What Do You Do With a BA in English?

Let's not be the EU, please

Hahahaha! I need to read all of this article when I'm not at work.

Labels: environmental ish, news, silliness

posted by ariah @ 3:40 PM 0 comments

Blaaah, politics

It's aggravating how little people know about the candidates they don't support.

This is aggravating because it allows them to believe stupid rumors without checking other sources.

Kind of like that "OMG, Obama is a Muslim!" email that went around a few months ago. Honestly, I didn't look much into that because it sounded so stupid, but in perusing various websites of various points of view, I've read that he does/did have one Muslim grandmother and lived in Indonesia as a child. Well, gosh, he must be a terrorist. No.

There have been a LOT of crazy rumors about Palin, such as the "Trig is really Bristol's baby!" rumor, which is clearly disproved by photo evidence. Silly people grasping at straws.

Then there's the librarian controversy. Anti-Palinites will say "She wanted to ban books!" Pro-Paliners will say, "She just talked to the librarian about what books and mags kids should be able to access!" Anti-Palinites say, "She fired the librarian for disagreeing with her!" Pro-Paliners will say, "No, she didn't She asked the librarian to resign bc they had some ideological dispute and the librarian openly supported her political rival, which has been reason enough for presidents to toss out people appointed by previous administrations. But she actually didn't end up firing her." That could still sound bad, depending on how you interpret it, but it's definitely a lot better and more accurate than the soundbytes!

I tend to be wary of those who seem really conservative, but it doesn't seem like Sarah's a wacko, and I'm finding myself thinking the attacks are exagerrated manifestations of the left's fear of far-right conservatives. And these "controversies" sound so much like small town bullshit. They're all worth looking into - we should know what she's been up to and where she stands - but we shouldn't freak out and assume too much, like, "OMG, she'll ban Harry Potter!" or something silly like that.

Labels: politics, silliness

posted by ariah @ 11:29 AM 0 comments

Apparently I am not fazed by much

I've never been a person to jump when people sneak up behind me. The only times people have successfully freaked me out have been when I've been uptight and nervous about something, and those instances are rare. In the past couple weeks, 2 of my coworkers have tried it.

Me: Um... what are you doing?
Coworker: Uh... I was trying to sneak up on you and scare you. I guess it didn't work.
Me: Nope, you fail. Hee hee!

So, today when some guy pushed past me to escape from a restaurant with a stolen soda, I just kinda backed up half a step, looked at him, looked at the restaurant employee who had a hold of his wrist, wondered why the thief was holding several flat, empty paper bags (now I can't remember for sure if the drink-stealer was holding them or if the cafe employee was, but I think he was), wondered vaguely how much my shoes would hinder me if I pursued him, watched a second employee follow closely behind, figured they could handle one skinny guy, darted past the open door to the window to watch them drag him back in, noted a white rag and bottle with light purple liquid inside in the hand of the second employee, paid for my food, and left.

So, I think he was trying to steal a purple soda/juice drink. Not sure what was up with the little, empty brown paper bags.

By the way, the guy was in a nice mauvey dress shirt and totally didn't need to steal that purple soda.

I wonder if it's a bad thing that I don't react more. Like, when I see that things are falling, I hesitate. If it's breakable I may go for it, but usually, I'm like, eh, it'll survive. That's why I suck at volleyball - I'm like, oh, the ball. There it went. Of course, I'm scared of the ball, so that may have something to do with it... :)

Yeah, I'm glad that other employee was close behind because I don't know if I would have helped. Probably not. Even though with the first employee slowing him down I totally could have taken the guy down. He was small, skinny and unarmed! Oh well. Then again... maybe I would have. That's a little scary. Or maybe I'm just a little scary. :)

Labels: boys, crime, silliness

posted by ariah @ 1:09 PM 0 comments

Banning sexism in ads in the EU?

