Of Sex and Love

There once was a time, in what seems was so very long ago, that I believe that sex could not be with out love. That it wasn't right to have sex with someone you didn't love. I was so naive back then!

Love, in it's true form, is a very powerful force. Love can blur our clear thinking, fogging up our logic, and cause us to make bad decisions, often involving sex.

People often claim raging hormones are the cause for teen sex, but in my experience, it's been puppy-love. "I think I love him... should we make love?"

"Make love," such a joke! Just FUCK... have sex, bone, do "it"... but don't make love. It's too dangerous. Fucking is just raw bodies... it's pure. Love screws it up... it brings emotion into the equation. You can't think about protection and yourself as clearly when you make love, when you're in love.

I know I'm starting to sound like a whore, but hear me out. People don't make bad life decisions because they had sex, they make bad life decisions because they were in love, because they made love, because they want to be with so-and-so.

When you can separate sex and love, things become so much easier. You don't have another person to factor into your life, it's just you.

I'm not advocating sleeping around. I believe in the fuck-buddy. A good friend that you're attracted to,you trust enough to have sex with you, but that you have no interest in a relationship with, nor have you had a previous romantic relationship, unless, of course, it was thoroughly worked through that a romantic relationship was completely out of the question.

Everyone has a friend (or two or three) that there is an undeniable physical attraction to, but for several other factors, a romantic relationship just wouldn't work.

Talk to that person, be honest. Tell them "I want to fuck you, but that's it. I trust you, you're my friend, and I really want to fuck you... no relationship... just sex."

That's a type of safe sex that no one ever talks about... sex where your heart is safe. No one ever talks about the emotional damage that can be done by love and sex.

Fuck buddies... UNITE!

Naked

Since when does naked = sex? Why is a nude automatically porn?
Check this out.

This kid could have to register as a sex offender... just for being naked because under-aged people were in the audience.

We really need to re-evaluate our definition of sex, and sex offenders, naked is naked.

Our sex offender laws are there for a reason, not to stop people from pulling silly pranks. In Illinois, if you're charged with public urination, you have to register as a sex offender. Last I checked, if you're peeing in public, it's probably not because you're getting off, it's probably because you really have to pee (and most likely drunk) and can't find a public rest room. If you're doing it to get off, there's probably more going on than public urination.

Let's save the sex offender tag for true sex offenders, before it becomes less serious.

No Smoking

Can the smokers come back inside already?

I don't smoke... I don't like being around people who do. Once I dated a guy for a couple of weeks who smoked , and I got the worst cold of my life... nasty cough that came along with that.

I'm sick of having to walk through a cloud of smoke every time I want to go into a smoke-free building. I live in a smoke-free building. Anytime I leave or come home during the hours regular college students are awake, I have to walk through a cloud of smoke. If the smokers could smoke in their own rooms and apartments, they wouldn't have to poison my lungs with their smoke.

Give them a few floors to their smoke on... I'm sick of walking through the haze

Alcohol Violation?

I left my on-campus apartment on Wednesday morning at 8:30am so I could get to my 9am class a little early and read the newspaper, amoung other things. I had to take the stairs, because the elevators are fucking slow.

When I finally got home at 9:15pm after two classes and a CAPS meeting in Lincoln Park, I had just enough time to change into jammies and check my email before the Daily Show. About half-way through, my RA knocks on my door to tell me that there has been an alcohol violation in my apartment, and that our visitor privilages have been revoked. They handle everything on a case-by-case basis, so I have to set up an appointment with judicial affairs.

Yes, I had beer in my apartment... I'm 22 years old. I haven't lived in dorms since I was 20. And I honestly intended to cook with it!

My biggest question is: What was going on in my apartment so the on duty RA felt the need to enter, and proceed to look for and take alcohol?

Were my roommates being loud so an RA came in, or do RAs randomly check apartments, just in case? And if they randomly check, where is the line drawn? If they overhear I have a flask of Capt. Morgan in my underwear drawer, do they dig through my underwear drawer?

So now, I have to find time in my already busy schedule to go and talk to theses people, and see what really went on.

I'm pissed

Something

I don't know, I'm just bored.

I'm trying to write an article about something that I don't know about, and I don't know how to approach it, so I'm blogging instead. Maybe it'll get me in the mood for writing, maybe it'll just make me feel a little more productive. I don't know. Grrrr... I wish this one was as easy for me as the last article I had to write. My last article was kick ass! I know I'm not going to like this one. It pisses me off. Stupid board of education. Is CPS a well-known acronym in Chicago? I don't know! How do I find out these things? The worst part of this is I'm dumped in a new state, and expected to know things as if I've lived here my whole life, or at least a few months. Oh well, I know it'll get easier the longer I'm here, but still!!!

