they are cool with that. Why are we less tolerant?
Also, it pisses me off that in Japan cartoons are not seen so snugly in arms of children. Sure they have kids cartoons, but they have adult ones too. The visual skill of movies like Paprika (or Spirited Away, grave of the Fireflies, etc) is as good or better than visual treats like Lord of the Rings. Here in the states, Pixar does this to a degree, but we don't have much of a hand animated adult tradition here. And I'd really love to read about how these difference came to be.
Regardless, I thank Japan for making these wonderful stories and that we get there here. At least some of us can appreciate them :)
Monday, October 13, 2008
Trying for a new angle
Here is a story I am working on. It definitely does not fall into the same category as my other Pr0n stuff. What do ya'll think?
Like most days, after work I went to a favored haunt. It was an odd shop that mixed a coffee house with antiques and old books. The usual crowd was generally not my type and considerably younger than me. They were the alternative/earthy types that frequent eclectic places like this. Which I suppose should make me wonder why a late twenties copier repair man like me went here nearly every day.
Well, a big part were the books. I love old books, and the shop had new ones come in all the time. So I liked to come in and scoop them up before someone else did. I also enjoyed the atmosphere. So laid back and warm. Big overstuffed seats and such a random collection of music.
And, to be honest, Melissa was a factor in my regular visits. Melissa being the owner. Over the months, I had grown a fairly hefty crush on her. I felt a connection to her. When she wasn't busy at the counter, she would come sit and chat with me. We had conversations about politics, religion, science, psychology...anything you could think of. It was impossible for me to not become enamoured with her. I met lots of women during my job. Even took a few out. But conversations with them were focused around their daily routine. Things that happened to them. Nothing wrong with that, but it was nice to talk to someone who also talked about things that she thought about or that happened to the world not just herself.
I'd be lying if I said I didn't also find her physically attractive. She had a mix of 'girl next door' and 'naughty librarian' going on. I am sure she caught me looking at her when she twirled or braided her long straight brown hair.
But I didn't have the courage to ask her out. Don't ask me why. As I said before, I didn't have trouble asking out the various women I met during the course of my job. But I think Melissa intimidated me because rejection from her would actually mean something. I didn't want to risk losing her as the friend and daily conversationalist she had become. Lucky for me, she was less worried about that happening.
Today she caught me watching her from behind my book as she finished up with a customer. But unlike most times she caught me, where she would just smile at me slightly, this time she immediately walked over to my chair and sat purposefully on the big cushiony arm.
"So, are you ever going to ask me out?" She asked. Her voice had a tone of mock annoyance.
"Um...yes?" I answered.
"When? I think I have been more than patient." She said, crossing her arms over her chest and locking them down purposefully to drive home the point that she was 'upset' with me.
"I was waiting for just the right moment." She eyed me from behind her wire rimmed glasses, asking 'what moment would that be' without having to verbalize it.
"Right after I rescued you from a burning building. When; in awe of my heroics and display of masculinity, you would be unable to deny my affections. Later we would appear on the cover of magazines as the happy couple brought together by the tragedy and horror that is arson."
"Well, buster, unless that scheme also entails an elaborate plan for STARTING a fire from which to rescue me, it doesn't count. As a matter of fact, I don't think there is such a plan. You just don't like me." She was smiling, having enjoyed my silly story. I decided to answer her little fishing attempt with honesty.
"You're kidding right? You usually only get new, and by new I mean old but new to the store, books on Tuesday. But I'm here everyday, except Monday, because you are off. And I don't even like coffee."
"Yeah, I know. Your cup is always full when you throw it away." She grinned. "So, we've established that you have the hots for me. And that you can pull stories about arson right out of your ass. So what does that leave us?"
"Cowardice?" I asked. She seemed to mull this over.
"I think I can date a coward. Pick me up when the store closes tonight. Dinner's on you for making me wait this long."
"Yes milady. I shall bring the car around promptly at eight." I said in my best posh British accent.
"Good. And change out of the white shirt and tie. I want to see how you dress when you aren't getting off of work." She smiled at me, and walked off behind the counter.
"Oh, and Steve" she called to me as I headed to the door. "A fire? Really?"
"Yup. Twelve people would have died. But the post pyrotechnic coitus would have been awesome."
I quickly left and went home to shower and change. I was pretty proud at how steady I was during our exchange. But the next two hours were a torture of anticipation and nerves. The time finally came, and I pulled up to the shop as the clock struck eight. I could see Melissa inside as the lights went out and shortly after she was walking towards me with a bounce in her step.
As we drove to dinner, there was palpable tension in the air. Both of us seemed a little guarded, which was new for us. It wasn't until our appetizers came that we really flowed back into our usual ease with each other.
Mind you, things were still different, but in a good way. Our conversation had far more flirting than normal. And Melissa's normally cool demeanor cracked several times as she would blush or giggle. It was a treat to finally see the little girl in her.
I also felt more comfortable looking at her in a romantic way. How her delicate fingers idly played with her soft brown hair. The way her soulful brown eyes pierced me as I talked. Her full pink lips trying to hold back smiles so that she could try and keep her usual aloofness.
At one point she moved her hand to mine on the table and gently grabbed it. It was strange to have such a simple thing feel so good. I could tell she liked it too, since she blushed slightly as I caressed her fingers with my thumb. Her skin was soft and creamy. My mind wandered to the thought of what other parts of her might feel like.
We stayed at the restaurant until the asked us to leave so they could close. The walk back to the car was slow, delaying the end of the night. The drive back was equally slow and the tension had returned. Melissa was uncharacteristically silent. So was I, I suppose. She fidgeted and played with her hair more than usual, keeping her eyes ahead.
I walked her to her apartment door, where we stood in silence, nervously waiting for the other to say goodnight. But doing so would end our date, and I certainly wasn't going to do that. Melissa's nervous face suddenly changed, as though she had made up her mind about something.
"So, you want to come in for coffee?" She asked. I was surprised at how cliche she was being. It proved how nervous she was.
"I thought we established earlier than I don't like coffee."
"Then how about coming in to make out and possibly have sex?" She quipped back with a snarky grin.
"On the first date? Aren't we the little slut?" Yeah, I know you should never call a woman that. But in our months as friends we had said worse to each other in jest.
"First off, this isn't really a first date. We've done all the typical first date getting to know each other months ago. So this is more like our...fourth date. Second, if you don't watch your mouth you may not get to find out how slutty I really am." As she said this, she posed; tilting her full hips and then smacking her well rounded bottom.
We both laughed. This was a big reason I was so attracted to her. That we could be so open, and not be hung up with our conversations and teasing.
"OK, I agree that this isn't like our first date. But there is a first I think we need to get out of the way before I come in for 'coffee'." She looked at me expectantly.
I glided to her, reached out and pulled her to me gently. With one hand I tilted her head up as I lowered my head and softly pushed our lips together. Those lips I had been admiring all night felt heavenly against mine as we kissed. Her arms moved to my shoulders, mine to her waist; drawing each other in tighter to match our kiss.
I let my tongue peek past my lips, which mets hers doing the same shy exploration. Slowly at first, they caressed each other, but quickly moving to a more passionate exchange.
Like most days, after work I went to a favored haunt. It was an odd shop that mixed a coffee house with antiques and old books. The usual crowd was generally not my type and considerably younger than me. They were the alternative/earthy types that frequent eclectic places like this. Which I suppose should make me wonder why a late twenties copier repair man like me went here nearly every day.
Well, a big part were the books. I love old books, and the shop had new ones come in all the time. So I liked to come in and scoop them up before someone else did. I also enjoyed the atmosphere. So laid back and warm. Big overstuffed seats and such a random collection of music.
And, to be honest, Melissa was a factor in my regular visits. Melissa being the owner. Over the months, I had grown a fairly hefty crush on her. I felt a connection to her. When she wasn't busy at the counter, she would come sit and chat with me. We had conversations about politics, religion, science, psychology...anything you could think of. It was impossible for me to not become enamoured with her. I met lots of women during my job. Even took a few out. But conversations with them were focused around their daily routine. Things that happened to them. Nothing wrong with that, but it was nice to talk to someone who also talked about things that she thought about or that happened to the world not just herself.
I'd be lying if I said I didn't also find her physically attractive. She had a mix of 'girl next door' and 'naughty librarian' going on. I am sure she caught me looking at her when she twirled or braided her long straight brown hair.
But I didn't have the courage to ask her out. Don't ask me why. As I said before, I didn't have trouble asking out the various women I met during the course of my job. But I think Melissa intimidated me because rejection from her would actually mean something. I didn't want to risk losing her as the friend and daily conversationalist she had become. Lucky for me, she was less worried about that happening.
Today she caught me watching her from behind my book as she finished up with a customer. But unlike most times she caught me, where she would just smile at me slightly, this time she immediately walked over to my chair and sat purposefully on the big cushiony arm.
"So, are you ever going to ask me out?" She asked. Her voice had a tone of mock annoyance.
"Um...yes?" I answered.
"When? I think I have been more than patient." She said, crossing her arms over her chest and locking them down purposefully to drive home the point that she was 'upset' with me.
"I was waiting for just the right moment." She eyed me from behind her wire rimmed glasses, asking 'what moment would that be' without having to verbalize it.
"Right after I rescued you from a burning building. When; in awe of my heroics and display of masculinity, you would be unable to deny my affections. Later we would appear on the cover of magazines as the happy couple brought together by the tragedy and horror that is arson."
"Well, buster, unless that scheme also entails an elaborate plan for STARTING a fire from which to rescue me, it doesn't count. As a matter of fact, I don't think there is such a plan. You just don't like me." She was smiling, having enjoyed my silly story. I decided to answer her little fishing attempt with honesty.
"You're kidding right? You usually only get new, and by new I mean old but new to the store, books on Tuesday. But I'm here everyday, except Monday, because you are off. And I don't even like coffee."
"Yeah, I know. Your cup is always full when you throw it away." She grinned. "So, we've established that you have the hots for me. And that you can pull stories about arson right out of your ass. So what does that leave us?"
"Cowardice?" I asked. She seemed to mull this over.
"I think I can date a coward. Pick me up when the store closes tonight. Dinner's on you for making me wait this long."
"Yes milady. I shall bring the car around promptly at eight." I said in my best posh British accent.
"Good. And change out of the white shirt and tie. I want to see how you dress when you aren't getting off of work." She smiled at me, and walked off behind the counter.
"Oh, and Steve" she called to me as I headed to the door. "A fire? Really?"
"Yup. Twelve people would have died. But the post pyrotechnic coitus would have been awesome."
I quickly left and went home to shower and change. I was pretty proud at how steady I was during our exchange. But the next two hours were a torture of anticipation and nerves. The time finally came, and I pulled up to the shop as the clock struck eight. I could see Melissa inside as the lights went out and shortly after she was walking towards me with a bounce in her step.
As we drove to dinner, there was palpable tension in the air. Both of us seemed a little guarded, which was new for us. It wasn't until our appetizers came that we really flowed back into our usual ease with each other.
Mind you, things were still different, but in a good way. Our conversation had far more flirting than normal. And Melissa's normally cool demeanor cracked several times as she would blush or giggle. It was a treat to finally see the little girl in her.
I also felt more comfortable looking at her in a romantic way. How her delicate fingers idly played with her soft brown hair. The way her soulful brown eyes pierced me as I talked. Her full pink lips trying to hold back smiles so that she could try and keep her usual aloofness.
At one point she moved her hand to mine on the table and gently grabbed it. It was strange to have such a simple thing feel so good. I could tell she liked it too, since she blushed slightly as I caressed her fingers with my thumb. Her skin was soft and creamy. My mind wandered to the thought of what other parts of her might feel like.
We stayed at the restaurant until the asked us to leave so they could close. The walk back to the car was slow, delaying the end of the night. The drive back was equally slow and the tension had returned. Melissa was uncharacteristically silent. So was I, I suppose. She fidgeted and played with her hair more than usual, keeping her eyes ahead.
I walked her to her apartment door, where we stood in silence, nervously waiting for the other to say goodnight. But doing so would end our date, and I certainly wasn't going to do that. Melissa's nervous face suddenly changed, as though she had made up her mind about something.
"So, you want to come in for coffee?" She asked. I was surprised at how cliche she was being. It proved how nervous she was.
"I thought we established earlier than I don't like coffee."
"Then how about coming in to make out and possibly have sex?" She quipped back with a snarky grin.
"On the first date? Aren't we the little slut?" Yeah, I know you should never call a woman that. But in our months as friends we had said worse to each other in jest.
"First off, this isn't really a first date. We've done all the typical first date getting to know each other months ago. So this is more like our...fourth date. Second, if you don't watch your mouth you may not get to find out how slutty I really am." As she said this, she posed; tilting her full hips and then smacking her well rounded bottom.
