Everything you never knew you wanted to know

Everybody hates links

2011-01-25T16:52:00.003-06:00

I can only imagine. A lot of people hate to read but love to talk. Too bad. All I get to do these days is read.

Life:

Wanna know a secret? Men think a lot of women's fashion is lame. They at least say which they think are lame and which are less lame.

I never understood how they were comfortable, but apparently underwire bras are dangerous

Ehow will also tell you how to clean your toothbrush. I am so excited.

I am not excited about all the gross ingredients in what is supposed to be a healthy food. So am I surprised that apparently the blueberries in packaged foods aren't always blueberries? Nah. I'm not surprised.

Continuing with the nutrition theme, this article tries to give a visual to what 300 calories looks like when done in healthy foods and an unhealthy equivalent.

I am mostly opposed to the trend of drinking bottled water, especially since most people don't know what they're drinking.Is your favorite water spring or distilled? Are there added nutrients or sodium? WHERE does it come from? This is a list of the worst bottled waters, and most of them are from the Nestle corporation.
Alternatively, this is a list of the cities with the best tap water. New Orleans isn't one of them.

Funny:

I greatly enjoy Drunken Shamings.These are particularly good. Also from List of the Day are motivational posters and the Engrish roundup. Never ending supply of funny.

Prenatal pole dancing from Funny or Die. Wish I'd done that to keep in shape LOL.

Nerdom

Putting two spaces after a period is wrong, wrong wrong.

Yet I still can't stop myself from doing it.

Scientists claim to have discovered teleportation. Not your mind-bending,sci-fi type of teleportation, but in quantum physics. Particles that are doing things that weren't really imagined.

Here's a map that shows the occurrence of bachelor's degrees in the U.S. by county. Very interesting.

Facts poster on U.S. unemployment and U.S. teacher's salaries. Sometimes we screw up so bad.

I used to be fat and MTV

2010-12-27T10:53:00.002-06:00

I used to be fat. By my previous standards, I am fat again (but can at least blame this minor weight gain on having a baby). I was never particularly happy with my body but I never had a problem with who I am. I do, however, have a problem with the messages that are being sent by MTV.

MTV has a new show called "I used to be fat" which features recent high school graduates who want to lose weight and essentially try to become someone else before they start college. This sounds awful to me. I am all for self improvement and I feel strongly about being and living healthy but perpetuating the idea that if you are overweight you can not be happy is a serious bad move. We have a lot of issues with our American society but it really bothers me that there is no positive support for overweight, healthy people. I loved the movie "Real Women Have Curves" with America Ferrera but guess what-even she lost weight once she became a well known actress as did many other overweight actors and actresses. They all suggest that you will be left behind if you stay fat.

I understand wanting to lose weight and to look and feel good; I lost 49 pounds six years ago. The reason, however, had nothing to do with men, feeling or being attractive, or fitting in. I no longer felt comfortable, seeing as I had become shaped like a child's play block. Losing 49 pounds meant that I got down to a size 10, a size that is still considered to be too big for many women but I felt too small. Some friends commented that I looked odd and I felt odd. I gained a few pounds back over the year and started to look better. Most women would go into a downward spiral at that point. No one wants to address this obsession with size and fitting in. No one wants to address that men care less about how women look than most women are willing to admit. I had no shortage of male attention at any point in my life because I was happy, even when I was wearing overalls and I was shaped like a brick.

I feel that MTV is playing a huge part in the deterioration of self esteem in young people, even men. Is this new show supposed to give young overweight children hope that hey can lose weight? Maybe. It seems to me, though, to send the message that to be happy and successful you can't be fat. The show's tag-line blatantly says that they can "change who they are"- but why? Isn't college the time that you find out who you are, and why does who you are have to be tied to your body?

There is only one thing that I can support about this show but MTV does not mention this at all: the amount of fat cells that you have by the age of 21 is the amount you will have for the rest of your life. Here's one important thing to know about losing weight: you don't lose all those fat cells, you just shrink most of them. So losing a large amount of weight at a young age means there is a greater chance of keeping a lot of it off later in life with a minimal amount of effort.

Americans need to improve their health. Americans need to lose weight. Americans needs a better economy, need to stop blaming others and need to learn what true happiness is. However, at every turn there is someone with great influence ruining any true progress. I am going to watch the show and judge MTV and these poor kids in silence, and feel some sadness that these young people were never encouraged to find happiness within their normal and oversized bodies.

Random post partum junk

2010-12-09T19:41:00.002-06:00

Non-cohesive. Just stuff. Make good use of it.

I rag on Louisiana because we've earned it. This isn't news anymore but just in case anyone missed it or thought that it wasn't important, HERE IT IS: Louisiana reneges on millions promised to school systems. Because Jindal wants to ensure that Louisiana stays stupid.

Do you like Death Cab for Cutie? I do. And Ben Gibbard is proud of his band's new album.

People drive and park like shit. Here's a site with printable cards you can leave those annoying offenders: You park like an Asshole. I would like to add a few other things to those cards, too...

In the ongoing war with snmartphones, here's a look at how users view each other.

Also, a really cool bluetooth keyboard for the iPhone 4. I hate typing on touch screens so this is awesome.

For those of us who can't find respectable jobs [because we live in Louisiana which sucks], there's a new theory about the economy and what our education ISN'T doing for us; some suspect that, with degrees, internships are now the new entry level position. I didn't want to hear any of this a year ago but now I understand that this is now the way to get a foot in the door for a job.

Think about this: Children in lesbian families may be emotionally better off than their peers.

I shall end with a gif of Lightsaber Woman!

It's the end of October and it's 87 degrees

2010-10-27T12:18:00.001-05:00

The heat is making me delirious so the links are sporadic.

Let's save the planet! Scott toilet paper now comes without cardboard holders. I don't use Scott but I can appreciate what they're doing.

Know your politics! While some of this is a bit vague, the points are still true.

Meanwhile, let's examine how Americans don't grasp the large scale numbers in the country's budget and deficit. This is a helpful visualization and, before and Repubs start high fiving it, this also applies to the amount of money Obama is spending on healthcare. Mere pennies in comparison.

Target hates creative people, poor people, black people, and smart people. Ok, they really just want to sell their products but this is an interesting article about one of their Halloween ads.

I've always been grossed out by pumpkins, but these amazing carved pumpkins just makes it worse.

And in all seriousness, we can't get rid of Antoine Dodson. Now you can have his Bed Intruder App.

Now, I'm done, gimme some love!

Saints Sunday links

2010-10-17T14:06:00.003-05:00

I've been told that I never say anything nice about the Saints and that's not true. I'm just a realistic fan. There's a real chance that they might do something stupid.

Helpful:

The people have spoken: NO MORE PHONE BOOKS!! Most people don't use them, and in my case, I can get as many as four of them. Now you can opt of out receiving them.

Need to find out where an image came from? Tin Eye reverse image lookup. There are some really cool search options popping up out there.

Some facts about sleep and a podcast showing, yet again, that
later school times lead to better performance

I've blogged about this before, so maybe this will be more helpful. When to use the word "literally". Thank you, The Oatmeal.

Fun:

Again, thanks to The Oatmeal for these things you do in e-mail that make me hate you.

The internet makes me regret a lot of things, but here's the best of Regretsy. Absurd creations.

The funniest news about a band: FORMER Weezer fans offer money for the band to call it quits.A LOT of money.

Bastard Thursday links

2010-09-30T09:17:00.004-05:00

Whatever I give you is what you will take. I am so tired.

I'm tired of it, too. Three dimensional viewing is not fancy to me anymore. It's been around since I was a child and frankly, I'm tired of really dumb films coming out in 3D. It's actually, for me, harder to focus on and enjoy the film when it's in 3D (I kept taking my glasses off during "Avatar"). There are, however, apparently some things that are sacred, since Star Wars fans are unhappy about 3D plans. Good for them. Now, if we could only stop making BAD Star Wars films, we'd be set.

Pretentious non-grammarians like to correct the average speaker when on things such as "I feel bad" (a la Donald Trump, right) when that is correct. It's kind of funny that Americans like to try to appear intelligent by attempting to speak properly when they just sound silly when they don't follow proper grammar rules.I've got a great podcast from the Grammar Girl on flat adverbs, or rather, adverbs with no "ly". Read it so that you won't look like a jerk the next time you are tempted to correct someone.

First it was dolphins, now it's monkeys that have shown a capacity for self awareness. This should bring up some interesting conversations soon. There are also some interesting links at the end of the article. (Don't worry, chimps are just as idiotic as humans I mean ever (thanks for sharing)

Anderson Cooper apparently IS gay. Ok he's not, but he's in the works for a daytime talk show. Close enough.(Will he be the new Oprah?)

Scientists have found what should be a truly habitable planet. Don't go thinking that YAY we can keep trashing this planet. Because we can't.

Labor Day weekend links

2010-09-04T17:36:00.005-05:00

I was saving a lot of these for a special occasion, which would be now.

I haven't had cable since February and now that I have it back, I have discovered a great VH1 countown called Undateable. It's a top 100 countdown of things a man could do to be labeled undateable. I LOVE that VH1 is as cynical as I am. They also keep me entertained on days when there's too much sun to go outside.

Fun links:

I hate stupid names but I am not the only one.

Douching isn't even good for you, and only nasty girls do it. So suggesting that if you want a raise, you have to douche, is taking it to the next level.

List of the Day: Fourteen inventions you could have thought of. Totally. Some, I wouldn't even call inventions. Then another Seven stupid products created by brands. People ought to be ashamed.

Important story suggests that standardized tests are biased against kids who don't give a shit.

Cracked: Six really creepy things slipped into kid's cartoons. REALLY creepy and inappropriate. Thanks to Netflix, I can stream them and watch them.

Nerd links:

Video of a fire tornado in Hawaii. ARMAGEDDON!!!!

How something feels affects thought.

Thinking about adding to the family? There may be no need. "Only child" syndrome may be a myth.

Everything else:

Paste Magazine is shutting down. How sad. They tried to keep things going but couldn't do it. I appreciated getting my new music every month and hope to continue to support them on their site.

We know you're lying, and so are we. The top 13 books people lie about having read. Some of us have been forced to read Cantebury Tales, but even a lit major hasn't read these.

Being a realist

2010-08-09T22:19:00.002-05:00

I've got too many things to update and too little time before I have to leave to go to Florida. I can not organize links as I should, but here they be:

Grammar Hall Monitors take to the streets: a guy and his buddy go across the country correcting errors on signs. He's my hero.

Cut the optimism; you're being duped. Many companies resort to toying with your emotions to make more money.

They also think that you're too stupid toknow science fact from science fiction. And even while the average person wouldn't know much about some of these things, they shouldn't take advantage of that, either.

Who's going to protect you? A young girl's school used her as rape bait. Seriously.

Candidate for governor of George is crazy. Why's it always gotta be the South??

I had this link for tips on using Google Search but after some recent information about Google's deal with Verizon on Net Neutrality, I no longer feel a strong urge to support Google like I once did (and I am typing this from Firefox v3.5.11 instead of Chrome!) but the information is there.

Now, must prepare to hopefully make it to sunny Florida!

I HATE THE DRs

2010-08-03T11:17:00.009-05:00

I do not mean my general practitioner or any other real doctor in my life. I mean the show "The Drs".I do take the word of my GP with a grain of salt; he is known to give free drug samples more than write prescriptions and at the beginning of my bronchitis, I was told to take Mucinex since I couldn't stay for my appointment to see the doctor (after having waited two hours). I advise every person to ask questions and to research things on their own time. Doctors are not infallible and there are often ulterior motives involved in the information they give you.

This show, The Doctors, is a panel of four good looking (in the opinion of some) doctors that spend an hour on TV promoting products and playing devil's advocate on topics that deserve serious attention.

I am not comfortable looking at "doctors" that are heavily made up (one of them looks like a less attractive George Hamilton) and are loud extroverts that say fake sounding things like "I love this show- I learn something new every day!". I hate you, Doctors.

Another issue that I have with the show is how they use the reality show dramatic cliffhanger by saying things like "a disease that can blind you AND YOU MAY ALREADY HAVE IT" before going to a commercial.
People are stupid. People are led into these traps very easily and are more than willing to be led. This show takes advantage of that in the worst way. They devote no more than about two minutes to each topic and a handful of them are important things to know- however, this segment about the a, u, and g spot was about two minutes long and the conclusion to that segment was "but it's most important to get to know your partner, not anatomy". Then what was the point in talking about it if you go on to explain that this will not work for every woman?

The organization of the show is set up to draw ignorant women in and then leave them knowing little more than when they began. That is not helpful, especially since these women are not likely to seek out further information. That is not the nature of our people, as has been proven through people's willingness to attach to conspiracy theories (Obama's not American, Billy Cosby is dead, etc). In a nation where people want to be spoon fed everything, people will take what they're given at face value. People trust doctors, a little more than they should, and these people are exploiting that trust. The only way for a person to not be exploited is to have knowledge.

Can we please get this show off the air? Next, Dr. Oz. Stop scaring people with shows like "The Rising Plague" and do something to actually improve the health of Americans.

ETA: This is the guy that America is taking health advice from:

Why is a doctor promoting diet instead of nutrition adjustments?

The cynism sinks in

2010-07-26T22:16:00.002-05:00

While this is old news (I am just not keeping up with posting like I should), it still amused me tremendously: BP is bad at photoshop. A few days later, it was rumored that they'd struck again but that was a hoax. This, however, is real.

And, in staying with Slashdot and Louisiana news, schoolboard members act to make Intelligent Design a part of Science curriculum. Because Louisianians don't already have an ass-backward way of thinking. (By the way, without discussing my or anyone's beliefs, intelligent design does not have a place in science class. Making it have a place is a way to push the curriculum into public schools where otherwise it would be restricted to private and Catholic schools.)
To think, this is the focus, when Jefferson Parish schools are failing. School board members give themselves raises while laying off more than 200 hundred teachers. Good call!
This is, of course, due to the fact that Louisianians are the most sedentary people in the country.

Microsoft knows they suck. Microsoft is extending their free downgrade to Windows XP. I have considered this as I did not like Vista, but I have learned to deal. Windows 7, however, is my arch nemesis.

Hate Facebook as much as I do? Here's a video tutorial as to how to block games and apps.

People spend a lot of money to go to college and get marketing or design degrees only to end up making logos like this that just FAIL. Way to go!

