The Wrath of the Whatever

iris513 @ 2007-02-22T10:59:00

2007-02-22T16:03:49Z

I just completed something of a f-list purge. My list has been getting very cluttered with stuff I don't read, and I've been growing steadily more annoyed by it.

Therefore, PURGE!

FYI: If I did delete you, it's nothing personal. What it means is that we haven't been in contact in any way in a very long time (if ever). If you wanna be added back again for some reason, comment and let me know.

iris513 @ 2006-11-19T08:15:00

2006-11-19T13:15:32Z

I had an interesting night last night. I will share the details of said night when I have anything resembling time.

Today is my mother's own personal Thanksgiving a week early (My family is strange. Don't ask.) So of course 8 am is going to be the most appropriate time for me to go to Stop and Shop and buy wet Swiffer pads.

I'm slightly cranky.

Book nerdiness

2006-11-17T16:01:04Z

So, in one of the communities I belong to, a question was presented about what the ultimate classic children's picture books are. And needless to say, that got me thinking. Therefore, I now present to you for your critique and review, my Top Ten list of All-Time Favorite Books to Grow Up With. (In no particular order)

The Little Engine that Could- Watty Piper et al.

Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel- Virginia Lee Burton

If You Give a Mouse A Cookie-Laura Joffe Numeroff and Felicia Bond
(this book actually spawned a series, including things like "If You Give a Moose a Muffin," and "If You Give a Pig a Pancake." I chose mice and cookies because that is the best read of them all)

Make Way for Ducklings- Robert McCloskey
(I'm from Boston. I couldn't make this list without Ducklings on it!)

Madeline-Ludwig Bemelmans

The Wind in the Willows-Kenneth Grahame

The Velveteen Rabbit- Margery Williams

Goodnight, Moon-Margaret Wise Brown

Cloudy, With a Chance of Meatballs- Judi and Ron Barrett

The Complete Works of Beatrix Potter- Beatrix Potter

The Very Hungry Caterpillar - Eric Carle

Ok, I know that's 11. There are just way too many to chose from. Just be glad I limited myself to English!

Gakked from tricksterquinn

2006-11-16T06:17:39Z

You are Temperance

Time. Ages. Transformation. Involuntary change

Temperance is another card of aspiration, but also of much change. It often
represents complex situations. Positively, you can harmonize contrary
forces.

Temperance is, on a surface level, about "tempering." The original pouring from cup to cup might have been about cutting wine with water. So this is a card about moderation. There is, however, another angle to the card, that of merging seemingly impossible opposites. Sagittarius, the centaur, merges beast and man into a unique creature. And then there is the bow and arrow, one moving, one stationary, working together to point the way. Temperance may be, at first glance, a warning for you to "temper" your behavior, to cut your wine with water. But it may also be a reminder to that seemingly irreconcilable opposites may not be irreconcilable at all. Belief that fiery red and watery blue cannot be merged may be the only thing standing in the way of blending the two. Change the belief, measure out each with care, and you can create otherworldly violet.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

And the World Gets smaller

2006-11-15T17:52:52Z

Long term visitors to this blog may remember several semesters ago now I had a serious falling out with a girl in the Honors Program with me.

She has gone down in the annals of history as "The Girl we hate."

I mention this because she has once again reared her head and made an appearance in my life.

As it turns out, she has been working as the Legislative Aid for Rep. Jeff Sanchez for the past 4 months.

She's still a nit wit.

Needless to say, I feel an incredible sympathy for Rep. Sanchez, as well as a slight trepidation for the people of the 15th Suffolk. What kind of person hires this woman?

Gay Marriage Should Be Illegal

2006-11-14T18:07:25Z

StopGeek explains why.

This is it, ladies and gentlemen! The ultimate manefesto!

*giggle*

I'm really far too entertained by this.

My favorite?

"Legalizing gay marriage will open the door to all kinds of crazy behavior. People may even wish to marry their pets because a dog has legal standing and can sign a marriage contract"

Internship: Wow

2006-11-09T16:08:23Z

Um.

I just walked through the biggest crowd of protesters I've seen since the Presidential Inauguration.

