| Remember my recent post about the shady dog photographer? Yeah, now it's in the first page of Google results when you Google her business.
And this is why you don't fuck customers around. | comments: Leave a comment   |
| Hello all, I have a question directed to my Jewish friends. I've been invited over to a friend's place for a Hanukkah dinner, and offered to bring dessert. Now, I know about the Passover rules of unleavened bread and such, but want to know if there are any dietary Hanukkah rules. They don't keep kosher or anything, so I don't think that's an issue, but don't want to show up with a major dessert faux pas.
Also, are there any traditional desserts I should try my hand at? Preferably something ridiculously rich and sweet. | | comments: Leave a comment |
| This was an actual conversation I had at the army this week. Back story: we're having a family event this weekend, and they were talking about the plans.
Captain: So does anyone know of someone who can do face painting for the kids?
Me: *raises hand*
Captain: Yes, you know someone?
Me: No, I can do it.
Captain: Really? That's great.
Me: I can also do balloon animals, if you're interested.
Captain: *pause and weird stare* Um, yeah, that would be great.
*more talking about plans and setup*
Captain: And we're going to have a cotton candy machine dropped off at x:xx time.
Me: Sir, is there someone who knows how to operate the machine and spin the candy?
Captain: I hope so, they're supposed to show us how it works.
Me: Because I know how to do it, if you need help.
Captain: Are you a Carny?
Sergeant: You look like a Carny! (joking)
Me: Small hands, smell like cabbage. | | comments: 2 comments or Leave a comment |
| So, I got a gift certificate for Christmas for a photo session for my dog with Off-Leash Photography; a lady that specializes in pet photography. (it was a gift, I'm not one of those crazy pet people who sign birthday cards with the pets' names)
So, made the booking, had the photo shoot, the photos turned out well, and she asked me how many prints I wanted to order from her. I said I don't want prints, just a digital album because I don't really use photo albums any more.
She said that she would sell me the digital photos for $150 EACH!!! So for the bargain basement price of $6,900, I could have the digitals (for 46 images), or she would burn me a CD if I bought more than $1,000 in prints.
*pause for indignation*
Yeah, for my wedding, I spent a little over $1,000 for photography, and got TWO photographers for 4 hours, and a CD of all the images, and that's hundreds of photos worth. This photo session cost my friend $200, and she wouldn't give me a single image to walk away with, digital or otherwise.
So I said it was ridiculous in a digital age that there was no digital option available, so later she sent me a digital album, with a print ordering service. I downloaded the digital photos, and ordered a few prints for her time. A few days later, I get this e-mail:
"I just wanted to let you know that the images you have downloaded from my website are copyrighted and cannot be used without my permission.
I would request that you will not post them anywhere on the web or use it in anyway.
I wanted you to have other options, I was counting on your honesty and integrity that I thought I could expect from person working with the law enforcement and the Canadian army. You live you learn."
For any business owners out there, insulting the integrity of your clientele is NOT the best way to garner repeat business. She also left me a voice mail threatening legal action for downloading her photos, because she tracked my IP and left me the information for her lawyer.
Keep in mind I did not print, distribute, publish, or otherwise do anything with these images, and she's threatening legal action.
So, you know, tell your friends NOT to use this service. It's a rip off and the customer service is terrible! | | comments: 2 comments or Leave a comment |
| | Subject: | Nice | | Time: | 01:14 am | | Current Mood: | ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/acedia/littlegent/angry.gif) annoyed |
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| | My sister just dropped me on facebook without even letting me know. Classy! | | comments: 3 comments or Leave a comment |
| So, the garden is coming along very nicely (there are pictures, but I can't find my cable to upload them right now). Everything except the peas are sprouting, and I actually ate some tomatoes from my garden last night. The tomatoes are the Early Girl variety, and I have to say, I have never eaten a better tasting tomato in my life! They are so sweet and juice, just fantastic. Even in a salad with an aged balsamic dressing, the tomato flavour is really prominent.
*sniff* I'm so proud.
Next up... onions! (or possibly bell peppers) | | comments: Leave a comment |
| So, someone posted on a community I belong to about where they can find a good psychic.
