I found this blog post via Alas, a Blog, and I think it's incredibly interesting. Read it, because I'm going to discuss it tomorrow at some point. (I think.)
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I found this blog post via Alas, a Blog, and I think it's incredibly interesting. Read it, because I'm going to discuss it tomorrow at some point. (I think.)
Posted by Manogirl at 09:21 PM in Just Saying, is all | Permalink | Comments (0)
1.) Where were you when the ball dropped for 2006?
Good lord. My house. I'm pretty sure S and I went to bed at 12:01. Like, phew, we can go to bed.
2.) How did you get the idea for your myspace name?
It's my general nickname for myself. No one calls me that, of course, though I have friends who might still call me Mano.
3.) What song are you listening to right now?
Lindsay Lohan hosting SNL. PJ is on tonight, so we're forced to sit through EVERY excruciating moment of it.
4.) Has the death of a celebrity ever made you cry?
No, but I'm pretty sure that Macca's eventual demise will provoke tears.
5.) What color underwear are you wearing?
Red. And silver.
6.) Do you own a iPod?
Yes. Technically, I'm on my third iPod. S's little second-cousin has my first and my sis now has my second.
7.) What did you do this morning?
I loafed in bed with S, got up, ate breakfast, vacuumed, and made S walk to Whole Foods and a houseware store with me.
8.) What was the last concert you attended?
Errr. I just checked my Excel concert spreadsheet, and it looks like Macca in Milwaukee.
9.) What was the last movie you watched?
Does the end of Dodgeball this morning count? If not, Walk the Line.
10.) What do you dislike at the moment?
S's co-option of my couch/table. I hate the chair I'm sitting in.
11.) What food do you crave right now?
Um. Any.
12.) Did you dream last night?
Certainly. I definitely dream every night, and usually I wake up remembering. It's just later that I don't remember, like now.
13.) What was the last TV show you watched?
Now. SNL.
14.) Name someone on your Top 8 who is just like you?
This is a MySpace thing. It would, of course, be my sister.
15.) What was the last thing you ate?
I ate a Lean Cuisine for dinner. Santa Fe Rice and Beans, with some WF fresh pico de gallo.
16.) Are you on any medication?
Indeed.
17.) What shirt are you wearing?
A black FCUK shirt that my sister bought for my brother, who gave it to my mom, who in turn gave it to me.
18.) What color is your razor?
I have two. And I don't know what colors they are.
19.) What is your favorite frozen treat?
Errr. I prefer carbs.
20.) How many tattoos/piercings do you have?
No tattoos, as you all know by now, and a nose piercing and my ears pierced.
21.) What's your favorite store?
Do I have to pick just one?
22.) Are you thirsty right now?
Actually, yeah.
23.) Can you imagine yourself ever getting married?
Lots of days, no way. Most days, no way. But every once in a while, sure.
24.) Who's someone you haven't seen in a while and miss?
Everyone. Seriously. I don't see any of my old friends, hardly ever.
25.) What did you do last night?
Hung out at my dad's, ate fantastic pizza, and watched Walk the Line.
26.) Do you care what people think about you?
No. Not really. I know who I am, and I'm pretty okay with that person.
27.) Do you like your nose?
Yes, it's okay, especially with the piercing.
28.) What color is your bedroom?
Apartment complex white.
29.) Where do you live?
Suburban Chicago. But not for long!
30.) Are you an aggressive driver?
Is there a more aggressive driver than me? I'm sure there is, but I'm pretty brutally aggressive. Ask S.
31.) Who is your cell phone carrier?
Crap-ular
32.) Do you like the person who posted this last?
Considering I hadn't talked to him for seven years, sure. I liked him well enough then.
33.) Do you know their Birthday?
Uh, no. Sometimes I'm not even sure that I know his last name.
34.) What is the thing you'd want to change most about yourself?
I don't. Okay, yes, I'd get rid of the keratosis pilarsis.
35.) What color is your car?
RED
36.) What do you smell like right now?
Uh. Well, our house smells boiled eggs, and that's fucking gross. Easter.
37.) What is your favorite color?
Pale, buttery yellow
38.) What do you tell yourself when times get hard?
I'm not sure I talk to myself when things get bad. Mostly, I think I cry and sleep A LOT.
39.) Would you ever sky dive?
No. No way in hell. Uh-uh.
40.) Do you sleep on your side, tummy, or back?