I get fairly annoyed at "Look at my boobs!" ads, no matter what they're advertizing. They don't endear me at all to the companies using this type of advertizement, but apparently they work - at least, they get people's attention, kind of like those annoying "Stop staring at me! Advertize here!" posters. It would be nice if they'd just disappear, but should the government ban them? Do the Europeans need the government to save them from their shallow masses?

Eva-Britt Svensson thinks so. Ms Svensson said: "Gender stereotyping in advertising straitjackets women, men, girls and boys by restricting individuals to predetermined and artificial roles that are often degrading, humiliating and dumbed down for both sexes."

Um, no, actually, this individual isn't "restricted," but thanks for your concern. Of course people are influenced by ads, but that's one of those things your kindergarten teachers and parents teach you when you're little - it's on TV... it's in an ad... it's not REAL. We nevertheless go through phases (the stupidity of youth) when we think these images mean something, and some of us never leave ("OMG, my Prada bag is so out of season! What will the neighbors think?") - but changing ads won't eliminate the problems of obsessing over a particular vision of womanliness/manliness because the ads were never the source of these attitudes - the ads just reflect ideas that are already out there.

Clearly, these ads don't work for everyone, like Svensson and me. If enough people say, hey, we're annoyed, the advertizers will choose new campaigns to appeal to more people (like Dove does). The solution should come from the people, not from on high.

And anyway, what if such restrictions were to go into effect? Would only men be allowed to advertize skillets? What happens when THAT becomes a gender stereotype? "Oh, you know, men and their skillets!" Who knows.

Svensson also said: "Gender stereotyping in advertising is one of several factors that have a big influence in efforts to make society more gender equal. When women and men are portrayed in a stereotypical way the consequence may be that it becomes difficult in other contexts to see women and men's resources and abilities."

Well, if you look more at ads than reality, sure, it could be difficult to see men and women as individuals with overlapping skill sets. And THAT is a problem. But controlling what people are exposed to isn't going to make them better at seeing through the stereotypes.

I'm curious to know what Svensson's idea of "gender equal" is. Does she really mean "gender equal" or "gender same"? I don't think she could be called a "difference feminist" - the feminists who acknowledge inherent differences between men and women. I guess in her perfect world, 50% of construction workers would be women - anything less would be "unfair" or the product of some enforced patriarchal blah blah blah.

The important thing is to make it so that when people want to cross the usual gender lines, they can and can do so without being harrassed. That's why we have anti-discrimination laws, which basically tell people not to be douchebags, and help women break into new fields in the REAL WORLD (as opposed to in ads). The more the real world changes, the more 1) ads will change, and 2) ads that are sexist won't be able to hold people back because fewer people will buy into what those images represent.

By the way, prohibiting ads that show sexist (including, OMG, people in traditional gender roles!) images is not the same as prohibiting discrimination. Anti-discrimination laws make it less difficult for people to do what they want - they don't FORCE them to break out of certain molds. That's the problem with Svensson's idea - its real world equivalent is some government official telling a stay at home mom that she's a bad influence on society and had better put her kid in day care and get a job. Or telling a construction worker that he has to give up his job, and starve himself so he can fit into skinny jeans because his current job and body represent that old kind of manliness.

Fortunately, the Advertising Standards Authority isn't buying Svensson's plan: "The Advertising Standards Authority however had said there are already checks in place to prevent 'discriminatory or harmful' material. A spokesman said: 'Although the ASA supports the overall objectives of the report... the approach suggested is inflexible and impractical.'"

What Svensson SHOULD do is start her own campaign - some "think outside the box" ads with women as breadwinners and men as stay at home dads and women building houses and men sewing (aside: there is TOTALLY nothing unmanly about sewing. At all.) Instead of trying to control what's out there to be seen, Svensson should join in the conversation and compete fairly for the attention of the people.

