Category: well?

civil rights, get over it!, hmm interesting, is it just me?, politics, public health, that is so gay, venting, well?, wtf?!

why is gay marriage an issue?

by  •  • 16 Comments

I keep hearing all of this stuff about trying to find each presidential candidate’s position on gay marriage, and I have ask… why is gay marriage an issue that should be the concern of a president? Seriously? The issue is not gay marriage; it is civil rights. Marriage is the word that the use to describe the religious procedure of getting bound to another person for life. The only thing that could make it an issue, is that it is currently recognized by the government as a legal union, and there are privileges that come with its status. However, it is not the issue, and I don’t get why we are so concerned with that word; marriage.

I would happily take a civil union any day; so long as it afforded me EQUAL rights. I don’t give two shits about calling my partnership a “marriage” vs. calling it a “civil union”; so long as we are treated equally under the law of our government. I personally think that should be more of the focus, as this issue will always be used as more of a wedge than anything, and no person in their right mind is going to go up against the juggernaut that is the Christian church. Also, isn’t there supposed to be a separation of church and state? So again, why not stop calling it “gay marriage” as an issue?

I think that if you get married, good for you; you should also have to file for a civil union, which should be the only union the government officially recognizes. Make it standard for everyone, and make it available for gays and lesbians as well. Keep marriage in the churches, take religion out of the equation, and things can be more acceptable for everyone, right? Perhaps this is too simple of a concept, but it boggles my mind that gay marriage is all anyone ever asks about when it comes to gay and lesbian rights and a presidential candidate. (what about gay civil rights of other people throughout the world? I think that should be a huge concern of ours as well; but that is a more lengthy conversation).

I realized this more fully when I was reading what Obama said, and the “reaction” from some of the gays that he was against gay marriage. We don’t need to fight for religious justification; we need to fight for equality. Sure, the fight for gay marriage is a fight for equality, but it isn’t necessarily the same thing; take religious practice out of the picture officially. These church driven people are NEVER going to give us the “right” to take their “sacred” practice (now with a 50+% failure-rate!) for ourselves, so we should just drop the shit already. I am tired of continually giving it back to them so they can wedge it between what’s really important and this dance that we have been stuck in forever. I am for equality; nothing less, nothing more. Doesn’t that sound like a more fruitful fight?

Unrelated link: This is quite fascinating if it is true; apparently, the first AIDS case was in 1969 in the US. This makes me wonder; why didn’t it spread to the epic proportions that it has today? What was the factor that caused it to spread so rapidly in the 1980s that was different 11 years earlier? If this man was the first documented case of AIDS, how many people had it before him; and who infected him? It really turns the notion of epidemiology on its head, because it really did occur in a seemingly singular incident. Weird.

get involved, hmm interesting, is it just me?, listen up!, the catch-all-egory, well?

end of days?

by  •  • 8 Comments

Seriously though… with fire taking it’s toll on the west coast, and drought taking it’s toll here; things are getting eerily like the end of days…

My thoughts are with all those in the west that are being affected by these fires; I hope that the situation is under control soon. Just looking at this map makes me scared. I hope that everyone gets to safety, and that their homes are okay.

As for our drought situation here, it is really good that it is finally raining. We went up to the lake this weekend, and the last public boat dock for Lake Lanier even had two out of the three lanes shut down. I have to say, I wonder why there isn’t more planning and action taken into account when things like water are threatened for a major area, like Atlanta. I mean, it isn’t like we can actually do without water; and I am not talking about watering lawns and stuff. It really makes you realize how lucky we have it to live in a country that takes things like water for granted… that is, until the real threat of it going away is on the horizon!

I hope we can get this situation under control soon… and that gregarious misuse is punished appropriately!!! Thomas hooks us up with the numbers to call if you see water misuse; we need to save in every way we can, right?

Here’s hoping that we can get all of these crazy “end of days” type situations under control soon!

hmm interesting, is it just me?, listen up!, politics, public health, sex (oh yeah), well?, wtf?!

contraception to be offered to middle school students; and?

by  •  • 5 Comments

So apparently, there is a slight hub-bub about kids being offered contraceptives after an “outbreak” of pregnancies among middle school kids. AND?

Now, regardless of any objection about providing contraceptives for any reason, I want to know why we are not providing them with sex education that is the most effective? Wouldn’t that eliminate the need for this “controversial” take on preventing teenage pregnancy? How come our government still clings to the utter nonsense that is abstinence only education?