Cool and nerdy and not cynical: An 18th century ship was found at WTC site

Unload!

2010-06-22T22:02:00.003-05:00

Gotta make room!

I'm going to first start by mentioning the the scariest sound in the solar system (I would like to say 'universe' but I'm sure there are scarier sounds beyond our limits). Scientists have recorded the sounds of solar coronal loops- the giant magnetic flares that come from the sun's coronal atmosphere. They call it "music" but I call it "sounds of impending death".

To the ladies: Are your friends lying to you? Of course they are. Because you want them to. Quite a good article about how women handle relationships and the general decision to not hear the truth from those loved ones who should be the first to be able to tell it.

If you've become complacent with using PCs and Microsoft programs, you may need to pay attention. Apple is rising while Microsoft is slowly declining. It may be time to start learning to use other programs.Trust in Google :)

And finally, why I'll never be an adult. I was so surprised to find that this is exactly how my life goes. Then I was sad.

Then this made me happy. One of the best auto tune edits that I've heard. It's so worth it.

While this call isn't new, it's enjoying some new attention: Jimmy Dean complaint call. We all know that 12 oz of sausage just isn't enough. Even better? ultimately, they won. The 16 oz is back! I admit that watching those videos TOTALLY makes me want some JD sausage (without the T-bone, that is).

Yet more junk

2010-06-12T15:35:00.003-05:00

Can I stop collecting it? No. But as long as I'm amused (or shocked!) I will keep posting it!

For instance, I am thoroughly shocked and appalled that there really is a sequel to Titanic in the making.
And apparently there will be severe earthquakes in Califonia and British Colombia, Canada. There may be something off with the guy and I'd feel really bad if there was, but it's still funny to listen to.
This is what is being called the The BP Fail Whale
At this very moment, I should be doing something important, but I'm not. And you're not, either. I love Pearls before Swine.
I am a sucker for teh cute. Kids and dogs make me happy.
Speaking of dogs, here are some fun life lessons we should learn from a dog. I wonder what life lessons from a cat would be like?
I really enjoy all of the Justin Bieber is a girl jokes.
This may be my new favorite way to jank people on Facebook: Openbook. You can keyword search and see people's updates using those words. YES. Now I know for sure that Facebook is stalkerific.

UNLOAD LINKS!

2010-06-07T20:04:00.005-05:00

I have too much stuff that I need to unload. I have seriously slacked on the intellectual information but I will return with good stuff soon!

Bad cocaine can rot your flesh. Drugs 'r' bad, mmkay??

High cagefighter rips amigo's heart out. 'Cause DRUGS ARE BAD. Was this guy practicing for the real life Mortal Kombat?!

Probably not anything people haven't already discussed or written about, but I like that they share videos for their 20 best Seinfeld moments

My favorite local bartender shared these 86 rules for being a good bar patron. EVERY man under the age of 30 should know these.

I know that English is the hardest language to learn but Engrish is still funny. Really funny. I will adopt some of these 32 Engrish subtitle mistakes into my regular lexicon. "You ugly you look like your twelve year old turtle". Because you do.

Stuff that makes you and me cooler than everyone else:

Time lapse video of the Iceland volcano. It is really beautiful and amazing to see, especially now that it's over.

A fun optical illusion. Sometimes I don't lose all faith in the future of mankind.

Some facts about bacteria. It's good to know what's trying to kill you (the viruses will be the ones to succeed in killing you)

LISTEN UP! These are some really important FACTS ABOUT PETA that EVERYONE should know. The organization isn't this all good-serving, animal-loving peace-keeping company.

We are so fortunate but we mostly complain that we don't have more. Let's get a little perspective.

This hipster bullcrap needs to stop! A graphjam on Che Guevara shirts. If you don't know what he did, click that link. And if you're wearing skinny jeans when you do it, I hope you burst into flames.

Late and slow

2010-05-21T23:15:00.007-05:00

My computer is being very slow so I can't get through my reader updates. Instead, I will share some of these more ridiculous links:

I am a HUGE fan of the recent Old Spice commercials (and an even bigger fan of the actor Isiah that is in one of them), so this cake amused me endlessly. I want to put my face in it.

Bret Michaels has endured many trials recently so in honor of him and his accomplishments, he has been honored. This amuses me endlessly.

List of the Day has some clips of a very funny site called My Ex Wife's Wedding Dress. 101 new uses for it.

I don't care much for Flash but Photoshop is still the best.

If you don't believe me, look at these user photos on Amazon. They amused me endlessly. Heh heh.

Thanks to my tech buddy for sharing this with me. Now all heterosexual men and homosexual women can properly learn CPR. This aroused me endlessly.

The site that could be most useful next to Google: What's that called. Want to know the name of that song on a commercial? Find it here! TV show? They can help! Now you don't have to be aggravated that your local Wal Mart sales associate can't help you pinpoint that song that's been stuck in your head all day.

Ten things that everyone should know about penis. This amuses me until about five inches. ;)

Get a laugh

2010-05-16T20:01:00.003-05:00

New fun! http://shitmykidsruined.com/This site gives some of the best reasons for birth control...or just funny stuff that kids ruin

Do you like mash ups?Sometimes I do.

What some might call The Worst Wedding DJ, I'd call the most ballsy and insane.

What might be the funniest argument caught on tape

People make fun of you when you use incorrect English and grammar. I sure do.

NBC hates everyone. Not only are they cutting a bunch of shows (the details of which will be released on Monday), but THEY ARE GETTING RID OF HEROES. I can't stay the show was award winning but damnit I am tired of getting invested in a show and then it not making it to an ending.

In the latest round of "Why I hate Facebook", I have more articles about the privacy issues and the creator supposedly, well, looking down on his users

Black businesses fail to expand

2010-05-15T17:39:00.002-05:00

A friend of mine linked me to an article about Black Dominican salons taking over the black hair salon industry.
I take such great issue with this that I am ranting. I am disappointed that the Black community has spent many years trying to get ahead by standing on someone else's shoulders. Countless people lower the standard for Blacks simply because we are Black. If anyone watched "Black Hair", there is evidence of countless salon owners who think that it is unfair for businesses run by other races to excel. That is the root of running a business. You have to compete and do better than everyone else. Here, yet again, the Black community is crying foul because the Black Dominicans do hair cheaper and seemingly better. That is truth. I refuse to pay hundreds of dollars to have my hair done in a kitchen, but that "stylist" sees nothing wrong with asking such high prices. Capitalism says that you lower your prices or lose your customers. Well, people, you're losing your customers.

I used to work with a Dominican girl who told me about this method of hair strengthening and I was excited and stupefied. She has hair just like mine, but it is healthy, long, and full of body. While the interviewed salon owners claim that the Dominican method of straightening does more damage to the hair than the standard chemical relaxer, I must say that my experience is that the Dominican hair I've seen is not nearly in the bad shape as all of the bald headed women who over process their hair.

People, straighten up! No one, in reality, owes a single other person on Earth a favor. I am waiting to see Black people step up and play on the same field as everyone else. It is maddening to know that because my standards are higher I'm a traitor and not supportive of Black people. I could rant on about "supporting Black businesses" and how people want all Blacks to buy from other Black small businesses exclusively (or as much as possible) and I refuse. Much like buying American cars, I'll buy your product when you show me its improved quality. Until then, it's time to figure out why everyone else's business is doing better.

Random Library

2010-05-11T22:00:00.006-05:00

I have found a site that I am totally enamored with, yet it was a site that was not designed for me! The Library of Random Man Knowledge- Number 159: Communication with anyone, but especially your spouse or girlfriend requires not just listening, but interacting with what’s being said. Let your lady know you are putting yourself in their shoes and at are at least trying to contextualize their feelings. They will love you forever if you do this and you will have a better and more intimate relationship.
There are a ton of quotes and bits of advice all designed to revive the art of manliness. Which I think many of our guys today need help with. Ooh, like number 171. Cool things!

A few quick links

2010-05-11T00:36:00.001-05:00

Nothing too serious this time. Reader has been overflowing but I can't face reading the articles just yet...

April Motivational Picture Roundup. All of those fantastic posters in one post.

Parents of teens are more oblivious than previously thought. Sex is NOT for other people's kids. Who do you think YOUR kids are doin' it with?!

Interview with the creator of the show 'Community'. I like it.

Engrish roundup. I bet they can find a lot of Asian errors here,too!

Random links

2010-05-05T19:57:00.005-05:00

I was tempted to post some articles about the Stephanie Grace e-mail debacle, but it is so multi-layered and drama tinged that I decided against it.

Relationship advice-you should learn to ignore it.Funny stuff, but it's true. Rarely is the advice great, unless coming from a professional or someone who has nothing to gain from giving it. While I still read The Relationship Journal (for your sake, not my own HAHAHAHHA), I question whether or not the answers are in depth enough to really be of any help.

Facebook screws your privacy...YET AGAIN. This will most likely be fixed by the time anyone sees it, but I do still need to make my point that Facebook is awful, it sucks, and people are being screwed by it on a daily basis.

The most disgusting fair foods in America. Or possibly THE WORLD.

My last warning that tanning is bad. Maybe you'll listen to Cracked, but I have been trying to tell my fairer friends that darkening your ass isn't worth it. And also why it's just a phony money maker. Check out this reprinted history of WHY it's fashionable to be "tan". Now, if I can find a nice little article about why it used to be fashionable to be curvy...

10 things you didn't know Google Maps could do. Very helpful and makes me love Google even more.

To all of the people that think fat kids are cute, please reconsider: America's youth too fat to fight. In the military, that is. Maybe all of those disgusting fair foods are to blame.

Nerd stuff? I think so! 20 things you didn't know about viruses. I hope this also clears up some things for people who think that getting a flu shot means you won't get the flu.

The next X-Man will be directed by who? The dude that made "Kick Ass". Which is apparently an awesome movie.

Scammers -Festiva, FAMINU and Viniva

2010-05-03T15:08:00.003-05:00

I have had many dealings in the online community in the last few years, be it from social communications, job searches and housing searches. That means that I have also had my share of experiences with scammers, even the Nigerians. This newest one, however, is going to hit and hurt a lot of people who, in this job market, are desperate for a job.
I applied for a position that was listed on Craigslist and received a reply e-mail within ten minutes, at 10:45pm. It was sent from a Blackberry which suggested to me that they had not even read my resume, but they were inviting me to interview the next morning. This came from FESTIVA RESORTS (http://www.festiva.travel/). I found this article during my skeptical search and was not interested in them even if there was a job. They are ripping people off with fake timeshares and I sure couldn't be a part of it.

The second company, or two companies, are a bit more serious. I sent another resume out from Craigslist and received a reply the next day, saying this:
Hello A*******,

Thank you for submitting your resume for our receptionist position.

We have been getting a lot of applications for this opening, but I am happy to let you know that I have reviewed your resume and it looks good.

Before I can set you up with the final interview, you need to complete a short personality screening, which can be found at our web site.

Your resume has been assigned with a personal application code which is: XXXXX

Please go to http://faminu.com/jobs/receptionist/ enter your code and complete the personality screening, so we can progress with the application process.

Thank you in advance and have a great day!

Best regards,

Jeremy Timmons

Faminu

I clicked the link and saw that it asked for a copy of my credit score and if I didn't have a copy to upload, I could click another link where I could obtain one (I don't know what happens when you click the link to get your credit score. It may have been spam or virus, who knows. I didn't click it).
I started searching again and found their site (http://faminu.com/), which offers no information, and I found the much more telling information on Whois. If you don't know Whois, you should. Unless you're an actual creepy stalker, so I won't tell you any more. But Whois gave this info. Basically the company is in the Bahamas, has been moved around the net and had been on several servers over a short amount of time. Without the Whois information, it would have been harder to get info on Faminu because they are a coverup for another company called Viniva, which has been targeted for scamming before. People were sent the exact e-mail that I got, but from Viniva.

Also, for those in New Orleans area, there are often posts on Craigslist warning about job offers from Bruno Inc, a real estate company. He has been scamming home buyers and even companies- at some point he sold an apartment complex in Metairie that he didn't own. He operates under a few other company names, but they're usually listed together. So I would also suggest being cautious about renting from him/his company as well as any job offers he has.

I advise that everyone be cautious when using online resources and pay close attention to the information you receive from smoeone. If you feel like something's wrong, chances are, it is.

Funny stuff

2010-05-01T17:33:00.004-05:00

People are stupid. People are funny. Here are some examples:

Which performance are we worried about him enhancing? FAIL.
Marina Abramovic made me cry. If you even know who that is, yay for you. But this is one of the weirdest things that other people seem to think is normal.
Awesome Chatroulette screencaps. I thoroughly enjoyed.
Sometimes SNL has some random gems and something funny pops up,like this video for "Single Ladies".
Funny GIF animations. I think they're all real, and they're worth a chuckle.

Important in the news

2010-04-28T21:45:00.005-05:00

Let's get shocking!

Bring your gun to church day!Proposed bill will allow concealed guns at church, but of course at the discretion of the minister. Yeah.

California takes the fun out of fast food. I think it's great that California tries to be progressive, but if you want to talk about losing freedoms or governments taking over (that goes out to all those folks that like to say Obama is a Socialist), California is leading the race. They are now banning fast food places from giving toys with kids meals that are over 485 calories, in an attempt to curb fat kids' desire to eat fat kids food. Because that is the REAL problem. */sarcasm*

NASA image of the oil slick off the coast of Louisiana. It is being proposed that they just set the slick on fire.

Ok, a little less shocking:

A book I'd recommend:Fifty Dangerous things You Should Let Your Kids Do. I agree that parents have become over-protective worry warts that don't allow their children to be free to scrape their knees or get Chicken Pox. Let your kid stick his finger in a fan-the blades will stop, it won't cut his finger off. I know a guy who electrocuted himself three times before the age of ten, ate dog food and stuck red beans in his ears and he is quite the normal adult. Here's a PDF of item 46.

Instructional diagrams for socially inept people. I wish they'd picked more. There are so many more lessons for people to learn.

New Fall shows that might not suck

Is this a Dutch movie?

2010-04-25T23:54:00.004-05:00

I don't have cable anymore and find myself watching World programming. And sometimes reading articles.

Phil Collins makes Motown covers album. Let's talk about this, please? Have a healthy discussion about why this can't happen? Several other artists have attempted this and it ends badly. The kind of voice that Collins has is just SURE to make this album a mess.