In conclusion, fuck anti-freedom totalitarian fascists. The end. ^__^

Labels: gender, silliness, society

posted by ariah @ 11:55 AM 0 comments

Oy, Biden

The columnist writes: ..."The same question came to mind during Joe Biden's speech Wednesday. The Democratic vice presidential nominee also talked about "America's promise," but he defined it differently. For Biden, it's about what his working-class parents told him "about how anyone can make it if they try."
Now we're getting somewhere.
Then Biden got tangled in his own contradiction. He talked about his dad who, when he fell on hard times, would tell his son: "Champ, when you get knocked down, get up."
Then he lamented that he had "never seen a time when Washington has watched so many people get knocked down without doing anything to help them get back up."
Wait a minute. Who said anything about government helping folks get back up when they get knocked down? Is that what Papa Biden was talking about? It sounded like he was saying people should get themselves back on their feet.
I'm a big fan of getting back up, personal responsibility, educating yourself, making good choices, and getting over the idea that the world owes you a living.
I'm also keen on people not playing the victim, not feeling a sense of entitlement, and not fearing competition. And when you're struggling in a tough economy, you don't give up or lay blame or ask for a government bailout, you work harder.
Those are my principles -- but they carry a dose of pragmatism. I can't remember the last time I saw government do something right. As a 41-year-old, I'm part of a generation that learned not to wait for government to save you because you could be waiting a long, long time."

Labels: politics, silliness

posted by ariah @ 11:17 AM 0 comments

Farmer Ariah

I hate sitting in a box. I want to be tending tomato plants. I want to grow big fat green beans (half runners) and cook them in a pressure cooker (purchased from a WAL*MART Superstore!) with bacon.

I should have been a farmer. Who knew?

I want to live in a farm house surrounded by FIELDS with my hound dog and I guess a nice farmer husband (at some point). (This house will be no more than 20 minutes from the nearest WAL*MART Superstore and no more than 40 from the mall, however. I am not really a country girl. I just like the country.)

I'll pair dresses and cowboy hats (but not dresses and boots!). And I'll have some kind of financial partner who can like, understand all that stuff and make sure we don't run out of money while I plant things and drive a tractor and manage the hired Mexicans, with whom I'll have a great relationship and who will bring me HOME MADE TORTILLAS OMG (*faints*) on my birthday. And they'll teach me Spanish. And I'll send their kids to college. It'll rock.

I am on some kind of work-induced trip today, eh?

(I'm basing this pipe dream on visiting my relatives in Virginia. Only they live in the middle of Mount West Guam and employ Hondurans. But it'll basically be the same, only in Texas).

So, I hope that hiring Mexicans part didn't sound racist. I was just trying to highlight that this really is a silly stereotype-dream thing... (see, when I make these generalizations, I'm not really being serious, okay? I use them as devices to reveal my intentions/frame of mind, like, LOOK, I'm being RETARDED here, or some such thing) ...that and I really want the tortillas. OH MAN, real tortillas... lasldfuasdlfjlasdjflasjdflds *DIES*

Labels: silliness

posted by ariah @ 1:57 PM 0 comments

It's like they know who I am!

Obligatory Disclaimer: Only click the above link if you aren't ridiculously sensitive to racial generalizations about white people.

Quote: If you wish to gain the respect of a white person, it’s probably a good idea that you find an obscure and debated grammar rule such as the “Oxford Comma” and take a firm stance on what you believe is correct. This is seen as more productive and forward thinking than simply stating your anger at the improper use of “it’s.

To prove how correct this is, I am so aggravated that I can't use smart quotes to fix the incorrect (missing) quotation marks around "it's"! <-- Look at me being all British!

Labels: random, silliness

posted by ariah @ 11:39 AM 0 comments

Ben

I have this friend Ben from high school art class who I sometimes run into on the train platform. We sit together on the train and giggle about ostriches.

Today we wrote a haiku:

Ah, plastic pillow
I want to use it for sleep
Makes my ears vibrate

It was relevant at the time.

Labels: random, silliness

posted by ariah @ 10:08 AM 0 comments

Newness

So, last time wasn't a fluke. Indian food IS spicy.

