Category: the catch-all-egory

"pointless", blog on blog, hmm interesting, the catch-all-egory

things that make life easier; maybe TOO easy?

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I have been using Netvibes for as long as I can remember. Before that, I used Bloglines, which also kept my feeds all nice and ordered, but I switched because I lost interest in Bloglines for whatever reason. Well, this morning, I “upgraded” to the “new” Netvibes, and I must say, that it sure is pretty. In fact, it makes it a very useful and beautiful tool to take my internet browsing to the next level, right?

Well, I want to say yes, but I somehow feel like it makes things too easy. When I have everything tabbed, linked, and all of my feeds right there for me, it only takes a couple of minutes to go through my whole internet linkage, and then I am bored again. I also notice that I don’t read as many blogs because of feeds… sometimes I will start reading, and then stop, or I will read it, but never comment, because the feed has made things too easy for me. It has digested everything, put it on the plate, and even fed it too me; all without any work from me.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I am glad that I have this tool at my fingertips and for use at my disposal, but I can’t help but feel that the convenience eventually leads to my boredom with the internets. Does anyone else feel like this (if you use a feed reader)? How do you propose that I remedy this feeling? It isn’t really that big of a deal, but it is something that I think about a lot, because as I mentioned, I inevitably get bored, and then start wondering “all right… what next?”.

Maybe I just bored too easily. Who knows. Either way, that’s what I am thinking about today, so there it is.

all about me, hmm interesting, near and dear, the catch-all-egory, tragic

too close for comfort

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So they have released a “final report” on the path of the tornado… and it ended literally 400 or so feet from our house. Wow. I mean, it is just surreal, because on the street where it ended (which you can literally throw a rock at from my back porch), the damage is way worse than on our street. I am extremely thankful that it stopped when it did. I honestly can’t believe that it got so close!! Who knows what would have happened with that massive tree that took out our fence if the storm would have kept going! The thought alone is just pounding in my brain this morning.

I can’t imagine what Sydney must have been thinking as it came through, because we weren’t even at home. Poor little guy!! I am honestly glad that we weren’t home; I think that it would have been very, very scary to hear all of the madness. Again, I am just incredibly glad, and I feel amazingly lucky, that it ended where it did… 400 more feet and things may have ended very differently for us!

On a completely different topic, I was driving on the freeway recently, and I saw a man driving with one hand holding his cell phone to his ear, and the other hand plugging his other ear so that he could hear. He was driving on 85 with no hands. NO HANDS! Where are the fucking police to pull over people like this?? Every time I drive down the freeway, I have to constantly adjust my speed and I have to be on constant alert for freaks around me, because cell-phone-talkers are constantly slamming on brakes, and drifting into and out of your lane. Hey police… POLICE the freeway and stop these dangerous freaks! It isn’t normal to have a major wreck on every major freeway in Atlanta every day. Pass a law or something, but this madness has to stop!

"pointless", all about me, funnies, that is so gay, the catch-all-egory, tragic

fixing our wireless, and will someone please smack this ass?!

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This past weekend, me and several friends ventured out to a new (as in, we had never been there new) bar called BJ Roosters for a friend’s birthday. He said that they normally had go-go dancers on Saturday night, but as it turns out, they had them on Friday night as well. While the whole “half naked dancing men on a bar” thing does nothing but make me a little uncomfortable, I looked at the situation as an adventure, and as such, proceeded to drink enough so as not to worry too much about it.

We settled in one of the little rooms, and not 2 minutes after we had taken our seats, one of the many strippers came into our room to “see what we were up to”. As he entered, wearing nothing but underwear, he asked enthusiastically, “what are you guys talking about in here?” as he jumped up on the table that sat between the two facing couches that we occupied. I told him that we were just talking about random stuff, and then he pulled out his dick, and asked me if we wanted to talk about that. Well, I never. I told him that he was more than welcome to talk about it, but I would pass, as I didn’t see a need to talk about his penis, being that it was his and all. Unsatisfied with my answer, he sought further approval from my other friends. After we all gave a pretty clear “we are not interested” series of responses, he felt the need to “get something” out of the encounter, and proceeded to bend over, pull down his underwear, and requested that I smack his ass. In fact, he said “smack it!” very forcefully at me. I politely declined, and then he turned to my friend Chris, and insisted that he “slap that ass!”. Chris also declined, which prompted him to ask, “damn, isn’t anyone gonna smack this ass?”, to which my friend Rich responded, “I will!”, and slapped the hell out of him. He seemed satisfied, so he pulled up the underwear and left us alone for the rest of the night.

