End of 2008 Blog

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Now playing: Jeff Buckley - Eternal Life (Road Version)With only 4 more hours EST to go in 2008, a year that can bite me, why not a fun meme?

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?
Stood out in the elements for 7 hours waiting for a famous person, who is now our President-Elect.

2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I never make resolutions because I live on a week-by-week basis. Besides, I know I wouldn't keep them anyway.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No, thankfully.

5. What countries did you visit?
Didn't travel outside of the country.

6. What would you like to have in 2009 which you lacked in 2008?
Spontaneity, focus, less OCD, more control over my spending habits.

7. What date from 2008 will remain etched in your memory, and why?
Obama rally, I suppose. But I already forget the exact date, LOL.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Doing well in classes.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Oh God, I could write a novel on my failures. LOL.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing serious this year, and let's hope it continues.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Fallout 3, MST3K 20th Anniversary Edition, a bunch of music

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Not mine, that's for damn sure. Actually, I don't think there are a lot of people that deserve too much, and I mean that in the nicest way possible. Let's face it, we've all turned into self-absorbed fucktards, and I'm including myself in that group.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Mostly my own, but basically just look at the news and that pretty much sums it up.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Video games, unfortunately. Something which needs to change immediately.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
I'm a very excitable person, and I can't name everything. Probably the MST3K 20th AE. I skipped class to watch it, LOL.

16. What song will always remind you of 2008?
"Gobbledigook" by Sigur Ros. Because I listened to it every day before going to class.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: Happier or sadder? Thinner or fatter? Richer or poorer?
Happier, the same weight, richer.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Spend more time with old friends than with the new.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Dick around on the Internet and on video games.

20. How will you be spending New Year’s?
With my family and a bottle of sparkling grape juice. Can't drink alcohol because of meds and it's fuckin' illegal.

21. Who did you spend the most time on the phone with?
Probably my mom, as loserish as that sounds, but my mom can really go on for AGES.

22. Did you fall in love in 2008?
No.

23. How many one night stands in this last year?
None, because I'm not that easy.

24. What was your favorite TV program?
MST3K. Like that will ever change.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
I'm not one for hating people. Hate takes up too much time.

26. What was the best book(s) you read?
The Kite Runner, Middlesex. They're not new, but holy fuck, both made me bawl like a baby.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
SOIL&"PIMP" Sessions. FUCK that's some good shit.

28. What did you want and get?
An XBox for Xmas.

29. What did you want and not get?
More time.

30. What was your favorite film of this year?
Wall-E.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old did you turn?
20, and I worked on my birthday.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
More love and peace in the world. But like THAT'S ever going to happen.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
The same as it's always been. Whatever the fuck I feel like wearing that is flattering and yet cozy.

34. What kept you sane?
Music, friends.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Thom Yorke.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Environmental issues.

37. Whom did you miss?
Old friends.

38. Who was the best new person you met?
My roomie.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.
People suck, but they can't help it, so accept them how they are. Oh, and to lighten the fuck up; life needs to be enjoyed and appreciated because there's more good than bad, surprisingly.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
"If you try the best you can
The best you can is good enough"
~Radiohead - "Optimistic"

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Now playing: The Sound of Animals Fighting - The Heretic

A break from finals.

Dear god, I need a break. It's only Monday and this week has already kicked my ass. After tomorrow things should be a lot better though. I will have had my final project for my Museums class done (I had to create a museum and all its inner workings, which is surprisingly fun), and my U.S. Labor History final out of the way. The Labor History one and my Greek one were the only ones that were actually exams, the rest are projects or papers. I guess it makes it rather nice, because I really hate studying.

I called my work this morning to ask them if I could come back to work when I get home. They sounded ecstatic to get me back, and relieved. I saw they had posted ads for hiring, so I figure they really need the help over the holidays. I could've worked over my Thanksgiving break, but I said to myself, "FUCK THAT." It was awful enough on Virginia's tax free day, I don't even want to know what that place looked like on Black Friday. So at least I know I'll be earning some cash over my break, which I desperately need.

After a few of my friends have had troubles with their ex boyfriends, I feel I need to thank my ex for being awesome about things. He's still one of my good, close friends, and he really showed maturity which he needs to teach a few other guys. I swear, sometimes guys create more drama than girls do.

I also think it's great that when I'm pissy, the only person I'm not angry at is my roommate and vice versa. It's like, "I HATE EVERYOOOONNNNEEEE. Except for you ! :D"

I actually physically hurt myself while playing Rock Band 2 last night. My friends and I created ourselves and our awesome band, BROWN THUNDER. We saw Disturbed's "Down With the Sickness" and just had to play that shit. If you haven't heard that song, go find it on last.fm or somewhere. At the beginning, the guy does all this really strange gutteral screaming, which as the lyrics say, "OOH AH AH AH AH....AWK AWK....AWK AWK." I did this quite accurately, but my throat still hurts. I need to work on my screamo yells.

Anyway. Break time is OVER. I've got to get this shit done and stop being a slacker kid.
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Now playing: Astronautalis - The Wondersmith and His Sons

Grammies.

The Grammy categories this year are shit. Therefore, I'm doing it MY way, using my handy iTunes.

Category 1- Record Of The Year
House of Cards - Radiohead
Smoke and Mirrors - The Receiving End of Sirens
Lay Me Back Down - Portugal. The Man
I, The Swan - The Sound of Animals Fighting
Gobbledigook - Sigur Rós

Category 2 - Album Of The Year
In Rainbows - Radiohead
The Earth Sings Mi Fa Mi - The Receiving End of Sirens
Censored Colors - Portugal. The Man
Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust - Sigur Rós
Third - Portishead

Category 3 - Song Of The Year
Gobbledigook - Sigur Rós
Mercy - Duffy
I'm Yours - Jason Mraz
Ilyena - The Mars Volta
House of Cards - Radiohead

Category 4 - Best New Artist
Duffy
Anthony Green
Black Tide
Danger Radio
Chris Sligh

Category 5 - Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
Mercy - Duffy
And no one else.

Category 6 - Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
I'm Yours - Jason Mraz
Free Coffee - Ben Folds

Category 7 - Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
Party Foul - Danger Radio
Ready, Set, Go - Tokio Hotel

Category 8 - Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals
You Don't Know Me - Ben Folds with Regina Spektor
And nothing else.

