Awesome Picture of the Week: Year's End

Well it's New Year's Eve again, and that means it's time to find awesome parties... 

Or not...

As much as I'd like to go to an "awesome blowout New Year's Eve partay...bro" one day, I've always just enjoyed spending the last few minutes of the year with some close friends, drinking, and having a good time.  Save the money and the fact that you might get crushed by strangers and molested by at least three creepy men; I'm literally having a four person party...  Woo!

Happy New Year, yall!

Mildly Excited about 1,000 Page Views

I guess over the course of a two years (yup, I've had this thing for two years), I have managed to get over 1,000 page views.  This is cool...I guess.  I didn't think anybody really read the stuff I posted (unless I posted a shameless plug on a forum or something).  Based on my statistics (yes, I actually look at my statistics) it seems like most of the views come from random people looking for baby names or Draw Something pictures.  They were probably slightly amused, greatly disappointed, or fairly confused to find my blog. 

This isn't "GameOfThronesInspiredNames.com"!

 

 

Whether or not you are a regular reader of my blog (there's probably 2 of you) or if you randomly happened to stumble upon it, no thanks to my misleading labels, I'd like to say thanks for clicking whatever link led you here!  I'm doing this mostly for my own enjoyment, but I appreciate the page views.


Merci!

Awesome Picture of the Week: Tim Burton's "The Avengers"

Hey, have you ever looked at the trailer for Marvel's The Avengers and said to yourself, "Gee.  I really wish Tim Burton had taken control of that whole franchise, and made it all Nightmare Before Christmas-esque."?  I bet you haven't... Because no one wants that.  Not even Burton, I'm sure.

The crack addict version.

I came across this picture (honestly, cannot remember the source, again) and thought it was pretty funny/cool.  This is some artist's interpretation of what the Avengers characters would look like, if Tim Burton had made it his own.  I just love how they all look so fragile, yet they're supposed to be jacked-up superheroes.  My favorite is the depiction of The Hulk that was clearly inspired by Jekyll/Hyde. 

I'm Thankful for Things and Stuff...

Every November, Thanksgiving rolls around and fills people's hearts with warmth and their arteries with cholesterol.  For most people this is a time to reflect on the things in life that they are grateful for.  Most cite blessings such as family, friends, a regular paycheck...  However, I believe it's the smallest of things that we have to be thankful for.  Many minor occurrences and objects in life are not given full appreciation around Thanksgiving time, and I think it's time we acknowledge them.  There are tons of little things to be grateful for, such as:

• Phones with wireless and 3G.  For those times you get hopelessly lost in in Vancouver.
• Phones that are not made by Apple.  For those times that Apple makes you cry.
• Free music.  Let's face it.  Someone will always find a way to download free songs.
• People who actually buy full albums from artists.  Those artists should be veryyy grateful.
• Cable television that provides akabajillion channels.
• Netflix.  For when ALL of the akabajillion channels suck.
• Christmas specials.  For when winter season gets you sick and you just need to lay on the couch and feel human again.
• Bathrooms.  Because if you do Thanksgiving right, my golly, you're probably gonna need one.
• Those 30 second ads before YouTube videos.  Stop complaining.  These are the reason YouTube is free.  Dammit.
• Reality shows like Teen Mom, Real Housewives, Jersey Shore, and Honey Boo Boo.  To remind yourself that "at least you're better than that."
• Alternative rock radio stations.  Because we're tired of Maroon 5.
• Eggnog.  Because, no wait.  NOBODY is thankful for that shit.
• Coffee.  Because you probably wouldn't get out of bed, shower, and drive to your parents house for Thanksgiving dinner without it.  Truth.
• Colored highlighters and sharpies.  Just because.
• Saturday Night Live.  Because they keep us on our toes: "Is this week's episode going to be good or bomb?  The suspense is killing me!"
• The Parent Trap and Mean Girls.  Because we sometimes need a reminder of Lindsay Lohan's good ol' days...  So does she.
• Mitt Romney.  For his ever-hilarious 'condesending grandmother' look.
• Paul Ryan.  For being Paul Ryan.
• Barack Obama.  For being one of the most relevant presidents I've seen.  Seriously, I've never seen a politician be so into Internet memes.  Internet.  Memes.
• Joe Biden.  For having the best dentist ever.  Apparently.
• Twitter.  Because we don't read newspapers anymore.
• Cracked.com.  For entertaining us during our down-time at work.
• Internet Explorer 10 commercials.  For introducing us to Alex Claire.  Good job.
• Nicki Minaj.  For making Lady Gaga seem normal.
• Ryan Gosling.  Because.  Damn...