Review of Theresa Andersson's live DVD. She's a New Orleans favorite and I must say that I respect her and her creativity tremendously. Everyone should giver her a listen, just once.

F.Scott Fitzgerald is a hit. A movie adaptation of Tender is the Night will feature Matt Damon and Keira....that chick.

Six ways for teens to lose distractions. I think this would be more suited for parents of teens who can "remove" these distractions for them, more than asking a teenager to give them up willingly.

20 things you didn't know about digestion and sugar.

Car commercials suck

2010-04-25T21:33:00.005-05:00

AKA Why I Love My Yaris

I have been deeply annoyed recently with the new Ford commercials that prod people to "swap their ride" or whatever the promotion is. They ask a HONDA driver to get behind the wheel of a Ford and expect ME, as a viewer, to believe that she really loved that POS Ford more than her HONDA. HONDA is one of the three top car companies. Hondas are so good that I couldn't find a used Accord or Civic last year when I was car shopping. Nowhere in Southeast Louisiana. People don't get rid of Hondas because HONDAS NEVER DIE. My sister is still driving her manual Accord coupe from 1999 (although she also has a nice Lexus to troll the city in). My Dad has a 2004 Accord that he bought a companion 2010 Accord for as his retirement car. I don't think anyone who has owned a Honda is going to be swayed by a bluetooth phone system or parallel parking system. As a note to anyone looking to buy a car- the more bells and whistles a standard quality car has (like bluetooth), the less reliable and lower quality the car is. They want to distract you from the shit falling off the car.

Toyota is another one of those top three car companies. This was a huge factor in why I bought one. I couldn't afford a Prius, but I'd rather the lower end of a high performing car company than anything from a low performing company (CHEVY CAN SUCK IT!!!) Last week I was shown just how trusty my tiny Toyota is (who is nicknamed "Pip the Pirate" because he's a YARRRRis):

I was rear-ended by a Toyota Landcruiser which is so big that I could fit my Yaris inside of it. Toyota;built Ford tough. He had not even a scratch. I was told by the adjuster that most cars would buckle in the middle behind the front and back doors, which would cause serious structural damage. My trunk crumpled like an aluminum can but there was no damage to anything but it and the bumper. I could have been screwed with a totaled out car but instead I am driving a CHEVY COBALT while my car is being repaired. Ford, Chevy, you can all eat dirt while me and my Toyota keep cruising with my super awesome gas mileage. I've had the Cobalt for less than a week, have been nowhere but to school on Wednesday and to work on Thursday and I have already used half a tank. Oh, Chevy, you can suck it. Make better cars and you wouldn't have to lie to try to sell yours.

Shortcut info for healthcare and thensome

2010-03-24T18:45:00.003-05:00

I have been linked to two good sites that have the healthcare reform broken down into easy to understand terms. Many sites aren't easy to grasp, and are STILL skewed away from certain facts that have already been clarified. So I'll share these two:

Reuters offers info in a year by year breakdown so that it is easy to see what changes will come and when.

PoliticFact Top 10 things you should know about these changes.

Also, for those that still like to use words like "socialist" and "unconstitutional", I'd like to provide THIS.

Keeping with my previous hippie post, I also wanted to include the video for The Story of STUFF. It is 20 minutes long but goes much more in dept than the others and is really important for consumers to understand just how they have been puppetted in the last sixty years. So the next time my friends come over and make fun of my tube TV or old laptops, printers and stuff, they'll shut the hell up because they will now know why I haven't fallen for the banana in the tailpipe with being a greedy consumer.

A few things to know about bottled water

2010-03-23T00:06:00.002-05:00

This is a very well done video that warns people of becoming obsessed with the bottled water movement. I hate the bottled water movement, and have been drinking tap water all of my life (save occasions where I need water and a fountain is not available and buying a bottle is about my only option). There are a lot of other things that could be included in the video but then it would be a two-hour long Michael Moore movie.

http://storyofstuff.org/bottledwater/

Give it a quick look, and maybe take a second to consider what you might able to do differently.

My birthday and things I love

2010-03-18T11:08:00.001-05:00

So today is my birthday and one of my gifts to myself has been to chronicle one of my favorite things: The Todd's high fives from "Scrubs". There are eight seasons (I do not count this new season of "Scrubs: Med School" as anything other than garbage) and a lot of quotes. At some other time when I'm bored and I still don't have cable I may do a collection of all the girl's names that Dr. Cox calls JD. But for now, I will share this that I have collected.

Season 1

No real "High fives"

Season 2

Ep 21: “My Drama Queen”- “Air Five”

Ep 22: “My Dream Job”- “Self Five”

Season 3

Ep 2 : “My Journey”- “Mental Five”

Ep 4: “My Lucky Night”- “Sterile high five”

Season 4

Ep 11: “My Best Moment”- “Miracle Five”

Ep 12 : “My Ocardial Infarction”- “Face Five”

Ep 21 : “My Lips Are Sealed” –“Fist Five”

Ep 24: “My Drive By” –“Assisted Five”

Ep 25: “My Changing Ways”- “Make it Stop Five”

Season 5

Ep 1: “My First Day”-“Euphemism Five”

Ep 2: “My Rite of Passage” –“Betrayal Five”

Ep 16: “My Bright Idea” -“Breast stroke five”

Season 6

Ep 9 : “My Perspective” - “Cyber Five” / “Duct Tape Five”

Ep 10: “My Therapeutic Month” - “Weenie Roast Five”

Ep 13: “My Scrubs” – “Somethin’ Might Be Wrong Five”

Ep 14: “My No Good Reason” – “Skeptical Air Five”

Ep 17: “Their Story” -“Unfair Five” / “Internal ‘uh oh’ Five”

Ep 19: “My Cold Shower” – “It is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all Five”

Season 7

Ep 8: “My Manhood”- “Entire Coffeebucks Five”

Ep 10: “My Waste of Time” – “Ice Fishing Five”

Ep 11: “My Princess”- “Fairy Five” / “Still Can High Five? Five”

Season 8

Ep 4: “My Happy Place”- “I can feel little JD five”

Ep 5 : “My ABC’s”- “Grover Five” / "I just pulled down your pants Five"

Ep 7: “My New Role” -“Disrespecting Nurses Five”

Ep 12: “Their Story II” - “Welcome to the Team Five” / “Quiet Down Five”

Ep 13: “My Full Moon” - “Are We Clear Five” / “I’m sorry Five” (Turk)

Ep 14: “My Soul on Fire Pt 1” – “Cardboard Five”

Ep 15: “My Soul on Fire Pt 2” – “High Tide Five”

Ep 19: “My Finale Pt 2” – “Goodbye Five”

I advise everyone to get to know and love Scrubs. Everything that you ever need to know about life is on this show.

The sexiest musicians I've ever seen

2010-03-04T20:02:00.015-06:00

I was driving home tonight and a particular song made me think of the first time I saw that band, and just how exciting the show was. I thought I'd write about the sexiest artists, local/unsigned and national/famous,that I've ever seen live.

Aaron Marsh of Copeland: He first made me sweat when I saw him at The Parish last year. The band had been bestowed upon me by Jeffery because my snobbery prevented me from listening to them when I first caught wind of the name years ago. Aaron's voice may not be for some, but I like it, and seeing him, doubly hot on stage in a green sweater, made the back of my knees sweat. He's a very passionate musician and lyricist and I can't dare scoff at that.

Thom Yorke of Radiohead: There are a million things to say about the miniature, lazy-eyed lover boy, but one thing many people might not say is that he is sexy. I had the pleasure of seeing Radiohead at the UNO Lakefront Arena in October 2003. I wouldn't say that prior to this show I would have described Thom Yorke as sexy, but as another passionate musician and one who glides across the stage, he just did it for me. "Hail to the Theif" then had a whole new meaning.

Me'shell Ndegeocello: I had a hard time even picking a picture of her, as she is just beautiful while standing still. But this tiny bass playing dynamo already had my heart in 1993 with "If that's your boyfriend", but it wasn't until I saw her at HOB in December 2001 that I fell in love all over again. She doesn't play bass for most songs when she's touring, but the woman exudes soul, passion and sensuality with every breath. Even when she was being vulgar (noting that she is bisexual and sometimes just needs some dick), she was just hot. It's a shame that I cried when I met her after the show.

Travis Shuler of The Public: One of my favorite local bands, I've been captivated by The Public for more years than I can recount. Dear Travis stands out in a crowded room full of hipsters with his black suits and piercing blue eyes. Yet, he is a tremendously nice guy. His brooding lyrics fit the front man persona just so, and I am not embarrassed to say that watching him on stage makes me go all little girl wobbly.

Mark Mullins of Bonerama: New Orleans is well known for its Brass bands, but my all time favorite is Bonerama. They aren't just a classic Brass band, but take trombones, a guitar and a drumset and rock you with funk, jazz, soul and sex. Mark is the lead trombonist, singer and writer, and he gyrates on stage in a way that a man with a trombone just shouldn't.

Honorable mention goes to Brandon Boyd of Incubus, whom I first saw at State Palace in 2001. That one's obvious.

Least sexy goes to Scott Weiland, post drug addiction. I saw STP at State Palace in 2000 or 2001, when he was fresh out of rehab. The rehab diet isn't sexy on anyone, I think.

I must note that somehow, most of these people are short. I guess they just look larger than life on a stage.

Silly links and pet peeves

2010-03-03T21:15:00.008-06:00

What's my pet peeve? It isn't so much a grammar lesson as it is a common sense lesson. Or two.
First, using the word "literally" correctly. We know what it means, right? The Merriam Webster definition of 'literal': adhering to fact or to the ordinary construction or primary meaning of a term or expression/ ACTUAL/ free from exaggeration or embellishment (though the definition of "literally" states that the misuse I'm going address is a form of hyperbole-yet the misuers are not aware of this supposed meaning)
Yet, despite this, the definition is lost when people use such phrases as "After the workout with Bob, where he literally killed me, I realize that I can do every single thing that I didn't think I can...". So, is the author writing from the dead? No, of course not. It peeves my pet to hear people say and write such things. They don't realize that they're doing it, either.
It is possible to exaggerate without misusing such a word. Can we start doing this, please?

My second pet peeve is incorrectly saying "I could care less". In a short explanation, this is wrong because the speaker implies that they must care a little, because there is less caring that they could do. The correct phrase would be "I couldn't care less" because if you truly do not care at all, there is no less caring you could do.

And then there were links:

Passive aggressive kids notes of the day. Ah, from the minds of youth.

Things everyone should know about the female orgasm. This is a great addendum to the video presentation in my last links post.

Let's walk the cat. As funny as this is, I'm glad my cat actually walks on a harness.

Ice T WIN. Thanks, Failblog.

How to travel for less. This isn't necessarily how I like to travel, but it might be suitable for some.

Proof that The Learning Channel isn't teaching anyone anything anymore. Thanks, Cracked.

The Color of Love

2010-02-28T00:03:00.002-06:00

On 2/17/10, I read and responded to an article on The Relationship Journal because I think people really should address this because it is a real issue in dating in America.

Mikko,
Hey, I'm a long time reader and have kept up with a lot of the helpful articles that you have written. I'd like to ad my opinion of the topic of interracial/intercultural dating. I think that race should be removed from the equation; here's why: race does not at all determine what kind of relationship you will have with a person. Aside from stereotypes, there is no need to believe it. Now, if a man has a preference for blondes, does that mean that all blondes will be self centered in relationships? No. Nor does it mean that any individual of a race or culture will act stereotypically. We should ALWAYS be understanding and respectful of other's cultures, regardless of dating. In this, we should only ever consider race.
There is rarely a focus on meeting the right type of person; people just aren't asking themselves and being true to what they want in a relationship. Do they want someone who will be a responsible mother or father? Do they want someone is financially responsible? Someone who is laid back, free spirited, Type A...these are all types of things that affect how a relationship works, and all people, regardless of race, carry these characteristics. When you remove race and culture from the equation, you add thousands more eligible singles to your dating pool.
We are individuals, and I personally want to be addressed as one, and would not want any potential mate to decide the fate of our future based on a physical characteristic or cultural differences. Should a guy from Michigan who's never eaten grits not date a girl from Georgia because she has? That's about how silly it all sounds to me.

Mikko had a great reply (which you can read at the link above), but I wanted to further inquire about people's perspectives on interracial dating and also to further clarify what my point is.

Well, what is my point?
I don't like the idea that we have to be OVER sensitive to other races and cultures; that actually leads to opposite stereotyping and misconceptions. But general race issues aren't what I'm addressing. I am addressing how we view other people from other races as different, when we really are the same. Our cultures may lead to subtle differences to large ones (say, if a white man marries and traditional Hindi woman), yet those aren't where issues actually come from. The idea that we simple CAN'T date other races because they are too different is the problem.
We aren't all that different. There are white people, black, asian and hispanic people that can all find similar interests and personality types. And THAT'S what we're supposed to be looking for in a relationship, right? So why is it so impossible to expand those options to include other races if they are still sharing interest and have compatible personality types? That is where the emphasis should be in all relationships anyway.
It really won't matter if your black girlfriend doesn't want to go into the pool if she is a caring and supporting partner. See what I mean?
Opening up your options by expanding your social circle can make a big difference. I should know.

Getting down to business with some links.

2010-02-22T21:11:00.004-06:00

I hoard links and save them for later. I don't have a ton, but I need to unload these from my browser before it crashes.

The coolest presentation you'll ever see: 10 things you didn't know about orgasm. The presenter is just as entertaining as the slideshow.

20 funniest figure skating faces. Of course, in honor of the Olympics.Number 2 just does it to me.

Take this test!Commonly misused words. There is an answer key here with some great explanations, too.

the best diet information you'll ever read with a side order of Six of your favorite things that will make you fat It's amazing how many people know so little about...everything.
Like this:
New ways to make people lamer, dumber, and more lame. Some butt-wipe of a pediatrician wants to make HOT DOGS LESS DANGEROUS. FOR CHILDREN. See, adults and children alike are at risk of involuntary suicide because of their high levels of stupidity. The article explains that only 17% of choking incidents are even caused by hot dogs...so WHY should we change a delicious and awesomely phallic food for 17% of people? My favorite quote from the article is this: "No parents can watch all of their kids 100% of the time," Smith says. "The best way to protect kids is to design these risks out of existence.". That's right, dumb the world down its lowest common denominator. Rather than, you know, be a responsible parent. Or halfway intelligent human being.
In honor of this, my friend also linked to Stupid Warning Labels and other idiotic warnings.
I'm a cynic, I'm a realist, and I don't think ANYTHING should come with a warning. You should be tough and figure it out yourself and if you die, then hello natural selection.