The street in front of the State House right now is just frankly surreal. The "Let the People Vote" crowd are on the side closest to the Common, and the Marriage Equality people are on the side near the building. Crossing the street was an incredible experience.

There's a lot more I could say, but I'm gonna hold off 'til after 1 this afternoon when the Convention starts.

Marius got called a communist by one of the callers this morning 'cause we won't the people vote.

They're getting pretty nasty.

Rock the Vote- Part 2

2006-11-07T22:00:09Z

I'm sitting here at the State House, and exactly no one is around except me and the secretary. Since the only things I have to do are:

1) Answer the phone and
2) Enter Mass Equality postcards into our constituent tracker system,

I would just as soon post something here.

Obviously, today is Election Day. Americans all over the country are casting votes on any number of candidates and issues. The People are speaking even as I am typing this.

This year is sort of unique, in that it is the first time I've ever been in this particular vantage point. I am participating more directly in politics than I ever have before, and it is giving me a totally different perspective on things.

I've had a lot of discussion with people the last couple weeks about "the process." Usually, I hear frustration with it cited as the reason the people I spoke to aren't planing on voting. According to them, voting seems like a vain attempt to impact a distant, corrupt and hopelessly entrenched government that has long since forgotten about regular people. I hear that same thing all the time, and I have never ever understood it.

You know what, though, that's not totally true. I do understand it in a way. I understand how easy it is to take that position:

If your vote doesn't really make a difference, then you aren't responsible for what's going on around you. It is a comfortable idea that things are just being done to you, your consent notwithstanding. You aren't responsible for the problems you see, nor are you responsible for trying to come up with solutions for them. It means that you are free to complain about the government, about your taxes, about the war, and about whatever the latest event of the day is without having to worry about actually doing anything. After all, what can one person do?

As I said, it's a comfortable idea to have, and I imagine it makes sleeping at night a lot easier. It is also categorically untrue most of the time.

Office holders, believe it or not, honestly care about who their constituents are and how they feel. They also care about how each and every one of them votes come election time. This is why there are so many opinion polls floating around. This is why candidates spend millions of dollars running ads. This is why volunteers canvas neighborhoods, knock on doors, send out mailings, make phone calls, air drop leaflets over densely populated areas...

They aren't out campaigning for their health. They want your vote, and they will do anything in their power to get it. They will bend over backwards to get it.

If they are convinced by election results, or by those polls I mentioned, that their constituents don't favor something, they are going to change their game plan. It has a direct impact on policy at every level.

I always wonder who exactly these apathetic people think are being polled when Gallup or the New York Times or CNN comes back with numbers. And further, what they think is happening once those numbers are published. Don't they get that these aren't made up statistics? These polling numbers are contributed to by real, honest-to-goodness people, and decision makers read them very very carefully.

Almost as carefully as they read election results. Which are also contributed to by real, honest-to-goodness people. Voters, curiously enough.

The one thing I will give the apathetic among you is that officials are out of touch with one notable section of the population. The ones who don't vote. There's no way they can know what we want if we don't tell them. The official All Mighty Crystal Ball is broken. You have to raise your hand if you want to be counted.

This, incidentally, is exactly why issues like Social Security, Medicare, and prescription drug coverage have become major areas of discussion. Because older Americans are the ones that vote, and those are some of the issues important to them. Conversely, higher education, the environment, crime, drugs...these are things further down on the priority list because there are fewer people speaking up. You better believe that public schools in poor districts would get a hell of a lot more attention if the people in those districts started putting up more of a stink. If suddenly 60-70 percent of them started turning out for every election, you bet your butt those schools would be cathedrals.

And that's really my point. You want something done, you've got to get it done yourself. No one's going to know it needs doing otherwise.

Decisions are made by the people who show up.

Rock the Vote- Part 1

2006-11-07T14:26:47Z

This cartoon was published a year ago today in the Boston Herald. I thought it kinda fit.

iris513 @ 2006-11-02T15:17:00

2006-11-02T20:17:40Z

People give me a headache sometimes...

That is all

SQUEEE!!!