Category 11 - Best Pop Vocal Album
Rockferry - Duffy
We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things - Jason Mraz
Way to Normal - Ben Folds

Category 12 - Best Dance Recording
Harder Better Faster Stronger - Daft Punk (THIS WASN'T FROM THIS YEAR, IT'S FROM 2001, GRAMMY FUCKS, but Daft Punk is awesome so I'll leave it)
Black & Gold - Sam Sparro
Creator - Santogold

Category 15 - Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance
The entirety of Way to Normal - Ben Folds
Babygirl - Anthony Green
Theysay - Josiah Lemming

Category 16 - Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
House Of Cards - Radiohead
Lay Me Back Down - Portugal. The Man
Smoke and Mirrors - The Receiving End of Sirens

Category 20 - Best Rock Song
House Of Cards - Radiohead
Shockwave - Black Tide

Category 21 - Best Rock Album
The Earth Sings Mi Fa Mi - The Receiving End of Sirens
Censored Colors - Portugal. The Man
The Phantom on the Horizon - The Fall of Troy
The Bedlam in Goliath - The Mars Volta

Category 22 - Best Alternative Music Album
The Hawk is Howling - Mogwai
Attack & Release - The Black Keys
In Rainbows - Radiohead
Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust - Sigur Rós
The Ocean and the Sun - The Sound of Animals Fighting

Category 109 - Best Short Form Music Video
House Of Cards - Radiohead
Gobbledigook - Sigur Ros

Category 110 - Best Male Artist Tinnerz Would Totally Do
Thom Yorke (Radiohead)
Rufus Wainwright (if he were straight)
Anthony Green (Circa Survive, The Sound of Animals Fighting)
John Gourley (Portugal. The Man)
Jason Mraz

Category 111 - Worst Thing to Happen to Music
American Idol
Lil' Wayne
Camp Rock
The Jonas Fuckers--I mean, Brothers
Hannah Montana

Category 112 - Best Japanese Album
Zazen Boys 4 - Zazen Boys
Little Grace - Yasushi Yoshida
Uroboros - Dir en grey
Planet Pimp - SOIL&"PIMP"SESSIONS

Category 113 - Best Group Guaranteed to Confuse Anyone Within Earshot
SOIL&"PIMP"SESSIONS
Portugal. The Man
Flica
Yasushi Yoshida
The Sound of Animals Fighting

Category 114 - Best Album Cover
Way to Normal - Ben Folds
Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust - Sigur Rós
Zazen Boys 4 - Zazen Boys
Planet Pimp - SOIL&"PIMP"SESSIONS

Category 115 - Lifetime Holy Shit, You're Awesome Award
Radiohead
Bjork
Ben Folds
Dir en grey



In attempting to put this list together, I've realized I've listened to very few albums from this year. I fail, and I apologize.

My Brain Died.

Although it can be argued that I've been braindead for some time, I actually now am starting to feel it. Probably because this is the last week of classes, next week are finals, and then the semester's over. HOH SHIT. Luckily I only have 2 actual exams, the other 3 are papers, and one of those papers I've already done. So it shouldn't be too bad.

However, this week just fucking kicked my ass. I had an Ancient Greek grammar handbook to write (SERIOUS amounts of fun, dead languages are), a 10 minute presentation and an 8 page paper for my History seminar (about the battle of Thermopylae pass - the reason why my "OMG I'M GOING TO BLOG ABOUT THE PERSIAN WARS LOL" kick died quickly), another presentation about the future of labor union healthcare under President-Elect Obama (a group project, so it wasn't too bad), and readings about museums that I didn't give a shit about. Basically, this week sucked. I came in from class today and just collapsed into bed with a humongous cup of coffee and a sugar cookie, turned on MST3K and died. AND I HAVEN'T THOUGHT SINCE.

*Five minutes later*

A mini Nerf gun war just occurred between roomie and I. We called it a draw. Clearly, nothing will be accomplished in this room tonight.

I feel like playing Fallout 3 and killing mutants. Also, it will be a good way to not be productive.

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Now playing: Radiohead - Pyramid Song

Fuck yes, we can!

So there's this crazy rumor going around that Barack Obama got elected for President. It's almost like my friends threw an election party in their apartment during which we made delicious cakes,


then when the winner was announced we shrieked like fire ants were in our panties and jumped around like kangaroos on goofballs. Arriving back to campus at about 12:20, there was a mini parade going down campus walk.

I screamed "FUCK YEAH, OBAMA!" and received many a high five for my awesomeness. What a great time to be in college.

Roomie and I also kick ass at playing Damien Rice's "Coconut Skins" on guitar, and disturbed several neighbors who peeked out of their windows to see what herd of cattle were getting mutilated with out of tune guitars.

Sweater #2 is 1/4 done. And I realize now that I never posted pictures/pattern of the other one I made, but you shall have to wait.

Fallout 3 might be my new favorite game. Out of the way, Gears of War. Marcus Fenix, I know you and I have had some good times killing the Locusts. And I apologize for laughing when I allow you to take a missle to the chest and explode into chunks. But Fallout 3 lets me create my own badass character, Sunny, who looks sort of like me and is also severely badass. I've had good times consorting with ghouls, Wastelanders, and those kooky folk in Rivet City. My karma is so good my Pip Boy 3000 makes me look like Jesus. I've got to find my father, you understand. So until GoW 2 comes out on PC or I get an XBox, I think we need to take a break, Marcus.

I need to lay off the Mountain Dew. Anyway, it's 1940's Dance tonight, hosted by my Swing Dance club, so I'm stoked. I will party it down and probably get twirled around like a top, possibly thrown up in the air. Supposedly there will be people from the armed forces there. YAY! I love troops. The proceeds also go to Veterans of Foreign Wars, so it's a good thing we're doing.

So I'm gonna go get ready to get my groove on.

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Now playing: Dir en grey - 24ko Cylinder

Greatest waste of money ever.

I had preordered the Mystery Science Theater 3000 20th Anniversary Edition a couple of weeks ago, but Amazon had told me, "LOL YOU'RE NOT GETTING IT UNTIL NOVEMBER 3RD, SUCKA!" So what a surprise when I checked the status of my lovely set and found that it arrived today! The day it was released! I love you, Amazon! You facilitate my MST3K infatuation so nicely.

I already had all of the episodes, but I wanted the high quality versions(in other words, not ripped off of VHS tapes that were recorded from the TV, and in some cases still had some hilariously awesome mid 1990s commercials) and to free up some hard drive space. The package was ripped open immediately and I took pictures to taunt my friends who thought there were better ways to spend $50 or some nonsense.

Awesome tin box that will be used for non-MST3K item storage.

CROOOOOOOOOOOOOOW. It bothers me that they made his eyes too small.

Dear God, my nails look awful. Oh, and the front cover.

Back cover, featuring Gypsy.

I put the lobby cards beside my other loves.

Closeup of the lobby cards. And there's something yellow and gross on my wall.

