PICS
Two of the other sites I spend (read: waste) my time on during the day were down today, which led me to read lots of old SG threads. I read so many old BitchPhD threads and so many of them were trainwrecks. Anyway, this made me feel super-nostalgic about great SG moments and threads.
So everyone, share some of your favorite SG memories. One of mine is: Listen up, you undapants
On an unrelated note, I've been worn out this week reading about the reaction in feminist circles to a really good blog about white female privilege (the link contains links to both the original article and the reactions to it). It's sad to see that so many people are completely incapable of realizing that people can be oppressed in one aspect of their lives and privileged in another. It's not some either/or concept wherein you are either universally oppressed or universally privileged. Ugh, I could rant more about the Feministe discussion linked in that post but I don't even know where to start. The lesson is I should never read the comments anywhere.
So everyone, share some of your favorite SG memories. One of mine is: Listen up, you undapants
On an unrelated note, I've been worn out this week reading about the reaction in feminist circles to a really good blog about white female privilege (the link contains links to both the original article and the reactions to it). It's sad to see that so many people are completely incapable of realizing that people can be oppressed in one aspect of their lives and privileged in another. It's not some either/or concept wherein you are either universally oppressed or universally privileged. Ugh, I could rant more about the Feministe discussion linked in that post but I don't even know where to start. The lesson is I should never read the comments anywhere.
1. This month I have discovered something more frustrating than attempting to find a job: attempting to get affordable, decent health insurance.
2. I finished Dragon Age II and immediately replayed it, finishing my second play-through last week. It wasn't as addictive and awesome as the first one, but I liked it nonetheless. I kind of like the less epic storyline, though it meant less gameplay. Still, I really wish they had spent more time making it instead of rushing to release it, and not just because it had many annoying bugs even with the patch. Also, they managed to create the single most infuriating (to me) NPC of all time: friggin' Anders. I HATE THAT DUDE SO MUCH! I mean, he was already a whiny douchecabinet, then they had to (warning, major game spoilers if you click)
2. I finished Dragon Age II and immediately replayed it, finishing my second play-through last week. It wasn't as addictive and awesome as the first one, but I liked it nonetheless. I kind of like the less epic storyline, though it meant less gameplay. Still, I really wish they had spent more time making it instead of rushing to release it, and not just because it had many annoying bugs even with the patch. Also, they managed to create the single most infuriating (to me) NPC of all time: friggin' Anders. I HATE THAT DUDE SO MUCH! I mean, he was already a whiny douchecabinet, then they had to (warning, major game spoilers if you click)
Merrill, however, was a pretty adorable character even with the whole blood magic thing. And they should have let you romance Varric, he's hilarious.
3. Speaking of Dragon Age, this has to be one of the most hilariously stupid complaints about a game I've ever heard, and David Gaider's response is spot on. I mean, seriously, I can't believe anyone seriously wrote this: "Its ridiculous that I even have to use a term like Straight Male Gamer, when in the past I would only have to say fans". Dude probably has no idea how offensive and ridiculous that statement is. Poor straight male gamers, no one pays attention to them! 
After waiting a full week longer than I wanted to, I finally get to play Dragon Age II. First, our computer was in the shop the day it came out and for most of the week after. Then we got the computer back, but we had the problem a bunch of people are apparently having with the Signature Edition where their install didn't work, so we had to download it all over again and reinstall (thanks to hawkorhandsaw for doing that!). THEN I started to play but wanted to make use of the developer console sometimes, but found conflicting instructions for how to enable it.
Finally got it all set up at about 4 today and almost missed by Tuesday 6pm appointment from losing track of time. Hopefully I can keep myself from staying up into 3am every night playing it. Though so far I'm not as enamored with it as I was with the first one. I don't dislike it, but I certainly agree with many others that it feels kind of rushed and too hastily put together. I would rather have waited another half a year or more to get a more put-together gaming experience.
Anyway, sorry for getting nerd all over you! It's hard not to do when I spend so much of my time watching Doctor Who, or playing video games, or reading.
Finally got it all set up at about 4 today and almost missed by Tuesday 6pm appointment from losing track of time. Hopefully I can keep myself from staying up into 3am every night playing it. Though so far I'm not as enamored with it as I was with the first one. I don't dislike it, but I certainly agree with many others that it feels kind of rushed and too hastily put together. I would rather have waited another half a year or more to get a more put-together gaming experience.
Anyway, sorry for getting nerd all over you! It's hard not to do when I spend so much of my time watching Doctor Who, or playing video games, or reading.
hawkorhandsaw's mother passed away today.
I don't know what else to say. She was an amazing and inspiring woman and I can't believe she's gone.
I don't know what else to say. She was an amazing and inspiring woman and I can't believe she's gone.
Quick update: I didn't get the medical assistant job. It sucks and I'm disappointed, but they wanted someone with nursing experience, so at least I didn't do anything wrong.
