Lorie and I made this quiz:


Which Depressing Reality for Children of the 80s are you?


It took a whole lot longer than I thought it would take to make a quiz. But there are 9 different results, and we tried to be thorough and creative... so I guess quality takes longer.




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I think my husband is a pretty lucky guy.


I'm a girl who actually likes playing video games and computer games. And out of nowhere, I felt like playing Neverwinter Nights with him today, since we've never played a campaign together.


But it's 7 hours since I thought it was a good idea, and I'm bored.


And bored.


And bored some more.


Now, it's not his fault. We're not able to connect with the network or something like that. But that doesn't make me any less bored.


And in journey of procrastination of homework and trying to find something to do while he tried to fix the problem, I downloaded a game from Yahoo.


That was my first mistake.


It was a free download. But I only had 60 minutes of "free game time."


I downloaded: Inspector Parker.




It really is the most ridiculous and lamest 6 megs of wasted space I've ever encountered. You basically are trying to figured out who murdered Aunt Agatha, and there are designated clues. You scroll over the clues such as "The ludanaum is to the left of the noose, and on the same floor as Maurice." It's not a real "thinker" of a puzzle game.


It was the saddest 9 minutes of game play I ever wasted.

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Today has been the best day!


Badminton was so much fun this morning. I've decided to give everyone a Badminton Hustler names. We're still playing "triples" which isn't technically correct, but the class is overly full, so we have to play 3 on 3. On my team, we've got: Spike Harv, Laurin (whom I haven't figured out what to call yet) and Killer (she named me that). And on the other teams that we faced today, I named Johnny: Bullet McGee, and the two other Jons: Red Jon and Tennessee Jon.


After Badminton, I had my other classes. But then I went to run some secret errands. (B wasn't feeling so well last night, so I stopped by the mall, since it was the closest bookstore, and I bought him some presents.) Then I went across the way, to a Hallmark store, which I usually try to avoid, but I wanted to buy him a card as well. I ended up buying a card for my Nana's birthday and for Lindsi, but then I checked out the clearance section and I saw a bunch of cool stuff for 75% off--now I usually would never say that about a Hallmark store--but I was able to find some birthday presents for my mother-in-law. And I couldn't help myself, but I bought one of my professors a 2004 calendar, because I'm in his office for an hour and a half every Thursday and the man is living with a 2003 calendar. Now, using a year old calendar wouldn't necessarily be that bad, except 2004 is a leap year, so all days are shifted over, not one day, but two days. So for $2.95, I bought him a pretty American landscapes calendar, because looking at the 2003 calendar is driving me insane.


Then I went to Target to buy some printer paper, and a new white bra since my old one ripped in half recently (no, and stop thinking it!). Well, Target must have been going through a huge clearance thing, because everything was red-tagged! So I bought of pair of new sweatpants for $3, and a necklace for $1.98 (I don't know who'll get it, maybe B's sister), and those really fancy pens that Target tries to sell for $8 or $9, marked all the way down to $1.48, so I bought one for me and one for B. And the bras were on sale, too. So I bought two, that way I won't have to worry about it for a while.


But then I mistakenly went down the candle aisle, and I was so good! I didn't buy any of the yummy-smelling candles that were all on clearance. I swear, 'clearance' is my weakness.


Then, when we got home, we had two messages waiting for us. 1) The Two Towers anthology box finally came in at the comic book store, and on top of that, they have a sale going on where all back issues of comic books are only 25¢ and all graphic novels are 10% off.


And the second message?


Lesley University called to tell me that I was accepted to their Creative Writing MFA program. I wasn't home, but it was a message on the answering machine.


So much good news today. Almost too much to handle!




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I was reading “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by Jonathan Edwards as I sat in the GM/Cadillac/Pontiac dealership, waiting for my oil to be changed. As I read, I thought how strangely removed I was from the material upon which I was contemplating. I was in a cushy chair, in a glass-walled waiting room, that had coffee waiting for anyone who was decaffeinated. An old episode of Scooby-Doo aired on the WB in the background as I read about feet sliding into eternal damnation. Soon, two men soon entered the waiting room, each with a noisy mini-bag of potato chips procured from the vending machine, each with his own cell phone, and each with his own excessively loud conversation.



