Gee, maybe this is why they hate us...

Just because our troops damaged Babylon. Picky picky Middle Easterners and historians. Oh and the UN. We needed to drive stakes into the walls, and dig trenches and ruin the processional way and Gate of Istar. After all, we're Americans, we can do what we want to your country. And your history apparently.
Jesus H. Christ.

Honestly, you are NOT middle of the road

Sometimes, as I wander around the internet, I come across people screaming and yelling that Obama is a far right conservative, just like McCain. I love it when people do this, because they think they are middle of the road, or possibly left-leaning. They are a whole lot closer to the left's version of those wingnuts who thought Bush was too liberal. I just hope they don't turn into our TeaBaggers.

Personal Failure has, once again, introduced me to a wonderful blog. Click on English Fail Blog (also on the blog roll) and be happy.

Malkin

I had the joy of seeing Michelle Malkin on the Today Show this morning. How can anyone take that woman seriously anymore? She has the same manic paranoia in her eyes that you see in Palin's eyes. You can look at her face and say, "This woman is unbalanced."
Malkin has a new book out, that her rabid followers have dutifully snapped up. According to Red State it is some kind of attack in President Obama. I have not read the book but I think I can safely say, "Okay..." (follow with blank stare). Malkin tends to fill in her gaps of knowledge with a massive amount of screaming. Her column is vastly entertaining because of this.
She is yet another example of how nutty the wingnuts are becoming. Pandering to a base of paranoid, gun toting, sociopaths is NOT good. I repeat, NOT GOOD.
We really need to stop putting that woman in the air, it's only encouraging them.

If you have Allstate insurance and they offer you the Motor Club, go for it. I just had to get my car towed. I called and got someone who spoke English as a first language. If they outsource their call center they at least make an effort to make callers more comfortable. The woman I spoke to was polite.
The time from the beginning of the call to when the tow truck came and took the car? Just over 30 minutes. I never had a response like that from AAA.
I am pretty damn happy I signed up for that program.

I want to know

Why someone who came here was searching for Tom Felton David Carradine.
I can see why they got here, but aside from being actors they don't have a whole lot in common.
Or do they?
Dum dum dummmmmm.

Please please check this out

I hate the Body Mass Index. I really do. It is astoundingly unrealistic and declares that everyone is overweight. In fact according to the BMI, I am obese.
So all you ladies out there, click on this. It is a lovely slideshow illustrating just how insanely out of wack the BMI is.
Make with the clicky girls.

Why are you doing that? or, The joy of an anxiety disorder

I have Social Anxiety Disorder. It doesn't come across while I'm blogging, because I'm blogging. I don't actually see any of you, so it's easier to be social.
I've had this disorder for years, though it has only recently become bad enough to warrant a diagnosis. My doctor finally gave it a name when I was diagnosed with Fibro, people with Fibro often have an anxiety disorder also. They seem to be connected, though no one really knows why.
Disorders like OCD and easting disorders are all anxiety disorders. And these disorders can be completely overwhelming. Sometimes going to the grocery store can be too much. I have been known to refuse to go into my own back yard because my neighbors were out. The idea of meeting people can be so frightening to me that I will avoid all social situations. And that doesn't even take into consideration eating at social events. I have had panic attacks before casual get togethers because I might be expected to eat in front of people, which I can not always do.
I am medicated, without medication this disorder severely interferes with my life. I will probably have to take this pill every day for the rest of my life just to function like a normal person. And that is unbelievably frustrating.
People don't realize that people who have anxiety disorders know that something is wrong and can't fix it. We aren't like other disorders where the person has no idea something is wrong, we know. We can't do anything about it, you become locked into your own mind. We know that you are impatient with us, and we know why, but again, we can't change it.
The funny thing is, you probably know someone with an anxiety disorder (other than me. I mean in real life). Or you know someone else with another disorder. And chances are that person is untreated. They have listened to people tell them that taking a pill to feel better is being weak and they should just suck it up. They have no insurance, their doctor won't listen to them. The state of healthcare is awful, and the state of mental health care is even worse. People go untreated because no one can help them, or no one will help them. And a depressed and anxious country is a country that will be good for nothing at all.
At some point we have to agree to end the stigma attached to mental illness of all kinds, and then agree that we need to treat people who have these disorders. In a way I was terribly lucky, I had a doctor who knew that if I had disorder a I would also have disorder b. I have insurance and a wonderful primary care doc who will listen. Not everyone is that lucky, and at some point after the healthcare system is revamped we need to make sure that everyone else is that lucky. And we need to make sure that they know that if something is wrong it's OK to ask for help.
It's a shame though, but I don't think it will happen in my lifetime.