*pause for hysterical laughter and comments of "government intelligence", "safe sex", and other assorted oxymorons*
I am absolutely stunned to find out that people are actually gullible enough to think that someone with cosmic power to speak to dead people, see into the future, or make magical monkeys fly out of their ass would be working in some dark scummy room making 20$ an hour. If I could see into the future, I'd be making sports bets, clearing out my bank account, put it on the winning team, and retire!
P.T. Barnum said there is a sucker born every minute, and it's totally true. The people who drop money on psychics are the same suckers who buy into the Nigerian scam e-mails.
Really? A prince from a country I've never visited and can't even find on a map wants to give me 20 million dollars? That sounds TOTALLY legit. I should give them my money for the "transfer fees" and then I'll be rich!
Every day I see people making police reports for being scammed on something that is a completely obvious fraud.
Wizard's First Rule! | | comments: 5 comments or Leave a comment |
| Why is it that someone on my facebook list posted a full size picture of their kid vomiting, and everyone thinks it's cute? I actually had to adblock the picture, it was making me sick to my stomach just looking at it.
Who does this?! Why would you post a picture of someone actively throwing up - it's fucking gross!
/rant | | comments: 12 comments or Leave a comment |
| | Subject: | Gardening | | Time: | 10:53 am | | Current Mood: | ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/acedia/littlegent/working.gif) accomplished |
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| So, in the spirit of me taking on too much, I've decided to plant a vegetable garden. Yes, I'm trying to be green, and eat local, and all that jazz, but it also placates my Ukrainian cheapness genes, not to mention my English gardening genes.
insert quote
"The English have always been keen on gardening."
"Yes, but flowers. This is not so?"
"You can't eat flowers."
/quote
(name that movie for 50 points... one of my favourites!)
Since I have a really, really oddly-shaped backyard which I've done next to nothing with, I thought a vegetable garden would be ideal to fill the bowling-alley space we have in the back. It gets lots of sun, and is pretty much unused, so vegetables work well, being sun whores and all. I've planted just about everything from seed, and started late in the year, but have seen an ENORMOUS amount of growth thus far.
I've planted carrots, lettuce, potatoes, cabbage, garlic, onions, peppers, tomatoes, bush beans, sugar peas, and corn, and pretty much everything is sprouting, and a few are already fruiting. I think it's partially the Vancouver weather (and the fact I've been religiously watering in this heat), but the garden has totally taken off. I might post some pics of the work so far, but it's really cool to think that I may have veggies in only a few weeks!
I'm also thinking of starting a composter, but have never had one before and would prefer one that doesn't smell. Does anyone have any good recommendations? | | comments: 1 comment or Leave a comment |
| Now, while I haven't seen a ton of movies lately that are really noteworthy, one I saw this week really stood out. It's the Stone of Destiny and it was a lot of fun. It's a movie about a bunch of college kids who break into Westminster Abbey to steal the Stone of Destiny (Coronation Stone, Stone of Scone, etc.) and bring it back to Scotland.
The movie was great, and the book was even better, and it was written by the guy who actually pulled off the heist. | | comments: Leave a comment |
| Because she's too much of a coward to engage in open debate and must engage in passive-aggressive bullshit:
I'm childfree because I'm too smart to waste my life being a fat, useless, idiot housewife. Unlike some who feel their only value to society lies in being a brood mare and squeezing out a litter of screaming brats who can continue to use up the world's resources because another selfish idiot needs to contribute their crappy DNA to make another consumer and contribute to an already overburdened population.
I will have fun. You enjoy cleaning vomit and feces off your carpet, while I'll go spend my disposable income on my 3rd trip to Europe in 2 years.
kthxbye! | | comments: 6 comments or Leave a comment |
| Ladies and gentlemen (and those who are yet to make up their minds), please allow me to introduce you to my new favourite condiment:
Thai Chili Garlic Sauce
Now, for those who know me, you will know that my English/Ukrainian heritage does not lend itself to spicy foods, in fact I'm known to break a sweat from the spicy hotness of ketchup (I'm exaggerating, but only a little... maybe ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) skaloop got my spicy genes, since he seems to have extra), but this stuff isn't spicy in the least. The chilies are very sweet, and the stuff is chock-full of garlic, and it works well in a TON of recipes to add some awesome flavour.