We both laughed. This was a big reason I was so attracted to her. That we could be so open, and not be hung up with our conversations and teasing.
"OK, I agree that this isn't like our first date. But there is a first I think we need to get out of the way before I come in for 'coffee'." She looked at me expectantly.
I glided to her, reached out and pulled her to me gently. With one hand I tilted her head up as I lowered my head and softly pushed our lips together. Those lips I had been admiring all night felt heavenly against mine as we kissed. Her arms moved to my shoulders, mine to her waist; drawing each other in tighter to match our kiss.
I let my tongue peek past my lips, which mets hers doing the same shy exploration. Slowly at first, they caressed each other, but quickly moving to a more passionate exchange.
Why it won't work
So, let's talk about why Obama's plans won't work. Why are we talking about Obama? Because McCain has no shot. I've pretty much assumed Obama will win since the primaries. A) The dems REALLY hate Bush (which they carry over to any non-dem) B) Obama actually has charisma (something the last two candidates did not) and C) This election the Dems are going to get every normally-not-a-voter to vote. So, Obama wins.
That said, let's talk about 3 of his big talking points: Jobs, Taxes, Health-care.
1) Jobs. Obama says he will create more jobs. How? Well, the way i see it you can only do it 2 ways. Either you create a bunch of government jobs or you stimulate the economy. The former will cost us a bunch of money we already don't have. The latter...well how does he plan to do this? Point two addresses that.
2) Taxes. first off, Obama claims he will lower taxes for 95% of Americans. Well, seeing as about 40% of them already don't pay taxes, that number seems a bit inflated. Remember when you worked that lower paying job and got all your taxes back at the end of the year? yeah, we have lots of those jobs. So the only way for them to get MORE money back is to give them more than they took...which is welfare. AND costs us money we don't have.
So, who WILL be taxed? The rich. Now taxing some rich (entertainers mostly) won't hurt much. But taxing business people...that will hurt. See, business people CREATE JOBS. See point #1. Obama wants to create jobs...by hurting the people to do the creating. Seems silly to me. Not to mention, you will see some rich people leave or take their businesses to countries with lower tax costs. This will take even more revenue out of the country. Seems counter intuitive considering points 1 and 3.
3) Health-care. Ain't gonna happen. We are already in a huge hole because of the bailout. That alone would make it tough. Throw in the tax breaks (which cost us even more) we won't have money for health-care. Which will be interesting since the lost jobs will make more people want health-care.
Look, it's no secret I don't want socialism. Especially for our culture. I especially think it will hurt things because right now our lack of socialism means that we have more disposable income. We consume...we consume the goods of all the socialist countries. Socialism costs money. Which means less consuming...which means less money to the other countries (who are already having trouble funding their programs). Then again, maybe China or India will become the new consumer powers.
Mind you, in the end, the economy will be swinging up in 3-4 years. Obama will take credit and get re-elected. THEN he may be able to implement his plans. And then the economy will drop again (as businesses send work overseas). Then a Rep will blame the Dems, and get elected to fix it and the whole cycle can start again.
Or, Obama won't do jack, since the president doesn't have much power to do that...congress does. And they have already done very little. Mind you, some of that is due to Bush.
Not totally related, but remember how congress broke down and relinquished the oil drilling thing? Pelosi has already said that when Obama takes over they are undoing that. Wow...to say that NOW...before they win. They really do have their voters pegged....as in stupid.
That said, let's talk about 3 of his big talking points: Jobs, Taxes, Health-care.
1) Jobs. Obama says he will create more jobs. How? Well, the way i see it you can only do it 2 ways. Either you create a bunch of government jobs or you stimulate the economy. The former will cost us a bunch of money we already don't have. The latter...well how does he plan to do this? Point two addresses that.
2) Taxes. first off, Obama claims he will lower taxes for 95% of Americans. Well, seeing as about 40% of them already don't pay taxes, that number seems a bit inflated. Remember when you worked that lower paying job and got all your taxes back at the end of the year? yeah, we have lots of those jobs. So the only way for them to get MORE money back is to give them more than they took...which is welfare. AND costs us money we don't have.
So, who WILL be taxed? The rich. Now taxing some rich (entertainers mostly) won't hurt much. But taxing business people...that will hurt. See, business people CREATE JOBS. See point #1. Obama wants to create jobs...by hurting the people to do the creating. Seems silly to me. Not to mention, you will see some rich people leave or take their businesses to countries with lower tax costs. This will take even more revenue out of the country. Seems counter intuitive considering points 1 and 3.
3) Health-care. Ain't gonna happen. We are already in a huge hole because of the bailout. That alone would make it tough. Throw in the tax breaks (which cost us even more) we won't have money for health-care. Which will be interesting since the lost jobs will make more people want health-care.
Look, it's no secret I don't want socialism. Especially for our culture. I especially think it will hurt things because right now our lack of socialism means that we have more disposable income. We consume...we consume the goods of all the socialist countries. Socialism costs money. Which means less consuming...which means less money to the other countries (who are already having trouble funding their programs). Then again, maybe China or India will become the new consumer powers.
Mind you, in the end, the economy will be swinging up in 3-4 years. Obama will take credit and get re-elected. THEN he may be able to implement his plans. And then the economy will drop again (as businesses send work overseas). Then a Rep will blame the Dems, and get elected to fix it and the whole cycle can start again.
Or, Obama won't do jack, since the president doesn't have much power to do that...congress does. And they have already done very little. Mind you, some of that is due to Bush.
Not totally related, but remember how congress broke down and relinquished the oil drilling thing? Pelosi has already said that when Obama takes over they are undoing that. Wow...to say that NOW...before they win. They really do have their voters pegged....as in stupid.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Someone please DON'T think of the children!!
So, this weekend, I hung out with a friend who brought up being for universal health-care at least for children. At the time, I shrugged and thought "Yeah, that's cool". Then I thought about it the next day and something occurred to me. Why are children more valuable than adults?
A child is primarily valuable to family. They are only POTENTIALLY valuable to society. Where as an adult is a known quantity. We know, on a very basic level, how much they contribute to society. So why do we always think of children first? If you have a family that has no health care and the child gets sick or the main provider (mom/dad) gets sick, which will really be worse? Will a healthy child whose Mom/Dad dies and now they have no money be better off?
My first thought is simple biology. We are wired to protect children. In olden times, kids had a much lower survival rate, so it was best for the species longevity to keep those suckers alive and well. But that 'need' doesn't exist to near that degree anymore. Our species is nowhere NEAR the possibility of extinction. But that doesn't stop our biology from placing them on a pedestal.
Second is the 'Children can't control the situations in the world they were born into'. Pretty true. But neither did adults. See, adults were once children. And current adults in America did not come from a time when there WAS some kind of universal child health-care. Yet somehow we managed to avoid some kind of baby holocaust.
Third I guess could be the impact a child that dies due to no health-care has on his family. But again, the reverse could be just as bad.
Our society has become so kid-centric that evoking them has such an immediate response that makes people follow along. It's how we are built. Even I did so until I thought more about it.
Personally, I think we need to focus on educating people to not get into responsibilities they can't afford. Our society loves to focus on symptoms and not causes. Prisons don't fix problems, because we aren't spending money to PREVENT people from feeling the need/desire to become a criminal. Universal health-care is similar. You aren't dealing with the cause of all these uninsured people, or all the children born into bad situation. You are in fact prolonging it. By taking away negative repercussions for being in bad straits, you take a percentage of people and allow them to feel safe and just continue down that path.
I have known people who gain great drive to do better and to budget well in order to provide for their kids. I really don't like the idea of bowing down to the lazy people and perpetuating it. Kids or not.
To bring it back around, I think our culture puts WAY too much weight on the value of a child.
A child is primarily valuable to family. They are only POTENTIALLY valuable to society. Where as an adult is a known quantity. We know, on a very basic level, how much they contribute to society. So why do we always think of children first? If you have a family that has no health care and the child gets sick or the main provider (mom/dad) gets sick, which will really be worse? Will a healthy child whose Mom/Dad dies and now they have no money be better off?
My first thought is simple biology. We are wired to protect children. In olden times, kids had a much lower survival rate, so it was best for the species longevity to keep those suckers alive and well. But that 'need' doesn't exist to near that degree anymore. Our species is nowhere NEAR the possibility of extinction. But that doesn't stop our biology from placing them on a pedestal.
Second is the 'Children can't control the situations in the world they were born into'. Pretty true. But neither did adults. See, adults were once children. And current adults in America did not come from a time when there WAS some kind of universal child health-care. Yet somehow we managed to avoid some kind of baby holocaust.
Third I guess could be the impact a child that dies due to no health-care has on his family. But again, the reverse could be just as bad.
Our society has become so kid-centric that evoking them has such an immediate response that makes people follow along. It's how we are built. Even I did so until I thought more about it.
Personally, I think we need to focus on educating people to not get into responsibilities they can't afford. Our society loves to focus on symptoms and not causes. Prisons don't fix problems, because we aren't spending money to PREVENT people from feeling the need/desire to become a criminal. Universal health-care is similar. You aren't dealing with the cause of all these uninsured people, or all the children born into bad situation. You are in fact prolonging it. By taking away negative repercussions for being in bad straits, you take a percentage of people and allow them to feel safe and just continue down that path.
I have known people who gain great drive to do better and to budget well in order to provide for their kids. I really don't like the idea of bowing down to the lazy people and perpetuating it. Kids or not.
To bring it back around, I think our culture puts WAY too much weight on the value of a child.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
I'ma talk about my characters...hehe!
Hows this for a random blog post? I'm going to talk about my various recurring characters/names and alias I use when playing video game RPG's/MMO's.
1) Shadow Ghoul. The big one. Sghoul is pretty much my main alias. If I play a game with a single character that isn't a fantasy RPG, Sghoul is the name I use. And when I do stuff online, Sghoul is pretty much always my handle.
Shadow Ghoul was created in the Marvel Super Hero RPG, which was a system that had you randomly generate characters. I rolled him up and he had Shadow Control, the ability to rot organic material, the ability to generate fear, and no real need to eat/sleep/breathe. So I called him Shadow Ghoul. And for whatever reason it stuck. Especially since sghoul is almost always available as a username on the interwebs.
2) Kasing. Kasing DeMarkus was my first serious D&D character. A Half Elven Ranger for those who care. I generally use him in games as a bow wielding human or elven character. And Kasing had a Van Dyke (like me) before I could even grow one. Hmmmm...
3) Jessail. Female wizard type. I made her as an NPC originally. Now I use her whenever I need a caster type. Generally Elven, always blond. And I play her as haughty (bitchy).
4) Neeily. She came about in Everquest. I played around with EQ for a bit. I wanted to stand out, so I looked at various race/class/gender combos. The least used one that I could see was Halfling/Rogue/Female. So I made one. I let the game give me random names, and one came up that was close to Neeily, but longer. Since long names are harder to type, I shortened it to Neeily.
Neeily is generally my short spunky character. Most often a rogue type. And always having dark (black if I can help it) hair. Although in Warhammer, I have one that is human.
5) Marlox. This guy came from Anarchy Online originally. I made a big galoot character, and Marlox sounded pretty galooty to me. Since then, any more monstrous character I make is Marlox. My troll in WoW, my current Orc in WAR.
6) Falla. Originally Falla Firehair, Falla is Neeily's lesser used cousin. Originally I wanted to make a Barbarian Rogue in EQ, and since I already had Neeily, I made this one up. Falla is now used most often if I am making an evil version rogue type. Usually human, and red haired.
7) Dungor Deadhammer. Another old D&D character, Dungor is my dwarf character. Now, what class he is changes pretty heavily. He's been a fighter, paladin, and cleric. He is also a main character in my Arnoth stories (that I have no put pen to paper for).
Some lesser known/used characters:
Hia! (with the '!'). Whenever I make a martial artist in a none online game.
Heal. The healer...duh!
Holy. Paladin or cleric.
That's enough of my musings for now.
1) Shadow Ghoul. The big one. Sghoul is pretty much my main alias. If I play a game with a single character that isn't a fantasy RPG, Sghoul is the name I use. And when I do stuff online, Sghoul is pretty much always my handle.
Shadow Ghoul was created in the Marvel Super Hero RPG, which was a system that had you randomly generate characters. I rolled him up and he had Shadow Control, the ability to rot organic material, the ability to generate fear, and no real need to eat/sleep/breathe. So I called him Shadow Ghoul. And for whatever reason it stuck. Especially since sghoul is almost always available as a username on the interwebs.
2) Kasing. Kasing DeMarkus was my first serious D&D character. A Half Elven Ranger for those who care. I generally use him in games as a bow wielding human or elven character. And Kasing had a Van Dyke (like me) before I could even grow one. Hmmmm...