But I do like this video and song which may have been ripped off by this other band I kinda like. Very different types of music, similar video. I think I like them both.

Short and sweet!

2010-02-16T23:39:00.003-06:00

Just a couple of cool sites to bookmark:

A very long list of commonly misused English words. Read it. You'll find something on there that you need.

(I am not shirking my responsibility as the Grammar Hall Monitor, as my sister so lovingly called me; I will return to my grammar tips soon)

Astronomy picture of the day!. As shared to me by Angie, you can look at NASA's archive of amazing photos.

How to connect your laptop to your hi-def TV. Now, if you're still in the stone ages like me and have a tube TV set (don't laugh, I like it and I've had it for 16 years or something), this won't help you. I have been searching for the right cables to hook a hi-def laptop to a standard TV/entertainment center. Any suggestions?

Cracked

2010-02-04T22:40:00.003-06:00

I can't stop. I can't help it! Cracked.com feeds into two of the biggest parts of my personality: my twisted sense of humor and my love of nerdy knowledge. So I am sharing some of my favorite, most recent Cracked articles. Keep in mind, this is all truth (some of which I've already read about on SciAm or Discovery Mag), and take in all of this glorious knowledge.

Six ways your brain love to screw with you

Six logical fallacies that can ruin you

What can you do about this, you may ask?

Five ways to hack your brain into awesomeness

And yes, Kramer DID do that in an episode of "Seinfeld".

As an addendum to #1 on "How to hack your brain", the reason that this is possible for you to even do to yourself is because memories are maleable. We think of memories as being solid facts in our brain and, once they are stored, they often are-until you recall them. They become pliable once you recall them (say, for instance, remembering something someone wore at a big event). There is a split second in memory recollection where it is subject to changes and you can even forget it forever. So if you tried to remember if the hot waiter at your best friend's wedding was wearing a blue tie or a black one, the moment you introduce uncertainty, your brain starts to re-write the event. You can no longer remember the true fact the next time you think of it, or you may all together believe it was black when it was really blue, simply because you changed the data the last time you recalled the memory. Reality is not 100% perception...

Grammar Correction of the Day

2010-01-27T16:43:00.000-06:00

LOSE vs. LOOSE

It's quite the common and understandable error to make, especially while typing, but it stumps me that I never see anyone mistake "desert" and "dessert". We take our after dinner snacks seriously, I suppose.
The difference between "lose" and "loose" is that "to lose" is a verb, while "loose" is an adjective. To lose an item means that is cannot be found, is misplaced, or out of sight. And item can be loose when it is over-sized, ill-fitting and not tight. One way to remember the difference is the extra "o" in loose; think of it as being too much, like too much fabric in a loose fitting shirt.
It would be a good idea to get fit, but don't lose too much weight or your clothes will be too loose!

Slagathor

2010-01-26T23:30:00.006-06:00

Is Indie dead?. I hope so, and I hope that they take the skinny jeans with 'em.

Want to know more about your favorite artists? New file format will include more information than just songs.

Does a lack of control in your life make you more paranoid?. Studies say YES.

Wanna read a good book? Read the first chapter of Hear no Evil by Mark Paul Turner (and you can buy the book here)

Set the ray to Jerry

2010-01-25T19:00:00.006-06:00

My love for actors named Zac runs so deep: he's the best one yet.

How good is your processed food? A short video on how the processed foods are costing us more, and not in the pocketbook.

Conversely, big business wants you to stay away from healthy. Oranic coffee growers are being forced out of business.

Yes, the sarcasm font is in production. If you were like me and thought it was a rumor, then you were wrong.

Is Facebook selling your privacy?. Facebook founder says that people view privacy differently than they used to, and Facebook is adapting to those changes. This article will help you protect your privacy.

In the vein of Tupac, Jimi Hendrix is set to release a new album

Director of '500 days of summer', Marc Webb, is signed on to direct the next Spider Man movie. While '500 Days' was great, this non-Tobey Spiderman world is at high risk...

Funny animal photobombs. Make sure to watch the video at the end.

Yes, we met online. There seems to be an explosion of online dating as more adults feel the pressure to mate up.

Girls are NOT math incapable. Teachers may be influencing young girls to believe that they are gender biased to be bad at math when they are not. Article includes a link to a podcast study that shows that girls are just as good at math as boys are.

Being bilingual can help make better problem solvers

Pregnancy brain is real. Men, take note. Your girlfriends and wives aren't crazy; their brains have rewired to make them the best mothers and protectors that they can be.

This ain't no BoyzIIMen covers album. It could be the best covers album we'll ever hear.

Ain't it cool? Ten songs inspired by Virgina Woolf.

Grammar Correction of the Day

2010-01-15T13:50:00.009-06:00

APOSTROPHES.

Somewhere our brains lost track of not only the grammar rules but what looks correct. People have a tendency to throw apostrophes all over the place but the rules of useage are not hard.
Apostrophes are NEVER used to pluralize words; only, in fact, to replace a letter that has been omitted, as in a contraction like "doesn't", which omits the "o" in "not", or to show possession as in "Mary's dog", which expresses that they dog belongs to Mary. If you're not sure, figure out if you are talking about more than one thing or relating that object to something else. "The other CHAIRS are in the garage, but this CHAIR'S cushions need to be cleaned!"

There are some great tips that I refer to here at the Grammar Girl's website, and quite the funny picture description here: http://theoatmeal.com/comics/apostrophe

Welcome to the New Year-How to keep your resolutions

2010-01-02T14:50:00.004-06:00

New Year, new decade, new you. Most people approach a new year as a chance to make changes in themselves and their lives, which is a great way to make change. However, the notion of making resolutions often leaves a loophole and a way to leaving those aspirations behind. I believe that resetting goals is the real way to see change, but for those that have decided on their New Year's resolutions, here is an article to help stick to those new year/new decade resolutions.

Zen Habits:sticking to your resolutions. These are all really great steps to turn a resolution into an achievable goal.

Welcome to the new year!

How long does it take to get over a relationship?

2009-12-29T16:05:00.003-06:00

The question that can never truly be answered. Everyone's experiences are different though we share similar pitfalls in our relationships. The common answer has been "one month for every year you were together", however, is this always appropriate? There seem to be more reasonable responses, and ones that can cover just about every situation. For instance, it may seem to hurt more and for a longer period of time if you were the one that was dumped, but that is not to say that the dumper does not hurt, too.
In some cases, a break or break up may be necessary to learn and grow from the relationship and having to recall memories can keep the wound open. This is, though, a good time to learn about yourself and how you handle relationships and how you can make things work better down the road.

I have seen some very insightful remarks here that are very helpful and relevant:

"It's a good idea to ask this question in a larger context: one that encompasses your whole life. The trouble with break-ups is that they tend to remind us of anything else in our lives which is "broken" -- where life is stuck, dissatisfying, or stagnant. So our angst about these other areas gets "triggered" by the upset of the break-up, and it starts to look like the break-up was maybe a big mistake: everything becomes painted the same color of black....Love and relationships is a tough area by itself: there's a lot of entanglement between our ideas of love and our ideas of who we are at a deep level, so a breakup can really shake someone's idea of self, and resolving the "trauma" of a breakup involves seeing clearly who you are and what your future is about. So you can't really separate this issue from the other issues in life."

"I think when people have touched our lives, we will never really forget them. Just we are able to move on and take the good bits into our next relationship."

While I do believe that sometimes people break up because they are together at the wrong time (as I mentioned here), this isn't a hugely common situation. Most of the time, it's pretty simple and easy to see what keeps a relationship from working (for example). There are some interesting things out there to help people cope with the loss of a relationship:

How to get over missing an ex. I tend to like Mikko's insight and he has a lot of articles that he's written, some of which are linked back in this one.

WikiHow!. The most helpful and logical I've read. Step by step "to do's" to help heal your heart. "No relationship is ever a failure if you manage to learn something about yourself from having gone through it..."

There's often a lot to think about when a relationship ends, but that doesn't mean that every day or every thought has to be painful until the end of time.

X-Mas, its meaning and why you are all wrong

2009-12-27T14:24:00.002-06:00

I meant to post this a few days ago. A friend shared this link and it excited me to no end, as a friend of mine had already explained why we use "x-mas" in place of "Christmas". Prior to his telling me, I did not know and am so glad that someone wrote about it. Get it right, people, and stop causing controversy over nothing!
What does 'x-mas' mean?

Grammar Correction of the Day

2009-12-23T22:04:00.001-06:00

This one is my pet peeve of a non-contraction: WANNA.

Let me tell you something about the non-word, "WANNA"; it's a contraction without the apostrophe. I'll get on the apostrophes in a later post. However, I have to clarify the correct use of the fake word, WANNA.

It's a contraction of "want to", however, many people use it as a contraction for "want a". It's not. It makes me a little nuts to even see intelligent people make this mistake. In reality, you are typing more/using more characters when you type "wanna" when you meant "want a" than if you were meaning to type "want to".

I wanna go home soon, but watching District 9 is making me want a steak!

Bah humbug!

2009-12-23T14:07:00.003-06:00

In light of my being trapped in the hellhole of Little Elm, I am sharing some holiday worthy lists:

50 funniest celeb quotes of the decade. I somehow hadn't noticed that the decade was ending.

10 most depressing Christmas songs. While I am in a totaly Scrooge mood, people need to stop hatin' on "Last Christmas". Sad songs have to include sad music, too!

Patton Oswalt's 'Christmas Shoes' animation. Big time, awesome BAH HUMBUG!

Grammar correction of the day

2009-12-20T17:41:00.003-06:00

My involvement in the online community has driven me to offer grammar lessons to those less fortunate asses that don't know even the basic rules of the one and only language that they speak.
Correction of the day: using "of" where "have" should be. For instance, you *should have* studied more in English class, because "of" is an adverb or prepositon!
No, really. When you contract the words, you don't write "should'f". You write "should've"; the "apostrophe-v-e" is a clue to the word that was contracted. The negative follows the same pattern, did you notice? You wouldn't type "should not of", now would you? The same goes for "would" and "could".
Here's a quick trick: if the phrase is followed by a past tense verb, you would use "have", which is the specific helping verb for imperfect past, and present perfect tenses. Think of it this way: if you had gone out in the rain and were stuck in a restaurant for 13 hours, you might think that you should have stayed home!

Adding to the blogroll

2009-12-15T13:40:00.001-06:00

I have found a great article for some important things women should know about their men and sexual needs. I am enjoying his blog but I thought this one was important to share:
http://jesusneedsnewpr.blogspot.com/2009/08/ladies-stuff-that-being-true-about-your.html

Updating the links

2009-12-15T10:33:00.000-06:00

My reader is overflowing with updates from nerdom to music news. It's about time I put some up.

The Vatican makes mixtapes. Yeah. Click the link to see what songs they play.

Build your own iPod/iPhone dock. It's cool. I want to do it.

Windows 7 still fails. Users air their grievances about the OS but still say it's better than Vista.

Smashing Pumpkins' new song is available to DL. I just heard about this Billy Corgan/Jessica Simpson nonsense so he's kind of on my shitlist right now.

Six of the worst processed foods.Yummy!

Sigur Ros frontman releases solo single

Quick Links

2009-12-14T20:44:00.002-06:00

Not anything too major, but incidentally, as the LotR anniversary approaches, there is a small theme:

Tobey Maguire in talks to play Bilbo in The Hobbit.I love Tobey. I do. However, I have my doubts about this...
and on the heels of the former, a nice little LotR spoof.
Tom Waits is Lord of the Rings. Well. I want to know more about this.
LotR will be available on Blu Ray this spring.

In non-Lord of the Rings clips:

Bobby McFerrin teaches us scales. Most people on Earth know him for "Don't Worry, Be Happy", but he has released many jazz albums over the years and he has an amazing knowledge of music. This short clip of him is amazing and I want to find more info about the program.

Relationship talk: why they end sometimes

2009-11-29T23:01:00.006-06:00

Relationships are hard, but there are a few things we all should keep in mind to keep a relationship healthy and moving forward. I recently read a blog where the author wrote out some common reasons that men end relationships and I think I would like to offer some perspective for BOTH sides of the game. This is not why every man or woman leaves; it's some very real things that have gone wrong in some relationships that I hope can help save some fighting and even heartache.

Why [some] men end relationships:

1. They don't get a chance to talk or ever be right.
Last night, I was at Semolinas and overheard a couple having what was becoming a heated conversation. The man was saying that the woman was wrong, and he actually cited examples and the woman just kept saying "nope, no, no". I am a good arguer, as I'm told, and in logical argument, if you do not have a defense, you have no argument at all. So while I have no idea what they were discussing, it seemed as though the woman just didn't want to be wrong. She couldn't counter his points or cite her own reasons for why her recollection of the incident was different. This can lead men to feel like they are never right, and their experiences aren't valued by their partner. What can also happen is that the woman can become over bearing with her thoughts; often getting louder, yelling, or talking over the man. For any person, this can lead to feeling like the other person isn't listening and doesn't value what you have to say. This is no different for men. What's worse is that men often take great effort to offer their thoughts and feelings and after not being listened to, they may clam up altogether. This will lead to a lack of communication on multiple levels, and even a good relationship can begin to crumble under that weight.

2. Loving him too much is suffocating.
It seems bizarre to say that loving someone too much is bad. But for a guy, no matter how in love he is, after some time, he will want his relationship life separated from his regular goings on. I must quote Paul Rudd from the movie "Knocked up": "Do you ever wonder how somebody could even like you? The biggest problem in our marriage is that she wants me around". Women like to show they care by being there. Men show their love by supporting and protecting. Men need personal time, even when they're smitten. It is very important for couples to maintain the personal lives that they had while they were single and to make sure to nurture friendships that were valued before they became coupled up. Men tend to be more logical in this and knowing that their relationship might not last so they do not want to lose other things that are important in their lives. It doesn't mean that he doesn't care; it just means that he may already know that being too involved with each can lead to boredom or aggravation and he doesn't want that to happen.