If people still think that kids are not having sex, and want to continue with the utter and complete BULLSHIT that is abstinence only education, I seriously think they need to be beaten about the head and shoulders; in hopes that it would knock some fucking sense into them. The time to reform sex education is BEFORE a string of pregnancies; which I might need to remind people that focus on abstinence only education, is caused by having sex. That’s right! Kids are totally doing it, no matter how far you want to go in convincing yourself that they are not.

What really got me worked up in reading this article, is that it mentions that condoms are available, but it doesn’t say to what capacity that they are recommended. Under federal guidelines for sex education, it is my knowledge that they would not be recommended at all, and in some cases, even discouraged, and represented as an ineffective means of preventing pregnancy and STDs. To piggyback on that thought, it really frustrates me that they are so willing to try and prevent pregnancy, without any thought or stance on preventing STD transmission. Sure, having a baby is a big deal, but so is getting HIV! Where’s the concern? (did someone say, love the fetus, hate the child? oh…)

For me, this totally relates to whether girls getting a vaccine for cervical cancer, and how it could be seen as “controversial”. If you can PREVENT a disease by practicing certain things, why wouldn’t you want to encourage those things among the greater population? In all seriousness, to continue to follow this “bury your head in the sand and it will go away” method of treating our nation’s children and their “non” behaviors, is about as backward thinking as it can get. The whole take our government has on childhood sexual education makes me want to fucking scream. Grrrr….

all about me, happenings, is it just me?, mixed media, music musings, that is so gay, the catch-all-egory, well?

omigod, omigod you guys…

by  •  • 5 Comments

This weekend, we were lucky enough to get the chance to see one of the currently playing Broadway shows; Legally Blonde: The Musical… and we didn’t even have to go to New York to see it! MTV aired the entire show on Saturday, and I have to say, it was awesome.

Not only was the musical totally cheesy, campy, silly, and fun, but it was awesome to have the opportunity to see a show that one might not otherwise be able to see (i.e., lack of access to NYC, lack of funds to pay for expensive tickets, etc). I am a big fan of musicals (of the ones that I have seen, that is), and having seen a couple on Broadway, trust me, I get the importance of the quality and presence of the show. However, I always leave the show wishing that it were a movie, or wishing that there was a recording of the show (not just the cast recording), because, of the ones I’ve seen, I enjoyed them so much that I would like to be able to see them again. I have never understood how a show that has such a high budget for production, and rakes in so much money ($100 a seat per night for most new shows), wouldn’t want to to capitalize even more, and bring the show to the masses… especially considering that some Broadway shows barely make back the upfront costs of production!

Sure, they do tours, and have touring casts for certain shows, but those just aren’t the same (trust me, I saw Wicked on Broadway, and I saw it again when it came to Atlanta… TOTALLY different show). Also, you have to be in one of those select cities to get to see the show, which again, plays into that whole concept of access. I just wish that some of the great shows could be recorded like Legally Blonde was this weekend; I can bet that it would make the show way more popular in the long run. I am, however, really glad that a lot of musicals have been adapted into feature length films recently; and super happy that the trend doesn’t seem to be slowing. There have been some EXCELLENT films come out over the past few years, and I hope upon hope that some of my favorites (ahem, Wicked), will follow the same path.

Overall, I loved the concept that MTV had, and I really enjoyed the show. James and I are talking about going to NYC over Christmas (James has family in NJ), and I know that I would REALLY like to see Legally Blonde now that I know what to expect. I personally hope that MTV decides to put the show that they aired on DVD, because I would totally be in line to buy my copy (hint hint, MTV!!).

Other than watching the show with friends, the weekend was pretty relaxing and nice. As I mentioned yesterday, James and I celebrated four years and one month last night, by ordering in some pizza, and just enjoying each other’s company. I am not big on flashy plans and expensive restaurants, personally… I am all about the simple things. (Like musicals on DVD!) I hope that everyone is at least adjusting to the start of a new week… I am personally avoiding the fact that I have an anatomy test this week… grrrr.

civil rights, get involved, hmm interesting, is it just me?, listen up!, mixed media, music musings, near and dear, politics, show the love, tragic, venting, well?, wtf?!

music sharing and ridiculousness

by  •  • 10 Comments

So, I spoke briefly on Friday about the girl that was sued by the RIAA who lost, and now owes upwards of $200,000 for downloading and sharing a few songs. Now, while I am do agree that there should be some regulation, and that nothing should just be totally free, I think that this whole war against those that share music has gotten out of hand (as evidenced by this case). In fact, what is forgotten, and I think on purpose for whatever reason, is that most people that download music actually end up buying most of that which they download.