3) Jessail. Female wizard type. I made her as an NPC originally. Now I use her whenever I need a caster type. Generally Elven, always blond. And I play her as haughty (bitchy).
4) Neeily. She came about in Everquest. I played around with EQ for a bit. I wanted to stand out, so I looked at various race/class/gender combos. The least used one that I could see was Halfling/Rogue/Female. So I made one. I let the game give me random names, and one came up that was close to Neeily, but longer. Since long names are harder to type, I shortened it to Neeily.
Neeily is generally my short spunky character. Most often a rogue type. And always having dark (black if I can help it) hair. Although in Warhammer, I have one that is human.
5) Marlox. This guy came from Anarchy Online originally. I made a big galoot character, and Marlox sounded pretty galooty to me. Since then, any more monstrous character I make is Marlox. My troll in WoW, my current Orc in WAR.
6) Falla. Originally Falla Firehair, Falla is Neeily's lesser used cousin. Originally I wanted to make a Barbarian Rogue in EQ, and since I already had Neeily, I made this one up. Falla is now used most often if I am making an evil version rogue type. Usually human, and red haired.
7) Dungor Deadhammer. Another old D&D character, Dungor is my dwarf character. Now, what class he is changes pretty heavily. He's been a fighter, paladin, and cleric. He is also a main character in my Arnoth stories (that I have no put pen to paper for).
Some lesser known/used characters:
Hia! (with the '!'). Whenever I make a martial artist in a none online game.
Heal. The healer...duh!
Holy. Paladin or cleric.
That's enough of my musings for now.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Jester - The visual
One of my favorite hero characters I have created is Jester. So I commisioned a guy to draw a version of him. Here's what we came up with. I am QUITE happy with it.
If there is interest, I can post some Jester info.
If there is interest, I can post some Jester info.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Reel Quick Reviews
The name? Lame, yeah, fuck off.
So, I got Netflix (love it) and I decided to start reviewing what I watch. So here we go>
Swingers: This supposed cult classic makes me think that 'cult classic' means 'not that good'. I didn't really get it I guess. It had parts I liked, but overall felt flat. It ended well, but didn't make up for the long stretches of 'huh?'
Definitely Maybe: Not usually one for a chick flick, I rented this because I like Ryan Reynolds. And Like him I still do. I enjoyed this movie. Sure the interweaving love plots felt fantastical, but the individual relationships actually seemed real (which is likely why they failed). Overall I felt that it romantisized love, but in a realistic way. The main character makes many mistakes before he finds 'love'.
Dexter: A showtime series about a serial killer who works for the police. I LOVE this series. All I can say is check it out. Mind you, I hate almost every character in the show besides the serial killer and one cop. But I think that is part of the point of the show. 'Normal' people can be fucked up and 'bad' people can actually be pretty nice. You know, aside from the killing.
That's it till I get some more videos!
So, I got Netflix (love it) and I decided to start reviewing what I watch. So here we go>
Swingers: This supposed cult classic makes me think that 'cult classic' means 'not that good'. I didn't really get it I guess. It had parts I liked, but overall felt flat. It ended well, but didn't make up for the long stretches of 'huh?'
Definitely Maybe: Not usually one for a chick flick, I rented this because I like Ryan Reynolds. And Like him I still do. I enjoyed this movie. Sure the interweaving love plots felt fantastical, but the individual relationships actually seemed real (which is likely why they failed). Overall I felt that it romantisized love, but in a realistic way. The main character makes many mistakes before he finds 'love'.
Dexter: A showtime series about a serial killer who works for the police. I LOVE this series. All I can say is check it out. Mind you, I hate almost every character in the show besides the serial killer and one cop. But I think that is part of the point of the show. 'Normal' people can be fucked up and 'bad' people can actually be pretty nice. You know, aside from the killing.
That's it till I get some more videos!
For Steagus: NSFW...like at ALL
The S man says I should stick to T&A. As much as I don't like to be typecast, I do play to the crowd. So here we go.
Lisa Ann: Porn Star and Stripper. I dig her as an older (for porn) woman. Nice rack, amazing butt, and legs to die for.
Denise Milani: Model. To my knowledge, no nudes yet. There is also great debate over the realness of her boobs. Most would say fake based on size, but I have known women blessed with chest and slim everywhere else. either way...nice. Plus she has such a sweet smile.
Ewa Sonnet: Polish model and Singer. Two great pairs. Breasts and eyes. I could get lost in either of them.
Maria Yumeno: Japanese pornstar. Know little about her since everything tends to be in Japanese. i just know I think she's hot. I have a think for asians. She can pull off both sulty and innocent.
Last but CERTAINLY not least, Nina Hartley. Long time porn star. You also might recognize her from boogie nights. A veteran, she has (IMHO) one of the best ass/legs out there. Plus she can pull of the naughty librarian like nobodies business.
Satisfied Steagus? Can I go back to other things now?
Lisa Ann: Porn Star and Stripper. I dig her as an older (for porn) woman. Nice rack, amazing butt, and legs to die for.
Denise Milani: Model. To my knowledge, no nudes yet. There is also great debate over the realness of her boobs. Most would say fake based on size, but I have known women blessed with chest and slim everywhere else. either way...nice. Plus she has such a sweet smile.
Ewa Sonnet: Polish model and Singer. Two great pairs. Breasts and eyes. I could get lost in either of them.
Maria Yumeno: Japanese pornstar. Know little about her since everything tends to be in Japanese. i just know I think she's hot. I have a think for asians. She can pull off both sulty and innocent.
Last but CERTAINLY not least, Nina Hartley. Long time porn star. You also might recognize her from boogie nights. A veteran, she has (IMHO) one of the best ass/legs out there. Plus she can pull of the naughty librarian like nobodies business.
Satisfied Steagus? Can I go back to other things now?
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
I'm a Dick!
Am I? I could go with the 'It's all relative' line. And that's fairly true. But I think there is a line one can cross where the majority would feel a certain way, enough to give you that label.
Regardless, it's something I have been wrestling with. I can say that casually, no, no I'm not. If you just saw me on the street or at work, you'd probably think I am decent enough. Even nice. Most people I work with like me well enough. But what happens when you get to know me better? That is the big question. But I think it is far more complex.
First, those with soft hearts probably needn't apply. As I get more comfortable around people, the little smiley wall I put up goes away. I am more likely to say things that could be hurtful. More impassioned in my opinions. More abrasive. And more likely to get upset if I feel wronged. So, if you don't have calloused emotions, take things personally, or are just (what I would consider) overly optimistic, I will hurt you. Repeatedly, until one of us drives the other away. I don't feel that alone makes me a dick. Just not compatible with those kinds of people on a deeper level.
Second is teasing/trash talk. I can tease people pretty badly. Thing is, I rarely tease people that I actually don't like to their face. If I don't like you, you will likely only ever see Smiley to Ambivalent Kevin. So if I am teasing you, I generally like you and I don't actually mean anything by the teasing. Now I don't know if this is a real issue or not, since I don't know if it really bothers people or not.
Third: Passionately opinionated. Man, when I get to discussing something, I can build up a head or steam. Worse, I can do this about topics I don't care about as much as I seem to. Even worse, even when I run out of reason or ammo, I keep going. This I have thought on...how much is stubbornness? How much is competitiveness? How much is enjoying making my mind think fast or dig deep? How much is the enjoyment of the other person's response? I don't know. I don't even think about it when it happens. I read something, a response forms in my head and I fire it off. Sometimes pure fact, sometimes informed bullshit, sometimes random opinion. But all generally coming off as heated.
This rolls into fourth, my love of arguing/debate. I have liked it for as long as I can remember. This I KNOW comes from enjoying making my mind work fast. My brother and I do it all the time. Sometimes about real issues. Sometimes about something random. I like being able to just keep going. But other people see it negatively. I remember someone commenting about my Bro and I doing it, asking why we liked each other. I was like 'why not? It's just arguing...we don't mean anything by it.' At least from my end. But to someone outside my head, I guess it sounds angry. Maybe it is at the time...but if it is, it goes away almost right away. Again, at least for me.
I also know I can be bad with communication. If I don't have easy access to you (see you regularly like at work) I am bad about keeping in touch. Lazy is a big part of that. Is there more? I'm not sure. I don't really keep in touch with like, anyone. When I left HS, I didn't keep in touch with any of my friends (they tried with me). Same with College. And from job to job. I'm not sure if it's because I don't value people enough, or some innate selfishness. I DO know that once I get home I kind of shut off the world. So, unless I made some kind of plans with you, you are unlikely to get ahold of me. But that doesn't explain my lack of communicating, with email so available. I have been trying to get better...but I still suck at it.
I know my 'tough love' approach has been frowned upon as well. See, sometimes, when I feel that kind words or a pat on the back don't work, I instead say something snide or cruel. I think it's a combination of being fed up with a person being undependable or me trying to break them from their shell. It works with varying success. At least short term. ultimately, like in any relationship, you need to realize that a person is who they are. trying to fix them won't work. So accept it or move on.
I suppose I could go on about my faults. But I think I am tapped for now. I will say that I know at the very least in the short term, I can be a good guy. People wherever I work tend to like me. When I take classes my teachers dig me. I'm that guy you can generally call and know I will help you move or work on your computer.
All in all, I am AM curious what other's think. I know asking that will likely garner a bunch of 'yeah your a dick Kevin' comments, or people won't feel comfortable saying anything at all. But I hope some do post in seriousness and with thought out reasons and opinions.
Regardless, it's something I have been wrestling with. I can say that casually, no, no I'm not. If you just saw me on the street or at work, you'd probably think I am decent enough. Even nice. Most people I work with like me well enough. But what happens when you get to know me better? That is the big question. But I think it is far more complex.
First, those with soft hearts probably needn't apply. As I get more comfortable around people, the little smiley wall I put up goes away. I am more likely to say things that could be hurtful. More impassioned in my opinions. More abrasive. And more likely to get upset if I feel wronged. So, if you don't have calloused emotions, take things personally, or are just (what I would consider) overly optimistic, I will hurt you. Repeatedly, until one of us drives the other away. I don't feel that alone makes me a dick. Just not compatible with those kinds of people on a deeper level.
Second is teasing/trash talk. I can tease people pretty badly. Thing is, I rarely tease people that I actually don't like to their face. If I don't like you, you will likely only ever see Smiley to Ambivalent Kevin. So if I am teasing you, I generally like you and I don't actually mean anything by the teasing. Now I don't know if this is a real issue or not, since I don't know if it really bothers people or not.
Third: Passionately opinionated. Man, when I get to discussing something, I can build up a head or steam. Worse, I can do this about topics I don't care about as much as I seem to. Even worse, even when I run out of reason or ammo, I keep going. This I have thought on...how much is stubbornness? How much is competitiveness? How much is enjoying making my mind think fast or dig deep? How much is the enjoyment of the other person's response? I don't know. I don't even think about it when it happens. I read something, a response forms in my head and I fire it off. Sometimes pure fact, sometimes informed bullshit, sometimes random opinion. But all generally coming off as heated.
This rolls into fourth, my love of arguing/debate. I have liked it for as long as I can remember. This I KNOW comes from enjoying making my mind work fast. My brother and I do it all the time. Sometimes about real issues. Sometimes about something random. I like being able to just keep going. But other people see it negatively. I remember someone commenting about my Bro and I doing it, asking why we liked each other. I was like 'why not? It's just arguing...we don't mean anything by it.' At least from my end. But to someone outside my head, I guess it sounds angry. Maybe it is at the time...but if it is, it goes away almost right away. Again, at least for me.
I also know I can be bad with communication. If I don't have easy access to you (see you regularly like at work) I am bad about keeping in touch. Lazy is a big part of that. Is there more? I'm not sure. I don't really keep in touch with like, anyone. When I left HS, I didn't keep in touch with any of my friends (they tried with me). Same with College. And from job to job. I'm not sure if it's because I don't value people enough, or some innate selfishness. I DO know that once I get home I kind of shut off the world. So, unless I made some kind of plans with you, you are unlikely to get ahold of me. But that doesn't explain my lack of communicating, with email so available. I have been trying to get better...but I still suck at it.
I know my 'tough love' approach has been frowned upon as well. See, sometimes, when I feel that kind words or a pat on the back don't work, I instead say something snide or cruel. I think it's a combination of being fed up with a person being undependable or me trying to break them from their shell. It works with varying success. At least short term. ultimately, like in any relationship, you need to realize that a person is who they are. trying to fix them won't work. So accept it or move on.
I suppose I could go on about my faults. But I think I am tapped for now. I will say that I know at the very least in the short term, I can be a good guy. People wherever I work tend to like me. When I take classes my teachers dig me. I'm that guy you can generally call and know I will help you move or work on your computer.