The men came to the apex of their individual conversations, right as I came to point No. 6: “There are in the souls of wicked men those hellish principles reigning that would presently kindle and flame out into hell fire, if it were not for God’s restraints.” I actually laughed out loud. I thought myself and the situation absolutely absurd. Most people in the United States today are just so out of touch with the principles upon which this country was founded, that it’s nearly impossible to fully comprehend the culture that established us here only a mere 300 years ago.


The fear of God was a way of life, it wasn’t just an abstract notion that my religiously zealous friends tried to understand. It dawned on me that words such as these from Jonathan Edwards,


If God should only withdraw His hand from the floodgate, it would immediately fly open, and the fiery floods of the fierceness and wrath of God, would rush forth with inconceivable fury, and would come upon you with omnipotent power; and if your strength were ten thousand times greater than it is, yea, ten thousand times greater than the strength of the stoutest, sturdiest devil in hell, it would be nothing to withstand or endure it.


were extremely true for Puritans. They lived with these thoughts constantly on their minds.



I had the urge to start reading it out loud, just to see the reaction of the men. I wanted to see how uncomfortable it would make complete strangers. And right when I was getting my courage to try this experiment, my name was called over the intercom, informing me that my car was ready.



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You are -

BLAIR!

Beautiful, snobby and rich. I look good, I know it, I'm popular, I know it. So what's it to you? Who ARE you? I'm poised, I'm smart, I'm classy, I'm Audrey Hepburn of the year 2003. My main goal is to get into Yale, I WILL get in. Because I just want to get the FUCK out of where I am now. Nate can kiss my ass Serena may be my best friend but the girl's gotta buy a clue. I'm not nice to you unless you amuse me, and that might last too long...


Which Gossip Girl Character Are You?


Find out @Pink-Rebellion.Net!




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I took that quiz on which Lord of the Rings character is destined to be mine, and I got stupid, hydrophobic, smelly Aragorn. Who wants Aragorn? I want Gimli or Sam!


So I retook it and I got my Sam!



Your man (or rather hobbit) is Sam (The rating
takes place below)

To outsiders, this hobbit looks like hed be shy and
retiring, but with a little coaxing from his
lady friend Im sure hed become a devilishly
fiendish partner. Prepare for a lot of holidays
at home and in the shires great outdoors with
all your fat naked babies!



The last 'WHICH LOTR GUY IS FOR YOU?' quiz you'll ever have to take UPDATED WITH BETTER PICS & RESULTS
brought to you by Quizilla


In your face Strider!


Hobbits are so sexy.

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I wanted to post, but had nothing to say. So what better way to waste time than by taking meaningless quizzes?


You are Ariel! Also known as the little mermaid!



Which Disney Princess Are You?
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You're Veronica Sawyer. You're a personal person.
Thats cool though. You've got your places to go
and be. Plus, your boyfriend is SEXY! (JD that
is)



What Heathers Character are you?
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You are a PHOENIX in your soul and your
wings make a statement. Huge and born of flame,
they burn with light and power and rebirth.
Ashes fall from your wingtips. You are an
amazingly strong person. You survive, even
flourish in adversity and hardship. A firm
believer in the phrase, 'Whatever doesn't kill
you only makes you stronger,' you rarely fear
failure. You know that any mistake you make
will teach you more about yourself and allow
you to 'rise from the ashes' as a still greater
being. Because of this, you rarely make the
same mistake twice, and are not among the most
forgiving people. You're extremely powerful and
wise, and are capable of fierce pride, passion,
and anger. Perhaps you're this way because you
were forced to survive a rough childhood. Or
maybe you just have a strong grasp on reality
and know that life is tough and the world is
cruel, and it takes strength and independence
to survive it. And independence is your
strongest point - you may care for others, and
even depend on them...but when it comes right
down to it, the only one you need is yourself.
Thus you trust your own intuition, and rely on
a mind almost as brilliant as the fire of your
wings to guide you.You are eternal and because
you have a strong sense of who and what you
are, no one can control your heart or mind, or
even really influence your thinking. A symbol
of rebirth and renewal, you tend to be a very
spiritual person with a serious mind - never
acting immature and harboring a superior
disgust of those who do. Likewise, humanity's
stupidity and tendency to want others to solve
their problems for them frustrates you
endlessly. Though you can be stubborn,
outspoken, and haughty, I admire you greatly.



