Was here last night late again. Ugh am I worn out. Had a glass of wine (a RARE, RARE thing for me) because I was so stressed out and of course, it immediatly put me to sleep. Ended up seeing most of "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?" and what I saw was pretty good if not really weird. Hung out with my Love, Rand, and Joolo so that was cool. Tomorrow's an outing - the Florida Orchestra I mentioned the other day - so that's cool.
Anyway, I'm kinda out of it and I have stuff to do so that's about that. Have a good weekend all.
To background or not to background? Just added a background to the journal. Don't know if I like it or not. Hrm. Thoughts anyone? To background or not to background, that it is the question. (if you need comparisson, the Cam Hightlight does not have the background. It looks like it did before.
Come on! I need help. I can't decide these things... *lol* (leave it up to me and I'll end up redoing the whole code again)
Work-related humor So, my company does ADT security. We write the contract and then "sell" it to ADT.
The last step in the process is where ADT calls the customer to do a "weclome call" asking them a slew of questions about install, service, if they know how to use it, etc. we need them to complete this before we get "funded" (ie: they buy it, we get paid)
When something's wrong, we get issues sent to us. One issue this morning states: Issue: customer will not complete welcome call. Explantion: customer says these questions are dumb and won't answer them
We don't know whether to laugh or cry. I mean they ARE stupid questions. good for him he doesn't want to be bothered (I wouldn't) but um, how do we get paid? *lol*
If ya need me, me and Dawna will be at ebay.... So I peeked at ebay today. I don't know why I did it, I just did. Well, of course I ended up buying something... I bought this:
It's so pretty and girly...I just had to get it. It was $20 including shipping and tax. The one I really really want is $30 (not including tax or shipping). *pouts* Oh well. Maybe I'll get that one another time. But this one's pretty too! And ooh, now I can't wait for the mail...come on mail!
Workity work work Ok, so it's time to meander back to work. Just a late-lunch post. Might have more to say later, or tomorrow. I'll be here tomorrow, it's my Saturday to work. OOoh! I almost forgot though! My Love surprised me and got us tickets to see the Florida Ochestra this Sunday! Yeah! I can't wait. I've been wanting to go forever. I'm so excited! (plus, it's an excuse to go shop for something to wear) Hee hee.
FINE This is the word we use at the end of any argument that we feel we are right about but need to shut you up. NEVER use fine to how a woman looks. This will cause you to have one of those arguments.
FIVE MINUTES This is half an hour. It is equivalent to the five minutes that football game is going to last before you take out the trash, so I feel that it's an even trade.
NOTHING This means something and you should be on your toes. "Nothing" is usually used to describe the feeling a woman has of wanting to turn you inside out, upside down, and backwards. "Nothing" usually signifies an argument that will last "Five Minutes" and end with the word "Fine."
GO AHEAD (with raised eyebrows) This is a dare. One that will result in a woman getting upset over "Nothing" and will end with the word "Fine."
GO AHEAD (normal eyebrows) This means "I give up" or "do what you want because I don't care." You will get a raised eyebrow "Go Ahead" in just a few minutes, followed by "Nothing" and "Fine" and she will talk to you in about "Five Minutes" when she cools off.
LOUD SIGH This is not actually a word, but is still often a verbal statement very misunderstood by men. A "Loud Sigh" means she thinks you are an idiot at that moment and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you over "Nothing."
SOFT SIGH Again, not a word, but a verbal statement. "Soft Sighs" are one of the few things that some men actually understand. She is content. Your best bet is to not move or breathe and she will stay content.
THAT'S OKAY This is one of the most dangerous statements that a woman can say to a man. "That's Okay" means that she wants to think long and hard before paying you retributions for what ever it is that you have done. "That's Okay" is often used with the word "Fine" and used in conjunction with a raised eyebrow "Go Ahead." At some point in the near future when she has plotted and planned, you are going to be in some mighty big trouble.
PLEASE DO This is not a statement, it is an offer. A woman is giving you the chance to come up with whatever excuse or reason you have for doing whatever it is that you have done. You have a fair chance to tell the truth, so be careful and you shouldn't get a "That's Okay."
THANKS A woman is thanking you. Do not faint, just say you're welcome.