Now I have to go work on a speech. Fun time is over.
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Now playing: Björk - Unison

Gears of War: A Declaration of Love

Dear God, I love Gears of War. I might even like it better than Crysis. Oh shit. Any game in which your standard gun comes equipped with a chainsaw is immediate win in my book. The first time I chopped up a bitch I nearly cried in gamer nerd joy.

But I digress.

In Gears of War, you play as Marcus Fenix, a hardcore, ex-con, brutish looking fellow who could totally wreck your shit if he wasn't, you know, a bunch of pixels and computer code. Anyway, Fenix has been in jail but is busted out by his former squadmates to help fight the Locusts, an underground civilization that's trying to kill humans. And as most video games, that's really the entire plot right there. Run off and shoot bitches to save the world. WOO!

I've had entirely too much fun shooting and squealing in terror as deformed creatures pop out of nowhere to kill me. One of my favorite parts is the vast amounts of gore in this game. There are guns that literally cut bitches into pieces. But it's not like this exploding-into-chunks is a one sided thing. Many times I was annihalated by getting hit in the chest with grenade launchers. I still giggled way more than I should have.

So do you like excessive violence and shooting things? Then Gears of War is right for you! And GoW2 comes out November 7! WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!

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Now playing: Lacuna Coil - Purify

Oh, Mary Wash...

University of Mary Washington! My home! How I missed your leaf blowers at 8 in the morning! How I missed the maintenance trucks that creep along behind you when you're trying to go to class with your headphones on, and look behind you to suddenly realize HOLY SHIT THERE'S A TRUCK 2 FEET BEHIND YOUR ASS! How I missed the rabid squirrels that will sit on brick walls and make threatening noises at you, although a swift kick would kill them! How I missed the brick walkways that will trip you and totally wreck your shit if you're not careful!

Yeah, fuck that.

So my sweater is 99% done. I still have to weave in some yarn ends. But that's for a super special blog post, which will include my modified pattern. Fuck yes.

So I was on break. I had planned to do all this shit and get ahead in my classes, but I got home and said "FUCK THAT." I slept the entirety of the first day (I'm not even kidding), watched MST3K the entirety of the second day, and shopped the entirety of the third day. That third day was really productive though. I was probably the reason the economy did better that day.

Also, while I was home, I listened to entirely too much Jeff Buckley and The Who (200 and 169 plays, respectively). They teamed up and kicked Radiohead out of my number 1 on last.fm, when Radiohead was about 200 plays above both of them before break. Obsessive music listening. I am guilty.

I'm wearing a dress today and I realized why I never wear dresses. Because I can't sit in them. I mean, I can, but not in a ladylike manner. I usually sit with one leg tucked under me, and I can't do that in this dress. It's a good thing I'm wearing leggings because I'd be Lohaning everyone in my classes.

In preparation of the last debates tonight, Cracked.com had this article on what would make the debates more interesting. I, in my MST3K fantard biased opinion, think #2 should have totally won. But that's just me and my tardism. I want a Rifftrax and a Cinematic Titanic episode for the debates. Also, if I get back from swing dancing tonight in time, I may do a kooky live blogging thing for the debates. If I decide I care enough. And I don't forget its on. And I don't decide to go play Halo 3 instead.

Time for work that I totally neglected over break.

A Collection of Post-Literary Review Thoughts.

• It's always entertaining to see how the Internet turns perfectly acceptable people into complete fucktards.
• Swing dancing performances at the end of this month. I get to be the lead female. We are dancing to "Ain't To Proud to Beg." It should be hilarious, and will undoubtedly be on Youtube at some point.
• Literary reviews are fucking awful to write. Holy goddamn.
• I get to go home tomorrow for fall break. I could've worked and earned some cash, but I didn't want to go from one hell hole to another. I need a serious mental health vacation.
• I've have listened to more In Flames and Coheed & Cambria than I ever thought possible today.
• My generation is seriously fucked for the future. Thanks guys. Oh, and fuck you. Hard. With something sandpapery and rather pointy. You cuntbags.
  
• Netflix is the greatest creation since MST3K.
• The weather can't decide whether to be hot or cold. It was 60 yesterday, 80 today. Fuck you too, Virginia weather.
• Having Radiohead's "Idioteque" as my alarm clock on my cell phone is the greatest thing ever. I wake up and immediately bust a move. And my elbow.
• Apparently roomie's friends think I'm the coolest person ever. I apologize for being so misleading.
• Wall-E is such an adorably cute movie I almost exploded into candy and syrup. And it has good underlying messages as well.
• The movie 300 actually really kind of sucks.
  

Random.

Today I feel random. I'm still sick, and the health center did absolutely nothing for me when I went yesterday. They were like "GOLLY GEE WILLACKERS, IT SEEMS LIKE YOU'RE SICK!" No shit! I've only been coughing, sneezing, losing my voice, and headachey, I was sure I was just imagining things. Then my roomie and some of our friends were telling me horror stories of the health center. For instance, they told one girl she needed her tonsils removed. SHE DIDN'T HAVE TONSILS. In another case, our friend had been throwing up for three days and was unable to keep anything down. They asked her if she wanted an antacid.

College healthcare. Not worth a damn thing.

In other news, RADIOHEAD. New video for my favorite song off of In Rainbows.

hello my mind is not functioning at the correct speed at the moment thanks to being in Tokyo but however and here is one of my favourite video things that has ever happened for Reckoner it is, the result of somebody entering a competition to make an animation to one of the tunes on IN RAINbows. on aniboom. you can scroll down dead air space and find all about it.. but anyway

so we asked them whether it was ok to make it the official one we use as it goes with the song so well. they said yes.

and if you're like me and find it hard to find videos on televsion any more, or even turn on the television you can watch right here.

ok now im going to fold some clothes.

Thom

Check out this video: Radiohead - Reckoner - by Clement Picon



That Thom Yorke is a silly bitch.

Also, I found some other hilarity on the Intarwebs yesterday while I was moping around feeling sorry for my fail self and eating Wheat Thins (those fuckers are addictive, and they may help reduce the risk of heart disease, FUCK YEAH EVEN THOUGH THAT'S PROBABLY NOT TRUE).


The last one made me laugh so hard sent myself into a coughing fit and nearly vomited. I loved Pinky and the Brain during elementary school, and they were one of the best parts of the Animaniacs, which remains one of my favorite shows. But that's for another post.

And my last exciting news: I'm almost finished with my sweater! YAAAAYY! Except that I'm totally about to run out of yarn. Booooo. It's retarded too, because I only have 11 more rows to do. And I'm going to have to buy an entire skein for (my estimate) 6 rows. Shitsux.