All in all, I am AM curious what other's think. I know asking that will likely garner a bunch of 'yeah your a dick Kevin' comments, or people won't feel comfortable saying anything at all. But I hope some do post in seriousness and with thought out reasons and opinions.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Science Lesson for the Day - Anatomy of a Woman
Since my last few posts have been so serious, and the next one I have planned is not only serious but rather personal, I decided to do something a bit lighter...but still personal.
The female anatomy :) If you asked most guys what part was their favorite part of a woman, it generally breaks down into three pieces: Breasts, Butt, Legs. So I am going to start there. If pressed to pick one of the three, here they are in order.
Breasts: Despite none of my serious relationships being with anyone larger than an A cup, I dig boobs. Bigger=Better. This also goes for areola and nipples. Now, I've never felt any fake boobs, so i don't know how I would feel about `em. But they look nice :) Here's a couple of Boob-type-pics. One is just random. The other is Christina Hendricks....the woman I am going to marry.
Legs: Close second. Now, saying I like legs tells you nothing. Most folks know that saying you like boobs means you like big boobs. But saying you like legs doesn't tell you much. I happen to like good thighs and calves. Think tennis players (the female ones for those too stupid to figure out which ones I am talking about). Sorry, no images for this. The ones I found that I liked also showed OTHER parts that I don't think I should be showing on this here blog. Look up Nina Hartley (she also could be looked up for the Butt pics)
Butt: This practially not important to me. That does NOT mean I don't love a nicely curved ass. And when I see one, I definitely take time to appreciate it. But it has much less impact on how I view a woman. Look up Nina Hartley or Lisa Ann (the latter will be MUCH harder to find because of her generic name).
Having said all that, interestingly enough my last few...actually pretty much ALL of my serious relationships (ones that lasted for several months) were almost a reverse of that list. They all tended to be of the 'pear shaped' body type. Most of their weight being in the hips/butt/legs.
Now, we have the big three out of the way. But those don't begin to address all of the possible wonderful things about women.
Skin: This is actually way up top to me. I am generally a very caress-y person (if you are dating me, and I am not always trying to hold your hand or rub you, I'm not that into you or am holding back for some reason). I love smooth skin. Doesn't have to be blemish free (Look down on my love of freckles post). Luckily most women tend to have soft skin. It's part of the twin reasons to date woman for my friend Shag (Soft and they smell good). A good tan can be nice. But so can nice pale skin (but there is a fine line between soft pale skin and someone that needs to get out in the sun more).
Lips: I tend to like full lips. See miss Hendricks above. I like kissing, so good lips give lots to work with :) Also, could have something to do with the DSL factor.
Eyes: Good eyes can captivate me. BUT, it's not something I normally care about until I see a really good pair.
Tummy: I ain't necessarily talking about some totally flat belly. A nice curve can be very sexy. Then again, so can abs :)
Hips: I tend to like a nice hip to waist ratio.
Feet: This is something I never thought I would care about. But I do like nice feet. I like to rub feet (not for my pleasure, but for hers), so having nice ones makes that a more pleasing experience.
Shoulders: Huh? Yeah, I didn't get it either. But, like the feet, I like giving teh massages. Nice shoulders are a pleasure to rub. Mix in good skin and maybe even freckles and you have some good times!
Hair: I tend to like it longer...and preferably not constantly changing style and color. Sadly, women feel the need to mess with this part all the time. Worse, I know plenty of guys who tell their gals not to cut/dye/change their hair...said women usually do it anyway. But God forbid I shave or don't shave...that makes me a jerk of a man! Longer is better, cuz I like running my fingers through it.
Bajingo: Yeah, I really have no opinion on this one. Perhaps that is because It is the last thing I see of a woman if I see it at all. Since I know they all have them, I don't think about it overmuch.
There are probably lots more things. Noses? *shrug* Hands? I suppose.
Now, that is just the physical list. Personality is just as if not more important. I'm not going to say that looks aren't important. I'm a guy. I want to be attracted to who I am with. That does NOT mean they have to be 36-24-36 perfect. And if they are, only if they are 5'3" *whip crack noises*. As I said above, despite my love of mammaries I have dated few women that chart high in that area. I just would like them to be attractive...to me. And honestly pretty much everyone wants that.
Also, I don't date/not date based on race. I have dated White/Black/Latino and find pretty much everything in between attractive. I'm actually kind of proud that I don't seem to have a 'type' when it comes to looks. Lets me focus on who they are (says that guy who just posted a blog post about female body parts).
The female anatomy :) If you asked most guys what part was their favorite part of a woman, it generally breaks down into three pieces: Breasts, Butt, Legs. So I am going to start there. If pressed to pick one of the three, here they are in order.
Breasts: Despite none of my serious relationships being with anyone larger than an A cup, I dig boobs. Bigger=Better. This also goes for areola and nipples. Now, I've never felt any fake boobs, so i don't know how I would feel about `em. But they look nice :) Here's a couple of Boob-type-pics. One is just random. The other is Christina Hendricks....the woman I am going to marry.
Legs: Close second. Now, saying I like legs tells you nothing. Most folks know that saying you like boobs means you like big boobs. But saying you like legs doesn't tell you much. I happen to like good thighs and calves. Think tennis players (the female ones for those too stupid to figure out which ones I am talking about). Sorry, no images for this. The ones I found that I liked also showed OTHER parts that I don't think I should be showing on this here blog. Look up Nina Hartley (she also could be looked up for the Butt pics)
Butt: This practially not important to me. That does NOT mean I don't love a nicely curved ass. And when I see one, I definitely take time to appreciate it. But it has much less impact on how I view a woman. Look up Nina Hartley or Lisa Ann (the latter will be MUCH harder to find because of her generic name).
Having said all that, interestingly enough my last few...actually pretty much ALL of my serious relationships (ones that lasted for several months) were almost a reverse of that list. They all tended to be of the 'pear shaped' body type. Most of their weight being in the hips/butt/legs.
Now, we have the big three out of the way. But those don't begin to address all of the possible wonderful things about women.
Skin: This is actually way up top to me. I am generally a very caress-y person (if you are dating me, and I am not always trying to hold your hand or rub you, I'm not that into you or am holding back for some reason). I love smooth skin. Doesn't have to be blemish free (Look down on my love of freckles post). Luckily most women tend to have soft skin. It's part of the twin reasons to date woman for my friend Shag (Soft and they smell good). A good tan can be nice. But so can nice pale skin (but there is a fine line between soft pale skin and someone that needs to get out in the sun more).
Lips: I tend to like full lips. See miss Hendricks above. I like kissing, so good lips give lots to work with :) Also, could have something to do with the DSL factor.
Eyes: Good eyes can captivate me. BUT, it's not something I normally care about until I see a really good pair.
Tummy: I ain't necessarily talking about some totally flat belly. A nice curve can be very sexy. Then again, so can abs :)
Hips: I tend to like a nice hip to waist ratio.
Feet: This is something I never thought I would care about. But I do like nice feet. I like to rub feet (not for my pleasure, but for hers), so having nice ones makes that a more pleasing experience.
Shoulders: Huh? Yeah, I didn't get it either. But, like the feet, I like giving teh massages. Nice shoulders are a pleasure to rub. Mix in good skin and maybe even freckles and you have some good times!
Hair: I tend to like it longer...and preferably not constantly changing style and color. Sadly, women feel the need to mess with this part all the time. Worse, I know plenty of guys who tell their gals not to cut/dye/change their hair...said women usually do it anyway. But God forbid I shave or don't shave...that makes me a jerk of a man! Longer is better, cuz I like running my fingers through it.
Bajingo: Yeah, I really have no opinion on this one. Perhaps that is because It is the last thing I see of a woman if I see it at all. Since I know they all have them, I don't think about it overmuch.
There are probably lots more things. Noses? *shrug* Hands? I suppose.
Now, that is just the physical list. Personality is just as if not more important. I'm not going to say that looks aren't important. I'm a guy. I want to be attracted to who I am with. That does NOT mean they have to be 36-24-36 perfect. And if they are, only if they are 5'3" *whip crack noises*. As I said above, despite my love of mammaries I have dated few women that chart high in that area. I just would like them to be attractive...to me. And honestly pretty much everyone wants that.
Also, I don't date/not date based on race. I have dated White/Black/Latino and find pretty much everything in between attractive. I'm actually kind of proud that I don't seem to have a 'type' when it comes to looks. Lets me focus on who they are (says that guy who just posted a blog post about female body parts).
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Capitalism - The Market works!
I have long been a fan of capitalism. For the most part, I think most of societies ills can be fixed by the market. This of course is a point that many will argue. But I think that is because most don't REALLY know what the market entails. Heck, I don't fully grasp it.
Think about it like this: Your money is your vote. Don't like how Walmart operates? DON'T SHOP THERE. If you do, it is the same as having a politician you dislike and voting for him anyway. Wish McDonalds had healthier stuff on the menu? Tell them and QUIT EATING THERE. The latter has flat out worked. Sales dropped, consumers said it was from lack of teh healthy, McDonalds changed their menu.
Sadly, people don't get it. They either think (just like real politics) that their little voice means nothing. Worse, convenience and laziness easily overcome people's values.
And, just like politics, that is exactly what big businesses WANT you to feel. Walmart doesn't change because they know you are going to shop there anyway. No one listens to third party candidates because the sides know you won't 'throw your vote away'.
It saddens me when I think "You get the government/system you deserve". Very true....for the majority.
Think about it like this: Your money is your vote. Don't like how Walmart operates? DON'T SHOP THERE. If you do, it is the same as having a politician you dislike and voting for him anyway. Wish McDonalds had healthier stuff on the menu? Tell them and QUIT EATING THERE. The latter has flat out worked. Sales dropped, consumers said it was from lack of teh healthy, McDonalds changed their menu.
Sadly, people don't get it. They either think (just like real politics) that their little voice means nothing. Worse, convenience and laziness easily overcome people's values.
And, just like politics, that is exactly what big businesses WANT you to feel. Walmart doesn't change because they know you are going to shop there anyway. No one listens to third party candidates because the sides know you won't 'throw your vote away'.
It saddens me when I think "You get the government/system you deserve". Very true....for the majority.
Friday, September 5, 2008
I hate our political parties
You know, I hate parties in general. Why can't people just run? Do we need to polarize everything? Of course we do. How do you manipulate and control people without a group to get them to belong to?
I guess I am conservative. But I am NOT a republican. I'm not really a libertarian, despite agreeing with much of what they want. No one party embraces what I believe fully. If I vote Rep, they push their religious adgenda and pro-life/anti-stem cell stuff. If I vote Dem, they take my stuff and give it to other people and take away any sort of personal responsibily for how my life is.
I don't really like either option. And if forced to pick one, it would end up being about other things such as Obama's total lack of any real experience or McCain's age/replacement.
I think the problem is that we haven't REALLY had a good presidential candidate in a while (in the final running). Sure we have charisma and leadership from folks like Clinton (Bill) or Obama. We have experinece and conviction from people like McCain or Dole. But we don't have the mix. Worse, we usually don't have humility. I don't honestly feel like any of them want to SERVE. They have an agenda they want to push forward. People like them, sure. But I bet, if you never saw a picture or heard them talk...just read about what they did before being a president (facts, not manipulative prose), very few modern presidents would have made it to office.
I would love a president who, when faced with an issue, met with experts (of different walks) and passed that info on to the people. Make a choice from broad knowledge. Not becuase one advisor (who is usually a party advisor) tells me something.
When it comes down to it, I'm scared. Scared that our country is going to turn into all the other countries I have no desire to live in. Then where do I go? Suck it up, give my money to the government, pay twice as much for stuff, and sign my freedoms away? Hope some state with ideals like mine decides to susceed (sp)? try and make a difference despite the fact that most people make up their minds about issues before they even have facts?
Maybe governments rotate. China is starting to embrace capitalism, giving its people back their power. While we are leaning more and more on ours, and Europe is heavily dependant on them (with some countries stagnating and/or running into money issues).
Or maybe I should invest in some cheap land in the Arctic, which will beach front property thanks to global warming. Well, aside from the ice caps having actually grown in the past year. guess I need to burn some styrofoam to move things along.
I guess I am conservative. But I am NOT a republican. I'm not really a libertarian, despite agreeing with much of what they want. No one party embraces what I believe fully. If I vote Rep, they push their religious adgenda and pro-life/anti-stem cell stuff. If I vote Dem, they take my stuff and give it to other people and take away any sort of personal responsibily for how my life is.
I don't really like either option. And if forced to pick one, it would end up being about other things such as Obama's total lack of any real experience or McCain's age/replacement.