Dear BBC America

Umm, well, let's get the bad new out of the way first. First Primeval, now Torchwood. I want to see a new mini series, season, or special out of RTD for Torchwood ASAP. And I don't want to hear about Barrowman's other obligations. Drag his ass into the studio.
Good news is, Planet of the Dead kicked ass. That was brilliant. And was the perfect end to a weekend completely spoiled by Torchwood's finale. I would love to see Christina again, I am in love with her.
Love,
Me

In other news, I finally saw Watchmen. It was... OK. I liked the comic better, but it was beautiful. Of course it was the same director as 300, which would be why. He can make a mean movie.

What are you reading?

It's been a while, but I have finally gotten around to updated the books list to the right.
As I have said before, I am reading "The Devil in the White City", and I have also started "Ring" which is the book the Ring movies were based on. The books also come in a trilogy, "Ring" "Spiral" and "Loop". So far the book is good, but I am pretty sure I am losing something in translation. At least it is a decent translation, it makes sense, which is a step up from some translated books I have read.
Nothing like the movie though.

Dear RTD,

FUCK. YOU.
So help me god, fuck you.
Bring Ianto back right now.

Love,
Me.

Yeah, Torchwood Day Four made me cry. Bastards.

News people love a panic, a.k.a. Swine Flu Woes

In Fort Dix NJ, Feb 1976, there was a Swine Flu outbreak. Pres. Ford issued a statement that every American needed to be vaccinated before the fall flu season because of the chance that the already deadly strain would mutate. A few elderly patients died, possibly from complications arising from the rushed vaccine, and there were reported cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome (a rare side effect of modern flu vaccines). The public outcry against the vaccination program grew so great that the government halted the program altogether.
The vaccine killed 25 people, total. The flu killed one.
People completely lost their shit over a flu that killed one person. Because it was similar to the Spanish Flu of 1918, they automatically assumed it would go pandemic and kill everything in it's path. In this case the cure was worse than the disease.
I bring this up because of our own Swine Flu pandemic. Yup, it is a pandemic. That just means a certain amount of people around the world have been proved to have it. Total deaths at the moment are at 1,039. That's it. In a pandemic. The season flu can kill more people than that in the US alone.
But, the media tells me, the flu will mutate! In the fall! And kill us all! So we will rush through a vaccine! And everyone will have to get vaccinated!
And I say to the media, Hey! 1976! That worked well then didn't it?
We don't know that the flu will mutate. If it does, we don't know if it will get worse. We don't know if it will stay where it is now.
We also don't know how many people have had this strain, and thus if it mutates those people will have some immunity to the new strain. This flu is really astoundingly mild compared to other strains. It killed so many people in third world countries because they were third world countries.
I refuse to panic over this, no matter how much the media wants me to. And apparently they really want me to. I know a lot of people who have bought into the panic, and that is kind of sad to me. There are too many unknowns, and I refuse to panic over the unknown.
So I say to media, Shut up, and give us actual facts on this. Please?

