http://clubcalypso.com/ Music, celebrities, politics and whatever else bugs me en-us Nucleus CMS v3.24 © Weblog http://backend.userland.com/rss http://clubcalypso.com//nucleus/nucleus2.gif http://clubcalypso.com/ http://clubcalypso.com/index.php?itemid=51
Glade seems hellbent on turning all suburban housewife types into lying, social-climbing bitches, and their "friends" into the popular girls that constantly call them out on their lies and mock them. Hey, maybe that's what the suburbs are actually like. But their commercials certainly aren't making me want to buy their products. It's like... if your teenage daughter tried to get in with a group of snotty girls by buying a knock-off purse and saying it was YSL, wouldn't you tell her something about, oh, being yourself and rising above consumerism and pettiness and stuff like that? Or am I a hippie?

The other one I can't stand is local. There are two oil delivery guys, and one says, "Oh, we don't go to that house anymore, not since they got those new windows!" The claim by the window company, apparently, is that you DO NOT NEED TO PURCHASE ANY HOME HEATING FUEL EVER AGAIN once you have installed their windows. These windows are MAGIC and SPONTANEOUSLY GENERATE HEAT ALL WINTER LONG. I mean... huh?? Unless those magical windows actually contain photovoltaic cells, I call bullshit.

I'm sure I'll find more commercials to be pissed at if I keep watching TV. I actually like the "Windows Mojave" ones, because "Mohammed" does not actually lie to the people. Vista still is the newest OS from Windows. And the guy that says, "I guess it's all about how you use it" is also not lying. If you don't try to install anything, have any background programs running such as anti-virus or auto-update, or try to do more than three things at once, Vista works just fine! Had it at my last job. (Run XP at home. Mac people, leave me alone please. I had to switch to PC because nobody ever updated Java for Macs. Grr.)

My absolute favorite commercial right now, speaking of Macs, is the one where the "PC" character pretends to be a pizza ("I'm a delicious, hot pizza!") in order to lure college students into purchasing him. Hehehe. He's so cuuuuute. (The "Mac" boy is a smirky, indie-listening, MFDB. I detest him.)]]> WTF? http://clubcalypso.com/index.php?itemid=51 Fri, 19 Sep 2008 13:06:21 -0400 http://clubcalypso.com/index.php?itemid=50
My biggest complaint? The way car commercials now have the narrator or whomever saying "MPG" instead of "miles per gallon". Seriously, it's not like saying NASA instead of "National Aeronautics and Space Administration". It's only saving one syllable. But I think that, more generally, it's reflective of people not understanding what acronyms mean anymore anyway. I am willing to bet that there are people out there who think that 25 MPG is good (my car gets 32 and it's not a young car), and they are buying based on "ooh, that number is a little higher than that other number" with little or no understanding of what the numbers indicate. Meanwhile, how do I know that my car averages 32 miles per gallon? I have recorded my odometer readings and my fill-ups, and I've calculated it! It has meaning.

So that's my rant today. Now to find a way to hit the mute button faster...]]> WTF? http://clubcalypso.com/index.php?itemid=50 Tue, 16 Sep 2008 20:33:16 -0400 http://clubcalypso.com/index.php?itemid=49
I am at a public library right now, getting myself organized for the next few days. Cable will be installed on Thursday morning, and with that comes internet. At which point, I suppose, I'll be totally settled. Well, I still have some little things like motor vehicle registration, driver's license, voter registration, stuff like that to take care of. ;)

At the moment, I am pretty happy. It's nice being able to do my own thing. Once I get some groceries today and do some real cooking, I think that will make it home. So far I've just had my yogurt in the morning, eating out way too much, and warmed over leftovers from the eating out (or Chinese takeout that my gf brought over on Sunday night, bless her heart... I love crab rangoons).

I will try to pop on here and do some updates in case any old friends are reading this... provides a little more detail than my Facebook status updates, although those tend to get updated more often. Or they will be once I'm back online more frequently!

