Category: venting

civil rights, get over it!, hmm interesting, is it just me?, politics, public health, that is so gay, venting, well?, wtf?!

why is gay marriage an issue?

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I keep hearing all of this stuff about trying to find each presidential candidate’s position on gay marriage, and I have ask… why is gay marriage an issue that should be the concern of a president? Seriously? The issue is not gay marriage; it is civil rights. Marriage is the word that the use to describe the religious procedure of getting bound to another person for life. The only thing that could make it an issue, is that it is currently recognized by the government as a legal union, and there are privileges that come with its status. However, it is not the issue, and I don’t get why we are so concerned with that word; marriage.

I would happily take a civil union any day; so long as it afforded me EQUAL rights. I don’t give two shits about calling my partnership a “marriage” vs. calling it a “civil union”; so long as we are treated equally under the law of our government. I personally think that should be more of the focus, as this issue will always be used as more of a wedge than anything, and no person in their right mind is going to go up against the juggernaut that is the Christian church. Also, isn’t there supposed to be a separation of church and state? So again, why not stop calling it “gay marriage” as an issue?

I think that if you get married, good for you; you should also have to file for a civil union, which should be the only union the government officially recognizes. Make it standard for everyone, and make it available for gays and lesbians as well. Keep marriage in the churches, take religion out of the equation, and things can be more acceptable for everyone, right? Perhaps this is too simple of a concept, but it boggles my mind that gay marriage is all anyone ever asks about when it comes to gay and lesbian rights and a presidential candidate. (what about gay civil rights of other people throughout the world? I think that should be a huge concern of ours as well; but that is a more lengthy conversation).

I realized this more fully when I was reading what Obama said, and the “reaction” from some of the gays that he was against gay marriage. We don’t need to fight for religious justification; we need to fight for equality. Sure, the fight for gay marriage is a fight for equality, but it isn’t necessarily the same thing; take religious practice out of the picture officially. These church driven people are NEVER going to give us the “right” to take their “sacred” practice (now with a 50+% failure-rate!) for ourselves, so we should just drop the shit already. I am tired of continually giving it back to them so they can wedge it between what’s really important and this dance that we have been stuck in forever. I am for equality; nothing less, nothing more. Doesn’t that sound like a more fruitful fight?

Unrelated link: This is quite fascinating if it is true; apparently, the first AIDS case was in 1969 in the US. This makes me wonder; why didn’t it spread to the epic proportions that it has today? What was the factor that caused it to spread so rapidly in the 1980s that was different 11 years earlier? If this man was the first documented case of AIDS, how many people had it before him; and who infected him? It really turns the notion of epidemiology on its head, because it really did occur in a seemingly singular incident. Weird.

all about me, get over it!, hmm interesting, is it just me?, tragic, venting, wtf?!

etiquette… not requirement… okay?

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Earlier today, I was coming out of the building next to the one that I work, in order to go back over to my office, when I encountered a situation that is normally dictated by etiquette. However, in this case, etiquette was stretched so far, that it broke, which, for whatever reason, tends to be quite common where I work. As such, I was treated like an asshole, when in reality, I did nothing wrong. Someone thought etiquette meant requirement, and voiced her opinion as a result; even though she is sadly mistaken.

Now, let me preface what I am getting ready to say with this: I always hold the door for people when they are close enough to reasonably come in; always. I hold elevators too. I’m a nice guy like that; even though I rarely have the favor of that etiquette being returned to me. It really doesn’t bother me to do it, and as such, I normally do.

Now, back to today’s little incident… When I exited the building, I didn’t hold the door because there was no one around. As such, I just walked out, and even smiled at the girl that I noticed once I was completely outside and about 5 steps away from the door. Instead of smiling back, she said loudly, “Well that’s fine… DON’T hold the door for me.”. Um, excuse me? What the fuck did she just say?!?!

First of all, I thought that basic etiquette implied that I am not required to hold the door, but I that I should, if for no other reason than to be courteous. Second of all, in this particular instance, the woman in question was no where near entering the door when I came out, so for me to have held the door for her, I would have first, had to have seen her (which I couldn’t, because she was far enough away, and to the left of the door, that I couldn’t see her), and second, even if I would have seen her, I would have had to wait for her to walk up to the door, (as I noted, it was about 5 steps outside that I noticed her and nodded appropriately) inconveniencing myself in the name of what I would call severely stretched courtesy… but not requirement.

Again, while I am all for holding the door for people when it is convenient, I think that she was ridiculous in expecting me to hold it for her; and even worse, was a fucking bitch for saying what she did. The weird thing is, that most women that work in my building are like that; which I can say, because there are very few men who will get bitchy if you don’t wait forever to hold the door for them.