2006-11-01T15:27:48Z

I have some exciting news! My good LJ buddy artaxastra has just had her absolutely terrific novel accepted for publication!

The book, formerly called Black Ships and now to be reborn as Oracle, was born here on Livejournal. It will hit store shelves the end of next year. The author has also been given a contract that allows for an option of at least two more books.

To anyone who claims that blogging is a waste of time that never amounts to anything, I hereby suggest that you eat your hearts out.

Let the TPing begin!

2006-10-31T16:56:00Z

Welcome, one and all, to Halloween 2006!

Tonight's revelry and debauchery has been brought to you in part by the ancient Celts.

According to ancient Celtic lore, this night, the last night of the year by their reckoning, is the night when the wall between this world and the next fades for a time, and spirits of the dead return seeking living bodies to possess for a year. The tradition of dressing as hobbgoblins and ghouls was born of a desire to dissuade the souls from possessing us.

Halloween has also been brought to you by a contribution by the Roman Catholic Church.

In Catholic tradition, this night is All Hallows Eve, which makes tomorrow All Hallows Day (or All Saints Day). The day following that, November 2nd, is All Souls Day. This last event is how we in the 21st century arrived at the practice of giving out candy and sweets.

In Christendom of old, it was popular on All Souls Day for the poor to canvas a village begging for "soul cakes," in exchange for which the beggar promised to say a prayer for the donor's departed relations. This might seem a little one-sided until you understand that according to church doctrine at the time, prayers for a departed soul, even from a perfect stranger, counted as points toward release from Purgatory.

So in honor of these contributions, and in an effort to remain true to the spirit of the evening, I have compiled a list of suggestions for my readers that might help you enjoy yourself more tonight.

~ Keep an eye on your friends and neighbors. There are spirits on the loose, and one never knows who could end up the victim of a possession. In the event that you suspect a possession has taken place, set up a pier on your front lawn. Burning the victim both forces the spirit out of him, and serves as a disincentive for the other spirits in the area.

~ When distributing candy, you may consider handing out rosary beads as well. Insist upon at least 5 Our Fathers and a Hail Mary before you'll hand over the Snickers.

~ Go old-fashioned and carve your Jack-O-Lantern out of a turnip rather than a pumpkin. If it was good enough for Jack, it's certainly good enough for you.

~ Keep that shotgun handy. You never know who or what might show up at your door now that the Spirit World has sprung a leak.

With these helpful household tips in mind, I'm sure we can all have an unusually eventful Halloween.

Jess' Deep Philosophical Thought of the Day:

2006-10-30T15:29:39Z

Life is an enormous game of Frogger.

FYI

2006-10-25T20:08:57Z

The New Jersey Supreme Court has just officially coped out.

They ruled that while same-sex couples are constitutionally entitled to the same marriage benefits as everyone else, it is up to the legislature to determine whether they want to amend the marriage statute, or come up with some alternative.

So, civil unions.

As Delia just finished saying, this is seperate-but-equal reasoning all over again. I'm not sure I can disagree either. We all know by now what my feeling is about the marriage issue. What I continue to not understand is why the lawyers in charge of this thing wouldn't just use an equal protection argument, using the suspect classification of gender as their main point, rather than calling it an issue of sexual orientation. Instead, we are once again in a position where we could very easily be creating second class citizens.

*grumble* Damn lawyers

Happy Friday the 13th!

2006-10-13T14:10:31Z

Once again, we here in Jess' Garden of Enchantment and Verbosity find ourselves presented with a Noteworthy Occasion.

Friday the 13th of October.

In an effort to contribute in my own humble way to the collective intelligence of mankind, here are a few little tidbits about why this day is considered so unlucky and... well, spooky.

Paraskevidekatriaphobia: (n) "fear of Friday the 13th"

Now we know there is actually a technical name for it. (This should be casually dropped into conversation next time you hear someone considering whether Freddy could kick Jason's ass, or vice versa)

Fridays in general in much of European tradition have always been unlucky. No one would ever do things like court or marry on a Friday, fishermen said that "Friday's sails always fail." Friday was also traditionally the day set aside for public executions.