Still, spending more time job searching is not going to be fun. On the plus side, I'm going to start doing some volunteering so I get out of the house more and feel like I'm being useful.
Oh, and our computer started acting up and shutting down randomly. Our brand new computer that we got maybe two months ago. And already it's broken. What the fuck?
Still, spending more time job searching is not going to be fun. On the plus side, I'm going to start doing some volunteering so I get out of the house more and feel like I'm being useful.
Oh, and our computer started acting up and shutting down randomly. Our brand new computer that we got maybe two months ago. And already it's broken. What the fuck?
Update time!
1. Daniel and I had a good, lazy Valentine's Day. We didn't do anything huge because we had just celebrated our 2 year anniversary on the 5th, but we had some good food and watched some of our favorite TV. I'm always just happy to be able to spend an evening being lazy (but happy) bums together. Oh, and he got me the survival horror game Calling for Valentine's Day, and I've been playing it. But in small doses, because I can watch lots of horror movies in a row but horror books/video games freak me out much more quickly.
2. We also had an awesome day Saturday. We went to a comic shop nearby that was having a big sale, bought some X-men stuff and the first Locke and Key (which I really enjoyed). Then we went to a chocolate shop and bought TONS of chocolate.
3. Still crossing my fingers about the medical assistant job. My second interview went REALLY well.
4. I downloaded the first season of ER planning to rewatch it slowly and damn, I forgot how depressing that show was.
5. Speaking of which, Daniel and I continue to burn through Doctor Who by watching tons of episodes in a row when we have time to watch it. I love it so!
6. I may have lost my list of every book I read last year due to our old computer going kaput, but I'm trying it again this year and keeping it in two formats. Here's what I've got so far (not in order):
Dolores Claibourne - Stephen King
Heart Shaped Box - Joe Hill
Locke and Key: Welcome to Lovecraft - Joe Hill
Lovecraft Unbound
New X-Men Ultimate Collection - Grant Morrison
Rose Madder - Stephen King
Tales From Outer Suburbia - Shaun Tan
The Alcoholic - Jonathan Ames
The Tension of Opposites - Kristina McBridge (not that good)
The Between - Tananarive Due
The Ruins - Scott Smith
So far a good amount of guilty pleasure reading. Put altogether it's something like 3500 pages, though to be fair when a chunk of that is in graphic novel format it's much quicker reading.
1. Daniel and I had a good, lazy Valentine's Day. We didn't do anything huge because we had just celebrated our 2 year anniversary on the 5th, but we had some good food and watched some of our favorite TV. I'm always just happy to be able to spend an evening being lazy (but happy) bums together. Oh, and he got me the survival horror game Calling for Valentine's Day, and I've been playing it. But in small doses, because I can watch lots of horror movies in a row but horror books/video games freak me out much more quickly.
2. We also had an awesome day Saturday. We went to a comic shop nearby that was having a big sale, bought some X-men stuff and the first Locke and Key (which I really enjoyed). Then we went to a chocolate shop and bought TONS of chocolate.
3. Still crossing my fingers about the medical assistant job. My second interview went REALLY well.
4. I downloaded the first season of ER planning to rewatch it slowly and damn, I forgot how depressing that show was.
5. Speaking of which, Daniel and I continue to burn through Doctor Who by watching tons of episodes in a row when we have time to watch it. I love it so!
6. I may have lost my list of every book I read last year due to our old computer going kaput, but I'm trying it again this year and keeping it in two formats. Here's what I've got so far (not in order):
Dolores Claibourne - Stephen King
Heart Shaped Box - Joe Hill
Locke and Key: Welcome to Lovecraft - Joe Hill
Lovecraft Unbound
New X-Men Ultimate Collection - Grant Morrison
Rose Madder - Stephen King
Tales From Outer Suburbia - Shaun Tan
The Alcoholic - Jonathan Ames
The Tension of Opposites - Kristina McBridge (not that good)
The Between - Tananarive Due
The Ruins - Scott Smith
So far a good amount of guilty pleasure reading. Put altogether it's something like 3500 pages, though to be fair when a chunk of that is in graphic novel format it's much quicker reading.
New Casual Game Recommendations column is up! Enjoy!
In other news, had a great weekend. Danny and I celebrated our two year anniversary on Saturday with a nice dinner, champagne, Doctor Who and cuddling up on the couch. This was after he got to spend two days at home last week too because of the storm, so I loved getting to have all that time with him! I was sad when he had to go back to work today; the apartment feels empty.
I'm hoping to hear back about the job I interviewed for sometime this week. Otherwise, not much doing on, but I mean that in a good way.
In other news, had a great weekend. Danny and I celebrated our two year anniversary on Saturday with a nice dinner, champagne, Doctor Who and cuddling up on the couch. This was after he got to spend two days at home last week too because of the storm, so I loved getting to have all that time with him! I was sad when he had to go back to work today; the apartment feels empty.