It was definitely an interesting place. There was once “dancer” in particular who we watched intently; not because he was cute or good, but because he was so tweaked out of his mind that he was barely able to stand on the bar, let alone “dance”. It was a funny, but kind of sad sight to behold. Needless to say, he was the entertainment we enjoyed the most all evening.

The one saving grace of that place, was the amazingly hot bartender who totally gave me a “gay discount”. He looked a lot like Shayne Ward, and I was swooning over him all night. After seeing my tab, it appears I wasn’t the only one looking… or maybe he just mis-charged me… Either way, the boy was HOT.

Switching to a completely different topic, we finally got our wireless network back up and running last night, after James decided to reset everything on Monday without consulting me. He wiped out every setting, meaning that I had to re-set up everything; which wouldn’t have been a problem, if I knew all the settings I had put on it in the first place. On top of it all, after I set it up, the Xbox wouldn’t recognize the network no matter what I did. On a hunch, I suggested that we get a new router, and low and behold, the problem has been solved. Hooray for working technology; boo to partners that don’t consult you before messing something up that they themselves cannot fix. Oh well… all’s well that ends well, right?

the catch-all-egory

35 years of choice

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Today is the 35th anniversary of the monumental Roe vs. Wade decision, which, for those that live under a rock, is the court case that gives women the right to choose. I find it quite fitting that this day comes the day after MLK day this year, which serves in making for two days of remembering the importance of having, upholding, and continuing to fight for civil rights.

Regardless if you are against abortion or not, you must take note, that this court decision, and its implications are paramount to protecting the rights of the women in this country. No woman should be told that she cannot do what she desires with her own body. As I have stated many, many times in the past, this is not an issue of being pro-abortion, it is an issue of choice; and that choice is the choice that every woman deserves, in order to decide what will happen within, and to, her own body.

I, for one, am elated, and honestly a little relieved, that such rights are still present in this ever politically intensifying nation. I know that there are many in power that are opposed to abortion, and I strongly urge anyone that supports them to see that this issue is, again, about choice, and not about abortion (I also suggest that you investigate what other issues they are in favor of/against). What cannot be ignored, is the further implication that this issue represents. Losing any civil right leaves an opening, into which other civil liberties can be attacked, and that cannot be allowed to happen.

Freedom to have abortion does not mean that you will; it simply means that you have the choice, should you need to have one yourself. Perhaps the most compelling argument for choice, is the fact that outlawing abortion does not mean that it would go away; it would only mean that it would be more dangerous, and more life threatening to those that were forced to seek out alternative means of aborting their pregnancies. Additionally, it would potentially take away the legally binding regulations that currently exist on abortion, meaning that there would be less control on late term abortions; which I am personally against.

What is interesting to me, is that I have read many times, that as many as 77% of anti-abortion leaders are men, yet, it still remains that 100% of men can never get pregnant. It begs for me to wonder, why are men so overly vocal on this issue? Why are we so afraid to give a woman control over her own body? Well, it should be known by now, that I am not one of those men; I am glad that this court case decision still stands, and continues to provide women a choice, and a safe option should she choose to have an abortion.

Remember, that just because you CAN have one, it doesn’t mean that you necessarily will. An old roommate of mine was against abortion because he was adopted, and I continually reminded him, that his mother made her choice; she chose not to have an abortion, which is just as much an option, so long as you have the RIGHT to choose. If you don’t agree with abortion, then it’s simple: don’t have one. However, don’t take away the rights of those that may choose to have one themselves, because that form of oppression has no place in our society.

