2008 Year in Review

From the folks at JibJab:


So I think they had the year pretty right. If you've never seen JibJab before you should hit up the site they are hilarious. Anyways a year in review survey:

How has this year been as a whole?:

Not awful. The first half of the year was rough with work and such but it got significantly better as the year went on.

Have you made any new friends this year?:

Yep, and I love them. My grad school friends are awesome.

Have you lost any old friends this year?:

Not really. There are people who i talk/see less because of distance but there still my friends.

What is your high-light of this year?:

My cousins wedding. It was nice to be with family and have fun and wear a pretty dress. I really enjoyed it.

What is the worst thing to happen to you this year?:

Hrm, I don't know. I've had a pretty good year. There was some bad things that happened to people around me though. Finding out my sister was autistic was pretty rough

Did you have a boyfriend/girlfriend this year?:

Nope, but that didn't stop me from having fun and dating. Who would date me anyways?

How did you celebrate your birthday this year?:

I worked sadly and then i went home and had brownies.

How old did you turn this year?:

24. God i'm going to be ancient this year. Now i'm just heading towards 30.

Did you go to school this year?:

For the second half of the year. Best thing I ever did. Grad school is exactly where i am supposed to be even if it kicks me in the ass daily.

What new thing did you learn this year?:

Lots, I learned to tie a tie. I learned that i can actually put things together myself. And i learned to have faith in myself.

What's the most embarrassing thing to happen to you?:

Having to be told repeatedly that my my shirts were too low cut at work. Which i argue they weren't i just had a bunch of old men/women who think i should wear turtle necks everyday. Seriously, I am young and hot and if i want to wear a v-neck shirt i should be able too. It's not like my boobs were falling out, especially considering everyone else at my job could wear them.

What was your favorite tv program this year?:

Chuck... best TV show ever. I love Zachary Levi and Adam Baldwin just makes that show.

What is the worst tv show this year?:

Um... I don't typically watch bad tv shows. I was disappointed in Fringe. I thought it would be better but i still watch it.

Who was your favorite band this year?:

I think Linkin Park took it this year. There CD was fantastic and everytime i turned around i heard their songs on the radio.

What was your favorite movie this year?:

I think Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull takes it for me. Honorable mentions go to Iron Man, Sex and the City and Get Smart

What is your favorite drink this year?:

Rum and Coke, or Diet Dr. Pepper

About how many pairs of shoes have you got this year?:

Hrm, I've probably bought at least 4 pairs. I love shoes.

What do you want to happen next year?:

Outside of Grad School Stuff. I think this year is the year i find a new boyfriend. I've been single for awhile and while my FWB is fun, I think i need a real relationship no matter how temporary it is. I want to have one really good adventure too. Maybe i'll take a vacay to Boston or go skinny-dipping in Florida.

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Don't These Fuckers Sleep?

So I live in an apartment complex about three blocks from the college i go to. I choose this apartment complex because it was within walking distance of the school so i wouldn't have to drive to classes. That being said this complex houses everything from undergrads to married couples to some older people. I just happen to be in the building with undergrads, which is fine. I tend to keep to myself anyways and i'm almost never in my apartment and when i am there i'm either studying or sleeping.

But in the 5 months i have been living here i have had people knock on my door after midnight at least 3 times. Who the fuck is knocking on people's doors after midnight? Don't these fuckers sleep? Actually they don't, the 2-8 people who live next door are up till like 3 am at least, which would be fine except they feel the need to play their music loudly until then. But seriously, no one should be knocking on my door after midnight. Even if i'm not asleep i'm not answering the fucking door at that time. For all i know your some pyshco serial killer dressed up like a cop who wants to rape me and then eat my liver. Most of the time the people knocking aren't looking for me anyways. They looking for the people who live either beside or above me, and they are too drunk to realize that 2B looks nothing like 2A or 3B. It doesn't actually bother me too much because i don't answer the door, but it is quite annoying to be woken up at 3:30 in the morning by some drunk guy banging and yelling at your door. Maybe i should put a gate up around my door.