My newest favourite recipe:
1 salmon fillet
1 cup maple syrup
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp ginger (fresh)
1 tbsp chili garlic sauce
Mix the wet ingredients and pour it over the salmon, bake for 20 minutes at 350F. The sweetness of the syrup with the tanginess of the chilies makes for some good eats.
Please continue your regularly scheduled programming. | | comments: 4 comments or Leave a comment |
| With Michael Jackson's recent death, it seems like everyone is eulogizing him to be some sainted artist, destined for the ages, and ignore the numerous child molestation charges, plastic surgery addiction, bizarre personal life, child endangerment, and everything else he did.
The man didn't record a decent song in 20 years, his face looked like it was pecked at by crows, and he repeatedly admitted to wanting to have numerous young children sleep in his bed. But suddenly, he's everyone's favourite artist, and all the scandal is whitewashed because he's dead. I've never understood that. Why is it that when a person dies, people always talk about what a great person they were, even when they were terrible?
I remember reading this and thought it was the first time I'd ever seen an honest obit. I remember an ex of my sister died of a drug overdose a while back, and what I remember of him he was a complete douchebag - did drugs every day, treated my sister like crap, ditched her for drugs repeatedly, and yet when he died all my sister could say was how he was such a great guy, was so fantastic, blah blah blah. No, he was a loser drug dealer and is dead because he was a loser drug dealer. Big fucking surprise.
I don't get it. Some people are bad people, and being dead doesn't make them less bad, it just means that they're done hurting people.
If any other man had died with as much of a record of suspected child abuse, everyone would be saying thank god he's dead, but because the guy recorded a few songs, suddenly he's the hero of the decade. Seems pretty hypocritical to me. | | comments: 4 comments or Leave a comment |
| OK, you don't get many of these moments from me, so be patient, it won't last long.
I'm ridiculously excited about my snazzy new retro outfit.
It all started when I found this super cute dress at a store. I bought the dress with a red crinoline, and then kind of went nuts. I wanted to make a complete, awesome retro outfit.
Then I went in search of bad-ass shoes, which I found at a great goth store (they always have cool shit). Click here for awesome shoe-y goodness. Not only am I ridiculously in love with these shoes, but they have a heel I can walk in (a rarity) and I actually bought a size 9... don't ask me how that one happened.
Now, accessories. Since the coolest site on the internet introduced me to Etsy, it's become another obsession. Seriously, best. gifts. ever. In my wanderings I managed to find the cutest purse-y thing and a bas ass pair of earrings. I'm totally set.
I'm going to this military event in New Brunswick in this getup, with one friend in a Cheongsam and another in a Sari. Between the three of us, I think we're going to make the Easterners shit their pants because of teh sex! | | comments: 2 comments or Leave a comment |
| OK, most of you should know my childfree status at this point. But I know some of you guys have kids, and I'm kind of wondering about an etiquette thing. Lately it seems like tons of people are having babies. So, when you have a baby, some people send out birth announcements, I suppose. A cutesy card with a picture of the baby and vital statistics, and such.
Now, I'm getting these from people I don't even know, and have never met. Like, relatives of relatives. Like, the daughter of my sister-in-law's godparents. I don't even know her name.
So, what's up with that? Are they expecting me to send a gift (not like I'm going to), is that why these announcements go out? Is it just the new parent OMG LOOK AT MI KID thing?
What the hell? | | comments: 7 comments or Leave a comment |
| One thing I've been wanting to know - when was it that personal responsibility died? On every news channel, in every city, everywhere, all you hear is "it's not my fault."
You're a drug addict? Blame society, or your parents. Goodness knows you didn't CHOOSE to put lethal toxins in your body, someone tied you down and FORCED you to do it, and force you to continue to do it every day!
You're morbidly obese? Blame fast food. You obviously don't have any choice on what you eat, or how much. Staying active and going for a walk a couple times a week is SO DIFFICULT and might as well be torture.
You're a violent criminal? Blame video games. They're obviously free and forced on children at a young age who have no choice but to play Grand Theft Auto in Kindergarten. You also have no freedom to put them down or walk away, and no common sense to realize that video games are different than reality.
Every fucking day I hear people whine about how everything is not their fault. A homeless guy in his 40s said he lost his job TEN YEARS AGO and never looked for another one, so is living on the streets... DUH! I've lost my job 5 times - THREE OF THEM IN 1 YEAR and I didn't expect my rent or food to fall at my feet. I didn't blame society for my state, I got off my fucking ass and found a new damn job! You want to sit around at home, collect welfare and cry "woe is me" while not looking for another job or doing anything to help yourself?! Fuck you!