I think the problem is that we haven't REALLY had a good presidential candidate in a while (in the final running). Sure we have charisma and leadership from folks like Clinton (Bill) or Obama. We have experinece and conviction from people like McCain or Dole. But we don't have the mix. Worse, we usually don't have humility. I don't honestly feel like any of them want to SERVE. They have an agenda they want to push forward. People like them, sure. But I bet, if you never saw a picture or heard them talk...just read about what they did before being a president (facts, not manipulative prose), very few modern presidents would have made it to office.
I would love a president who, when faced with an issue, met with experts (of different walks) and passed that info on to the people. Make a choice from broad knowledge. Not becuase one advisor (who is usually a party advisor) tells me something.
When it comes down to it, I'm scared. Scared that our country is going to turn into all the other countries I have no desire to live in. Then where do I go? Suck it up, give my money to the government, pay twice as much for stuff, and sign my freedoms away? Hope some state with ideals like mine decides to susceed (sp)? try and make a difference despite the fact that most people make up their minds about issues before they even have facts?
Maybe governments rotate. China is starting to embrace capitalism, giving its people back their power. While we are leaning more and more on ours, and Europe is heavily dependant on them (with some countries stagnating and/or running into money issues).
Or maybe I should invest in some cheap land in the Arctic, which will beach front property thanks to global warming. Well, aside from the ice caps having actually grown in the past year. guess I need to burn some styrofoam to move things along.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Look at me, I'm hopping on the bandwagon!
I can't help it. I want to talk about Sarah Palin. So, I will.
I found out about this a lot earlier than I normally would. Friday Morning I get an email from McCain himself! Apparently the guy in my position before me was a McCain man, and signed up for this stuff, so now I get it.
Anyway, first impression...Sarah who? Gov. of WHICH state? So I turn on some news (which I rarely do). 10 minutes later, I like it. A few days later, I am confused. Media really paints her badly (perhaps rightly so). Yet, I still like her. Younger, attractive...we need a naughty librarian in the White House. I kinda feel bad about liking this move. Makes me feel sheep like. Especially since she is likely way to socially conservative than I would like. But in many ways, it is pretty savvy on the surface. Female (pick up those Clinton votes), young, far right (get those Evangelical votes). Most of all, it got people talking about the GOP (good and bad). No one I know cared about Obama's nomination of VP. He was a bland, safe pick. In the short term, it was a trump in that regard.
Then again, I probably don't have to worry about any of it, since I am likely to vote libertarian this year :)
I found out about this a lot earlier than I normally would. Friday Morning I get an email from McCain himself! Apparently the guy in my position before me was a McCain man, and signed up for this stuff, so now I get it.
Anyway, first impression...Sarah who? Gov. of WHICH state? So I turn on some news (which I rarely do). 10 minutes later, I like it. A few days later, I am confused. Media really paints her badly (perhaps rightly so). Yet, I still like her. Younger, attractive...we need a naughty librarian in the White House. I kinda feel bad about liking this move. Makes me feel sheep like. Especially since she is likely way to socially conservative than I would like. But in many ways, it is pretty savvy on the surface. Female (pick up those Clinton votes), young, far right (get those Evangelical votes). Most of all, it got people talking about the GOP (good and bad). No one I know cared about Obama's nomination of VP. He was a bland, safe pick. In the short term, it was a trump in that regard.
Then again, I probably don't have to worry about any of it, since I am likely to vote libertarian this year :)
Monday, August 25, 2008
Popular vote my arse!
So, these last few elections have stirred up the issue of the electoral college and how it doesn't allow for popular vote to allow the popular candidate to win. And, of course since a Rep won it has been the Dems who were the most upset.
This morning they had a nice thing on NPR about the Democratic nomination process. And how ~30 years ago they changed it so it would be more representative...so that all states had some power in determining who won. This is of course JUST LIKE THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE!!!
Oddly enough, Obama has recieved his nomination largely due to this representative election process. See, Hillary put most of her stock in big, highly populated states (and states Obama didn't run in). Obama courted the little states...the ones who would mean absolutely nothing if the process was purely 'popular'.
Mind you, I'm not knocking it. I fully support this. Without a process like this, 80% of the states would get ignored. And those states deserve a voice since this is a Union of states, not one solid country. I just find it funny that the party most complaining about the electoral college is having their new cadidate chosen by the same kind of process :) And I don't hear anyone complaining about it now.
Haven't even heard any Hillary supporters complaining. But that's mostly because they don't really know why they support Hillary over Obama since the only real difference between them is the color of their skin and their gender...and one of them is an evil bitch. I'll let you figure out which one it is.
This morning they had a nice thing on NPR about the Democratic nomination process. And how ~30 years ago they changed it so it would be more representative...so that all states had some power in determining who won. This is of course JUST LIKE THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE!!!
Oddly enough, Obama has recieved his nomination largely due to this representative election process. See, Hillary put most of her stock in big, highly populated states (and states Obama didn't run in). Obama courted the little states...the ones who would mean absolutely nothing if the process was purely 'popular'.
Mind you, I'm not knocking it. I fully support this. Without a process like this, 80% of the states would get ignored. And those states deserve a voice since this is a Union of states, not one solid country. I just find it funny that the party most complaining about the electoral college is having their new cadidate chosen by the same kind of process :) And I don't hear anyone complaining about it now.
Haven't even heard any Hillary supporters complaining. But that's mostly because they don't really know why they support Hillary over Obama since the only real difference between them is the color of their skin and their gender...and one of them is an evil bitch. I'll let you figure out which one it is.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
In love of Freckles
As with many of my posts, some things just pop into my head, and I feel like posting. This post is about freckles. I have always appreciate freckles. Especially when they pepper a cute nose and maybe flow to the cheeks. Shoulders can be good too.
What kicked this off was a weird night where I watched both Scrubs and Lord of the Rings. In Scrubs, Judy Reyes plays Carla. A very attractive woman made all the better by some freckles. In LotR Eowyn is played by Miranda Otto. After the 3+ hour movie I became very attached to her freckled soft skin. Those got me thinking...and I remembered one of my very favorite models, Veronika Zemanova. So below are some pictures of these lovely ladies. Click for bigger pictures. Sadly, it was hard to find good picks, as women seem to like to cover their freckles with makeup :(
Also, guys...if you do not know of Veronika, look her up. NOW. Turn off google's safe filter. Thank me later.
What kicked this off was a weird night where I watched both Scrubs and Lord of the Rings. In Scrubs, Judy Reyes plays Carla. A very attractive woman made all the better by some freckles. In LotR Eowyn is played by Miranda Otto. After the 3+ hour movie I became very attached to her freckled soft skin. Those got me thinking...and I remembered one of my very favorite models, Veronika Zemanova. So below are some pictures of these lovely ladies. Click for bigger pictures. Sadly, it was hard to find good picks, as women seem to like to cover their freckles with makeup :(
Also, guys...if you do not know of Veronika, look her up. NOW. Turn off google's safe filter. Thank me later.
Olympics I scoff at you *scoff scoff*
I have never understood the Olympics. It contains almost entirely sports that no one usually watches. So why, every four years, do people suddenly care. The only time I liked these sports was playing 'Summer Games' on my C64.
Most of the sports aren't even competative in the way that I usually think about a sport. You can't do anything to hinder your opponent. It's basically you against the clock. Or you against some judges' arbitrary scoring system. Sure, the other people racing may drive you to push harder, but they can't actually slow you down.
Most of all, it has become such a waste. The ammount of money wasted so that some person can dedicate their lives to swiming in a straight line...really? With all the people complaining about poverty in this coutry, how is paying so some guy can swim all the time a good expendature of money?
I know some people will tout how it builds spirit and gives people hope. Seriously? If you need some tiny girl who can do flips really well to uplift you, you really should take a look at yourself. How does her flipping in any way make your life better?
The Olymipics are only good if they have Animal or Lyaff in front of them.
Most of the sports aren't even competative in the way that I usually think about a sport. You can't do anything to hinder your opponent. It's basically you against the clock. Or you against some judges' arbitrary scoring system. Sure, the other people racing may drive you to push harder, but they can't actually slow you down.
Most of all, it has become such a waste. The ammount of money wasted so that some person can dedicate their lives to swiming in a straight line...really? With all the people complaining about poverty in this coutry, how is paying so some guy can swim all the time a good expendature of money?
I know some people will tout how it builds spirit and gives people hope. Seriously? If you need some tiny girl who can do flips really well to uplift you, you really should take a look at yourself. How does her flipping in any way make your life better?
The Olymipics are only good if they have Animal or Lyaff in front of them.
Monday, August 4, 2008
I'm no poet
I miss the feeling of my figertips caressing soft skin
Kissing a tear away when trying to comfort someone
Warm breath stiring the hairs of my chest as someone sleeps
Putting my arms around from behind and wrapping them up as they do something mundane.
Brushing their hair using my hand as the brush
The hum or purr of someone content
I also miss putting my penis in a vagina.
I had to put the last part so no one took away my man card.
Kissing a tear away when trying to comfort someone
Warm breath stiring the hairs of my chest as someone sleeps
Putting my arms around from behind and wrapping them up as they do something mundane.
Brushing their hair using my hand as the brush
The hum or purr of someone content
I also miss putting my penis in a vagina.
I had to put the last part so no one took away my man card.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Women portrayed wrong: So What?
I friend of mine brought up last week how women are rarely portrayed well or correctly in geek-type media. Sci-fi movies, comics, games; women tend to fit sterotypes. The amazon, the sexpot, the damsel, the cutie. And, I agreed with her. This does tend to be true.
Then I thought about it...men aren't displayed real either. Even Peter Parker is still always witty, married a model, and is one of the most brilliant people in the world.
what it comes down to is that fiction often pleys to sterotypes. People like to read about exraordinary people. These extremes of both skill, power, and personality are what make them interesting. Average folks are...well...US. I live that life already.
So, yes, women in these genres are not typical. because I want to read about some hot woman who can kick butt. But I am pretty sure that most of the men in Sex and the City aren't middle class, slightly overweight couch potatoes either.
Then I thought about it...men aren't displayed real either. Even Peter Parker is still always witty, married a model, and is one of the most brilliant people in the world.
what it comes down to is that fiction often pleys to sterotypes. People like to read about exraordinary people. These extremes of both skill, power, and personality are what make them interesting. Average folks are...well...US. I live that life already.
So, yes, women in these genres are not typical. because I want to read about some hot woman who can kick butt. But I am pretty sure that most of the men in Sex and the City aren't middle class, slightly overweight couch potatoes either.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Should I do more with this?
I had an idea for a new storyline. But didn't want to get farther into it if no one cared.
Everyone knows the guys who started it all. Humble beginnings back in New York City. I read about how things were before the first big coming. No one believed them. Called them crack pots. To those of us who came later, we call them the big three followed by the fourth.
When we started our group, I actually met them. They always come out to the newbies. I remember not believing that Venkman was the kind of guy to stand up to someone like Gozer. Seemed more like a class clown than the kind of guy to fight the supernatural. Spengler and Stanz were nice enough, mostly talked over my head though. I liked Winston. Just a regular Joe who had found himself as the protector of New York against the hordes of the paranormal.
He told me stories of their adventures. At the time, I looked forward to having my own slime punctuated exploits. Now of course I know that New York is lucky. I'd kill to only get stuck taking down some C5FRV's (Class 5 Full Roaming Vapors for the uninitiated). But my turf doesn't seem to attract that kind of spook.
Which is why, at the moment, I am running for my life through the Boston sewer. My pack is over heated. My backup is still minutes away, and somewhere in these dark sewers a C12 is stalking me in hopes of spending the next 20 years slowly digesting my corpse.
Everyone knows the guys who started it all. Humble beginnings back in New York City. I read about how things were before the first big coming. No one believed them. Called them crack pots. To those of us who came later, we call them the big three followed by the fourth.
When we started our group, I actually met them. They always come out to the newbies. I remember not believing that Venkman was the kind of guy to stand up to someone like Gozer. Seemed more like a class clown than the kind of guy to fight the supernatural. Spengler and Stanz were nice enough, mostly talked over my head though. I liked Winston. Just a regular Joe who had found himself as the protector of New York against the hordes of the paranormal.
He told me stories of their adventures. At the time, I looked forward to having my own slime punctuated exploits. Now of course I know that New York is lucky. I'd kill to only get stuck taking down some C5FRV's (Class 5 Full Roaming Vapors for the uninitiated). But my turf doesn't seem to attract that kind of spook.
Which is why, at the moment, I am running for my life through the Boston sewer. My pack is over heated. My backup is still minutes away, and somewhere in these dark sewers a C12 is stalking me in hopes of spending the next 20 years slowly digesting my corpse.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Porn KING
I write porn. Amongst other things, yes. But I do. It started as kind of an experiment and has somewhat snowballed. I checked last night, and all of my chapters combined (10 so far) have 350,000+ reads with an average rating of ~4.5 out of 5 stars.