Anyway, I'm gonna try and write more

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

I just got back from the midnight showing of "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” I don't know why I bother with the movies... I'm always disappointed by them! First of, the title is "... and the Order of the Phoenix," right? You don't learn squat about the Order of the Phoenix in the movie! I know a movie is never going to be exactly like a book... there are a million reasons, and I know a lot of them, but there are too many WTF moments in these movies! The story has been severely manipulated to the point where it's barely recognizable! The timeline gets screwed around, "facts" get messed around, we don't learn certain things the same way in the movie as the book. I don't think you can truly understand one with out the other... the books keep the story strait, while the movies help visualize the crazy and wonderful world of Hogwarts.

I guess I should stop expecting as much from Hollywood as I do from the great literary minds of our day.

I just hope Book 7 doesn't disappoint me the way "The Order of the Phoenix" has.

Douchebags

Why are women attracted to these types of men!?!? WHY?!?! I don't get it... just looking at this picture pissed me off. I want to beat the shit out of this guy. Who, who in their right mind would be attracted to this. Check these guys out:

Either they're from the future or they're assholes. (from CollegeHumor)

Seriously, I can't stand looking at these guys... puke!

Short Story #1

She didn’t want to do it, not at first, but he was so cute, smart, and funny. She saw him from across the room the night before, it was so cliché, but maybe that’s what made it right. At first, she was just going to play coy, introduce herself, leave him wanting more. His plan must have been the same, because after meeting him, she wanted more. For the rest of the night, she could barely leave his side. When it was time to go home, she wanted to go home with him. It was a perfect night of passion, but then the morning came. Passion didn’t look so good on clean white sheets. She was so worried that this wonderful man she had just met would never want to see her again.

When he was in the bathroom, she left a piece of paper with her name and phone number in his jacket. Her plan was let him make the first real move, she had made so many the night before. She quickly pulled back her hair, put on some dirty jeans and a t-shirt and made a pot of coffee. As she heard the toilet flush and the bathroom door open, her heart jumped. She poured some coffee in a couple of to-go cups, hoping that it would reduce the awkwardness. As he came out in his shirt and pants from the night before, she swooned a little.

“Good morning,” his voice made her weak again, it was just two words.

“’Morning, I made some coffee,” of course she made coffee, how stupid was she… if she didn’t make the coffee, who did?

“Thanks, um… yeah. Um… do you have any plans today?” what was this… he sounded nervous!

“I’m just running errands all day, I might go to the gym this evening. Nothing big, I’m just going to take my time getting stuff done and enjoy my day…you?” good plan, busy day, fool proof, she wouldn’t sound desperate.

“Oh,” did he just sound disappointed? “well, I suppose I should be on my way, I’ve got… stuff to do today, too. Thanks for the coffee.”

He put on his shoes, grabbed his jacked, and coolly grabbed his coffee, and left. At that point, she didn’t know if she would ever see him again.

Love and Marriage

Love and marriage. All you need it love. The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return. From birth we’re bombarded with images of happy couples, and how love is this great thing that we can only hope to achieve. I’m a senior at a small midwestern college, and have witnessed friends and classmates get engaged, married, and even have children. Me? I’m going to grad school. Moving to the big city. I’ve learned that nothing good comes from love, at least not anything good for me.

These couples that get married right out of high school or right out of college, do they really believe that they’ve found “the one” or are they scared that nothing better will come along? Are you head over heals, can’t live with out you in love, or do you want to get married, do you want to have that wedding? Do you realize that you’re agreeing to spend the rest of your life with this person? You don’t just get the ring and the dress, you get the good and the bad of that person, too.

Am I less of a person because I refuse to settle? I want the world, I want someone to give it to me. I want Tiffany. I want a giant house. I want several occasions to wear a formal gown. I want the life I didn’t have growing up. I know I can do it myself, why should I wait on someone else to do it for me?

I would like to think that I’ll be revered for my choices. The more and more I learn about wedding planning (the money, the arrangements, the people) the less I want a wedding. Not that I don’t wish to get married, I would love to find that special person and spend the rest of my life with them. I just don’t want a wedding. I don’t want all the hoopla.

I don’t think the beginning of a marriage is something to celebrate. Ten years, fifteen, twenty… those are reasons to celebrate. Anyone can put on a big white dress and walk down and aisle and promise someone something. It’s following through with that promise that should be celebrated.

I don’t want a wedding, I want a marriage. I don’t want a lover, I want a great love. I’ve made it this far without settling. I think I can make it several more years at this point.