Side, mostly. But more like side, almost on my tummy.
41.) What character from a movie most reminds you of yourself?
No way. I have no idea. Maybe someone else will answer this.
42.) Have you ever bid for something on ebay?
Nope. Always use Buy-It-Now, and then only a few times. Do not enjoy e-Bay.
43.) What do you think of Angelina Jolie being pregnant?
Good christ, can we just get over it?
44.) Do you enjoy giving hugs?
Errr. If I'm in complete control of the hug, and I really like the person I'm hugging, then yes. Otherwise, no thanks.
45.) Would you consider yourself to be fashionable?
Well. No. I know what's fashionable, but I myself am not.
46.) Do you own a digital camera?
Why would I? S's is just fine for the two of us.
47.) What celebrities have you been compared to?
Never been compared to a celeb. Maybe that's good.
48.) Does it annoy you when someone says they'll call but never do?
Yes. Yes it does.
49.) Are you a jealous person?
Uh-huh. Actually, I'm more of an envious person. I think.
50.) If you were born the opposite sex, what would your name be?
James Michael.
Posted by Manogirl at 11:55 PM in Memes | Permalink | Comments (0)
I am not ashamed to say that I've watched 12 episodes of Sex and the City today. Season three, episodes 1-12. By the end--the last four episodes, maybe?--I was watching with the commentary. Michael Patrick King is the only commenter on the eps I watched, and I actually really enjoyed it. Probably because I mostly know every bit of dialogue anyway, so it's interesting to hear some of the background. It certainly made the episodes more interesting. (And before you ask. Yes, S has been in the room the entire time I've been watching. He's likely a saint for putting up with me; on certain episodes, he would say things like, "Oh, this is the one with the dolls." or "This is the one where Charlotte dates the fighting guy." He's put up with me for so long that he's seen ALL of these episodes mulitple times. He pretends he doesn't like the show, but I swear, he really does.)
The commentary is specifically linked to the Carrie/Aidan/Big story arc--the affair and the fall-out, which happens to coincide with Charlotte's wedding arc. It is some of the most compelling Sex and the City, simply because Carrie is so immensely hateable. You want to scream at the TV, "What the fuck are you doing?" (I'd be lying if I said that I never have, too.) But it rings true to me. Certainly, it's uber-dramaculous; what affair ends in an emergency room? Very few, I'd guess. But the fact that Carrie isn't above temptation, the fact that she is good and bad, well, it works for me. And listening to Michael Patrick King explain many of the decisions the writers made only made it more compelling.
Sometimes I think that I'm supposed to be a "good" feminist and hate SatC, and sometimes I do--the political episodes are particularly cringe-worthy for me--but mostly I love it. I don't love it because that's what I want my life to be, because I'd be miserable trend-hopping, bar-hopping, etc. It's not the lifestyle I envy (Well, maybe the shoes. Okay, definitely the shoes.), or even the location. Because although I enjoyed my one little trip to New York, I know I could never, ever live there. Not for me. You know, once I read a review of Gilmore Girls that lambasted it for its unreal dialogue--its rapid back-and-forth, use of obscure references, etc.--and then a rebuttal to that review, saying that of course it wasn't real. What it was was a representation of how women THINK. Or something like that. But basically, in our heads, that's how things go. That was a digression, but I think the same thing about SatC. It's not realistic, not in so many ways, but it voices things that LOTS of us think and never say, and that's why we have an unreasonable loyalty to it.
How else to explain my rides on the SatC merry-go-round? (Finish season six, start season one, etc.)
Posted by Manogirl at 10:34 PM in I'm doing the best I can, alright? | Permalink | Comments (0)
We did not, I might add, precisely succeed. It's not that the fish was bad. It just wasn't right.
I went to Whole Foods and bought a gigantic piece of fish. Halibut, to be completely accurate. There were four people in front of me at the fish counter, and every single one of them bought a big piece of salmon. I hate salmon. Anyway, salmon doesn't make a very good fish taco. Now, because I bought the fish at WF, you can imagine it cost me an arm and a leg. If we failed at this, you understand, it would be a very expensive failure.