Hey, girl!  Happy Thanksgiving!

Little Notes: "The Hunger Games 2: Red Dawn"

Earlier today, I was checking my email, when at the top of my screen, I noticed this ad for the new movie coming out, Red Dawn.

 



Now immediately, I notice a couple of things about this picture.  First, one of the cast members displayed here is from The Hunger Games movie, and another is a brother of another Hunger Games star.  I don't know much about  the plot of Red Dawn, but I assume it's about a group of young-adults fighting for their lives...  The Hunger Games.  Boom.

Second, I notice that Josh Hutcherson has top billing.  Josh Hutcherson is the one hiding directly to the left of the guy in the middle, Chris Hemsworth.  Obviously, Hemsworth is the top dog in this film, so why doesn't he get his name up in lights?  Did promoters think he had too much publicity going for him after Thor and The Avengers?  Are they mad his brother put a ring on Miley Cyrus, and they're taking it out on him?  Apparently so, because according to this ad, he's not the reason you should see this movie.  Freaking Peeta Mellark is.  Peeta...

Genres, Basically: All Other Music

I'm not sure if a ton of people actually read my first Genres, Basically mini-article-list-thing-trash, but I had a lot of fun writing these...  So I'm writing more!  Ha!


Pop



This genre technically includes anything on the charts that is very popular (popular = 'pop'.  Get it?  Wow!), however it's been roughly defined by people who love to hate everything as "that mind-numbing stuff featuring no-talent artists that all sound the same."  I would normally agree with these people, except for the fact that The Beatles were once considered "pop".  Because they were popular.  Also, some really good indie rock groups have been making their way up the popularity ladder, so I'm not complaining about pop music anytime soon.  Good and well produced pop music, that is.


Hip-Hop



Much like "pop", this genre has evolved.  It is a music, dance, and sometimes life-style.  Highly influenced by Black culture, this genre features rhythmic beats and sometimes rapping.  Notable modern hip-hop artists include Kanye West, Jay-Z, Eminem, etc.  Currently Lil' Wayne and his army of "rappers" called Young Money are monopolizing the hip-hop scene.  Many are distraught because they're slipping into this genre:


House



This style used to be heard only in nightclubs that were open until 5 AM.  Now, you can hear this music as early as 7 AM on your way to work (Like seriously, no one wants to hear "Starships" while stuck in morning rush-hour).  I blame this on David Guetta.  And Cascada...  This genre usually is played by various DJs who feature popular artists in their songs.  Other people who were once hip-hop artists have found themselves in this genre, too (we're looking at you Minaj...  FloRida...  MINAJ!)


R&B



Not heard as much today as it was in the '90s, but this genre, standing for 'rhythm and blues' is still quite popular among those who love listening to smooth, romantic music.  Usher is included in this category, even though he also belongs in the 'house music' category.  If you want really good R&B, hit up Robin Thicke.  I'm also not mad at him for looking so good.


Country



If you included Taylor Swift in this category, you're doing it wrong.


Gospel



Nobody except for people at church and your Aunt Gladys listen to this.  Remember that song, "Stomp"?  I think that's the closest gospel music has come to being mainstream.


Christian



This genre plays on that one radio station your mom turns to on the way to church.  It's just music with a dose of Jesus.  I don't even know why it gets it's own category.  If you didn't understand English, these songs would sound just like any other song by The Fray or The Goo Goo Dolls.


