One of my friends posted this in a bulletin on my MySpace page. I'm not sure who wrote it originally, but I'm reposting it verbatim.
Body: Anybody happen to catch Nightline last night on ABC? In case you didn't, one of the hot topics discussed was MySpace. It is no secret to anyone who reads the newspaper or watches the 6 o'clock news that MySpace has been in the limelight because of "sexual predators" trying to "abduct and corrupt" the youth of the world. To this I say bullshit! I see dozens of profiles a day showing 14 year old girls dressed like sluts, wearing four inches of make up and 32 layers of eyeliner, displaying their age as 18 years old and profile lines stating "Oh, I'm So Sexy" or "Hey There, Wanna Check Up On It?" Come the fuck on! The youth of today's world are already corrupt enough due to the undying need to be "older" than they really are. I seriously doubt there are tons of people on MySpace stalking "innocent young girls" who just happen to have tramped up profiles and ages 4 years greater than their own.
On Nightline, there was a story of a 12 year old girl who was a drug-addict and attributed it all to MySpace. She claims that MySpace allowed her to easily find drug dealers in her area, as well as older men to have sex with her. Now, at the age of 14, she has been checked into a drug-rehabilitation clinic and has been away from her family for 5 months. Her parents would rather place the blame squarely on the shoulders of MySpace instead of their daughter, who even admitted that at the age of 12, had already tried weed, crack, X, and had slept with numerous guys older than herself...but of course, it wasn't her fault, it was all because of MySpace.
One again, COME THE FUCK ON! When are parents and children going to stop passing the blame and grow up enough to take responsibility for their actions and the actions of their children.. Parent;s, monitor your children online, take some responsibility for YOUR children. Children, if a profile name sounds like something that comes out of a cheap horror movie, like "DARK ANGEL OF DEATH WHO EATS THE BRAINS OF GIRLS"...chances are you DO NOT WANT TO ADD THEM AS A FRIEND. Apparently there is new legislation in Congress now to block MySpace in all public schools and public libraries across the United States. All because little girls want to act grown and don't want to accept the consequences and parents don't want to accept the fact that their "innocent little girls" are posing as 18 year old crack whores trying to buy drugs.
Eventually, if this continues, MySpace could be totally outlawed from the Internet. Restrictions will be put in place in order to make MySpace "safer". I don't know about you, but I use MySpace to keep in touch with my family and friends, use it for messages, and just to have a space that is my own. Just because some children want to act grown, does that mean I may have to eventually give up my MySpace? If you feel the same way I do, please, repost this in your blogs or bulletins, or both as "STOP BLAMING MYSPACE". If enough people post this and spread the word, maybe people will get the picture and stop blaming MySpace for every little thing that their children do wrong. As user of MySpace, we should all repost this and take some sort of action. This is not a chain letter, and nothing will happen to you if you don't repost this in 321654987 seconds. However, of all bulletins you will read today, I am sure that this one is the only one that actually has a point to it. So please, have some common sense, and repost this.
I started using MySpace recently, after the realization that my husband, brother, sister, and several close friends were already on it. I am now saddened by the possibility that something I use to keep in touch with people all over the country might be shut down by the irresponsibility of the majority. I don't really have any deep thoughts on the issue, but I wanted to make sure everyone was aware of what's going on.
Tuesday, May 30
Tuesday, May 23
Robert Jordan is God
Is anyone else reading Jordan's Wheel of Time series? I was up until 3 a.m. last night (um, this morning) finishing Knife of Dreams. Still some unresolved situations, but I'm very glad many of the main plot threads were finally tied up, because I promised myself I wasn't touching these books again until he's bloody well finished! Or until I finish college and have the time to sit with them again, whichever comes second. I'm patient. Besides, even now it takes me months to read it all. For anyone who's reading the series but has not yet read this book, stop reading NOW. Otherwise, you're going to be disappointed.