Torchwood Day Three Spoilers

*Spoilers**

**And yet again, spoilers**

Not bad. I am in love with Jack's daughter, she seems very capable. And it looks like she got her father's instinct for survival.
If Gwen climbs up on her moral high horse about Jack, I will probably throw up. She is so intolerable, I hate her sometimes. Heart of Torchwood my ass.
And boy, these aren't the Doctor's aliens are they? I can't imagine how he would react to something like the 456. Though, it would probably be kind of funny to watch.
I'm really glad these are being played every night, because I can not wait to see what happens next.

Dear BBC America

You really don't need to blur out Jack's butt on Torchwood. For one thing, there are some people who are watching just for that. And also, his butt is hardly the most racy thing on that show.
I would imagine anyone here in the US who might have been offended by his ass wouldn't have still been watching after his and Ianto's kiss.
KTNXBIE!
Me

Percy Jackson and Torchwood

So they are making the first Percy Jackson book into a movie. The casting looks spectacular, though a little odd at points. The funny little thing I am running into is that if they make the second book into a movie they will have to cast someone as one of the goddesses I worship. I haven't run into the problem before. All in all though, I'm pretty excited about the movie. I got all goose pimples when I saw the preview.
And speaking of goose pimples, Torchwood started last night. Brilliant and ended on a major cliff hanger. I was so upset, until I remembered it continues tonight. Whew! But it is quite good, better than I thought. Can't wait to see how it ends.

Harry Potter and the realization Tom Felton can act

I don't usually watch movies for the story. Honestly, if I want a good story I will read one. I watch good movies for special effects, a really good director, or a really good actor.
I love the Harry Potter movies, except for the first two, which fell victim to someone trying to do the impossible (direct a word for word version of a book, that is insane,and it showed. Especially with books in need of a good editing, which the HP books were), and some really piss poor acting on the part of some kids (Rupert Gint. Oy).
Round about the fifth movie Daniel Radcliff had started doing Broadway, and he learned that he could, in fact act. Emma Watson also learned that she could act. They got to work with Gary Oldman, who doesn't so much act, as ACT. I heard someone say that Gary Oldman tries to save movies through the power of ACTING, which is pretty damn accurate.
However, the one person I was always interested in was Tom Felton. He was a pretty decent child actor before he got cast as Draco and then promptly shoved in the corner. He was always solid when he showed up on screen. As a movie watcher you knew what you would get from him.
So I really did wonder what they would do with him in the 6th movie, which was the story of Draco and Snape.
David Yates decided that they should just let him act. And frankly, I mean to write him a letter thanking him for that.
Tom Felton knocked it out of the ballpark.
They gave him more time on screen, writing in scenes that needed to be written in, and subtracting a LOT of stuff that needed to go (thank god they cut that whole damn Lupin/Tonks angst, there is more than enough angst with the kids, thank you). About half way through the movie you can see him changing, see him really having second thoughts, and then finally see him nearing the mini breakdown Draco has at the end. It was brilliant, and the guy next to me in the theater thought so too (mentioning at one point that "Draco is really good this time").
Thank god for Tom Felton, who really did save the movie from Rupert Gint. Oy.

Friday Randomness

It's time for the return of Friday Randomness!!

A co-worker walked in on a really strange conversation I was having with a salesman the other day. We're both avid gardeners, and both dealing with the similar PA soil situation. In short, we have clay. So we were discussing effective and inexpensive ways to make the soil workable without simply carting in top soil. Apparently most people don't know about the term loam, because we did get a look. Gardening rookies.

BBC America had a sneak peak of the new Torchwood mini series. Wow, looking good guys. I love that Jack and Ianto are such a cute couple. Yeah, couple.

Michael Jackson is still in the damn news. I'm going to say it now, and hopefully never again: I. Do. Not. Care. Not at all. Not one wit. Stop talking about it. Christ.

The Daily Show's recent bit on Obama's healthcare plan and the panic surrounding it was fantastic. It was on the July 15th show, and if you get a chance go ahead and watch it.