I have seen women go so far as to try and quickly jump through a closing door to prevent having to actually touch the physical door, or heaven forbid, hold it open for themselves… all while it shuts on me, who is right behind them. I have also, on MANY occasions, seen women stand in front of a closed door, and give me the look of, “well, aren’t you going to open that for me?”. I also can’t stand when the women that work in my building (who do this WAY more than men, which is why I am picking on the women folks) will stand in front of one of the two doors that you can open, because there is someone coming out of the other, and they are waiting so they won’t have to open the door for themselves. As if these weren’t bad enough, there is even one woman in particular who I happen to see more often than I should, who acts like the doors exceed her physical strength, and as such, I am actually forced to take over the muscling of the door, and open it for her. I just don’t get why these women can’t open a door for themselves, or even hold the door for me; who, has on most occasions, done that very thing for them. Even more, I wonder why I am an asshole when I don’t go out of my way to make every woman-who-works-in-my-building’s life that much more comfortable (even though it inconveniences me); especially when the same common courtesy is RARELY returned to me.

What bugs me about this, is that first of all, this isn’t 1950 anymore, ladies; so you should be able to open a door for yourself, and realize that it is being courteous, and not a requirement, that a man might open it for you. Again, let it be known that I honestly don’t mind holding the door for you, and I will even go out of my way to get the door for anyone most of the time; but when you bitch because I didn’t inconvenience myself to make your entrance into the building an effortless one, please listen up, as I will say this as plainly as I can for you to understand: why not just be a fucking adult and open the fucking door for yourself for a change?. And worse, if you do what that bitch did earlier to day, you should be seriously put in your fucking place, because you are just being an outright bitch, and that goes way beyond any courtesy that you deserved from me in the first place.

If you think that I am being too harsh, realize that I have been entering buildings and opening doors for years for myself, and I am just fine… and you will be too. When I think about these incidents, which usually just result in me rolling my eyes, it makes me want to do what these silly women do. Perhaps I should try standing in front of a closed door, and looking at the person who is walking up behind me in hopes that they will open it for me; or maybe I should jump rapidly through a closing door, only to have it hit me as I barely make it in, all the while it slams in the face of the person behind me; or maybe do my favorite, and act as if the weight of the doors is so massive, that my tiny, frail, child-like arms cannot handle the force required to muscle them open… Maybe, just maybe, that would make me feel a little better about how stupid people act under the guise of the unwritten “rules” of “etiquette” (which, for whatever reason, they believe that I, but not they, are required to follow).

I am pretty sure, though, that it wouldn’t work for me… unlike the women that get by with this shit day in and day out, because I am sure that I would get nasty looks and hateful comments because I am a man, and as such, I am “required” to hold/open/wait for every woman that may want to enter the building. What-the-fuck-ever.

The weird thing, is that my friend Deb, who is just as tall as I am, gets the same thing. Maybe it’s a height thing and not a sex thing? She is obviously a woman, and women do it to her too. Who knows… all I know is that it is time for the sisters to start REALLY doing it for themselves… and realize that I don’t HAVE to get the door for you, I am doing it to be nice. If I don’t do it because I don’t see you, or don’t wait for you because you are far away, be an adult and open the damn door yourself; and save the bitchy comments, okay?

/rant

civil rights, get involved, hmm interesting, is it just me?, listen up!, mixed media, music musings, near and dear, politics, show the love, tragic, venting, well?, wtf?!

music sharing and ridiculousness

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So, I spoke briefly on Friday about the girl that was sued by the RIAA who lost, and now owes upwards of $200,000 for downloading and sharing a few songs. Now, while I am do agree that there should be some regulation, and that nothing should just be totally free, I think that this whole war against those that share music has gotten out of hand (as evidenced by this case). In fact, what is forgotten, and I think on purpose for whatever reason, is that most people that download music actually end up buying most of that which they download.

Take me for example. I buy CDs all of the time. Most of those CDs are CDs that I downloaded first, in order to see what they were like. Most of the stuff that I download is stuff that I haven’t heard of, and want to check out. If I get a chance to check out something new, and end up enjoying it, I definitely want to support the artist, and 9 times out of 10, I do.

So is what I am doing helping or hurting the music industry? I would say that it is helping because I am buying the products that are being produced; and most often I am buying the minor artists, and supporting music that would otherwise never be heard. Additionally, many of the smaller artists that I find this way, would never have been discovered without my trying to find them. I also go to concerts of these artists regularly, and support them even more in that manner.