We've never cooked fish here. Fish is scary, I think. It's hard to cook a piece of whitefish well, and S really has only branched out into fish eating recently, so we just never tried. I ate fish in restaurants, and it was fine. But then S went to CA and discovered Wahoo's, and their mastery of the taco filled with fish. Also, we had a sample experience at WF with a piece of halibut and some marinade, and liked it very much. At which point, I came home and scouted recipes for halibut. I found a yummy-sounding prosciutto-roasted halibut recipe, and was all set to pick up the fish on the way home and cook it, when I realized I don't have a skillet that can go in the oven. When I called S to inform him of the problem, he said, well, why don't we make fish tacos? On Thursday. So. Here we are.
We picked up taco stuff--guac and salsa from WF, sour cream, cheese for him, lettuce for me, corn tortillas--and then I investigated the best way to cook fish. I decided on grilling, which seemed like the best taco option. I found a very, very basic recipe--brush the fish with a mixture of canola oil and lime juice, salt and pepper, and voila! grill. Which might have been the problem. We needed more flavor. S wants to try to find some sort of marinade like we tried at WF, but aimed towards the taco. I think we might be able to use some sort of spice mix/rub, but I'm not sure what.
I do know that we're going to try this again, and we're going to buy less fish next time. It was waaaay too much for us, and getting less will cost us less. I would like to try roasting as well, just to see. I'll keep posting updates as we cook more fish.
Now, I'm going to sit on my couch and molt. At least I don't have to work tomorrow.
Posted by Manogirl at 06:58 PM in Dinner Experiments | Permalink | Comments (1)
Last night, I went to Kelly's RA class again. The genre for the week was GLBTQ (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered and Questioning) literature, and since I didn't get to have a GLBTQ week when I took RA, I thought it might be useful. Plus, I can't deny that I wanted to hear what a room full of middle-aged women had to say about the subject. (I was not disappointed, how about that?)
The class left me feeling pretty disgruntled, for different reasons than I would have predicted. There were, inevitably, comments that skirted the edge of out-and-out prejudice, but mostly things were pretty respectful. No, what really got me going was the attitude that GLBTQ literature is something removed from every other genre on the planet. Because the more I think about it, the more and more I think that GLBTQ isn't a separate genre. It's very easy to place it in that position--how many heteros do you think actually read gay romances, or gay mysteries, or whatever? (One student even said that while she enjoyed her book, now that she's done with it for class, she's going to go back to reading "HER" books. She won't be reading about gay people in the future, because well, she's not gay. As if gay people aren't reading/watching/etc things about straight people.) It's a nice way to make sure that people are being exposed to things other than the dreck they normally read. But is it fair?
I think it sets up the perception that there is something different about gay people--they need their own literature, after all--and there's not. I mean, not at all. I know that seems like it's a point that doesn't need to be made, but it does. I really think that the some of the attitudes in that room reeked of privilege and ignorance. It was eye-opening; it made me realize that while we might say we're getting more tolerant, we're not. But back to the literature question. When the small book group I'm in read African-American Romances, the question was: Where are these books in bookstores? And honestly, they were in the African-American Literature section, even though the books were categorically, 100% romances. I can honestly say that I don't expect to find romances in any section called "Literature" and so I would never have found them there. (I adored the one I read. It was excellent; it led me to read more books by the author.) Why aren't they in the romance section?
I guess I'd ask the same questions about gay romance, etc. A gay romance is still a romance. The main characters just happen to be gay. I assure you, the books by Scott and Scott are no different than any other contemporary romance on the market. Same. I really think that those books belong in an RA unit on romance. It sends the right message. It's telling librarians that acquiring gay literature, in whatever form it is--genre, etc--isn't "special". It's part of any well-rounded collection. It doesn't need a separate section, it doesn't need to be singled out. It just needs to be there. (Which, my friends, it isn't.)
What frustrated me so much about the class was that almost every single woman in it was arguing that if gay people want "gay books" in their library, they should ask for them. Do they really think it is as simple as that? Do they wait until people who want books in Spanish ask for them? No, they anticipate the need. But apparently, suburban libraries are unable to anticipate a need for any sort of book beyond the most obvious gay and lesbian titles. I wanted to bash my head against a wall. Furthermore, earlier in the class, every single woman in the room said they'd have no problem recommending GLBTQ books to patrons. No, apparently the problem is that they'd rather not deal with the fight to get those books in a library. It's their job to show people the books, but not their job to buy the books. The argument literally went: It's our job to give people the information they want, but it's our job! And we don't want to risk it by putting books in the collection that might be controversial.