Rand lost his left hand capturing Semhirage, who was posing as the Daughter of the Nine Moons after killing the ENTIRE Imperial Family of the Seanchan, with the exeption of Tuon herself. Suoroth, who, as it turns out, is a Darkfriend, was in a bargain with Semhirage to become the next Empress once the real Daughter of the Nine Moons could be found and killed. Rand also gave the rebel Aes Sedai permission to bond 47 more Asha'man to even out the numbers with the 51 Sisters the Asha'man had bonded already. However, it was the Tower Aes Sedai, all Reds, who approached the Black Tower, after Tarna (the new Keeper) convinced the Reds it was the only way to keep the Asha'man under control. The M'Hael gave them permission, but does he know of Rand's permission to the other Sisters? We don't even know if he's planning to betray Rand, although all signs point that way. Nynaeve, Lan, and Loial, among others, were with Rand. Loial's mother, along with Eldar Haran and Erith, finally caught up to Loial, and they married him and Erith on the spot. He's going back to the Stedding, but Eldar Haran has agreed to go search for and close the remaining Waygates, trusting Loail to speak to the Stump about the Ogier fighting in the Last Battle, although Loial is far too young for it under norman circumstances. Lan is convinced that the Last Battle will begin in the Blight, so Nynaeve sent Lan through a gateway back to the Borderlands, but at the World's End in Saldea, so he would have to ride across the entire Borderlands to reach his destination. She then Traveled all along his route, raising the lost Malkieri to ride with him when he comes.
Perrin, in hopes of rescuing Faile, made a deal with the Seanchan. In return for their assistance in battle, they were allowed to collar every Shaido Wise One they could get their hands on. They agreed, and after 52 days, he attacked the Shaido camp. Faile and her followers had thought Galina was going to help them escape, as she had promised, but they did not know she was Black Ajah, and she buried them in a basement and left them for dead the day of the attack. Rolan and some others found them and got them out, just in time for Perrin to come, killing Rolan and rescuing Faile at last, along with Alliendre and Maighdin. I wonder if Elayne will ever be reunited with her mother, and know she is not murdered after all? Aram is dead, killed by Perrin, after being convinced by Masema that Perrin's golden eyes meant he was a Darkfriend and deciding to "save Faile from him". Masema got away, with about two hundred of his followers. Bad news. Sevanna was captured by the Seanchan, and Galina was recaptured by Therava and the rest of the Shaido retreating back to the Three-Fold Land, never to leave again. Too bad for her.
Mat, after leaving Valan Luca's Grand Traveling Show and Magnificent Display of Marvels and Wonders (the man does think highly of himself) with Tuon and the rest, heads for the mountains, only to find Seanchan blocking their path. He is caught up with by a band of Deathwatch Guards, led by a man who was once Tuon's personal bodyguard, who offers to take her back to Ebou Dar safely. She finally marries Mat, and gets back to Ebou Dar to strip Surouth of her name and titles and send her to be sold as property, since it was she who planned Tuon's murder.
Elayne is still pregnant. After having Captain Mellar followed successfully, she has enough proof to name him Darkfriend, and to capture two of the Black Ajah she, Egwene and Nynaeve were sent to hunt all those books ago. They go, only to find six, not two, and Elayne is captured. She is rescued in due time, and fortunately for her, Arymilla's army decides to attack the city gates at the same time. Elayne's army is able to catch them from behind, with the gate still shut, and capture her rival and all her supporters. All but Arymilla publish their support for Elayne the next day. Her other opponents, behind Ellorien, come to parley and discuss the Borderland army on their border, but when they learn it was Elayne herself who gave them safe passage through Andor, all but Ellorien throw support for Elayne. She has the Houses behind her she needs to take the Throne of Andor.
Egwene has been captured and returned to novice white inside the Tower, but she refuses to yield her position as rightful Amyrlin. She endures many trips to the Mistress of Novices, being beaten several times a day, but she understands the Aiel way of embracing pain and refuses to let it sway her. She is planting seeds of discontent among the sisters from within, and it seems to be working. I do believe Elaida will fall yet.
