saradoxical

Oh, Look. It's 2012.

2012-01-21T09:45:00.001-06:00

Hello there internet. Welcome to the beginning of the end. Except it's not really the beginning, as it's already the 21st of January. And there's a high probability that the world won't actually end eleven months from today. However, I would like to make a prediction that this won't stop the countdowns, including my own.

So. Eleven months left before catastrophe leaves the earth as an apocalyptic wasteland. What are you doing in the meantime?

Myself, I've been writing. Nothing like an impending Armageddon to push me to write that book I've been talking about for ages, huh? I've also been reading. Every year I set myself a goal of reading 50 books in a year, and every year I stop keeping track, but sadly fall short of that goal. This year I've read two brilliant books thus far, both of which have made me weep like a little girl. They are:

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

If you ever want to read a book that will indeed make you cry, I highly recommend either of those. Maybe I'll write better reviews later. For now, they are really good, and tear-jerking.

That being said, I've also been planning a once-in-a-lifetime/before-the-world-ends trip to the opposite side of the planet. Namely, I will be going to Australia. This means that I have gone through the process of securing myself a passport.

I'm not going to show you all my passport photo. All I will say is, I look rather angry when I'm not allowed to smile. It's all very vicious. However, I went for expedited services and got my passport in eight days, from the time I had my Congressional Representative's office send it in, to the time they called me back and said, "It's here!" That was rather impressive.

You know, I'm thinking that I want to make my 2012 reading list a thing. This will serve several purposes.

I might read more if people are following along, ready to judge me on how close I get to 50 books this year.
You can be entertained at my reading selections.
I might actually blog about these things and then I will be blogging and not just thinking to myself for twenty-one days, "I should probably blog something soon."
I can test out my mad book reviewing skills.*

Alright. 2012 Book Reviews are officially a thing. Look for the first two soon.**

And tell me how you plan to spend your last eleven months on earth before APOCALYPSE NOW?!

*I have no mad book reviewing skills.
** Soon is a very relative term.

An Open Letter to eBook Publishers

2011-12-30T14:42:00.001-06:00

Dear eBook Publishers,

First off, I love eBooks. I really do. I love my outdated, first generation Nook that I got a year ago for Christmas and was replaced by the Nook Simple Touch this year. It doesn't matter that you can't buy one anymore. I have one. It's pretty. It works. I like it.

What I don't like is that since I got my Nook, eBook prices have increased. Now I get it, really. Some of the prices I'm comparing were sales and discounts. But even so, the rising prices are a bit suspect in certain cases.

For example, when I can buy a print version of a book for the same price or even cheaper than the eBook version, I get a bit confused. You do realize that an eBook doesn't cost any money to print, right? Nor is there overhead at the warehouse where it's stored or the store where it's sold. There's no shipping costs. As it turns out, an eBook is just a document! Maybe a protected document, but a document all the same.

Now I know you want to make money, and that's generally considered to be a good thing. And maybe I'm just crazy in believing that an electronic document should be cheaper than a printed book, while also saving trees and fuel and all those other resources. But surely there's a balance between your profits and my expected discounts? Right?

In the meantime, I'll keep buying books for my Nook. But I'll also be checking out books from the library. Which reminds me, don't get any more ideas about limiting eBooks with libraries. Please? The system works for me.

And as a final note, Pottermore? Please, please open up your store already. I really want my Harry Potter library on my Nook. I'm pretty sure my copy of Goblet of Fire is missing pages, and in any case, the spine has long since snapped.

Thank you!

Sara

Thoughts on Tolerance

2011-12-09T00:00:00.000-06:00

I started to write a blog on this earlier, when I saw Rick Perry's new campaign video, and I wrote about it instead. However, that post plays into what I want to say now.

Our current political and cultural schism is breeding hate, and it needs to stop.

I don't have a solution. But I have an idea of one part of that solution. Act with tolerance. Teach it. Don't fight it. But who would fight tolerance?

Speaking From Experience
I spent many years within the church, and that's where I'm coming from today. No, I no longer hold onto the faith of my teenage years through my mid-twenties. But as someone who has experienced both sides of the coin, I feel I can speak a little to the intolerance I've seen preached within Christian organizations. No, I don't feel every Christian adopts this stance. But what I did observe is alarming.

I've heard tolerance referred to as a liberal assault on Christianity. Or as the godless pushing an agenda. I mention this not to fully criticize the church, but instead to shed light on those who adopt that stance. It creates an Us versus Them environment, and that's dangerous.

Make no mistake, I am not placing full responsibility on just the church. We have plenty of Us vs Them scenarios. Everything from religion and politics, to our ethnicity and our social standing is cause for division. And, I'll add, the dialogue from many prominent atheists is just as divisive as leading religious figures.

A Nation Divided
Our current political climate is vicious. You still have hope that one day we'll have universal health care in this country? You're a liberal communist! You reject to gay marriage for religious purposes? You're a conservative fascist bigot! The language we're using to describe people who hold different political views than ourselves is full of hate. And it's being broadcast 24/7 news channels, the internet and various other sources.

Liberals love to point out that Fox News is a source of this, and while I certainly won't disagree, we're just as guilty. We speak in hyperbole. We point fingers. It reminds me of a Bible verse instructing us to remove the plank in our own eye before pointing out the speck in the eye of another. You don't have to be a Christian to see the relevance of that statement.

We're All Guilty
The point is, blame lies on all sides. The sooner people start to own up to that, the better off we'll be. When we stop listening to polarizing media analysts, and for the love of all that is good, stop buying their books and placing them on the bestseller lists... When we start admitting that while we believe one thing, others have the right to come to their own conclusions and believe something different... When we stop looking at those who disagree with us as enemies and start to find common ground... Then we'll take serious steps towards tolerance.

For the Sake of Future Generations
I mentioned in my post about Rick Perry that I'd get to a second point about prayer in schools. In high school, I was part of a group of students who met each day before classes started and prayed. People complained, and the issue was brought before the administration. In the end, we were allowed to continue. But I remember it being an issue of division. Us versus Them again.

Yesterday I got an email about yet another teenager who took his own life after being bullied. He was gay, and unfortunately that made him an easy target. I refuse to believe there isn't a correlation between the increased divisiveness we see in our nation and the alarming number of reports of children killing themselves after being subjected to bullying for being different.

I remember elementary school, where this one girl was made fun of constantly just because of her name. And I was lucky. I had a birthday party that year and had invited every girl in my class except two. My mom noticed this, and made me invite them as well. That girl was included. I learned something that year, about not excluding people. That lesson stuck with me throughout school, and I made an effort to not be biased just because other people were.

If we make an effort to teach tolerance, and to live it out ourselves, we'll inadvertently be teaching kids to do the same.

I can't see how this could possibly be a bad thing.

Thoughts on Rick Perry

2011-12-08T08:14:00.000-06:00

Alright. Yes. I did just put a Rick Perry video on my blog. No, I haven't gone mad. Well, the video there may have angered me a bit, and that's the reason I posted it. That and I've been wanting to talk about some of the Republican candidates for a while now.

Let's examine the text of his message, shall we?

I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm a Christian,
Good on you, Governor. If you're going to believe something, I think it's important that you're not ashamed of those beliefs. No problems so far.

but you don't need to be in the pew every Sunday
What? Are you saying you skip church regularly? What's the point of this qualifier?

to know there's something wrong in this country when gays can serve openly in the military but our kids can't openly celebrate Christmas or pray in school.
Oh man. Did he really just say that? That's a deeply political statement if there ever was one, and he's dangerously close to pitting patriotic, gay Americans against Christian children. What?!

I'm not even going to touch the "War on Christmas." I'm just over hearing about it. And besides, The Daily Show has already covered that recently.

Image from The Daily Show.

But prayer in schools brings up two points, the second of which I'll deal with in a later blog post. The first point, however, is that any child in our country has the right to pray in school, any time he or she wants to. Prayer, as I understand it from my years within the church, is communication with God. It can be done silently. A kid can pray all day long without stopping and who can even know to stop him. What the governor is talking about, I suspect, is organized prayer. I'll get to that after his next statements in the campaign ad.

As President, I'll end Obama's war on religion. And I'll fight against liberal attacks on our religious heritage. Faith made America strong. It can make her strong again.
Let's talk about our religious heritage, shall we? I'm not going to debate the chosen faiths of the founding fathers. I will ask you though, about the document they wrote and ratified to guide our nation, the United States Constitution. I want to know where faith comes up in the original Constitution, pre-Bill of Rights. Pop quiz time!

Where is faith and/or religion mentioned in the Constitution?
A) EVERYWHERE!! You can't possibly list all the examples!
B) NOWHERE!! Stop looking for it.
C) Once, in Article 6.

If you answered anything other than C, you answered incorrectly. In Article 6, the Constitution prohibits any religious test from being required to hold office in the United States. That's it.