If I relied on the radio for my every music need, I would miss many of the amazing artists that I love today, and I think that not only is that a terrible shame, I think that it clearly shows that the RIAA is not about saving music… they are about their profits.

However, I still contribute to their profits. Willingly. Yet, they still come after those like me, those that love music, and just want to be able to share it with others, in hopes that they will enjoy and support those artists that they might have never heard of; that is, if I didn’t play them that “illegal” mp3.

I think this whole issue is bullshit, and it just makes me angry that big corporations get all angry when they can’t control every single aspect of something. This is especially infuriating with regards to trying to control music that I legitimately pay for… If I bought it, so back off. You got your money, now let me enjoy my CD, or even make a copy for a friend if I choose to do so; I payed for it! In the end, it is clear to me, that the RIAA is always the one that wins, because like I said, most of those suggestions lead to purchases; and most of the profits are never even seen by the artists themselves.

I gave $5 to the save Jammie fund, because I know that if I were in her shoes, I would really be freaking out. I feel sorry for her that the RIAA has chosen so ridiculously to make an example out of her. Asking her to pay a $1 for each song she shared is one thing, but what they are doing is robbery. So, here’s $5 from me, Jammie, I hope that you can raise enough to pay off the bloodsuckers that are on your back.

What do you guys think about sharing music/downloading music? Do you think the whole thing is just another greedy scandal by corporations to make as much money as possible? Or do you really think that artists suffer? What about sharing music is so bad, especially if you are like me, and you almost always go out and buy the CD? Additionally, sharing music was meant to discover new artists, which for me, it totally does… what would happen to the obscure artists if this ability was taken away? How would it effect you?

all about me, get over it!, is it just me?, listen up!, politics, public health, the catch-all-egory, venting, well?, wtf?!

busy week ahead…

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This week, I have two midterms, one each in Statistics and Anatomy Lab. Needless to say, I have hit the “frustration, procrastinator-to-the-max” level of stress; I need to study, but I am too worried about the tests that I just end up wasting time being frustrated about them. Gah. I am sure that I will get to studying later on this evening though, because the sheer amount of information that I have to have memorized for the Anatomy lab is amazingly terrifying. There really is no winging a 50 question fill in the blank test. The statistics test isn’t much better… she isn’t giving us any formulas. Also, she must really hate us, because there is not only new content today and tomorrow that WILL be on the midterm, but there is also a quiz tomorrow. Seriously. I mean, I know that things need to be structured and whatnot, but this class is insane. I just hope that I can get it all done in time, and be prepared for both tests; which are nicely on the same day: Thursday.

Just some thoughts that I have been pre-occupied with today (when I should have been studying):

  • The Bird and The Bee are awesome. I picked up a new EP called “Please Clap Your Hands” over lunch, and I am really enjoying it. I love their CD, and am not surprised that I like this too. Definitely a fun group.
  • Now, I know there are tons of opponents to socialized medicine out there, but I don’t see how providing health care for children that don’t have it is a bad thing (healthy children is a GOOD THING!). I just don’t. You are not going to convince me that spending $60 billion dollars over five years on something that is necessary, like health coverage for children that don’t have it, is a bad thing; especially when you consider that we have already spent $450+ billion on a war in Iraq. Is it really that bad to want to take care of Americans? What’s the point of being “free” if you are sick and dying? I am over this whole, “Love the fetus, hate the child” mentality that much of the Republican party clings to, and I for one, hope that Bush doesn’t veto this bill. Now, bitch and moan about why providing health care to those that don’t have it is bad; just be sure to refer to world health statistics and figures regarding life expectancy, and make sure you see where we fall on that list.
  • This just pisses me the fuck off. Seriously, we do NOT support our troops; that is, our government doesn’t support them. If there is one priority that is PARAMOUNT in this country, it is taking care of those that served FOR us. SHAME. SHAME. SHAME. I am sick of this. Many of you have accused me of “not supporting the troops”, and obviously, I am expecting more support than is currently being provided.
  • If you have commented on this blog, and you don’t see your comment show up in a reasonable amount of time, chances are, one of two things has happened: 1) your comment was eaten by my spam filter, and you should try and post it again (this is usually ONLY for new commenters, or comments that have lots of links in them); OR 2) your comment is not adding anything to the conversation, other than hateful, meaningless remarks that I don’t have the time to validate, reply to, or approve for appearance on my blog. I am saying this, because there is at least one person that continues trying to “get my goat” by leaving ridiculous and baiting/hateful comments, and I just wanted that person to know that unless there is something that you wish to add, that isn’t just hateful and absurd, then keep it to yourself; as I no longer have time to validate your asinine behavior.