Oh, and our school is having Rocktoberfest again this year. Last year they had illScarlett (whom I love dearly, and I got their autographs and photos taken with them. I also haven't listened to them in months. LOL), The Hint (cliche pop-rock, but not too bad, got pictures with the lead singer who looks freakishly like a friend of mine), and Plain White T's (who I liked before anyone else had heard of them, and then when I forgot about them they suddenly became famous). This year they have The Spill Canvas and The Cab, neither of whom I've heard of but I'm going anyway. The Spill Canvas sounds like it may be some whiny emo shit. Anyone heard of either band?

I'm going to go dance to The Who. Because I have nothing better to do at the moment. I haven't been in the mood for Persian War research, and I apologize.

When Obama and Biden Came to Mary Washington.

Roomie, roomie's friend, and I notice at about 1 PM that the line is getting really fucking long, so we scoot outside. The end of the line can't even be seen.


We find out later that there are 26,000 people lined up. This is how long the line was. It starts at the X, where the rally was held.

So we cut in line. Yes, we are severe assholes. But seriously, we stood beside people we knew, and there was no one there to tell us not to. Normally I would feel bad but in this case I didn't care. Again, asshole here. Anyway, we got in at about 3 PM (waiting for about 2 hrs in the sun), and got a good spot about 30 ft away from the stage. Awesome. Now all we had to do was wait.

And wait.

And wait.

Remember that it's hot in the middle of the field, and we had to give up our water at the gates. Then the fucktards didn't even bring enough water. So people were passing out, complaining about water, and the idiots running this thing only threw out about 6 bottles every 10 minutes. Because 6 bottles are really going to satiate 26,000 people. A friend finally just stole one from the press, who had cases upon cases of fucking water. We shared that bottle between six people, which didn't last at all, but dammit, it was the best 2 sips of water ever.

Then it started fucking raining. We had one poncho between the three of us, because in addition to being assholes, we are rock stupid. So we held the poncho over us, which did absolutely nothing, and I eventually just said "Fuck this shit" and stood out in the rain. Now of course I regret this decision, as now I am sick as hell. However, the poncho made a great water collection device, and we, being desperate, earned 2 more sips of water. Delicious acid rain water, but H2O nevertheless.

Then there was more waiting. We had also been standing in the best part of Ball Circle where it always floods and gets muddy whenever it rains, so this is what I had to stand in for about 3 hours:
My feet kept on getting stuck in the mud, and if I didn't keep moving my feet I'd have a hard time getting my shoes out. One cannot even convey to anyone who wasn't there how absolutely miserable everyone was. Whomever was running this thing had no fucking idea what they were doing.

It's now about 6 PM. The thing was supposed to start at 5:15. Needless to say, everyone is getting more pissed off by the minute. Although everyone had known that he would be late, it was obnoxious to continue hearing the same 10 songs over and over again, and without someone entertaining the crowd or at least giving us updates. Finally, some guy comes out.
It's a goddamned minister. Excuse my heathen mouth, but the last thing I wanted to hear was some bullshit prayer with clear political overtones. Thanks for combining the two things that annoy me the most. Also note the rain coming down.

There are a few other guys, but I put my iPod on because I didn't fucking care. Also, it was vastly entertaining to watch people try to energize a crowd whose energy was long gone while listening to Ben Folds. Ben Folds definitely boosted my spirits, though, so thanks Ben.

Then some people come out and start fiddling with the monitors and podium for 45 fucking minutes. At this point everyone's pissed, because these people are so concerned about getting the right angle for the monitor that they fool with that shit for nearly an hour. The audience finally starts booing. Can you blame us? It's about 7 PM, some people have been standing in line since 9 AM, and these fuckers are going to stand there and get frazzled over the damned monitor? Hell no! The only funny part was the state trooper, who I guess they got because he was the right height.
Finally. FINALLY. HOLY SWEET JESUS, SOMETHING IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING. Then suddenly...
AND the crowd goes wild. Yaaaaaay. So there's Joe. He was pretty awesome. He mostly did a lot of praise of Obama, cracked a few jokes, and called Mary Wash a great school (KISS ASS).
I hated the fucktards who kept putting their children on their shoulders. Not only are you blocking the view of people behind you, but the kids are too young to even give a shit anyway. I definitely heard the kid in the above picture whine, "Mommy, I want to go home."

Then the showstopper came on. And again, the crowd went wild. Yaaaaay.
He was as good as you'd expect. He did a bit more McCain bashing than I hoped he would, but he did talk about his own policies and plans about 50-50. And while I don't agree with everything he says, Obama definitely would be the better President.
It started to rain again, but Obama kept right own going. He even took off his coat and handed it to Biden, who was giggling because we were all like "OOOOOOHHHHHHHHHH" when Obama took it off. It was hilarity. Biden asked him if he wanted a hat, to which Obama replied, "I don't need a hat!" Again, everyone thought it was great. I was laughing my ass off.
Biden with his hat. You can't see it, but he's striking the most awesome Captain Morgan pose ever, with one leg up on a stool. He should totally win that pose-off contest, if it's still going.

That was pretty much it. It was an entertaining night, and worth the waiting and misery, but I'm not doing that again. As I mentioned before, I feel like shit right now. Not to mention I drank about half my weight in water when I got home. Ew.

Obama/Biden Rally: Serious Business

So Obama and Biden are coming to my campus on Saturday. YAAAAAYYYY! However, check out all of the restrictions we will be under, and keep in mind our campus isn't big. It's going to be bananas.

The gates to the rally area - Ball Circle - will open at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday. Everyone entering the area will have to pass through metal detectors. No drink or food may be brought into Ball Circle. There will be water available, supplied by the Obama campaign, for those inside Ball Circle.

This is a rain or shine event and will NOT move inside in the case of rain. Umbrellas are not allowed through security so please plan to wear/bring rain gear if the weather forecasts call for inclement weather.

UMW will observe liberal parking on Saturday from 8:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. By 10:00 p.m., all security barriers will have been removed and campus restored to ‘normal.’

Special requests or needs must be addressed directly to the Obama campaign through their website: www.barackobama.com. UMW staff is not in the position to offer or arrange for special requests.

1. Lot 3 (Chandler) and Lot 16 (Monroe small lot) will close at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, 9/26 and remain closed until the event ends on Saturday evening at approximately 7:30 p.m.

2. At approximately 5:00 p.m. on Friday, 9/26, College Avenue between Brent and Rowe Streets will be closed for parking. No parking may take place and any vehicle violating the City’s no parking signs will be towed.

3. Chandler Hall will close at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, 9/27, and not be accessible until the event is over. This means no access to offices, classrooms, or labs. All meetings that were scheduled to take place in Chandler Hall on Saturday have been relocated. Kaplan’s GRE/GMAT practice tests will take place in Trinkle Hall.

4. College Avenue will be closed to vehicular and foot traffic, between Brent and Rowe Streets, on Saturday from 1:00 p.m. until the end of the event.