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Ten Things Every Woman Should be Able to Do

The other night i was getting ready for Christmas when i realized I didn't know how to tie a tie. I've never actually had to wear a tie so there was no precedent for learning before. If you've ever watched old movies, or any movie for that matter, you will inevitably come across a scene where a woman ties a man's tie for him. It seemed like a fatal mistake that i did not know how to do that. What if i actually have to go to some fancy dinner with some future boyfriend and i couldn't help him with his tie? So i set about learning and it didn't take long to learn. But it made me realize there are just some things that every woman should know how to do. So i complied my list of the ten things every woman should be able to do:

Sew on a button

Change a tire on a car

Tie a tie

Hang a picture (with nails and a hammer, not sticky tabs)

Cook one really good dish from scratch

Hem a pair of pants

Check the oil in a car engine

Wear a pair heels

Drive a stick shift

Buy condoms

Yes, some of the things on the list seem simple. But believe me i have met plenty of woman who cannot walk in heels; it is not actually a skill woman are born with. And i know plenty of men and woman who are ashamed to buy condoms and like i told my sister: "If you are mature enough to have sex you are mature enough to go into a store and buy condoms." I cannot actually do everything on this list yet. I know how to change a tire on a car in theory but i've never actually done it and i still can't drive a stick shift. But i can do everything else on the list. At least i know what i've got to learn this year.

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Under the Covers: Gods Behaving Badly

TITLE: God's Behaving Badly
AUTHOR: Marie Phillips
GENRE: Fiction/Fantasy/Humor
SUMMARY: The Twelve Greek gods of Olympus are alive and well in the twenty-first century, but they are crammed together in a London town house- and none to happy about it. For Artemis (goddess of hunting, professional dog walker) Aphrodite (goddess of beauty, telephone sex operator) and Apollo (god of sun, TV psychic), there's no way out- until a meek housecleaner, Alice, and her would-be boyfriend, Neil, turn their world upside down.

When what begins as a minor squabble between Aphrodite and Apollo escalates into an epic battle of wills, Alice and Neil must fear not only for their own lives but for the survival of humankind. Nothing less than a true act of heroism is needed- but can these two ordinary people replicate the feats of the mythical heroes and save the world?

ROSE'S REVIEW: The premise of this book is pure genius. I wish i had thought of it myself. The Greek gods are still alive and as well as can be presumed today in a society where no one believes in them and are living in a decrepit house in London. Of course they don't all live there, Poseidon still lives under water and Hades and Persephone still live in the underworld, but all the other major gods make an appearance. Phillips does a fantastic job of writing the gods as they would be today. The ever arrogant Apollo still thinks the world revolved around him and goes on benders when things don't go his way. Aphrodite is needy and has to be the center of attention and gets extremely jealous when people pay attention to anyone else. Level-headed Artemis has the unfortunate job of trying to keep everything together when all it wants to do is fall apart.

Mixed up in the cross fire comes two mortals: Alice and Neil. Alice is a well-meaning, slightly insecure cleaner and Neil is the man secretly in love with her. When Aphrodite gets mad at Apollo she secures the help of her son Eros to get revenge on Apollo. Alice becomes the unlucky method of revenge and it spirals out of control from there.

The premise of the book is really good. The characters are well thought out and entertaining. The first half of the book is brilliant, humorous, sarcastic and a thoroughly enjoyable read. The second half of the book falls flat for me though. Phillips falls back on the tried and true method of a hero's quest and while it has its moments, the second half of the book lacks the acerbic wit that was so enjoyable in the beginning. I ended up rushing through the second half just to get to the end. The ending itself left something to be desired and you wonder what happens when the initial recovery wears off. That being said, I am excited to see what Phillips does for her follow-up book. Her sense of humor and imagination are wonderful in this book and I suspect her next book will be even better.

GRADE: B+

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The Morning After: When The World Comes Down

Title: When The World Comes Down
Artist: The All-American Rejects

Review: The follow up to the hugely popular Move Along, All-American Rejects mix altrock with pop to amazing success in When the World Comes Down (WWCD). The first single the incredibly catchy Gives You Hell is an ode to ex's everywhere, and will have you singing it for days. The whole Cd is like that a collection of singable songs guaranteed to get stuck in your head and have you dancing. The lyrics can be poignant and heart-felt in one second and totally tongue-in-cheek the next. WWCD is more pop than altrock but there is enough guitar rifts to sooth me into complacency. Catherine Pierce of The Pierces duets with the band on by far the best song on the whole CD the haunting Another Heart Calls.