It's weird. I know it's just porn, but as a writer I am kinda proud. Especially since I have recieved feedback where people actually like the characters and how the story developes, outside of the sex.
Continuing the experiment I have branched into other kinds of erotica, crossing some pretty strange lines. And I continue to get largely positive feedback. The only negative feedback I have gotten has been about how my portrayals have been unreal. And those stopped when I put a disclaimer at the top warning that the acts contained within are purposely over the top.
I am filing this whole thing under one of the many things I never thought I would do.
It's weird. I know it's just porn, but as a writer I am kinda proud. Especially since I have recieved feedback where people actually like the characters and how the story developes, outside of the sex.
Continuing the experiment I have branched into other kinds of erotica, crossing some pretty strange lines. And I continue to get largely positive feedback. The only negative feedback I have gotten has been about how my portrayals have been unreal. And those stopped when I put a disclaimer at the top warning that the acts contained within are purposely over the top.
I am filing this whole thing under one of the many things I never thought I would do.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Thursday, July 3, 2008
I'm gonna get my Spore ALL over you. Take it!!!
So, I am addicted to Spore. The game isn't even out and I love it. I decided to post all of my creatures thus far. Here they be. It's odd how I come up with these. Some I actually think out ahead of time (what they eat, how they hunt, etc) others are more about trying a weird thing with the engine (but I usually retroactively come up with history for them later). For the names, hover over the image.
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
Monday, June 9, 2008
Oh how I love that Village Lady in the Water
Ok, I watched Lady in the Water last night. I shouldnt have. My crush for Bryce Dallas Howard only continues to grow.
I wish I could explain it. She's thin (I usually like more curves), no boobs (we know where I stand on that). But there is something about her. Maybe it's just the characters she plays...they are smart and clever, young yet wise. Mind you, I have also seen her as her, and I like that too.
I think it's the girl next door thing. She's not some playboy playmate. She's that attractive girl who not only would give a guy like me the time of day, but would also have things in common. At the same time, despite not being "classically" pretty, she is beautiful.
She just seems like the kind of woman I would like to curl up on the couch with. Now, why am I bringing this up? It's not like I am going to stalk her (way too lazy for that). It's just one of the rare times these days that I actually feel lonely.
I wish I could explain it. She's thin (I usually like more curves), no boobs (we know where I stand on that). But there is something about her. Maybe it's just the characters she plays...they are smart and clever, young yet wise. Mind you, I have also seen her as her, and I like that too.
I think it's the girl next door thing. She's not some playboy playmate. She's that attractive girl who not only would give a guy like me the time of day, but would also have things in common. At the same time, despite not being "classically" pretty, she is beautiful.
She just seems like the kind of woman I would like to curl up on the couch with. Now, why am I bringing this up? It's not like I am going to stalk her (way too lazy for that). It's just one of the rare times these days that I actually feel lonely.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Point/Counterpoint: Sex and the City
So, you won't believe what I did this past weekend. I saw Sex and the City. Yeah, yeah, I know. But I had some goals. 1) To see what the fuss is about and 2) to do a point/counterpoint with a friend via our blogs.
Let me start by saying that I had never seen more than 15 minutes total of the show. So, I knew very little going in. That said, the movie was actually pretty good. It was funny and charming and dramatic. It did a good job of giving me enough information to know what was going on, without having to watch the TV show.
BUT, there were quite a few things that pissed me off. Rather than lay them out here, I will start the back and forth with EDP now, and see if they don't come up then.
EDP: Admit it. You thought it would suck, and suck hard. I'm delighted that you liked parts of it, though. Let's start with what you thought the movie got right.
For me, it synthesized everything that made the show work: Fashion, whip-smart dialogue, and some real insight into modern relationships and what we want vs. what we get. You first.
Sghoul: Actually, the parts that I didn't like were pretty much what worried me about the movie before I went in.
What worked? It was fairly funny and clever. It had good heart string moments. It moved quickly with a snappy pace. And I really liked the character of St. Louise.
Also, for you guys out there, it turns out that women actually like dick and fart jokes. I mean, there is a scene that seems like it is right out of a Farley Brothers movie.
EDP: I got teary a couple of times. The scene on the bridge with Steve and Miranda killed me. As did the New Year's Eve scene with the mournful "Auld Lang Sine." Tears! I knew I was being manipulated, but I didn't really care. I've always felt that there were two kinds of women who liked this movie: Those who saw it as a modern fairy tale with moments of real truth and insight, and those who saw it as the Bible for single, sexually active women. Like the women to my left. The moment when you looked around and saw a sea of giddy women was absolutely hilarious.
Sghoul: Ah, the crowd. I think THAT is one of my biggest peeves about this movie. It was a solid movie. But women walked out of there like it was some kind of life event. If I go to Star Wars with a plastic lightsaber, I am a sad loser type. But if you go to SatC with some giant flower on your shirt, you're an empowered woman!
I think there are more women that fall into your later group...and that bugs me. Because the main 4 characters don't seem like real people to me. They seem like one sided caricatures. The Uptight Bitch, the Bubbleheaded Optimist, The Nympho, and Fashion Clown. I almost felt like this movie was a parody...but I know it isn't. And that makes me a sad panda...to think that there are women who want to emulate these shallow, and frankly stupid people.
EDP: I think you know the hyperventilating women in our row annoyed the living crap out of me. But just because they're stupid doesn't mean the characters are! Now, this is based on my years of watching the TV show, but the characters evolved a lot during SATC's run. Miranda, especially.
She was a cynical ballbuster in the beginning, but she opened her heart to, of all people, a bartender. The fact that she re-hardened was, to me, a realistic depiction of a marriage in which one person is the go-getter (in this case, the woman) and the other is laid back. It is very easy to let the love life go, which is what happened to them. I don' t think of them as stereotypes so much as archetypes.
Sghoul: Ah, see, no fair trying to make up for characters shortcomings by referencing outside material. Would it have been fair of me to defend the children in the Narnia movie by saying that they were much better in the books?
Regardless of how she grew in the series, in the movie she was largely one dimensional. And, honestly, they may have done this purposely so that when the character steps outside that box (like when the redhead goes to the bridge) it is heavy. But that is just a trick. It is similar to my relationship theory about setting the expectations low in the beginning. By having her basically turn into a real person, the watcher thinks it's awesome, but all that really happened was that they finished fleshing out the character.
EDP: Now, you said Louise was your favorite character, but she did nothing for me. She was sweet and all, but she seemed to exist mainly to give the film some diversity and youth. I was appalled that she left Manhattan to go back to St. Louis for some tool who told her she wasn't "the one."
Did you buy the whole thing about Carrie's wedding? The more I thought about it, the more horrified I was that he bailed at the last minute. I know she pushed the big ceremony and that he didn't really want it, but that was some cruel shit. It gave the movie a great subplot, but I'm not sure how I feel about them getting back together in the end. I don't think their offenses were equal.
Sghoul: I may have been snowed. I liked her because she seemed like a real human being. She liked fashion, but wasn't ruled by it. She didn't have an apparently limitless amount of money. Keep in mind, what you didn't like about her is silly, when you realize that she moved half way across the country "for love", which is pretty damn retarded when you think about it.
The wedding? Well, I saw it differently. The night before, he called her...obviously with cold feet. And she promised him "just you and me".
Which was a lie. It was NEVER about him. On top of that, why the fuck didn't she call him in the morning to check on him? I mean, who goes all the way to the wedding and doesn't communicate with the other person?! And when he DID call her (after spending the whole morning calling her constantly) she didn't talk to him...she just dropped the phone and ran out. If she had spent 5 minutes finding out what was up, he probably would have come back.
When it comes down to it, none of those women (with the exception of maybe the redhead) should be in a long term committed relationship or have kids. They are all too into themselves and their friends. I mean, the bubblehead...why the HELL did she bring her stupid daughter to every get together? I mean, all these ladies do is drink and talk about sex...why bring a 4 year old to that?
EDP: She RENTS handbags, practically wept at the sight of her own Louis Vuitton and isn't ruled by fashion? Were we watching the same movie? Look, I never said it was smart to move to a city for love, but it's equally dumb to leave arguably the most exciting city in the country to settle down with your last serious boyfriend. If he'd said "I'm not ready" or "Let's take some time apart," that would be fine. But when a guy says "You're not the one," um, I don't exactly see a white picket fence.
Things are nuts the day of your wedding, so it's EASY to not have a conversation beforehand. Especially if someone's stupid kid, you know, takes your cell phone. And remember, he said, "I can't do this." What was she supposed to say to that?! She's in Vivanne Westwood about to walk down the aisle, and he can't even get out of the car? That's lame. All she knew was that he WASN'T effing coming. And then when she confronted him on the street, he just kept saying "I'm sorry." Not, "I still want to marry you, just not this way."
Sghoul: Well, she dressed pretty normally for someone ruled by fashion. Unlike her boss who wears the weirdest crap, just to sit around the house.
It's not easy when the night before the man calls and says he is having second thoughts? She even said "I knew you were going to do this." You did? And you never thought to call? You know why? Because IT WAS NEVER ABOUT HIM. Hell, she pulled in right next to him, and didn't notice. She was too busy playing with her friends.
BTW, when a chick is hitting you with flowers in a rage, there is no reason to say much of anything, because she isn't listening.
EDP: One man's weird is another man's fashion. And that, my friend, is fashion. Carrie wore a lot of crazy stuff during SATC, but it was always interesting -- even when it was seriously "WTF?"
It was her wedding day, and she was in a car with her best friends! Of course she was distracted! Is it so bad that she wanted to feel like a princess for one stinking day? It's not like she had been badgering him about having a dream wedding until the idea was introduced. I'll allow that the groom can get edged out of his own wedding ceremony, which is a shame. But remember, this was Carrie's first wedding. At 40. That's kind of a big deal. Should she have called him? Yeah, probably. But that didn't make it OK for him to stay on the curb like an idiot. Man up.
I liked almost everything about the movie except Louise and Charlotte's storyline. Charlotte had a long, painful search for true love, and I wanted to be happier for her for getting everything she wanted. Instead, I was just annoyed. But maybe that's because I don't have a Park Avenue apartment.
Curious about how you thought men came off in this flick.
Sghoul: I just found it excessive. And it feels shallow to have someone spending SO much money on something like that. Also, men don't really HAVE fashion. If you'll notice even the gay guys clothes were fairly normal.
You aren't going to change my mind on the wedding. Women need to get it out of their heads that the wedding is all about them. She PROMISED that it was just him and her. Her saying that pulled him from the ledge. Then she lied. So, he left. They had a deal: This is about just us. If so, I will come, if not, I go. SHE made that deal. And then dropped it.
I mean, seriously, aside from sex, what had she done for him for the entire movie? He buys her a dream penthouse, a closet that is better than most NYC apartments, says yes to marrying her...all to make her happy. And she can't bother to do ANYTHING for him. Not one damn thing.
Yeah, I don't like Charlotte's character or plotline at all. Or her character. Living on pudding cups for several days in Mexico is stupid. But, she was the only character that wasn't actively doing her best to screw up everything she had.
The men? They weren't real characters in the movie. They were just set pieces. They seemed to exist just to add drama as opposed to being real people. The redhead's husband was the only interesting one.
EDP: Is the fashion any more excessive than the whiz-bang gadgetry in your average action movie? You can't extricate the fashion from SATC. It's almost a character on its own. Not to reduce everything to a stereotype, but many women like designer clothes. It's the movie's job to give us that over-the-top fantasy.
Again, I'm throwing in stuff from the show, but Carrie put up with a lot of shit from Big over the years. And she never once ASKED him for that fancy stuff. All she really wanted was him, because she can take care of herself. I'm not saying that she shouldn't have been grateful (she was), but she has given him plenty over the years: companionship and true friendship when no one else was there, a shoulder to (kinda) cry on and her heart. I mean, she took care of the man after he had a heart attack.
I know a movie has to stand on its own, but understand that this is the context for their relationship. He was FINALLY doing the right things.
So maybe the men weren't three-dimensional ... but they were nice to look at. I'm thinking specifically of Dante's shower scene. Yow! I like how they played with the stereotype of the objectified, beautiful woman and turned it on its head.
Sghoul: True, but an action movie for the sake of action would get panned by critics. And BAD action isn't even liked by action fans. But it seems that if you put the right name on fashion women will like it, regardless.
Maybe...just MAYBE if what you say about Big is true...MAYBE she shouldn't have been in a relationship with him to begin with. If it took him 10 years to get it right...well, she's pretty stupid.