What a load of bullcrap. If it's your job to give people the books/information they want, then it's your job to make sure those books/informational items are in the library. Point blank.
It's insidious, and it's discrimination. Even though every single one of those women would have denied it.
Posted by Manogirl at 07:59 AM in Just Saying, is all | Permalink | Comments (2)
If you get the prescription for them from a woman's clinic that happens to also perform abortions. This is getting a tad ridiculous, don't you think? I can't imagine a more asinine situation, I really can't.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again. The minute a pharmacist starts thinking they can refuse to give someone drugs because of their own moral beliefs is the moment that pharmacist needs to resign from that job. If your job MAKES IT A REQUIREMENT TO DO SOMETHING YOU CONSIDER WRONG, you need to fucking get a new job. You can refuse to do your job duties because God told you to. So sorry, but that's not going to fly ANYWHERE else. It's a crock of bullshit, and it makes me want to scream.
I'm rendered mute right now by my anger at the situation. I'm sure that if I tried really hard, I could think of other things to say about this, but all I'm coming up with is: VITAMINS? I MEAN, REALLY. VITAMINS?
(Also, you know what I'd like to know? How many of these jerks are women? How many pharmacists who are refusing prescriptions for birth control are women? I'm not making any assumptions right now, but I'd just be interested in seeing the numbers. Is this an actual pro-life situation, or is this a bunch of men trying to punish those evil women who have sex?)
Posted by Manogirl at 01:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
18 gigs of iPod will only get you so far before you're ready for some new stuff. I was hoping that the new Ani DiFranco album would help me, but it looks substandard, at best. (And anyway, I'm not a really big fan of Ani alone on stage. She's great, I know, but to my mind, she needs a band behind her.) The last album I really got into was Sufjan Steven's Illinoise (Come on Feel the), and before that it was Ben Folds' Songs for Silverman. Right now, I'm listening to the Jayhawks' Rainy Day Music, which is really good. So good that I forget about it for years (or was immune to its charms, having listened to it far too many times while working at the bookstore; I've destroyed plenty of albums that way.), and only put it on as a last resort.
I'll probably buy the new Dixie Chicks album when it comes out, and I'd really like it if there was a new Keane album at some point. But other than that, I'm not too excited about anything that's coming out. I don't care about the new PJ album (uh-oh, now S will break up with me) and I'm not at all looking forward to a new RHCP album. I really don't think anyone else that I love is coming out with anything.
I think I'll go home and ask S to make me some burned copies of stuff he's been trying to push on me for months (I wasn't ready, then. I'm ready now. Everything music-wise in its own time.), so I can figure out if I like any of it, and then iPod it if I do like it. I'm not sure S can provide more than one or two albums, at this point, so here's where you all come in. Recommend something. Tell me to love the music you love. Just remember, my tastes are rather pedestrian. I do like Sufjan, right, but I also listen to Kelly Clarkson. And I don't like anything overly loud or punky. I'm not a hard rock fan.
Should be interesting....
To frog: Yes, I do have the Postal Service album and like it very much. I adore Ben Gibbard, and he's the mastermind behind that and Death Cab. I don't love Dressy Bessy (I have one of their CD's) or Carrie Newcomer, but I will definitely look into the other suggestions you gave. I think I've heard of that Mindy person, and I think I remember liking a song that got played on the radio a bit here. I'll check it out.
Posted by Manogirl at 09:43 AM in I'm doing the best I can, alright? | Permalink | Comments (2)
I really should never blog in the heat of the moment. Or an angry rant like yesterday's comes out of me. I'd like to make it up to you with a video from Cute Overload.
Sam and I watched it quite a few times, and it made us laugh hysterically. I know some of my readers are regular Cute Overload viewers, but perhaps you missed it. Or perhaps you just want to watch it again. And if you haven't seen it, is there anything better than a hamster going out of control? I think not.
(You know, Cute Overload can be hazardous. It makes me want pets that I don't really want. But when I see those teeeeeny tiny little bunny babies, hamster babies and even hedgie babies, I really am overwhelmed with a desire to own one.)
Posted by Manogirl at 09:38 AM in I'm doing the best I can, alright? | Permalink | Comments (0)
And it's only Monday.
I hate flakers. Flakers are people who give you little to no notice that they're not showing up. And usually without an explanation.