This then brings up the First Amendment, which also talks about religion. Let's take a look at this beautiful text:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

If I were to argue that none of our founding fathers were Christians, I would lose that argument. But these God-fearing men made a deliberate decision not to codify Christianity into the document that would govern our country. That is so often ignored that I just don't know what to say about that.

Protecting the first amendment is not a "war on religion." It is actually protecting religion, because the Constitution states that the government cannot prohibit the free exercise of religion. And, Governor Perry, there are many different religions practiced in America. Not just yours. Some of us choose not believe in any religion. We'd like our rights protected as well.

So should there be organized prayer in schools? No. No there should not. Should the rights of students to pray in a group before, after, and even during breaks where official school business is not being conducted be protected? Definitely.

I also won't debate whether or not faith can make the country strong. Personally, I feel that religion has great power to unite and benefit many people. I also believe that it can also be used as a weapon, and can be extremely powerful in causing division and spreading hate. There are examples in history of both good and bad religious actions.

I'm Rick Perry and I approve this message.
I'm sure you do, sir. Now please stay away from the White House.

Honestly? I just can't believe someone thought this ad was a good idea.

Holiday Letter 2011

2011-12-07T03:19:00.001-06:00

ALL the holidays.

Dear Family Member, Friend, Acquaintance, or Complete and Total Stranger,

Seasons Greetings to you! If I actually know you, the reason you're not getting this by post is that I wanted to find an alternative to those traditional "Peace on Earth" cards, but I couldn't quite find one that said what I wanted it to. Something like, "Peace on Earth, while it would be nice, is quite the unrealistic goal. So for this holiday season I'm simply wishing we'd all act a little less like jerks sometimes and treat each other a little nicer. Sometimes." I prefer to dream in attainable goals.

I could have had them custom made, but such things cost money and I'm cheap. Anyway. In the spirit of great holiday letters past that I've received, not sent, I thought I'd attempt one this year. Not that I can think of anything now that I'm trying to think of things to tell you. Funny how that works, huh?

So I'm just going to tell you what ever comes to mind.

Right now I'm eating sweet and sour chicken, and it is delicious.

Actually, I had sweet and sour chicken on the first of this year as well, as my friends and I sat around and talked about how we should go on a cruise this year. At the time, I chalked that up to wishful thinking. And then in October, I went on a cruise. What I miss most about life on board was that I could have a drink in my hand by 10 a.m. and it was perfectly socially acceptable.

In July a friend flew over from Australia to visit me. Since she had never been to the States before, I made sure that I gave her a true American experience. We went to Walmart. We also went to Hogwarts, which of course, is located in Florida.

I turned 31. That was in April.

I read a few books. Watched a few movies. Gave up watching House because it just became ridiculous, and started watching Gossip Girl, which is even more ridiculous. I also started watching Once Upon a Time and I'm enjoying it, even though I can't really figure out why.

My cats, Tonks and Luna, are still causing mischief. I've taken up the hobby of torturing them with a laser pointer. They'll chase and chase that little red dot but never really catch it.

I've been slowly watching through the entire series of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the way it was meant to be watched - with friends and plenty of liquor. I also watched two cinematic classics: Troll 2 and Birdemic: Shock and Terror, which I cannot possibly recommend enough.

In October, while I was in Jamaica, my sister moved down to Tennessee and is now a lot closer to me and my parents, and that's been incredible. We went on a road trip to Michigan and she said my taste in music has improved over the last few years. Then she made me listen to country.

I stopped naming everything George.

I have continued my overuse of commas.

In the world, it was a crazy year, and in my own life there were highs and lows. But overall, it's been pretty damn good. I hope this season finds you well, and I hope that we can all act less like jerks sometimes, and all treat each other a little nicer. Sometimes.

Happy Holidays!

16 Harsh Truths That Make Us Stronger

2011-12-05T06:46:00.001-06:00

A friend posted these on another site, and I've tried to correctly identify the original source, which I think is here. But I believe these are true.

Life is not easy. – Hard work makes people lucky – it’s the stuff that brings dreams to reality. So start every morning ready to run farther than you did yesterday and fight harder than you ever have before.

You will fail sometimes. – The faster you accept this, the faster you can get on with being brilliant. You’ll never be 100% sure it will work, but you can always be 100% sure doing nothing won’t work. So get out there and do something! Either you succeed or you learn a vital lesson. Win – Win.

Right now, there’s a lot you don’t know. – The day you stop learning is the day you stop living. Embrace new information, think about it and use it to advance yourself.

There may not be a tomorrow. – Not for everyone. Right now, someone on Earth is planning something for tomorrow without realizing they’re going to die today. This is sad but true. So spend your time wisely today and pause long enough to appreciate it.

There’s a lot you can’t control. – Wasting your time, talent and emotional energy on things that are beyond your control is a recipe for frustration, misery and stagnation. Invest your energy in the things you can control.

Information is not true knowledge. – Knowledge comes from experience. You can discuss a task a hundred times, but these discussions will only give you a philosophical understanding. You must experience a task firsthand to truly know it.

You can’t be successful without providing value. – Don’t waste your time trying to be successful, spend your time creating value. When you’re valuable to the world around you, you will be successful.

Someone else will always have more than you. – Whether it’s money, friends or magic beans that you’re collecting, there will always be someone who has more than you. But remember, it’s not how many you have, it’s how passionate you are about collecting them. It’s all about the journey.

You can’t change the past. – As Maria Robinson once said, “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” You can’t change what happened, but you can change how you react to it.

The only person who can make you happy is you. – The root of your happiness comes from your relationship with yourself. Sure external entities can have fleeting effects on your mood, but in the long run nothing matters more than how you feel about who you are on the inside.

There will always be people who don’t like you. – You can’t be everything to everyone. No matter what you do, there will always be someone who thinks differently. So concentrate on doing what you know in your heart is right. What others think and say about you isn’t all that important. What is important is how you feel about yourself.

You won’t always get what you want. – As Mick Jagger once said, “You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes you might find you get what you need.” Look around. Appreciate the things you have right now. Many people aren’t so lucky.

In life, you get what you put in. – If you want love, give love. If you want friends, be friendly. If you want money, provide value. It really is this simple.

Good friends will come and go. – Most of your high school friends won’t be a part of your college life. Most of your college friends won’t be a part of your 20-something professional life. Most of your 20-something friends won’t be there when your spouse and you bring your second child into the world. But some friends will stick. And it’s these friends – the ones who transcend time with you – who matter.

Doing the same exact thing every day hinders self growth. – If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting. Growth happens when you change things – when you try new things – when you stretch beyond your comfort zone.

You will never feel 100% ready for something new. – Nobody ever feels 100% ready when an opportunity arises. Because most great opportunities in life force us to grow beyond our comfort zones, which means you won’t feel totally comfortable or ready for it.

Charlie the Bird

2011-12-02T01:43:00.001-06:00

Note: In the absence of blog ideas, and stemming from my desire to NOT write about my guilty pleasure television show, Gossip Girl, I present to you this free write story, as inspired by this entry on my friend Rachel's blog.

It was early on a chilly December morning when Doug climbed out of his car, and fumbled around in his coat pocket for his work keys. He was yawning as he unlocked the door to the GameStop where he worked, having spent the better part of the night not sleeping, and instead playing Skyrim. Having never been particularly concerned about fashion, it was only upon hitting his foot with the door that he realized he was wearing a pair of unmatched sneakers.

Cursing that discovery, or perhaps his now rather sore big toe, Doug almost missed the small, shivering ball of feathers perched close to the entrance. Had he not dropped his keys, this story may have ended prematurely, and admittedly rather tragically for the baby bird, as it would have more than likely frozen to death in the vicious cold.

Fortunately for both the feathered fluff-ball, however, and all those reading this tale, Doug spotted it when he went to retrieve his keys. He was rather puzzled at the sight, seeing as how it was December he did not know birds to lay and/or hatch from eggs at that time of year. Nonetheless, Doug had compassion for the bird who otherwise would have perished under Darwin's theory of natural selection, and he brought the shivering ball of feathers into the store and named him Charlie. Charlie the bird.

He couldn't keep Charlie at the store, of course. So after work the bird went back to Doug's apartment, and there Doug raised him all winter. By the time spring rolled around, Charlie was healthy, and clearly eager to be released into the wild. It was a bittersweet moment for Doug. Charlie was his pet, but wild birds weren't meant to live indoors, and indeed, Doug was getting tired of cleaning bird shit from his furniture.

So on a far warmer night in late April, Doug took Charlie out into the woods, and was prepared to say a fond farewell to his feathered friend, but Charlie was impatient, and simply flew away. Doug watched with a certain sadness, the pain one experiences when one rescues a bird inexplicably on a chilly December's day, raises the bird as a pet, and then has the ungrateful bastard fly away without even looking back.