Co-Habitation

I've been thinking about co-habitation a lot lately, and how I'm against it. For me, it doesn't have anything to do with morals or religion. In fact, I don't see anything wrong with it. I don't like it becuase too many people my age (or younger!) are loosing their sense of self. We talk about how much our society has advanced, and how women can be themselves, but I see so many girls my age aligning themselves with the first or second thing they date out of high school, and settling down in a cheap apartment near campus, thinking they're now grown up because they have what their parents, or older siblings, or cousins or what ever have. But I think it stops growth.

The women's movement was about advancement, about freeing ourselves from men, in a sense. Not completely, but women could be successful with or with out men. I like the idea that we can have a man if we want, but we don't need one. Marriage isn't something a woman needs to be considered a success. The sad thing is, I don't always get that feeling from the people I'm surrounded by. Marriage, a relationship, men, seem to be the be-all end all. If you don't have one, you're nothing.

This is where co-habitaiton comes in. It's become too easy for a couple to live together before marriage. Like I said, I see nothing wrong with this morally, but people are jumping to loose their independence so soon. I don't think people realize how big of a commitment living together is. There are finances to worry about, who does the cleaning, where food is coming from. Not only do you have a roommate, you have a life mate. People don't like to think about the non-romantic aspects of relationships.

I think living together has something to do with fake morals. If you're commited enough to live together, you're not just sleeping with someone, you're not a whore. But you are. You're giving someone your independence for slightly more legitamate sex.

I think the golden age of single-dom and relationships was the 70's and 80's, and maybe the early 90's. It was after the sexual revolution, in the midst of women's rights. A woman could live on her own, have a career, sleep with men and not be fully commited with out being harsly judged by society. There was easy access to birth control, babies only came about if you wanted (at least for smart women). You could find love if you wanted.

The new millenium has brought us a "moral" revolution. Partly because of 9/11, partly the republican political influence, America is getting more "moral." It's not like the 50's, but it's an attack on the left. "Liberal" has become a bad word, not just a nice way to say "too much mayo" (you know, a liberal amount) Commitment became a necessity again, but a new millenium commitment. Living together is this way to prove you're grown up with out a major commitment, you're not getting married, (no legal documents), you're not getting your own place (rent, utilities, cable, internet, phone... all on your own? no way!), you're not starting a great career (why, you're living with someone, let's have kids instead... then we can get on welfare and food stamps!) It's like the easy way to tell people you're "grown up," but, therefore, by taking the easy way out, you're not grown up.

There's nothing wrong with living together, as long as you're doing it for the right reasons. But I think that everyone should live completely on their own (no parental assistance... maybe roommates, depending on where you're living) for at least one year before living with someone in a romantic relationship. One year, to yourself, to learn what you're like.

The End, or the Beginning?

Two weeks ago, I graduated from college. It's strange. College is this thing that we're reaching for from the moment we enter kindergarten, we're told to do good in school so we can go to college and get a good job. I'm done with college. I chose to further my education rather than get a job. Honestly, it's because I don't feel ready to enter the workforce, and I want to be better. I just want to be better than everyone else. My old roommate is engaged, she's getting married and should be graduating at about the same time next spring. I chose to take an extra year because her fiance would have finnished school then, too. Instead, he dropped out of the 4-year school, started at the 2-year school, and dropped out somewhere in the middle of his first semester. She'll be finnishing her bachelor's at 23, I'll be finnishing my master's at 23.

I don't want to get married and have kids. I might want to get married, I'm not sure. Maybe I want to be one of those people who find a mate and live with them without ever making it legal. I'd rather be in love than have a peice of paper. If I do ever get married, it'll be in Vegas, at the Little White Chapel or such. It's just a peice of paper, might as well have fun getting it. Why stress yourself out planning a big party to feed nasty people expensive food? The only reason I'd want a wedding is to get all the awesome kitchen stuff people give you. But half of that's crap, too. Maybe I sound greedy.

I don't have any problems with marriage, it's weddings I don't like. I don't like what they've become. I'd rather have that Vegas wedding, and have a big party when I've been hitched for a consecutive 10 years.

I've been watching and reading Sex and the City a lot lately, it makes me think I'm too young to even thinking about marriage. Why are there people my age getting married? What's the point? Why should we commit ourselve to one person so young? On that note, I'm with a wonderful guy and the idea of ending it devistates me. The idea that I'm too young to have met the person I'm meant to be with means that I can't be with him. Grrrr...

Maybe I'm just too young to be done with school. Maybe that's why I'm going to grad school, to age a bit more. All I know is that I'm not ready to work, at least not in the industry I want. I'm scared, about a lot of things. But I also know that everything will fall into place as well.

Packing

Packing is so sad. Right now I'm working on packing up stuff to leave at my parents for a while... like, a couple of years. I think I'm going to miss my cocktail set the most. I used a couple of issues of the New York Times to pack it all in, I'm worried my brothers might decide to smash it, just 'cause. They're like that sometimes. Yeah, anyway... back to work!