Reggae



You're probably thinking about Bob Marley.  That's okay, because so am I.  Also, you should really check out Matisyahu.


Dubstep



Features 'wub wub wubs', and bass-drops.  Now this is a genre of music of which most songs sound all the same.  Apparently came out of Europe.  Skrillex is the most popular dubstep DJ in the states, so far.  This dancer almost makes it worth listening to.  Warning: You either love it or you hate it, and if you hate it, we're tired of hearing you talk about how much it sucks.


Christmas Music



If you are caught listening to this before Thanksgiving has passed, you're dead.


Acoustic



This style includes all those people who like to play their instruments by themselves and acoustically.  Technically, anyone can go acoustic.  Remember that whole "Unplugged" thing Nirvana did?  That was awesome...


Classical



Whether it be opera or gold old piano music, some people love chilling out to Mozart, Beethoven, or another notable composer's work.  If they're really adventurous, they'll listen to some Stravinsky.  Now that guy was nuts!


Soundtracks



They sell albums featuring music from certain movies and video games for a reason.  One being because the composer worked really hard on it and wants all the money he/she can get.  The other being that people love a good soundtrack.  For instance the Inception soundtrack may just be the only movie soundtrack that I can listen to from start to finish.  In short, Hans Zimmer is a genius.


Indie



This is the genre that includes artists people love to listen to when they get sick of listening to "mind-numbing pop".  However, fun. and Gotye are sometimes considered indie, but are also on the pop charts...  Now we don't even know what we're talking about anymore.

What to Do on Saturdays?

Saturdays are the best thing going on in my life right now.  I recently just started my first full-time job.  I get up at 6 AM every Mon-Fri morning to drive 45 minutes to my office where I type emails from 8 to 12, go out for an hour-long lunch, then come back and type some more emails from 1 to 5.  The worst part is just waking up in the morning.  It feels like I'm back in high school (note: I never had many classes in college that started earlier than 9:10 AM).  Needless to say, I love my Saturdays because I get what I yearn for all week: SLEEP!

So this Saturday was great.  Friday night I went to sleep at 4 AM because I was playing in the forums at Cracked.com and drafting my next blog.  I slept Saturday morning until 10 AM, when my roommate walked in to ask if I fed our cats.  I went back to sleep for 30 more minutes, then woke up to go pee (having your own bathroom is great).  I then went back to sleep.

At 12 PM I was woken up again by my roommate, so I decided that I should probably get the hell up.  Well, kind of.  I laid in bed staring at the ceiling for about another hour.

At around 1 PM I made an awesome sandwich with a side of veggie chips.  Deciding that was was not chipper enough, I then got in my car and drove to the nearest Caribou Coffee to get a medium Vanilla White Mocha.  I came back and sipped my coffee all while reading Les Miserablés and watching Jersey Shore at the same time.  Like a boss.

By around 3 PM I got off the couch to do what I had intended to do the previous day: clean my room.  I started that, took a break, started again, took another break, organized, looked out the window while petting my cat, then finished organizing my closet.  At the end of it all, I have to say that my room looks...exactly the same.  My loveseat is clear and my dresses are finally hung up.  That's all that matters.

And now, its 7 PM and I am currently writing this blog.  I'm 23 years-old, I'm going to go out with some friends tonight, right?  Nope.  I'll probably wash my hair and do my nails like the loneliest girl in the world.  The most important thing to remember is at least I got some sleep.


I love Saturdays!



If I didn't have to wake up to eat/stay alive, I probably would never get out of bed.

Awesome Picture of the Week: President Who?

Can you name the 20th President of the United States of America?  Without Google?  Yeah, neither can I, but what's important is that I'm pretty sure most Americans can remember the important ones.  Observe this picture found via 'some random meme website I stumbled upon while browsing Facebook'.  It illustrates most people's view of our 44 presidents.

