They can't all be winners

Let's talk about how tired I am of feminists.

My first impression of the feminist was a woman who wasn't submissive in any way. She was a fighter and never let silly things like a man telling her 'no' to bring her down. Feminists were the definition of a strong, independent woman who didn't need no man! Wonder Women personified this type of person. Lately, almost everything I've come across the labels itself "feminist" has come off as really bitchy. There's really no other word for it. It's articles upon articles of women complaining about things that really don't need to be different and it ends up sounding like they're digging for something to add to their "cause."

The latest example that pissed me off was an article from some random website I found by clicking on a link to a link. This article discussed 5 points why Bioshock Infinite is just another sexist game. For those of you who haven't played Bioshock Infinite, it is a game set in 1912 where you play a former Pinkerton agent by the name of Booker Dewitt, sent to the flying city of Columbia on a rescue mission. In 1912, things were a little different. Women weren't going around toting heavy firearms trying to rescue a helpless man trapped in a tower guarded by a giant metal bird. And the way the story came full circle would have never worked with a woman as the player's character. It's not that I don't think a woman can be a main, playable character, it's just that you have to have the right environment, atmosphere, or time period. It wouldn't have made sense to have Elizabeth as the main character. She was powerful enough on her own and was able to give some enemies a run for their money, even if she was in a more accessory, supportive role. The "5 points" this article put together, in my opinion, are not good points at all. I don't want to argue against each right now, I've already done that in my head, but I'll say that what the writer/blogger is pointing out either has nothing to do with the context of the game or they're pulling shit from so far up their ass, somebody else must be feeding it to them.

The way the article portrays it's "answers" to all the sexist problems with Bioshock Infinite would end up making it a completely different game. It is a fictional, fantasy game but it's still based on a real time in American history. Things were a certain way in that era and in order to preserve that in the game, the creators had to respect and embrace the bountiful racism and sexism that was rampant during that time. If they played the goddamn game maybe they would see how much Booker respects and is in awe of Elizabeth, and not even in a sexual or affectionate way, but just as a human being, so young and so full of promise.

Luxe just ain't for us

Man, I walked in here with the intention of getting something specific taken care of but I've totally spaced it. Oh well.

Life is good right now, I can't complain. Both my boyfriend and I were recently promoted (him more so than me but hey, he buys me pretty things sometimes), we moved into a better apartment full of goodies like a pool and gym, we're both fairly healthy, and the cat has been great. We have the money and time to spend on things we really enjoy like RiotFest this past weekend and then the Great American Beer Festival in a couple of weeks. Our (well mostly mine) plan to visit Claire in England is basically squared away. Joe just needs to get his passport and we will be good to go at the beginning of the year. I feel like all the things we've gotten to do and we are going to do, weren't things that I ever anticipated doing in my life, not without scraping for cash. But with how fortunate we are now, we can just sit back to pick and choose what next fun trip we want to go on or what concert we should attend.

I never imagined how *comfortable* I feel with my life right now. We don't have everything we want but that's okay. Besides, we still have time to attain those things. I just remember being in college and university with all the people around me either struggling or dreading the struggle of "real life." And here I am just kind of hanging out, fairly stress free. Is it my nonchalant attitude towards things? My careful planning to avoid financial pitfalls? Is it how frugal we always are even if we have more than enough for certain things?

When we moved to Denver, my dad did help us get settled by paying for the first and last months rent, upfront as required. I was only working at DSW and barely making enough to cover rent and utilities. I did have a fair amount of money saved up from working while I was in school and a little bit that summer so that helped keep the broke at bay until I found a full time job merely 7 months after we moved. I also didn't carry any kind of debt with me as I feel many of my friends and peers do.

We really are very lucky. I'm lucky to have what I have and to have who I have. I started this post with the intention of ranting about how boring life is right now in regards to my job. No really, my job is boring as fuck. I can do that shit with my eyes closed but I won't because I risk paper cuts. But after listing what I've got going for me right now, what I think of my work seems so trivial.

I'm pretty happy.

Words

Taking this quiz was difficult with all my coworkers talking around me. But on the other hand, I suppose I should have been working.

Merriam-Webster Vocabulary Quiz

So Close

I'm sitting in the little computer corner in our new apartment. It's cozy but not claustrophobic. Joe's beer stuff is over here too and I anticipate that most of his other stuff will end up in this corner as well. I'm not being cruel! Besides, he gets his own personal corner. Just kidding guys, I'm not that kind of girlfriend.

