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[Jul. 5th, 2008|10:16 pm] Just saying. Ten days! Link 1 comment|Leave a comment

[May. 22nd, 2008|08:03 pm] So, when I saw this comic: I thought to myself, "Randall Munroe has started a new meme." Today's leftover Chinese food and complimentary fortune cookies lead to its first test: "A cautious person leaves no stones unturned." Except in bed? Meh. "Ideas you may believe as absurd ultimately lead to success!" Except in bed. VERY VERY IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR US ALL. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some coordinates to geohash... Link 3 comments|Leave a comment

[May. 18th, 2008|03:54 pm] Damnit, it feels like everyone's life just sucks right about now. It's spring but it's cold and grey and gross, the opposite sex is being yucky, the same sex is being mean, no sex is being had despite many deserving people, and life is a gigantic mope-fest. This changes here and now! Everyone, post a reason for happiness. I don't care if you feel sad, there has to be something good going on right now in your life, and if we focus on that, maybe life will be better all around! My reason for happiness: I have one revision of one paper left, due in a week and a half, and when it is over, I am finished with college. I am finished with higher education FOREVER, unless I want to continue. And this paper revision is eminently doable, and I know how I want to write the intro, which is always the hardest part for me. So! You! Write your reason now! Link 24 comments|Leave a comment

[Apr. 22nd, 2008|12:02 pm] Behind TV Analysts, Pentagon's Hidden Hand. This article made me physically ill, but it's really important for everyone to read. Everyone. I am sick and tired of not being able to do anything. The only thing I can do is vote, and encourage you to do so as well. We need to replace this administration and everyone tarred with it. Pennsylvania's primaries are today. Vote if you're registered. If you're not, register for the general election. This is the only power we have: we have to use it, or this kind of unchecked evil will continue. Link 5 comments|Leave a comment

[Mar. 12th, 2008|05:38 pm] So I realize that talking about politics here is preaching to the converted and the apathetic, but it needs to be repeated, over and over again: this election is important. Vote. Register. Volunteer. Get out there. This is the only way to make sure that the next four years are better than the last eight: better for the environment; better for our civil, reproductive, and religious rights; better for the economy; better for peace. We can do this. We can, each of us, make a difference. We are Americans: we get to overthrow the government every two years if we're not happy with it. But you and I can only make the difference if we show up and do what's right. For people who live in Pennsylvania, it's not too late to register for the primaries. If there's anyone in any state who's having problems figuring out how to register -- just let me know, I'll help you find the info. And what's with my sudden urgency? Well, finding out that Karl Rove is now advising McCain didn't hurt. I mourn for the Maverick McCain, who was dealt a mortal wound in 2000. It just took us this long to figure out he's really dead. Also: his corpse is infused with Jerry Falwell's essence. Link 7 comments|Leave a comment

[Feb. 26th, 2008|02:30 pm] I'm c/ping an e-mail I received from a friend of mine. Feel free to repost or to link as you want. Hey everyone, Please pay attention to this developing story about the truly devastating death of a 15 year old boy named Lawrence King. He was killed by a 14 year old classmate because of his sexual orientation, shot in the head in front of 20 other peers in broad daylight. I'm just completely heart broken over this story. In recent weeks, the nation has seen two school shootings, NIU and now this. Another horrible thing about this shooting is that it has received little attention outside of the immediate community in California. Lawrence King was killed on February 13th. I urge you to think hard about the kinds of media, political, and religious forces that dictate which stories get national attention. GLAAD released a press statement on this incident on the 15th, and it's now 11 days after the fact and very few people are aware of King's death. I for one just found out and I'm outraged that this hasn't been widely reported. National stories compel citizens and communities to speak out and demand change, legislation, more dialogue... something, anything. I'm appalled that this story hasn't reached people, that we haven't been moved to cry, reassess and be shocked into action. It is imperative that we stand up against sexual discrimination, let alone racism, sexism and economic disparities, all injustice and discrimination. Only are my rights and freedoms protected when my neighbor's rights are equally respected, protected and upheld. I've included the links to the news stories. Please please tell your friends about this story. Upload these links to your facebook, forums, whatever. Drop a line on Anderson Cooper's blog. http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-oxnard23feb23,1,1086853.story?ctrack=1&cset=true http://www.glaad.org/media/stw_detail.php?id=4235 http://www.glaad.org/media/stw_detail.php?id=4238 http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/02/13/boy.shot/index.html?iref=newssearch http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/02/14/boy.shot.ap/index.html?iref=newssearch http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/feb/14/kingfamily15/ http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2008/02/25/when-does-bullying-become-a-hate-crime/ http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2008/02/25/how-to-stop-bullying-parenting/ We can not fashion ourselves as (future) leaders and turn a blind eye to injustice, institutionalized or otherwise. Thank you for your eyes and ears and hearts! Everything said here is seconded by me. Link 5 comments|Leave a comment