Perhaps we should consider it fortunate, then, that Doug did not have to bear his loss much longer. For there was a vampire waiting in the woods where Doug was standing. And since vampires are not animal-eating "vegetarians" who "sparkle" in the sunlight, but instead monstrous creatures who feed on the blood of human beings, Doug was out of luck. By morning he was nothing more than a carcass on the forest floor, and later the subject of a cold case file, still "unsolved" to this day.

Charlie, however, had a long and happy life.

NaNoNoGo

2011-11-20T19:08:00.001-06:00

So every year, in November, I sign up to do National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo. The idea is to write a 50,000 word novel within the month of November. I've been doing this since 2003 and I have a terrible success/fail rate of 2/7. I'm including this year in that figure because well... This year I just never started.

I began November with a cold that lasted roughly three weeks, a return present that I received when I got home from my cruise. Something about going from 90 degree weather to 40 degree weather messed up my sinuses, and then I was just sick. I had a trip up to Michigan, and just a general desire to do anything but write when I could. It happens.

Usually it goes something like this.

Nagging Voice in the back of my head: You should be writing! It's NANO TIME! WRITE.

Me: I'd rather watch clips of the West Wing on YouTube.

Voice: But you haven't even started yet and it's NOVEMBER 3RD!

Me: Oh well.

Voice: NO. YOU CAN DO THIS! TURN YOUR WIRELESS OFF AND GET WRITING.

Me: Shut up. I just missed my favorite quote from this scene!

To keep on pace for NaNoWriMo, you have to write 1,667 words a day. This really isn't difficult to achieve on any given day, it's keeping up the pace for a month once you get going. If you get going. Falling behind by three days becomes a formidable challenge to overcome. Falling behind by a week? The voice gets angry.

Voice: What are you doing?!?! You only have three weeks left. Let's recalculate. Don't try to catch up all at once. Just add in 714 extra words a day and YOU CAN STILL DO THIS.

Me: Um. I don't think I'm going to this year. Sorry?

Voice: NO. STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING. OPEN UP A BLANK DOCUMENT. WRITE.... What are you doing anyway?

Me: Watching that video from the Amazing Race where that woman gets hit in the face with a watermelon? Again?

Voice: ... I give up. You're hopeless.

And thus, my NaNo word count will stand at a firm zero words this time around. But hey, there's always next year!

In Which Goodreads Overwhelms Me

2011-11-17T13:48:00.001-06:00

Quite some time ago, I decided to create an account with the website Goodreads. The site lets you list books that you have read, connect with friends, join book clubs, post reviews and more. I thought that it would be fun, collecting a list of books that I have read.

I was wrong.

To explain this, I must tell you how my brain works. While I can be extraordinarily lazy, I also can be overly ambitious. Such was my response to Goodreads.

I said to myself, "I WILL LIST ALL THE BOOKS I HAVE EVER READ!"

Yeah. That wasn't going to happen. A few books in, and the site was asking me when I read each book. I had no clue. I gave up. Because I wanted a complete and accurate list of EVERY BOOK that I HAD EVER READ. EVER. Month, day and year. That's just how I am.

Since I gave up on that idea after several attempts, the most notable when I stressed over whether or not I had really read every book in the original Nancy Drew series, I have, on an almost yearly basis, decided that I was going to start chronicling books that I had read from that year on.

Then in February I would inevitably forget that I had come to this decision and would stress out, trying to remember if I finished reading George W. Bush's autobiography on the 18th or 19th of January. I NED AN ACCURATE LIST, I SAY. AN ACCURATE LIST.

As a result, the number of books that I have listed in my current Goodreads profile stands at a big fat 0. I even joined a book club this year, in hopes that would cause me to use this site that I support in theory, if not practice. But then I read the first month's book about three months too late. (I'm terrible at book clubs.)

So. I've made a decision. From the moment I start reading my next book on, I am going to chronicle all of those books on Goodreads. If I want to count a book I read before, I'll have to reread it. This may seem like madness, and I assure you, it is. My list will start at some random date in 2011 and move forward. I was going to wait until 2012 but then my brain wouldn't let me read any new books until them. I know, that's crazy, right? BUT THAT IS HOW IT GOES.

I do realize this makes me seems particularly neurotic. As long as it keeps that nagging voice in the back of my brain happy though, I don't particularly care.

Where Have I Been?

2011-11-10T23:10:00.001-06:00

Yes, yes, I know. It's been ages. Rather than trying to attempt to tell you where the hell I've been, I'll show you in photos.

I went to Hogwarts!

And Hogsmeade.

Then I went to a protest against an anti-Islamic film.

Because even though I'm not religious, I believe in freedom of religion.

I went on a cruise...

Where I visited Jamaica.

And the Bahamas.

Then I bought an awesome purple, sparkly raccoon named George and took him on a road trip with my sister...

... to Michigan, for my cousin's wedding.

Oh, and I redesigned this blog with help from the amazing Sharnee. This time it's most definitely me and I plan on keeping this layout. Now, to write more!

What's On Your Playlist?

2011-07-01T01:28:00.000-05:00

So, for a few months now I've been driving around listening to my iPod, with the same 182 songs on it. I usually just shuffle the songs and let it play. But after months of the same music, I was ready for a change.

There was only one problem. I couldn't find the cord that connects my iPod to my computer. So the music remained the same and I just dealt with it.

However, since I'll be taking a couple of road trips this month I decided it was time to go on an all-out search for the missing cord. And once I decided to look, it turns out it was quite easy to find the damn thing.

Turns out I'd placed it in a drawer of cords, doing so in the hopes that I'd be able to find it easily when it came time to change up my music. Oops? I suppose I'm just not a person used to organization.

Anyway, now that my iPod has a new selection of 403 songs, I thought I'd give you a random selection of my musical tastes. (And yes, only 403. I'm not using it to capacity, but I should note that this is an older model. An iPod Nano from 2007 that now has a black line across its screen. Hey. It still works. Why upgrade?)

So I've placed the Nano on random and here's the first 25 songs to play:

Cat Stevens - Don't Be Shy
Billy Joel - Captain Jack
Birds of Tokyo - The Dark Side of Love
Coldplay - 42
AC/DC - You Shook Me All Night Long
Foo Fighters - Times Like These
My Morning Jacket - Where to Begin
The Smiths - Asleep
Joni Mitchell - Both Sides Now
Arcade Fire - Wake Up
Tom Petty - Learning to Fly
Lady Gaga - Telephone
Nirvana - The Man Who Sold the World (live)
Eminem - My Name Is
Fleet Foxes - Mykonos
Simon & Garfunkel - I Am a Rock
Weezer - Say it Ain't So
The Monkees - Pleasant Valley Sunday
Eels - Hey Man (Now You're Really living)
A-Ha - Take On Me
Johnny Cash - Cocaine Blues
R.E.M. - New Test Leper
The Clash - London Calling
Switchfoot - Burn Out Bright
Gin Blossoms - Hey Jealousy

So that's a look at my musical tastes. What are yours?

I Love New York

2011-06-26T08:44:00.002-05:00

Gay Pride, a photo by Nick Stango on Flickr.

In the late hours of Friday evening, New York became the sixth state in the country to allow same-sex marriage.

And rather than counting on the courts to legalize same-sex marriage, New York did it through legislation. It's not the first state to do so. But it's worth noting that the vote that dragged on a week was in the state Senate.

A state Senate where Republicans hold the majority.

Sure, the majority of Republicans didn't vote for the bill. In fact, only four did. But those four votes, added to the 29 out of 30 Democrats voting for the bill, passed the legislation through for Governor Andrew Cuomo (who spearheaded the efforts to get the measure passed) to sign.

The final vote was 33-29.

One way or the other, same-sex marriage will become legal in all of the United States. It is inevitable. And it is right. Equality will triumph, in the end.

But for now, New York has my love and affection.

Six down. 44 to go.

Farewell, House.

2011-06-20T22:45:00.000-05:00

SPOILER ALERT: This post contains spoilers for every season of House thus far. Read at your own peril.

I own two televisions, but I don't have television. I've found it quite easy to survive without it. And while there is Hulu, I mostly use that site for documentaries. (Yes, I'm a geek.) Most other television shows I've watch on dvd or in marathon viewings at a friend's house using Netflix as we watch the dark creative genius of Joss Whedon, who I've only recently been properly introduced to in the form of five seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. (DO NOT SPOIL ME, PLEASE.)

That being said, I made one exception. House. I loved that show. I still remember living in North Carolina, with an Australian roommate who told me I should watch it. The first episode I watched was "Occam's Razor" and I was hooked immediately because the show started off with two college students having sex before the guy collapsed. Literally. That was one way to catch my attention.