There, now maybe I won't have to go back and re-read the entire series when I pick up with the next book. Then again, maybe I'll do it anyway :)
Rand lost his left hand capturing Semhirage, who was posing as the Daughter of the Nine Moons after killing the ENTIRE Imperial Family of the Seanchan, with the exeption of Tuon herself. Suoroth, who, as it turns out, is a Darkfriend, was in a bargain with Semhirage to become the next Empress once the real Daughter of the Nine Moons could be found and killed. Rand also gave the rebel Aes Sedai permission to bond 47 more Asha'man to even out the numbers with the 51 Sisters the Asha'man had bonded already. However, it was the Tower Aes Sedai, all Reds, who approached the Black Tower, after Tarna (the new Keeper) convinced the Reds it was the only way to keep the Asha'man under control. The M'Hael gave them permission, but does he know of Rand's permission to the other Sisters? We don't even know if he's planning to betray Rand, although all signs point that way. Nynaeve, Lan, and Loial, among others, were with Rand. Loial's mother, along with Eldar Haran and Erith, finally caught up to Loial, and they married him and Erith on the spot. He's going back to the Stedding, but Eldar Haran has agreed to go search for and close the remaining Waygates, trusting Loail to speak to the Stump about the Ogier fighting in the Last Battle, although Loial is far too young for it under norman circumstances. Lan is convinced that the Last Battle will begin in the Blight, so Nynaeve sent Lan through a gateway back to the Borderlands, but at the World's End in Saldea, so he would have to ride across the entire Borderlands to reach his destination. She then Traveled all along his route, raising the lost Malkieri to ride with him when he comes.
Perrin, in hopes of rescuing Faile, made a deal with the Seanchan. In return for their assistance in battle, they were allowed to collar every Shaido Wise One they could get their hands on. They agreed, and after 52 days, he attacked the Shaido camp. Faile and her followers had thought Galina was going to help them escape, as she had promised, but they did not know she was Black Ajah, and she buried them in a basement and left them for dead the day of the attack. Rolan and some others found them and got them out, just in time for Perrin to come, killing Rolan and rescuing Faile at last, along with Alliendre and Maighdin. I wonder if Elayne will ever be reunited with her mother, and know she is not murdered after all? Aram is dead, killed by Perrin, after being convinced by Masema that Perrin's golden eyes meant he was a Darkfriend and deciding to "save Faile from him". Masema got away, with about two hundred of his followers. Bad news. Sevanna was captured by the Seanchan, and Galina was recaptured by Therava and the rest of the Shaido retreating back to the Three-Fold Land, never to leave again. Too bad for her.
Mat, after leaving Valan Luca's Grand Traveling Show and Magnificent Display of Marvels and Wonders (the man does think highly of himself) with Tuon and the rest, heads for the mountains, only to find Seanchan blocking their path. He is caught up with by a band of Deathwatch Guards, led by a man who was once Tuon's personal bodyguard, who offers to take her back to Ebou Dar safely. She finally marries Mat, and gets back to Ebou Dar to strip Surouth of her name and titles and send her to be sold as property, since it was she who planned Tuon's murder.
Elayne is still pregnant. After having Captain Mellar followed successfully, she has enough proof to name him Darkfriend, and to capture two of the Black Ajah she, Egwene and Nynaeve were sent to hunt all those books ago. They go, only to find six, not two, and Elayne is captured. She is rescued in due time, and fortunately for her, Arymilla's army decides to attack the city gates at the same time. Elayne's army is able to catch them from behind, with the gate still shut, and capture her rival and all her supporters. All but Arymilla publish their support for Elayne the next day. Her other opponents, behind Ellorien, come to parley and discuss the Borderland army on their border, but when they learn it was Elayne herself who gave them safe passage through Andor, all but Ellorien throw support for Elayne. She has the Houses behind her she needs to take the Throne of Andor.
Egwene has been captured and returned to novice white inside the Tower, but she refuses to yield her position as rightful Amyrlin. She endures many trips to the Mistress of Novices, being beaten several times a day, but she understands the Aiel way of embracing pain and refuses to let it sway her. She is planting seeds of discontent among the sisters from within, and it seems to be working. I do believe Elaida will fall yet.