THANKS A LOT This is much different than "Thanks." A woman will say, "Thanks A Lot" when she is really ticked off at you. It signifies that you have hurt her in some callous way, and will be followed by the "Loud Sigh." Be careful not to ask what is wrong after the "Loud Sigh," as she will only tell you "Nothing."
ase send this out to men that you know just to warn them about future arguments they can avoid if remembering all the terminology.
And send to all your women friends to get a good laugh!
That's it...it's 6:10pm and I'm calling it a day. Didn't leave for lunch, didn't take any breaks, just ate at my desk and plugged away hardcore at this data entry project (yes, still..the same one)
Ugh...
So, now as I look out the window, see the sky filled with a warm, orange sunset, I will make my way the hour drive home...
By the way...for more fluff, check out the new Cam Highlights Archive!! (and don't forget to leave your comments there - it's a seperate comment system)
(did I mention that today was my half-day Wednesday - meaning I came in at noon - because I work a half-day on Saturday? well it is) Man did it feel great to sleep in. Oh how I love sleep. Sleep rocks.
The Online Journal Evolution I was thinking the other day about maintaining a web journal. (blog) People are equal parts facinated with it and confused about it. But I find I like it. I mean, this one's been around for over a year now with other versions having been around the net for the better part of three years. I've already mentioned how it keeps me honest writing it for the public - I can't hide under my own desires to gloss it over. I've also already mentioned how it feels really good to keep a journal; how each entry is a snapshot of my life at that moment in a way that can't be duplicated. Memories fade, emotions change, but your words remain locked in stone forever.
So recently, I've gotten to thinking about the stages of an online journal. When you first start, it's all new and exciting. It's fun to write simply for the novilty of having it out in public. (almost like a bit of reverse voyarism) The first time you check your stats and you see someone else has actually been there, it really hits you: it's out there and people are seeing it.
The next big step is someone commenting or emailing you about something you wrote. It's especially cool when it's something you didn't mention in any other format to someone and yet they mention it to you - then you know they're reading your journal. It's a warm fuzzy kinda moment. It takes you off guard and yet makes you feel important somehow.
Then comes the days that you learn someone you actually know is reading your journal. It's really weird then. Suddenly it's not just people online or someone you just kinda know as a screen name, now it's real. It could be a friend, someone you went to school with, or - gods forbid - a parent/in-law or a coworker. Then you start to panic. You wonder if your writing integrity is compromised with this knowledge; if you need to find someone else more private to rant. Afterall, didn't last week you just go off on said person in your journal? Surely you didn't know they were reading, but still.... *eep* Panic sets in. What happened to the lovely freedom of writing a journal?
Here's the part most people lose the nerve or see the dead end of the public journal idea. But not me. I hear someone is now (or has been before) reading my journal and sure, I panic for a moment, but then I move on and write my entry anyway. Why? Because no matter what, it's still my space. It is my journal. Public or not, I don't need to hide from the words I want to say. If someone doesn't like what I say, they don't have to read my words. Let me tell you though, a good way to get to know someone - to really listen to them is to read what they write. It's a secret key inside a person's mind. Is it for everyone? No. It takes either a lot of guts or a lot of stupidity (maybe both) to throw your words out there like that; to reveal your life and your thoughts to anyone who wants to read it. But it's not just a one-way street. The writer gets something out of it as well. We get the chance to paint a world for the reader; to be a guide through our lives - be they mundane or exciting. We, as writers, get to show you depths most don't get to see and most important, we get to give you the gift of our words.
So, when you stumble on the journal of someone you enjoy reading, drop them a note. Afterall, we may write for ourselves, but that doesn't mean we don't still get that thrill from seeing someone's reading it.
Uploaded a new pic. Anyone who reads my journal gets links to pics that aren't listed on the main site. I'd like to say it's because I appreciate my readers (which I do!) but really, it's because with two clicks I can change my journal code where as it's a lot of work to save something on the domain. (from work anyway and I'm still offline from home)
So...meander down to my pic list. You should see a new one that says big pic m w/red hair. It really is a large pic. :) Enjoy. I'm off to eat lunch.