People with no money have a dozen kids and expect everyone else to pay for their idiocy. People gain hundreds of pounds of weight and expect to get handicapped parking, and get to stay on long-term disability. People rape and murder innocent people, and get out of a jail sentence because mommy and daddy didn't love them enough.
ENOUGH ALREADY
You want to have children? Fine, have fifty, but if you can't pay to feed, house, clothe, and educate them, they will all get taken away and you will be barred from ever having more. You want to eat yourself stupid? Have at 'er, but you are responsible for all of your ongoing medical bills, you have to actually pay for the extra seats on the plane, walk from a regular parking spot, don't get a free scooter to haul your ass around, and don't qualify for welfare, disability, or long term medical coverage. Shoot your veins full of poison, but then you can't get social housing, free medical coverage, welfare, or any other benefits. Make all the stupid fucking choices you like, but be prepared to reap the consequences. Don't expect people who are responsible to pay the costs of the people who aren't.
/rant
EDIT: What set this off: http://blastmagazine.com/the-news/world-news/2009/03/man-found-not-criminally-responsible-after-bus-beheading/ | | comments: 18 comments or Leave a comment |
| This is likely going to be incoherent and ranty... feel free to skip.
So, I'm taking this fundraising course as part of a non-profit management program with BCIT. I've taken nearly a dozen of these kinds of courses before, and although the format is not perfect, they're usually pretty straightforward.
Not this one.
I've read through the course outline, course content, assignments, and calendar and cannot find a comprehensive list ANYWHERE of the assignments that we need to complete, what they entail, and WHEN THEY ARE DUE!!!
In every other course, the "assignments" section lists everything you have to do, in a simple chronological order, with the name of the assignment being a link taking you to the summary, and with a clear due date on it. In addition, the calendar function lists all the assignments, and when each one is due.
The assignments are mentioned in the course literature, vaguely, with no real outline as to what they are, and absolutely no mention anywhere of when they are due. I e-mailed the instructor to ask that this information be posted, and she claimed it was, except for a few (yeah, that's responsible), and when I said that I couldn't find it, and the format was not detailed, and had little information, her response was; "well, no one else mentioned it was a problem, so I'm not going to fix it. If you're confused, you should ask the other students for help."
Now, unless I'm mistaken, the TEACHER is being PAID to help the students. The students are PAYING the TEACHER to teach, and are not paying to do the teacher's work for them. This woman is a total douchebag, and isn't answering my e-mails, so I reported her to the adviser for this program, who agreed that all assignments have to be clearly listed in the section, with clearly posted due dates. She also said that I can't be deducted marks for any assignment I may have missed that wasn't posted.
So, yeah, people are lazy. Not to mention, when someone complains about a problem, when is it ever the first time that the problem happens, or the first person to have the problem? Usually by the time a complaint comes in, the problem has occurred several times, and numerous people have already been suffering through it without saying anything. Ask a student. No, how about you get fucked and do your job! | | comments: 3 comments or Leave a comment |
| I can't fucking believe it.
T-Shirt Hell is CLOSING DOWN
Not because the economy is shit, or because they were sued, or anything like that. They just are sick of dealing with idiot douchebags complaining about every shirt they put out. Less than 2 weeks and they will be gone. And I will cry.
I will hang my head in shame because I never managed to buy the two t-shirts I always wanted, and now I will never have them. | | comments: 3 comments or Leave a comment |
| So, I have desperately been craving a cake for weeks now. Not a slice of cake, or a cupcake, but a whole buttercream so sweet it will hurt your teeth, fondant covered, frosting filled slab of cakey goodness.
And I don't even want to eat it in slices. I just want someone to plunk an entire cake in front of my fat ass and maw down on it with a fork. Maybe I'll just walk down the awesome cupcakes place on Denman and get a fix.
EDIT: mmmmmmmm, cupcakes
/craving | | comments: 7 comments or Leave a comment |
| Nice to see that, despite having a black president, the voice of white male privilege is still very much alive and well
The tl;dr version:
Young white kid says that no one can ever claim there's racism in America because a black guy was elected president. Is this going to become the next "I have a black friend so I can't be racist" thing? I can't be racist because I voted for Obama. It's funny.
