Killing time...

Something to kill the time before I go off to see my dentist:

Parking Perfection Game

Black Canary Barbie

My little girl is nine years old. When she was younger, I refused to buy her Bratz dolls because I just thought they were too provocative for girls her age.

Barbie dolls used to be the wholesome, fresh-faced, plastic embodiment of clean amusement.

This new Barbie, Black Canary Barbie, is based on DC Comic superhero. Personally, she makes a great adult toy; However, I don't think this will be making it into Tianna's Barbie doll collection anytime soon.

Thank goodness for Webkinz!

"You know they didn't ever have to love me..."

Last night I watched "Joshua". It was a good thriller and I would recommend it to anyone who likes the thriller/horror genre.

It did drag a little for me because I am used to seeing blood and gore. You won't be jumping out of your seat in fear but it is creepy. It wasn't towards the end that I became immersed in the movie.

Joshua (Jacob Kogan) plays a piece of a song on the piano for his uncle at the end of the movie and it pretty much captures the tone of his sadistic ways. Hearing the boy sing the song gave me goosebumps.

Dave Matthews wrote the song, "The Fly", for the movie and is played at the closing credits.

When I pull the wings off of the fly
The fly never wonders why I did it
When I pull the wings off of the fly
The fly never wonders why I did
You know they didn't ever
Have to love me
No, no, no

The song is hauntingly beautiful and I can't stop listening to it. I have been scouring the internet for the chords, but to no avail. Has a song ever touched you so that you become obsessed with it?

What type of kisser are you?

Here is something funny I found from Oat

3 Years

On a side note, Today, Kevin and I have reached a milestone. Our first date was 3 years ago today at Downtown Brew in San Luis Obispo. My blog buddy, Becky, list some of the reasons why she and her beau have managed to stay together and I find that it best sums up the qualities Kevin and I both share.

Social Phobia...?

I have always been very uncomfortable in social situations as long as I can remember. Although, I am well read, on top of current events, have a graduate degree and have a great career, I prefer the comforts of my home and very often avoid making commitments with friends.

I believe I have a mild form of social phobia as I am prone to depression. I get tongue-tied around people and always have to rehearse what I will say in my head before I speak it. If I don't, I end up interchanging words, not finishing my train of thought, stuttering and sounding foolish.

This weekend, Kevin and I went to Santa Barbara to celebrate his best friend's birthday. It was hands down the best birthday party I have ever been to. Live band and tri-tip barbecue all on top of a very large apartment deck/patio. The highlight of the evening was the illegal mortar fireworks that went off at the of the evening. I had anxiety all week. Every time we are around Kevin's friends, I just get nervous and awkward. His friends are much younger than me and enjoy a very hedonistic lifestlye.

I feel as if I am the dull or "boring" person out of the group because I always find myself keeping the walls company. Everyone's mingling but no one chats with me. When someone does come talk to me, after a few words have been exchanged, they immediately move on. Maybe I am just not interesting enough... I have to check myself repeatedly in the mirror to make sure I have nothing in my teeth and make sure I don't stand with my arms crossed as it makes me look unapproachable. Oh yes...and smile...

It is a little easier to talk with some men. Although, I find that more men are attracted to fliratious women and since I am not very flirtatious, I am usually not the center of attention. With woman, I often feel as if they are sizing me up and because of my Payless shoes, Ross attire, make-up less face and unkempt hair, I may not look sophisticated or cool enough to converse with. I know this is all in my head; but I always feel as if I don't fit in. (I actually went and bought some make-up last weekend).

This also extends to work. I try to avoid conversations with people I work with by peering into the breakroom to make sure no one is in there before I walk in. If there is anyone in the bathroom, I will wait until it is empty before I do my business. My work doesn't involve much interaction with customers or other fellow employees so I am mostly work alone.

Oddly enough, I have been attempting to write for many years and always have difficulty crafting in "conversations". I wonder if this inability to write natural flowing conversations extends to social situations. I don't believe I need pills (Zoloft,Paxil, etc) because maybe I just have inadequate social skills and lots of insecurities (another topic).

The people who inspired me...

I started thinking about my highschool yesterday as I got an email from an old peer from Classmates.com. I looked him up but didn't remember him. I was surprised to see our yearbook cover displayed. It made me feel quite proud as I designed the artwork for the cover.

While perusing through my fellow classmates, I began to wonder what happened to my favorite teachers. I looked up my old highschool and found that two of my favorite teachers were still teaching. One of them was my English Teacher, Ms. Hurley. She recently published a coming of age book, "When I was Ten". I remembered her as comical and witty. As a daily excercise, she would have logic problems for us to solve. To this day, I still love solving logic problems. She made writing/reading a lot of fun. I can't wait to read her book.

I also emailed my Spanish teacher, Mrs. J.R., but haven't heard back from her. She was the reason I kept taking Spanish year after year. One year as a class assignment, we wrote a play - a shortened vesion of the "Wizard of Oz" in Spanish and acted in it. She was very athletic and ran in many triathlons and marathons.

I couldn't find my AP calculus & physics teacher, Mr. Withers, and wondered if the rumours I heard that he had past away were real. It saddened me a little as I perused the Merced Sun-Star looking for his obituary. Wow, did he make Physics fun! and those one handed push-ups.. amazing!