Feeling good (not god)

I have Fibromyalgia, and for the last few months I have been in a flare, which is when your body decides that every touch will be felt as pain. It is, well, imagine that wearing clothes hurt. That being touched by your child hurt. That sitting or laying down hurt. Any touches, all touch, hurt.
Then today it stopped. No more pain, just general achiness.
You have no idea how wonderful that is.

Unrelated

The best search that has brough people to my site so far?
"What the fuck is wrong with the folks at Rapture Ready"
I wish I knew.

Feeling God

Back when I was pregnant I asked people, "How do you know if you're in labor?" Every first timer asks that question. And I was told, "You'll just know." Then they looked me in the face and lied to me when they said, "But don't worry, you won't remember what it was like after it's done."
Bull. Shit.
I can tell you now, almost 5 years later exactly what my labor was like. It was like someone decided to rip my internal organs out of my body through my vagina with a very very hot pair of pliers. It was, by far, the worst and most intense pain I have ever been in. *
Right, now that I have freaked out all the women who haven't had kids yet, what does that have to do with God?
Well, ask someone who is religious how they know God is out there and they tell you, "You'll just know." Stock response from 95% of the people out there. The ones who try to answer the question are probably madmen.
I'm an Irish poet, which in English means "madman" so off we go...
So what does God feel like? Well, like labor, God is different for everyone. It can be the peace of a dream, the calm of a parent holding you close. It can be cold, the knowledge that someone is standing up to a battle with you, though they do not care for you, you are there to fight, same as them. It can be the feeling of strength, knowing that whatever happens you can make it through.
It is, in short, everything that people feel anyway. Religious people hate to admit this. Everyone has something they draw strength from, and it is exactly the same. Religious experiences, the true, seeing angels kind, are so rare, and usually the result of a medical condition or insanity.
So, how do you know God is there? And how does that shape your life?
That's where that thing called faith comes in. You can say on faith, "This is probably something bigger than me. I don't know what, but I don't think it is just me" or you can say, "This is something that is coming from me, it isn't something outside of me." If you're afraid that you're not special you may go onto, "This is something special, this is something only for me, from something bigger than me." Faith can distort so many things. It can take a Simple Partial Seizure and make it into a visit from an angel (or alien, they are usually the same visions with a different central character depending on the person's experiences). There is a point where you have to say, "I don't think this is God" or "I think this is God" and go from there. The decisions you make from there can change your life. You can base your entire life on the idea that you are special and chosen by God (Hi Fundies!), you can question everything, study your ass off, and try to figure out if there is something bigger out there. You can let it all go and see where it falls and go on with your life.
God is personal, every god is. But the experiences that religious people talk about are the same, no matter what the religion. We are all the same, and sometimes, no matter who you are, you feel something special. When you are down, when you are lost, when you get found, that is something special. Call it God, call it anything it doesn't matter. What matters is it is there, always there. That's where our faith comes from, no matter what our religion. People distort it, mask it with other things, but it is still there waiting. Always waiting.

*Every labor is different, and I had a difficult one. Your labor may not be the same, hell it may not ever be hard. First timers? Don't think yours will be like mine.

Bwahahaha!

The lovely, mad teabaggers are going Galt. Yes, on July 30th they are calling in Conservative, so if no one shows up on your office you know why. They are batshit insane.
These people honestly don't seem to even know what they are protesting now. What is the point of calling out, or going Galt? To shut down the economy? Yes, that's a grand plan. To prove we can't do it without them? Trust me, we can. And probably better, because no offense, you guys aren't rocket scientists. You think that Ann Freaking Rand is da bomb.
This is yet another pointless protest on the part of these wingnuts. It wastes time and energy, and seems to have no point other than creating the mindless mantra (in this case, "Going Galt") that keeps these people from thinking and makes them very susceptable to outside direction.
In short, this goofs are being played and they don't see it. How very sad.
Teabagging. Hee!