My roommates bought a deep-fat fryer

I live with three other people: K, N and J... N and J are guys, K is a girl. When we moved in N and K were dating... now they're engaged, and plan on getting married next spring. Since moving in, N and K have gained weight. They eat a lot of processed, frozen food. Over spring break, they purchased a deep-fat fryer to cook their processed, frozen food.

A deep-fat fryer.

America is in the midst of an obesity epidemic, and they bought a deep-fat fryer.

I'm freaking out about the 10 extra pounds and how I have no time to exercise, and they bought a deep-fat fryer.

Buying a deep-fat fryer these days is like starting to smoke. We now know the dangers and a lot of people are trying to quit. I should buy the a pack of cigarettes, just to prove my point.

I don't care that they're not super-models. But they're not healthy.

It's like having sex with a bunch of people with out condoms, or any type of birth-control, for that matter.

Not to mention it stinks up the house when they use it.

I'm debating whether I should ask them not to use it so much. I view that type of activity the same way I view smoking. It's stupid, it stinks, and it hurts your health, and I don't like to be around it.

= YUCK!

Snow

The snow creates a silence. It's a beautiful silence. A combination of extra insulation and the fact that no one wants to be outside. The silence isn't like the silence that comes from the bitter cold. That silence carries too much noise. The silence that comes from snow like today is a beatiful thing. You can go for a walk and feel warm, even though you are surrounded by feet upon feet of white dense wetness. It's beautiful:

Dear Britney Spears:

For those of you who don't know Britney Spears pretty much had a break down this weekend. This is what I would tell her, if I could.

It's okay. You haven't been having the best time lately. You've made some mistakes, we all have. You fell in love with a looser... I've done it. You wanted a child. It's not like you don't have the money to support them. We were all behind you when you filed for divorce from Kevin Federline. I understand why you wanted to party so much. You were free. You needed to be free. We know that you had a baby sitter watching your children. We wanted you to have a big comeback.

This is my advice to you: Take your babies and go to Louisanna. Spend time with your family. Retreat to the country. Get away from LA, get away from the stress.

Maybe you're just a really big Demi Moore fan? She did the Vanity Fair cover pregnant and naked, you did the Harper's Bazaar cover naked and pregnant. She shaved her head... you shaved your head. Look at Demi's hair now, it's gorgeous. Better than ever. She totally took time off and raised her kids in the country. Now she's hotter than ever! Do the same honey. Just chill. If you want people behind you, make a smart choice.

This is my final peice of advice to you: Run away. Run far, far away. Go back to the simple things. Let your mother be a country grandma. She'll bake cookies and make soup.

Be intellegent, we know you're capable, and then we'll love you again

Sincerely,
Katherine Grandstrand

Do we have an obesity or anorexia epidemic?

When you turn on the TV, there's always either something about how Americans are too fat, or about how celebrities are too skinny. Which is it? An article from MSNBC/Newsweeks says that it's both.

While the travails of the thin and beautiful almost always make for good copy, we should remember that only about 1 percent of the American population is anorexic, while nearly two thirds of adults are overweight or obese, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So it's not as if skinny models have inspired an epidemic of slimness. In fact, the real danger may be that the contrast between the girls on the catwalks and the girls at the mall is creating an atmosphere ripe for binge dieting and the kind of unhealthy eating habits that ultimately result in weight gain, not loss.

Has anyone else noticed this, does this bother anyone else? Are we too fat or too skinny? Why can't we promote a healthy body image?

What drives me crazy is the fact that we can't call anyone "fat" anymore. It's not politically correct. When we stopped calling people fat, waistlines increased dramtically. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that everyone who has a few extra pounds should be called fat. I was called fat 15lbs ago... what does that make me? It's scary how many obese people there are, and how many people are happy at an unhealthy BMI.

I don't see myself as fat. I do see myself as someone with a little extra fat. When I look at my eating and exercise habits, I see why. I'm not perfectly happy with the way I look, but at the same time, I'm going to take drastic and unhealthy measures to loose weight.

We've lost the strive to be better, but some have gained the obesession with "perfection."

The Dove study found that just 2 percent of women and girls said they would describe themselves as beautiful, while two thirds said they avoided basic activities on days they felt unattractive. Those activities ranged from going to the beach or a party to showing up for work or school—even voicing an opinion.

No one is perfect, no one ever will be. Flaws are great, but not all flaws need to be there. Promoting good diet and exercise, along with good external care (hair, skin, face) will make everyone feel better. Why are we afraid of healthy people?

Sunday

Ah, Sunday. That day of the week that is either the end of a beautiful weekend, or the dreaded last day of the weekend that is used to catch up on all the stuff that needs to be done by Monday. I'm guessing it's the latter for most people. I have a minumum of stuff to do for tomorrow, which is nice. A little procrastination goes a long way.