This kid was a depressed loner with violent tendencies in high school and says that he was racially profiled because he was white and made to see psychiatrists. Yeah, it had nothing to do with the fact that he was a depressed, violent loner, it was all about EEBIL RACIAL PROFILINGZ AGAINST TEH WHITEZ. He claims that no minority is oppressed or hated any more than any other, because once in his life, he thinks that someone was prejudiced towards him, maybe.
It's funny because he's stupid. Go have a read. | | comments: 1 comment or Leave a comment |
| | Oh yeah, that would be me. No, I don't get to pocket the money, but I do get a bit. YAY for being able to successfully write a grant application! | | comments: 1 comment or Leave a comment |
| | Subject: | Sleep | | Time: | 01:01 pm | | Current Mood: | ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/acedia/littlegent/sleepy.gif) sleepy |
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| Based on the time that my body would like to go to sleep and wake up, I think it would like me to live in Hawaii. I have to say that I'm having difficulty coming up with a convincing argument against it.
*sleeps on desk*
Seriously, this waking up early thing is for suckers. I both envy and hate those people who can get 8 hours of sleep and just pop awake right away. | | comments: 13 comments or Leave a comment |
| | Subject: | Recap | | Time: | 01:46 am |
|
| 1. What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before?
Went to continental Europe
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't tend to make them
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
kinkysmart and his wife Lisa
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No
5. What countries did you visit?
US, Italy, Austria, Germany
6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
My husband at home
7. What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
The day the hubby got home
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Made some progress in the job, renovated the kitchen, stuff like that.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Not much, things were pretty good
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Illness, but who knows what the hell that is
11. What was the best thing you bought?
A fancy new jacket, at 75% off
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Obama. Good on him.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
All Canadian politicians, and the American Republicans.
14. Where did most of your money go?
House, renos, paying off the remaining debt.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
The trip to Europe was freakin amazing! The Pantheon is definitely one of the things to see before you die.
16. What song will always remind you of 2008?
I don't listen to popular music, although I learned Britten's War requiem last year, so that's new.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. Happier or sadder?
The same, mostly, ups and downs all the time.
ii. Thinner or fatter?
About the same.
iii. richer or poorer?
Same for cash, but have renos, which will pay dividends when we sell the house, and less debt than last year.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Not much
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Worrying about stupid shit.
20. How did you spend Christmas 2008?
Doing very little - needed some low stress time to recharge the battery.
22. Did you fall in love in 2008?
Not really.
23. How many one-night stands?
Define.
24. What was your favourite TV program?
Have become obsessed with House - he's snarky and assholish, and that really appeals to me.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Life's too fucking short. Karma will fuck them up, so why bother with hatred.
26. What was the best book you read?
The God Delusion
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Rock Band.
28. What did you want and get?
A trip to Europe
29. What did you want and not get?
A million dollars and a pool boy
30. What was your favourite film of this year?
Wall-e
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
29, was mostly alone and crying
32.What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Millions of dollars?
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
Classy, elegant, simple
34. What kept you sane?
Jiu Jitsu
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Gerard Butler *drool*
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Obama and his message of hope
37. Who did you miss?
Carly - come back from England already!
38. Who was the best new person you met?
A co-worker, makes me laugh!
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008:
Life's too fucking short for people that suck.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
I don't know any. I agree with the assessment that this quiz was written by an emo teen. Who actually thinks that their life is based on song lyrics?! | | comments: 1 comment or Leave a comment |
| | Subject: | WTF? | | Time: | 03:15 am | | Current Mood: | annoyed |
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| 1. This weather sucks balls
2. Is google totally fucked up, or is it just me? | | comments: Leave a comment |
| This is funny:
Letter from 2010 in Obama's America
It's a letter written to supposedly scare the pants off you about all the EEEEBIL things that Barack Obama is going to do as president. What are those things you may ask?
- Make gay marriage legal
- Allow gay people to openly serve in the military
- Make hate speech and hate groups, including religious ones, illegal
- Make homeschooling illegal unless the parent is a licensed teacher, and uses school curriculum
- Eliminate anti-gay or hateful books, organizations, school groups, schools, etc.