The Devil in the White City

I'm a late comer to this book, I have only just hit a non-fiction kick and this was a book I was lucky enough to pick up at a thrift store.
It is two captivating tales, the story of the Columbia World Exposition in Chicago, and the story of the serial killer H.H. Holmes. Now, being a particular fan of crazy people, I had heard of H.H. Holmes before, the man who killed women in most creative ways. He created the "Murder Castle" in Chicago and is generally refered to as America's first serial killer.
Telling the gory tale of Holmes along with the tale of planning and building the Fair was brilliant. As story telling goes, this is by far one of the best non-ficton books I have ever ready. It is paced beautifully and written in such a way that you can connect with the story.
So let me recommend it to anyone looking for a good true crime story, or just anyone looking for a good read.

TV Time!

It's been a while since I've been excited about TV, but BBC America is running a Doctor Who month. They ran the Christmas special, which was wonderful.
Next up is the Tirchwood mini series. I imagine that my brother and I will end up doing for that what we did for the Doctor, he'll call the day after to find out what happened. I swear he should just stop his hike to watch the series, it's only going to be 5 nights.
Then comes the next Doctor Who special. Yay!!
Of course Primeval is playing throughout.
I am in geek heaven, people. Seriously.
And that doesn't even take into account that Harry Potter comes out next week.

One upon a time, when we all lived in the forest....

Possibly the only good part about me watching the craptacular movie Knowing last night was that the end got me thinking about trees.
Trees play a big part in old religions. The Norse and Celts both had the World Tree which was the backbone of the world they knew, Judaism and Christianity have the Trees of Knowledge and Life, many Native American beliefs featured trees similar to the World Tree, etc.
But why?
Well, in pre-Christian societies people were living in the last great ancient forests. And those forests featured massive trees. The biggest things some of these people would ever see were the trees around them. And something that big would eventually be revered. The Greeks put their gods on the top of their mountain, and other cultures put the world on the back of a tree.
However, only Christianity retained a literal view of that tree. In Norse religion their Tree is a symbol, and apparently stopped being a representation of a real tree long ago. It is the symbol of the world, and the cycles that the Norse saw in it. The modern druids use their Tree as a symbol of nature. It has gone from being the world to being the symbol of the world.
The tree is so enduring that it still shows up as a symbol of life, even in terrible movies. You see it and we know what it means. Living tree means continuation of life. Dying tree means the end of life.
The fact that everyone seems to understand this speaks to how much in common we all have.

Profile pieces can be great...

If you have not had the pleasure of reading the Vanity Fair piece on Palin, you can find it here. It is a tad outdated, but well worth the read.
One of the reasons why I keep writing about her is that I find her fascinating and terrible all at once, and I think this piece shows that off. She really is a captivating figure, even if she may be completely evil and sociopathic.

Oh, right, they go with the flow

The full text of Palin's resignation speech can be found here at Talking Points Memo.

Dead fish do what?

When I heard my beloved Evita Palin quit I almost came back online to blog about it, despite my promise to myself to stay offline. So instead I called my brother, told him, and we both had a good laugh about it.
We mainly laughed about how wildly incoherent that speech was. Did you listen to it? Any of it? It was like a stream of consciousness essay written by a high school freshman. Not only did she do something completely stupid, but she did it in the worst possible way. I keep wondering if she has had some kind of breakdown up there in Alaska. That is why she keeps believing that the media is attacking her family, not that she keeps dragging her family into the spotlight. Maybe she does need a rest, because she is starting to lose what little grip on reality she had.
And why quit? From a political perspective it was suicide. The only people who will follow her now are the devoted 21% wing nut crowd, everyone else is now convinced she actually is the nutcase we all thought she might be. There is a small chance that she realized that she isn't just bad at being a governor and politician, but she is absolutely terrible at it and quit because of that. But I doubt it.
What ever the reason the fact remains that it was a stupid move on her part. And I applaud her because it means that we get to keep seeing her being weird an incoherent and not have to worry about the people of Alaska being screwed over.