The biggest problem with the whole CD is the release date. Originally slated for a November release WWCD was pushed back to December 16 by the record company. A whole month is along wait for an AAR fan. But even worse that put the CD dropping on the same day as the new Fall Out Boy CD Folie à Deux. Anytime AAR is forced to face FOB, the Rejects lose not because they are somehow not as good as FOB but because AAR isn't the publicity machine of Pete Wentz. But WWCD is far superior to Folie in lyrics and sound.

Songs to Download: Gives you Hell, Another Heart Calls, The Wind Blows, Believe

Songs to Skip: Damn Girl, Breakin'

Grade: A-

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The Morning After: Folie à deux

Title:Folie à Deux
Artist: Fall Out Boy

Review: Fall Out Boy's fifth studio album has some hits and misses. The lead off track, Disloyal Order of the Water Buffaloes, has the same kind of ironic, self-deprecating humor found in both Our Lawyer Made Us Change the Title of This Song So We Wouldn't Get Sued (From under the Cork Tree) and Thriller (Infinity on High), which makes it a good opening song. But the cd is a departure from the sound that made Fall Out Boy famous. They still have the irreverent song titles, the ever shifting lyrical puns, and the fantastic vocals of Patrick Stump. The sound of Cd is just different this time around; FOB has shifted from heavy guitar rifts and the Altrock sound to piano-infused melodies and a sound that mixes pop with R&B. It's not bad but it is different, much like Panic's move towards a more Beatles-esque sound. For a girl who really loves the Altrock sound this cd falls a little short for me.

Folie also has some serious collaborators on this Cd. It's almost like FOB went out and got whoever they could get to sing on their Cd. In some cases it works such as Panic's Brendon Urie's duet with Stump on 20 Dollar Nosebleed, which is the highlight of the record for me. It doesn't work in West Coast Smoker, though, because you can never figure out what Debbie Harry actually collaborated on. What a Catch, Donnie features several guest vocals at the end of the song singing lyrics from other FOB songs (There are 7 different songs, i could only name 5). Donnie is a musical masterpiece both because of Wentz's lyrics and Stump's arrangement. It's a good choice for a single but lets see if the music public likes it as much as i do.

Songs to Download: 20 Dollar Nosebleed, What a Catch Donnie, The (Shipped) Gold Standard, I Don't Care

Songs to Skip: w.a.m.s, West Coast Smoker, 27

Grade: B-

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In the News: Greatest Movie Characters

Empire Magazine just released its list of the 100 Greatest Movie Characters.

Here's the top 25:
25. Yoda (Empire Strikes Back)
24. Ash (Evil Dead)
23. Harry Callahan (Dirty Harry)
22. Red (The Shawshank Redemption)
21. Michael Corleone (The Godfather series)
20. Forrest Gump (Forrest Gump)
19. Jules Winnfield (Pulp Fiction)
18. Travis Bickle (Taxi Driver)
17. Hans Gruber (Die Hard)
16. Neo (The Matrix trilogy)
15. Ferris Bueller (Ferris Bueller's Day Off)
14. The Terminator (The Terminator series)
13. Gollum (The Lord of the Rings trilogy)
12. John McClane (Die Hard series)
11. James Bond (007 series)
10. Vito Corleone (The Godfather I & II)
9. Ellen Ripley (Alien quadrology)
8. Captain Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy)
7. The Dude (The Big Lebowski)
6. Indiana Jones (Indiana Jones series)
5. Hannibal Lecter (Silence of the Lambs)
4. Han Solo (Star Wars trilogy)
3. The Joker (The Dark Knight)
2. Darth Vader (Star Wars series)
1. Tyler Durden (Fight Club)

Now Empire allowed readers to vote for who should be on the list and the vast majority of Empire Magazine readers are young men so this list is totally skewed. Absolutely no way should Tyler Durden be number 1. He should be in the top 10 but over Darth Vader? I don't think so. Lord of the Rings got three people: 13. Gollum, 28. Gandalf, and 31. Aragorn. I can give them Gandalf, but Gollum and Aragorn over Samwise or Frodo? That just doesn't work for me. Six characters from Star Wars and I only take issue with one: 79. Boba Fett. He has all of a half an hour of storyline from 6 movies and he made it over Chewbacca? I also take issue with 3. The Joker, now i haven't seen dark knight but i have to wonder how much of it is because it was Heath Ledger? Randall Graves from Clerks makes the list at 92, but Silent Bob doesn't make the list at all. Inigo Montoya from the Princess Bride doesn't make the list at all and neither does Willy Wonka in either variation.