3. Insecurity.
Even the best matched couples can find themselves in trouble if one or both parties is insecure about themself in any way. Women tend to expect their men to reinforce their self esteem but we forget the most important part of that phrase: SELF. No one can make you feel better about yourself. It is incredibly taxing for a man to feel like he always has to emotionally support a woman in this way. It is not necessary to ask a guy if an outfit looks nice every time you get dressed to go out. You bought it so you should already know if it looks good on you or not. The worse manifestation of insecurity is the suspicion of cheating. If a man has given his woman no reason to suspect that he would want someone else, a woman shouldn't assume it is so because she has a problem with herself. The first sign is when a woman wants to know what her guy is doing any time that he is not with her, or asking about female acquaintances that are in his life. If a woman is worried about where her relationship is heading, she should talk about it instead of potentially pushing him into the arms of a stranger. He picked you and he wants you to be confident in knowing that.

4. Excessive independence.
A lot of women, especially us black women, have a tendency to feel that we have to secure our futures with or without a man in our lives. I do not believe that a woman's role is simply to serve her man. But I once heard that "when a woman buys a house when she's single, that says to men 'I don't need you, don't bother". Men are wired to be providers and that is their number one way of showing how much their care. Thus, when a woman removes that from the equation, she makes him obsolete. It is a blow to his masculinity if he feels that he can't provide some things for her, or that he is not a needed or valued part of her life. So while every woman should have her own goals, job, education, car and domicile, she should beware of prematurely buying that turkey baster because the man that wants to be that for her may think that she has no need. Women must allow a man to open doors and pay for things from time to time. It is helpful is she asks him to fix something even if she knows she can do it herself. He should feel that he has a purpose and that he is not disposable.

5. Not valuing his sexuality.
Men operate on a hormone that drives them to want to procreate. The survival of his best features are dependent on this, well, in an animalistic sense. We like to blame testosterone for men's problems but don't forget, it is coursing through female brains, too. Men are not just horny monkeys; they DO like to express their affection physically and they did pick the woman they are with because they are attracted to her. So while female libidos may be a little slow going, it is important to recognize that it is a big part of a man's relationship with his woman. Sometimes women refrain from sex for silly reasons. Not making time for romance because she doesn't want to mess up her hair, or a TV show is on, or any other reasons that I I mean women have given that AREN'T your period will send him thinking that it, and thus HE, aren't important. It may be annoying that he wants it seemingly all of the time, but the day that he doesn't means that the relationship is in serious trouble.

6. Infidelity.
This should be number ONE but I am not ranking these as all reasons vary from couple to couple. Men do not have the same capacity to forgive and forget as women do. Once their trust is ruined, it is hard to get it back, if at all. They are also very aware of how sexuality works for women (and how we are inclined to have sex less often, typically) and if she is so bold as to cheat, then he understands that she simply has no need for him anymore.

Why [some] women end relationships:

1. He disregards her wishes.
No, boyfriends and husbands aren't magic genies, but even the most reasonable requests can be ignored on a regular basis and this is frustrating to a woman. She views her relationship as a partnership and that means that men participate in the mundane, the dirty and the annoying. If she doesn't get a break from daily routine, why should he? It is not painful to help around the house, fix or seek repairmen for broken things, or to even hand over things that are needed. Football, video games, and even phone calls are no excuse to not be there when a woman says she needs help. In the case of an "independent woman", if she dares to ask, she must mean it. When the requests truly are irrational, he should tell her so. Men may not know where the line is to be drawn, but a good place to start is to ask yourself if you would need or want help with that particular thing if it were you. Sometimes it may even be an excuse for her to have her guy around when she can't engage in other activities with him.

2. The relationship is stagnant.
Most women dream about marriage before they start their first period. Women learn to date and have fun, but by a certain point in life, whether by societal pressure or the incessant ticking of our biological clocks (which men also have), women start to whittle out those that don't have the stamina for the long run. Women can be very lenient and accepting of men and break ups for this reason can seem to come out of nowhere, but at some point she has realized that she doesn't want to marry him or that he doesn't act like he wants to marry her. A friend of mine once said that "love is easy, but commitment is a bitch". Truer words have been spoken, but these are good, too.
It may a big deal for a guy to even coast along with a woman because, to him, this is commitment. If he has not left or sought out a new partner, in his mind, that's good enough. Women, however, don't want to hold the regret of what could have been. Maybe the guy at the car dealership might have been "the one" and she might never know it if she stays with a guy that isn't considering a future with her.

3. Emotional Infidelity.
What is emotional infidelity, you ask? Women expect to be the emotional support system for their men and even friends, and when someone that they trust to come to them seeks outside support, it is very hurtful and damaging. Most men do not keep a lot of female friends, and the ones that do will find ways to assure his woman that these are platonic relationships. When these lines are crossed by flirtation or even engaging in deep emotional conversations, it makes the woman feel like she is not needed or even that she's done something wrong. It is often a sign that the man is unhappy with his woman (see number one and number five of why men leave) and once she realizes this, she may opt to jump ship before he can do any further damage, leave, or even cheat on her.

4. Baby mama troubles.
Men who have children from previous marriages and relationships are tied to those women for life. A smart woman will do her best to respect that relationship because that child is always going to be number one. However, men do not consider what role the non-mama is in. No matter what the status of your relationship or your future, she can never be number one in your life or first at anything. Maybe you will get married one day, but she will always have the burden of knowing that she won't have your first child, or that "the other woman" will always have to be in not just your life, but hers. When single parents enter relationships, they must decide where their relationship is going and what role their child/children will play in that relationship. There must always be a balance and respect and when those scales tip, a woman may cut and run because she doesn't feel valued and that there never really is a place for her in his life.

5. She's scared you don't like her and you will leave.
It's a symptom of insecurity, yes, but in a person whose very being is knit together to ensure survival, women may dump a guy to spare her own hurt. It is usually easier to get over regret than self doubt. Sometimes the signs may be anything from not spending as much time with her as often he used to, not being physically engaging, or not allowing her to participate in his life (meeting friends, offering advice, cooking, or going to his preferred hang outs). She may see these things as signs that he doesn't like her as much, and instead of waiting for the other shoe to drop, it is best to sneak out the back door and live as little as a Dear John note. She may be wrong, and if she is, some guys may investigate further, but generally, she will leave and not look back. She would rather feel that she's lost out than feel like she made him stay or his life less enjoyable.

There are little things that can eventually cause volcanoes to erupt, mountains to be made from molehills, and things like socks not being put in the hamper to WWIII-like effects in relationships. It is very helpful to recognize what they are and try to fix them before irreparable damage is done.

General troublemakers:

1. Venting your frustrations to friends that can't help.
It is very natural and OK for people to vent to their friends when they're mad at their partner, but it can become a nasty habit. It is unhealthy for the friends because they can begin to develop a bias against the partner because all they ever hear are the negative aspects of the relationship. It is also hurtful because when people vent, they tend to think that they're over the problem, and then the issue is never discussed and thus never resolved. Even the most caring person can not correct something they've done wrong if they don't know that it negatively affected someone else.

2. Not allowing for change.
So, guys screw up. It is easy for a woman, especially a woman who has her life in order, to find fault in ways that a guy may not. The more serious a woman becomes about her relationship, the more "perfect" she will want it to be. This is because a mature woman is trying to make a home, and she can not jeopardize the survival of that home, child, or relationship. However, Women may ask or even demand that a guy do or don't do something, but then jump to the assumption that in a similar situation he will automatically repeat the undesirable action. Allow him to screw up. If an issue is discussed, the guy has to be allowed to fix it. This is true for women as well. It is hard, at times, to acknowledge that the things that women do to make their own lives work do not translate into the relationship. When she finds this out, she also has to be given the chance to make up for the mistake.

3. Not apologizing.
No matter how big or small the problem is, an apology can go a long way. An apology isn't saying "I'm wrong"; it is saying that an understanding has been met. For instance, if a husband tells his wife he has a meeting AT five, and she thinks that he will be DONE at five, she may say, "I'm sorry, I misunderstood what time you'd be done". Sometimes men are afraid to apologize because they have huge, overflowing egos and they think that saying "sorry" will mean that they did something wrong. In Spanish, one would say "lo siento", meaning "I have sorrow for it". Giving an apology with explanation can also alleviate concern that blame will be placed (like in the example above. She does not say "I was wrong", but that she has sorrow that she misunderstood).

4. Lying.
If a person is a pathological liar, the pathological part can be refreshing because there is a pattern or understanding that it happens all of the time. When a person lies indiscriminately, with no reason, it can break trust in even worse ways than lying does on its own. For instance, if a girl says that she is going shopping with a co-worker when she is really having lunch with a guy friend, she is doing two things: 1) suggesting that what she is doing is not acceptable in her relationship and 2) suggesting that there will be a pattern in this behavior and the next time she is shopping with her friend, she must really mean she's at lunch with a guy. What happens if she doesn't lie the next time and she really IS shopping? Then her guy is then free to assume that she could be lying ALL of the time.
In general, dishonesty is bad. If a person can not handle the truth, that is their problem and it should be discussed. Sometimes guys lie because they don't want to upset a woman; sometimes they lie because they think that she will think the truth is stupid. No one should ever have a fear of communication. If you do it openly with friends, why wouldn't it be done openly in a relationship?

5. Becoming complacent in your duties.
Sometimes people tend to forget that relationships need to be a balance of give and take and fair expectations. Sometimes men and women start to expect things out of their partners that they could not deliver on themselves. Hypocrisy is a killer. It's not good to tell someone that it burns your biscuit to watch them to eat with their mouth open but you are really smacking away on that corn on the cob. Be realistic. It is also bad to attack a partner for not completing household duties if your half aren't done.

6. The Blame Game.
No one can be right all of the time. It is usually best in a discussion or argument to recognize fault and to be mature enough to accept it. It is not helpful to try to divert attention and claim that maybe the dishes aren't washed, but your partner has left six pairs of socks on the floor. It is not a time to try to feel better about being wrong, or to air grievances that you haven't plainly talked about. It is best to apologize for whatever is wrong or to try to have a discussion about what can be done to remedy it.

Every relationship is going to have its own pitfalls, and every individual has their own deal breakers. These are some very common and hopefully avoidable pitfalls that can help take a relationship to a new level.

Some info taken from here.

Put your thinking caps on

2009-11-23T21:41:00.002-06:00

Just a few links today:

Three steps to help alleviate poverty.

Race doesn't matter..but color does. A study shows that people's political views are corresponding to a person's color.

Guy marries fake girlfriend. Things are spiraling out of control at this point.

Wanna know what I've got?

2009-11-21T14:58:00.002-06:00

*Google Chrome is the wave of the future. I still don't understand how the "cloud" that your data is on is safe, but Google products continue to be released to great reviews.
*The Post Office hates Santa. They will stop forwarding kid's letters to North Pole, Alaska. Santa is dead, y'all.
*British epileptic plans to display seizures to audience. She will try to induce a seizure as "performance art". WTF?
*movie popcorn is worse than three hamburgeres. The good, drippy, McDs burgers. DAMN. The movies have to ruin EVERYTHING.
*NY Philharmonic will offer..dinner theater. Ok not really, but starting next year they may offer after-show, top chef made meals.
*Zac Efron is hot. That's all.

He vuelto!

2009-11-17T17:54:00.011-06:00

I have been sick for the last three weeks and being sick+taking care of basic responsibilities=no online playing. So I have more than 1,000 unread articles on my reader, and I'm going to get around to sharing them with you.

Funny:
*The 7 stupidest relationship fights by Maxim. I would personally add in "you never tell me how you feel".
*Funny eye cream ad
*No Wonder you're single

Stuff:
*How to make your passion your job
*When did these celebs lose their virginity?
*What's the point of being in a relationship?
*My Little Pony, remade
*Restrooms on cruises are the dirtiest around
*Why do we need universal healthcare? Because the US falls behind in offering sick time and benefits
*7 things that 'good' parents do wrong. Great list. If you have kids or are planning to have kids, please do not make these ridiculous mistakes.
**In reference to number seven of that last link: check other languages to make sure that your newborns new "unique" name isn't something offensive or stupid. Because "Suri" actual means stupid things in at least THREE different languages.
*People who chronically get the flu may be less likely to develop H1N1.
*2012:The movie-review. Very funny and well written, I might add.
*Five tech gifts for under $25
*60 Second Podcast: Why are your memories blurred falacies of your mind? Because you have to get rid of your old ones so thatyour brain can make room for new ones.

Why you should know your world: most people don't realize why the "killer" is part of the common name for Orca, or "Killer" whales. A group of whale watchers found out why.

Mom always said that liver was good for you.

Lazy on the links

2009-10-22T18:54:00.002-05:00

It's reader time!

Do you know trichotillomania?

2009-10-19T16:25:00.001-05:00

Every year or so, I post about some information or patterns regarding this disorder that I have (that some people like to argue I have not been diagnosed therefore I do not have it) and this is my re-welcome entry into the subject.
I have trichotillomania. It is a psychological disorder that causes one to compulsively pull out body hairs. It is a compulsion, and is described as a type of OCD, but more specifically as an impulse control disorder. There are many other ICDs out there that people are more familiar with, such as nail biting, skin picking and non-tourette's related ticks. It is not as uncommon as many sufferers believe.

My amazing friend, Rachelle,the awesome book publicist, alerted me of a book called "Marni" which is part of a series of books called Louder than Words-a series of books by teenaged girls for teenaged girls. The story is written by Marni Bates and she suffers with trich. She is 19 years old.

The book, while a good read, is not highly focused on Marni's development of trich or struggles with it. It is mostly about her troubled family life. She doesn't begin to mention trich until page 93. In this, I was a little disappointed. I want to read or hear about other people's triggers and trials because I want to come to understand what makes this tick happen and, hopefully, how it can be stopped.
Marni does describe when she first started pulling her hair and where (specifically, her eyebrows at first) and by page 100, she describes quite the annoying habit that I share with her: the desire to pull other people's disheveled facial hairs! Javonda and Jeff know all too well that I may be staring at an out of place eyebrow hair or a criss-crossed eyelash while I'm supposed to be participating in a conversation. That is sometimes more embarrassing than the desire to pull my own hair.
Marni also mentions her discovery of tweezers-a harmless invention that can be the ultimate tool of destruction for someone with trich. I started pulling the hair around my face when I was eight, but stopped a few months later, only to have the desire arise in the eighth grade. I would pull eyelashes out by the chunk and this annoyed me, as I was only after one-the "bad" one. I soon discovered what precision I could receive by using tweezers but this ultimately fueled my pulling instead of restricting it. I didn't notice how serious it was until high school, when I saw a picture of myself and a friend and there was a gap in the thick black lashes on my right eye. I had been walking around like this and I never realized it. For poor Marni, the damage to her face was obvious in the beginning, in middle school.
It is a short book and a quick read and I would recommend it to anyone who is suffering from trich or knows someone who is. Just knowing how many people are out there that have this disorder can ease the stress of doing it. Part of the destructive cycle in trich is the shame that we feel from thinking that we are alone in experiencing this, and the shame creates stress which causes more pulling. Awful cycle, no?