But what kept me was the brilliant Hugh Laurie as the title character, Dr. Gregory House. I loved his Vicodin-popping ways, his cranky, sarcastic antics. I loved the way he insulted his team and worked out medical puzzles. The supporting cast only added to my love.

I even instigated a Monday night tradition wherein my friends would gather for dinner and watch the latest episode. Tradition, I tell you. It's important.

But that love affair has ended.

I still love Hugh Laurie and every actor on the show. But as to the writing? Well, when I think about it, this has been a long time in the making, as love tends to cover a multitude of sins.

Such as:

Hinting at what could have been great storylines for both Cameron and Chase without ever flushing them out. The Vogler story arc. The Tritter story arc. The Surivor-style hiring of new team members. Kutner's departure via suicide. The fact that none of the doctors on the team could seriously maintain a medical license after all of this. The dismissal of Cameron. Foreteen. Huddy. Every single batshit thing House has done that has made me go... "Wait. What just happened?"

I overlooked all of these things, because the brilliant moments of the show overpowered them.

I just can't, anymore. As House enters it's eighth season, after House has driven his car through Cuddy's house and Cuddy's now off the show and House is on a tropical island somewhere, I just don't think I'll be able to force myself to watch. If it hadn't jumped the shark before when I was too blinded by love to really see, it has now.

But I still love you, Hugh Laurie. Always.

May the odds ever be in your favor!

2011-03-03T03:58:00.003-06:00

Recently I spent a weekend absolutely devouring Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy. (This was after it took me over a month to read Decision Points by one George W. Bush.) I loved all three books, though to be fair, Mockingjay seemed like it was rushed to publication for me. Could have been edited a bit more? But Hunger Games itself seemed perfectly paced, and kept me reading, making good use of my Nook (aka nook nook) on a book I bought for five dollars.

I love dystopias. I love reading the imaginations of authors on just how effed up the world can be. And in the Hunger Games trilogy, the world is pretty effed up. After a near apocalypse, the United States is no more. In it's place is Panem, consisting of a capitol and twelve districts. There used to be a thirteenth district, but after leading a rebellion against the capitol, that district has been destroyed.

The remaining twelve survive, but as punishment for the uprising, every year they must send one male and one female contestant, between the ages of 12-18, selected by lottery, to the Hunger Games. The games are a Survivor type reality show, except it really is Survivor. These kids fight to the death, with the winner being the sole survivor, bringing the games to an end.

It's brutal and violent, and the series provides subtle (and not-so-subtle) commentary on war and politics and class divisions. And being teen fiction, it reads well without the boring literary diversions that adult fiction often contains.

I loved the series, to the point where I did not wish to be interrupted from my reading. Highly recommended.

Also recommended is Blogger Candy, ran by the fabulous Sharnee who provides free Blogger templates. You can also get cheap templates at her other site, Suck My Lolly which gets points for the name alone. I just changed my template to one of hers so click through if you're on a reader and admire it!

An Open Letter to JK Rowling

2011-01-16T09:19:00.003-06:00

Dear JK Rowling,

Let me start off by telling you that I'm a HUGE fan of your books. I know you have a ton of fans, and I am not the world's biggest Harry Potter fan, by far. However, I am a fan. A HUGE fan.

For Christmas I got one of these:

That is, of course, a Nook. I named it Nook. Thus it's full name is Nook Nook. This is not important, however.

No, the really matter at hand is that I really would like to be able to buy the Harry Potter series for my Nook. Now, I already own all the books. I started reading the series right before Order of the Phoenix was released, and from that point on I bought copies at all of the midnight releases. And then did not sleep until I had finished my first read-through.

But here's the thing, my set of books are used and abused. I love them that much. Goblet of Fire, which I own in paperback, has a broken spine from the first time I read it. It may now be missing pages. I'm not sure.

I'd really, really like for the books to be available in eBook format. And not just limited to say, Amazon. I'd like to be able to read them all on my Nook.

I don't want eBooks to replace actual books. I work at a bookstore, so that would be silly. But I would like to be able to have the Harry Potter series everywhere I go. As it stands now, even in paperback format, that would be highly impractical.

So, JK Rowling, I would greatly appreciate it if this could become possible. And soon! I'm rereading Sorcerer's Stone right now (and yes, I know it's silly that title was changed for us Yanks) but I would love to be rereading it on my Nook.

Could you please make this happen?

Sincerely,

Sara K.
a HUGE Harry Potter fan

Mission Accomplished!

2010-10-24T02:26:00.001-05:00

Remember when I decided that I needed a really big whiteboard? But it was out of my price range at the time?

Not so any longer!

Today I present the really big whiteboard for plotting doom!

I went to a pre-NaNoWriMo meeting today, and it was suggested to me that I check out my options for creating my own whiteboard. Apparently whiteboard paint and plywood was one option, and plexiglass another. Both very valid, and so I headed to Lowe's to check them out.

But over in the lumber area, when I asked the guy working about these things, he asked me if I'd seen their non-whiteboard whiteboards. Basically it has a whiteboard surface on what might be particle board. I really don't know.

The top sheet was nicked, so I got a discount. $10.

That's right. $10 for an 8'x4' whiteboard of dreams.

Of course, there was the matter of getting it home, but after a couple of false starts, a friend with a really big truck transported it back to my place. And now the very beginnings of my NaNoWriMo planning are scribbled across it.

Pure genius, I say.

The Past Comes Back to Haunt You

2010-10-19T01:07:00.002-05:00

At the bar the other night we somehow ended up in a discussion of creepy stories that we heard as kids, and then other things that would scare us. Like television shows.

The worst offender by far though was Unsolved Mysteries. Perhaps because these were true stories being broadcast into our homes. Creepy, scary, disturbing.

And unresolved.

Growing up, we watched Unsolved Mysteries on a fairly regular basis. I'm not sure why I stayed in the room when the show came on. Everything about that show was creepy. From the man chosen to host it, Robert Stack...

This man used to haunt my dreams.

He was the perfect host, really. It was his voice.

And then there was the theme song which creeps me out to this day:

Not to mention, the dramatic reenactments of actual events, shot in the style of a low budget horror movie. This show was a recipe for sleepless nights. Making you wonder where the woman who had disappeared was now, and who killed that guy and was he outside your window waiting to kill you next?

It was all very terrifying and traumatic for a child. Oh sure, there were times where at the end of the episode they would give updates on mysteries that were now solved. But those happier(?) endings were few and far between. Mostly the show just turned me into a paranoid child every time I watched it.

And yet I kept watching. For no good reason.

Perhaps I somehow knew that years later, sitting in a bar, I would be able to commiserate with my friends on how a single television show could haunt us for weeks at a time.

Even now, just thinking about it, I'm creeped out.

I guess that's one sort of legacy, huh?

Cipher in the Snow

2010-09-28T03:10:00.003-05:00

You know those stupid movies they show you at school when you're a kid? They usually called them "after school specials" which is silly since you never voluntarily watched them after school, it was always teachers who showed them to you in class.

There was one that has haunted me for years, and after some recent investigating using the power of Google, I have found the culprit. An LDS film called Cipher in the Snow.

The set-up is this: A group of kids is standing around on a winter's day, waiting for the bus. One kid is standing off to the side, clearly a loner. The bus shows up, they all get on, the kid makes his way to a seat halfway back. The bus is loud, the way school buses are, and then the kid gets up from his seat, taps the bus driver on the shoulder and says, "I'm sorry, but I just gotta get off."

The bus driver goes, "What?! But you're going to school!"

Yet he pulls over to let the kid off the bus. Kid stumbles through a few steps, falls down into the snow, and dies.

Yeah. That's right. It's all within the first three minutes.

Essentially the point of the movie is that Cliff had zero friends. And so it killed him. Somehow.

I have no idea why BYU thought this was a good plot to base a movie around, or why it was shown to me when I was like, seven years old. However, even though I had friends at the time, I always thought that if I didn't have friends at one point, I would get off a bus, stumble, faceplant in the snow, AND DIE.

School is a traumatic experience for kids, and movies such as this one are the reason why.

I mean, really? Really?!

I just don't know.

How (Not?) to Draft a Fantasy Football Team: Part Two

2010-09-16T05:00:00.001-05:00

Continued from yesterday's post, here are the last half of the draft results from my Fantasy Football league, for my team, the Ninja Squirrels.

Round 9, Pick 72
Tony Romo, QB, Dallas Cowboys
Whereas I wanted my starting quarterback to have a big heart, my backup quarterback, Tony Romo seems to have none. According to the infallible Wikipedia, he broke up with Jessica Simpson the day before her birthday. To that I say, sometimes the Ninja Squirrels are going to need someone who is ruthless.

Round 10, Pick 73
Braylon Edwards, WR, New York Jets
I knew about bye weeks at this point. But I still drafted Braylon even though he also had a bye the seventh week of the season, as did two of my previously drafted wide receivers. There was a very good reason for this:

Um. Hello!
However, after seeing him during Monday night's game, he's off my team, and it wasn't because he didn't have the best of games, that's forgivable.