Off to do chores... planning on more cleaning/unpacking this afternoon as my office is a mess (I have an office! Whoo!) and then a marathon crochet session. Heheh.]]> Updates http://clubcalypso.com/index.php?itemid=49 Tue, 9 Sep 2008 10:49:27 -0400 http://clubcalypso.com/index.php?itemid=48
Meanwhile, if anyone in southern New Hampshire has any jobs that pay $14 or $15 an hour and don't involve radioactive waste or small children, let me know, cuz I'm still looking. :)]]> Updates http://clubcalypso.com/index.php?itemid=48 Mon, 25 Aug 2008 10:28:58 -0400 http://clubcalypso.com/index.php?itemid=47
Yesterday I had a pretty good day, if a bit heavy on the family togetherness since my mother's hours were cut and I needed to take my grandmother shopping for her third outfit option for my sister's wedding next week. NEXT WEEK! AUGH! Today, there was a triathlon in the neighborhood and I tried to get out and do my exercise before the thing started, but people were gathering. And they gathered in droves. And they could see me as I huffed and puffed my way up the hill. I hate that. So I started the day with way too many people, and then my family was all the hell over the place again! I swear, I can get no peace.

I was incredibly tired for no particular reason (I may be coming down with something just so I can be miserable at the fucking wedding next week) so I ended up taking an extended but not-very-restful nap. People mowing and weed-whacking outside my window, y'know. So right now I just feel like shit. I won't be able to sleep at bedtime, so I'll be tired in the morning which will make me cranky at work...

Meanwhile I tried to apply for some jobs tonight... well, one... and I had to apply online and the damn site timed out when I tried to save! I had not C&P'd my cover letter... kinda made it up as I went along... and couldn't go back because, duh, it timed out and logged me out as well. I hate that. HATE! So now I have NO applications done and I am going to be jobless in a month and two days. Shit. Oh, also homeless.

I'm not really sure what to do now. I am really just in the mood for crying but that never helps anything. So yet again, I'm kinda at a loss. Anybody wants to send me a couple thousand dollars (or 20, I'll take 20 too!) that would be really helpful. I mean, if I didn't have to worry about money, maybe I could just... be artistic. Right?]]> Random http://clubcalypso.com/index.php?itemid=47 Sun, 3 Aug 2008 21:26:57 -0400 http://clubcalypso.com/index.php?itemid=46 verbally when they mean orally. Writing a letter is just as "verbal" as talking to someone with your voice. "Verbally" means to use words, as opposed to facial or physical cues. (For example, raising your eyebrow to convey disdain, as I am doing now, is non-verbal.)

Am I the only person who understands this distinction anymore? Is my college communications prof proud of me?]]> WTF? http://clubcalypso.com/index.php?itemid=46 Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:49:51 -0400 http://clubcalypso.com/index.php?itemid=45
more graph humor and song chart memes]]> LOL http://clubcalypso.com/index.php?itemid=45 Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:40:41 -0400 http://clubcalypso.com/index.php?itemid=44 Slate about some journalist who took communion at Tim Russert's (Catholic) funeral, blogged about it, and sparked a small Catholic blood-fever about why non-Catholics (and the unclean, like myself) should not take communion at a Catholic Mass. Uncharacteristically, I read the comments to the article and felt like I wanted to add a post myself. So I registered, and below is what I posted there.

I was raised Catholic, was confirmed at 14 and stopped attending Mass at 18. Former altar girl, for that matter (liberal parish). I still have occasion to attend Mass now, usually Christmas, Easter and weddings at the request of my family, and I would never, ever consider taking Eucharist at those occasions. I don't agree with most of the canon of the Church, I definitely do not believe in confessing to "sins" that I know are just a part of my nature (I'm a lesbian), and I have always had my doubts about the Eucharist itself. However, as much as I disagree with the Church and as much as it could cause uncomfortable discussion at my sister's wedding in a few months (devout Gramma doesn't know I don't attend Mass), I have too much respect for my family and for the Church community as individuals of faith for me to stand up there next to my sister and take communion.

So, I guess, in conclusion, it's not about my faith or lack thereof. It's about respecting the faith of practicing Catholics. That kind of respect is something we do not see a lot of, and it's really too bad. (Of course, it's a two-way street. I appreciate that my father respects my right to have constantly-evolving thoughts on religion and spirituality, and doesn't try to drag me to Mass every week even though I've boomeranged and live in his house again.)