Thirteen as well tended to be a number associated with execution. There were traditionally 13 steps leading to the gallows. 13 was made more wicked through its association for many with paganism and sin of one kind or another. Many pagan traditions followed a 13 month lunar calendar, rather than the 12 month one Christians followed. There is also biblical evidence of the evil of 13. For example, Judas, the disciple who ultimately betrayed Jesus, was the 13th member of the party to arrive at the Last Supper.

And of course, in 1306, on a Friday the 13th, the King of France ordered the Knights Templars arrested and tortured, which according to legend has forever marked that date as evil.

For all of these reasons, as well as a considerable amount of sheer foolishness on the part of the general public, Friday the 13th is a unique manifestation of superstition in the 21st century.

So let us not forget to celebrate this auspicious event!

In honor of thousands of dead Templars, let us toss some salt over our shoulders, crack a mirror or two and sic our black cats on the unsuspecting public!

*Evil laugh*

Jury Duty update

2006-10-13T02:03:31Z

So, I forgot to mention this, but I was thinking about it just now. And, you know, I'm sitting here...

I got a summons to appear for jury duty a few weeks after Renee got hers (which I posted about a little while ago). Needless to say, I was all excited.

Life happened, and it took me a little while to fill out the little RSVP card they send you. I had finally gotten around to it last week, and I was putting it into a pile of stuff to take with me so I could mail it.

I also happened to have been standing in front of my mother while I was doing this. She saw me put the card in the pile, says "I'm sorry, I thought you saw this," and hands me yet another white and blue envelope.

My jury duty has been cancelled.

Again, needless to say, my reaction was as follows:

%#$(#$*&#@#!!!!!

...well, more or less.

The Universe has obviously decided it's gonna mess with me for a while.

Happy Birthday to me!

2006-10-03T12:36:19Z

It's official now:

I'm 22.

I can't tell you how weird that particular statement is. I just got used to being 21, damn it!

*grumble*

I feel old.

Comics!

2006-09-27T21:47:07Z

I just unearthed this, and had to share.

Please forgive the horrible quality. I used my cell phone and photoshop to get it as decent as it is now.

Meme!

2006-09-27T20:29:00Z

Yes, ladies and gents, another wonderful edition of "Crap to Waste Everyone's Time!"

This episode is brought to you by tricksterquinn

Answer all questions ONLY using 2 words (makes you think).

1. When was the last time you shaved?
This morning

2. Explain what ended your last relationship.
I did

3. What were you doing this morning at 8 a.m.?
Feeding cats

4. What were you doing 15 minutes ago?
Cleaning stuff

5. Are you any good at math?
Not hardly

6. Your prom night?
Didn't suck

7. Do you have any famous ancestors?
yes, three.

8. Have you had to take a loan out for school?
Not yet

9. Do you know the words to the song on your myspace profile?
Who doesn't?

10. Last thing received in the mail?
birth control

11. How many different beverages have you had today?
Almost five

12. Do you ever leave messages on people's answering machine?
Practically never

13. Who did you lose your CONCERT virginity to?
Backstreet Boys

14. Do you draw your name in the sand when you go to the beach?
Never once

15. What's the most painful dental procedure you've had?
Wisdom teeth

16. What is out your back door?
Back deck

17. Any plans for Friday night?
Work, sadly

18. Do you like what the ocean does to your hair?
Not really

19. Have you ever received one of those big tins of 3 different popcorns?
Yep...yuck

20. Have you ever been to a planetarium?
Many times

21. Do you re-use towels after you shower?
Saves water

22. Some things you are excited about?
My Birthday!!

23. What is your favorite flavor of JELLO?
Um...red?

24. Describe your keychain(s)?
Too many

25. Where do you keep your change?
my pocket

26. When was the last time you spoke in front of a large group of people?
class yesterday

27. What kind of winter coat do you own?
soft leather

28. What was the weather like on your graduation day?
it rained

29. Do you sleep with the door to your room open or closed??
Usually closed

C'est Magnifique!