The hardest thing, for me anyway, about balancing school and work is housework. Squeezing in time to do a load of dishes so your roommates don't hate you, or finally seeing the carpet in your bedroom for the first time in a month. I used my afternoon yesterday to do just that. The dish'll come later this week. Saturday morning, when getting ready for work, I noticed a bulk of clothing that I hadn't worn for a while. So I grabbed some bags and sorted through it: KEEP, TOSS, and DONATE. The Salvation Army will be happy with me. Two and half bags of clothes (and five pairs of shoes), including a tasteful formal gown that doesn't fit me anymore. I hope it ends up being some girl's dream prom dress.

Have you ever donated stuff, and then gone down the the Salvation Army to see how much they're charging? It's kinda fun. The last time I did it, I went to check it out about a week after I dropped stuff off. I could only find about a quarter of the stuff I left. It was kinda fun. The infamous "I don't think I can do a pink purse" pink purse was still there. I might drop this stuff off tomorrow. If anyone's looking for last year's size 7 clothing... check out the Salvation Army this week.

Off to do the rest of my homework...

On Valentine's Day

"Don't worry about it, it'll all be over on the 15th, and 1/2 off!"

And the last minute goes to:

The New York Times media blog
The Carpetbagger!

David Carr, media critic for The Times, reports on the movie awards season.

The Carpetbagger is a seasonal blog that covers all things Oscar -- the news, the nonsense, and the players that drive the campaign.

After my first two experiences with blogging blogs, I didn't know what to search for. A couple of searches came up short. I thought I'm doing a paper about Glenn Miller for The History of Jazz. Let's use the Blogger search tool to see what I can find... nada. At least not anything class-worthy. Nothing that could be used as cross-over research, anyway. Then I thought about Sex and the City. Carrie's column definately reminds me of a blog. I thought There has to be a fantasy blog where people are pretending to be Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte. Wrong again. I couldn't find any such blog, at least not to my standards... there was one No Sex and the City, where the authors called themselves notCarrie and notSamantha and so on and so forth. But in further examination, not what I wanted.

I the end, I went to the journalist go-to resource... The New York Times. There's always something interesting one can elaborate on in The New York Times. I knew that there were blogs at The Times, and it was time to check them out.

The first couple of weblogs I blogged were written by several authors. While each had different qualities, I wanted to stray further from my pattern and find a weblog with a single author. There might be more consistency with a single author, or not. I guess we shall see.

If one was wondering if a true blog existed, this is it. Short postings, a link here and there, very focused. Professional: the author is a writer for The Times. The author definately uses the blog to build his reputation and give information. Simple as that.

This single author is a BUSY author. TEN count 'em one two three four five six seven eight nine TEN posts today alone. Six the day before. I thought posting once a day was hard. And I can post about ANYTHING This guy has to keep his musings related to the Oscars. Granted, he does stray here and there, but if a posting's not Academy Awards related, it is about Hollywood.

Upon further review, this single author has the consistency I seek. Not saying that all single-author blogs are consistent in their posting, but after the last two blogs, it's something I wanted.

I like this. It's not the same-old same-old Hollywood gossip we get on E! and VH1. It's classy, like it's parent. Carr even refuses to post about the death of Anna Nicole Smith with this posting:

In Search of the Grim Reaper’s Funny Bone

We are not going to discuss You Know Who’s death because we generally don’t think that dead people, regardless of their backstories, should be treated like piñatas — hit with sticks by bloggers and commentators until their insides fall out and their demise somehow becomes comic. Not to get all prissy or anything, but the Bagger always wonders what is so funny about someone, anyone, turning up dead.

Very commendable. I must say, Ms. Smith's death shocked me, but there isn't much to say at the moment.

For an E! junkie like myself, this is a fresh look into the world of entertainment. It's not about Paris and Lindsey's latest rumble. It's about legitimate artists search for one of the highest honors awarded to those in their field.

Mundane

I'm sitting here, waitng at work for my replacement to come. (ten minutes) Today has been fairly eventless. Nothing crazy happened. Nothing horrible, nothing great. It's just been a Thursday. But Thursdays give way to Fridays, and Fridays to Saturdays, and Saturdays to Sundays... wait... Sundays lead to Mondays, don't they? Oh well. I have one class on Friday, and work in the evening. There's a party I'm supposed to go to on Saturday. We'll see how I feel.

I'm really tired. Florida called, and we didn't get off the phone until 3am. Late night phone calls are typical at this point. It wouldn't be so bad, if I had time for a nap. But time is not something I have a lot of. It's only three weeks in to the semester and I've had to write down a list of the assignments I have due in the near future, and when they're due, so I can prioritize. List are a nasty habit of mine. I make lists for everything. It's sick, sad, and almost wrong.