Take me for example. I buy CDs all of the time. Most of those CDs are CDs that I downloaded first, in order to see what they were like. Most of the stuff that I download is stuff that I haven’t heard of, and want to check out. If I get a chance to check out something new, and end up enjoying it, I definitely want to support the artist, and 9 times out of 10, I do.

So is what I am doing helping or hurting the music industry? I would say that it is helping because I am buying the products that are being produced; and most often I am buying the minor artists, and supporting music that would otherwise never be heard. Additionally, many of the smaller artists that I find this way, would never have been discovered without my trying to find them. I also go to concerts of these artists regularly, and support them even more in that manner.

If I relied on the radio for my every music need, I would miss many of the amazing artists that I love today, and I think that not only is that a terrible shame, I think that it clearly shows that the RIAA is not about saving music… they are about their profits.

However, I still contribute to their profits. Willingly. Yet, they still come after those like me, those that love music, and just want to be able to share it with others, in hopes that they will enjoy and support those artists that they might have never heard of; that is, if I didn’t play them that “illegal” mp3.

I think this whole issue is bullshit, and it just makes me angry that big corporations get all angry when they can’t control every single aspect of something. This is especially infuriating with regards to trying to control music that I legitimately pay for… If I bought it, so back off. You got your money, now let me enjoy my CD, or even make a copy for a friend if I choose to do so; I payed for it! In the end, it is clear to me, that the RIAA is always the one that wins, because like I said, most of those suggestions lead to purchases; and most of the profits are never even seen by the artists themselves.

I gave $5 to the save Jammie fund, because I know that if I were in her shoes, I would really be freaking out. I feel sorry for her that the RIAA has chosen so ridiculously to make an example out of her. Asking her to pay a $1 for each song she shared is one thing, but what they are doing is robbery. So, here’s $5 from me, Jammie, I hope that you can raise enough to pay off the bloodsuckers that are on your back.

What do you guys think about sharing music/downloading music? Do you think the whole thing is just another greedy scandal by corporations to make as much money as possible? Or do you really think that artists suffer? What about sharing music is so bad, especially if you are like me, and you almost always go out and buy the CD? Additionally, sharing music was meant to discover new artists, which for me, it totally does… what would happen to the obscure artists if this ability was taken away? How would it effect you?

all about me, get over it!, is it just me?, listen up!, politics, public health, the catch-all-egory, venting, well?, wtf?!

busy week ahead…

by  •  • 5 Comments

This week, I have two midterms, one each in Statistics and Anatomy Lab. Needless to say, I have hit the “frustration, procrastinator-to-the-max” level of stress; I need to study, but I am too worried about the tests that I just end up wasting time being frustrated about them. Gah. I am sure that I will get to studying later on this evening though, because the sheer amount of information that I have to have memorized for the Anatomy lab is amazingly terrifying. There really is no winging a 50 question fill in the blank test. The statistics test isn’t much better… she isn’t giving us any formulas. Also, she must really hate us, because there is not only new content today and tomorrow that WILL be on the midterm, but there is also a quiz tomorrow. Seriously. I mean, I know that things need to be structured and whatnot, but this class is insane. I just hope that I can get it all done in time, and be prepared for both tests; which are nicely on the same day: Thursday.

Just some thoughts that I have been pre-occupied with today (when I should have been studying):