Um. Goodbye...
The beard was not.

Round 11, Pick 88
Ahmad Bradshaw, RB, New York Giants
His name was Ahmad. I like saying that out loud. Seriously. That's why I picked Bradshaw. He also has a quirky smile and that's worth mentioning.

Round 12, Pick 89
Baltimore Ravens, DEF
I was going to draft the Detroit Lions defense until Jon Stewart informed me that it's possible to get negative points. So I went with the Ravens, who still remained in Round 12. Now, I know there are many players that make up a team's defensive line, but I prefer to think of the Baltimore Ravens' mascots playing defense for the Ninja Squirrels. Never mind that Edgar and Allan were retired two years ago, and only Poe remains. In my head, that's who's playing.

My defensive line.

Round 13, Pick 104
Sebastian Janikowski, K, Oakland Raiders
So as I was browsing the list of kickers, Janikowski's name stood out to me. "That sounds Polish," I said. I'm half-Polish. That's a connection right there. So I looked him up. Not only is it a Polish name, but he was actually born in Poland. I knew right then I had found my kicker.

Round 14, Pick 105
Legedu Naanee, WR, San Diego Chargers
His name is pronounced Leg-ah-doo Nah-nay and it's the most fun name to say repeatedly, out loud, in all the NFL. So I had to choose him. How could I not? That being said, him and Boldin were the only players I had the option of choosing between when Monday night came around. My head said Boldin, my heart said to give Legedu a chance. I went with Legedu, this unknown kid playing for the Chargers.

It's important to note here that the Ninja Squirrels play with their hearts, and are rewarded as such. Naanee and Boldin tied for yards on Monday night, but Naanee got a touchdown, giving me extra points. So thanks, Legedu!

Round 15, Pick 130
Chris Cooley, TE, Washington Redskins
Of all my choices, it was only in the last two rounds that I showed uncertainty. Shana (who, if you recall, was upset that I stole Pierre Garcon from her) chose my would-be back-up tight end from me. (That would have been John Carlson, who is a dorky sort of cute.) I went with Cooley based on recommendations and that he's not bad looking. Just not the dorky sort of cute that John Carlson would have brought to the Ninja Squirrels.

Round 16, Pick 131
Arizona Cardinals, DEF
I was debating whether or not to pick up a wide receiver that would be playing week seven, or a backup defense. I really wasn't too concerned about a backup defense, but my league-mates thought I needed to be. So Jon investigated what teams were playing during the Ravens bye week, and who they would be playing.

The Cardinals are playing Tampa Bay. I asked others for their opinion, and one fellow player (who will go unnamed) stated, "What do I think the Arizona and Tampa Bay game will be like? I think it will be like two monkeys trying to hump a football."

And with that, the Cardinals had secured their spot as the backup defense on the Ninja Squirrels. Incidentally, they did better than the Ravens this past week. If that keeps up, they may just get promoted to primary defense.

* * *

And that, my friends, is how an NFL Fantasy Football draft should be done. Wish my Ninja Squirrels luck!

How (Not?) to Draft a Fantasy Football Team: Part One

2010-09-15T23:12:00.004-05:00

Pardon the absence on this blog. I've been busy. The Friday before the NFL season started my Fantasy Football league began our draft, and we finished approximately two hours before kickoff on the opening Thursday.

Now I know what you're thinking, (or should be thinking if you've read this,) "Sara, you don't even like football. Why are you playing Fantasy Football?"

The answer is rather simple, actually. Some friends at work were forming a league and I got talked into joining.

So. Since this draft took us a week(!!!) to complete, I thought I would share it with you, as well as the hours of research that went into each and every one of my picks. The criteria I used is not often employed by members of Fantasy Football leagues, but it should be!

We have eight teams, and through the draft lottery, I was number eight to choose. Also, my team is called the Ninja Squirrels. This is our mascot:

Anyway. Here are my draft results:

Round 1, Pick 8
Frank Gore, RB, San Francisco 49ers
I'm not even going to lie. I had no idea what I was doing with my first pick. I got a text message saying the draft had started, stopped into work to make my selection, and knew the league was slanted toward running backs. So I looked at a rankings list and Frank Gore was high on the list. Selection made, even though having the last name Gore was definitely not a highlight of the choice.

Turns out, I kinda like Frank. When it came time for him to play college ball, his mom was sick so he chose to go to school locally so he could take care of her. Upstanding kind of guy. Not a bad first pick.

Round 2, Pick 9
Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints
I chose Drew because I had thought he was kind of cute. I've taken that back, though he's not completely bad looking, just the thinning hair is a bit dodgy. However, he plays for the Saints. And they won the Super Bowl last year. And it's not because they won the Super Bowl that I like the Saints. It's because the team lifted the city of New Orleans upon their shoulders and won the Super Bowl when everyone was ready to hand the championship to the Indianapolis Colts. (I think that's who they played against, at least.) So Drew to me seems to have a huge heart, and the Ninja Squirrels needed a quarterback with a big heart.

Round 3, Pick 24
Calvin Johnson, WR, Detroit Lions
Again, I'm not going to lie. My original plan was to draft a majority of Lions players. Because the real reason I joined this league was to get more behind my team, the Detroit Lions. And if you're thinking, "That's a hell of a team to have as your favorite, Sara..." Well. You'd be right. But listen up. The Lions will turn around. And I'm not the kind of fan who deserts their team just because they're having a rough millennium. I'm the kind of fan who doesn't pay attention because I don't like football because the game moves too slow.

But since I'm becoming a fan of football, I gotta back up my Lions. So into my draft came Megatron. But then I picked up another league made up of real NFL teams, and I chose the Lions. So Calvin was the only Lion I picked up. (Though I still wanted Jhavid Best, halfway through the draft I learned about bye weeks and Best just wouldn't work out for me. I regret this.)

Round 4, Pick 25
Jonathan Stewart, RB, Carolina Panthers
I picked up Stewart because I know a Jon Stewart and he's playing in our league. No, not the Jon Stewart of The Daily Show. Clearly. Anyway, Jonathan Stewart the Carolina Panther was not as cool opening week as my friend Jon Stewart or Jon Stewart from The Daily Show, so he is benched until he proves himself. And if he doesn't, there might not be a spot for him on the Ninja Squirrels. That's just the way it goes.

Round 5, Pick 40
Dallas Clark, TE, Indianapolis Colts
"What exactly is a 'tight end'?" I asked my friend Jon Stewart, who is cooler than the Carolina Panther who has the same name. I've since forgotten his answer, so I'm still not sure what it is that Dallas Clark does in a game of football, but he looked cute in a picture I saw of him, so I chose him.

Incidentally, choosing him led to a rush to pick up tight ends. I'm not sure why.

Also, whenever I hear "tight end" I think of something that has very little to do with football.

Round 6, Pick 41
Anquan Boldin, WR, Baltimore Ravens
Boldin plays for the Ravens, and the team was named after Edgar Allan Poe's famous poem, "The Raven." No joke. So I knew I needed a Ravens player. He sat on my bench this week though, and I'll get to that later.

Round 7, Pick 56
Arian Foster, RB, Houston Texans
Now if you're thinking, "Only someone who knows nothing about football would pick Arian Foster and have the choice play out so well for them last week without them realizing why," you would be half-right. Arian Foster and his 3 touchdowns and however many yards had a fantastic game last week. Unfortunately, he was sitting on my bench. Because I know nothing about football.

No. I chose Arian Foster because I googled him, as I did with all my potential draft picks, and I found this photo:

Arian Foster?

It seems this is Arian Foster. I couldn't actually find a name on the page I snagged it from to back that up, and I was far too lazy to do further research. No, instead I saw that photo and how he looked like a giant teddy bear and I wanted a hug. Thus, it was decided that he had a place on the Ninja Squirrels. If that photo is in fact of Arian Foster. If not, I'm just going to pretend it is.

Round 8, Pick 57
Pierre Garcon, WR, Indianapolis Colts
I was sharing with my coworkers the various factors I was considering when drafting players. At one point I said, "For example, I have one guy on my list because he has a fantastic smile." Shana didn't believe that. "Really? Because he has a nice smile, you're going to draft someone?"

"Really," I answered. And sure enough, I did. And then she was mad. Because she really wanted Pierre Garcon. However, he didn't do too well last week, so this week he'll be smiling from my bench. I'm sure this means he'll have four touchdowns just to make me regret that decision. However, I'll just look at this photo and feel better:

Pierre Garcon really does have a fantastic smile.

That's the first half of the draft. I'll post the second half tomorrow.

Congratulations, Nashville Kangaroos!

2010-08-29T03:45:00.004-05:00

Winners of the MAAFL Grand Final!
(Entire set here.)