Sidhe tend to display a natural talent for leadership and diplomacy who seem to learn dignity along with their abc's. It's difficult to make them look foolish, as most have had long practice at keeping their dignity no matter the situation. The sidhe are also incredibly attractive, with the frail, ethereal quality of the 'classic' fae of imagination and story. This is often quite disturbing when the awe-inspiring sidhe you meet who's just left you tongue-tied flies into a rage. A sidhe posesses that vague, indefinable 'it' that draws others to them, to the enchanted, they truly shine. All sidhe have an ethereal beauty in their fae forms, far beyond that of mortal understanding.
*laughs* No comments from the peanut gallery. Of course I'm a sidhe. Nobility and beauty at it's finest. *grins*
The Day Late Weekend Recap (yeah, yeah, I didn't have time yesterday to get into it)
Saturday: Movies, Rude People and Weirdness. Oh my! Went out and about Saturday night - got in the car and drove. I really wanted to do something; get out, have fun. So we hopped in the car and went to this place called Baywalk in downtown St. Petersburg. It's one of those new (well, new to this area) kinda centers of shopping, restaurants, and a mix of clubs/bars/movie theaters. All new, open-air, and nice. A little more "upscale" then a standard stripmall or indoor mall. Anyway, we wanted to see a movie and decided we'd make it an outing rather then just hit the local megaplex. It's nice there and we both love downtown St. Pete. (we used to live in St. Pete a few years back but had to move for work considerations. Now, because of the drive, we never get down there anymore). We ended up seeing John Q. It was pretty good - a little preachy about the evils of HMO's (well duh) - but not too bad. What WAS bad were all the annoying, rude-ass kids in the theater. They would talk, their cells phones would ring, they'd laugh at serious moments and clap and inappropriate ones (such as when a character is contemplating sucide). I have come to the conclusion that I now hate seeing a movie in the theaters. This stinks because I love movies and I love the going out into the theater to watch it experience. But, the people - especially those damned kids - just ruin it. Why should I pay $7-8 a ticket to be annoyed, pissed off and aggravated? It sucks. I just simply can not understand the level of rudeness that exists in people of that age. I was NEVER that rude when I was a teenager. I actually was taught things like manners and tend to uphold them. This isn't just one of those "old people" rants - I'm only seven years out of high school myself - it's one of those what is wrong with kids these days kinda rants. Because, seriously...there's just something not right. When did it become not only ok, but cool to be rude? To be an ass? I'm not saying that people I went to school with didn't tease other people because of course they did, what I'm saying is that they did NOT go out of their way to piss off mass people in public situations. There needs to be something done about this - because I know I'm not the only one ready to throw in the towel at ever seeing a film again in the theater - or there's going to be more bankrupt theaters then you can shake a stick at. And it's a damn shame.
After the furstating movie experience, we left the theater in search of some dinner. There's any number of restaurants in and around Baywalk, so we walked around a bit to see what we could find. Very quickly though, both my Love and I realized that we were really uncomfortable. There was just a really bad "feel" to the air. We both just sorta up and started walking back to the car, foregoing eating downtown. You have to understand how weird this is. Downtown is where my Love pretty much grew up; it's where we'd go almost every weekend we lived there to hang out, walk around, and get out. With the new complex and the renovation going on, what was once a shady area is a really nice - even ritzy - part of town. But it felt bad; wrong; evil there that night in a way I just can't explain. My Love said it felt to him very "surreal" and "like a dream." I kept looking around, from side-to-side, expecting to see something, someone but nothing was wrong when I looked. I could feel it was wrong though. It looked so normal and so lively, but underneath, I don't know...it felt like the soul of the city was dying. something wicked this way comes... We were both pretty shaken the whole night and even when we got home, the feeling of wrongness was still there; as if it premiated us, or worse, followed us. Sounds silly to type this as it's a bright and sunny day outside my window, but it was truly wrong and creepy.
The upside of the night was we stopped on the way home and had Fondue. Mmmmm Not for dinner, mind, it was like 10:40pm and the place closes at 11:30pm (a full dinner takes about two hours), but rather dessert. Chocolate. A "Ying and Yang" specifically: white and dark chocolate with strawberries, bannanas, cheesecake, poundcake, and more for dipping. It rocked. (and it meant that we ate chocolate for dinner. Oh yeah!)