All that scene proves is that women are no longer allowed to give men crap for being pigs. Ya'll are just as bad...worse actually, because when boobs show up guys movies, the audience rarely hoots and moans.
EDP: Are you kidding? I thought that outfit Carrie wore with the knee-high argyle socks was wacky as hell. But it was interesting and daring, almost like she was in on the joke.
A lot can change in 10 years. But I can't argue about their track record. The bottom line is that the audience wants to see Carrie with Big, just like the audience wants to see Superman with Lois Lane. It's the payoff for all those years of off-and-on, but I have mixed feelings about the way that played out. Which makes it more real.
Men don't hoot at boobs because it's become standard. Yawn. SATC was one of the first TV shows to turn the tables and reduce certain male characters to pieces of tail. I wasn't cheering, but I understand -- to a point -- why the audience did. We like to look, too, and I don't think that's exactly a secret.
Sghoul: You don't get to pick and choose. Either objectifying is bad or it isn't.
Basically this show has all of the things in it that women complain about in men's shows: crass humor, sexual objectification, nudity...but instead of being a bad thing, it's a celebration.
I find it funny that Kim Catrell has been on both sides of that fence, from SatC to Porky's.
EDP: Uh, you're talking to someone who dug "Superbad" and "The 40-Year-Old Virgin." Crude doesn't bother me as long as it's funny.
OK, let's talk best/worst moments:
Best: I'd say it's a tie between the bridge scene and the New Year's montage.
Worst: I'm a mom, but you know how I feel about kids. So I agree that having Charlotte's daughter at a pre-wedding sleepover was a drag.
Sghoul: Best: While I did like the bridge scene...I preferred the moment that red realizes she is making the same excuses her husband is...expecting people to forgive HER but not forgiving him.
Worst: Almost anything big nose Kate wore.
EDP: See, that's another thing. Why not celebrate a heroine who is not stereotypically pretty?
Sghoul: I will, if I actually find them attractive. I LOVE me some Janine Garafalo. I just don't think SJP is attractive. But she is playing a character who is supposed to be.
EDP: I see her as playing a character who is a modern, sexually confident woman. I think her attractiveness stems from her sophistication. True, SJP is not Heidi Klum, but I love that she hasn't had any surgery and has become an icon WITH her quirky looks.
Sghoul: Well, she's mostly become an icon with women. I don't know any men aside from Matthew Broderick that like her. And, honestly the part that is least attractive is her weight. The scene where she doesn't eat for 2 days...she should have died.
EDP: I can't argue that she is quite skinny, but it appears natural. She doesn't look like she's starving; just very wee.
Despite your criticisms, I think we both agree that the movie was good overall. I'd give it an A-minus, as its head and shoulders above the usual "chick flick" crapola. You know, my husband actually wants to see this. Eventually.
Sghoul: Well, it doesn't look natural to me. Very women that skinny look natural to me, since the human body rarley wants to be so emaciated. Heck, I know for a fact she didn't used to be that skinny (Square Pegs).
Yes, good overall. A solid B for me. And yes, better than the average chick flick. Guys, take your woman to see this. It doesn't suck, and it has more female nudity than the last 10 movies I saw put together. Not including porn of course.
Let me start by saying that I had never seen more than 15 minutes total of the show. So, I knew very little going in. That said, the movie was actually pretty good. It was funny and charming and dramatic. It did a good job of giving me enough information to know what was going on, without having to watch the TV show.
BUT, there were quite a few things that pissed me off. Rather than lay them out here, I will start the back and forth with EDP now, and see if they don't come up then.
EDP: Admit it. You thought it would suck, and suck hard. I'm delighted that you liked parts of it, though. Let's start with what you thought the movie got right.
For me, it synthesized everything that made the show work: Fashion, whip-smart dialogue, and some real insight into modern relationships and what we want vs. what we get. You first.
Sghoul: Actually, the parts that I didn't like were pretty much what worried me about the movie before I went in.
What worked? It was fairly funny and clever. It had good heart string moments. It moved quickly with a snappy pace. And I really liked the character of St. Louise.
Also, for you guys out there, it turns out that women actually like dick and fart jokes. I mean, there is a scene that seems like it is right out of a Farley Brothers movie.
EDP: I got teary a couple of times. The scene on the bridge with Steve and Miranda killed me. As did the New Year's Eve scene with the mournful "Auld Lang Sine." Tears! I knew I was being manipulated, but I didn't really care. I've always felt that there were two kinds of women who liked this movie: Those who saw it as a modern fairy tale with moments of real truth and insight, and those who saw it as the Bible for single, sexually active women. Like the women to my left. The moment when you looked around and saw a sea of giddy women was absolutely hilarious.
Sghoul: Ah, the crowd. I think THAT is one of my biggest peeves about this movie. It was a solid movie. But women walked out of there like it was some kind of life event. If I go to Star Wars with a plastic lightsaber, I am a sad loser type. But if you go to SatC with some giant flower on your shirt, you're an empowered woman!
I think there are more women that fall into your later group...and that bugs me. Because the main 4 characters don't seem like real people to me. They seem like one sided caricatures. The Uptight Bitch, the Bubbleheaded Optimist, The Nympho, and Fashion Clown. I almost felt like this movie was a parody...but I know it isn't. And that makes me a sad panda...to think that there are women who want to emulate these shallow, and frankly stupid people.
EDP: I think you know the hyperventilating women in our row annoyed the living crap out of me. But just because they're stupid doesn't mean the characters are! Now, this is based on my years of watching the TV show, but the characters evolved a lot during SATC's run. Miranda, especially.
She was a cynical ballbuster in the beginning, but she opened her heart to, of all people, a bartender. The fact that she re-hardened was, to me, a realistic depiction of a marriage in which one person is the go-getter (in this case, the woman) and the other is laid back. It is very easy to let the love life go, which is what happened to them. I don' t think of them as stereotypes so much as archetypes.
Sghoul: Ah, see, no fair trying to make up for characters shortcomings by referencing outside material. Would it have been fair of me to defend the children in the Narnia movie by saying that they were much better in the books?
Regardless of how she grew in the series, in the movie she was largely one dimensional. And, honestly, they may have done this purposely so that when the character steps outside that box (like when the redhead goes to the bridge) it is heavy. But that is just a trick. It is similar to my relationship theory about setting the expectations low in the beginning. By having her basically turn into a real person, the watcher thinks it's awesome, but all that really happened was that they finished fleshing out the character.
EDP: Now, you said Louise was your favorite character, but she did nothing for me. She was sweet and all, but she seemed to exist mainly to give the film some diversity and youth. I was appalled that she left Manhattan to go back to St. Louis for some tool who told her she wasn't "the one."
Did you buy the whole thing about Carrie's wedding? The more I thought about it, the more horrified I was that he bailed at the last minute. I know she pushed the big ceremony and that he didn't really want it, but that was some cruel shit. It gave the movie a great subplot, but I'm not sure how I feel about them getting back together in the end. I don't think their offenses were equal.
Sghoul: I may have been snowed. I liked her because she seemed like a real human being. She liked fashion, but wasn't ruled by it. She didn't have an apparently limitless amount of money. Keep in mind, what you didn't like about her is silly, when you realize that she moved half way across the country "for love", which is pretty damn retarded when you think about it.
The wedding? Well, I saw it differently. The night before, he called her...obviously with cold feet. And she promised him "just you and me".
Which was a lie. It was NEVER about him. On top of that, why the fuck didn't she call him in the morning to check on him? I mean, who goes all the way to the wedding and doesn't communicate with the other person?! And when he DID call her (after spending the whole morning calling her constantly) she didn't talk to him...she just dropped the phone and ran out. If she had spent 5 minutes finding out what was up, he probably would have come back.
When it comes down to it, none of those women (with the exception of maybe the redhead) should be in a long term committed relationship or have kids. They are all too into themselves and their friends. I mean, the bubblehead...why the HELL did she bring her stupid daughter to every get together? I mean, all these ladies do is drink and talk about sex...why bring a 4 year old to that?
EDP: She RENTS handbags, practically wept at the sight of her own Louis Vuitton and isn't ruled by fashion? Were we watching the same movie? Look, I never said it was smart to move to a city for love, but it's equally dumb to leave arguably the most exciting city in the country to settle down with your last serious boyfriend. If he'd said "I'm not ready" or "Let's take some time apart," that would be fine. But when a guy says "You're not the one," um, I don't exactly see a white picket fence.
Things are nuts the day of your wedding, so it's EASY to not have a conversation beforehand. Especially if someone's stupid kid, you know, takes your cell phone. And remember, he said, "I can't do this." What was she supposed to say to that?! She's in Vivanne Westwood about to walk down the aisle, and he can't even get out of the car? That's lame. All she knew was that he WASN'T effing coming. And then when she confronted him on the street, he just kept saying "I'm sorry." Not, "I still want to marry you, just not this way."
Sghoul: Well, she dressed pretty normally for someone ruled by fashion. Unlike her boss who wears the weirdest crap, just to sit around the house.
It's not easy when the night before the man calls and says he is having second thoughts? She even said "I knew you were going to do this." You did? And you never thought to call? You know why? Because IT WAS NEVER ABOUT HIM. Hell, she pulled in right next to him, and didn't notice. She was too busy playing with her friends.
BTW, when a chick is hitting you with flowers in a rage, there is no reason to say much of anything, because she isn't listening.
EDP: One man's weird is another man's fashion. And that, my friend, is fashion. Carrie wore a lot of crazy stuff during SATC, but it was always interesting -- even when it was seriously "WTF?"
It was her wedding day, and she was in a car with her best friends! Of course she was distracted! Is it so bad that she wanted to feel like a princess for one stinking day? It's not like she had been badgering him about having a dream wedding until the idea was introduced. I'll allow that the groom can get edged out of his own wedding ceremony, which is a shame. But remember, this was Carrie's first wedding. At 40. That's kind of a big deal. Should she have called him? Yeah, probably. But that didn't make it OK for him to stay on the curb like an idiot. Man up.
I liked almost everything about the movie except Louise and Charlotte's storyline. Charlotte had a long, painful search for true love, and I wanted to be happier for her for getting everything she wanted. Instead, I was just annoyed. But maybe that's because I don't have a Park Avenue apartment.
Curious about how you thought men came off in this flick.
Sghoul: I just found it excessive. And it feels shallow to have someone spending SO much money on something like that. Also, men don't really HAVE fashion. If you'll notice even the gay guys clothes were fairly normal.
You aren't going to change my mind on the wedding. Women need to get it out of their heads that the wedding is all about them. She PROMISED that it was just him and her. Her saying that pulled him from the ledge. Then she lied. So, he left. They had a deal: This is about just us. If so, I will come, if not, I go. SHE made that deal. And then dropped it.
I mean, seriously, aside from sex, what had she done for him for the entire movie? He buys her a dream penthouse, a closet that is better than most NYC apartments, says yes to marrying her...all to make her happy. And she can't bother to do ANYTHING for him. Not one damn thing.
Yeah, I don't like Charlotte's character or plotline at all. Or her character. Living on pudding cups for several days in Mexico is stupid. But, she was the only character that wasn't actively doing her best to screw up everything she had.
The men? They weren't real characters in the movie. They were just set pieces. They seemed to exist just to add drama as opposed to being real people. The redhead's husband was the only interesting one.
EDP: Is the fashion any more excessive than the whiz-bang gadgetry in your average action movie? You can't extricate the fashion from SATC. It's almost a character on its own. Not to reduce everything to a stereotype, but many women like designer clothes. It's the movie's job to give us that over-the-top fantasy.
Again, I'm throwing in stuff from the show, but Carrie put up with a lot of shit from Big over the years. And she never once ASKED him for that fancy stuff. All she really wanted was him, because she can take care of herself. I'm not saying that she shouldn't have been grateful (she was), but she has given him plenty over the years: companionship and true friendship when no one else was there, a shoulder to (kinda) cry on and her heart. I mean, she took care of the man after he had a heart attack.
I know a movie has to stand on its own, but understand that this is the context for their relationship. He was FINALLY doing the right things.
So maybe the men weren't three-dimensional ... but they were nice to look at. I'm thinking specifically of Dante's shower scene. Yow! I like how they played with the stereotype of the objectified, beautiful woman and turned it on its head.
Sghoul: True, but an action movie for the sake of action would get panned by critics. And BAD action isn't even liked by action fans. But it seems that if you put the right name on fashion women will like it, regardless.
Maybe...just MAYBE if what you say about Big is true...MAYBE she shouldn't have been in a relationship with him to begin with. If it took him 10 years to get it right...well, she's pretty stupid.
All that scene proves is that women are no longer allowed to give men crap for being pigs. Ya'll are just as bad...worse actually, because when boobs show up guys movies, the audience rarely hoots and moans.