There, now maybe I won't have to go back and re-read the entire series when I pick up with the next book. Then again, maybe I'll do it anyway :)
Thursday, May 18
Hollywood and religion don't mix
"The DaVinci Code" premiered at the Cannes film festival yesterday. The critics, for the most part, HATED it. From E!Online:
"I haven't read the book, but there was just a ridiculous amount of exposition," wrote Lee Marshall of Screen International. "I thought it was plodding, and there was a complete lack of chemistry between Audrey Tautou and Tom Hanks."
"Tom Hanks was a zombie; thank goodness for Ian McKellen. It was overplayed, there was too much music--and it was much too grandiose," the Boston Globe's Peter Brunette told Agence France-Presse.
The Hollywood Reporter's Kirk Honeycutt refused to grant it absolution either.
The filmmakers "can't do much...with mostly colorless characters designed around idiosyncrasies and weird scholarly talents--sort of academic X-Men--rather than flesh-and-blood personalities," he wrote, though he did hasten to lavish praise on (X-Men star) Ian McKellen for delivering Da Vinci's sole redeeming performance.
During the closing credits, rather than applaud, Cannes' traditionally tough audience fell into a sustained silence punctuated only by the occasionally disdainful catcall.
I think I'm still going to see it. I've read the book, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I love Dan Brown's style of writing, his meticulous attention to detail, and his choice of subject matter. Angels and Demons is still my favorite. I'm not expecting to enjoy it or not enjoy it, I just want to see how it was adapted. In my experience, a lot of books don't make good movies because there's so much more you can say in a book that you can't necessarily translate to a visual medium.
And honestly, I think the whole protesting scene is a little much. Christians are so immutable about their faith, which I think is a drawback. Open-mindedness is one of the true tenets of faith. I'm not saying I believe Jesus DID marry and have a child, but I certainly think it's possible, considering everything I've read about the history of Christianity and the teachings of Jesus himself. He was just a prophet, and a man. Unfortunately, I don't think we'll ever know the truth.
Either way, it's just a movie, folks. Get over it.
"I haven't read the book, but there was just a ridiculous amount of exposition," wrote Lee Marshall of Screen International. "I thought it was plodding, and there was a complete lack of chemistry between Audrey Tautou and Tom Hanks."
"Tom Hanks was a zombie; thank goodness for Ian McKellen. It was overplayed, there was too much music--and it was much too grandiose," the Boston Globe's Peter Brunette told Agence France-Presse.
The Hollywood Reporter's Kirk Honeycutt refused to grant it absolution either.
The filmmakers "can't do much...with mostly colorless characters designed around idiosyncrasies and weird scholarly talents--sort of academic X-Men--rather than flesh-and-blood personalities," he wrote, though he did hasten to lavish praise on (X-Men star) Ian McKellen for delivering Da Vinci's sole redeeming performance.
During the closing credits, rather than applaud, Cannes' traditionally tough audience fell into a sustained silence punctuated only by the occasionally disdainful catcall.
I think I'm still going to see it. I've read the book, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I love Dan Brown's style of writing, his meticulous attention to detail, and his choice of subject matter. Angels and Demons is still my favorite. I'm not expecting to enjoy it or not enjoy it, I just want to see how it was adapted. In my experience, a lot of books don't make good movies because there's so much more you can say in a book that you can't necessarily translate to a visual medium.
And honestly, I think the whole protesting scene is a little much. Christians are so immutable about their faith, which I think is a drawback. Open-mindedness is one of the true tenets of faith. I'm not saying I believe Jesus DID marry and have a child, but I certainly think it's possible, considering everything I've read about the history of Christianity and the teachings of Jesus himself. He was just a prophet, and a man. Unfortunately, I don't think we'll ever know the truth.
Either way, it's just a movie, folks. Get over it.