*~*~*Claim Your Wings - Pics and Long Answers*~*~*
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You are Romans.



Which book of the Bible are you?
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You are Form 3, Unicorn: The Innocent.


"And The Unicorn knew she wasn't meant to
go into the Dark Wood. Disregarding the advice
given to her by the spirits, Unicorn went
inside and bled silver blood.. For her
misdeed, the world knew evil."


Some examples of the Unicorn Form are Eve
(Christian) and Pandora (Greek).

The Unicorn is associated with the concept of
innocence, the number 3, and the element of
water.

Her sign is the twilight sun.


As a member of Form 3, you are a curious
individual. You are drawn to new things and
become fascinated with ideas you've never come
in contact with before. Some people may say
you are too nosey, but it's only because you
like getting to the bottom of things and
solving them. Unicorns are the best friends to
have because they are inquisitive.



Which Mythological Form Are You?
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You're a mermaid. The stereotypical mermaid had a
long, fish-like tail that blended with the
human torso at the hips and almost white skin
with red hair or some off color like green or
blue. They were the most fantastic singers and
the siren type of mermaids would lure sailors
with their lovely lullaby into dangerous rocks.
They were mostly harmless and peacefull and
they were content to simply sit on the beach
combing their hair or in the water playing with
friends. They never wore clothes and were
always women. They were sweet and a little
deciteful at times.



What Mystical Creature Are You? (Pictures)
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Your man is King Aragorn (The rating takes place
below)

Perhaps its because hes so world-weary but Aragorn
is upfront and honest with no time for mind
games. Hes attentive and devoted, as well as
sensitive to your needs.



The last 'WHICH LOTR GUY IS FOR YOU?' quiz you'll ever have to take UPDATED WITH BETTER PICS & RESULTS
brought to you by Quizilla



ye are Jack's rum! one thing that he luvs!

(eccept for his Pearl..)

but, drinks all around!

I pariates life for me! and realy bad eggs!





what part of Captain Jack Sparrow are you?
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Tree Fairy thats what you are

Please rate my quiz even if it is a 1 thanks



Which Fairy are you?(for anyone many out comes)
brought to you by Quizilla




On the whole, these were really lame quizzes. But I just couldn't resist the Which Part of Jack Sparrow Are You quiz. And who's going to pass up finding out which book of the Bible they are?



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I don't really have anything to say.


I'm doing well in Spanish.


I rock at Badminton. Plus, it's a whole lot of fun to play Extreme Badminton--that's where you have two shuttlecocks and four players on the court slapping haphazardly trying to get the birdies over the net in any way possible, we made it up on Thursday, and by we, I mean just me and the 4 other people I was playing with. We have way too much fun playing Badminton.






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I want this: Songs from the Street: 35 Years of Music -- It's got everything from It's Not Easy Being Green to The Cereal Girl.


And I want this: Follow That Bird -- I watched that movie so many times, I wore out the tape when I was younger. Gordan and Olivia with Cookie Monster and Grover was my favorite... okay well maybe The Grouch Anthem, too.


And this: The Great Muppet Caper -- The best of the Muppet movies, in my opinion.