I Need a Really Big Whiteboard

2010-08-26T04:30:00.004-05:00

Screencap via House M.D. Screencaps
I've recently come to the conclusion that I would love a giant whiteboard that spanned an entire wall in my apartment. However, since that would be impractical and out of my budget range, I would happily settle for a whiteboard on an easel like the one on House. Except, sadly, that is also probably out of my budget range. But I'll put it on the list of things to buy when I have extra cash.

But Sara, what do you need a whiteboard for?

(Uh oh, I'm talking to myself again.)

I need a whiteboard for the awesome brainstorming I would unleash upon it!

What sort of brainstorming?
My NaNoWriMo story ideas among other things.

Can't you just use your laptop for that?
Well. I could. And I will. But somethings you just wanna be able to write down without being restricted by the limits of computers. Such as, I don't always like to write in straight lines.

Okay... Why not pen and paper?
Too small! And plus, a whiteboard is magical! You look at and say, "That idea is stupid! Seriously, why did I ever consider that idea? It's terrible!" And then you simply pick up your whiteboard eraser and erase it! All gone! No evidence of the terrible idea!

Um. Why not pencil and paper?
Erasing pencil takes too long. And a whiteboard is more eco-friendly!

Okay. So you want a whiteboard. Because it is magical... and you're too lazy to recycle paper?
Exactly!

And that, my friends, is a brief glimpse into my head. Now imagine if I had a whiteboard, how beautiful it would be to see that scribbled about in a non-linear fashion. Amazing, I tell you! Simply brilliant.

Nashville Kangaroos vs Ohio Valley River Rats

2010-08-20T00:32:00.002-05:00

See the entire set from the game here.

What could possess me to sit outside in 103 degree heat (That's just over 39 degrees for those preferring Celsius) in sweltering humidity that makes me want to shower the moment I step out my front door?

Since I've already given you a pretty big hint, I'll just tell you, instead of waiting for someone to answer:

Footy!

Last Saturday I went and watched my first game of live footy, up close and in person. And by up close, it actually wasn't that close at all. Even though I was right on the edge of the field. Because the field is huge. And elliptical. But that's not all that important.

This game that migrated from the land down under has a league in the United States, and I live close to a city that actually has a well-established team, the Nashville Kangaroos. Saturday they played the Ohio Valley River Rats, a conglomeration of players from St. Louis, Louisville, and Kentucky.

I'm not going to go into the details of how you score and all that jazz. Just know that footy matches tend to be high-scoring, because apparently, in Australia, you SHOW NO MERCY.

Or, a nicer explanation is that there's no benefit to a team pulling back on the offense and focusing solely on defense because like soccer, your spot on the league ladder is determined not just by wins, losses, and draws, but also your points for and against.

I say that, because the Nashville Kangaroos didn't just win this game. They devoured the River Rats. Which, quite frankly, is a disturbing mental image.

The final score was 153-7.

Two things happened a lot in that game. Goals were kicked and then the footy was brought back to the center of the oval for a ball-up. It was insane.

Actually, this is what you have to know about footy, in case you ever go to a game. (And you should go to a game.) It's pure insanity. The ball travels back and forth down the field so fast that you can blink and miss an amazing play. Which, of course, means that players have to go out and give their all.

People often describe footy as a combination of rugby, soccer, and our version of football. But really, there's nothing like it. And I'm hooked. So I'm going to the championship game a week from Saturday.

There is one thing I wish though, that would allow the game to more closely resemble its Australian counterpart. And it's not that the field would be at a proper, designated arena, with painted lines and real stadium seating.

Instead, football season is currently running simultaneously in Aus, but it's winter there. And winter in Australia pales in comparison to the winters we have here. So if maybe the weather could be a tad bit cooler for the championship match? That would be fantastic.

Go Roos!

Football vs Football vs Football

2010-08-01T15:28:00.002-05:00

(or: Why I Should Never Live in Texas)

The FIFA World Cup just a memory in American consciousness now, the term football has been relegated safely back to referring to our version of the sport. That is, American Football, and since I am American, I will allow the sport the small grace of using football to refer to it. That is the only category in which American football will win in this blog post, however.

Meanwhile, almost everywhere else in the world, football refers to what we know as soccer. It is, after all, the global game that everyone and anyone can play. Since I've already delegated the term football, I will use soccer for the global sport. (Even if soccer is truly a game that uses one's feet.)

And finally, there is Australian rules football, a sport which is quite obviously most popular in Australia, though it's influence is spreading. They have their own term for their sport, footy, which I'll use in this post.

So why am I even blogging about the three versions of football? That's simple. Americans may love our sport, but I just don't get it. I'd rank both soccer and footy far above football on any given day.

To be fair, I never really gave football an honest shot. Oh, I've been to a few games, all below the professional level. I cheered on the Livonia Stevenson Spartans when I went to games back in high school. I even cheered on the Eastern Eagles as they lost when I was a freshman in college. My NFL team is the Detroit Lions, and while they haven't given any of us much of a reason to celebrate (or even, reason to not bang our heads against the wall) in recent years, I'll always support them. Win or lose.

My main issue with football is that it's boring. I don't get the attraction. Considering I've seen Americans get angry with the workers at a drive-thru because they had to wait five minutes to get their food, I don't understand how they enjoy watching a sport that can take forty minutes to play the final five minutes of a game. Commercial breaks, (and I'll admit, the one attraction of the Super Bowl for me is the commercials,) stopped plays, and whatever else waste so much time. Not to mention, the game is called football when players use their feet to kick the ball for three instances? Kickoffs, punting and kicking field goals. Handball sounds too dirty, I suppose.

Contrast that to soccer. Ninety minutes played, non-stop in a sport that continually grows faster. Players need to be in top condition for endurance running, because the ball travels up and down the field and they're all chasing after it. There was much critique during the world cup that it's a low scoring game, but even then, one goal in an even match can be so beautiful that it doesn't matter.

Soccer is also popular with kids. I played soccer as a member of a coed team when I was like, 8, and then later on in middle school. It's catching on with both genders, yet Major League Soccer struggles in the States. Maybe because we're expected to pay attention for 45 minutes at a time? I'm not sure.

Thanks to the mighty ESPN 3, I can now watch matches from the English Premier League, obviously from England - where soccer ranks just higher than quidditch because the Muggles actually know about it - all season long online. Go Arsenal!

But winning the crown in terms of sports called football, is Aussie rules football, or footy. Granted, players use their hands far more than in soccer to move the ball around, but kicking the ball is the only way to score a goal, and teams typically score enough to keep the game wildly entertaining.

There are all sorts of rules, only some of which I've grasped after the six or so games that I've watched (again, on ESPN 3) but the action is so batshit insane it doesn't matter if you understand what's going on or not. And like soccer, the game plays on. Commercials be damned.

I did some research on AFL teams and chose to throw my support behind the St Kilda Saints. The team does well, making an appearance in last year's Grand Final (The AFL's equivalent of the Super Bowl) only to lose in the final minutes. But a team that consistently has done well without taking the title is appealing to me. (The last premiership St Kilda won was in 1966.) Even if it was entirely counter-intuitive for me to be cheering for the Saints when they played the Melbourne Demons this season. (Saints won, by the way.)

So yes, footy beats soccer, and footy and soccer both beat football. I wouldn't say that makes me unpatriotic, but I'm pretty sure I should never live in Texas, all the same.

(Oh, as a final note, nothing beats hockey. Ever.)

INCEPTION (or finally a movie worth seeing)

2010-07-26T03:37:00.003-05:00

It took Christopher Nolan ten years to write Inception. That could be part of the reason it will far outshine any other "summer blockbuster" for quite some time. This wasn't a movie that was thrown together in the aftermath of the writer's strike. This was carefully crafted genius.

There's so many shitty movies out there these days. 99% of them aren't worth seeing. They're either unnecessary sequels, movies that were made to jump on the 3D bandwagon, or unnecessary sequels that were made to jump on the 3D bandwagon.

To be fair, when it comes to sequels, I heard that Toy Story 3 is a beautiful, touching film. But am I really going to pay ten dollars so that Buzz Lightyear can make me cry? No. No I am not.

But before I get to Inception, I have a confession to make. Part of the reason I needed to see that movie is because on Friday, I went to see Eclipse. (I did not pay for my ticket though, so cut me some slack.)

Eclipse was so shitty that it was hilarious. When Edward sparkled in the sunlight, I busted out laughing. Anyone who was in that theater to see part three of the timeless love story of Bella and Edward probably had the experience ruined by me. I do not apologize. Edward is a very controlling boyfriend and his relationship with Bella is not at all healthy. The Twilight series is not one of romance, but the idea of a woman giving up her identity for the sake of a man, and only in doing that can she be made complete.

In other words, it's complete and total bullshit, but that's another blog post.