Our place is slowly coming together. There still a few boxes here and there but they're mostly filled with books and desk stuff so those items haven't quite made it to their respective homes. We took advantage of our larger kitchen and actually put pantry things and cookware into cupboards! Can you imagine!? Cupboards aren't something I thought I would take for granted, but after living in Dorset House with only enough cabinet space for dishes and glasses, I appreciate a good sized kitchen.

The living room space is a bit smaller than our last place but I think it works. We've got our couch about 5 ft from the TV which is perfect gaming space in my opinion. We've even got the trunk sitting between the two to act as a coffee table and footrest. Cheers to multipurpose furniture!

The bedroom is usually large in my opinion. They really could have used some of that space for the living room but what do I know. We have our desks and small TV in here along with the bed of course. There are also a couple of shelves that we used to use for the kitchen stuff but what with all those cupboards we have now, who needs them! The bathroom is also bigger than I feel any bathroom should be. Who is spending all their time in the bedroom or bathroom to the point that they need to have the space in order to function?? But I digress. The bathroom does include our washer and dryer so I suppose that's where part of the extra space comes in.

Then we've got the patio that overlooks the pretty little courtyard. I'm glad we decided to push for the "large" patio. It is really nice to be able to sit outside your apartment for some fresh air without actually having to leave. Cat enjoys the patio as well, until the dogs that occasionally frequent the courtyard come out.

I like it. This has been a good change.

Tooting my own horn

Hehe.. toot.

I just had a bunch of work dumped on me that I kind of anticipated but the workload far exceeded what I was really expecting. But, like the good worker bee that I am, I took it in stride. Once I realized my attitude towards the situation I sat back and thought, "I really am the shit." This company is lucky to have me because I don't crumble under the pressure of more work and just smile and nod when they tell me what I need to do. It's not that I always enjoy the work that's handed off to me but I understand it needs to be done and apparently I'm the best bet that it'll get done without a complaint. I don't shit bricks over it like I know some people would. They're perfectly capable of the task at hand but they still have to bitch about it while they do it.

And I'm alright.

Pumped

Right now I am listening to the illustrious Ke$ha. I joke with my friends that I think she's "sticky" but damned if her music isn't super catchy.

This kind of music gets me pumped and I really need a big push right now. There are plenty of things around me that I need to accomplish but for some reason I either can't get off my ass to get it done or I half ass my efforts. My biggest hesitation is applying to school. Every time I look at that application is seems so daunting even though I'm aching to get back into school and learn some shit. I'll collect my transcripts and see if today is the day I finally get that shit together.

Another hurdle I keep tripping over is with tracking my food consumption and exercise. At the beginning of each week I'm pretty gung-ho about tracking my calories and running around Cheeseman Park as often as my legs (and bitchy knee) will let me. But then random things get in the way and I sit around long enough to change my mind. It's not even anything productive that gets in the way. It's frustrating.

I can't believe it's already August. I feel like I've already wasted half the year.

Reestablish

As I wandered around Target the other day looking for baby things for my friend's baby shower, I was ultimately drawn towards the office supplies section. They had so many pretty little journals and notebooks. I flipped through each one that interested me, judging how flexible the binding was so you could open it wide enough to write in it but it wouldn't destroy what held it together. I've tried spiral notebooks or journals but they've always felt too school-like. I obsessively held each one when I realized I've already got one at home that isn't even half way written through!

That's when I sat back and thought about how I should go about journaling and blogging in order to consistently use all the resources I've tapped into. I have a physical journal that sits under my bed side table that I want to use for more personal reflections of the going-ons in my life. RoosterTeeth is my go to for video game related thoughts. And I have decided to use this space to post more along the lines of opinions, movie reviews, and random craft project-like things I work on. It will be a more generalized approach that will exclude sob stories and the more deep, insightful, thoughts that cross my mind. I think that is what this blog has always been but I wanted to sort this all out in my head.

Shoe Upgrade

We had a good run brown Oxford flats. You were comfy, easy to slip on and went with almost everything. I knew we had to part when I stepped into a shallow puddle and the bottom of my foot got wet. 

Culprit - the hole

So cute. I will miss thee

 These were hands down my favorite shoes to wear. They weren't particularly comfortable for long walks around a museum but they were dependable. Just so damn adorable. One of reason I held onto these shoes for so long was that I wanted to find a new pair that was almost exactly like them. I wanted to replace them in the strictest sense. So voila! Below are pretty much the same exact shoes but in black with some fun laces.

I was afraid black would be too harsh of a color to have since I had been so accustomed to brown but these shoes really make my fun colored socks really pop (I also bought new socks at the Gap; orange/pink/white. They're awesome.) So mission accomplished! I finally bought new shoes that are exactly like the old ones! Thank you Not Rated for making the same exact shoes you had last year! :)