Guy on the quarter, white guys, cool tall guy, white guys, dumb white guy, black guy...

This picture is funny because we all know it's true.  Not enough time was spent learning about other presidents besides the highly significant ones and the ones whose terms we lived through.  There's no one to blame except our history teachers, of course.  I would have loved to learn more about John Quincy Adams and his blah, blah, blah... you know, never mind...

P.S. - The History Channel has this show called I Love the 1880s (a clear satire of those "I Love the [enter date]" shows on VH1).  It's actually rather hilarious and provides a lot of interesting little facts about figures in history that you probably didn't know (like how Benjamin Franklin hated eagles and would've liked a turkey better as a national bird.  A damn turkey.  Oh, Ben...).

When Donald Trump Dangles $5 Million in Your Face...

You'd think he could afford a better tan...

This really interesting and totally likable person named Donald Trump (perhaps you've heard of him) did something very charitable.  He announced he'd be making a donation of $5 million to any charity of President  Obama's choice.  This seems great!  What an awesome guy!  Oh wait, what's that?  There's a catch?  ...Of course there is... Freaking rich people...

Donald Trump recently announced...excuse me...majorly announced in a video that he would donate millions of dollars to any charity that Obama chooses, but only if Obama released his college applications, passports, and other documentation that no one really cares about.  Now, two things could happen here:  Either the Prez could laugh at Trump's horribly aging pumpkin head and never release his documents, thus resisting playing this stupid game.  Or, Obama could publicly release all his useless information on video, stare into the camera, and say "Pay up, Trump." ...Like a boss.

Frankly, I don't care what either party does.  However, I was extremely upset with Trump's action here.  Let me just say that this is precisely why people hate rich people, and Trump is only helping to give them more of a bad name.  He's portraying rich folks as the kind of people who openly display that they have more money than they know what to do with, but they never do any good with it.  Trump just blatantly expressed that he has $5 million he's willing to donate, but like a first-class asshole, he's going to hold on to it unless Obama succumbs to a stupid dare.  ...Freaking rich people...

I find it incredibly rude that he would dangle so much money in the faces of many charities that need it.  All those inner-city kids he mentioned, too...what a tease!  If he has the means to be charitable, why doesn't he just do it?  And I'm not saying that Trump has never donated a penny to charity in his life, because I'm sure he has (it's like required in the 1% world right?  For tax write-offs and shit?  I don't know things...).  However, in this instance, $5 million is a ton of cash that any charity could really benefit from, and to just turn it into a game is pretty low.  I say even if Obama doesn't play his game, he should still donate the money...or at least somebody should.  And I'm not accepting any less than that $5 million.

...Freaking rich people...

ALSO! - No one in the history of common sense would ever release personal information like this to the public.  "His passport application"?  Are you kidding me?!  Why don't I just scan my social security card and post it right here?

This is really mine.  Swear.

"It's a philosophy book!": A "Mockingjay" Review

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After completing this series, I can say that I was satisfied. The first two books left me feeling bitter and HUNGRY for more... Eh?! Like that?...no? Ok.

All puns aside, I really enjoyed reading this book. At times, I did get bored, or sped through certain part which I felt were "fillers", but for the parts that mattered I was kept on the edge of my seat. This is definitely NOT a children's book. Heck, I barely consider it a book for teens. The depictions of violence are raw and Collins has no mercy while describing scenes of horror and bloodiness. Despite the lovely cover, this is not a warm-fuzzy read.

I really do admire the clear path to maturity that this series has gone through. I'll admit that I absolutely hated the main character, Katniss, for the first book. In the second, I was terribly annoyed by her and her inability to let information pass through her skull that the reader had most likely already figured out pages ago. I started Mockingjay expect to be just as annoyed, but the character finally grew on me. Throughout, she slowly developed into a mature adult, albeit not the way average children should grow. In this book we see her as a human, scarred by the atrocities of war so much that she breaks. I don't believe for a second that society would ever become as barbaric as Panem or as idiotic as the citizens of the Capitol, but you certainly can draw similarities to events in history. Just because it was anceint Rome doesn't mean real-life human beings didn't watch prisoners being torn apart for entertainment. In essence, Collins illustrates to us a point which we all already know: WAR IS BAD. DON'T DO IT. Yeah...we know. (So why do we keep going?)