EDP: Are you kidding? I thought that outfit Carrie wore with the knee-high argyle socks was wacky as hell. But it was interesting and daring, almost like she was in on the joke.
A lot can change in 10 years. But I can't argue about their track record. The bottom line is that the audience wants to see Carrie with Big, just like the audience wants to see Superman with Lois Lane. It's the payoff for all those years of off-and-on, but I have mixed feelings about the way that played out. Which makes it more real.
Men don't hoot at boobs because it's become standard. Yawn. SATC was one of the first TV shows to turn the tables and reduce certain male characters to pieces of tail. I wasn't cheering, but I understand -- to a point -- why the audience did. We like to look, too, and I don't think that's exactly a secret.
Sghoul: You don't get to pick and choose. Either objectifying is bad or it isn't.
Basically this show has all of the things in it that women complain about in men's shows: crass humor, sexual objectification, nudity...but instead of being a bad thing, it's a celebration.
I find it funny that Kim Catrell has been on both sides of that fence, from SatC to Porky's.
EDP: Uh, you're talking to someone who dug "Superbad" and "The 40-Year-Old Virgin." Crude doesn't bother me as long as it's funny.
OK, let's talk best/worst moments:
Best: I'd say it's a tie between the bridge scene and the New Year's montage.
Worst: I'm a mom, but you know how I feel about kids. So I agree that having Charlotte's daughter at a pre-wedding sleepover was a drag.
Sghoul: Best: While I did like the bridge scene...I preferred the moment that red realizes she is making the same excuses her husband is...expecting people to forgive HER but not forgiving him.
Worst: Almost anything big nose Kate wore.
EDP: See, that's another thing. Why not celebrate a heroine who is not stereotypically pretty?
Sghoul: I will, if I actually find them attractive. I LOVE me some Janine Garafalo. I just don't think SJP is attractive. But she is playing a character who is supposed to be.
EDP: I see her as playing a character who is a modern, sexually confident woman. I think her attractiveness stems from her sophistication. True, SJP is not Heidi Klum, but I love that she hasn't had any surgery and has become an icon WITH her quirky looks.
Sghoul: Well, she's mostly become an icon with women. I don't know any men aside from Matthew Broderick that like her. And, honestly the part that is least attractive is her weight. The scene where she doesn't eat for 2 days...she should have died.
EDP: I can't argue that she is quite skinny, but it appears natural. She doesn't look like she's starving; just very wee.
Despite your criticisms, I think we both agree that the movie was good overall. I'd give it an A-minus, as its head and shoulders above the usual "chick flick" crapola. You know, my husband actually wants to see this. Eventually.
Sghoul: Well, it doesn't look natural to me. Very women that skinny look natural to me, since the human body rarley wants to be so emaciated. Heck, I know for a fact she didn't used to be that skinny (Square Pegs).
Yes, good overall. A solid B for me. And yes, better than the average chick flick. Guys, take your woman to see this. It doesn't suck, and it has more female nudity than the last 10 movies I saw put together. Not including porn of course.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Sounds like some women are on the rag
So, on the radio, apparently Clinton supporters are crying “sexism”. That poor old Hillary is treated unfairly because of sexism. Now, I ain’t gonna say that isn’t true. May well be.
What I find funny about it is that her largest voting block is all women. Heck, whenever someone is defending her: woman. So, isn’t that also sexism? Her supporters picking her BECAUSE she is a woman? How is that any different than people not supporting her because she is a woman?
What was really sad is that one of the Clinton groups said that if Obama gets the nomination, they will switch to supporting McCain. WTF? So, you believe in democratic principles, but if your party decides to put Obama in office, you’ll switch to supporting A) someone who DOESN’T support your views and B) a MAN (just like Obama).
Pretty stupid…or maybe they are racist.
What I find funny about it is that her largest voting block is all women. Heck, whenever someone is defending her: woman. So, isn’t that also sexism? Her supporters picking her BECAUSE she is a woman? How is that any different than people not supporting her because she is a woman?
What was really sad is that one of the Clinton groups said that if Obama gets the nomination, they will switch to supporting McCain. WTF? So, you believe in democratic principles, but if your party decides to put Obama in office, you’ll switch to supporting A) someone who DOESN’T support your views and B) a MAN (just like Obama).
Pretty stupid…or maybe they are racist.
The VP may actually be useful soon!
This yea, more than ever, I will be looking more at the vice presidential candidates, than the presidential.
As my blog notes clearly state, I am a pessimist. Because of this, I feel that there is a very strong possibility that if McCain becomes president, he will have health issues. Now that isn’t such a huge deal. But on the democratic side…well, either Hillary or Obama…I think there is a strong possibility we will have a presidential assassination on our hands. More so with Obama. This country is too full of hate filled morons. It’ll happen.
So, pay close attention to the VP candidates…they may well be running things soon.
As my blog notes clearly state, I am a pessimist. Because of this, I feel that there is a very strong possibility that if McCain becomes president, he will have health issues. Now that isn’t such a huge deal. But on the democratic side…well, either Hillary or Obama…I think there is a strong possibility we will have a presidential assassination on our hands. More so with Obama. This country is too full of hate filled morons. It’ll happen.
So, pay close attention to the VP candidates…they may well be running things soon.
Friday, May 16, 2008
I got Tagged - Whisper
So, Lyza Lynne started this with me, and I intend to finsih it! Here's the rules:
The rules:
1. Make a change in the paragraph below. It can be as little as a single word or almost every word, so long as we can still recognize the paragraph you received from the person who tagged you, not the original paragraph.
My paragraph:
When she came to the tracks, they were all wrong. She usually prided herself on her ability to hunt. She was practically addicted to it. But these tracks made no sense to Desiree. This confusion led to anger. And as that anger washed over her, she pittied her quarry. She would find him. Hunt him down like a dog. And when she found the fool, she would finish this business.
2. Next, tag three people to make a change in the paragraph you wrote, and link to them.
3. Also link to the person who tagged you (me) so the chain will not be broken.
4. Go to the original paragraph at Alice's Restaurant and let her know you did it so she can link back to you. For extra credit, head over to AliceAudrey.wordpress.com around June 9th for the contest based on this meme. You could win a $20 gift certificate!
I am sending to: Shag, H F, and EDP
Here is Lyza's original paragrph for reference:
She came from the wrong side of the tracks, her pride in one hand and his addiction in the other. Her name was Desiree and she'd never called upon him before when she needed the business. He'd said he pitied her, just like he had so many other girls before her. She cursed him, and then she got down to business. “Like a dog returns to it’s vomit, so a fool repeats his foolishness.” - Proverbs 26:11
The rules:
1. Make a change in the paragraph below. It can be as little as a single word or almost every word, so long as we can still recognize the paragraph you received from the person who tagged you, not the original paragraph.
My paragraph:
When she came to the tracks, they were all wrong. She usually prided herself on her ability to hunt. She was practically addicted to it. But these tracks made no sense to Desiree. This confusion led to anger. And as that anger washed over her, she pittied her quarry. She would find him. Hunt him down like a dog. And when she found the fool, she would finish this business.
2. Next, tag three people to make a change in the paragraph you wrote, and link to them.
3. Also link to the person who tagged you (me) so the chain will not be broken.
4. Go to the original paragraph at Alice's Restaurant and let her know you did it so she can link back to you. For extra credit, head over to AliceAudrey.wordpress.com around June 9th for the contest based on this meme. You could win a $20 gift certificate!
I am sending to: Shag, H F, and EDP
Here is Lyza's original paragrph for reference:
She came from the wrong side of the tracks, her pride in one hand and his addiction in the other. Her name was Desiree and she'd never called upon him before when she needed the business. He'd said he pitied her, just like he had so many other girls before her. She cursed him, and then she got down to business. “Like a dog returns to it’s vomit, so a fool repeats his foolishness.” - Proverbs 26:11
Monday, May 12, 2008
Obama, you crack me up!
Something quick that I have been snickering about in the back of my brain. Obama made a comment about how guns and religion were things that poor folk cling to. I have always thought that was funny since A) he is a democrat, the party of the poor and B) What he does when he gets up and speaks is basically the same thing a preacher does: get in front of folks and tell them what they want to hear in hopes of influencing them.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Hey, you got your religion in my politics!
This is not in essay form, so no guff about my wandering thoughts.
Religion…and Politics. Two things we aren’t supposed to talk about in polite company. And funnily enough two things that are merging. And, frankly, it pisses me off.
I’m a Christian. I’m not going to maintain that I am a particularly GOOD Christian, but I do all right. I say this so that my upcoming complaints about the Christian Right (as in wing, not correctness) won’t seem like the ranting of some upset Atheist. They will instead be the ranting of someone who supposedly has the same belief system as the people being ranted against.
Now, let me throw out a book: Golden Compass. In the books, apparently the ‘good guys’ kill god. I thought about it, and it seems to me that the real issue to the author wasn’t the notion of god, but of god and his followers forcing things on those around them. And frankly, I can’t blame him for hating it. Because I would too!
But, for me, God doesn’t force anything on me. I am free to ignore Him or try and follow. So, that’s cool in my book. And then I read the Bible. Nowhere in there does it say ANYTHING about forcing others to follow God. It may say to lead them to God, but it never says to FORCE them.
So we come to religion and politics. In this country, religion is playing a BIG role. Pastors are telling their members who and what to vote for. And Sghoul don’t play that. And I really feel that God doesn’t either. See, if He wanted everyone to act a certain way, He would have simply built us that way. He never asked us to enforce His rules. And He pretty much told us flat out NOT to judge people who don’t follow the rules. AND he said to love your neighbor. Not ‘Love thy neighbor unless they are a certain race or sexual orientation’.
I am basically tired of seeing freedoms go away so that Christians (and other religions I am sure) can feel like they are doing what’s right. But I don’t think they are. It just doesn’t seem like the right thing when you force it. Sure there are certain things, like theft and murder, that you have to punish to protect people. But stopping gay people from marrying…how exactly does that help anyone?
Most of all, just because a candidate says they are Christian….well, so what? Bush is Christian, and tons of people hate him. Clinton was a Christian and he had an affair in the white house and lied about it. Folks, your belief system does not necessarily dictate how good a person you are.
In summation, quit voting your faith. Quit pushing causes that take away freedoms simply because they go against your beliefs. You wanna help people? Take the time and money you have spent to stop abortion or gays and spend it on the poor and homeless. I read about this guy…he never said much about gays or abortion or porn or violent media. But he sure spent a good deal of time serving others and hanging with the needy. Maybe you could read about him yourself…
Religion…and Politics. Two things we aren’t supposed to talk about in polite company. And funnily enough two things that are merging. And, frankly, it pisses me off.
I’m a Christian. I’m not going to maintain that I am a particularly GOOD Christian, but I do all right. I say this so that my upcoming complaints about the Christian Right (as in wing, not correctness) won’t seem like the ranting of some upset Atheist. They will instead be the ranting of someone who supposedly has the same belief system as the people being ranted against.
Now, let me throw out a book: Golden Compass. In the books, apparently the ‘good guys’ kill god. I thought about it, and it seems to me that the real issue to the author wasn’t the notion of god, but of god and his followers forcing things on those around them. And frankly, I can’t blame him for hating it. Because I would too!
But, for me, God doesn’t force anything on me. I am free to ignore Him or try and follow. So, that’s cool in my book. And then I read the Bible. Nowhere in there does it say ANYTHING about forcing others to follow God. It may say to lead them to God, but it never says to FORCE them.
So we come to religion and politics. In this country, religion is playing a BIG role. Pastors are telling their members who and what to vote for. And Sghoul don’t play that. And I really feel that God doesn’t either. See, if He wanted everyone to act a certain way, He would have simply built us that way. He never asked us to enforce His rules. And He pretty much told us flat out NOT to judge people who don’t follow the rules. AND he said to love your neighbor. Not ‘Love thy neighbor unless they are a certain race or sexual orientation’.
I am basically tired of seeing freedoms go away so that Christians (and other religions I am sure) can feel like they are doing what’s right. But I don’t think they are. It just doesn’t seem like the right thing when you force it. Sure there are certain things, like theft and murder, that you have to punish to protect people. But stopping gay people from marrying…how exactly does that help anyone?
Most of all, just because a candidate says they are Christian….well, so what? Bush is Christian, and tons of people hate him. Clinton was a Christian and he had an affair in the white house and lied about it. Folks, your belief system does not necessarily dictate how good a person you are.
In summation, quit voting your faith. Quit pushing causes that take away freedoms simply because they go against your beliefs. You wanna help people? Take the time and money you have spent to stop abortion or gays and spend it on the poor and homeless. I read about this guy…he never said much about gays or abortion or porn or violent media. But he sure spent a good deal of time serving others and hanging with the needy. Maybe you could read about him yourself…
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)