Anybody miss me?
Anyway, have a couple of thoughts floating around my pea brain of varying degrees of importance, so here goes:
1. Hate - anybody realize how frequently we use this word? I hate artichokes, I hate my job, I hate [fill in the blank]. Do we really hate all these things? Or are there only aspects that we dislike. How intensely do you have to dislike something to say that you HATE it? I just think it's overused. For example, my job makes me uncomfortable and cranky, but do I really hate it? I like the money it gives me, and on occasion, I can accomplish things. Yeah, I'm not crazy about it, but does it really reach the hate level? And what kind of person/society does it make for with all this so-called "hate" being bandied about? Just thinkin'
2. Joy - I realized today as I came into work that I'm really worried about my kids and their future. I so want them to enjoy their adult life as much as they enjoy their childhood. What happens that seems to make us so much less joyful as we grow-up? Does it have something to do with item 1?
3. Yellow sweatpants - do not believe the fallacy that sweatpants come in any color. They do not. I spent an entire weekend proving this. I "hate" yellow sweatpants.
Monday, February 27, 2006
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Hee! I look 37!
Had a doctor's appointment today. The highlight was when the doctor said he thought I was only 37. How sad is it that that kind of made my day? Never thought I'd see the day that having someone think you were 37 was a good thing. Hee.
Been feeling older and older lately. Watching the Olympics does that to me. It's all that "poor Michelle Kwan, not as young as she used to be, 25" thing that bugs. Not to mention the whole snowboarding thing, which I do NOT get. It's like they're speaking a foreign language. And anyone, it's kind of hard to take something serious as a sport when all the competitors look like they use the word "dude" regularly - without any intended irony. Call me old-fashioned, but I want my sports a little more cut and dry than "Whoa, did you see that [insert some phrase that I have no clue as to what it means]?" The guy who goes the fastest wins. Easy. Right? Anything else, no matter how pretty, isn't a sport.
That goes for the whole figure skating thing too. Not a sport. Yeah, yeah, I know. It's physically straining. But then again, so is gardening and it's not an Olympic event. But seriously, dancing is also physically straining - not the point. When someone just decides who is the winner, it ceases to be a sport. Just look at the latest Superbowl. Oops, was that outloud voice again?
Been feeling older and older lately. Watching the Olympics does that to me. It's all that "poor Michelle Kwan, not as young as she used to be, 25" thing that bugs. Not to mention the whole snowboarding thing, which I do NOT get. It's like they're speaking a foreign language. And anyone, it's kind of hard to take something serious as a sport when all the competitors look like they use the word "dude" regularly - without any intended irony. Call me old-fashioned, but I want my sports a little more cut and dry than "Whoa, did you see that [insert some phrase that I have no clue as to what it means]?" The guy who goes the fastest wins. Easy. Right? Anything else, no matter how pretty, isn't a sport.
That goes for the whole figure skating thing too. Not a sport. Yeah, yeah, I know. It's physically straining. But then again, so is gardening and it's not an Olympic event. But seriously, dancing is also physically straining - not the point. When someone just decides who is the winner, it ceases to be a sport. Just look at the latest Superbowl. Oops, was that outloud voice again?
Thursday, February 09, 2006
Kick Ass Women in TV
Driving into work this morning, my mind wandered over to considering the television shows I like the best. Besides tending to be in the sci-fi/fantasy/adventure genre (yes, I'm a geek), they all have one other thing in common: kick ass women as the protagonist. Whether the shows are good (Veronica Mars) or truly dreadful (I'm looking at you, Charmed), they all seem to have strong women as their lead characters. Made me think about the best women characters ever in television. In evaluating them, I decided on a couple of ground rules. 1. They have to characters I liked through the entire run of the series (that means no Buffy, no Sydney Bristow). 2. They have to have been on shows that lasted more than 1 season (Sorry, Jaye from Wonderfalls or Zoe from Firefly). So, without further delay, here's my list:
1. Dana Scully (X-Files) - probably my first girl crush in television. She was smart, tough, great-looking and had a killer wardrobe. She was just as likely to save Mulder as be saved by him. And no matter how silly the show got, she always could be counted on to keep a straight face. I like that about an action hero.
2. Aeryn Sun (Farscape) - Hot, kick ass babe who managed to be alien the entire run of the series. I loved that she was more often than not the one to do the saving. I loved that she learned and changed through the series. Don't believe me? Watch the first episode and compare the character to how she acted at the end. Would you have ever believed that woman could become so caring?
3. Veronica Mars (Veronica Mars) - once again, tough, doesn't take shit from anyone woman (except for Logan, but that's another story). Who ever thought a high school student on a tv show could be so in control? What's great is that she can lose her shit and still be tough. And it doesn't hurt that she's played by the incomparable Kristin Bell, either.
4. Xena (Xena) - Come on, probably the best portrayal of what could have been a ho-hum one-dimensional Amazonian ever. I loved that Lucy Lawless never took this shit seriously. You could almost see her winking at you, as if to say she was in on the joke too. The fact that they got so much lesbian subtext past the censors was also fun.
5. Hmmm, this is a tough one. There are so many worthy candidates. I'm going to have to go with the prototypical female hero, Mrs. Peel. How can you not love a woman in leather that was played by a Shakespearian trained actress?
So, there's my list. Lot of good characters left off, but I think it'll do.
1. Dana Scully (X-Files) - probably my first girl crush in television. She was smart, tough, great-looking and had a killer wardrobe. She was just as likely to save Mulder as be saved by him. And no matter how silly the show got, she always could be counted on to keep a straight face. I like that about an action hero.