Well, I guess that’s about it, really. Hope everyone is making the best of a Monday! Now… back to the books for me!

all about me, hmm interesting, hotness, is it just me?, mixed media, movie musings, politics, the catch-all-egory, venting, well?, wtf?!

just a few thoughts and observations: wednesday edition

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I watched Knocked Up last night (well, most of it), and I must say that Seth Rogen is totally cute. Totally. I don’t really have an opinion on the movie yet, as I didn’t finish it, and was focused on Seth’s cuteness.

I watched the season premiere of The Unit, and they totally brought it in a way I wasn’t expecting. This show definitely wins over House, hands down. Also, I watched the series premiere of Reaper, and it was fantastic!!! Well written, witty, and cute! I am definitely adding a season pass for this one. So far, one new show has definitely impressed me! I was also glad to see Tyler Labine in the show, because I liked him in Invasion, and well, I think that he is really cute. Also, the lead guy, Bret Harrison, is totally cute too! I love good shows with cute boys. That is a double hell YES!

Side note: OMG, I just looked at the IMDB entry for Reaper, and I had NO IDEA that it was Kevin Smith’s project! No wonder I liked it so much! YAY!

Is anyone else just completely embarrassed by our president? I mean, that speech yesterday was just a complete hypocritical slap in the face of the rest of the world; not to mention a complete “out of left field moment” at times (BURMA? REALLY? WTF?!). It is becoming more and more obvious that America has turned into that total bitch from high school who everyone hates and talks shit about behind her back, but she still walks around shoving her finger in people’s faces, and acting like her shit doesn’t stink; all the while, creating more people that hate her. Hello Regina George!!! But in all seriousness, it is no wonder (to anyone with a progressive bone in their body) that more and more people are expressing hatred over America. At this point, I think the best thing we can do is distance ourselves from this man, and show the rest of the planet that he does not represent what all of us think. Gah. Also, it would be REALLY NICE if we could actually practice all of the “human rights standards” that we are constantly calling the rest of the world out on.

If probability is such a simple concept as “it happens x number of times out of the possible number of times”, then why in the FUCK do they have to try as hard as possible to turn it into this amazingly difficult concept to grasp? I will never get statistics and why people try so hard to make it more difficult than it has to be. Taking a simple concept and turning it into something that is almost impossible to understand is beyond me.

Finally, as some of you know, James made a purchase. A big purchase. And I honestly don’t know how I feel about it. It stresses me out that he constantly puts his needs before mine, and sometimes, doesn’t even consider mine at all. Money has always been an issue between us, and no matter how I try to make it a non-issue, he really forces it. The worst part of it, is that I know where it comes from, have talked with him about it, have taken him to therapy and talked about it, and yet, it still permeates every part of our relationship. It isn’t something that I would leave him over, but it is definitely something that I have to vent about from time to time, in order to prevent lashing out at him about not having $10 to buy food, when it is clear that these are self imposed limits that serve to meet his needs and not ours. Ugh. Relationships are definitely a lot of work, and thank god I am willing to work at this one. I am still a little angry about the purchase, but I am sure that I will eventually let it go… I just wish that he could learn WHY it upset me. We’ll see.

Hope everyone is having a great hump day…. this was my 2 cents.

all about me, hmm interesting, is it just me?, venting, wtf?!

working in a group

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So we have this project for my Stats class… a group project. Keep in mind, that we have no in class time, and almost the entire course is self taught (given the materials the professor provides). Now, while I am certainly not against a group project, I just want to know how this is going to work properly…

I mean, you would think that everyone in the group would email each other, communicate, and adequately divide up the work amongst the group, and then bring the final project together before submission, right? Well, that’s not what happened. We had an assumer (as in, I assumed I would just get started, so I did that already… even though he didn’t), as well as the good guy, who really communicated well, and actually did his work, and sent me his stuff. Too bad I have to redo it all, because it does answer the questions well enough; and, because what they do (or in this case, don’t do), can negatively impact my grade.

So, now I am doing the entire project by myself, for our “group”. It seems like working in a group isn’t something that works, at least in this online class, to my advantage in any way. *back to work*…. grrrr….

All I can say, is I better get an A on this!

hmm interesting, is it just me?, listen up!, mixed media, politics, that is so gay, venting, well?, wtf?!

where’s the “news”?

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Seriously, I want to know where the “news” is… This is the second day in a row that I have gone to CNN, and have found them headlining something that has been circulating on the internet for months now! Not only that, but when you have to link out to a site called “that is not news”, perhaps you should dig a little deeper and find something worth reporting, right?