As I reflect on this decision, I can’t help but wonder would I would do if I were a woman facing a pregnancy that was unplanned, or one that was a threat to my life. I honestly can’t tell you what I would do, and I don’t think that anyone can make that decision until they are personally faced with the situation. However, there is one thing that I can tell you; and that is that I would want the choice to make for myself, and really, that is all that matters. The freedom to choose is a powerful, powerful thing, and today, we can celebrate 35 years of women being able to make that choice.

I am pro-choice. I am pro-rights. I am pro-freedom. Because without choice, can we truly call ourselves free?

all about me, is it just me?, the catch-all-egory, venting

bloody noses and REALLY itchy tattoos

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This little cold snap has led to both sides of my nose bleeding now. It’s just fantastic. My nose has always been sensitive to the air in Atlanta, but it usually only bleeds on one side. It was nice to wake up this morning with several napkins covered in my blood, making my side of the bed look like a crime scene. I guess it could be worse, right?

Other than my frequently bleeding nostrils, I have been having a major issue with my red panda tattoo lately. As you may recall, I got this tattoo a LONG time ago, and it has long since been healed. However, recently, I guess my body decided that it was allergic to blue ink, and as such, I feel like I have industrial strength poison ivy on my calf. What’s strange, is that it waited this long to have any reaction. My other tattoos have had random flair ups of itchiness, but it has never been anything like this. I read that it can take up to five years for your body to stop reacting to allergies from ink, and I really, really hope that isn’t the case for this one. If anyone has any advice, or similar stories, please share, this shit itches!!!!

"pointless", all about me, is it just me?, mixed media, politics, the catch-all-egory, well?

what to blog?

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What is there to blog about?

Not having the list to work on, I find that I am not very interested in blogging about the topics swirling in my head these days. Yet, for the sake of sparking possible conversation, let’s say I did blog these thoughts; what would they be?

  • I find myself wondering, if at some point in the (near) future, if we will have to explain to children what winter means. Seriously, in the South, we don’t really have one anymore, and if the climate keeps going the way that it is, it will be 90 in February at some point. Scary thought, really.
  • Does anyone really care that much about the caucus races? At least in the beginning? Neither party has actually come out and said, “we want X”, so I am just wondering why everyone is so “point happy” right now. It’s going to be a while before anything really worth paying attention to happens, so I guess this is going to be a long year. It really makes you wonder why people are encouraged and allowed to waste so much money on simply campaigning; when it could be used to actually solve the problems they talk incessantly about fixing.
  • Any good music out there lately? I feel like I have hit a wall, and I am not taking in anything right now. Perhaps it was because of the overload from last month’s list. Who knows, the hunger is still there, if anyone has something they want to suggest.
  • School started back this week. I am taking Anatomy II and Abnormal Psychology. I really hope that this semester goes better than the last one did. I got really good grades, but I was really stressed the whole time. Here’s hoping for a better time this time around.
  • Anything I’m missing?

What’s going out there in the internets? Hello? Is this thing on? Sometimes I just feel like no one is listening/reading, and people are just whizzing by, living their daily lives, while I inexplicably fall into the drab mundane routine I have found myself in for the past several years. Here’s to change in 2008… right?

Eh. Whatever…

listen up!, mixed media, music musings, music suggestion, the catch-all-egory

the 31 best of 2007 – 28: Katharine McPhee – Katharine McPhee

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Before I get to talking about the lovely Katharine McPhee, I have a question; would you guys that are following my list like me to add or subtract anything from these posts? I could add a song or two, or something like that. Just give me some feedback! We are a few entries in, and I want to see what people think; good or bad, let me know!

Alright, now to Katharine’s self titled CD, which comes in at number 28 on my best of 2007 list!