I'm hoping to hear back about the job I interviewed for sometime this week. Otherwise, not much doing on, but I mean that in a good way.
No new news on the job interview front, so instead I'll write about my Deeply Held and Perhaps Somewhat Controversial Opinions:
1. If you think homosexuality is a sin, you're a bigot. I don't care if you "love the sinner, hate the sin". Still a bigot.
2. If I found out that anyone in my life had ever, at any point in their lives, raped or sexually abused someone, they would be cut out of my life forever. I don't care if they feel bad. I don't care if they say they'd never do it again. Out. Of. My. Life.
3. It's none of my business 1. why someone has an abortion 2. how many abortions someone has. This means statements like "I'm pro-choice, but _____ *insert something judgey about someone's choice to have an abortion here*" piss me off. Feel free to think judgey thoughts inside your head. But a person's choice about their own body is never my business to comment on (unless they are asking me to) and it is CERTAINLY not something that should be legislated.
4. Rape culture exists.
5. If you are attracted to a certain sex, but find the genitals of that sex "gross', I doubt your commitment to Sparklemotion.
6. Slut-shaming is always bad.
7. On a related note, if you don't like a female public figure or a female public figure does something stupid, and the only reaction you can have is to use gendered insults or insult her looks, you aren't very clever. People like Sarah Palin and Ann Coulter are awful people with awful, offensive opinions. Not "ugly cunts".
8. If you complain about having to be "politically correct", you are probably being an offensive ass. On the same token, if a large group of people are telling you you're being offensive, perhaps a look at one's own behavior might be in order, instead of insisting that all those people are just "too sensitive". If you feel butthurt because someone called you out on offensive behavior, then:
9. Just because you're not offended by something doesn't mean other people can't/shouldn't be.
10. This is awesome:
Oh and I'll add something fun:
11. The Secret of Kells is a neat and beautiful movie and you should see it.
1. If you think homosexuality is a sin, you're a bigot. I don't care if you "love the sinner, hate the sin". Still a bigot.
2. If I found out that anyone in my life had ever, at any point in their lives, raped or sexually abused someone, they would be cut out of my life forever. I don't care if they feel bad. I don't care if they say they'd never do it again. Out. Of. My. Life.
3. It's none of my business 1. why someone has an abortion 2. how many abortions someone has. This means statements like "I'm pro-choice, but _____ *insert something judgey about someone's choice to have an abortion here*" piss me off. Feel free to think judgey thoughts inside your head. But a person's choice about their own body is never my business to comment on (unless they are asking me to) and it is CERTAINLY not something that should be legislated.
4. Rape culture exists.
5. If you are attracted to a certain sex, but find the genitals of that sex "gross', I doubt your commitment to Sparklemotion.
6. Slut-shaming is always bad.
7. On a related note, if you don't like a female public figure or a female public figure does something stupid, and the only reaction you can have is to use gendered insults or insult her looks, you aren't very clever. People like Sarah Palin and Ann Coulter are awful people with awful, offensive opinions. Not "ugly cunts".
8. If you complain about having to be "politically correct", you are probably being an offensive ass. On the same token, if a large group of people are telling you you're being offensive, perhaps a look at one's own behavior might be in order, instead of insisting that all those people are just "too sensitive". If you feel butthurt because someone called you out on offensive behavior, then:
9. Just because you're not offended by something doesn't mean other people can't/shouldn't be.
10. This is awesome:
Oh and I'll add something fun:
11. The Secret of Kells is a neat and beautiful movie and you should see it.
Well, I finally had a job interview today for the first time in MONTHS, and it went really well I think. It's at a doctor's office, one that particularly focuses on disabled and under-served people, which is an important issue to me. It's a general admin position, but the great thing about it is that it's at least two years worth of work and they offer general medical assistance training, such as learning how to take blood pressure, take blood, do eye exams, etc. I like it because it doesn't sound like just a desk job, it sounds like a job that will be interesting and that will contribute to my community as well.
Anyway, they seemed to really like me. I interviewed with two people and had good conversations with both of them, then shadowed for three medical procedures. Now I have a couple of pages worth of "short answer" type questions to answer and email back to them this week, and we'll see what happens.
I hope I get it, but even if I don't it feels validating to have such a good interview.
The pre-interview anxiety was awful, though, and I am really glad that tonight is a Beer and TV night so I can just chill out.
Anyway, they seemed to really like me. I interviewed with two people and had good conversations with both of them, then shadowed for three medical procedures. Now I have a couple of pages worth of "short answer" type questions to answer and email back to them this week, and we'll see what happens.
I hope I get it, but even if I don't it feels validating to have such a good interview.
The pre-interview anxiety was awful, though, and I am really glad that tonight is a Beer and TV night so I can just chill out.