  • The Bird and The Bee are awesome. I picked up a new EP called “Please Clap Your Hands” over lunch, and I am really enjoying it. I love their CD, and am not surprised that I like this too. Definitely a fun group.
  • Now, I know there are tons of opponents to socialized medicine out there, but I don’t see how providing health care for children that don’t have it is a bad thing (healthy children is a GOOD THING!). I just don’t. You are not going to convince me that spending $60 billion dollars over five years on something that is necessary, like health coverage for children that don’t have it, is a bad thing; especially when you consider that we have already spent $450+ billion on a war in Iraq. Is it really that bad to want to take care of Americans? What’s the point of being “free” if you are sick and dying? I am over this whole, “Love the fetus, hate the child” mentality that much of the Republican party clings to, and I for one, hope that Bush doesn’t veto this bill. Now, bitch and moan about why providing health care to those that don’t have it is bad; just be sure to refer to world health statistics and figures regarding life expectancy, and make sure you see where we fall on that list.
  • This just pisses me the fuck off. Seriously, we do NOT support our troops; that is, our government doesn’t support them. If there is one priority that is PARAMOUNT in this country, it is taking care of those that served FOR us. SHAME. SHAME. SHAME. I am sick of this. Many of you have accused me of “not supporting the troops”, and obviously, I am expecting more support than is currently being provided.
  • If you have commented on this blog, and you don’t see your comment show up in a reasonable amount of time, chances are, one of two things has happened: 1) your comment was eaten by my spam filter, and you should try and post it again (this is usually ONLY for new commenters, or comments that have lots of links in them); OR 2) your comment is not adding anything to the conversation, other than hateful, meaningless remarks that I don’t have the time to validate, reply to, or approve for appearance on my blog. I am saying this, because there is at least one person that continues trying to “get my goat” by leaving ridiculous and baiting/hateful comments, and I just wanted that person to know that unless there is something that you wish to add, that isn’t just hateful and absurd, then keep it to yourself; as I no longer have time to validate your asinine behavior.

Well, I guess that’s about it, really. Hope everyone is making the best of a Monday! Now… back to the books for me!

all about me, hmm interesting, hotness, is it just me?, mixed media, movie musings, politics, the catch-all-egory, venting, well?, wtf?!

just a few thoughts and observations: wednesday edition

by  •  • 14 Comments

I watched Knocked Up last night (well, most of it), and I must say that Seth Rogen is totally cute. Totally. I don’t really have an opinion on the movie yet, as I didn’t finish it, and was focused on Seth’s cuteness.

I watched the season premiere of The Unit, and they totally brought it in a way I wasn’t expecting. This show definitely wins over House, hands down. Also, I watched the series premiere of Reaper, and it was fantastic!!! Well written, witty, and cute! I am definitely adding a season pass for this one. So far, one new show has definitely impressed me! I was also glad to see Tyler Labine in the show, because I liked him in Invasion, and well, I think that he is really cute. Also, the lead guy, Bret Harrison, is totally cute too! I love good shows with cute boys. That is a double hell YES!

Side note: OMG, I just looked at the IMDB entry for Reaper, and I had NO IDEA that it was Kevin Smith’s project! No wonder I liked it so much! YAY!

Is anyone else just completely embarrassed by our president? I mean, that speech yesterday was just a complete hypocritical slap in the face of the rest of the world; not to mention a complete “out of left field moment” at times (BURMA? REALLY? WTF?!). It is becoming more and more obvious that America has turned into that total bitch from high school who everyone hates and talks shit about behind her back, but she still walks around shoving her finger in people’s faces, and acting like her shit doesn’t stink; all the while, creating more people that hate her. Hello Regina George!!! But in all seriousness, it is no wonder (to anyone with a progressive bone in their body) that more and more people are expressing hatred over America. At this point, I think the best thing we can do is distance ourselves from this man, and show the rest of the planet that he does not represent what all of us think. Gah. Also, it would be REALLY NICE if we could actually practice all of the “human rights standards” that we are constantly calling the rest of the world out on.

If probability is such a simple concept as “it happens x number of times out of the possible number of times”, then why in the FUCK do they have to try as hard as possible to turn it into this amazingly difficult concept to grasp? I will never get statistics and why people try so hard to make it more difficult than it has to be. Taking a simple concept and turning it into something that is almost impossible to understand is beyond me.

Finally, as some of you know, James made a purchase. A big purchase. And I honestly don’t know how I feel about it. It stresses me out that he constantly puts his needs before mine, and sometimes, doesn’t even consider mine at all. Money has always been an issue between us, and no matter how I try to make it a non-issue, he really forces it. The worst part of it, is that I know where it comes from, have talked with him about it, have taken him to therapy and talked about it, and yet, it still permeates every part of our relationship. It isn’t something that I would leave him over, but it is definitely something that I have to vent about from time to time, in order to prevent lashing out at him about not having $10 to buy food, when it is clear that these are self imposed limits that serve to meet his needs and not ours. Ugh. Relationships are definitely a lot of work, and thank god I am willing to work at this one. I am still a little angry about the purchase, but I am sure that I will eventually let it go… I just wish that he could learn WHY it upset me. We’ll see.