The other major problem is women characters. Only 12 female characters make the list and i don't agree with them at all. I don't have a problem with these:
9. Ellen Ripley (Alien quadrology)
41. Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins)
89. Princess Leia Organa (Star Wars Episode IV-VI),
90. The Wicked Witch of the West (The Wizard of Oz)
97. Clarice Starling (The Silence Of The Lambs)

But 88. Jessica Rabbit (Who Framed Roger Rabbit) higher than Princess Leia or Scarlett O'Hara? I mean really she's a cartoon character with very little impact in the movie. Which brings me to my biggest gripe with the list entirely: 91. Scarlett O'Hara (Gone With The Wind). 91? She's Scarlett fricking O'Hara. Shes one of the most known movies characters of all time. She deserves top 25 status. Even worse Rhett Butler doesn't make the list at all. Then there is a whole list of female characters I question being on the list at all including:45. Amelie Poulain (Amelie), 56. Juno MacGuff (Juno) and 62. Mathida (Leon). Then there are the glaring omissions of Mia (Princess Dairies), Carrie (Carrie) and Holly Golightly (Breakfast at Tiffany's).

I'm now waiting for AFI to come out with the official list, which will probably be more accurate and I'll still have a bunch of grips about it.

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In the News: What a Moron

Giants receiver Burress treated for gunshot wound

Sat Nov 29, 2008 8:09pm EST

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress was wounded in an apparent accidental shooting on Friday and released from hospital on Saturday, the NFL team said.

Burress, who had already been ruled out of Sunday's game against the Washington Redskins because of a hamstring strain, suffered a wound to his right thigh, the team said in a statement that did not reveal other details of the incident.

"We are aware of the fact that Plaxico was involved in an apparent accidental shooting last night," the Giants said. "Plaxico suffered a wound to his right thigh.

"Obviously, our primary concern is for Plaxico's health and well-being, and given the circumstances, we are relieved to say he was released from a New York City hospital."

The Giants said they had contacted the NFL's security department and because the incident could involve further investigation by law enforcement would not be making any comment on the details of it.

Burress, 31, who signed a five-year, $35 million contract with the Super Bowl champions just hours before the season opened, has been embroiled in controversy this season.

He missed the October 5 victory against Seattle while serving a team suspension for missing meetings and was fined $45,000 by the NFL for a variety of offences that included verbally abusing officials during the October 19 game against San Francisco.

He was also benched for the first quarter of the October 26 game against Pittsburgh because he missed a scheduled appointment for injury treatment.

(Writing by Larry Fine; Editing by Greg Stutchbury)*

I love stupid athletes they make reading the news enjoyable. For those who don't remember Burress from last years Super Bowl, he made the game winning catch among other impressive catches from that game. The stupidest part of this whole story is that Burress took a loaded gun to a club in New York. I mean he's famous and he was with a linebacker. Who is going to get into a fight at a club with a fucking Linebacker? Nobody i know is that stupid. Even worse, Burress stuffed the gun into the front of his pants with a round in the chamber. The first cardinal rule of guns is don't stick it in your pants. I have never shot a gun and i know that. If you're going to stick it in your pants make sure there isn't a bullet in the chamber, it takes all of three seconds to load a round if you have time to pull the gun out of your pants you have time to load it. To make it even stupider he released the safety? WHY? If you are sticking a gun in your pants why would you release the safety knowing it could go off any second? Again if you have time to pull a gun you have time to release the safety before needing to shoot anyone. Needless to say Burress managed to shoot himself in the leg. He's lucky he didn't shoot something else. On second thought i kinda wish he had shot that. That would be a case of Darwin's natural selection. If you are too stupid to realize putting a gun in your pants is a bad idea I don't want you procreating. Cause ten to one your kids will be even stupider. Even worse with Burress, his kids will be stupid and rich which is just a recipie for a coke-head.