My sister also suffers from very mild trich, and she has been able to get it more under control than I can. The hardest thing to deal with about having trich is having non-compulsive people telling you to just STOP. Please, if you know someone with a compulsion, do not tell them to stop, because they can't. And the embarrassment of your expectation makes it worse. When I was a child, my dad would put his dirty gym socks on my hands to keep me from pulling my hair. This, more than having someone slap my hand or yell at me, helped me to keep my hands out of my hair for a longer period of time. But clearly, the desire is still there.

One of the most relevant things that Marni says in her book is that she realized that pulling her hair cleared her mind; she was able to be free from all of the worries that swam in her mind throughout her day. This is more true than anyone may realize. I didn't realize it. I have been told that I am pulling my hair and I wasn't even aware of it. Marni was told that some people even pull in their sleep. Until I read her words, I didn't realize that pulling my hair made me concentrate. I have been trying to find my trigger for a long time now; was it stress? was it work? was it sadness? It may very well be that I need to concentrate and the only way to quiet my mind is to occupy the part that I'm not using. I pulled my hair while watching "The Time Traveler's Wife". If you saw the movie, you'd understand! So much going on that it takes a lot of effort to watch, much less care about the movie.

Reading Marni's book has been a huge revelation for me. While I try to journal every time I pull, it hadn't revealed some clear cut reason for doing it. This most recent time I had been pull free since the viewing of the above mentioned film until I started working on a project for a job I'd applied for. Intense concentration was needed. My hair was not. I thought it was odd that I didn't have the tingling sensation that usually causes me to pull and now I understand why. It's not my scalp, or stress, that causes me to pluck out those kinky black hairs, one by one, by the root. It's the need to quiet that incessant hum inside my brain that keeps me awake at night, that makes my mind wander while reading, forcing me to read and re-read the same lines over and over again, or while someone is talking to me about something that I have no personal investments in. I can now put the pieces together. I can now work on a solution, or at least an alternative. The only other time I am so clear headed is when I walk. One mile, two miles, three miles. If I can replicate this free-mindedness, I may have a way to spare my hair (and eyelashes), and recover from a little known disorder with even fewer known cures.

Marni's book is available on Amazon and there's more info about her on the Louder than Words site.
All of my posts about my trich are here

a bunch of fun vids

2009-10-15T23:38:00.002-05:00

I have been slacking on posting but I hope that some of these funny videos make it better. I can't help myself, I love goofy comedy.

Obama's healthcare reform in auto-tune. It's funny. I avoided it at first but it is actually LOL worthy.
What does that hand say to the face? SLAP. REMIXED. Thank you, Dave Chappelle.
Vince Schlomi's Slap chop remix.

I don't think this guy is trying to be funny, but if he is, he's a genius. Watch him sing up to five octaves. Watch out, Mariah. Shane's coming up!

And on the heals of the Hammond judge that wouldn't marry an interracial couple, I offer THE BLIND DATE. This guy and his group are hilarious.

And for some sweetness, this video is of the most awesomely coordinated Halloween light show ever. I'm never going back to the Halloween laser show at the planetarium again: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83VJ6fzQ-1s

Stuff you should know

2009-10-04T23:35:00.001-05:00

I've been away! I've slacked on my articles! But here are some good ones to check out:

News
Oldest human skeleton found. Huge deal, since she is MUCH older than Lucy. What I don't understand is that they are saying that this disputes the missing link argument when, to me, it seems to be evidence for it.
Toyota makes huge recall on nearly 4 million cars.
Everything you need to know about the Swine Flu vaccine.
A few quick facts about H1N1 flu:
People born before 1957 were exposed to ancestors of the new pandemic virus, which are in a lineage that goes back to the notorious H1N1 virus that touched off the raging pandemic of 1918-19. That's why people older than 52 are likely to have some protective antibodies that "cross-react" with the new H1N1 flu.

In 1957, for reasons flu experts don't fully understand, H1N1 viruses disappeared for 20 years. They were supplanted by other seasonal flu strains, such as the currently circulating H3N2. So younger Americans didn't get exposed to H1 viruses while they were growing up.

Then in 1977, H1N1 came back into circulation, possibly because of a laboratory accident in Russia that released an archived virus. Since then H1 viruses have evolved further away from earlier versions.

On average, 20,000 Americans die of the season flu, also known as H3N2-this far surpasses the current number of fatalities due to Swine Flu.
It's also important to acknowledge that though this is a mutation, it is still a previously existing virus and there shouldn't be alarm about this new strain. The approximation for deaths in the U.S (that I can find) is under 200.
Getting the vaccine is a personal decision, just like getting the season flu shot. This is just information to help make your own, informed, decision.
Scientists may have a vaccine for the HIV virus.
Helpful
29 ways to change a habit. All very true.
How to turn anxiety into inspiration

Stuff:
Malawian man powers town with windwill. Amazing video embedded.
Come stream the "Where the wild things are" soundtrack
Thom Yorke and Flea formed a new band. This should be interesting!
Watch out, Twitter worm steals user info. I hate Twitter.
Blockbuster FAILS. They are reported to close as many as 960 stores due to slumping sales in competition with Netflix and Redbox. Yeah, they should go down since they don't carry "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia"...
For your funny:
Riverdancing dog. He does a good job...

12 states we could all do without

2009-09-21T12:50:00.001-05:00

A friend and I were talking about band tours and traveling and he ended up mentioning how much I dislike Arkansas. In case you didn't know, I hate the state of Arkansas. I thought everyone knew this. He did. And he made a joke that I would be a 39 state theorist and I have been so challenged to name 11 states that I could stand to live in America without. I'll do him one better and give you 12.

Arkansas
Besides obvious reasons such as the fact that the state is full of idiots, it is just a completely useless state. It is not currently nor has it ever really contributed anything to this union. If you've ever driven through or across Arkansas, it was probably one of the worst moments of your life. This state is mooching off of other states by having towns named "Texarkana" and "West Memphis". Get your own towns, Arkansas!

Montana
This state is named Spanish for "mountain". Yeah, we get that. You're not the only state to have those tall, pointy, snow capped things called mountains. If this is their only bragging point, then they should go on and give up now. Well, that and it's ranked as the fourth largest state. Why do they need to hoard all that space? Go on and give Idaho a little of that land back so they can be nice and square, too.

Oregon
I know that there are some people who are huge fans of Portland; I've even been told that I would love it there. However, that doesn't mean that we need the whole state. Oregon isn't contributing anything to our union. They don't have grass grown from gold or or giant puppies. Just a lot of space between California and Washington. If we want to keep Portland, why don't we just drop the Washington state line a few miles and give our great city a new home and stop making Portland carry all of the dead weight of the entire state?

West Virginia
You might think I'm just being a jerk when I say that we could all live without West Virginia, but the truth is, do we really need a state that is just named "West" of the state it's next to? The true irony of our sad, loser states is that West Virginia is nicknamed "The Mountain State". Sucks that they gave the real name to Montana. West Virginia couldn't even do that right.

New Hampshire
I don't particularly like states that are named after a direction or the "new" version of something else. I won't hate on the significance of the original colonies, but what has N.H. contributed since? It's yet another stretch of land between more interesting states. Do they have tall trees there, or something?

Minnesota
What did Minnesota do to anyone, you may ask? Everything. Even its own residents don't like it. More than half of the entire state's population lives near St. Paul. That's a LOT of people for the twelfth largest state. What are you running from? The stinking smell of cheese that's floating over your border? Also, Minnesota has one of the more annoying U.S English dialects. Can't you just hear someone mocking them by stretching out that "mean-ahh-so-tahhhh"? If I were doing a list of cities, for that reason alone, Boston would be on my list.

Alabama.
...
It's Alabama. Do we need to talk about it? They eat baby souls while sitting on their front porches in year-round hell heat. And they're damned proud of it.

New Mexico
New Mexico's just sitting there, being all hot and just stealing some of the interest from Arizona. The fact that the majority of its population is still Native Americans and Mexicans suggests that we should just give the damned state back. Adding the "new" in its name doesn't make it any more or less like the original.

Indiana
Aside from now being the memorial ground for Michael Jackson, can anyone name anything interesting or important about the state? The state's unoriginal name simply means "Land of the Indian"- not because there are a ton of red feathers left in the state, but because they let them live there a little while before hauling them off to the reservations. Aside from the Indi 500, which could be done in any state, Indiana has not lured us to its border for any good reason.

North Dakota
Again, directional state names annoy me. The state may have had an honorable name but being named after a native Indian tribe but couldn't that name have sufficed? Just...Dakota? Ew, now I'm thinking of Dakota Fanning. Ruined. North Dakota hasn't given us any yummy foods (yes, Idaho has been spared because of it's potato crops. I love potatoes. I'm the Bubba Gump of potatoes), interesting innovations or sexy people. All of these are important parts of our country.

South Dakota
It's south of North Dakota. What else is there to say? A friend just argued that South Dakota should be spared because of the "Teton National Park" but that's not even in this state. She also mentioned the Black Mountains but I could just as well go to another mountainous state when it's not snowing. There, they're black.

Wyoming
It's a complete rectangle. That, for me, is reason enough. However, it also has a "W" and an "M" in the name and that just ruffles my feathers like no one's business. "W" is for WINNERS. Wyoming is for LOSERS. It has the lowest population of all the U.S.. Did you know that there's a place called "Dead Indian Pass"? It sounds like a hate crime, and I hate Wyoming for it.

Shopping and swapping

2009-09-12T13:47:00.003-05:00

Somewhere in my evolution, I became a shopper. An ONLINE shopper, no less. I've also become an online SELLER; anything that I've bought that I don't like or doesn't fit has to go somewhere; I've found a fantastic place for it to go.
http://www.swapstyle.com/

You can list items just as you would on Amazon or Craigslist but you have the option of selling it OR swapping it for something else!

I am amazed by this site. It has just rocked my world. I am in no position to shop but if I feel that ever-nagging desire to acquire new things, I can do it easily and without breaking the bank. I love it.

Weird links for Friday

2009-09-04T12:09:00.002-05:00

If I didn't know any better, I'd think today was Friday the 13th!

NWSSex in the city...for real...
Cat 'bathes' in sink. It's cute and longer than necessary, but who doesn't like watching cat videos??
Satan, say cheese!. I think it looks more like a demon than the dark prince himself.
What should the church do? DRINK!
Man gets himself arrested to get away from his wife
Forget Laughing Cow cheese; how about some sad, suicidal cow cheese?
Cat totally OWNED by fish aquarium
Preschool FAIL
Man bites off another man's finger during a healthcare reform protest
Deformed frog found in can of Pepsi. This makes me more alarmed that a friend had FIVE underfilled cans of Diet Cherry Pepsi in his twelve pack...
Iron Man 2 may be in 3D
60 second podcastGrowing tomatoes with pee
60 second podcast:Body clock linked to weight gain
R. Kelly plans to finish Michael Jackson songs...smh...

http://www.howmanypeopleareinspacerightnow.com/

I read way too many sites

2009-08-31T19:25:00.002-05:00

News:
KRS One writes Hip Hop Bible
A short article on how your brain deciphers multiple sounds
Putting your child in daycare can help parents make friends
Psych hospital in Buenos Aires teaches Tango as therapy

Funny:
Don't even reply dot com. This guy reponds to stupid ads just to annoy people. Ingenious. People post some really ignorant ads online...
Dullest Blog dot com. Some guys is making a satirical blog making fun of boring posts. His blog is hot, apparently.
The Scarlet Letter, revisited. A VA man caught cheating was forced to stand at a DC intersection with a sign declaring his infidelities. Women are smarter than you.
Vaccuum ad fail

cloudy sunday links

2009-08-30T16:38:00.002-05:00

News:
Burglars going hi-tech and using Facebook and Twitter to rob you. Yeah, see, I knew there was a good reason to hate those sites.
America's best places to find a job. There are some unlikely cities on that list. Shreveport? REALLY??
The origins of the film 'District 9' It's a short film that spawned the idea for the movie.
Cranberries reunite for tour

Funny:
Knitting with Dog Hair. Someone's turned the art into a very boring book.
Wifi prostitutes. A new way to think about finding free Wifi connections.
Probably bad news

Geekdom!

2009-08-24T17:39:00.002-05:00

Satellites can predict infectious diseases
Catepillars originated from interspecies sex. Kind of gross, no?
Ozone affects our skin, even indoors

Links on a nice day

2009-08-23T20:24:00.002-05:00

Homer Akinbola? An Angolan marketing firm has made the Simpsons go all Black.
Gamers are as sad as you think. The average videogamer is 35 and quite the unhappy sap.
Robot cats could provide care for the elderly. Creepy.
Study shows that we eat more when our friends do. Yes, the fatter your friends are, the more likely you are to overindulge. While there is a study that shows that we mimic our peers out of an evolutionary need, getting the giant onion blossom is NOT contributing to our betterment. However the US life expentancy is at an all time high of 78. How are we managing to continue to pump grease through our veins for this long??
8 phenomenon that defy explanation. Number 1? THE FLU.
I admit that I was overwhelmed by too much Shakespeare in college but creating a 3D musical of Hamlet is no way to spice it up.
Remember Andrew WK? He has a new album of tribal music.

