More like Lamespace

A friend of mine has just joined the dark side. In the world of blogging, there are blogs (I unfortunately have to include things like Xanga in this, and of course independent weblogs) and then there is Myspace. The two cannot be mixed. Or at least shouldn't be.

But a friend (I won't disclose names) recently did the unthinkable and made a Space. I looked at it and really can't figure out what to do. I mean, there's nothing to read, and the profile is the exact same thing that this person has on blogger. So what exactly was the point? The thing with Myspace is, to do anything you also have to be a member. Well I for one will protest!

In other news, is it bad to have seen more movies in a month than there are days? I think perhaps I need to think about my priorities.

Okay, I've thought about them and I see nothing wrong with it.

I think we should all just go to my Quik-E-Mart

I hate how convinienent stores don't have prices on most of the products they sell. It's annoying. I don't know if a package of peanut butter cup is going to cost me 60 or 80 cents. And since you don't get a reciept or anything, If you buy more than one product, you'll never know. You can guess, but you won't know.

On a completely unrelated topic, what does everybody think works better: negative or positive reinforcement?

Sad day.

I wish I was in high school again so I could play two hours of soccer a day. Instead I have to be frustrated as I watch high schoolers play poorly. I can't decide if I think coaching would help or make it worse, but it doesn't matter since I have no time to potentially coach with. Asi es la vida.

Fans Part Duex

Did I spell two right?

I decided today that fans don't really care if the ref hears them, they are just trying to out-do the other moronic fans around them. I just wish they would go away to do that. It annoys me that I can't tell them exactly how stupid they are. It's not fair that there would be such a great opportunity to trash somebody, and not be able to take it.

This month I've seen (so far) 12 movies that are on one of AFI's lists. Go me.

You've got me? Who's got you?

They say confession is good for the soul, and I have one. I love Superman. It doesn’t matter what it is (cartoon, movie, tv show); if it’s about Superman, I’m probably going to be a fan. After all of the disappointments of hyped up movies lately (I won’t name them because it’s too depressing) I have refused to get excited about any more hyped up movies (until I think of X-3 at least) but I can’t help it when it comes to Superman. Even as a kid I would get excited as soon as I heard the intro to the theme song.

Most people don’t really root for Superman because there’s almost never a question if he’s going to succeed (of course he will, he’s Superman!), and in order for him to potentially fail, the plot must draw in space aliens or space rocks of some sort. Sometimes even huge evil robots. He’s not one of those superheroes that is just normal and uses gadgets or good training to fight (Batman) and doesn’t have a couple powers here and there, but really needs a team to kick some butt (X-Men). He works it. He goes against any human, and he’s going to win. He doesn’t have to be crafty or cunning. He's just a big super boy scout in a blue suit.

But deep inside the story of superman are real moral questions. Why does he save the world when he really doesn’t have any connection to it other than it’s his adopted home. Why is he so good and was never tempted to do evil (I’m sure in some version of some story he is tempted and commits evil, but not in the mainstream stuff as far as I know). Superman is good, but why? What makes him so innately good that his father knows he will use his powers for good and not evil on Earth where he could be Supreme Ruler of All?

So I don't care what other people think. Superman is the coolest super hero there is.

ABCrap

Just kidding.

Every time I see a headline that says something like “Arrested Development renewal unlikely” a little part of me dies. But then I realize they are talking about the fact that Fox hasn’t officially canceled the show and "probably" won’t renew it, and that little part rises from the dead. Duh, we all know that. What I want is more information on the possibility of Showtime or ABC picking it up (ABC would be much, much better). If ABC picked up the show, I would partially forgive it for killing the best thing on tv and not giving it a chance to come back after Garner can take a more active role in the show (stupid pregnancy). I hate ABC!

Technology is Kant

I don't understand technology. Now don't get me wrong, I know more about technology than most people. I can write my own html and once upon a time knew some basic C+(or was that C++?). I understand that everything is based on 1's and 0's which basically are either closed or open gates that lets the little pulse of energy go through. And I can pretty much figure out how to use any computer program there is with minimal instruction and a lot of playing.

But I can't let myself think about how little gates and an electric charge makes music, or a picture, or a video game show up on my screen because I just don't understand it. And I don't like things I can't understand, so I try not to think about them if there's no hope of me understanding.

It's the same as Kant's phenomenal and noumenal worlds. I can use the phenomenal world pretty well. I think I understand it pretty well, know physical laws and stuff like that, can calculate the air speed velocity of a swallow, know how hard to kick a soccer ball to get it to go a certain distance, that sort of thing, but once I think about why, about the how behind what I know, I have to stop thinking because I don't know, can't understand, and will never know or understand. And I hate it. Stupid noumenal world. All I have to say to it is, "Mahnoumena!"

Free company stuff

Chris gets gift cards and movie tickets. Robert gets food and movie screenings. I get a turkey, an ice chest bag, and a jacket, and the ever present carrots. My free stuff sucks. Why can't I get toys, food, and movies? Curses!

Act like you've scored a goal before.

I don’t understand fans. Now, mostly I’m talking about the kind that you see at their kid’s game, or niece, neighbor, or whatever, but I also don’t understand the type that can watch five football games in a row, yelling at the ref, players, and who knows who else in the process. The first kind are the people that I laugh at while I’m reffing (I have to do something to entertain myself, and I can’t always count on trying to translate the Mexican teams’ Spanglish). I get such a laugh out of the people who yell, “Go go go!” the entire game, no matter what’s happening on the field. Someone needs to thank them for reminding the players to actually do something. “Run run run” is perhaps the only thing funnier. Because they wouldn't otherwise.

