Spring Snow

Watching Mean Girls aka when Lindsey Lohan used to look normal.


I can't believe it's snowing in May! Go home Colorado, you're drunk.The white stuff came down all day Sunday (Mother's Day) and continued through today. Thank god the sun came out and remedied the slush that was collecting all over the roads. I did not wear the right shoes for this occasion. Today was the first day of work without my trusty coworker and lunch sidekick, Emily. She just had her baby last Thursday (May 8th)! Little Zoey Quinn McNail. Mother and babe will be resting at home for the next six weeks or so. On Saturday, I found out another friend of mine is having a little boy at the end of the summer.This news was a surprise for them but they have embraced their new adventure with enthusiasm. I'm happy for them.

I want to try a few new things. We have so many DVDs to the point that we can't remember if we already own a movie when we're out shopping (if anyone wants an copy of Role Models we've got an extra. A movie so nice we bought it twice!) So I told myself that when I'm home chillin' and I get a hankering to watch something I will turn to our ever inviting bookshelf turned DVD shelf and choose from there. At first the idea seemed a little redundant. I have these DVDs or Blu-rays because they are movies that I have seen and loved so much that I had to have them at my disposal. But Netflix and Hulu are slowly taking away the urgency of getting a movie as soon as it hits the shelves and at the same time almost proves more convenient than finding the movie I feel like watching, taking it out of the case, putting it in the PS3 or Xbox 360, setting the TV to the right channel, and then starting the movie.

Joe was supposed to create a catalog that we could access on our phones to more easily determine what we already owned but he has yet to finish that. But no worries, for now I'll just turn over each movie to indicate what I have and have yet to watch. I wonder how long it will take me to get through our whole collection...

My morning so far

Had to brush slush off my car because April decided it was the month that needed snow. Didn't anticipate over 3 inches of snow/slush as I walked into the parking garage in my work shoes. Drive was ok but when I got to work the front door unlocking mechanism wasn't working. Of the two of us stranded, I kindly offered to walk around back and use that door to let us in (she was an older lady). So I trudged through the snow/slush/puddles/rain to get into the building. My poor flamingo socks are all wet. Got to my desk only to discover the key to unlock the drawers of my desk was not on my lanyard and nowhere to be found in my purse. *sigh* At least I found a surprise doughnut in my bag.

"YOLO? I don’t even know anymore, what that even mean though If you only live once why we keep doing the same shit. Back home where I come from we keep being born again and again and again. That’s why they invented karma" - M.I.A

 I heard this while listening to M.I.A's new album Matangi. It caught my attention right away and I heard every word so clearly. Not to say that "it spoke to me" or anything like that but that she was able to put into words thoughts I've had for a while.

The Y.O.L.O craze was a little weird. Was it an excuse for people to do stupid shit or a way for people to look at what they have, what they wanted, and the time they had to achieve it? Y.O.L.O could have been very empowering. When you finally realize that this is as good as it gets wouldn't you toss away all the pettiness of opinions, give little thought to possessions except those that are sustaining, and really embrace and appreciate what you have? No, it was just an excuse to party like you'll never die and love like you've never lost, blahblahblah.

Now the idea of karma is a little scarier, if you believe in that sort of thing. I don't think it's meant to be scary but it helps you take into account the actions of your "current" life since those deeds or undoings will affect your future lives. I feel like karma is for those who take comfort in the idea that your soul can live on and you get a sort of redo at life. It encourages people to take care of their lives and how it affects those around them. Or you don't learn your lesson in this life, fuck around, and end up a pauper in the streets of India.

To sum up my thoughts, throwing caution to the wind is ridiculous and selfish. Your decisions will always affect others no matter how insignificant or private. The decisions you make for yourself change something in you that will ultimately touch the lives of others.

A Social Experiment

I don't know why I call it that. It just sounds cool but I don't know if this really qualifies as a social experiment.

Recently I've noticed that my Facebook "friends" have littered the news feed with EVERY.SINGLE.EMOTION.THEY.POSSESS. And it's getting a little unnerving. I mean, how can you update your status about every single moment of your life? Sure, your life is probably great right now. Got a new job, new boyfriend, new place. Freedoms you've never experienced before, experiences you never thought you'd get to have. The possibilities are endless.

But... does EVERYONE have to know? I feel like what's shared on Facebook belongs in a goddamn diary. I get tired of every single waking moment of a person's life being displayed on something as accessible as a Facebook page. What is the appeal? Do you need the attention of all 694 of your "friends?" Are you hoping someone will "like" your status about sleeping in on a Saturday (which I thoroughly enjoyed by the way)?

So I decided to partake in this absurd ritual. I had also just watched an episode of Parks and Rec where Tom and Donna try to keep Ron "on the grid" which inspired me to push my mobile social presence to it's fullest potential.

From today forward I will be Tweeting, Instagraming, and Facebooking to my heart's content. This may go one for days, weeks, maybe even months! Depending on how bored I get with my own life. So join me! Indulge my every waking update. Or ignore it, that's cool too.

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.