5. Access to Double Drive off College Avenue from William Street WILL be possible throughout the day. Exit from Double Drive will be straight, along Brent Street, and then left or right on Stafford Ave to access William Street or Route 1.

6. Campus walk proper, running from George Washington Hall to Goolrick will remain open to foot traffic throughout the entire day/evening with the following exception: the portions of campus sidewalks running along Ball Circle at Virginia Hall, along Chandler Hall from Ball Circle toward Seacobeck, and along Virginia Hall from Palmieri Plaza toward Ball Circle will be closed from 1:00 p.m. until the end of the event. Please see the following schematic.

7. From 1:00 p.m until the end of the event:
- Virginia Hall will be accessed/exited from the Palmieri end of the building
- Ball Hall will be accessed/exited from the ‘rear’ door toward the Westmoreland lawn area
- Madison Hall will be accessed/exited from the ‘end’ door emptying onto Campus Walk

8. All windows facing Ball Circle must be closed and blinds/shades drawn by 2:00 p.m.

9. From 5:00 p.m. until the end of the event on Saturday evening, there will be no access into or out of Custis Hall unless an emergency situation exists and then will be done so under Police escort.

Basically, the entire midsection of campus is blocked off. I'm glad I don't live in Virginia anymore. It also sucks for the people in Custis Hall, which is a dorm. That must be where the dudes are staying before the rally.

But I shall bring the tale and related pictures after it happens on Saturday. Unfortunately it's supposed to rain so it'll be gross, but I'm going regardless.

EDIT: I just realized none of this makes sense to people not at Mary Wash. So here's a map, with my edits.

A Peek Inside the Life of Tinnerz.

Or, I got really bored last night and started taking pictures of my dorm room. They say you can judge someone based on their living quarters, so judge away.


My feet. And my ridiculously long and baggy, yet most comfortable pair of jeans. And they actually fit my delicious black girl hips! YAY!

Flamingo my roomie and I definitely stole from a luau thrown by one of the clubs on campus.

Monkey stolen from the same event, with a fucked up leg. We'll have to perform surgery on him one day.


The workspace, complete with attack llama to ward off crazies. Also, more MST3K then you can shake a stick at. And my beloved iPod Bartholemew.


My guitar <3. It is delicious. I've had it for about 5 years. I have 2 acoustics but given the space limitations at college I always choose to bring my electric axe. Its name is Pepper. Yeah, I name all of my gadgets for maximum confusion of others.


TV and window. Also notice what DVD is sitting on the dressers. If you can't read it, it's MST3K. I'm such a tard.


Remember the fail knitting I displayed earlier? Well look at that shit now! All I have left to do is finish the left sleeve, knit the hood, and sew in the zipper. Hot damn I'm good. Also notice how Herodotus sneaks his way into the picture.


TARD WALL!!! This picture was actually taken today because I just bought the Monty Python and Radiohead OK Computer posters this morning. So this is what it currently looks like. Last night it was bare and no one wants to see that sadness. Now it is pretty and filled with...holy shit that's a lot of testosterone on my wall. In my defense, I was actually looking for a poster of Janis Joplin this morning but ultimately failed. The search will continue.


The best thing about my dorm room is that the building is 101 years old, so it has these awesome high ceilings, walk in closets, and pipes that are perfect for hanging shit. Roomie and I keep coming up with new ideas on how to decorate, and especially given the fact that our room is one of the largest ones in the building (being in a corner) we have a lot to work with. I'm quite pleased with us.

Music that is severely underrated.

I was thinking about this topic earlier today when I was supposed to be reading Herodotus, and now that I need something to procrastinate from US labor history reading, I'm going to provide all 4 of my loyal readers with...


TINNERZ' ULTRA-AWESOME AND SOMEWHAT BAFFLING MUSIC LIST!!!!!!1!!1!!11
Anyway.

Blues Creation

70's Japanese hard blues rock? FUCK YEAH. This shit makes me dance like my inner whore. Besides, look at how fucking gnarly these dudes look. They could kick your ass and you'd be like, "Holy shit, I got my ass handed to me by some somewhat effeminate 70's Japanese blues rockers." And I have no idea what I'm talking about, so let's move on.

SOIL&"PIMP" SESSIONS

Sticking with Japan, we have these dudes. They're a jazz band. And they wail. One of their last.fm tags is "death jazz." Fuck yes. My fucking face melted the first time I heard them. Besides, when they have albums entitled "Pimpin" and "Pimp Master," you know you're in for some fucking awesome shit. And check out the cat in the middle. He's like an Asian Don Corleone. He'd wreck your shit.

The Black Keys

And now back to the grand ol' US of A. To Ohio, to be exact, where these two dudes are making the blues hot and spicy, Texas...no wait, I mean, Ohio style. At first I was like, "Wow, this black guy from the south is really good!" Then I realized it was two white guys from Ohio, and was even more impressed. I have serenaded my room mate more songs by The Black Keys than should ever be allowed. But that's what she gets for her goddamn Coldplay.

Portugal. The Man

HOLY GODDAMN I love me some P.TM. Every single album they've put out sounds different, but they still manage to be amazing. They can be all ambient and light, then sound slightly Motown-ish, then go electronic, then go folky AND IT ALL ROCKS MY FACE. It's like sex for the ears.

Free The Robots

Now I normally don't listen to rap or hip-hop. But this shit is good. The samples are amazing and totally unexpected. I swing dance to "Jazzhole" with my friends. It's so damn addictive and definitely gets my blood going. And because it's instrumental, I can study or read without stopping to sing along. I do, however, have to bust a move. Again, I apologize to my room mate.


Part 2 coming soon, as well as more Persian Wars battle history. It's time for work.

Two album reviews.

Portugal. The Man - Uncensored Colors
Best album of 2008.

The Sound of Animals Fighting - The Ocean and the Sun
Second best album of 2008.


Discuss.

I rawk at MS Paint.

Okay, so it was actually Paint Shop Pro. Same damn thing though.




This is what reading nothing but shit about the Greco-Persian wars for about a month will do to you.

And I can't believe Smartie put them on Idletard. Though I do need to get ready for my exhibit at the Louvre.

The Battle of Marathon, OH SHI-

^That's actually how I titled it in my notes, too.

So when we last left our Greeks, the Ionian city-states had just gotten their shit wrecked by the Persians while the mainland Greeks sat back hiding under their blankies. Dareios in 491 decided it was high time those mainland pussies got theirs, too. So he sent some messengers to the major cities, such as Athens and Sparta, to demand them pay homage to him in the form of earth and water. (Well played, Frank Miller.) Most of the Greeks (Athens and Sparta, most notably) finally grew some balls and were like "NO U," and executed the poor messengers who were simply doing their job (those messengers had families to feed, you animals!). And yes, Sparta really did throw the messengers in a well. No idea if "THIS. IS. SPARTAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH" was shouted though. Probably not because they, you know, spoke Greek.