*guzzles water*

We got new computers today with FLAT SCREEN MONITORS! The design is fairly angular with a few curves to soften it, in silver and black, kinda retro. I feel like I'm in Star Trek!!! I was bouncing off the walls. My coworkers were giving me sideways glances like, where is that stress ball going to fly next, and why is she so hyper?

Today is one of those days where I actually have energy. The 9-5 thing bites. I mean, it's not like I live in a country with 60% unemployment and only factory jobs that I have to wait six years for. I do wish I had more time/energy to work on my novel.

SO, I've decided I'm going to exercise every day. I'll feel better and sleep better (not that I have trouble sleeping, but it's nice to feel tired from DOING something, not just from not sleeping enough). So far so good - did half a mile on the treadmill Monday, and 3/4 a mile on Tuesday. I think I'm gonna keep it around that, because it only takes 10-15 minutes and doesn't tire me out. Ideally, it'll make me feel like being more productive instead of reading the paper for an hour. I really don't have time for that. And even though I do it, somehow I MISS all the important news, like Romney dropping out of the race and Fidel handing things over to his bro. I should just check the news at work on lunch, like normal people.

So, the discipline/exercise is a new thing. Also, I discovered I can listen to streaming radio at work. My manager is TOTALLY cool with it, because what do I do? I answer emails. I found an 80s rock station out of Houston and I am going CRAZY with the saxophones and synthesizers.

So even though the commute gets me down, in a lot of ways, this job ROCKS!

Her name is Rio and she dances on the sand....

God, I wanna sing along, but it's so damn quiet in this pod. Hopefully the gang over in processing will shake things up again soon. I butt in on their conversations sometimes, because

1) they actually have conversations; and

2) they talk about cool things, like Batman and the Huxtables.

Oh, so I never knew who sang Rio. Turns out I like Duran Duran. Why did I never confirm this before??? *DORK*

We talked about Kosovo/Kosova and Serbia and stay at home dads the other day over here in academic support, though. That was nice. And I talked to Louis about Indian food today. And now I'm all alone in the pod, and dammit, I'm gonna sing along to the next song I know.

I threw a stress ball over the pod wall into processing earlier. This guy was throwing one against the wall and I wanted to play, too! He laughed at me. I think I might have hit him.

*commences chair dancing to ZZ Top*

Labels: music, silliness, work

posted by ariah @ 1:02 PM 0 comments

Karaoke

In the real world, after work, people go out to bars. I'm not much of a bar hopper but if my friends are going I may tag along and sip my ice water and sing along to Queen like no one can hear me. And basically, nothing happens. I talk to my friends, they have drinks, then we go mochi hunting or home to play WoW/sleep.

Last Friday night was different. I went to a Japanese restaurant my choir conductor owns with a few choir pals I hadn't seen in months to do karaoke. Thought it would be great to catch up. At first it was, until I saw my friend Mandy crying in the arms of the uber blond DJ, "Super Dave." Turns out Mandy was upset because a couple of our friends were getting too drunk and apparently have a history of driving home... not fully sober. Great. So, I hung around until the bar until it closed to keep an eye on everyone and offer to play DD if necessary.

Many things happened while one of my friends was drinking herself sick and crying on the floor of the bathroom. Sang a little karaoke, got yelled at by the bartender "Ringo" for ordering water, tried to decipher Ringo's attempts to get my number, had to pry Ringo's hands off my hand multiple times, rescued Veronica from a creepy old man hitting on her, ran away when said creepy man started hitting on me and touching my shoulders, tried to have a conversation with choir director's 40 year old friend who doesn't speak English well, tried not to puke when my lonely friend started cuddling with him... Yeah. It was one of those nights.

I don't have those nights... like, ever. I suppose that's why I don't react very well to drunk/weird men. While dancing (by dancing, I mean "dancing" - I kind of bounce and sway...) w/ the girls, Ringo decided to join in. I stopped dancing and stared at him.