- Not allow health care professionals to opt out of doing their jobs for religious reasons
- Make abortion universally available, and remove barriers from doing so
- Limit gun ownership to the definition in the constitution of people belonging to a "well regulated militia"
- Limit government censorship of the media
- Provide universal health care for all citizens
- Not allow any organization, including churches to deny employment to someone because they're gay, a minority, or other bigoted reasons
Are you scared yet? Shaking in your little booties that are these things will come to pass? Or are you, like me and just about everyone else on earth, extremely hopeful that Obama will do EACH AND EVERY SINGLE ONE of these things?
They even talk about how all the fundamentalist Christians are moving away from the US (in this theoretical world). Wouldn't that be the best thing ever?!
Seriously, is this the kind of world that puts fear into the hearts of the fundies? Because this would be like Disneyland for me. Hell, I might even contemplate actually living in the US if these things came to pass; it would be AWESOME. | | comments: 9 comments or Leave a comment |
| | Subject: | Fangirls | | Time: | 12:08 pm | | Current Mood: | annoyed |
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| | I would give my left testicle to never hear about this stupid "Twilight" movie and the crazy emo fangirls who are obsessed with it ever again! | | comments: 11 comments or Leave a comment |
| Over the past weeks and months, we've been hearing about the Federal Government (both US and Canadian) being asked to bail out the auto manufacturing industry. Now, aside from my general disdain for free government handouts to ANYONE, this one in particular sticks a thorn in my side.
The auto industry has been one of the most outspoken, vehement, powerful lobby groups in the country. They have spend billions to ensure government money, and have used that influence to further power their own interests. The Big 3 American manufacturers have also ensured to crush any new, innovative, or independent auto manufacturing for the past century (see Hudson Motor Car Company, among others).
Electric vehicles, solar power, alternative fuel sources, hydrogen fuel cells, all of these technologies have been readily available for over a century, with the auto manufacturers often taking the government to the supreme court when told to start using them.
These dinosaurs have successfully spelled their own demise. They got in bed with the oil companies, refused change, halted progress, and are partially responsible for the wreck we're in now. And now they want the taxpayers that they've spent the past 100 years fucking to pay to bail them out of their mess!!!
Not to mention, not ONE PERSON has suggested that if the government does bail them out, that all of the money (or even ANY of the money) must be spent on zero-emission vehicles, a concept that virtually no American auto manufacturer is even close to releasing, although virtually all of the Asian and European manufacturers have them on the market already.
I say fuck them. They've been digging their own grave for a hundred years. Let's all get together and cover them with dirt! | | comments: 9 comments or Leave a comment |
| | Subject: | Bigots | | Time: | 01:57 pm | | Current Mood: | ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/acedia/littlegent/cranky.gif) aggravated |
|
| Reference: Man becomes pregnant again
So, to sum up, a pre-op trans man got pregnant because his wife is infertile because of cancer. Insert media circus, Oprah, the View, cover of magazines, etc..
So the internet is teeming with articles about him, and the reaction is one of the following:
1. I'm not a homophobe, but think this is disgusting and immoral. Not a homophobe though.
2. This isn't a man, she's really a girl, you can't be a man unless you do everything manly, and live your life the way I think you should. (apparently wearing pants would instantly make you a man... until you take them off, and then I guess you can be a woman again, but only for a while)
3. ONLY WOMEN CAN HAVE BABIES AND THIS MAKES BABIES NOT A MIRACLE, ALL WOMEN SHOULD BE OFFENDED
/allcaps
/butthurt
(apparently something that happens 300,000 times a day is "miraculous" and one person doing it differently invalidates the entire thing... sounds like the crap arguments against gay marriage)
4. Other trans men have already done this. Old news, don't care.
Now, to take these one at a time. #1 - transphobia seems to be WAY more prevalent than homophobia. Granted, there are far fewer trans people than gay people, and even the FTM is less common than the MTF, so you're dealing with a minority of a minority of a minority, which is marginalized to begin with, so you're pretty much fucked from the start. Other than the fact that a pregnancy is involved (which is now some ridiculous trend... thanks Angelina), I doubt many trans people would ever get this kind of media attention. Not to mention many in the trans community seem pissed about this, because they feel that this man does not represent them, their views, or their struggle for recognition. It seems like people define themselves so strongly by their gender that they can't even understand what gender issues are.