(One final comment that I did not post at Slate -- with a name like Sally Quinn, why isn't she Catholic? ;))]]> Religion http://clubcalypso.com/index.php?itemid=44 Sat, 28 Jun 2008 07:45:53 -0400 http://clubcalypso.com/index.php?itemid=43 there were some car break-ins early, early this morning up in the woodsier parts of town. Not really break-ins, though, all the people whose cars were ransacked left their windows down or the doors unlocked, so they were asking for it. Just because you live out in the middle of nowhere doesn't mean you can leave your doors unlocked! Actually, if I were going to go robbing folks, I'd do it out in the country where they're all naive and trusting, and there's less police presence, because... duh. These days, you just can't assume that the criminal element is stupid -- they're probably your honor student.

But the cops said the weird thing is that of dozens of cars ransacked, only a DVD player (I assume the portable kind?) and an iPod were stolen. No cash, no wallets (why do people leave their wallets in their car??) and no GPS devices. Obviously our burglar is a music and movie fan who never gets lost and doesn't need gas money.]]> Local http://clubcalypso.com/index.php?itemid=43 Fri, 20 Jun 2008 07:20:50 -0400 http://clubcalypso.com/index.php?itemid=42
So, it being proms and graduations and summer, the local adults are obsessed with teen drinking. I say let them drink, let them kill themselves and kill each other off, and then we'll have less competition in the job market in four years! Wait, that's not the right answer.

But you really can't tell teenagers to stop doing stuff unless you're going to sit there and stare at them, force them to get jobs, overschedule them, guard them when they're not scheduled, never let them out with their friends alone, take away their licenses... parents have to be much more involved, and I do not see that happening. At least not on a large scale. Too many parents don't get involved until after their kid is already in the morgue with a tag on his toe.

Then again, I wouldn't say my parents were "involved", due to work schedules, but the "expectations, not rules" technique of parenting worked pretty well on us girls. That's probably the solution. I think about this stuff in preparation for having my own kids, and so I don't forget what it was like to be one.

Want to know more about the "expectations, not rules" method? My best friend also uses this method with her 15-year-old daughter, and that child is even better than I ever was. And I was an angel. . . . Bwahahahahah! Look, here's how it works. From the time the kid is born, you live your life as an example to the child. No drinking in excess, no illegal drugs, no breaking laws of any kind. That means you, cell-phone-talking driver! (In certain states, anyway.) If your kid thinks these things are okay for you to do, he'll think they're okay for him to do. As to the sex thing, feel free to preach abstinence if that's you're thing, but while you're preaching you should also be teaching. Explain how things work, and if you don't know how, get a book and read it and then talk to the kid. Tell boys that they're also responsible if they get a girl pregnant -- and then for chrissakes could we make the boys actually take responsibility? More teen girls need to sue their boyfriends for child support. Don't let them disappear on you. Talk about STDs. Talk about HPV. Make sure your kid knows that if they have any questions, they can actually ask them of you and get a real answer. "Because I said so" only works when it comes to taking out the trash, not these very important personal policy decisions.

And then stop talking.

By the time your kid hits puberty, they should have a full understanding of your position on things. Maybe they don't know all the technical stuff yet, but the schools usually fill that in anyway. You're the moral compass, so make sure you have some morals to imbue. But then shut up. At this point, if the kid has a question, she should come to you. Or a concern, or a doubt. Help the kid explore; don't keep repeating the party line.

Example: "Mom, there's a drinking party on Friday and I know you don't want me drinking, but my social life is going to go down the tubes if I'm not there."

Here's how I'd handle this: "Let's talk about solutions. What other options do you have?" And then some suggestions I'd make are "don't go but be on call to friends who need a safe ride home" (and then back that up by being the ride, don't let your kid out there to pick up her drunk friends!), "tell your friends that you don't engage in illegal behavior because you prefer to be able to get student loans for college", and "do you think any of your friends are having doubts about going?" This last one is really good. Most kids have doubts. If they don't, they may be psychopaths. The rest of them want to fit in with the psychopaths. Help your kid find her friends' doubts and parlay them into a nice, quiet, non-drinking party at your house. Social life intact, future intact, etc.

Screaming things that start with "No child of mine"? Not a good idea.

I think this is part one of my thoughts on this. I will probably be back with more, but this is already pretty long for a blog post.]]> Random http://clubcalypso.com/index.php?itemid=42 Wed, 18 Jun 2008 12:27:55 -0400