Like many other Americans, I have always found myself somehow sucked into the spectacle that is American Idol, and every year, I say that I won’t do it again; either because of the results, or the sheer absurdity of the competition itself. However, the year that Katharine McPheewas on the show, I was reeled in, not only by her beauty, but her amazing singing ability. The girl definitely has a voice, and until they handed it to Taylor, I really thought she might go all of the way, and win the competition; because she really was the best singer on the show.

Even though Katharine didn’t win AI, which I think may have been a benefit for her, she still hit the top two spots, which guarantees a record contract. However, after listening to her debut album, I have to think that since she came in second, she wasn’t obligated to make that “AI-winner record”. This is substantiated again, by what she released, and I must say, that I am glad she didn’t win; it is a great record. The songs are catchy, well written, and clearly showcase her beautiful voice and great singing ability. If you like pop music, you will really like this CD, because not only does she have a voice for pop, but they teamed her up with great producers and writers that were able to capture her talent.

There are many songs on the record that have a great upbeat feel, which is refreshing, since they tend to force these idols to sing ballad after sappy ballad. While there are definitely some ballads there, I am glad to see that they let her have a little fun. Some of the songs are just down right silly (Open Toes), but they work for Katharine, because she really convinces you that she is just a girl out to have some fun during a night out; mostly because she IS a girl that wants to have fun on a night out! There’s a reason many of these more uptempo songs work; they snagged great producers, such as Timbaland’s amazing protege Danja to work on them. As a friend of mine said about a few of those songs, “you don’t want to like them, but you can’t help it, because dammit, they ARE fun, and they do get you moving!”. It is so true, and it really is pretty consistent throughout her entire debut. Given what is going on throughout the rest of the world with regards to pop music, I have to say it: America doesn’t have a great track record for doing proper pop. Fortunately for us, Katharine McPhee’s debut is a huge check in the plus column of what good pop should be.

Finally, I must say again, that Katharine’s debut record really speaks highly of coming in second on AI; because (as evidenced by her record) you may not be trapped by that “tried and true” formula that they force on every idol winner. With her release, she has a record that is filled to the brim with radio ready singles, and even a few truly great songs that are ready for the club. I have loved her voice from the moment I heard her sing, and thanks to a brilliant album, I can enjoy it over and over again on my ipod. It is great to see a truly talented singer utilized for her ability; this truly is a great pop record, and I am very happy to have found it.

Favorite songs from Katharine McPhee’s self titled debut:
Love Story (one of the best singles of the year IMHO), Not UR Girl, Open Toes, Over It, and Home. (clicky-clicky linky-linky for youtube videos)

Rating:

"pointless", all about me, is it just me?, the catch-all-egory

*sniff* *hack* *cough* bleck!

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So James has passed his head cold on to me. Nice. I HATE being sick. I don’t do sick very well either; I’m a whiny baby when I get sick. He’ll just have to put up with it though, since he got me sick! HA! In all seriousness, though, I am just hoping that I get better before this weekend… I am really looking forward to our getaway.

Last night, I was thinking incredibly too much, as I usually do, and I think that I am going to start trying to live more under the motto, “if it makes you happy, it can’t be that bad”. Yes, I know it is a cheesy Sheryl Crow song, but I think that she’s got something there; if it really does make me happy, what does it really matter what anyone else thinks, right? Right. Now… just to convince me…

Finally, I have been overwhelmed by the insane thrust of Christmas (which apparently gets earlier and earlier every year… eventually, it will ALWAYS be Christmas… yikes), and instead of my usual “feelings of good tiding and joy”, I have been filled with a “give it up already!” attitude. I don’t think that Christmas should be so commercialized to begin with, and I guess it really isn’t as big a deal as it is made out to be. It’s just another reason consume, if you ask me. And being a consumer, I am sure that I will; but I don’t have to ring a bell or be jolly like a fat man to do so. This year, I think that this website really sums up how I feel about the juggernaut that is Christmas. Mine is going to be ONE day, and only one day. So there. Enjoy your trees, and know that I am happy for you to be in the mood; just don’t expect me to put one up. (Besides, if I want to see Christmas decorations in all their glory, I only need to look next door to our neighbor’s gaudy decorations…)