So let's just say that I went to see Eclipse and the next movie I will probably see in theaters will be part one of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and that won't be until November, so I couldn't very well have the last movie I saw in theaters until then be Eclipse.

But the main reason I went to see Inception was that it was made by Christopher Nolan. Most people know him from the last two movies in the Batman franchise. I know him from Memento. He is a genius.

I'm not going to talk about Inception though. The less you know about it going in, the better. I will tell you that it's about dreams. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. You can watch trailers online. But you should definitely go and see it. For three reasons:

1. It's a brilliant movie.
2. Some of the special effects will just look so much better on the big screen.
3. Because Hollywood needs to know that moviegoers WANT to see original, creative movies that provoke thought and discussion.

Otherwise we're screwed. I think Step Up 3D proves that quite well.

I Used to be an Only Child

2010-07-19T06:07:00.001-05:00

For the first two years, three months, one day, and a few hours of my life, I was an only child. Fortunately for me, July 19, 1982 saved me from that fate.

Not that there's anything wrong with being an only child. But it would have been for me. Because on this day, 28 years ago, my little sister was born.

I only sort of recall that day. I was only two, after all. But I remember my mom leaving the day before and being watched by my grandparents. And then I slowly became aware that there was now a fourth person living in our house.

I remember Christmas, and delivering a present to my sister. I remember moving a couple years later, and getting used to a new neighborhood. Riding bikes up and down the street. A trip to McDonald's that resulted in her crying because the Hamburglar is a very scary individual.

And then we moved again, and I remember looking out for her at school, even if we weren't the friends that we would become later. Because sibling relationships are tricky. You'll always love your family, but you don't always have to like them.

We had some epic fights, her and I. Yelling, screaming, beating each other up. It's what sisters do.

We grew up, and as we did we became genuinely friends. Not just because we had to be due to the fact that we lived in the same house, saw each other all the damn time, and all that. Because we wanted to be.

We moved in and out of our parents' house. For the first twenty-two years we lived no more than a couple hours from each other, at max. And then I moved. Like really moved. Twelve hours away moved. And three years later, having moved again, I'm not really all that much closer.

So since that first real move, I see my sister at best twice a year. Thank goodness for the internet, right? Because I literally would be lost without her. She knows far too much about me, and yet still loves me. And I think that's not just because she has to.

So, Andrea. For your birthday, I want you to know that you're amazing. That I miss you. That someone needs to discover how to apparate and teach me because you're too damn far away. And I hope you have a fantastic birthday and an even better year.

Love you, Sisser!

Home Sweet Home

2010-06-01T15:42:00.002-05:00

This morning I woke up early, met up with someone at the apartment I'd lived at for the past three years, did a walk-through, and then parted with the keys to that apartment.

I am officially moved.

I didn't move far. Just across town. Same street even. But what a difference it makes.

I'm now walking distance to some great restaurants and coffee shops in our small little downtown area. I can walk to the library or the Farmer's Market. Or I can sit outside on my balcony and enjoy the nice weather we've been having in between flash thunderstorms.

My rent is a bit cheaper. I'm in a better part of town. My cats are starting to adjust to the new place and have pretty much stopped hissing and growling at each other.

It would all be perfect if I didn't have a million boxes to unpack.

I'm Sorry, Hugh Laurie

2010-03-18T02:08:00.002-05:00

Something odd has happened. I blame my parents.

You see, a couple of weeks ago while at their house, I was playing on my laptop while doing laundry. They were watching a DVD. I didn't know it then, but that simple fact would mean that I would gain a new obsession. One that has consumed hours upon hours of my time since then.

I'm not big on watching television. There is one show that I watch with any regularity. That would be House. I even go to House parties on Monday nights. It has become a tradition in its own right. My friends and I gather and watch the episodes. Often time food is made available. Weeks without House seem incomplete.

Until recently, House was my favorite television show.

All that has changed. Oh, I still go to my House parties and I still love the show, but a new show has claimed that number one spot. You see, my parents were watching an episode from season three of Battlestar Galactica. It caught my attention. I was intrigued enough to take home their copy of the miniseries. I watched it. I needed season one.

I became hooked. I've been watching at least an episode a day. Today I watched the same episode I had seen at my parents house. I absolutely love this show. And I'm more than halfway through.

Battlestar Galactica is one of the most intelligent shows I have ever seen. It's been a while since science fiction caught my attention in such a manner. But I'm hooked. I want to know what happens. I want to watch the remaining episodes (from seasons three, four, and four point five) all in a row, non-stop. That's impractical, of course, but that doesn't change my desire to watch this story unfold.

But at the same time, watching a show after all of its episodes have aired does have it's drawbacks. The biggest one is that I just don't want it to be over. It's a conundrum of sorts. I need to know what happens but I don't want to be done with the series.

That's the mark of a fantastic television show.

And I should note, impatience will win out. I'll be starting the next episode soon.

So, I'm sorry, Hugh Laurie. House is still my favorite show on-air.

My Hair is Short(er)!

2010-03-09T11:53:00.001-06:00

I finally got a much-needed haircut yesterday. I wasn't sure that my hair would be long enough to donate to Locks of Love, but it was, and so I went all-in and did just that. The end result:

Oh. Look. It's 2010.

2010-03-06T03:13:00.002-06:00

I turn thirty this year. The big 3-0. There's something about that number that kind of freaks me out, I'm not going to lie. Maybe because I'm still working retail in a crappy economy. Maybe because my knee aches when the weather changes. Or maybe because the simple act of reaching for my toothbrush caused my back to spasm.

However, I've decided that I need to make the most of my thirties. I'm just going to go ahead and be optimistic and say that they'll be better than my twenties. I won't join any cults. I'm done with school. I'm trying to make changes that will make me more financially stable. Yes. Thirties should be better, right?

One thing I want to do before April 17th rolls around is to make a list of 30 things to do in my thirties. I suppose one thing on that list would be writing more. Perhaps even in this blog that I've seriously neglected. Any other suggestions?

On Nobel Peace Prizes and Daunting Expectations

2009-10-10T00:49:00.001-05:00

Everyone remembers the scene where President Bush stood in front of a giant banner reading "Mission Accomplished" while declaring major combat operations in Iraq to be over. That was over six years ago. The war continues.

That image is what comes to mind when I think about the announcement I learned about early yesterday morning: President Obama had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In a word? Premature.

Now you must know this. I wholeheartedly support the president. I campaigned for him. I went to the Democratic National Convention as an alternate Obama delegate. I voted for the man. I agree with his stance on health care and his stances on other issues. I want him to succeed both domestically and internationally.

But the Nobel Peace Prize? Now?

As a student of political science, I studied the Expectations Gap theory presented by Richard Waterman. In essence, the theory states that there is a gap between what the American public expects out of the president, and what the president can actually deliver. It seems to me that with this award, the expectations gap has grown. Not only is there a gap between the American public and the president, but there is now the potential for a gap between what the world expects, and what President Obama can deliver.

The award signifies the feeling amidst the international community that a president willing to engage in diplomacy before force is a welcome break from the "You're either with us or against us" mentality. And I agree that is a very good thing indeed. But it is not the end.

President Obama, for his part, took news of the award as a call to action, recognizing that he has much left to accomplish. I do hope that the award spurs on efforts toward a nuclear-free world. I do hope that the end is soon in sight for the wars we are currently engaged in. I even wish for peace in the Middle East.

But in awarding this hefty prize to the president now, I cannot help but wonder if there is any way for one man to live up to the astronomical expectations placed upon his shoulders.

Even so, I do wish him well.

Thirty Years

2009-09-28T21:03:00.000-05:00

No. I'm not thirty. (Yet.)

Instead, thirty years ago today, my mom and dad exchanged vows and rings. They've been together ever since.

This is a feat worth celebrating. Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

saradoxical: the delayed introduction.

2009-09-23T05:45:00.003-05:00

saradoxical: i've been branded., originally uploaded by saradoxical.

Now that my headlights are working, I decided to go ahead and finish a project I'd had in mind for a while now. Namely, driving around town and looking ridiculous as I took photos of random illuminated signs. Who does that? Really?!

Oh. Wait. I do. And it was amazing! Despite the fact that my car still sounds like it might implode at any minute.

Anyway, I thought this would be an appropriate time to do an introductory type post, which I can later link from the side bar, so that random people stumbling across my blog from across the internet can see who it was who asked the question "Who is Jenny Beckman?" without providing an answer.

True Fact: That's the number one search query driving people here from the Mighty Google.

So. Let's begin already.

To understand me, you need to understand the word paradoxical which of course, takes its root from the word paradox.

par⋅a⋅dox [par-uh-doks]
–noun
1. a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth.
3. any person, thing, or situation exhibiting an apparently contradictory nature.

(Yes, I left out number two. And four, for the sake of full disclosure.)