How to know if they're THE ONE

2009-08-21T17:00:00.002-05:00

Too many times, too many of us have asked our friends and parents how they knew that their spouse was THE ONE and the same answer has been echoed: "I just knew". What does that mean? This feeling of knowing that seems to escape our lives in some many other areas seems to stand firm when it comes to relationships. There is no further explanation although in some cases they say "it was time" and that just raises more questions. In an article by Mikko Kempe, he addresses what it means to just know. He has finally addressed something that even I have struggled with: that knowing is not just about that person.
We tend to think that we will KNOW something about our partners that will enlighten us, bring us to the point of changing, settling down, letting go of adolescent desires. It is actually more about yourself.
Our generation (yuck) has a different set of values than our parents and this can make their advice on relationships a bit obsolete, although it is not all together lost. We are focused on a person that meets certain superficial requirements as well as other emotional and personal needs. Many of our parents (for those of us whose parents are over 50) may have sought out different traits, such as cleanliness, level of responsibility, maturity, career stability and mutual personal values. We are now abandoning a lot of these things in exchange for a partner whose interests more closely match out own, and later find that some of the more 'practical' parts of relationships and marriage do not work. This does not mean that they are not THE ONE, or that we can not rely on our intuition to guide us. It may mean that we are evaluating the wrong aspects to try to come to a conclusion.
Mikko says that, above all else, we have to be ready for THE ONE to even begin to ponder them at all. According to Mikko, there are four things that one must have in place to make this decision:
1. Your heart has to be fully open.
2. You have to have the ability to be fully honest with yourself.
3. You have to trust your intuition.
4. The timing has to be right.
I agree completely on this. I have somehow stumbled upon these truths in the last year or so. Not meeting even one of these conditions can lead you away from finding the person who matches you.
Being open is more complicated than it seems, and is the first barrier to having a lasting relationship. How does one know how to be loved? Sometimes, we think that giving love is enough, but it is not fulfilling to your partner if they can not completely love you back. I have spent a lot of time with people who did not think they were worthy of truly being cared for, and the conflict that it causes is a huge one. We all have to accept ourselves as we are, with faults and achievements and gifts to give and all. I have a ton of things that I think I could do differently but I still think that even if I never fix them, I am still someone worth loving.
Most people are not fully, really, honest with themselves. This can be about ANYTHING. Their true career desires, bad habits, or even what it is they are really capable of handling in a relationship. I have a friend that is hell bent on being with a tall, beautiful, intelligent blond woman. Yet, he has fallen short of being mature and intelligent himself. He is not honest with himself that he is not matched to this perfect woman of his dreams, nor is he honest with the fact that these superficial qualities do not at all guarantee a fulfilling relationship. I think we all have to know who we are, how we are viewed by others, and what people are an actual match to that.
I don't want to really dwell on intuition because it's kind of a catch 22. It is really important to know and trust your gut, but we always seem to trust it at the wrong times. Our gut says "get that two scoop ice cream sundae" and we do it, yet when it screams, "that car salesmen is a con!", we go on and buy that car anyway. Many people think that they have a type because there has always been a pattern in the people that they have dated or who find them attractive but I know that for me, my gut told me otherwise. I had to stop dating musicians, FOR REAL. Just because that's what you've done, it doesn't mean that's what you should continue to do. Some revamping of our guttural desires is sometimes needed to get the real answers we seek.
But ultimately, all of this has to come at the right time. People often say "you'll meet someone when you're not looking" and I think that by this they mean that you are no longer needing someone in your life; you have worked out some major kinks and when you are content with yourself (and realizing that you ARE worthy of loving), someone out of the ordinary plops into your lap. They aren't necessarily the one, but you are more able to see the path clearly versus having it cluttered with leaves and shit.

Why does this seem so hard? It is easy to write out; it is easy to say to someone. The truth of the matter is that it takes work to make all of these things fall into place. KNOWING if someone is THE ONE is not as easy as craving pasta and going to the restaurant and ordering it and it's placed in your lap; you have to make it yourself. Working and toiling and putting in all of the right pieces makes for just the right dish.

Animal vids

2009-08-21T15:41:00.002-05:00

I have been violated by this video of turtles doing the nasty. I've never in all my years seen such a thing.

These videos are great, though. Animals "talking" makes me happy.
Hey, Alan!
scared baby bear. I almost peed my pants.

Project Runway is on

2009-08-20T20:27:00.002-05:00

I've been avoiding the internet but the internet waits for no one. I have quite a few funnies:
Worst men's fashions. I think they may have forgotten a few, such as bell bottoms and leisure suits...
3 Keyboard Cat moon shirts.
Street sign fail
Big time toy FAIL. Make sure to read the product reviews!
I have two new sites that are kind of rocking me right now:
http://probablybadnews.com/
http://www.comixed.com/ (and this one's great)

I admit it, I like all things goofy.

Etc:
20 things you didn't know about HURRICANES. I live in New Orleans. This is important!
Remember how people always say that humans only use 10% of their brain? Here's the other 90
Evangelical Lutherans debate allowing gay ministers
60 Second Podcast: Older adult's driving abilities may be hindered by meds. Again, I think you should not be able to drive past a certain age...
Podcast: A study in the journal Current Biology verifies the proposition that people in a featureless environment will wind up walking in circles
London's new trend: PUTPocketers. People randomly slip bills into stranger's pockets...

New Imogen Heap album streaming on her website
Jermaine from Flight of the Concords has a new movie

Gloomy Tuesday links

2009-08-18T08:42:00.003-05:00

For the health freaks like Von, who are terrified of all germs: strep throat may have killed Mozart!!
Nerdom: Outer space Building blocks of life found on comet
60 second podcast: Your phone knows who your real friends are

This is an important topic for me. Anyone who knows me knows that I hate what I call "inbetween cheese". This is cheese that has melted, then recooled, and cools in a totally new substance. I hate it. It's no longer solid nor liquid, just this mushy, stringy mass. The only time that this is acceptable is on pizza, because mozzarella doesn't have a lot of oil in it so it doesn't get weird when it cools. But here is an article about why some cheeses melt and others crumble. Please tell us, please, so I know which ones to stay away from :)

Back on early shift links!

2009-08-17T14:31:00.001-05:00

Congressman makes weed legal for himself

Funny:
Funny talking animal vids. I am still chuckling at my desk.
Human skin rug. Ew.
Flow chart on how men and women argue. CLASSIC!
Fastest State Trooper EVER

Nerdy:
The Great Blue Hole. There are a ton of unexplored realms on earth; sometimes it seems insane that we would want to explore anywhere else.
The origins of cubicles and open office floor plans

My movie is skipping, add links

2009-08-12T20:45:00.003-05:00

Arrested Development spin-off...Sort of. At least it's Will Arnett in it.
Scientists consider using medicine dispensing contact lenses. The idea is that they would be controlled release INTO YOUR EYES.
Collection of photos from 'There, I fixed it'. Very funny. People are nuts.
Do you know what it means to be a cougar? Well, let these ladies show you.

Quick links

2009-08-11T19:05:00.002-05:00

Space exploration-travel styleNASA plans to use government money to fun private trips to space.
Have nosey cats that like to sleep on your warm computer? Try Pawsense. It protects your computers against cat invasion.
Funny news errors
Amazing paintings. Real life art. This makes me happier than a hanger with play doh on it being passed off as "modern art".
Time tells us that working out won't make us thin. After training for a half marathon, I can see where the truth in this is. Working out five days a week made me EAT, although I did still tone. Interesting.

60 second podcast transcripts:
Visible meteor shower
Do food stamps lead to obesity?

Saturday links

2009-08-08T20:23:00.002-05:00

Just a few tonight:

Movie sequels are getting out of control...
Video of Ryan Gosselin's new band. I'm not too keen on the drumming, but everything else is pretty good.
The truth behind the brown M&Ms. the rumor about Van Halen's demands for no brown M&Ms had good reason. I love Snopes.
Study on how relinquishing some power may be beneficial. Oh, how things fall into place.

After the movie links

2009-08-06T20:41:00.002-05:00

I hate twitter. I mean it.
Massachussetts historical society set to 'tweet' contents of John Quincy Adam's diary
Really?
Some tips on how to go paperless
A patch of garbage is stuck floating in the Pacific. Scientists plan to study the patch and report findings.
Scandinavians make best husbands

Fast Food Mafia
Five year old girl plays Folsom Prison Blues

There's nothing on TV links

2009-08-04T20:30:00.005-05:00

Wow, it's been a while. I forgot to turn my stove off and burned my jambalaya. Here are some links:

Price for raising a child in the US is higher than ever
Doing a crossword every day may help your memory
Speaking of memory: Studies show that even long term memories are maleable. It's a long one, but a good one.
Mayor of Amsterdam marries US gay couple. Someone should do it.
Can't get a job? Sue your school. Now really, we are seriously out of control.
Facial surgery may prevent migranes
Levi's and Gap made jeans may be toxic
Starbucks opens non-starbucks stores. Like they need more money...
Tanning beds are worse than thought

How to get over a relationship that won't work

A perfect way to end tonight's links.

With this ring, I thee wed

2009-07-28T09:51:00.002-05:00

A symbol of etermal love, trust, acceptance, and matrimony. The wedding band is afixed upon our left "ring" finger (although, in Greek culture it is placed on the right ring finger) as an outward symbol of the commitment we have made to someone. Note, an OUTWARD symbol. It's like an alarm bell to onlookers.

I was walking through Wal Mart the other day and nearly crashed into a moderate looking guy as he was coming through the bike section. My immediate reaction was to look down at his left hand. I did it, noticed that there was no ring, gave a small smile and excused myself. What is this trashy action that I am now doing?
It was so obvious to me as soon as I'd done it. I've reached an age where being married is expected and single persons must mind their boundaries when searching for partners. I hadn't realized that this had happened! I had, however, realized that I started accepting bald(ing) men as attractive. After this realization, I wondered what did that ring really mean anymore.

I found myself thinking, "what if this guy IS married and he and his wife have chosen not to wear rings" or "what if he isn't married but is in a committed relationship?". Normal things to ponder, considering the state of marriage in America. Statistics are bad; religious views affect perceptions about it; legal institutions affect our need for it. I want to know how people REALLY feel about marriage.
I have several friends who are married and they all fall under different religious views. Until recently, I had not really examined what marriage meant in the strict Christian world (despite the fact that I was raised Catholic). But, what is the ultimate drive for wanting to get married? Is that outward expression really a symbol of an inward feeling?

Either way, I will continue to refrain from hitting on men with wedding bands on.

Lazy Links

2009-07-24T09:28:00.001-05:00

I have a bunch of work to do today, so Reader it is!

Before I go home links

2009-07-23T16:30:00.002-05:00

Stuff:
11 movie soundtracks that were better than the movie. Agreed.
Canada's 'weed mine' may be lost.
Church of England offers 2-in-1 ceremonies. What a great job they've done this time! Get baptized AND married TODAY!
Metro sexual is OUT. This article claims that flashiness is now less important to men during this recession, but I see just as many douche-holes now as I did before...
Volcanoes vs lightening. Very cool pics

Life:All very helpful and relevant right now!
Who is worthy of love?. I like Mikko's articles. He often writes about and says things that I'd like to discuss with people. Somewhere, all too many people have felt that they didn't deserve some basic emotional needs. Mikko kind of talks about this, but I don't think it's enough to address some more deep issues. But it's a great start to making people wake up to what they're worth (or in some cases, learning how little that is).

Acceptance. Life tries to teach us to accept all things, good and bad, and not skew our perceptions about things that simply are. We don't get angered at the existence of gravity, so why do we become angry that there was a car accident that just put us behind schedule? You can't help these things and just have to accept them and some other general curveballs that get tossed your way in life. The article dares readers to learn to judge less and accept more.

Late lunch links

2009-07-22T13:07:00.002-05:00

Sufjan Stevens has a new release. The BQE is now available...

Google Earth now goes to the moon
WWJD?. Read some 'scholarly' speculations on what Jesus would do about healthcare...
Last giant tortoise mates at age 90. Dirty old man. Also in evolution, a page on Discover mag of six spots of evolutionary growth.

Also, note :Recall on romaine lettuce

Motivational Posters of the day. Some of these are good. If these are your thing, you should check out demotivational.com.

Fertility and you (yes you, not me!)

2009-07-22T09:17:00.002-05:00

Trying to get pregnant? Here's some things you should know:
According to a study by Walter Willet, diet can have an affect on fertility. Scientific American listens as he describes how low insulin reception, low-fat milk and bad fats can affect a woman's ability to conceive. He also addresses the caffeine debate, and whether or not coffee and tea actually have any affect on an existing pregnancy. The link above has the SA podcast as well as the transcribed interview.

Late day links

2009-07-21T17:42:00.003-05:00

A few for the day:

Funny:
Crazy lady of the day from List of the Day
Redneck cakes from List of the Day
Obey road signs!. This is a good one.
City Council loves farts

News:
Tests on spinal fluid may detect Alzheimer's sooner
Now you can buy camel milk chocolates
Madoff Bill. Charge rich criminals for their jail stay? Sounds good to me.

Life:
10 ways to overcome procrastination. One of which should be "stop posting on your blog".

Don't try to win a staring contest with a cat. They just don't blink. Creepy-eyed buggers.

The Divinyls talked about it....

2009-07-21T16:01:00.003-05:00

Sex with yourself. I'd better post about it. The Relationship Journal that I often read had an article today about masturbation so I decided to bring it up.

Recently, a young woman stabbed the shit out of her boyfriend when she came home and found him jerking it, and not but a week or so ago I read a pseudo-debate on Relevant Mag's site about whether or not masturbation is a sin.
I get a bit riled up over the latter. I do not condone stabbing people for any reason, but I find that I disagree almost whole heartedly with some of the commenters on the Relevant article. Mikko, the author of The Relationship journal, briefly addresses where sex and spirtuality meet; however, some people believe that self satisfaction is of the devil and has no place in a relgious person's life.

Words?

Mine I will keep at a minimum, and would like to hear what a more diverse group thinks (as if I have any readers, much less diverse ones!). What I will say is that I think that masturbation should be discussed and kept in the open. My first problem with it's connotation in the Christian world is that it is taboo, and at least Relevant decided to talk about it. It's a part of life, and our bodies, and keeping anything hush-hush creates a feeling of guilt and shame and no matter where you fall, no one deserves to feel that way.
I will also toss this in: Saying that masturbation ruined your marriage/sex life (in our out of a marriage) is like saying that eating Raisin Bran ruined your marriage. The actual act didn't; someone's feelings about or behind the act did.

I have to ask myself if our society has a warped view of self satisfaction and if this, like many other things, are simply the scapegoat for some other issues?

To quote George Michael: "Sex is natural, sex is fun! Sex is best when it's one on one"

Late night Friday links

2009-07-17T21:25:00.002-05:00

I've been busy, I've been away! Work has been nuts so I haven't been able to compile any links. Here are some quick ones for the weekend:

10 best cover songs. Do you agree? Me, not so much...
How lasers make lame pictures better
Fonolo now records CS calls. The service will now tap into the automated call line for you, connect you when the rep answers, and can record the call for you. I wish I'd had this when I called Cox Cable a few months ago...
Cussing may raise your pain threshold
'Jane Roe' of Roe vs Wade arrested during a protest
Vinland map of America is authentic. The first map to ever show part of America BEFORE Colombus "found" it.
Onion juice used to make electricity. We really are going "green", aren't we?