For myself, while I can't claim to understand any of the gender struggles and identity issues that trans people must go through, being very boyish in many regards, not playing with dolls, being in the army, all that stuff, I can understand a bit of what it means to not fit into the role that society expects you to play. Maybe after the gay community gains more ground that people will realize that the T in LGBT deserves tolerance and acceptance as well.
For #2 - this is the same crap that people tell me because I'm not having kids; "well you're not really a woman then." Well then they forgot to send me my penis in the mail, because I sure would like to pee standing up from time to time. Or back when women wanted jobs, or to own property, or *gasp* the right to vote. As if a single item of clothing, belief, or right was the sole defining characteristic of a gender. Why do people think they have the right to tell someone that they have to live their lives based on a particular set of standards? In every community I've encountered, I've always heard people say; well if you don't ________ then you're not really __________. The kink community, the atheist community, the pagan community, the parent community, the childfree community... like there's a manual on how to be something, but if you miss a single step, then you're somehow wrong.
#3 - The "miraculous" babies. Yes, pregnancy and childbirth suck. It's hard on your body, labour intensive (pun intended), and difficult. Nevertheless, it happens 300,000 times every single day. Walk down the street and you will run into plenty of people who have been born. Women in grass huts give birth on straw mats by themselves in the dark, without the benefits of blood tests, ultrasounds, amniocenteses, epidurals, surgeons, episiotomies, surgeons, or even someone helping them out. By calling childbirth a miracle, it diminishes the status of the few things that are genuinely miraculous. Babies are no more a miracle than people are, and considering how many murderers, rapists, child molesters, thieves, and members of the Westboro Baptist Church there are, I would tend to say that people are not miracles. Sure, it's difficult and it sucks, but so does being in the army (most of the time), but that's not a miracle either.
#4 - Pretty much my opinion. | | comments: 2 comments or Leave a comment |
| | Time: | 04:30 pm | | Current Mood: | Burninating |
|
| Remember, remember the Fifth of November,
The Gunpowder Treason and Plot,
I can think of no reason
Why the Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot.
Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, t'was his intent
To blow up the King and Parli'ment.
Three-score barrels of powder below
To prove old England's overthrow;
By God's providence he was catch'd
With a dark lantern and burning match.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, let the bells ring.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, God save the King! | | comments: 14 comments or Leave a comment |
| How I feel about the election: http://www.theonion.com/content/news/nation_finally_shitty_enough_to
Well, I must admit that after last night, you have redeemed yourselves somewhat in my eyes, and no doubt the eyes of many nations on earth.
I've always found the juxtaposition of the US amusing. They view themselves as the most progressive nations on earth, and yet they are near the bottom for health care, literacy, life expectancy, work conditions, and so on. And this isn't even new. The US was one of the last westernized countries to abolish slavery, give women the vote, give civil rights to minorities (officially, if not actually in practice) and otherwise bring itself into modernity.
And they are still, unfortunately, moving backwards in civil rights. California just made gay marriage illegal again, as did Arizona and Florida. Arkansas passed a bill to say that an unmarried couple cannot adopt or foster children (because apparently they have a shortage of children who need homes, and a marriage certificate makes you a fit parent).
However, South Dakota actually voted to keep abortion legal (nearly died of shock when I saw that), Michigan is allowing stem cell research, Washington will allow euthanasia, and small possession of marijuana is now legal in two states (not that I support smoking pot, but throwing someone in jail for 2 years for having it is stupid).
So, the US has grudgingly, forcibly taken a single step into the 20th century. They're still measurably behind the 8-ball that the rest of the world is moving forwards on, but there's hope. I had chills listening to President Elect Obama make his acceptance speech, and was nearly in tears when I saw all the hope on people's faces. I wish Canadian politics had someone as intelligent, electrifying, and hope-filled in its politics as Obama. Here's looking forward to 4 years of making it better! | | comments: 3 comments or Leave a comment |
| | Subject: | Frustrated | | Time: | 05:09 pm | | Current Mood: | annoyed |
|
| Why is it that every time I phone in to a call centre, the first thing they say is "we are experiencing higher than normal call volume"? Doesn't matter if I call at 2 in the morning or in the middle of the day.