But, my replacement's here, so I can go.
Have a good night all!

Chicago

I'm moving to Chicago in June, after graduation. I'm hopefully going to grad school there, but if that doesn't pan out, I've decided to go there and find a job. (Scary... a job, a REAL job.) I decided to get out there and see what bloggers had to say about Chicago.

Through a search I stumbled across metroblogging chicago. It's an inside look (sometimes inside-out look) at Chicago. I've only been there once before, six years ago, but I was 15, and with my high school band/choir. We did very tourist-y things like visit the Sears Tower (in a very thick fog... we couldn't see anything) and the Navy Pier. When planning on moving to a city, it's probably best to learn as much as you can about the city. What better way than strait from the inhabitant's mouths.

The link-laden blog has several authors, nine to be exact. They type of weblog changes with each poster, it's not just a collabrative effort. It's something different. It's different with every post. It's not a journal, most likely a blog with filter-like qualities at sometimes. At times, it's even a photoblog. Really, it's a little bit of everything. A place for people to sound off, a place for people to converse, Chicagoans can give each other tips, or just leave a quick joke. This is a blog used for creating a community, quite literally.

There really isn't a major theme except Chicago. Sports in Chicago, art in Chicago, interesting things that caught the eye of people from Chicago. Each author is just as ADD at somepoints as the weblog itself. It's interesting. Definately a shmorgasboard (sp?) of Chicago culture. A great inside resource for someone like me. I'd like to know a little bit of everything.

The Bears going to the SuperBowl is probably one of the biggest thing to happen to Chicago sports fans since the Bulls in the '90s. This blog definately reflects that. The Minneapolis metblog would be buzzing just as much, if not more if the Vikings went to the SuperBowl. (Remember the last time the SuperBowl was in Miami?) This is starting to make me scared... I'll be a Vikings fan living in Bears country. I don't know how well that'll go. I might have to keep my love for the Vikings closeted until I can find a community of like-minded people. I saw people in full-on Packers garb in the store the other day, and I wondered to myself if they knew where they were. People are serious about their NFL. Chicago's no different. (DA BEARS!)

Some people encourage readers to leave comments, other just want to post information. This is part of the metblogs system, with blogs representing 52 (Pittsburgh just joined) cities around the world, most of which are in the United States, but does include locations such as Asia, Europe and South America.

next post in Blogging Blogs Exercise

Finding your voice

I was perusing my myspace page this evening, and realized that it really is just a created persona. It's only one part of me, definately. My name is "a beautiful dream" and my picture is from a day when I was all dressed up. Most days I neither look nor think like a beautiful dream. Most days I look like this:



I definately have a different voice here than I do on myspace, or facebook, or my msn livespace. But that's part of the fun of blogging and online networking. You can choose which side of yourself to show. I wouldn't say that any of my "voices" are less or more authentic than the next, but a different side of me.

I think I'm more personal on my myspace blog, my msn livespaces blog is used mostly for showing off, since people from back home can see it, and here, it's for class, so I keep it professional, or try to, at least.

I'm beginning to see how blogging can be a release. Even if you follow some of the most conservative restraints, you can still express yourself, rant and share with the world. I can see where Blood says that even if you just post annotated links, some of yourself still comes through. Unless you're completely random with your postings, but then again, that can show your personality, too. Strange.

Obligatory Post

Here's my obligatory post for the day, but I am working on the writing assignment for class, as well, so it's not like I'm not doing anything for class.

We tried jumping my car Sunday, and it would not go... today, I tried, nothing, we hooked it up to my roommates' car... it seemed like it didn't need the jump. It probably just needed the extra juice. Anyway, it's up and running now, and I'm gonna let it get REALLY warm and let the battery charge.

That's what I've got for today so far. Maybe something interesting will happen at work, you never know.

Engaged and Underage

I was watching one of MTV's newest reality shows Engaged and Underage, I became inspired; there must be blogs about this. So I set off on my search for what must be thousands of wonderful postings about this new TV show that's slightly controversial, but viable to almost everyone. Boy was I wrong. But a few stepped up, and I think that Weddingbee covers my intial search topic well. But how does it handle in the rest of the competition?

The thing that struck me most about this was that, rather than just spew their own opinion for the public to digest, the author simply stated what the show was, posting MTV's description, and then posed the question for others to answer. The question in this case is

This show really brings to light a controversial question: Can you be too young to get married?

The fellow posters do most of the opinion sharing, therefore this blog is an open discussion. In a way, it's more of a forum than a blog. Which brings up the question, where does a blog end and a forum begin? I think that's a question for another post on another day. These guys call themselves a blog, so I'm going to believe them.