Burress's stupidity is un-paramount. But i have to question the people who assisted him in covering up the shooting. His linebacker friend drove him to the hospital and knowingly allowed him to bring a gun into a club. I mean he's a linebacker so he's not a supergenius or anything, but he should have been smart enough to not let his friend bring a gun into a club knowing it was illegal. I feel for the linebacker, he was trying to help his friend and it probably going to hurt his career. The nurses at the hospital aren't guilty either. They did their job but purposely didn't report the shooting which is required by NY law. I can understand why they did it. Burress is famous and wanted to save face, and the nurses felt bad for him. But its the law to report it and they jeopardized their careers to save face for a football player who probably couldn't remember their names the next day.

All in all everyone is guilty in this case. Burress got his due. He can't play the rest of the season due to the injury and the Giants have made him inactive for the post season. But i don't think thats enough, Burress is basically getting paid to sit on his ass. I would have a month to do that. Hopefully the Giants will dock his pay or re-negotiate his contract to really punish him. He made the whole league look bad, and stupid, and deserves to be reprimanded.

*story from reuters

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In the News: Well it's almost justice

Woman found guilty in MySpace cyber-bullying suicide case

LOS ANGELES (AFP) — A 49-year-old Missouri mother was found guilty in a landmark "cyber-bullying" case stemming from the suicide of a teenage girl who killed herself after being sent a series of taunting emails.
Lori Drew was convicted on three misdemeanor counts of illegally accessing computers but jurors at federal court in Los Angeles could not reach a verdict on a more serious charge of conspiracy.
Drew was charged following the tragic death of 13-year-old Megan Meier, who committed suicide in 2006 at her home in St Louis.
Prosecutors said Drew, her daughter and a family friend who were not charged, posed as a fictitious 16-year-old boy named "Josh Evans" who befriended Meier via a bogus account on social networking site Myspace.
Meier, who Drew suspected of spreading false rumors about her daughter, hanged herself after receiving a message from "Josh" which said the world would be a better place without her, the trial heard.
The case was the first criminal prosecution in US legal history relating to allegations of cyber-bullying.*

Vengeance is a dish best served cold. Justice, however, is infinitely more complex construct though. Justice would be for this mother to be charged on harassment, soliciting a minor and manslaughter. But in the eyes of the law she didn't do anything wrong besides illegally accessing a computer. Thats one of the great and awful things about Law. It's unbiased and Fair. It doesn't take emotions into account. Is this justice? No, but its what the law will allow. I have the feeling a 300,000 fine and 1-3 years in jail is enough to make Drew think twice about what she did.

What bothers me about this whole case is Drew as a mother. I can understand wanting to protect you're child but this takes it a little too far. I mean Drew didn't have any proof Megan was saying things about her daughter besides her daughters word for it. Megan and Drew's daughter had once been friends. Now i know that when you hit puberty things change and friends become enemies. But Drew knew about Megan's condition because he daughter had been friends with her. Yet, instead of letting her daughter fend for herself, she sets an awful example. Drew created a fake persona to torture and humiliate this girl, knowing she had medical problems. Great way to teach your daughter about being a human. When someone is mean to you exploit them for everything its worth regardless of the consequences of your actions. Teenagers get into petty squabbles and talk behind each others backs all the time. Apparently, Drew does not remember her own childhood. Its best just to let the teenagers work out their issues on their own, half the time they are back to being friends within two weeks. If every parent decided to get the little bitch who was mean to their kid, they would have to take on half the school. Parents are supposed to be Adults and teach their kids to rise above it. Not sink down even further than the child's level. I got teased plenty in middle school, but my mom never decided to take out the kids who did it to me. She simply let me learn for myself how to deal with people, because thats one of the major lessons in growing up: how to stand up for yourself.

I love that Drew is now complaining that this story has hurt her life. That she gets death threats everyday and that she had to close down her business because she's been blacklisted in the town. Boo-fucking-hoo lady. You certainly didn't think about the consequences of your actions when you created that myspace account. You don't care that you inflicted a grievous amount of pain and suffering on that little girl, who killed herself partly because of things you said to her. You don't care how much pain and suffering the parents of that girl are now going through because they lost their daughter because of your actions. Megan's parents aren't totally blameless. They should have seen the signs of distress and gotten her help. Help she wouldn't have needed if Drew hadn't interfered in a petty childish squabble. But now Drew wants people to think about the consequences of what they are doing to her? Puh-lease! You may need to leave the country, because there is no where you can go and be treated fairly. Try Antarctica, although i doubt even the penguins would be nice to you.


* Story from AFP

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