Me: What do you think you're doing? Are you dancing with me?
Ringo: Yeah!
Me: No you're not.
Ringo: I'm not?
Me: No, you know why? 'Cause I'm not dancing.

He went away. Later he tried to buy shots for my friends, who politely turned him down. Apparently he does this every week.

In between being hit on, there was Karaoke. Karaoke needs rules. And people to enforce these rules - karaoke police. Like, if you're so drunk you start giving lap dances to the guy my friend brought, and you can't tell that he's actually scared of you, you can't sing with us. Furthermore, you should be tackled and tossed in a taxi, because you're just going to end up hitting on the police who get stuck taking you home.

Really Drunk Girl: Hey, can I sing with you?
Lillie and Me (wusses): Um, sure.
RDG: *grabs my mic*
Super Dave: *hands me another*
RDG: *butchers Kokomo*
L&Me: *slink back to booth*

So, later I approached Super Dave.

Me: Hey, excuse me, what's your name?
Super Dave: I'm Super Dave.
Me: Oh, well, hi, nice to meet you.
SD&Me: *shake hands*
Me: *explains that we don't know RDG and asks if SD can turn her mic off if she jumps in again*
SD: Oh, I didn't know she wasn't your friend! Okay, I'll see what I can do. By the way, next time you come, could you like, not dress so hot?
Me: Um, well *makes up some crap about having a date*
SD: Right, well, the rest of us 15 guys in here are left drooling, so you know...
Me: Hey man, sorry, I didn't realize.

I later learned that Super Dave is married with 2 kids.

And he kissed my friend Anne on the cheek and asked when she was going to stop yelling at him. Anne doesn't yell at people she's not well acquainted with. Anne is a very nice person.

Anne: Probably never.

The best part of the night was when Anne said, "I didn't know what else to say to Super Dave. I thought, if Ariah were here, she'd know what to say! You always know what to say."

^___^

The other best part of the night was the gyouza. Mmm!

At the end of the night, Ringo approached me again.

Ringo: You're DD?
Me: Yeah, if they need me.
Ringo: *high fives me, then intertwines his fingers with mine and squeezes hard* I'm sorry I gave you a hard time about ordering water. Next time, you tell me you're DD and you can have all the ice water you want!
Me: Okay, let go, that hurts.

So, everyone found a ride home and I got home a little before 3. Way past my bedtime these days. MacGyver was very confused to be awoken by me coming in at that time. Awwww, puppy.

Friday night this week - puppy school! Because dogs don't drink. And they sit when you tell them to.

In theory.

^__^

Labels: boys, puppies, silliness

posted by ariah @ 12:35 PM 0 comments

Silly Facebook

So, someone on Facebook has declared tomorrow "Hug a Gay Day."

I laughed when I read that. Is that bad?

It's a nice idea, but the thought of carrying it out is kinda weird to me.

Me: Stand still so I can hug you.

Gay/Bi Friend: Oh, yay, a hug.

Me: Yeah, I promised someone on Facebook I would hug a gay person today.

G/B Friend: Um, well, that's nice I guess... So wait, you didn't just spontaneously want to hug me? This is all for some stranger on the Internet??

Me: Well, I mean, um, I was trying to be sensitive! I mean, um... I'm sorry.

See? It's weird.

Actually, that's probably not what would happen. I don't think I'm going to see any of my gay friends/coworkers on Saturday, because I might not even leave the house (naps and tv, mmm). If I do go, say, go to the grocery store, and I decide to participate in this festivity of sensitivity I would have to hug a random gay person. And how might that play out?

Me: Hi, okay, so according to Facebook, today is Hug a Gay Day, so if you're willing I would like to hug you.

Gay Person: .....Um, well, this is awkward.

Yeah. So no.

Labels: laughing at the wrong moment, random, silliness, society

posted by ariah @ 8:43 AM 0 comments