Now, the reason I like this book the most is because of the varying forms and displays of morality. We see Peeta, who seems to be a genuine dove of peace. (Although, he did coldly murder someone in the first book. No one's going to bring that up again? Anyone? Okay, moving on.) Gale who is definitly bent on serving revenge on the coldest plate in the freezer. (By the way, I still don't buy the Kat/Gale romance. Totally dry.) And even the good ol' Prez Snow with his utilitarian attitude (also, he's a vampire... I'm obviously kidding, but read the book and you'll see what I mean). Katniss constantly flows through different morality models, which makes total sense for a person in her position. Hurt them before they hurt you first? Do eyes for eyes really make the world blind? Does a chance at freedom really justify the slaying of innocents? Conflicting views and questions of morality and human rights in a time of war and opression. Gotta love it. It's the philosopher in me...

So if you're like me, wondering wheter or not to finish the series, my answer is this: Just finish it. You may not like it as much as I did, but it's a series... What kind of lamer just quits halfway through a series? You wouldn't quit watching Merlin after Season 2, would you? (Okay, I did...bad example... Still, go read the darn book!)


View all my reviews

Batman Cupcakes

It was Labor Day, or some other day of the week where I didn't have to work, and I call up my cousin and say, "Hey, want to hang out and bake Batman cupcakes?"  Of course she said yes because, honestly, who turns down free cupcakes?

There's not really a recipe to these.  It's just out-of-the-box cupcakes.  I grabbed whatever cake mix looked good at the time (I think it was double fudge or something.  I don't know.  Don't care.  Deliciousness is all that matters).  Same goes for the frosting, except it needs to be yellow for obvious character reasons.  I also grabbed a couple tubes of tiny "drawing frosting" so that I could draw 30 Bat-signs.  

The best one

The saddest one

One thing about the frosting: frosting out-of-the-box-cake or cupcakes usually results in the cakes falling apart if you're not delicate while applying the frosting.  The only thing I can think of to prevent this is to get softer frosting or make it softer somehow, but I have no idea.  I'm not a pastry chef...

Anyway, these were good.  I made a ton of them and took them to work the next day (so it was Labor Day that I made these).  I don't think many people were that amused by my cupcakes because a total of 5 were eaten that day.  So, I took the rest home and my roommates and I gained 5 pounds that week.  Regardless, I had fun with these, and I want to start baking more.  Maybe next time from scratch.  And Superman cupcakes.  Actually, drawing a bunch of Superman symbols with tubes of frosting sounds like hard work... 

Little Notes: Why We Need the DVR

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is an actor that I really like.  Really, really, really like.  I like his face...  He's a pretty good actor too.  Well, JGL was a host on Saturday Night Live last week, so naturally I was excited.  Also naturally, I missed it.  No problem!  We have a DVR!
My roommate: "I forgot to record SNL."
Me: "...I'm moving out."
Okay, I really wasn't that upset, because we can watch it On Demand.  However, while watching the SNL episode, I noticed that something was off.

Oh yeah, that's right.  They freaking cut out the host introduction!  Those introductions are the best part about SNL having famous celebrity hosts.  All I wanted to do was watch JGL stand on stage, look cute, and crack a few jokes.  Even worse; I was watching Ellen and JGL was a guest.  They noted that he had done sexy Magic Mike-esque dance.  What the hell?  And I missed it?!  I hate On Demand.  And AT&T U-Verse.  And Life.

Honestly.  What was I doing Saturday that was more important than watching this?

Also, Mumford and Sons were the guest musicians, but they were also cut out.  *Le sigh*.  Off to YouTube, I go.