Because this is the only thing anyone wants to talk about today... [Feb. 15th, 2008|04:53 pm] DISCUSS! (If you don't already read Questionable Content, you SHOULD, damnit!) Comment with your opinion! Am I the only one who is not "OMGSQUEE!!!!11!!!one!!" but rather "Dora, you bitch, why'd you have to say that to Faye?!" (Yes, I have Issues with Dora. However, this is possibly my favorite Hanners storyline ever, and Sven's "come hither" look is the funniest thing I have ever seen. So, while pluses all around, FAYE! KISSING BOYS WILL NOT HELP YOU!) (Although, as I found out this Monday, your mouth cannot get pregnant! So, well, this isn't as bad as it could be!) Link 20 comments|Leave a comment

Aah, real politics! [Feb. 7th, 2008|02:02 pm] Romney's suspending his campaign. "I disagree with Senator McCain on a number of issues, as you know. But I agree with him on doing whatever it takes to be successful in Iraq, on finding and executing Osama bin Laden, and on eliminating Al Qaeda and terror. If I fight on in my campaign, all the way to the convention, I would forestall the launch of a national campaign and make it more likely that Senator Clinton or Obama would win. And in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign, be a part of aiding a surrender to terror. Damnit, that's exactly why I wanted him to run. Now. It's down to McCain and Huckabee. I've been saying for weeks that McCain will pick Huckabee as his running mate. Everyone has laughed me off. But look at the facts: 1. Huckabee was, briefly, the front-runner in the Republican caucus. As much as pundits wanted to marginalize him, he clearly strikes a chord to the population. 2. Huckabee won most of the South and Iowa, and he got second place in South Carolina, Oklahoma, and Missouri. In each of those states, he got a third of the vote -- votes that Romney claims would have gone to him, not McCain. 3. People have been laughing Huckabee off because he's a folksy, evangelical, homey kind of Southern governor. They don't think that he has a chance of appealing to anyone outside of the South. I remind you of a similar type of Southern governor who appealed to people who wanted fiscal and religious conservatism driving the White House. He managed okay. No matter how you counted it, he had 50% of the country in the palm of his hand -- something was working for him. 4. McCain, while a conservative himself, does not appeal to religious conservatives. Huckabee does. Their bases of appeal are entirely different demographics, both of which are desperately needed by the Republicans. (McCain tends to appeal to people who don't agree with him on any issues, as character is more important than policy. I think character drives policy, and I think he will drive policy the wrong way.) 5. Obama being on the Democratic ticket -- and I can't see any way he won't be, either as President or vice-president, changes the assumed electoral math. Ever since 1964, the South has been a Republican stronghold. Obama can appeal to southern blacks who, presumably, haven't been voting. If McCain is running, a lot of Republicans are saying they'll stay home. Huckabee gives them a reason to go to the ballot. 6. McCain and Huckabee stopped attacking each other -- which they'd been doing before -- shortly before the South Carolina primary. Instead, they focused on taking down Romney, while complimenting (and complementing) each other. In West Virginia, in the second round of voting, McCain's voters all went over to Huckabee, ensuring his win. Most people have been interpreting this as a jab at Romney. Yes, it was -- but it was also a boon to Huckabee, who -- with or without Romney -- can put McCain at the magic number of delegates needed. 7. People keep saying to me, "McCain wouldn't do that. McCain doesn't pander. McCain doesn't do dirty politics. He wouldn't, not ever. He would never do anything for the Religious Right." Except he does, when it's convenient for him. He doesn't like it -- I don't think I've ever seen McCain give that evasive of an answer before, or look that uncomfortable -- but he'll do it. He's not above it all. (Neither is Barack Obama, but that's another story.) Don't get me wrong: I think John McCain is a good person. I admire his service to our country. I really wanted him to win the 2000 Republican primary, and I am pleased that he is getting the nomination, if only because I want this election cycle to be about policy, not personal attacks. But he is not the right person to be leading our country for the next four to eight years. To get there, he'll be making deals with the devil -- or St. Peter, whomever. To this end, I'm gunning for people to help scottique and me start a grassroots third-party run for someone on the Religious Right. My best suggestion so far is "True Conservatives Want Santorum." Anyone? ETA: Okay, now I'm pissed, and now it's personal. "All I ask of any American, conservative, moderate, independent, or enlightened Democrat, is to judge my record as a whole, and accept that I am not in the habit of making promises to my country that I do not intend to keep," he said. "Enlightened" Democrat? You mean, the ones that don't look at your voting record, which is anti-choice, pro-death penalty, anti-gun control, pro-wealthy-getting-wealthier, and, finally, most certainly, for continuing a war which has killed thousands of people with no discernible end in sight? Yeah. That's an "enlightened" Democrat for you: one who doesn't know the basic planks of their own party's platform. I have a different explanation for someone "enlightened": someone who doesn't follow name-power like a sheep, or change their tactics based on where the base is swinging. Good grief, Senator McCain. Stay representing Arizona, please. I like you better when you're independent in the Senate than when you're pandering for the White House. Link 23 comments|Leave a comment