Then there’s the people that carry on for 5 minutes about a call that the ref missed. I especially love the case when a coach will turn around and tell the person to shut up because the person is so obviously a moron and doesn't know the rules.. Granted, it doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it’s great. Last night I heard one parent yell, "Cheater! Offsides cheater!" Yes, I'm cheating for the other team because it matters to me if they score. Why the hell do I care who wins? I get paid either way.

I guess I’m strange because when I watch a game I tend to be very quiet and analytical. I don’t want to yell the whole game, and I don’t want the people around me yelling. I don’t cheer. One “whoo!” is about all you’ll hear from me, and only when something worth celebrating happens, like a goal in a championship game, or when you’re behind. Perhaps it’s because in high school and college we were very relaxed on the bench (and our parents were, too). This might have been because we were used to good things happening (like winning) so we didn't feel the need to celebrate. I actually heard Leslie say, "Act like you've scored a goal before," when an underclassman was celebrating too much after a goal. I've wanted to say that on numerous occasions to numerous teams.

When the cat's away...

... Becca will buy a new mouse. Unfortunately, my mouse that I've had since my sophomore year of college could no longer run it its little wheel. It might be that I just need new researchable batteries, but I decided to get a mouse with a tail anyways, because you have no idea how annoying it is to be playing Warcraft III and have your batteries die. So now even if my wireless mouse is miraculously resurrected, I'll have a back up.

The only problem is that I don't like the new one. For one, the thumb button is much too small, and is too high. And it just doesn't fit my hand very well, either. But it's the best that was available. All the other ones at Best Buy (or Best Buys as all of the older people I know call it) either were wireless or didn't have a thumb button at all. So after who knows how long, I finally picked the only would I could, and got to more important things.

Chris was looking for an "adventure strategy" game (which he later changed to "adventure mystery"), so we got to spend some time looking at the computer games. Unfortunately, the place decided to close early on Sunday, so we didn't have nearly enough time to look at movies. Or maybe that was a good thing since I didn't end up spending too much money.

The other thing I don't like about this mouse is that the wheel doesn't click. And I can't click the wheel to scroll, it cycles between windows. And yes Rob, I realize I can change button assignment, but I shouldn't have to.

Get off the road!

I hate people who don't turn on their blinker when they're at an intersection with no turn light. You know, the one where you have to yield if a person isn't turning. I turn on my blinker so that they know my intentions, why can't they? Jerks.

You play ball like a girl.

Yesterday The Sandlot was playing where I had lunch. There's just something about that movie. There are so many classic parts in it, but that could just be because I grew up with the movie. It does, however, raise an interesting question.

What's with categorizing things as "children's," mostly in regard to books, but also movies. I can understand that the books and movies you read to five year olds (and only five year olds) should be categorized as such, but where should the line be drawn? I can remember when book stores had a children's section, and a fiction section, but now there's Young Adult, Teen, Pre-Teen, and who knows what else.

The most obvious example of this is Harry Potter. I can understand that it's a "kid's book," but to categorize it like that is almost an insult. It is so much more than a children's book, much in the same way The Cronicles of Narnia and the Wrinkle in Time trillogy (or however many there are) are so much more than children's books. It's not like there is a difference between what makes a good children's book and an adult book: interesting characters, a driving plot, and usually some mystery or adventure.

This isn't to say that there isn't 'children's' literature out there that is truely children's literature, but where should the line be drawn. I started reading both Ender's Game, the Wheel of Time, and the Recluse Saga in Jr. High (I was 12) so does that mean that all those books should be considered Pre-Teen? I don't think so.

Okay, I think I'm done.

What would Dumbledore do?

Die. I hope that if you haven't read The Half Blood Prince you don't plan on, because I just ruined the book for you, and you deserve it.

If, like I think, Snape killed Dumbledore on his (Dumbledore's) urging, should Snape be held morally accountable for the action? Even if Dumbledore wasn't urging Snape to kill him, if Snape killed Dumbedore to get in Voldermort's good graces in order to betray him, should Snape be held morally accountable?

For those of you who've read Shadow Puppets (Orson Scott Card), should the Sury be held accountable for "betraying" Peter only to be able to betray Achilles?

Here's to a new one!

Well, another year is over, and every Jan. 1 I sit and think about how arbitrary time is. I know, there are a lot of things that make me think about time (too many philosophy class topics on it), but New Years is one of the biggest. That and Leap Day (if that's the name of it). But in the hopes of not boring everybody, I'm not going to talk about what I think about, I'm just going to mention that I had thoughts. I know, you're amazed that anything is going on in my head now that I have a job.

Today the Armstrong family started their Mammoth trip, which the three college grads had to miss out on due to jobs. I was okay with this idea when there was hardly any snow, but beginning like Friday the heavens decided to open up and rain down beautiful snow in the mountains. So now Tim letting me know exactly how much snow Mammoth got up, and I'm no longer okay with missing out. Hopefully I'll be able to make it up there a couple times this year. Otherwise I might cry, and that isn't a pretty sight, rare as it may be.

I spent most of today playing Civ IV (be jealous Stacy!) and getting absolutely nothing done, because that's just how Civ is. And Chris and I decided to becca-and-christen his TCM version of Scene It yesterday. I won, but mostly because Chris didn't get any "my plays," and most of the "my plays" that I got were really easy, like who is the director of 2001: A Space Odyssey? That and who played Spencer Tracy's daughter in Father of the Bride.

But if you've ever played that game, you know that the hardest part can sometimes be answering the final questions. So after a couple rounds of Final Cut with neither of us getting a correct answer, we decided to play a tie breaker and let it go from there. I had the birthday closest to Jan. 7 (I don't remember what the significance of that date was) so I won.