Little Notes: "Mighty Morphlin' Power Rangers"

I'm currently reading Catching Fire, the sequel to the recently popular Hunger Games.  While reading the book, I notice that the narrator often mentions a substance called "morphling".  Now most things in this dystopian future that the author created are like upgraded versions of modern objects or animals (e.g.- a "mockingjay" is a genetically altered bird).

I assume "morphling" is an altered version of morphine, or morphine mixed with some other substance, and I'm sure it will be explained later in the book.  But, for now I'm getting more amusement out of imagining that the author really has no idea what morphine is, heard someone talk about it one day, and just spelled it and pronounced it how she thought it would be.  You know...  Like how the Rugrats talk...

Awesomely Bad Baby Names: Part II

Well, since the first round of names turned out to attract some attention, I've thought up some new geek-tastic names that sound like a bad idea, but would eventually turn them into cool kids.  Promise...



Merlin
Merlin is the name of the greatest known fictional wizard of all time.  Step aside Gandalf!

"YOU SHALL NOT... oops, wrong wizard."

The bad:  There are so many downsides to naming your child after a wizard.  I mean, if you like wizards and want one of your favorites to be a namesake, then you have a plethora of options:  Harry.  Neville.  Heck, you can even go with Severus!  But, picking the most old-timey name in the history of wizard names is really taking a ballsy step.  Think about the images that came to your mind when thinking of the name "Merlin."  If you have a hard time using your imagination, allow me to help you out:

Clearly a stoner.

Clearly senile.

Clearly...  Well, he's alright.

Conversations concerning your kid will probably go something like this:
"Oh, that kid Merlin?  Yeah, he's so funny.  He's a riot."
"Really?  What, is he like a class clown or something?"
"No, his name is just silly.  Have you ever seen Shrek 3?  That's what I think of when I see Merlin.  Yeah."

The awesome:  We have established that the name sounds ridiculous, it's very, very outdated, and naming your child after a fictional wizard would be nuts.  However, let's not overlook how much of a great figure he is.  He was the real power behind the throne in Arthurian legend, he was a great mentor, and he possessed some great power.  He was also probably extremely intelligent.

If the influence of a great Arthurian hero did not sell this name enough for you, then pay attention to this:  The meaning of this name is "sea fortress."  SEA FORTRESS.  This is just the perfect prophecy that every parent wishes upon their children.

Side note- It's also the name of a bird...  You can tell people that instead.

It's better than "Katniss".

Ajax
This is a name which really does sound strong at first.  However, it honestly only sounds strong because it makes me think of Mortal Kombat for some reason...

This is a Jax.  Got it?

The bad:  There is not much bad that goes with this name.  It's strong and memorable.  The only negative that might come with a name like this, is that your kid may automatically be framed as the default bully...just because your kid sounds like he might grow up to be a bouncer.  Ajax, is totally a bouncer/bodyguard name...

Another obscure reason why the name might not be so great is because of the Lesser Ajax in Greek myth.  During of invasion of the city of Troy, Ajax the Lesser (or "Ajax the Douchebag") erm, raped, the king of Troy's daughter while she clung to a statue of Athena.  He was killed by the gods later.  Good!


The awesome:  Hopefully, no one will actually remeber Ajax the Douchebag, and will automatically remember that Ajax the Greater was a great Greek warrior, prominent in the tales of the Trojan War, and was played by Sabertooth.  This name is also awesome for those parents who want to prime their children for careers in mixed martial arts, professional wrestling, and espionage.

On second thought, I'd rather have you take an art class or two...

Blossom
Because naming your kid Bubbles or Buttercup would obviously be dumb.

The bad:  The name is flowery, sugary, happy, sunny goodness.  How could it possibly be bad?  Well, my friends, the unfortunate thing is that this name is so sweet, it just may give you diabetes.