This is coming on the depressing news that Disney has finally bought The Muppets. They bought Miss Piggy back in the late 80s, and then the Hensons got her back. But then in recent years, Jim Henson's brat children sold The Muppets to a German company for a cool few million bucks. Then the company folded--and had to sell their rights to The Muppets. So the Hensons were able to buy back The Muppets cheaper than when they sold them. Sounds like a smart move right? They made a whole lotta money off of their father's sweet-hearted and innocent characters. But it turned out okay: They got them back.


Well. They've gone and done it again, and sold off The Muppets again.


I actually cried.


And I keep getting teary eyed as I write this.


As a child, I loved The Muppets. I loved Sesame Street. Heck, I still watch Sesame Street when I don't have to leave for school early in the morning. They were an integral part of my childhood. Until I was 6 years old, I thought Sesame Street was real. And whenever I saw a yellow VW Beetle, I always craned my neck to see if Gordan or Olivia were driving it.


When I lived in Strawberry Valley, my family was driving around one afternoon and we actually came across a dirt road called: Sesame Street. And guess what was parked right at the corner? That's right. A bright yellow Volkswagon Beetle. I went crazy! I started screaming that we finally found it! Because whenever I asked my parents where Sesame Street was, they were always vague and cryptic. So I developed the notion that Sesame Street was like a shifting entity realm, and "doorways" to Sesame Street were constantly moving. Well, that day, when my dad refused to drive down Sesame Street... I guess I grew up a little bit that day.


When I was 7, 8 and 9, we would go to the local flea market regularly. And I ended up buying a lot of puppets. Like full on puppets, that looked life size and exact replicas of Bert & Ernie, Rowlf, Miss Piggy, Animal (he was the best one). I always looked for a Kermit, because he was my favorite. But the closest I got was a really really cool stuffed animal. Never a puppet.


During that time, I started writing plays, short movies, and puppet shows. And I would perform the puppet shows at school instead of doing book reports. Mr. Donald, my 4th grade teacher, always encouraged that creative flair in me. Yes, I was using established characters, but I wrote my own material--come on, I was 9! But everyone loved my puppet shows. When I grew up, I wanted to be a puppeteer for Sesame Street and I wanted to meet Jim Henson.


Jim Henson was my idol.


When he died, it was first time I ever really experienced a true sense of loss. I wept like I had never wept before. I actually greived for him, even though I never was able to meet him. I read everything I could ever get my hands on. I bought his biography out of one of those tissue paper book orders.


But I was still determined to be a puppeter when I grew up. But... when they changed Sesame Street to that weird reggae sound and updated everything, and changed the integrity of the show... I no longer wanted to be a part of Sesame Street or The Muppets. I hated the decisions his family was making. I know they were trying to compete with Barney and whatever... but man... Sesame Street is like the cornerstone for a lot of children, it doesn't need to be newfangled and hip-hop-y (unless Kermit is singing that Hip Hop Song with two cows as backup).


But really... I mean... you'd think his children would understand that they made a mistake selling their father's legacy to a German company. And that they'd be thankful for the second-chance to have them back.


It breaks my heart.


And to Disney.


Man.


It's like a dagger to my heart.

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I've been feeling quite worthless lately. It's been stemming from the fact that I've been having to face graduating at the end of this Spring. I submitted the graduation application and the $100 fee on Thursday. (To add insult to injury, after paying thousands and thousands of dollars for an education--they charge you to graduate.) I guess real life gives me the jitters or something.


But I've been thinking that my English major is pretty useless. I mean, what kind of a job can I get with an English degree? I've been looking at jobs posted online, and I'm not going to be very employable. I used to work at a bookstore, and I worked with a lot of people who had degrees in English and History--and all they were doing was working at a bookstore for $7.25 an hour. I don't want to be like Janet and Mike and Steve and Kelly.


I started to wonder if I've wasted 4 years on an education. I should have majored in a science--that way I could at least have a wide variety of jobs openly available to me.