Let me correct that. I hate chronic flakers. Because everyone does it, but I like to think that most people do it for emergencies. For instance, if your car breaks down, and you're stuck on the side of the road, you're excused for missing a dinner date. However, if you agree to plans weeks beforehand, and simply call the morning of to back out, with no explanations, you're a flaker and a jerk. There's no reason to be flaky; it can almost always be avoided, if common courtesy and respect are involved. (Plans really should not be broken for any reason but an emergency, I think. You made the plans--too frigging bad if something else comes up. It's incredibly rude to leave people in the lurch, point blank.)
As a corollary to this pet peeve, there's the late committer, who says, "Maybe" until the morning of, at which point you've bought tickets/filled up the car with other folks/made other arrangements for the tickets/worked out a good time/made reservations for four and not five, etc. I understand not knowing right off the bat--calendars must be checked, confirmations with sigfigs, I get it. But you needn't wait until the morning of the event to decide you want to go. It's inconsiderate, and extremely trying. If you think there's a conflict, best to say no and take the hit if there isn't. You'll have to miss the concert/dinner/game etc.
Socializing is a disaster with people like this around. I used to think it was great to be spontaneous, but I think that's a load of crap now. It's not so great to be spontaneous when you're being an asshole to your friends. Not keeping plans; refusing to make plans--both bad.
(There is another corollary to these people, and that's the chronically late jerk who refuses to call and warn you. Dealing with people who are chronically late is an utter pain in the ass for people who are on time. [I personally believe in promptness in all things; better to be early than late, for EVERY SINGLE EVENT EVER.] However, I'm not so mad at the chronically late people right now, because at least they do eventually show up. And they're more than happy to make plans. So it's a slightly different problem, even if all three things are just plain old rude.)
Posted by Manogirl at 02:32 PM in Grrrr, Just, Grrrrr, Just Saying, is all, What the fuck? | Permalink | Comments (0)
I think I've discovered the secret to a happy life. The secret, for me, is to get the same amount of sleep EVERY night. I know, I know, it seems obvious. But it really isn't. For a long time, I slept 5-6 hours during the week, and WAY more on the weekends. It was a very collegiate sleep schedule. And I functioned just fine that way. I don't ever remember feeling so tired that I couldn't stay awake, even when I was working on my feet for 8 hours a day, running around like a chicken with its head cut off. (Retail at xmas is like that.)
But I really think that my shift in sleep needs happened when the depression took hold. Depressed, I was sleeping 11-12 hours a night, and I felt like I NEEDED that. It was never enough. I could never sleep enough. As the depression lifted, I started getting less sleep, and that was okay. Usually 9-10 hours a night. Of course, starting a job provided another jolt to my schedule--I was getting less sleep than before, and I wasn't getting enough. For about a month, I'd get home from work, mope on the couch after work, and go to sleep by nine. Now, though, my schedule has mostly regulated.
I need 7.5 to 8.5 hours of sleep a night. I can't survive without those hours. And I can't ever get more than that, or it throws me way off. I can't sleep more on the weekend, I can't sleep less during the week. The challenge has been to regulate during the weekend. Do I really want to set my alarm for seven AM? Or should I trust my body?
This morning, I trusted my body, and it did wake me up at the right time. From now on, though, I'm going to need to police my sleep, all the time. Even if that means setting the alarm for a time that seems bizarrely early.
To Ktla:
I totally know what you mean about seeing the time on the alarm and not wanting to get up on the weekend. Before I resolved to change this unhealthy sleep schedule, I'd hit the sleep button forever, because it seemed too early to be up. So instead of getting up ungodly early, I've decided to stay up later. If I stay up 'til midnight, that's an awake time of eight, which seems more reasonable (for no reason, but there you go) than seven. Usually, it's not hard to stay up later, and then I irrationally feel like I'm sleeping in. I will say that this weekend, I basically successfully limited myself to eight hours a night, and it feels great. I know that I'll sleep well tonight, and last week, I couldn't say that on Sunday night. Plus, I have this bizarre idea that if I'm getting out of bed earlier on the weekend, I'll do things. I'll get more done. I know that essentially this is false, and that all it means is that I'll have more couch-sitting time, but I'm pretending. I did actually make it to a workout this weekend, for the first time in ages, and I'm pretending it's the sleep and not the weight gain. Whatever. I know this will be good for me. I'm hoping that's enough motivation.
Posted by Manogirl at 08:38 PM in I'm doing the best I can, alright? | Permalink | Comments (1)