Wednesday, May 17
Can't sleep
I know the mind uses down time to go over things, but it sucks when you're trying to sleep. Here's what's on my mind.
*I have to clean my whole apartment in the next week. It looked good a month ago, but ever since the horrible sunburn incident (tomorrow will be 4 weeks), it all went to shit. Not much time to clean when you're focusing on trying to walk. I can't seem to motivate myself to get up early enough to get anything constructive done, and when I sleep in I just don't feel like doing anything. We have friends coming to visit next Thursday. Gotts get motivated.
*Bonnaroo is coming up in about 4 weeks. I hope I get the weekend off. I've asked for it in plenty of time, but a few days ago we get this post at work that "too many people are asking for weekends, summer is the busy season, we need you all here, blah, blah, blah." If they don't give me all 5 days, I'm going to quit. I've been looking foward to this for too long, and the tickets were too expensive to give up. I hope it doesn't come down to that, I really like working where I am (in a pet store, for those who don't know), but I don't need the job. It's just extra money and something to do.
*Going back to college has me excited and worried at the same time. I stll have to file my FAFSA, just waiting on a few financial figures, and I still have to call and argue with the Admissions department about my in-state tuition. I was a Virginia resident when I left, I left because my spouse had military orders to leave, I still have a VA driver's license, and I'm registered to vote. My car's not registered in VA because it's still in my stepfather's name first, since he co-signed the loan for me. That's getting taken care of by the end of the week. On the other hand, getting back into academia is something I need to do, and getting back in the mountains again is something I look forward to harder every day. Life is going to change completely in a matter of months.
*I hope we can manage all the recreation and planned purchases and still have enough money left over to move and get started in Blacksburg. That comes first, of course, I just hope we don't have to give up anything else. Depends on how much money I make between now and moving day (and how long I keep my job).
*I miss my friends back home. After we moved down here in February last year, we went back in June, then I went back in late October. 4 months and 4 months. It's now been 7 months since we've been back, with 2.5 left to go. I have a few friends here, but I don't get to see them as often as I'd like, either because schedules don't work out or because they live far enough away that it's difficult to find time. This is not the right environment for either of us.
Well, I've finished my cigarette, and told my story. Maybe now I can get some sleep. Goodnight, and may the Goddess smile upon you all.
*I have to clean my whole apartment in the next week. It looked good a month ago, but ever since the horrible sunburn incident (tomorrow will be 4 weeks), it all went to shit. Not much time to clean when you're focusing on trying to walk. I can't seem to motivate myself to get up early enough to get anything constructive done, and when I sleep in I just don't feel like doing anything. We have friends coming to visit next Thursday. Gotts get motivated.
*Bonnaroo is coming up in about 4 weeks. I hope I get the weekend off. I've asked for it in plenty of time, but a few days ago we get this post at work that "too many people are asking for weekends, summer is the busy season, we need you all here, blah, blah, blah." If they don't give me all 5 days, I'm going to quit. I've been looking foward to this for too long, and the tickets were too expensive to give up. I hope it doesn't come down to that, I really like working where I am (in a pet store, for those who don't know), but I don't need the job. It's just extra money and something to do.
*Going back to college has me excited and worried at the same time. I stll have to file my FAFSA, just waiting on a few financial figures, and I still have to call and argue with the Admissions department about my in-state tuition. I was a Virginia resident when I left, I left because my spouse had military orders to leave, I still have a VA driver's license, and I'm registered to vote. My car's not registered in VA because it's still in my stepfather's name first, since he co-signed the loan for me. That's getting taken care of by the end of the week. On the other hand, getting back into academia is something I need to do, and getting back in the mountains again is something I look forward to harder every day. Life is going to change completely in a matter of months.
*I hope we can manage all the recreation and planned purchases and still have enough money left over to move and get started in Blacksburg. That comes first, of course, I just hope we don't have to give up anything else. Depends on how much money I make between now and moving day (and how long I keep my job).