On further review, this is a blog mostly devoted to planning weddings. It is a multi-author blog. Women name themsleves after fruits (Miss Apple) or flowers (Miss Daisy) and call their finaces Mr.chosen fruit/flower. They also often refer to their fiances as FI. This all kinda me want to puke. The more I think about weddings, the less I want one. Off topic... back to Weddingbee How to classify this blog? Maybe a hobby blog? But is wedding planning a hobby? It's not a profession, at least not for the bride, and this is a community of brides and brides-to-be. I guess it'd be a short-term hobby.

I guess the idea of a wedding planning blog isn't a bad idea. Women who are planning a wedding might want to bounce ideas off of people who don't know them, people who don't have any personal stock in the wedding. Her mother might think that a wedding dress is wrong... and maid of honor sis won't argue with mom, but an opinion of the dress from strangers might shed a differnt light. And maybe friends have heard enough of her wedding planning, and she needs a place to go to be a bride-to-be.

I really like the supportive attitude. This is more than just a blog, it's a community of fruits and flowers, all planning weddings, getting the advice from from Mrs. Bee, a professional in the wedding biz who, from what I gather, started the whole thing.

In today’s hive:

GeLLiBeLLy wants to know what songs you chose for the ceremony and reception. She’s having a tough time selecting music.
sally wants to know how you let people know where you’re registered if you’re not having any showers, don’t have a website, and don’t put it in the invitations?
MissBluebear wants to know your opinion on groomsmen in suits rather than tuxes? What suit styles work best for a wedding party? The groomsmen suggested bowties with suits and she’s not sure how she feels about that. Also the best man has a tux he wants to wear, so will the groom and best man in tux, and 3 groomsmen in suits look weird?
Mindy is looking for a knottie bio that shows tons of fonts.
jen’s godmother is throwing her a shower - does she need to extend invitations to all of her fiance’s aunts/adult female cousins? They’re not close but she doesn’t want them to feel left out, or seem greedy for gifts. Advice?
iheartq wants to know is she’s responsible for all costs as the host of a bridal shower. She’s not the MOH but offered to host the shower, and the bride is inviting 50+ people. Would if be polite to ask the other girls to help contribute?
To add your question to the beehive, leave a comment below and we’ll update this post to include your question. See all past beehives here.

She posts issues that need to be resolved and others that need help can post their questions.

I really liked the way this "blog" was an open discussion. It's a supportive online community for newly engaged individuals to meet up with seasoned pros for advice and non-discriminatory discussion. I like the idea. I'm not a huge fan of wedding planning, but such blogs for other topics... golden.

next post for Blogging Blogs exercise

My boyfriend lives in Florida, and I hate him

So, I might not hate him. But it was -26˚F when I left the house this morning. I'm pretty sure that there's no way it was that cold in Florida. Let's see the current temps: Bemidji: -21˚F Tampa: 55˚F. I worn 2 pairs of socks, my boots, three shirts, long sleeved, short sleeved, and hoodie (in that order) that's my inside garb. To brave the great outdoors (for two and a half blocks) I donned two coats - my fleece fall/spring weight jacket, with my winter down-filled coat on top of that. I wrapped a scarf around my neck tightly, and topped it all off with a warm knit hat and two pairs of gloves.

He says he remembers the days of cold winters... but he only lived here for three winters. I've been living in northern Minnesota for 21 years. The cold is strange. I think we stop feeling it get colder after a while... like, our bodies can only feel temperatures so cold...

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I hate him... but love him, just the same.

Sex and the City

One of my favorite shows. But in the context of blogging, it's got me thinking. Anyone can be a Carrie Bradshaw. If I wanted to I could publish a weekly column about whatever, I could, in the from of a blog. Is this a good thing? I'd be doing work for no pay, at least not any immediate. There are sucess stories. Bloggers who got enough recognition that they get paid for their musings. They say self-publishing is the sure-fired way to make it. Do the work and hope to get paid later. Is this the right thing to do? Are blogs going to change the publishing industry? Is starting a blog the best way to get recognized as a writer? The better the blog, the bigger the following, the larger the chance of someone important noticing it. It's crazy. I guess I'd better get writing...