I am constantly frustrated with people calling the media “liberal”, and constantly highlighting what they call a liberal bias, when it is clear that it isn’t liberal at all; in fact, it isn’t even news anymore!! What is going on? It is sad when you have to rely on “underground” sources to find out what is going on in the world around you; and I, for one, really think that it shouldn’t be that way.

I think that this is one of the main reasons why we were duped as a country into electing these manipulative sickos back into office; people aren’t paying attention, and when they are, they being distracted by things that are being reported in the place of the actual stuff that is news-worthy.

Gah. I am just frustrated with the whole lot of it, really. I mean, I don’t care about republican closet cases; I care about what is going on in the world, and what is going on in our country that really AFFECTS us. Stop with the BS, and give us information that will enlighten us, and shed some perspective on our lives; something that we can use! Is that really too much to ask? I would think not, but apparently, it may be. (and dave, save anything you have to say about Fox “news”… most of what they “report” can only be described as pure fiction).

Another frustration: Senator Isakson sent James and I both letters in the mail describing why he isn’t supporting the hate crimes legislation that is currently circulating up on the hill, and the letter was complete bullshit. First of all, I just wonder why in the world someone would NOT support something such as hate crimes legislation? Isn’t it a good thing to punish people more severely for crimes that are committed out of sheer hate for someone?

Also, the letter was completely contradictory to itself; he stated that he believed in things like “dedication to the safety and well being of all US citizens” and whatnot, yet he doesn’t support actual legislation that would ensure that people are punished for committing the very crimes that would threaten the safety of certain US citizens!?? That doesn’t make sense, Mr Isakson! (maybe it is more of that whole “love the fetus, hate the child mentality that many republicans so blindly embrace).

It just frustrates me that gay and lesbian safety and for that matter, our downright freedom, is so low on so many of these old fucker’s radar; so low that they just shrug their shoulders and vote no, when we try our best to do something about it. This is a fucked up country we live in, especially when you examine who really is “protected”, and step back to see who really should have reason to fear the few nut jobs out there that hate their “kind”. All that considered, I am not surprised it doesn’t make the “news”, though… that again, would be too much, right? To actually get some useful information from the news?

Gah. I’m going to study anatomy… It’ll take my mind off of the fuckery that exists in this country every bleeding day.

hmm interesting, is it just me?, the catch-all-egory, venting, well?, wtf?!

art, wonder, and the lack thereof

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Last night in Anatomy Lab, we went over the amazing process of Mitosis. I have to say, that I have always been fascinated by the way the body works, and how miraculous the many tiny parts of the body work independently in order to keep us running each and every day. It really puts things into this amazing perspective, when you realize that such a tiny thing as a cell really is the building block of everything that we are; and even more amazing, it does its thing without any help or conscious instruction from us. Pretty amazing stuff.

It also makes me wonder how people decided to start looking at things like cells, and the building blocks of the human body in the first place. I mean, I know people “wonder” about things, but what makes them look into things and discover things like cells? I wonder, because I truly believe that it is a little bit (maybe a LOT) luck (discovery without really knowing what you have discovered, or being able to comprehend it), and a little bit something mysterious; which is really where my mind starts to go off in fanciful wonder. It also makes you wonder who in the right mind just “experiments”, like in the case of these freakish experiments (I’m surprised Tuskegee wasn’t in there… ); just to “see” what will happen. Where do these people come up with these ideas? I guess there really is a fine line between genius and crazy, eh? Either way, pretty interesting things have been discovered; and now I have to memorize them for my class!! It’s a good thing I have been through it before, because there is a lot to know about the human body.

Sort of on the same vein, and given that there have been some amazing things that I have been looking at lately, I have to say, that I really don’t get this at all: Damien Hirst is apparently this amazing “artist”, and recently sold a diamond encrusted human skull for 100 million dollars. Correct me if I’m wrong (and this takes into account the whole “art is in the eye of the beholder”), but gluing diamonds to a skull is NOT art. In fact, it is, at best, expensive kindergarten crafts. So, why do people like him display dead sharks in tanks of chemicals, and waste 2 million dollars on “skull crafts”, call it art, and make the big bucks while the rest of us have to get real jobs? Perhaps that is the best swindle of all(?). Regardless of whether or not I “understand” or “appreciate” his “work”, all I can say is that I am more than willing to take a shit in a museum, stick a straw in it, and label it “life sucks”, if you want to pay me the big dollars; because to me, that is pretty much the same fucking thing.

Hope everyone is having a kick ass Friday!