While my entire life is hardly a paradox, there are a few things that stand out as being particularly paradoxical:

I'm agnostic and/or an atheist, and captivated by religion.
I'm in love with the open road (wanderlust is my favorite word) but I hardly ever travel.
The non-stop action of big cities is attractive to me, but I also love living in what I consider to be the-middle-of-nowhere, and I've considered moving further away from civilization.
I love dreaming but I never get enough sleep.
I'm an idealistic cynic.

I may also list paradoxes in the same way that Alanis Morissette defines irony in that song of hers. It's 5:45 in the morning. I can't be expected to obey such things as definitions.

I truly believe that "we are the heroes of our own story." I would love to know who to attribute that quote to.

I also agree with Tolkien, that "not all those who wander are lost."

When I was in seventh grade, I nearly failed out of school, for a variety of reasons. One of the things that stands out to me from that semester in the gifted program was my English teacher frequently reciting the mantra, "Only boring people can be bored." Seventeen years later, I officially declare that to be bullshit.

Less clear in my mind are the group therapy sessions that they had us undertake as gifted students. I am pretty sure though, that I spent half a class period spinning around in a circle while describing my "monsters."

I do remember that my "monster" description was a rather accurate depiction of my seventh grade math teacher. This got everyone in my general vicinity laughing, and resulted in me being scolded for not taking the exercise seriously. Seriously?!

I quite enjoy listening to Simon & Garfunkel, Cat Stevens, R.E.M., Switchfoot, Joseph Arthur, Over the Rhine, Ben Folds and Green Day.

My freshman year in high school, just as Green Day was gaining popularity, I wondered if I would still listen to the band in ten years. It's been fifteen years now, and yes, I still do.

Despite the best instructional efforts given by many patient friends, I still cannot properly eat a meal with chopsticks.

My favorite movie of all-time is about a twenty year old boy who falls in love with a seventy-nine year old woman. Harold and Maude is truly a cinematic classic.

I want to make at least one long distance train trip and one long distance bus trip at some point in my life. I still haven't given up on my goal of hiking the Appalachian Trail at some point.

One day I will write a novel and get it published. I've already written one novel, during National Novel Writing Month one year. It was truly awful and I deleted it when I was done. There was nothing worth salvaging.

But I did it.

The Headlight Adventures

2009-09-12T20:39:00.007-05:00

Ever go to turn on your headlights and NOTHING happens? I have! Not that long ago, either. This was a great disappointment to me, as I'm quite fond of being able to see while driving in the dark and not so fond of dodging police cars because I'm driving without headlights.

So, it was with great trepidation and worrying that I began attempting to resolve the problem.

First step. Obvious. Change the light bulbs. This process is easier said than done. Honda's driver's manual is laughable. As if I know what the holding wire is and where it unhooks! I recruited help from my neighbor.

Brand new light bulbs, no headlights.

Crap.

Second step. Examine the fuse box. You know what's fun? Pulling every single fuse out with that little pair of fuse tweezers they give you, and then checking to see if any are bad, only to discover that they're all good. Really, it's terrific entertainment. Especially in the dark.

Third step? Declare the problem to be electrical, and check bank account. Decidedly determine that are not enough funds in bank account to finance repair of electrical problem.

Fourth step: Weep.

Fifth step. Major lifestyle changes. Including, but not limited to: do not drive at night, do not drive in rain, do not drive in fog, do not drive where there is a chance of night, rain, or fog. Bum rides. Walk. Arrange life around daylight hours. (Living on eastern edge of Central Time Zone means daylight hours are 8-3*. Adjust.)

Sixth step. Have incredibly genius neighbor suggest a bulb might be a dud. Get new light bulb. Check.

SUCCESS!

Incidentally, this was not the first car repair "dud" I have found. Once, with my old Escort, I had a brand new transmission put in it.

Two days later? Transmission went boom. Fluid and smoke driving down Telegraph Road in Redford, Michigan. Now that was an adventure.

If I win the lottery, I'm buying a new car. And a moped.

*This might just be a slight exaggeration.

Who is Jenny Beckman? - A Review of (500) Days of Summer

2009-09-11T10:46:00.008-05:00

I was studying the poster for (500) Days of Summer when I turned to see Rachel walking toward me.

"The poster makes the movie look rather... stalkerish," I told her. (Evidence for this claim is presented at right. Click to enlarge. See for yourself.)

"It does," she agreed. "I'm going to be disappointed if it is."

"No kidding," said I. "Especially since I've built this movie up for months."

And built it up, I had.

Ever since I first saw the trailer for the movie I have wanted to see it for the reasons listed below:

Joseph Gorden-Levitt.
Zooey Deschanel.
The soundtrack.
The trailer.
The way the days flipped back and forth in the trailer.
People calling it "a romcom that isn't a romcom at all."
The frequency with which people used the term romcom in reviews.

The problem with all of this was, the movie is a quirky, indie film. I had no idea if it would ever make its way to my little town here in Tennessee.

I thought to myself, "Well, there's always Nashville." So I made plans to go a city known rather unfortunately for country music. Then the plans fell through.

More than once.

At last I resigned myself to sitting around and waiting and hoping for the movie to come to the local theater. I declared that I would go and see it alone, if I had to. That's when Rachel stepped in and saved me from the fate of solo-ing the movie, offering to go with me if it ever made its way to Nowhere, Tennessee.

Still, there was the question of whether or not this would ever happen. I checked Fandango religiously after asking at the theater, only to find out that they didn't know. Finally, two weeks ago, the announcement came that (500) Days of Summer would be arriving Friday, September 4th.

Ecstatic, I sent Rachel a message on Twitter. This is where it's important to note that I only knew Rachel from her blog. Last year we went to the same school, saw each other in passing once, and had a near-miss opportunity to meet where we were both at the same event but at different times. So, going to see the movie was an adventure of sorts.

We worked out our schedules, and set the date for Wednesday, six days after it had opened. I had no guarantee that it would be around another six days, so it was imperative that I saw it as soon as possible.

Finally, it was time to go to the theater, meet Rachel, observe the stalkerish movie poster, and see the movie.

Meeting Rachel was brilliant. She's as lovely and funny as her blog makes her out to be. The poster was in fact stalkerish. And the movie? (Since this is supposed to be a review, after all.) The movie was totally worth the wait, and not at all stalkerish. I think that's all I really need to say.

And as of today, it's no longer showing here in Nowhere, Tennessee.

Stuck. In My Head.

2009-09-08T04:18:00.006-05:00

"The Joker," a friend says to me in an IM conversation last night, "is an underestimated song."

"No idea what you're talking about," I reply.

"You don't know that song?" she asks. I imagine the question is posed rather dubiously but cannot be certain about that as IM does not carry vocal inflection.

"Lol," I say. "Yes. I do. Once I googled it."

Thus the way was prepared for my day of Hell.

I awoke this ~~morning~~ afternoon with the song in my head. Little did I know, it would not be going away. Actually, it wasn't even the entire song. Just one part.

I'm a joker. I'm a smoker. I'm a midnight toker. I get my lovin' on the run...

This continued for several hours. Occasionally, the song's first line would make an appearance, with the second line only sometimes following suit in my head.

Some people call me the space cowboy. Some call me the gangster of love...

The song would not continue from there. Oh no. That may have been the slightest bit tolerable. No, instead it would jump right back to:

I'm a joker. I'm a smoker. I'm a midnight toker. I get my lovin' on the run...

Now this alone was almost enough to reduce me to tears. But somewhere in my brain, a light bulb came on that said, "Let's give Sara a push over the edge, making her despise her life, the Steve Miller Band, other musicians and music in general until she curls up in a ball and weeps!"

It started with Tiny Dancer.

Hold me closer tiny dancer. I'm a joker. I'm a smoker. I'm a midnight toker. Dancing in the sand.

The mash-up wasn't even making sense. The music doesn't flow, the lyrics skip around. Anyone familiar with the two songs can clearly recognize this at a glance.

But then? Then things just got worse.

Sweet Caroline. (Bah bah bah!) Good times never seemed so good. (So good! So good! So good!) Hold me closer tiny dancer. I'm a joker. I'm a smoker. I'm a midnight toker. Tiny dancer in my hand.

Where's the Kleenex?

Dinner Conversation

2009-09-01T20:26:00.004-05:00

Today my aunt dropped some big news casually into her blog. While at my parents' house for dinner, I brought this up. This is a rough transcript of the conversation that followed. (Note that my mom and I have the same twisted sense of humor.)

Me: If I did that, I'd have to write: So, today I quit my job... And now I'm living in a box!

Mom: And you had to eat your cats.

Me: (hysterical laughter)

Dad: Do I have to go into the other room to eat?

Mom: Sweet & Sour Luna!

Me: I used to call her that!

Mom: Teriyaki Tonks!

So yes. I now have a backup plan should I find myself unemployed.