Hope everyone is having a great hump day…. this was my 2 cents.

all about me, mixed media, the catch-all-egory, well?

fall TV: what are you going to watch?

by  •  • 4 Comments

Well, it’s that time of year again… time to get excited about (well, hopefully) fall television. It’s also the time to sort through the new stuff, and add that to the old Tivo schedule. Of course, that is tricky, because you also have to work it around the stuff that is returning from last year that you have already fell in love with. Now, let’s examine my TV viewing plans, shall we?

Returning shows that I am excited about/am already getting back into:

  • Heroes: First and foremost, last night’s premiere was great. I am glad that they went forward 4 months from the season finale, and they showed us how the characters had progressed since then. I was also excited to see that they still have some great secrets up their sleeve, so that this season will have us hanging on like last season. For me, this is THE show to watch this year. I love my Heroes! Also, I almost spit out my drink when none other than Mr. Julian Sark, one of my favorite Alias villians, showed up! Hell yes! I hope that they have him on there more in the future (although, it doesn’t look like they will, based on his character, but I digress).
  • Prison Break: After getting into this last season, I was glad to see this show come back. I also thought, “how are they going to keep calling it “Prison Break”, when they aren’t in prison anymore”; and well, if you watch the show, you know they wrapped that up nicely. Also, I have to say, that these two brothers seem to find themselves in a world of mess. The good thing is that they know how to deal with it, and provide us with some great drama and tension in the process. Oh yeah, and they are both smoking hot. I am definitely glad to see Prison Break back this year. (I also recently bought season one, because we never saw it, and I can’t wait to watch it and catch up… but I am saving that for later.).
  • Family Guy: Definitely one of my favorites, and always a good watch. I still need to pick up the newest DVD set, because I missed some of last season’s episodes. I watched the (I guess it was) season premiere last night, and I have to say, I have never really cared for Star Wars, but that was brilliant. Any Star Wars fan should have enjoyed the hell out of that episode; I know I did. I am glad to see this great show back for more.

Other shows I am glad to see coming back, that I have added to my recording schedule:

  • America’s Next Top Model — even MORE campy and BITCHY this year! What’s not to love about that?
  • Smallville — OMG, Supergirl! I seriously can’t wait to see what they are going to do this season. This show just gets better!
  • Ugly Betty — I love this show!
  • Brothers and Sisters — This show is seriously one of the best shows on TV, IMHO.
  • Desperate Housewives — I heard a gay family is moving in! I didn’t think this show could get any gayer, then it does!
  • House — to be honest, I am not sure about this one yet… I got annoyed with him last year, and may opt to watch the Unit instead.
  • The Unit — a good Alias-like show that we watched all of the previous season; I have to pick between this and House, and I haven’t decided yet which one I will choose.
  • CSI — for James… I like it, but am not as into it as he is.

Whew! That’s a lot of returning shows! I didn’t realize there were that many! Either way… Here are the NEW shows that I am looking forward to checking out:

  • Chuck — Monday at 8. Nerds and espionage? I’m in! I haven’t viewed the premiere, which came on last night, but I am looking forward to checking it out later this week.
  • Pushing Daisies — Wednesday at 8. I have been looking forward to this one ever since I heard about the concept. Sadly, it looks like one of those shows that may be great, but might not pick up the audience it needs…. I hope that if it is as good as I hope, that people tune in; as stated in the past, I hate to see good shows canceled too soon.
  • Bionic Woman — Wednesday at 9. They really payed attention at the success of Heroes, obviously, because here is another “comic-type” show; one which I am definitely interested in checking out. The previews look like it may kick ass.
  • Reaper — Tuesday at 9. I really loved (and miss) Dead Like Me, and this could potentially be a good take on it. Also, I love Missy Peregrym, which only adds to me wanting to check this out. I hope it lives up to the hype.
  • Big Shots — Thursday at 10. I will be checking this out just because it has Michael Vartan in it. Seriously. That’s my draw.
  • The Big Bang Theory — It would be nice to check out this show, but it conflicts with others (Monday at 8:30), so unless Chuck sucks, it’s going to have to wait. (seriously, why don’t the spread them out over the week?)

Whew! That’s a list of shows! Damn! I can’t believe that there are so many… and this isn’t even counting the mid-season shows! Well, I am going to get to setting my tivo for some maximum TV viewing, and get to checking out my old favorites, and the new offerings.

What will you be watching? Are there any of these that seem interesting to you??? Tell me what you are looking forward to in your Fall TV schedule!