[Feb. 5th, 2008|06:59 pm] So, it's Super Tuesday, and there's no one in the store except for one OLD GUY idly browsing. IRAMI and I are at our respective stations, refreshing CNN every three seconds and idly discussing how much Romney sucks and the South is weird. IRAMI: "Romney's a businessman, people think he's business..." RACHEL: "I bet Romney outsourced all of his jobs." IRAMI: "Yeah, to India! Do you think all the callers are -- who is doing the phone banks?" RACHEL: "Well, they just hire people. Like me, I worked Telefund for a while. Or they have automated messages. But I don't know if that really counts...it's so self-selecting, because out of every ten calls, only one person answers..." OLD GUY: "That's not so. ::puts books on counter::" RACHEL: "Well, that was my experience." IRAMI: "So, Clinton spent $30 million on commercials, but that's not really that much, is it?" RACHEL: "::ringing up OLD GUY, who gives her his name:: Hey, I'm an undergrad, I think of that as ramen. So much ramen." OLD GUY: "::look of disgust at RACHEL:: No, it's not a lot." IRAMI: "I wonder if you could make a living out of that. Running for president." RACHEL: "No way! That costs so much money -- you need so much to even start! And presidents only make 200K a year..." OLD GUY: "No, it's perfectly reasonable! Endorsement, book deals -- how much did Clinton make for his book? I'm telling you, it was more than 200K" RACHEL: "Seven or eight figures, true...but at the same time, isn't it a bad way, because you have such a chance of losing? And then what do you do, if you've spent everything?" OLD GUY: "Well, you can take it at a probability, 40/60, and even if you lose, you can command so much per event..." RACHEL: "But..." OLD GUY: "Good night!" [OLD GUY leaves.] IRAMI: "Hey, Rachel, I think that guy was famous." RACHEL: "Really? I dunno...::plugs his name into Google:: Oh, shit." IRAMI: "What?" RACHEL: "He's a Nobel Laureate. In Economics." IRAMI: "WHAT?!" RACHEL: "...he won it for his work in selection bias and self-selection analysis..." IRAMI: "And you -- " RACHEL: "I contradicted him. About his field. In which he won a Nobel Prize." IRAMI: "I COULD HAVE GOTTEN A RECOMMENDATION FROM HIM!" RACHEL: "He liked you! You agreed with him! I'm the brat who tried to contradict him! In his FIELD!" IRAMI: "Yeah, maybe you should just keep quiet around people. Let 'em talk." RACHEL: "...I made Barack Obama chuckle..." People have told me that I come off as condescending and arrogant, whereas I see myself as more pedantic. But... I CONTRADICTED A NOBEL LAUREATE. And I was wrong, which makes it sting all the worse. Link 15 comments|Leave a comment