"Higher than normal" implies that this volume is an aberration, and happens rarely. If I'm getting this message every time I call, it means that this is NORMAL call volume, and it means you need to account for it, and staff the call centre appropriately. You can't base the statistics of "normal" call volume on the amount of calls you think you should be getting, but rather on the number of calls you ARE getting.
Douchebags. | | comments: 1 comment or Leave a comment |
| *tears of laughter*
Seriously, Where the fuck did they find this retard?
Did they drag her out from under the magical Alaskan Jesus rock? I think if the press keeps on shaking, they're going to find Jimmy Hoffa's body, transvestite hookers and her snorting cocaine off of Big Foot's ass!
*goes back to laughing at the crazy* | | comments: 5 comments or Leave a comment |
| Thank you SO MUCH!!!
You couldn't have chosen a more inept, inexperienced, hypocritical, flip-flopping douchebag of a VP. Someone who is under investigation for inappropriate conduct, whose "abstinence until marriage" stance has her unwed teenaged daughter pregnant, who has gone on record to say she has no idea what the job of the VP is...
really, this is great!
I was worried about Obama's campaign after the numbers started falling, but I think you just stepped in and fixed the election for him. There's no way out now. After he's gone on the record to say he will support her 100%, if he drops her now, he will come out looking like a liar, and if he doesn't dump her, he will look like a hypocritical moron.
With any luck, all of the swing voters have already gone to Obama's camp, and even the Republicans will start jumping ship to get away from this train wreck of a ticket. | | comments: 6 comments or Leave a comment |
| Most of you know that I'm not really a sports fan to begin with. I enjoy playing sports, but don't like watching other people do it. It seems to me like watching porn instead of having sex. Yeah, they might be professionals, and can do it better, but I derive no satisfaction out of watching someone do something that I can do myself.
So spending billions upon billions of dollars for something like the Olympics seems like such a ridiculous, colossal waste of time and money, that it's incredibly sad.
4 billion too many people on the planet, widespread famine and increasing food prices. Starvation, disease, the planet going to the toilet faster that we could hope to save it, and the priority of the world is spending billions so some teenagers can play a game on TV?!
Someone was commenting the other day that Canada hadn't won any medals, so I asked them,
"What would happen if we won absolutely no medals? What would be different the day after the olympics were over?"
"Nothing."
"And what would happen if we won every single medal in every single sport?"
"Nothing."
And yet, if we took all this money being spent on hosting the olympics, paying for transportation, training, equipment, flying officials, dignitaries, and politicians around, putting them in expensive hotels, building entire olympic villages, and bazillions on some stupid opening ceremony and spent it on, say, education? We could pretty much put every student in the country through university.
It's like those ridiculous sports scholarships. You put 20 football players through university and what do you have? 20 football players with a liberal arts degree. Now, put 20 doctors through university... there you have a difference. Or say you want this money to go towards sport - how about spending it towards a physical fitness program for kids, something EVERYONE can benefit from, not just a select few. A healthy school lunch program, taking pop and chocolate bars out of elementary schools, and doing something about this ridiculous obesity epedemic. There are about a hundred thousand more important things this country should pay for before putting on some ludicrous show for 2 weeks while we suffer in debt for the next 20 years. | | comments: 1 comment or Leave a comment |
| I think dstroy has me completely bested on this one.
Food Meme:
1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating (or eating again)
1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile (alligator)
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar - cognac, yes, cigar, hell no!
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal - I'm not a big curry fan in general
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more Hell yeah!
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV I AM Canadian, after all
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Chicken Feet
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini - HELL YEAH!
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers (Nasturtiums, roses, candied violets)
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake | | comments: 5 comments or Leave a comment |
| |
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amused![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/acedia/littlegent/curious.gif){kind=small}
curious![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/acedia/littlegent/nauseated.gif){kind=small}
nauseated![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/acedia/littlegent/gloomy.gif){kind=small}
pensive![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/acedia/littlegent/full.gif){kind=small}
full![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/acedia/littlegent/sad.gif){kind=small}
disappointed
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giggly![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/acedia/littlegent/bitchy.gif){kind=small}
bitchy
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optimistic![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/acedia/littlegent/satisfied.gif){kind=small}
relieved![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/acedia/littlegent/depressed.gif){kind=small}
depressed