Crap

Missed another day... but only by a few minutes... drat. Posting... everyday... tough... So, like I said, it's scary posting un-edited work. I noticed bad grammer in my last post. Ick! There's nothing that says "I'm stupid" quite like bad grammer. We celebrated my friend's 22nd birthday tonight with Jazz Fest and Applebee's. $1 taps have turned into $1.50... and Lienie's isn't domestic anymore... apparently it's premium. Last time I was there, it was domestic, since it's brewed in Wisconsin. (*sips out of last bottle of Apple Spice*) Wisconsin is apparently a far away place, and not the next state over. The Budwieser brewed in St. Louis is much less exotic than the beer brewed six hours away. Give me a break. And then, when we intially ordered, the waiter didn't ask what size we wanted, and brought us talls... what if I didn't want to spend that much. What if it wasn't just financial aid dispersment/pay day? And then my food was cold. And my chips were stale. WHY? Grr... anyway (*sips Apple Spice*) It's time to stop blogging.
'nite all

Hmmm

This posting everyday stuff is hard. Techincally, I've went two days with out posting... shoot. Anyway, we should post everday. Like Ms. Blood said, it's harder than it sounds. Especially the whole righting badly everyday. I don't want to sound like an idoit. Anyone can read this, and people in the class even more. The fact that I can't read it over and over and edit and check freaks me out. A typo or the wrong form of their/there/they're can make you look like the dumbest person. An unedited piece of work is scary.

Ree-says v Ree-cees

They're peanut butter cups, peices, peanut butter chips, and just plain peanut butter. The Hershey's owned company has been delivering us the beautiful marriage of peanut butter and chocolate since the 1920's. There are few who don't like Peanut Butter Cups.

So why must you pronounce it wrong! It's Reese's... meaning the peanut butter belongs to Reese... a guy who's last name is Reese. (H.B. Reese to be exact) The title is posessive. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. It's not ree-cees... it's not plural. And even if it was plural... as in more than one reese... it would still be reeses ree-says... more than one Reese. GET IT RIGHT. You people drive me crazy.

If you're not sure how to pronounce something, especially if it's an international product, listen to how they say in in their advertisement. Are you really that stupid that you can't take cues fron the creators on how to pronounce something. It's like when someone has a hard to pronounce name, they will politely correct you. If you don't pronounce their name correctly thenseforth, you are rude and stupid.

Stop being stupid
It's REESE'S!



PS: now I really want peanut butter cups!

Blog Critique...

Culture in the Void
My friend's infrequently updated column about the cultural events in the Tampa/St. Pete area.
After visiting the area, I understand why it's infrequently updated. (He does put updates on myspace and facebook when he does write.)

Visually, I think the light on dark works for the content, it creates the "I'm looking for New York or London" vibe he's trying to give off. The use of images is enhancing, not distracting. The simplicity makes it easy to read.

Blood

Comment on the chapters... hmm... They were fairly informative. The history behind blogging is both interesting and amusing. The way media has evolved is interesting. It took years for television and radio to become as popular as the internet did in the 1990's. Part of that is probably the usability. It's still easier to make a website than it is to create an audio or video clip, and even easier to get it out to the mass public for all to see.

The reasons people blog are interesting. I've almost alway thought of blogs as personal journals, some more focused than others, but generally just journals. I'll have to agree with Ms. Blood about the time it takes to blog. I find it hard to post weekly or so on my very informal myspace or msn spaces blogs. (Until recently, I hadn't posted on my msn spaces blog since November). Trying the keep a complete record of a trip or keeping a hobby blog up to date would be grueling.

I've dabbled in HTML in the past... most recently in Web Design last semester, but I created this site in high school as a Star Event for FCCLA. WARNING: if you choose to check it out... it hasn't been updated since 2002. HTML can be a fun additive, as long as the user doesn't go over board. Here is an example of HTML gone wrong. It's hard to read the text, the images are too busy. Other than the fact that she loves Led Zeplin, I don't know the purpose for her profile.

Vista

As any computer nut would know, the new version of Windows... Vista... came out today. Mac fans have said it's a horrible OS X rip off. I'm a little Vista-shy myself. My old pc will have it's XP until the day it dies... the upgrades needed aren't worth it. I have a mac laptop, and am tempted to get a mac when investing in my next desktop... bootcamp should be more than Vista compatible by then ;). Here's the CNET review of Vista. Here's the artcle Apple linked to on the eve of Vista's release.

I miss you

Over break, I got to go to Florida to see a friend. I was way more excited to see my friend than to go to a warmer climate. I miss him. I'd love to go back, but no money+no time=no trip. It's been two weeks since I got back, and I don't feel as icky as I did right away, I still feel kinda empty. I'm sure it'll get better, I'll get super busy and move on... not completely, mind you, just over the feeling. Sitting in a review class is bad. You have all this extra time... too much time to think. And then there's a computer in front of me. It's the perfect equation for not paying attention. I'm horrible, I know.

Tired

I hate being sick, it's sucks trying to sleep. All stuffed up, and then your sinuses hurt. My latte this afternoon got me to about 7pm, and I've just crashed. I'm sleeping tonight. No 2am phone calls, well... I won't call first, anyway. I hate sleeping in hotels. They just make you sicker, and it's cold. I haven't even taken off my hat yet!

Beginning

Don't know what to write, just writing to post something.

For anyone who's counting... 16 weeks to commencement.

7 weeks to spring break.