But I digress.

So King Dareios was like, "Oh you fuckers." He gathered up an army of about 25,000 soldiers and put them under the command of his nephew Datis and his son-in-law Artaphernes. Tweedledee and tweedledum take their army to try to establish a bridgehead on Greek's eastern coast. They also got naval help from the Ionian Greeks, who knew better than to fuck with the Persians again. Datis and Artaphernes took their dudes over to Euboia, where the Eretrians, who had helped their Ionic kinsmen, lived. At this point the Eretrians were probably thinking, "Oh shit, we're are so fucked." And they would be correct. Although they were able to resist the Persians for nearly 7 days, not everyone was against the Persians. In fact, on the 7th day of fighting, Persian sympathizers opened the gates of the city for the Persians. Seriously. Needless to say, the Eretrians got their asses handed to them, especially after getting involved in the Ionian revolts. Most of the citizens were enslaved while the city itself was burned down. That's why you didn't fuck with Dareios, bitches.

Feeling pretty damn good about themselves, the Persians split up, Artaphernes staying behind in whatever's left of Eretria, and Datis taking Hippias, a tyrant they wanted to restore to power in Athens, and less than 20,000 me toward Athens. Hippias, thinking he would have some sympathizers in Marathon, told them to land there. Of course, the Athenians figured the Persians would pull this shit after Eretria's battle. So the Athenian army of about 9000, plus about 600 from the nearby town of Plataia, gathered on high ground to decide how to make their move. They also figured, "Hey, let's get some help from those kooky Spartans." Sparta agreed to help, but were in the middle of a religious festival and couldn't send anyone until the next full moon. Thanks, Sparta!

After a few days of arguing amongst themselves about what to do, the Athenians decide to go on the offensive, maybe because the Persian disposition was shifting. The Persians were like, "Oh, what the shit?" as the Greeks suddenly start attacking after not doing anything for several days. Or maybe the Greek strategy was to confuse the hell out of the Persians by sitting there staring at them from a mile away doing jack shit. Regardless, the wings of the Greek assault were able to push the Persians back across the plains, while the middle, well, not so much. Because the sides were getting closed in, the Persians realized that the Greeks could easily surround them and totally wreck their shit. They had to choice but to retreat back to their camp, getting chopped up by Greeks on their way.

All in all, the Persians finally got theirs. They lost 6,400 in comparison to only 192 on the Athenian side. Datis was forced to report his Blake Lewis-level of failure to Dareios, who probably handed him his ass in a handbasket.

Meanwhile, back at Marathon, the Spartans finally arrive. WAY TO GO, SPARTA! They are impressed with their fellow Greeks and praise their victory, the first a Greek force has seen against a Persian army. Then the Spartans probably went back to their festival.

The score was now tied, 1-1.

The Ionic Revolts: Epic Failure

Though Herodotus claims the hostilities between Greece and Persia started with a series of woman snatching, which then evolved into a bunch of "NO U STARTED IT U POOPIEHEAD!" whiny crap, the first fighting started around 499 B.C. These were the Ionic revolts, in which the Greek city-states currently under Persian rule tried to throw off the tyrants. Sounds really cool, but in actuality, it was a pretty epic failure.

So the king of Persia at this time was Dareios, presumably a kooky bastard, whose father had previously conquered the Greek city-states on the Ionian peninsula. The Persians had installed tyrants who answered to Persian governors, or satraps, and collected tributes to the citizens. These tributes were usually used for things that didn't help the conquered Greeks at all, so needless to say the Greeks were like, "Dudes, WTF."

In 499 Aristagoras, the tyrant of Miletos, caused some aristocrats to BAWWWWW when he exiled them (possibly for being cuntbags, but I dunno). The Persians sent some of their navy over to lay the smackdown on Aristagoras, but Naxos, the island on which Miletos was located, sucessfully held off the Persians and forced them to retreat due to lack of good l00t. Thus, Aristagoras was like, "Holy shit, I'm AWESOME!" and gave up his position as tyrant to help his citizens throw off Persian rule and install a government based on isonomia, or equal rights for all citizens. Soon other Ionian city-states were throwing off their tyrants as well, but knew that they would be pwned out of existence without some aid.

Aristagoras, being totally awesome, travelled to mainland Greece to appeal to the city-states there for help. Unfortunately, most of them were fucktards and refused to help because they were preoccupied being douchebags to other city-states (I'm looking at YOU, Sparta and Argos), warned by the Oracles that it was a bad idea (the Oracles should've seen that they possibly could've stopped Persia from invading the mainland, but noooooooooo), or other equally pansy excuses. Only Athens and Eretria agreed to send some troops, out of diplomatic, cultural, and economic ties, or they had nothing better to do.

So in 498 Athenians and Eretrians joined with the mostly Milesian army at Ephesos, and attacked the Persian strong-hold of Sardis. They threwdown pretty good on the Persians until Dareios sent some reinforcements their way. The Greeks were utterly defeated, and the mainland Greeks, being bitches, ran home bawwing to their mommies about how the Persians were mean and they didn't want to play with them anymore. Now the Ionian city-states have to rely on each other.

King Dareios was getting tired of these whiny Greeks at this point. Because I mean, tyranny is totally awesome, why couldn't they understand that? Bastards. Anyway, Dareios decided it was time to show these bitches some tough-love oppression, and launched a massive land and sea campaign against the stronghold of the revolt, Miletos. The Ionians, now all alone in the world, only had 353 warships and their awesomesauce leader Aristagoras had been killed by political rivals, and zombification had not worked out well.

So there were 353 Ionian ships against 600 Persian ships. Herodotus says the Ionians let out a collective "Oh shit, we are FUCKED." (Okay, so I definitely made that up.) Samos and Lesbos (tee hee hee...the Lesbians. BAWAHAHAHHA) deserted first, knowing that there was no way in hell they would see victory. That pretty much ended the battle right there. Miletos was pretty much anihilated, and the other city-states were forced into submission and punished severely for their backtalk. We're talking killing men, forcing women into harems, castrating boys...Dareios didn't fuck around.

However, the Persians felt kind of bad for all of this after the raping and pillaging was finished. In 493 the Persians reaccessed the amount of tribute the city-states had to pay, mediated any inter-city disputes, and removed tyrants and allowed the Greeks to install democratic governments. So in a nutshell, Persia cooperated with the Greeks, but they wanted to kill a few bitches first, just to show how awesome they were.

But then Dareios saw all these other nice Greek city-states on the mainland, and got to thinking...