In addition to being too full of sugar, this name is associated with two major pop culture figures.  First, you all may be familiar with the Blossom who is the leader of the Powerpuff Girls.  Blossom, as I recall, was not the most favorable of the trio.  She was often portrayed as a bossy know-it-all, snob, and all-around teacher's pet.  She had her noble moments, but many episodes showcase her as that smarty-pants everyone hated in 4th grade.  The second character associated with this name is Blossom from...Blossom.  It was a show.  It was in the 90s.  It dealt with after-school problems like family, drugs, and alcohol.  I honestly have never seen more than minor clips of that show, but I hear it's nostalgic.  People who grew up watching it will probably encounter your child named Blossom and make some obscure reference.

The cartoon Blossom is cuter...

The awesome:  Obscure references directed towards your child are probably the worst thing that could happen if you do decide to name her so.

As mentioned before, The Powerpuff Girls' Blossom was annoying at times, but she also was a freaking genius.  Let me just remind you that she was always mature, logical, and had a great memory.  She also had ice breath AND could speak Chinese fluently.  From birth.  Bottom line.  Smart kids are named Blossom.  Everyone wants smart kids.

Fun fact:  This name was actually in the top 1000 during the 1920s and 1930s.



So much more Awesomely Bad Baby Names are coming soon!

Leaving the Nest

Tomorrow will be the day when I finally spread my wings and fly out of my parents' house.  Literally.

This image comes to mind.

Actually no, I cannot really fly.  That's just crazy-talk.  However, I will be moving out!  Yes, a recent college graduate, and I will be leaving the nest at 22 years-old.  I feel like all grown-up... Except for the fact that there are a few minor factors that make me still feel attached to my childhood:

First, my roommates and I have officially received our keys and everything for our apartment two weeks ago...  I'm still in the process of moving in...  You see, I still need to move in all of my large furniture, and this includes my bed frame and mattresses.  I see no point of sleeping over there, if I do not have a bed, therefore I have not spent a night over at MY new place yet.  And I pay rent...

Second, I constantly go back and forth between my parents' house and my new apartment.  This means that my family and parents are always within reach.  This is a great thing because I know they will always be around to support me.  This is slightly detrimental however, because I find myself leaning on them more often than I would like to.  My parents are great, and they have no problem supporting me as long as they know I'm trying hard to support myself in the meantime.  However, I would like to be able to depend a little less on them, which brings me to my third point:

I am currently unemployed.  I was employed last week...as a canvasser...for two days.  The job was not working out (I would've made bank, though) and they had to let me go.  It was fine by me, because I the whole time I was working, I was thinking about finding another job.  Sorry I'm not sorry.

Right now, it really would be nice to have just any old job so I could pay rent.  However, since I am supposed to be grown now, and since I do have a college degree, I would like to pull myself out of the ground and hold a full-time job that is actually related to my major (or my minors).  I want so badly to be on that professional level.  Also, I need the experience so that graduate schools will look at me favorably.  I doubt that being a shuttle driver for three years is an impressive asset.

The good news is that I will finally have access to a van where I can fit all of my big furniture and get the heck out of this house.  Thank god for friends with large vehicles!  There's no doubt that I will still come back to my parents' house because, well, my other siblings still do the same.  Hey...  I'll get free food occasionally...

Procrastination Station 2: Violence is Fun.

I'm currently reading an article about how music is used in social movements.  This article focuses on the White Power Movement...  So CLEARLY, I get the song "We are Young" by Fun. stuck in my head!
(Disclaimer: I am absolutely NOT comparing Fun. with the WPM)

I was just thinking about these lyrics from the intro of the song:
"My lover she is waiting for me just across the bar.
My seat's been taken by some sunglasses asking 'bout a scar and...
I know I gave it to you months ago.
I know you're trying to forget..."

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Ya know, he always looked like a wife-beater to me.

So what I gathered from this little itsy-bitsy piece of lyric is that this guy injured his lover (or caused her injury somehow), but the two are still somewhat together....  Hm...

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I'm not sayin', but I'm just sayin'...