[Jan. 12th, 2008|02:56 pm] BARACK OBAMA IN THE STORE RIGHT NOW OMG!!!@11!ONE!!@!!1!! As soon as he entered and spoke to his daughters, I totally forgot how to ring up a sale, and screwed up about sixty times, eventually needing to void it out. BECAUSE OBAMA SQUEE@@ And I got to fulfill my four-year-long dream of telling him he's too good of a writer to be President. And he CHUCKLED, and said it was very nice. And I told him my grandmother's been plugging him, too. my shift ends in about three minutes, so I shan't be ringing him up. but! eep! yay! EDIT: So, yes, this is pretty much the exact way the conversation went: [BARACK OBAMA is browsing, along with varied other CUSTOMERS. I am frantically trying to both fix my earlier mistakes and text people, while trying not to look like I'm staring at him.] FEMALE CUSTOMER: "Mr. Obama?" BARACK OBAMA: "Yes?" FEMALE CUSTOMER: "Oh, it's really you..." ME: "Oh, since your cover's been blown, I just wanted to say...I love Dreams from my Fathers, it's one of the best books that I've ever read." BARACK OBAMA: "Oh, thank you! That's so nice of you!" ME: "I've been telling people you're too good of a writer to become President. Write books instead!" BARACK OBAMA: "::chuckle:: So I'll always have a day job, huh?" ME: "Yes! Not that I don't think you wouldn't make a good president, but, but, I -- I mean, my grandmother read your bok and she's been shilling for you since 2004!" BARACK OBAMA: "Great! I've got the grandmother's vote. Thank you!" And yes, I know it's an automatic response, but he said it so genuinely! I felt like he cared! He left some books up on the counter, and started browsing in other rooms and talking to friends and other customers. I heard him say that this is the only day off he'll have all month. He was out of my line of sight by now. About then, my co-worker Ben came in, who was relieving me for the next shift. BEN: "Did you hear? Barack Obama's in the Med!" ME: "Dude, Barack Obama's here!" BEN: "He is?" ME: "Well, there's his book stack. You get to ring him up. I'll stay late, if you want!" BEN: "...no, I get to ring." At one point, an older man ran in -- MAN: "Is he still here? Did he leave?" ME: "Well, he might have gone to the Med -- " MAN: "Where's the Med?" ME: "About three stores down, but he left books here, so he must be in here somewhere -- oh! He's right there. ::points:: Behind you." The man ran up to him, and said, "Senator, I'm double-parked, I just had to shake your hand." Then I clocked out, and stealthily stalked through the store until I saw him in the children's room with his daughters. ME: "I'm so sorry to interrupt, because I know this is rude, but I'm off the clock now, so I just had to say -- your speeches are amazing, they're full of such beautiful rhetoric, I just hope that you can follow through in doing things too -- " BARACK OBAMA: "Yes, action is very important." ME: "I know, I just -- I'm working for Grassroots Campaigns this summer, and I'm trying to get out the vote to people who wouldn't otherwise, based on issues -- " BARACK OBAMA: "Yes, we need people voting! Good for you." ME: "...::eyes go starry::" BARACK OBAMA: "::extends his hand::" ME: "::...shake...::" (Note: he has a very good handshake.) BARACK OBAMA: "Thank you." ME: "Thank you!" If my dialogue for Barack Obama seems less than inspired, it's because I don't remember exactly what he said, just the gist, because so much of my brain was just going "I'M TALKING TO BARACK OBAMA." So I left, so full of awe and wonder, that I barely noticed the female bum outside asking me persistently for money. FEMALE BUM: "Do you got any money? Any dollar bills? You're telling me you don't got a dollar? What?" My friend Emily had called as soon as I got out of work, asking for food, so I filled her in on the BARACK OBAMA sighting in 57th Street Books. I headed to the library, and I'd just gotten to the microfilm section when she called again... EMILY: "YOU DIDN'T TELL ME HE WAS STILL THERE! I NEARLY SHIT MY PANTS! WHEN HE CAME OUT OF THE BUILDING I NEARLY WALKED INTO A WALL! I THINK I TEACH SWIMMING TO ONE OF HIS KIDS! OMG HE'S SO TALL!" ME: "I know!11!!one!!@#!" EMILY: "I mean, even the bum on the sidewalk was going, 'hey, Obama, got a dollar?'" ME: "...did he?" EMILY: "No, but I don't think he had any money, 'cause he was dressed all incognito -- " ME: "He had sunglasses!" EMILY: "Yes!" I'm still buzzed by it. However, what dampens my joy is that no less than three people have reminded me that he's married. I know he's married. My love for him is pure and chaste! I just have the impulse to walk behind him, making sure his cloak doesn't touch the ground. I would be a servant! I would be his page! I would be his acolyte! Maybe, one day, he would start mentoring me in his ways of AWESOME. That's right: I want Barack Obama to be my own personal Yoda. Since that's not going to happen, I might as well vote for him, right? Link 28 comments|Leave a comment