Oh, come on now.

So aforementioned antisocial friend is now ignoring me. WAT. Like I haven't even seen her in over a week. I was smuggling a cat into my dorm this afternoon (more on that in a moment) and I saw her on campus walk. She looked right at me and didn't say a damned thing. Like, seriously?! I haven't heard or seen anything from her in ages, it's not like I've done anything to her.

And I just got a text message back from her saying she's stressed about a research project. Sure, because that always makes me look right through people. Oh well.

I've got a fucking cat in my dorm. Like, who fuckin cares about people, cats are far superior. A friend of a friend is letting my friend down the hall take care of her 19 week old kitten. His name is Peking and he's pretty awesome. I gave him a ball of yarn to play with and he is having a grand time. We're actually not supposed to have any kind of animal other than fish in the dorms, but somehow these people are keeping this cat. LOL. So that's the excitement of my weekend.

Nothing else going on. Room mate's gone home so I can walk around naked now. YAY. I think I'll watch 300 for lulz.

Ready for 300 to be ruined for you?

As a nerd for Ancient Greece, and a history major to boot, I am writing my History 299 (seminar) and my 485 (senior thesis) papers on the Greco-Persian Wars. Exciting? FUCK YEAH, if you're me at any rate. I also find great bemusement in the movie 300, partially because of how hilariously unrealistic it is. (But I honestly can't watch it anymore without the Rifftrax. I guess that's the MST3K-tard in me.)

So since this is my blog and I can do whatever I want, and there's nothing else of great excitement in my life ever, I'm going to report my findings as they come. Not to mention it will probably help me organize my thoughts.

Basically all this post is saying is, enjoy the new tag!

"Pulling a Tina"

Last night I was re-introduced to an interesting phrase.

My good friend Christine came to me last night upset with her boyfriend and his insecurities. She had walked out of his room because he had ruined a perfectly good night with sudden moping. (And they say girls are the only ones with mood issues. Like HELL.) As this wasn't the first time it had happened, Christine just got sick of it and told him she was tired and going to bed. Instead she came to me and cried, upset with him.

When she felt better she felt proud of herself for "pulling a Tina," or standing up for herself. This isn't the first time I've heard this phrase, and it confuses me every time. How did I become associated with sticking up for oneself and not taking bullshit from other people?

So I was pondering this last night. I guess it all starts, as most things with me do, during senior year of high school when my mental and physical wellbeing were taking a nosedive. Being diagnosed with panic/anxiety disorder and having to go to therapy is really where I started to grow into who I am now. I'm glad I went through that hell, because it made me stronger as a person and I get way more respect for it now. Fuck the one or two people who think I'm a major bitch nowadays, because I'm actually happier and feeling better than I ever have before.

But being through all that bullshit really made me realize I have to look after myself first and foremost. Yeah, people used to love me before for being so selfless, so caring, so motherly, but doing that also made me ignore warning signs that I needed help. I was so busy trying to take care of everyone and make everyone else happy that I forgot about myself. And seriously, I don't ever want to do that again. If someone really needs it, like Christine last night, I'll help, but people have to be self-reliant as well. I push them in the right direction instead of trying to solve their problems for them, letting them figure out things themselves. I had to stop trying to live other peoples' lives for them, and enjoy my own. Selfishness is not entirely a bad thing.

It still disturbs me when people say they want to be just like me. I still kind of fail as a person, honestly. Aside from all the health issues, I'm pessimistic, bitter, foul-mouthed, psychotic, lazy, and occasionally mean. I can hardly stand myself sometimes, I don't want to be around other people just like me! I guess I have more good qualities than bad, but still. I'm far from the most outstanding role model one could chose.

So don't pull a Tina. Do whatever the fuck you have to do to take care of yourself. You can't make everyone happy, and you'll only destroy yourself if you try.

Perfection.

So I love the band Portugal. The Man really hardcore. So when the lead singer John Gourley posted this on their Myspace, that love increased exponentially. A view of Sarah Palin from Alaskans. I'm reposting the blog in its entirety because it's just so gorgeous. Whether a blog post or a song, these dudes have a way with words.

Palin, Because We Don’t Need It

Here is a story from the younger pages of John Gourley (going by Johnny at the time)…
My first hunting trip.

All through my smaller years, from a boy through to a man, I have known true Alaskans. People who hunted for a living. By "a living" I should be sure to mean "for survival" or "as a necessity… Something along those lines… It was just a part of life growing up here in Alaska. People hunt, people work, people live, and fish and sleep and work and work and work and so on.

One of my earliest memories is also one of the most influential lessons of life in my later years. My first hunting trip.

I must have been around 6 or 7 at the time and the setting is Alaskan winter at my childhood home in the small town of Knik. My parents were both dogsled mushers* and we lived in a house powered by generator alone. (*purely out of the adventure and experience. Not necessarily our main form of travel… though there were some points in my life where it became our most available source of transportation.) Our nearest neighbors were a couple of miles away, give or take. This, again, is not needed in this story but only here for you to understand the place in which the story is set… We happened to be sitting in our living room when, outside our massive picture windows, we spot a moose. I will say, to a young boy, this animal was a giant. I can't honestly tell you in any way how large it actually was, but to my eyes there was and will be nothing bigger. My family and I were sitting around watching it mill about minding its nature and peeling bark from the young birch trees. After a few moments my father turns to me "Hey Johnny, you want to go hunting? You want to go get a moose?" My mind went running. I had never been hunting before. EVERYONE I knew had been hunting and hunted. They had gone out with their fathers and now it was my turn. I nodded my little head and ran to throw on my snowsuit while my dad went to get his gun.