Then I started to feel like I should have stayed at one of my two previous universities. Because at least I was majoring in writing at both schools--one would guarantee me a job after graduation, and the other would have given me a foundation in the television/film/publishing industries (and an internship with Conan O'Brien, to boot).


I mean, who am I kidding, applying to graduate schools for a creative writing MFA? I want to be a writer. But it's not a real job--if I can get it to pay me at all.


So I know what Paradise Lost is about, and I know who Anne Bradstreet is. I know what Italian courtiers valued the most, and I know the customs and etiquette of courtly love and sex during the English renaissance. I can name all the kings (or queens) of England, and the dates of the reign, starting with William the Conquerer. I can analyze Shakespeare better than anyone my professor has known in the last 9 years, but so what?


All that makes me qualified for selling books in a conglomerate bookstore.


Great.




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I had a great talk with a friend from school, Laurin. I don't know what it is, but I seem to attract the Laurins/Lories/Lauras/Lindsis/Linseys/Lindsays of the world. ;) What can I say? I'm a babe magnet!


Anyway.


Laurin is getting married in August, and her younger sister had a great observation about this: "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord... Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it..." (Ephesians 5: 22-25).


The question was posed: Why would it say "Women, submit yourselves" and why would it say "Husbands, love your wives"? And Laurin's younger sister says, "Well, it's a reminder. I mean, most men don't have a problem submitting to their wives. If she asks for something, he's going to bend over backwards. But a lot of women have trouble being submissive in general. And women don't usually have trouble showing affection or loving, especially if it's their husband, but most men just sort-of forget to love their wives. So it's a reminder of the faults that most people of each gender have in general."


I always used to have a problem with Ephesians 5 until I actually was engaged, and it wasn't until that time that I actually understood what it was saying. And I don't really feel like defending Ephesians 5 because a lot of people still do have a problem with it, so I'll just say that it's both husbands and wives who are submitting unto each other--which is a good thing.


But I really enjoyed the observation a younger perspective. And even though it isn't applicable to everyone, but I think there's a general application that a lot of marriages could benefit from. Being open enough to submit yourself to the person you love most in the world. That's always a good thing to keep in mind.

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Reasons for Boycotting Blockbuster:


1) They are twice as expensive as every other rental place. Even Hollywood Video is cheaper--and you get the movies longer.


2) Every single time we've ever gotten coupons in the mail that say something along the lines of: Any new release is only $1.99 -- Good through October 15 to November 15, 2003 -- and we've been stupid enough to try to use the coupons, it takes half an hour for the employees to stop swiping the coupon through the credit card machine and apply the coupon code instead.


3) The inept employees.


4) When we use rental cards that Discover Card issues for the cashback bonus rewareds---the employees never understand how to redeem the rental passes.


5) Blockbuster used to have a good deal going: They sold Spider-Man on DVD with a 10 week rental pass for only $19.95. So we bought it. From that moment forward, whenever we used the store-issued rental pass, they didn't understand how to redeem it.


6) The last time we went into Blockbuster, we saw a guy take an armload of movies and run out the door.


7) After that happened, the employees just acted as if that happens all the time.


8) Whenever we go into that Blockbuster, half of the movies are dubbed en Español. And it seems like every time we go into the Blockbuster, there are dwindling amounts of English speaking movies.


9) Whenever we go into that Blockbuster, I feel dirty because the floor hasn't been washed and the carpet hasn't been vaccumed in probably 8 years.


10) Whenever we go into that Blockbuster, I keep an extra close grip on my purse. But most of the time I don't even risk it, and leave my purse under the seat of my car because I'm afraid someone might snatch it and run out the door with my purse and an armload of movies.


I'm sure there are more reasons...

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I saw Barbershop last year, and I admit that I thought it was a pretty good movie. It's not something I would buy. But it definitely was better than a lot of the movies that were on the shelf at Blockbuster. In fact, that could possibly have been one of the last movies we rented at Blockbuster before we started boycotting it.