[Jan. 7th, 2008|12:52 pm] It's like CNN wants to post the BEST IMAGES EVER. It's Hillary and the Change-ettes! Except something tells me that Barry isn't happy with his role doing the doo-wops and backing vocals -- he wants to make it big. Sources say he's been offered a solo recording contract by the people of Iowa. You can tell he's trying to be distinctive by wearing a RED tie. Barry, wil you be the break-out star? Something tells me that Hillary and Johnny won't be happy -- in fact, I think Johnny's about to punch Barry in the face for breaking up the band! Will the Donkey Four be able to stay together, even after they hit the Big Time? Meanwhile, Billy is clearly suffering from constipation. This could put a crimp in his plans to "make it". Link 2 comments|Leave a comment

[Nov. 27th, 2007|04:07 pm] President Bush Gives Israeli, Palestinian Leaders Romantic Getaway for Two ANNAPOLIS, MD – President George W. Bush announced today that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas are currently “getting it on” in a U.S.-sponsored tete-a-tete at Camp David. “I always knew these crazy kids belonged together,” Bush gushed. “They have so much in common – dietary laws, clothing styles, soccer games. I just knew they were meant to be. Oy! I’m such a great yenta.” Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had been attempting to bring the two together for multiple lunch dates, but it wasn’t until Bush stepped into the situation that the two hit it off. “Achieving this goal [has not been] easy,” Bush had earlier told reporters from Page Six and OK!. “If it were easy, it would have happened a long time ago. But finally, I’m getting them both laid tonight!” Bush reportedly felt “just terrible” after his previous matchmaking attempt for Olmert, the world-renowned hottie President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, felt flat. Olmert, showing signs of recent beard-burn, told Vogue that their time together at Camp David “will be the jumping-off point for continued serious and in-depth negotiations, which will not avoid any issue or ignore any division that has clouded our relations.” Issues to be discussed include pets (Abbas wants two dogs), vacation homes (both want the Gaza), and the proper amount of tahini on a falafel sandwich. While no date for the wedding has yet been set, a reliable source says the two plan to get married in Jerusalem and honeymoon in the Bahamas. Link 8 comments|Leave a comment

Orson Scott Card, you S.O.B. [Nov. 25th, 2007|09:50 pm] For those of you who don't know, I read Ender's Game when I was about eleven, and I fell in instant love. Total, pure, love. I think most people who read Ender's Game feel this way about it, especially if they are (like I was/am) precocious, young, and utterly alienated by most of humanity. Ender was a gift; he was someone whom I could understand, and who could understand me. I reread it like I eat chicken soup; when I feel cold, or down, or alone, or just hungry, it's always there for me. So, naturally, I read the rest of the Ender quartet, and when I was finished there, the Shadow series had just started being published, so I read them the whole way through. And despised them. ( problems with Card's books ) Then came "A War of Gifts", the 'Battle School at Christmas' story. I'm not fond of Christmas stories in general, and I'm not fond of "precious" (his words, not mine) little books, but I do work at a bookstore, and Sunday mornings are pretty slow, so I sat down and read it at the gift-wrapping table. Twenty minutes later, when I finished, both of my co-workers asked me what was wrong, as I was wandering around with an empty look in my eyes. I replied, in a hollow voice, "Orson Scott Card just destroyed Ender's Game. And Christmas." Want to know how? SPOILER ALERT: ( Orson Scott Card doesn't care about atheists ) Link 6 comments|Leave a comment

[Dec. 31st, 2006|05:31 pm] This journal is now friends-only because I want it to be that way. If you want to be added, comment and explain why. EDIT: Don't worry, I haven't kicked anyone off my friends list -- if you've been on, assume you're staying on. This is for an in-perpetuity "add me". Link 7 comments|Leave a comment

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