*I miss my friends back home. After we moved down here in February last year, we went back in June, then I went back in late October. 4 months and 4 months. It's now been 7 months since we've been back, with 2.5 left to go. I have a few friends here, but I don't get to see them as often as I'd like, either because schedules don't work out or because they live far enough away that it's difficult to find time. This is not the right environment for either of us.
Well, I've finished my cigarette, and told my story. Maybe now I can get some sleep. Goodnight, and may the Goddess smile upon you all.
Tuesday, May 16
Addendum
Yes, they are rats. Baby is a hairless, and Briea is a hairless albino. She was my first. Cayla was meant as a friend for Briea, but they didn't get along very well. Baby I adopted from a customer who thought her 9-year old daughter could take care of her by herself. Yeah, right. My other three are Mona, a year-old white rat with a gray head and gray stripe down her back, adopted from a co-worker who's going to have a baby, and Sam and Ralph, black hooded white and black respectively. I adopted them from another co-worker who couldn't keep up with four rats, a ferret and a cockatiel. I also have two mice that I'm trying to breed, since I'm planning on getting a hatchling corn snake soon and I don't want to have to buy all its food. I would like to have pictures of all of them up eventually, but unfortunately I found out a camera phone takes horrible pictures and my regular film takes about a week and half, since I'm sending it off to Snapfish.com. More to come!
Baby Pictures :)
I finally got some good pictures of the girls, so I thought I'd share them.
Not a good picture of me, but a great one of them! That's Briea, Baby and Cayla, respectively.
I don't have any pictures of my adopted three yet, but I hope to get some good ones soon. It's so hard to get them to hold still!
Not a good picture of me, but a great one of them! That's Briea, Baby and Cayla, respectively.
I don't have any pictures of my adopted three yet, but I hope to get some good ones soon. It's so hard to get them to hold still!
Sunday, May 14
Monday, May 8
Guess what happened to me...
Say hello to the new college student!
Last week, I was accepted into New River Community College in Dublin, VA. Today, I registered for classes. I'm taking US History, Pre-Calc, General Biology, and Chemistry. I haven't been to school in 6 years, so taking refresher courses (I took Calc and Advanced Bio in high school) seemed prudent. Since I registered before all the high schools let out, I managed to get a SWEET schedule! Get this: Monday, Wednesday and Friday I have classes from 9:05 until 2:20. Three classes, with an hour between each one. Tuesday and Thursday I have one class from 9:30 until 10:50, and each day a lab from 11:15 to 2:15. Chem on Tuesday, Bio on Thursday. I'll be home by 3, so a part-time night job is a distinct possibility. We move back to VA at the end of July, and classes don't start until 23 August, so I'll have plenty of time to check out the campus, hang out in town, hike, camp, visit friends and family, and generally settle down before I have to start studying. I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am! I've been looking forward to this for almost two years. Plus, if I can get straight A's, I may be able to transfer to VT in the spring, instead of having to wait until next fall. I don't know what I did to get such good karma, but whatever it was, I hope I keep doing it!
Last week, I was accepted into New River Community College in Dublin, VA. Today, I registered for classes. I'm taking US History, Pre-Calc, General Biology, and Chemistry. I haven't been to school in 6 years, so taking refresher courses (I took Calc and Advanced Bio in high school) seemed prudent. Since I registered before all the high schools let out, I managed to get a SWEET schedule! Get this: Monday, Wednesday and Friday I have classes from 9:05 until 2:20. Three classes, with an hour between each one. Tuesday and Thursday I have one class from 9:30 until 10:50, and each day a lab from 11:15 to 2:15. Chem on Tuesday, Bio on Thursday. I'll be home by 3, so a part-time night job is a distinct possibility. We move back to VA at the end of July, and classes don't start until 23 August, so I'll have plenty of time to check out the campus, hang out in town, hike, camp, visit friends and family, and generally settle down before I have to start studying. I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am! I've been looking forward to this for almost two years. Plus, if I can get straight A's, I may be able to transfer to VT in the spring, instead of having to wait until next fall. I don't know what I did to get such good karma, but whatever it was, I hope I keep doing it!
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