Sunday - Not Quite Singing In the Rain So Sunday it rained. Didn't know it was going to rain or I would have chosen other shoes besides something black, leather, and sporting a 2-inch heel. (doh) My Love, Rand and I went out in search of stuff. You know, one of those days where you meander around to places like Best Buy, Target, the bookstore, the supermarket, etc. We returned the pair of defective sneakers that my Love bought the week before - one week and the seam rips, that's not right! - and exchange the pair that I bought (they hurt my feet). The bad news is that we ended up spending more (the ones we got instead were more money) and I wore the second pair yesterday and *ouch* they hurt my feet too. (back to the old pair that are ripping I guess and a second return to face) We also went in search of a housewarming gift for my friend Joolo. He's just moving into a new apartment this week so we wanted to find him just the right thing. We finally decided on... ha. Think I'm going to mention it here where he reads? *grins* Nope, you'll just have to wait and see it Pooks! *lol* Well, such a simple thing we decided, but such a hard thing it turned out to find. Why is that? Why do you see something everywere until you need it? Anyway, so that was Sunday. Running around in the rain and puddles trying really really hard to find an easy to find item.
That's the weekend in brief. Now we return you to our regularlly scheduled babbling. :)
I took the Inner Dragon online quiz and found out I am a Green Dragon on the inside. My Inner Dragon is the embodiment of Nature and the Earth. Greens spend almost all of their time below the canopy or just above the treetops in tropical rain forests. Not a bad life considering every other creature in the forest looks up to me, figurativly and literally. I speak the language of every animal and plant in my domain and know most of them by first name. If people mess with my forests, I'm more than happy to wail on their puny butts. Because of my protector/caretaker role, I am the Earth Elemental dragon.
Naturally my whole life pretty much revolves around the other couple million species I keep an eye on, but that's not my whole dragon. I also like to like to impose my steadfast will on others, commune with Nature, and lobby governments for alternative fuels and conservation. My favorable attributes are gemstones, mountains, caves, soil, respect, endurance, responsibility, prosperity, and purpose in life. Folks shouldn't get the idea I'm a hippy push-over though, because my breath weapon is a nasty Fire/Acid combination. Maybe I should invest in a hemp shirt reading "Don't knock my smock, or I'll clean your clock." *wink*
Just a very brief entry that I want to post before I forget the topic and lose my words... (the weended recap will come later)
This morning, on the way in, one of the radio stations was having a discussion about the battle to allow prayer - speciffically group-oriented prayer for all students - in the classroom. One caller stated that it should be allowed because we need to bring "morality" back into the classroom via a "belief in something bigger then ourselves" and that we need to remember "but for the grace of god go I." I'm sorry, I have to strongly disagree.
The words "morality" and "religion" are NOT synonmous. The idea of religion - especially organized relgion - has been the opposition for morality as long as there's been a "church" structure. I don't think it take a theologian or a historian to see the sheer level of pain, destruction and suffering organized religion has wrought amoung the years (centuries, millenia). To me, it is as the pot calling the kettle black. They scold school's lack of "morality" on it's oversight of a majority-ruled mandatory worship, all the while lacking the morality themselves to simply co-exist in harmony with other faiths. (afterall, wound't want us "heathens" to go around and spread our "lies" of Paganism now would we? And this is just one tiny example in a world full of 'non-majority' religion. By the way, majority may rule, but it does not mean it's right.)
It just vexed me that the caller actually had the nerve to claim that through forced classroom worship we'd have peace in our troubled schools. No, what we'd have it a breakdown of the fundamental rights of the Constitution of the United States. It's not up to some relgious figure to preach to me - in a place meant to be for the learning of fact, where faith has no fact by it's definition - about what's right and wrong. That's the role of the parents. Let's put the blame where it belongs, and more importantly, address an acceptable soloution: parents need to parent.
Some shoved-down-your-throat worship isn't going to do anything but deteriorate this country further away from it's foundation. (not to mention anger people further away from the self-same religion) Civil liberties and rights are not just in force when "convienent." They need to exist at all times and in all places. The minute we loose that, we've defeated the whole point. Ridecule, hatred, and oppression already occurr to those of us who's faith is not "mainstream" - yet no less valid I need to add - and we do not need to compound this further with the Church taking over our schools. Think it's bad now? Wait until the lynching starts again. That's what you'll get. Not morals and not decency, but hatred. Where's the "good" in that?