Long weekends mean

No blogging because I'll be doing fun and exciting things. Or at least fun. OK, moderately enjoyable and more than likely entertaining in some way.
And I'll be doing it for three days.
Let the madness begin!

Sexist much?

I usually don't get bugged by the retarted emails that go around compairing women and men, but this one just bugged me...

WHY MEN ARE NEVER DEPRESSED: Men Are Just Happier People --
Your last name stays put.
I know a number of women who kept their own last name. I only gave mine up when I married because I was tired of people mispelling it.

The garage is all yours.
My whole house is mine. As in, mine is the only name on the deed.

Wedding plans take care of themselves.
I'm betting you've never been married.

Chocolate is just another snack.
That depends on the person, if you don't like chocolate then it isn't.

You can never be pregnant.
Two words, Fuck you. Since you can never get pregnant, you don't get to tell me what to do when I get pregnant.

Car mechanics tell you the truth.
My mechanic tells me the truth, that's why I go to him. I'm not stupid about cars, I know when a mechanic is lying to me.

The world is your urinal.
Well, that's disgusting. Thanks!

You don't have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt.
Neither do I. Just because I'm a girl doesn't make me stupid.

Same work, more pay.
Ah, how sexist.

Wrinkles add character.
They add character on women too. So does grey hair. Are you saying you don't like older women?

People never stare at your chest when you're talking to them.
That really does bother me, I am 5 foot and have big boobs, and I'm willing to bet most men don't know I wear glasses.

New shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle your feet.
Neither do mine. If they mangle my feet I take them back.

One mood all the time.
Really? What mood?

Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat.
I don't even pick up the damn phone most of the time.

You know stuff about tanks and engines.
I know stuff about Roman and Greek war tactics, and can fight with a sword, what's your point?

A five-day holiday requires only one suitcase.
I'm sure it does when you travel by yourself.

You can open all your own jars.
I can too, big freaking deal.

You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness.
If you're such a terrible person this applies to you, you probably shouldn't brag about it.

Your underwear is £9.50 for a three-pack.
Ok, I tried to convert this and my caculator states this is equal to about $15 USD. I have no idea if that is how much men's undies cost in teh UK, but I assure you I would never pay anything close to that for a three pack.

Three pairs of shoes are more than enough.
I know a few men who would consider that to be one pair too many. Watch what you say, my friend.

You never have strap problems in public.
Neither do I, because I buy underwear that fits.

You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes.
I can't either, it's called wash and wear.

Everything on your face stays its original colour.
What? Oh, and I know guys who wear makeup. Straight guys.

The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades.
The reason why you are probably single is becoming clear.

You only have to shave your face and neck.
Yeah, I could shave a lot less than that, I chose to shave my legs and pits.

You can play with toys all your life.
Buddy, I still play with toys, they are just bigger now.

One wallet and one pair of shoes -- one colour for all seasons.
You said a few items ago three pairs of shoes. Which is it?

You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look.
I have a case of contact dermititis on my leg, I still wear shorts.

You can 'do' your nails with a pocket knife.
Yeah, OK.

You have freedom of choice concerning growing a moustache.
On a personal note, I hate a mustache on a guy. Also, I know women who could grow one if they so chose.

You can do Christmas shopping for 24 relatives on 24th December in 24 minutes.
And I'm sure you would if the rest of this list applied to you.

This is less about why men get depressed, which is a very real problem, and more about a list of why men are "better" than women. I have known men that fit most of the items on this list and I assure you they are not "better". And if you act like this around this woman your chance of getting laid has gone to zero, which may depress you, depending on how much you want to see the aforementioned boobs.
This kind of thing not only promotes the idea that women are shallow and stupid, but it also promotes the idea that men are heartless jackasses, and I would hope that men out there would be against that.