2. Aeryn Sun (Farscape) - Hot, kick ass babe who managed to be alien the entire run of the series. I loved that she was more often than not the one to do the saving. I loved that she learned and changed through the series. Don't believe me? Watch the first episode and compare the character to how she acted at the end. Would you have ever believed that woman could become so caring?
3. Veronica Mars (Veronica Mars) - once again, tough, doesn't take shit from anyone woman (except for Logan, but that's another story). Who ever thought a high school student on a tv show could be so in control? What's great is that she can lose her shit and still be tough. And it doesn't hurt that she's played by the incomparable Kristin Bell, either.
4. Xena (Xena) - Come on, probably the best portrayal of what could have been a ho-hum one-dimensional Amazonian ever. I loved that Lucy Lawless never took this shit seriously. You could almost see her winking at you, as if to say she was in on the joke too. The fact that they got so much lesbian subtext past the censors was also fun.
5. Hmmm, this is a tough one. There are so many worthy candidates. I'm going to have to go with the prototypical female hero, Mrs. Peel. How can you not love a woman in leather that was played by a Shakespearian trained actress?
So, there's my list. Lot of good characters left off, but I think it'll do.
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Just the Facts, Ma'am
I think I've finally OD'd on sports talk radio. I'd been listening to it a lot lately because, well 1. The Steelers and that little old football came and 2. Radio sucks around here unless you like Right Wing Radio - all. the. time. So what finally turned me off of it? The little syncophant fanboys? No, it was the Foxsports radio announcers themselves. This morning one of their frat boys was going on and on about how biased the football hall of fame voters are, how the fans know better, how it's just 39 biased sports writers opinion. What got him riled up? His own biases of course. How could they not say so-and-so was a hall of famer? They are obviously biased because they don't agree with him. Um, huh? First of all, fans are obviously the most unbiased people in the world (tongue firmly in cheek). Just look at the last Superbowl. I can tell you who you rooted for (or against) based on what you thought of the officiating. So, no. Just no.
Truthfully, everything and everyone has a bias. It's not a sin. It's called being human. And just because someone's bias doesn't agree with yours doesn't mean they are wrong. Did it ever occur to this guy that maybe, just maybe, he was wrong? Oh, that's right. This is Fox. They are never wrong. Just like their "news" is "fair and balanced." Right. 'Cause they never just agree with one side of an issue or just present one side, right? OK, so maybe it is true only in Bizarro world. But that's what I hate about claims of bias. They usually only show up when you disagree with someone - including for me (if my attitude toward Fox is any indication). I think the bigger problem is not admitting your own bias and never listening to an opposing point of view.
Finally, what would happen if we based everything on "facts" as folks want to? The bigger question is which facts do you evaluate? Going strictly by "the facts" also is a bit like driving while looking in the rearview mirror - it's great for seeing where you were, not so great in seeing where you might want to go. I have a director at work who's big on "facts", and as a consequence, has never seen a project he wanted to approve. Then he has the nerve to ask why we don't have more projects. Hypocrite much?
So yeah, facts are important. But so are opinions. And just because someone doesn't agree with you doesn't mean they are always wrong. Last I looked, only one Man was ever infallible (with apologies to any Catholic that might read this).
Truthfully, everything and everyone has a bias. It's not a sin. It's called being human. And just because someone's bias doesn't agree with yours doesn't mean they are wrong. Did it ever occur to this guy that maybe, just maybe, he was wrong? Oh, that's right. This is Fox. They are never wrong. Just like their "news" is "fair and balanced." Right. 'Cause they never just agree with one side of an issue or just present one side, right? OK, so maybe it is true only in Bizarro world. But that's what I hate about claims of bias. They usually only show up when you disagree with someone - including for me (if my attitude toward Fox is any indication). I think the bigger problem is not admitting your own bias and never listening to an opposing point of view.
Finally, what would happen if we based everything on "facts" as folks want to? The bigger question is which facts do you evaluate? Going strictly by "the facts" also is a bit like driving while looking in the rearview mirror - it's great for seeing where you were, not so great in seeing where you might want to go. I have a director at work who's big on "facts", and as a consequence, has never seen a project he wanted to approve. Then he has the nerve to ask why we don't have more projects. Hypocrite much?
So yeah, facts are important. But so are opinions. And just because someone doesn't agree with you doesn't mean they are always wrong. Last I looked, only one Man was ever infallible (with apologies to any Catholic that might read this).
Monday, February 06, 2006
Go Team?
I know I'm supposed to be jubilant today, but somehow, I can't muster any enthusiasm. I mean, sure, the Steelers won, and yeah, I'd rather they won than didn't, but still ... well, quite honestly the game stunk. The officiating was not great and it kind of took some of the shine off the game. I wanted to see the teams play their best ball and what we got was this yawn-fest, where Pittsburgh couldn't move the ball to save their lives, Seattle couldn't finish off anything, and the officials often seemed out there in la-la land. It was one of the most boring games I've ever seen. If I hadn't had a rooting interest, I probably wouldn't have watched it. A very unsatisfying conclusion to a fairly satisfying season.
As for other stuff, I'm still not losing weight, which is frustrating. I mean, if I'm not going to lose anything anyway, why not just be a pig, eat what I want and stop the insane exercise thing? It's not like I LIKE exercising anyway. Being 40 sucks.
As for other stuff, I'm still not losing weight, which is frustrating. I mean, if I'm not going to lose anything anyway, why not just be a pig, eat what I want and stop the insane exercise thing? It's not like I LIKE exercising anyway. Being 40 sucks.
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