We walked outside in the cold and the snow, him in his bunny boots and winter coat and myself waddling out like a small scale Michelin man to meet our Moose and our dinner for the next few months. I remember the snow being very deep. Realistically, a foot of snow was deep to a small child. For effect and in the spirit of adventure and Alaskan winters I will say it must've been the wildest winter I can remember. Meter upon meter of snow. The naked birch trees blending with the white now, leaving little blotches of black and grey at the knots and branches. There was our moose. We had run right into its path. Right where we wanted to be. My father crouches down to my already shrunken size "Are you ready Johnny? Should we get it?" I again nod my head. My father raises the barrel and looks through the scope. We were less than 20 yards away, if that. He pulls his head away from the scope and looks to me again. "Are you sure? Do you want me to shoot it?" This time I am confused. In my mind I am thinking, "Of course I want you to shoot it! We are hunting! This is what we do, isn't it? My friends have done it and I know you have as well! What are we waiting for?" But again, I nod. The nod was more out of fear of the moose hearing me. Normally I would have spoken my thoughts out loud. At the very least I would have questioned the hesitance. My dad looks through the barrel one last time. He turns off the safety and readies the rifle. He sights the moose and sits there for a moment. All the while I am looking from him to the moose then back to him then back to the moose. I hear the safety come back on and a turn back to see my father lowering the gun and resting it by his side. At this point I am about as confused as a small boy can be. Dad is looking at me and he says, "We're not going to get it." I ask him why. What he said has stuck with me throughout my entire life. "Because we don't need it." We simply stood up and walked back to the house, leaving the moose to its dinner of baby birch.
"Because we don't need it." Possibly the best lesson a man like this could have taught me. He moved up to Alaska in 1970, 2 years after he graduated. He lived in the deep woods in the mountains of Chase. He has run one of the most intense races in the world, The Iditarod, he worked as a potato farmer, lived off of 300$ for an entire year out in these woods… This man is as Alaskan as anyone I know. The lesson he handed to me was a respect of the world we live in. A respect for the animals we live with and the people we deal with. He has traveled around the state working in construction. Building homes for the people and buildings for companies and upon entering these small towns for work always insisted we hire within the community and support their way of life and living, despite what these companies felt to be the most economical. He has handed me so much, all of my family, really.

"Because we don't need it." My mother, Jennifer Gourley, is much the same. While my father was away working she would take care of our dogs and run the house. She would fix the generator when it would break down. She took us to baseball and hockey and gymnastics. She took on foster kids that needed help. Gave them good meals and a family setting. She volunteered as a firefighter when there were forest fires threatening the areas. When Big Lake and Knik were being evacuated. She has since, in the most recent years become a fire fighter, an ambulance driver, a rescue technician, part of the dive rescue team, and Willows firefighter of the year. She is a part of her community.

"Because we don't need it" was something that has been taught to me every day of my life through these amazing people and to watch Sarah Palin get so much attention based on what? 2 years as Governor of the State of Alaska? Or is it based on her time as the mayor of Wasilla? The town of 5,000 at the time.
"Because we don't need it."
We don't need drilling in some of our most beautiful and untouched land. We need to work towards options. We should be investing and working towards clean fuels. We don't need to be draining our planet of every last drop before moving on to the next. Sarah Palin disagrees
We needed votes to add the polar bear to the endangered species list. (I know, I know, that polar bear rug would really bring the room together!). Sarah Palin disagreed
We don't need aerial hunting… Again. We do NOT need this. I don't know of any true Alaskan that feels it is good sport to shoot an animal from a plane. Sarah Palin disagrees
We don't need book burners and censors. Sarah Palin pushed to get the librarian of Wasilla fired when certain books were not removed from the public library. Who else in history has banned books? Not very good company is it?
We don't need more debts. Palin spent 15 million on a new sports center in the valley, leaving the small town of Wasilla, Alaska in debt to the amount of 22 million. (That's 22 million more than the debt she took on when taking on this lovely playtime as mayor.) 15 million just for a new sports center.
We don't need family feuds interfering with duties. I know you feel your ex-brother-in-law was a dick… but trying to get him fired based on this may cause a little trouble. Sarah?
We don't need another vote against gay marriage. This is just standard every day equal rights being overlooked. Sarah Palin disagrees.

We don't need to overlook global warming. Science can now tell us "Yup. That is happening." Not my words, that is science speak. Sarah Palin disagrees.
We don't need a wolf in sheep's clothing… or a sheep in wolves clothing, depending on how you look at it. She has billed her self as this overly average "hockey mom" and it is just not what I see. I see the sport hunter, the censor, choice taker, the revelations reader, and the high school cheerleader. It is endlessly embarrassing to watch people fall all over this idea. This is not my Alaska. The Alaska I know.

What we do need is love and respect for one another and respect for the world we live in.

Srsly u guise. Srsly.

I'm starting to realize that no matter where you are or what you're doing in life, you will come into contact with people who don't know how to deal with others, get problems solved and have a better life because of it.

So one of my chick friends for some reason, seemingly all of the sudden has this issue with one of my guy friends. Completely out of the blue, in my eyes. On Friday she said she wouldn't come to brunch with us because she didn't want to be around him. Note: I'd never heard her voice any issue with him until then, and we've all known each other for 2 years now. Later on she texted me saying that she would be at brunch because she didn't want her feelings to interfere with her friendship with the rest of us. But at this point I'm still like, WTF.

Yesterday I asked her to go into more detail about her problems with this guy. She said that she didn't like the way he "looks through you" while talking, like "he's better than you." This just made me even more confused, as in my opinion this is far from the truth. Dude also had a bad summer, and even if he did that shit before, he sure as hell isn't doing it anymore.

And this morning I was talking to him, and he mentioned that he saw her in the dining hall one day and she tried to avoid eye contact with him. He said, "I don't understand, it's not like I did anything to her, did I?" And from what she tells me, I don't think he did anything but be himself.

So I'm sitting here just shaking my head. I mean, I'm good friends with this girl and I know she had a tough time last year with a half-psychotic roommate, but why is she all of the sudden offended with this guy, whom I don't think she's even talked to since we got back?

To further the weirdness of it all, this girl continues to avoid my other guy friend, who I'll call B for ease. Last year and the year before she had a crush on him, but then hastily deleted him from her Facebook for some dumb reason (I know I shouldn't, but I still LOL to myself about the absurdity of this). Now she feels bad about it and thinks things are awkward between them, though I don't think they are. I think she's seeing things that aren't there. I also think she's jealous because B and I are quite close, so close in fact that multiple people thought we were dating, but we are not. Our close relationship probably gives her more stress, but I try to include her whenever we hang out. Then if we do hang out she claims it's "too awkward" though I doubt B has even realized the whole Facebook shit. So I mean, what am I supposed to do, stop being friends with B? I've told her multiple times just to add him back with a message like "OOPS LOL WRONG DELETION LOLOLOLOLOL" or something, and B won't know the difference because he's too concerned about XBox and whatnot. BUT NO. I guess that would be entirely too easy and much less fun than worrying about it.

Last year we all got kind of screwed up with a big breakup, with Crazy Psychotic Room Mate wanting everyone to choose sides. This girl claims she doesn't want that to happen, and instead is just isolating herself from the rest of us because she doesn't want to face her own issues. I guess I don't understand this, because I'm one to find solutions to problems before they escalate or I freak about about them, like this girl. Seriously, I think the only reason I see this girl as often as I do is because I call her multiple times in a day to get her out of her room. And I can't keep doing that shit, my AT&T plan is not fit to handle that. So as much as I hate to say it, I may end up having to cut this girl off too. I can't help someone who doesn't want to help herself.

TL;DR Crazy chick is pushing away everyone that likes her for stupid reasons.