It's even more interesting that the "setting" of this song seems to take place in a bar, and the whole foundation of this relationship seems to be based on some kind of alcoholic/drunken hot-mess scene.  This guy appears to have recently had a violent episode with his partner, but it's okay.  When she's drunk at the end of the night, he'll carry her home...  Because they are young...  Thus, they must set the world on fire.

Now, I'm not criticizing this song in any way, but I just find it funny how songs become ten times more interesting once you actually take the time to sit and listen to the lyrics.  Not only is this song now a national anthem to young folks everywhere, but it is also the national "gettin' wasted" theme- or that's how I see it.  Just control yourselves, and try not to physically abuse your loved ones.




PS.  This is one of my FAVORITE songs.  Long live Indie music on the Top Charts!

Y teh Gays Shoold Not B Marryedd

This was something condescendingly hilarious, and I just had to share it.  Enjoy, and please... let those gay people marry each other.  The country is already screwed, so I don't see anything bad coming from it except more happy families.  Because, you know... America hates creating happy families :)

Times like these make me want....

a Tumblr account.

Procrastination Station

I am currently supposed to be writing a one page response about an animal rights activist for my Protest and Change class.  One page.  I can't even stay focused enough to type a page worth of honest words.  This stuff is double spaced, too...  Oh boy...

Since I'm on the subject of animal rights, I just want to take this moment to announce that I have been vegetarian since this Saturday!  Technically, my vegetarian experience started after hearing this guy, Gary Yourofsky, speak at our school about animal rights, being vegan, etc.  After that, I never could look at meat or animal products the same again (Saturday, I did go to Six Flags and eat half a corn dog, but had a hard time keeping it down.  That was a good enough cue for me to quit meat).  I figure someday I'll take a stab at the vegan life, but for now, I'm staying away from just meat.  It's going to take a while to explain my personal feelings about meat, and why I am just now shunning meat, but I'll just explain all that in a different blog.

Hmm... In the time it took me to write out this post, I could have been done with my one page response to Gary...

Oh well!

Unnecessarily Amazing Draw Something Drawings

There is a fairly new smartphone app out.  It is called Draw Something, and it has grown in popularity over the past few months.  The game is pretty much like Pictionary.  You send a drawing to someone and they try to guess that drawing based on a limited number of letters they are given.  As you earn more coins by playing the game and guessing drawings correctly you can eventually earn more colors to enhance your drawings.  This game is a fun (at least for a while, but I'll come back to that later), but there are some people who take this game to another level.  When I think of this game, I think of people making stupid little doodles that could barely earn a passing grade in elementary art class.  However, some individuals use this app as a way to show players that they are the next Michelangelo.  This is fine, except when the drawings start to become a little bit... unnecessary.
Allow me to explain:

Instead of drawing this...

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Someone drew this...

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This show was popular...  Right?

And so the elaborateness goes on.  Take a look at this fellow's drawing of the word "ape."  That's right.  All he/she needed to do was draw an ape...

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Do you see any apes in this picture?  Neither do I.

This next one, I just felt the need to nitpick at...

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Chimpanzees are apes, not monkeys...  Dick.

I guess the point of all this is that these drawings get a little bit ridiculous to me sometimes.  I'm not judging the people who make these.  Well...maybe a little.  I mean, come on guys!  It's just a $0.99 game!  Chill.  Either way, I'm not denying that these drawings are fantastic pieces.  I sure wish I could draw as good as these people, but in the mean time, I'm still going to be baffled at the amount of intricate time people spend drawing on their phones and/or tablets.

Enjoy some more unnecessarily amazing drawings!  Warning: Most of these are totally awesome...

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Catapult.  Get it?

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I never would've guessed those were slippers without the Asian man eating noodles there.

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Batman's parents died under a golden shower, I suppose?

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Usually when I draw "green", I just color the whole screen green.  But I guess I'm not creative enough.

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Its just awesome that this person found it necessary to draw Dexter in order to draw a graph.

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Could have just drawn a pair of scissors, but that's too easy.

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Okay.  Now you're just being obnoxious.