2006-09-24T03:38:00Z

Just got home from the latest Cirque Du Soleil performance at Suffolk Downs. Coreto.

To date, I've seen Draligon, Varekei, Quidam and this latest, Coreto. I am so amazingly in love with these shows, I can't begin to tell you. If you've never seen them in person, I strongly encourage you to as soon as possible.

For those of you unfamiliar with the concept, Cirque Du Soleil is a French-Canadian circus/dance/ gymnastics troupe that puts on an incredible series of shows I don't know how to begin describing.

They marry surreal music with the most thrilling acrobatics I've ever seen, and weave the whole thing together with an almost tangible sense of magic. Whether you are 10 or 99, they help you to experience what a circus is like to a child, the awe and the wonder of it all becomes real for you again. Somehow their performances have a timeless, almost dreamlike quality to them, which never fails to remind me of something Shakespeare said at the end of A Midsummer Night's Dream:

"If we shadows have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended,
That you have but slumber'd here
While these visions did appear.
And this weak and idle theme,
No more yielding but a dream."

As I mentioned, this is not a thing you can really appreciate unless you've been.

I'd keep going, but my doorbell just rang.

Why My Sister Sucks, and other stories

2006-09-16T13:41:12Z

Yesterday was an extremely interesting bureaucratic nightmare of a day, in which I was lied to and jerked around more in 8 hours than anyone could possibly have been outside of a used car dealer convention. And at the end of it all, I got informed by the first semi-helpful person I found all day that it shouldn't have even been my problem to begin with.

My head still hurts just thinking about it.

I then remembered that I had work last night, which was really the last thing I wanted to do after wading through the sea of UMB's red tape all day. However, I went (albeit an hour late), and we proceeded to have an extremely busy night, bordering on crazy. Mercifully, I didn't actually have to tolerate much in the way of completely stupid behavior.

Once that was over, I climbed into my car and called my house to let them know I was on my way- barring the car crash I was half expecting. When I spoke to my sister at that point, she told me in passing that she had been summoned for jury duty.

Now, I should mention that I am probably the only person in the country who has been looking forward to jury duty since the day I turned 18. I'm still waiting, but everyone else including my little sister has been called. She couldn't care less, I wanna go, guess who gets called? With my luck, she'll get chosen and given a really great case too. *grumble* It sucks that it's illegal to volunteer.

iris513 @ 2006-09-13T14:52:00

2006-09-13T19:00:47Z

Ok, this is really cool.

I was at Bed Bath and Beyond the other day looking for a birthday gift for my mother. While I was in there, I found something called an I-Connect.

It's a pillow with a built in speaker, so you don't have to put up with irritating headphones if you want to listen to music and lay down at the same time.

This thing is pretty nifty.

And mine's purple, which makes it even better.

*grin*

iris513 @ 2006-09-12T20:49:00

2006-09-13T00:54:16Z

Haven't commented on this yet, but the WB has morphed into the CW.

I don't like it, if for no other reason than Animaniacs will now no longer make sense to the next generation who watch them on DVD.

GIRRRR

Ok, I'm done now

iris513 @ 2006-09-11T22:40:00

2006-09-12T02:56:05Z

It is September 11th today.

Five years have passed since the terrible moment the bottom fell out of reality and we as a nation entered the Twilight Zone.

I spent a fair amount of time today wondering what I would say in this post, more than is probably really appropriate for this kind of thing, actually.

I considered quoting something or other. Scripture, The West Wing, some politician or philosopher...

I gave some thought to just posting an image of some kind. Perhaps Photoshopping a POW-MIA graphic into something 9-11 appropriate.

I seriously considered writing something reflective about the last 5 years and how the world has changed.

All of that's been done, and anything I could add would be unnecessary to the point of tacky, and that's the last thing I want to be today.

So all I'm going to do is tell you to hug someone before you go to bed tonight, and ask you to remember

iris513 @ 2006-09-07T11:37:00

2006-09-07T15:38:50Z

Well, last night was interesting.

"Hung Out" with the 19 year old. Almost kicked his ass at pool- twice. Got a kiss goodnight and everything.

I feel so high school...