Anyway... So Barbershop was okay. When I heard they were making a sequel, I wasn't surprised at all because that's the sad way Hollywood works these days. They can't just leave a decent script, decent cast, decent crew behind and allow them the dignity of one good, solid film. Instead, they cheapen and commodify the original movie with a series of sequels.


The basis of Barbershop 2 is that a "chain" store is going in across the street which threatens to shut the barbership down, which spurns the movie to start criticizing big businesses and go on a tirade against Wal-Mart and Subway. I read this very poignant observation from Mr. Cranky a few minutes ago:


"Would loyal customers really sell their main-street values down the river for a 1% discount at Mega Mart? Faster than you can say "election year tax cut." In the real world, Calvin's shop would be out of business in a week. Besides dodging this reality, this movie wants to both criticize franchises and become one: Next in the series is "Beauty Shop" starring Queen Latifah. Now there's having your cake and eating it too."


When I was reminded that Beauty Shop will be coming out soon (probably later this year), I was absolutely dumbfounded. How can everyone involved with this series of films make such comments about the evil of monopolies, corporations and Wal-Marts, when the films are becoming the very thing that they're criticizing?

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10 things waaaaay better than sex:

1. Chicken Mozarella Supreme from Wendy's
   
   
2. The Longest Journey (it's the best computer game)
   
   
3. Rainstorms
   
   
4. Ben and Jerry's Phish food, 23 grams of fatty goodness
   
   
5. Getting comments on my posts
   
   
6. New episodes of Conan O'Brien
   
   
7. Being able to play music on my guitar, even if I can't sing along
   
   
8. The Giraffe Song (see below)
   
   
9. $20 shirts that I've been wanting for a while that go on the clearance rack for $3.24
   
   
10. Frosted Frogs
    
    

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The Coolest E-mail Ever:


From Gungy:



I'm a giraffe,

look at me,

I eat bars

instead of trees.


Ooo-OOO,

I'm a giraffe!





But to get the full effect, you need the tune our song has, which can be found here:

I'm A Cow


All this cow talk is makin' me think of the coolest commercial ever, which can be found here:

Cows Are Cool


The version I found online actually isn't as snappy as the version I have on my computer, but I'm too lazy to upload to my website, so that'll have to do do. But what is awesome is this:


Cows Are Cool in Hindu. I totally want to learn this song in Hindu.

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So a few days ago, Graham Broadbent e-mailed me.


Now you're all intrigued. Is it an ex-boyfriend, ex-husband, ex-evil-crack-whore-former-professor? Well, it's none of the above. (And I don't have any ex-boyfriends, and I certainly don't have any ex-husbands, for the curiousity inclined, although I have a couple evil-crack-whore-former-professors).


You're probably wondering who Graham is, because I was wondering, too. Well, he's a producer. Of films. Of real, actual celluloid. Do you remember Welcome to Sarajevo? It played on HBO all the time, when I had HBO. Yeah, he produced that movie. And he e-mailed me on Sunday saying he was "interested" in my screenplay.


It's a tad bit surreal... so we'll see what happens. I'm just glad I registered my script with the Writer's Guild of America last year, that way I don't have to worry about it being stolen. Because I mean, I also don't know if someone could be impersonating Graham Broadbent. But that really seems weird to me. Someone impersonating a producer. It seems more likely someone would try to impersonate Kevin Smith or Steven Spielburg or something.


I applied to two more graduate schools. Western Michigan University, which would be a regular graduate program. And I applied to University of New Orleans, which would be a low-residency MFA program. So that makes 4 grad schools to which I've applied (the previous two being: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and Lesley University--a low-res program).


I sometimes think I should have probably applied to more grad schools, but right now... I just want to graduate. I want to get the hell out of Maryland. And that's about it. It's hard to think about NEXT semester at the moment.


But I have started looking into Biology programs. It's hard to decide whether or not I'd want to go for a concentration in Zoology or Physiology. Zoology would be good for a marine biology career, but physiology would be better for a forensic science career. It's so hard to choose.






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