Went back several years earlier and looked up another teacher - Mr. Sullivan. He was my 5th and 6th grade teacher. This guy was just amazing. He looked a lot like Bruce Willis and was just as funny. He had these classroom antics: If you yawned with our mouths open, you would have to run a lap. We used fake currency in the classroom and if you were caught littering, you had to pay a fine. We even had checkbooks and were taught to balance it. He made us write a letter to ourselves and he would mail it to us years later. Wow, did I have horrible grammer!

These were the teachers who inspired me and made learning fun. I miss my youth...

Hancock

We went to see Hancock last night and although I didn't think it was as exhilarating as Iron Man, I still enjoyed it. While reading some reviews, I read GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Against Defamation) is attacking "Hancock" alleging the movie is homophobic because there are scenes in which Will's character takes a "cheap, unfunny shot at gay people" and also say “Hancock’s use of the slur sends a problematic message that it’s okay to discriminate using such hateful words.”

I just think it's getting more and more ridiculous. It's a movie. His character was an drunken "a--hole" and so they had to make him talk and look like an "a--hole". It's just a movie! Why are people getting all worked up over a "word" when there were other violent movies and video games out there that glamorizes sex, alcohol abuse, drugs and violence.

I thought the vulgarity in "Super Bad" was way more offensive and misogynistic and yet it was heralded as embracing honesty and the funniest movie of the year.

Ludicrous rants ...

"You know, education, if you make the most of it, if you study hard and you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, uh, you can do well. If you don’t, you get stuck in Iraq.” John Kerry - Oct. 2006

"The government gives them the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a three-strike law and then wants us to sing 'God Bless America.' No, no, no, God damn America, that's in the Bible for killing innocent people" - Rev. Jeremiah Wright - March 1008

"..people in small towns in Pennsylvania and throughout the Midwest are “bitter” and “they cling to guns or religion” because of jobs lost in the region. - Barack Obama - April 2008

and most recent:

“It’s embarrassing when Europeans come over here, they all speak English, they speak French, they speak German. And then we go over to Europe and all we can say is merci beaucoup.” Barack Obama - July 2008

I understand we live in a global economy, but I personally think it's already difficult trying to teach reading and writing in our US Schools. Additionally, I see the difficulties my child has in the math and sciences. I would rather see real improvements in these areas before pushing a second language. Secondly, I don't think one needs to be embarassed that one only speaks one language. Does speaking only one language make you less intelligent?

Buck Rogers

When I was little, in addition to Star Trek, I really liked Buck Rogers, the tv show starring Gil Gerard and Erin Gray.

Buck Rogers is a military pilot who gets accidentally launched through time and wakes up in the future.

It was only on for a couple of seasons but it left a mark with me. My most memorable episode was the Space Vampire episode.

I found this cool website that allows me to re-watch these full episodes.

I heard rumours of a Buck Rogers movie. I think Jennifer Connelly would make a great Col. Wilma Deering, but she might be a little older now.

Maybe Natalie Portman but I don't think she possesses the sex appeal and toughness of that of Erin Gray. Kate Bekinsale was convincing as vampire hunter, Anna Velerious.

Anyone but Jessica Alba...

As for Buck Rogers, Christian Bale would be perrrrfect!

Star-Spangled Banner

O! say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming.
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming.
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

...Francis Scott Key

is the national anthem of the United States. It moves me to tears every time. One of my favorite rendition is by Whitney Houston.

There is only one national anthem and I believe it's wrong to change it from one anthem to another based on racial or ethic group.

Super Bad

Kevin brought home this movie that was highly recommended by a co-worker of his. I had remembered seeing the previews several months ago but it wasn't the kind of genre of film I was interested in.

I didn't like the amount of vulgarity that was used. As a teen, I don't remember using so much slang nor was I pre-occupied with drinking/obtaining alcohol. My parents didn't drink alcohol so we didn't have any around the house. My first drink could have been in college or later. Come to think of it...I don't remember going to unsupervised highschool parties where they served alcohol.

Tianna is nine years old and I am really scared that her teen years will be different from mine. She's already more outgoing than I was at her age. I couldn't watch the scenes in which the teens were drinking or making out fearing that this could be my little girl.

Shockingly, Kevin found it a waste of time also, while others would argue it was hilarius and filled with urbane intelligence (coworker). We didn't finish watching the movie as it became unbearable.

More Gas.. rant...

We can't use fossil fuels for energy because opponents say it is to blame for "Global Warming"

We can't use Nuclear Power because opponents say it's too dangerous even though its used in France

We can't use wind turbines because opponents say they kill birds.

And now even solar power projects is put on hold.

I remember back in the 2006 elections, Pelosi said in a press release that “Democrats have a commonsense plan to help bring down skyrocketing gas prices. . ."

Where is this commonsense plan? It was $2+ a gallon back in 2006. Today it's over $4!!!

I don't think the government wants us to pay less. Will it take gas prices soaring to $10.00 a gallon before we, the general public, become outraged enough to assert ourselves over these opponents?

How stuff breaks down on gas ( 2 sources)

1. Link 1

2. Link 2