Thursday Links

2009-07-09T13:37:00.002-05:00

Slightly short and sweet for today:

A Heartbreaking work of staggering AWESOME
You're BOTH right
British Dogs trained to sniff out diabetes
10 rules to better enjoy life

And the funny:
Beard Contest
Summer reading list
Dimple machine

Post vacation links

2009-07-06T20:03:00.002-05:00

Didn't have too much to share today aside from a few geeky links:

Are certain genders or types of people more persuasive?
Ever wondered what's in those fireworks?
Fructose may impair memory. Scientists are learning more about how fructose affects our bodies and the damage may not be limited to just our metabolism.
Overweight girls are more lonely. No shit, sherlock.

Some sp@m:
http://myveryworstdate.com/
My friends find these ridiculous sites and then I waste all of my free time looking at them. I've gone through three pages. Sheesh.

Thursday's pre-vacation links

2009-07-02T13:22:00.000-05:00

Not much to share today, just more job related links.

Top 10 most flexible jobs
Top 10 home office jobs.

Hmm, think it's time for a career change....

Wednesday Links

2009-07-01T10:45:00.004-05:00

I have a lot of work to get through so I am going to take a particularly short route in providing links for today. Take a glimpse at my Google Reader. Beware, some items are NWS.

There's also an article hereabout a recall on e.coli infected Nestle cookie dough.

An interesting article hereon new findings in fertility in men.

Have at it!

Getting a job in 2009!

2009-06-29T14:09:00.001-05:00

With the job market still being tight, I would like to offer a few helpful pointers in submitting resumes to companies for a specific position. I have gotten quite a bit of feedback from other professionals in several fields on resume and cover letter writing tips. In my current venture into summer hiring frenzy, these tips come as I come across some of the worst mistakes in resume writing.

Do not use crazy fonts in your cover letter, e-mail or resume. It is hard to read script fonts or curly, italic fonts, and can be frustrating to someone who is trying to gauge your qualifications. It is best to stick with typewriter fonts such as Times New Roman, Courier New, Georgia, or even Arial, Microsoft Sans Serif, Lucids Sans, Tahoma or Verdana.

Save your resume in universal formats.Resumes should always be in Microsoft formats, in the oldest possible version. Microsoft Word 97 is best, as some users may have MS Office 2003, or even 2000. Not everyone has transitioned to Office 2007, and if you are using it, they will not be able to view your file. Do not use .wps, .wpd (Microsoft Works Processor), or .txt (Notepad/Typepad)formats. Very few people can read these, and .txt formats have no wrap-around function and your text goes all the way across the page.
It is a good idea to save your resume in several formats just in case, so you do not waste time reformatting it for various companies.

BCC other companies that you e-mail your resume to.. Leaving all addresses viewable sends the messagage that you are desperate for work, and also says that we are each in competition for your employment.

Use a professional or simple e-mail address. It never looks professional to send a resume from "hotgrrl504 at yahoo". This sends the message that you are immature, not concerned about having a professional appearance and are not concerned with the espectations of the business world.

Update your 'objective' field for each position you apply for. This reflects laziness and also, if your experience is in a different field than you are applying for, it can relay a message that you are just using this job as a stepping stone to your career and you do not plan longevity in this position.
Also, don't leave it as generic as "To obtain a position in your organization". Based on what may follow, it may seem that you don't care WHAT job you get, just that SOMEONE hires you.

Have someone proofread your resume. It is very easy to overlook your own mistakes, and they may also be able to help you re-word some common terms and phrases.

Update regularly. Make sure that not only your work and education history are current, but also your contact information!

List only your relevant work experience.If you apply for a job as an accountant, a hiring manager doesn't necessarily need to know that you worked at a daycare center while you were in college. Listing the jobs that have comparable skills but in different fields is useful, but cluttering up page after page of irrelevant information is not.

Don't expect a reply right away. A hiring manager or HR person may be weeding through tens of resumes and may have a lengthy process for finding qualified applicants. If you receive a "thanks but no thanks" reply, do not call or write back asking why you are not qualified. If you do receive a positive response, still allow a few days before sending a follow up call or e-mail. Much like dating, it makes you look desperate!

It is always helpful to searh help online for more tips at sites like these:
http://www.resume-help.org/
http://jobstar.org/tools/resume/index.php
http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/resume

Please, also feel free to comment with any field specific tips, ie for lawyers, phlembotomists, research jobs, non-profit, etc. Every tip helps!

Manic Monday links

2009-06-29T09:37:00.001-05:00

The morning is already stale and it's not yet 9:00am. I'd like to start with something interesting:

Paper folding art. This is more amazing to me than the chalk art. There's also The Sand Dancer who draws, or dances, huge art pieces into beach sand. It is amazing what the human mind is capable of.

For instance, the geekery:
The enigma of dreams. Several theories about why humans dream.
ComicCon 2009 to recieve TV attention. The event has gotten more massive in the last few years and TV networks plan to cash in.
LA plans to bring light to town's movie fests. Who knew they even had any?
5 baby friendly rock albums.

Life:
10 Rules for slowing down and enjoying life
What to do when you're told you're OVERqualified. There should be an article for hiring managers on how to handle people when they are overqualified. *gulp*

News:
World Hunger hits one billion markNot something I'd typically like to spotlight but maybe it may help people dig deep and find a local (or large scale) way to help.
Children of gay couples talk about their families

Looking for new music?
This isn't new by any means, but I'd bring some attention to it, anyway.
Wired Music Podcasts. I know some people aren't hot on Wired Mag but so far, it's a supplement to my usual Paste Sampler which, BTW, is now completely available in digital format. The mag has gone online to save money (and trees, of course) so if you were ever interested in picking up the mag but don't like traditional subscriptions, now's the time to support 'em.

That's a lot of links for today. Just in case anyone has a severe "Case of the Mondays". Ha.
Sooner or later I'd like to get into more discussion posts, but that will take more readers for that to be worthwhile.

Saturday Night Life links

2009-06-27T23:53:00.000-05:00

News:
Pixies to record new album
Homeless girl goes to Harvard
'The View' host Hasselbeck steals book Her gluten free cook book may be partially plagiarized.
Banksy mural sullied. Banksy fights to get paint marks removed.

Life:
Being chubby can lengthen your life
Snoring is a symptom of apnea And there may be a cheap way to cure it.

Geekery:
Study shows chromosomal link to autism
Chevy goes green. Chevrolet to unveil new electric car
wind power, 60 second podcast. This is part of an awesome serious of 60 second iTunes podcasts.
Volcano in space Space station images of a recent volcanic eruption.

Funny:
Cat?tattoo fail
Unidentified tattoo foolery
Police car fail

Hump Day Links

2009-06-24T10:21:00.001-05:00

TRANSFORMERS 2 COMES OUT TODAY!!!! It was anticipated to be such a huge movie that they're opening it on a Wednesday. Isn't that nuts? There's already a review up here
I'd like to start doing movie and music release dates again so maybe next week I'll have that going on for either Sundays or Mondays.

And now, in the news:

France continues attempts to ban Burqas
Sequal to 'Unbreakable' in the works. Apparently M. Night Shamalamadingdong finally wants to work on a sequel. Which isn't necessary. But there it is.
Scrubs to see 9th season. I knew it was coming but this concept is new to me.
New law on student loan payment caps
Ohio baby, Haylee, found
I can't post any more links from CNN news. It is important to me to NOT post, link or discuss negative news unless it's absolutely necessary and seven of CNN's top 10 stories are bad news. So, on to...

Geekery:

20 things you didn't know about TIME

Life:
Simple guide to keeping clutter free counters

Fun:
How to mix an exploding drink
For a more personal touch: Black hair. Read it. I'm not being tongue-in-cheek.

Also, I know I didn't post about Ed Macmahon's passing yesterday because it was quite the busy day and I figured that was just something that would make it's way around via word of mouth.

The Monday Blues links

2009-06-22T08:38:00.002-05:00

Quite the harsh morning today! I had a fantastic set of links to post yesterday which was titled "Lifetime Movie Sunday links" and, thanks to this blogger/gmail link, they were all lost! So, some of the funniest things I found on the 'net are gone, never to be viewed by any of your eyes! Except for what I have today :)

Fun:
Poorly placed ads
Timeline of futuristic sci-fi flicks

News:
Woman fined for downloading 24 songs. She got a HUGE fine.Couple gets married in 0 gravity
Beck has a new project Beck and Friends Music Club.

Life:
Five reasons to go salsa dancing If you're single, that is.
The 10 least 'Green' cars on the market
Why motivation doesn't matter. Really. Sometimes you just have to give yourself a litte kick in the pants even when you don't wanna.

Friday links

2009-06-19T16:08:00.001-05:00

Not too much geekery today. More than half of my work day was lost because the a/c was out. We decided to all go out to lunch instead of working. Good plan!

News:
Lawmaker returns quite the 'uncouth' gift. Sending a metal scuplture of bull balls to a Senator doesn't QUITE say just how you feel.
Theater where B52s and REM played burns down
prison trained puppies help troops
Sacha Baron Cohen opens in Amsterdam. The movie premiered with a bunch half naked men running through the streets of Amsterdan's "Pink Light District".

Geekery:
The truth about the link between autism and child vaccines.
The truth? There is none. Find out why you've been let to believe there is.
How to open a beer bottle with a lighter
20 Things You Didn't Know About Recycling*
President Obama teaches us how to swat a fly. Helpful facts about flies to help learn how to kill 'em!

Life:
Ten jobs that pay $20/hr*

Funny:
Chindogu of the day

*reposts from LJ

Where DO the chips fall?

2009-06-19T09:37:00.001-05:00

A very dear friend of mine linked me to this "article" on the site Planet Out: Does sleeping with men make you less of a lesbian?
I read through the article and the comments below and was astounded, as I was afraid I'd be. Most of the people comment do NOT think that a woman who identifies herself as a lesbian but still has casual sex with men is less of a lesbian- less "pure" as it has been stated.
I find myself pondering the whole concept. I know of lesbians who will not date women who consider themselves "bisexual" or have slept with men. Is this a form of discrimination? Are there women out there who are searching for a loophole to their homosexuality? Does this same loophole exist for men?

Times, they are a changing. The spectrum, the definition of some of the most simplistic concepts now begins to stretch far and wide...

Thursday links

2009-06-18T10:35:00.000-05:00

Yet another morning of procrastination has left me glossing over articles and links that I have. I have “training” to do-that is, if you can call an online class to learn how to use Facebook and Myspace for recruiting purposes “training”. So instead I provide some links:

Recipe for fried ice cream
This is one of the easiest and most tasty looking recipe I’ve found. Many recipes use cereal (Cinnamon Toast Crunch or Corn Flakes) and the end result would seem, to me, to end up a melted, mushy mess. This one seems like a tasty, easy recipe.

In the news:
Belgian girl sues tattoo artist over face tattoo
A 19 yr old Belgian girl gets 56 tattoos on her face and claims she slept through getting them. Possible? I think not.
Twin Peaks returns…sorta
The show may return via online webisodes.
Paul McCartney wants a new project
McCartney expresses an interest in working with MGMT.

Geekery:

Zoning out- why it’s useful
This article is about a study done to show that letting your mind wander and zoning out can give your brain to find resolutions to your future.
20 Things You Didn’t Know about Movies
Fun facts about the advent of moving pictures

Life:
Sex with your new guy: to wait or not?
Fitness: The Simple Rules

Fun:
NEW Transformers- Photoshop contest
Please come swimming with me!
Urban Dictionary Word of the Day

And now I retreat to find out if I can MacGyver the fax machine into a network printer…

G’Day!

"No, you can't find nothing at all if there was nothing there all along"

2009-06-17T14:09:00.000-05:00

New home!
I'd started a livejournal blog last year that was going to be the "it" place to list upcoming social info and news but as more people left LJ and the community here grew, I decied to pick up here. The old blog, http://community.livejournal.com/auntie_ann_nola/ , is still there and I may even repost some links, but this blog may take on a slightly different existence. I will continue to post links, articles, and even write columns.

Welcome to Auntie Ann's world!

P.S. If anyone knows the "Auntie Ann" that's already registered here, tell her to delete the damned account. She's tying up the name!! :)

Everything you never knew you wanted to know

Everybody hates links

I used to be fat and MTV

Random post partum junk

It's the end of October and it's 87 degrees

Saints Sunday links

Bastard Thursday links

Labor Day weekend links

Being a realist

I HATE THE DRs

The cynism sinks in

Unload!

Yet more junk

UNLOAD LINKS!

Late and slow

Get a laugh

Black businesses fail to expand

Random Library

A few quick links

Random links

Scammers -Festiva, FAMINU and Viniva

Funny stuff

Important in the news

Is this a Dutch movie?

Car commercials suck

Shortcut info for healthcare and thensome

A few things to know about bottled water

My birthday and things I love

The sexiest musicians I've ever seen

Silly links and pet peeves

The Color of Love

Getting down to business with some links.

Short and sweet!

Cracked

Grammar Correction of the Day

Slagathor

Set the ray to Jerry

Grammar Correction of the Day

Welcome to the New Year-How to keep your resolutions

How long does it take to get over a relationship?

X-Mas, its meaning and why you are all wrong

Grammar Correction of the Day

Bah humbug!

Grammar correction of the day

Adding to the blogroll

Updating the links

Quick Links

Blogroll!

Relationship talk: why they end sometimes

Put your thinking caps on

Wanna know what I've got?

He vuelto!

Lazy on the links

Do you know trichotillomania?

a bunch of fun vids

Stuff you should know

12 states we could all do without

More science links than not

Shopping and swapping

Weird links for Friday

I read way too many sites

cloudy sunday links

Geekdom!

Links on a nice day

How to know if they're THE ONE

Animal vids

Project Runway is on

Gloomy Tuesday links

Back on early shift links!

My movie is skipping, add links

Quick links

Saturday links

After the movie links

There's nothing on TV links

With this ring, I thee wed

Lazy Links

Before I go home links

Late lunch links

Fertility and you (yes you, not me!)

Late day links