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January 21, 2002
Fighting Spam
Everyone who reads this weblog knows how much I HATE spam. I've blogged about it probably 30 times. (Most recently here). But, I found a groovy little program that kills spam. It's called Mailwasher. It checks your email before you do and lets you mark spam for deletion and bounces it back like it was an invalid email address. It also keeps a "blacklist" of email addresses and you can set those to auto-delete upon checking so you don't ever even have to see the messages. It rocks! My spam has dropped dramtically since using it.
Just thuoght I'd pass that little tidbit on.
Posted by vixen at 07:39 PM | Comments (0)
January 20, 2002
Lifetime TV Sucks...you in
Don't you just love Lifetime ("television for women") movies where you're supposed to be in awe of this "strong" woman who overcomes obstacles, etc. etc. to get what she wants but you end up thinking "what a self centered bitch"? Anyway, my mom was watching such a movie earlier.
It was a "true story" about a woman who had been forced to put a baby up for adoption when she was a teenager because she was an unwed mother and her family was embarrassed. The church said it was best to give it away and pretend it never happened. I admit, that part is a bit sad. However, before she went a courting, she probably knew how her mother and society felt about unwanted pregnancies. She shouldn't have been so shocked when her family threatened to disown her if she kept the baby. Had she really been a "strong woman" she would have made a decision then to either have sex and take the consequences of possibly being disowned by her family and raising a kid or the consequences of putting a kid up for adoption OR not have sex, no? Anyway, I digress.
After the lady had been married, had two other kids (one was about 6 the other was probably 13), divorced and the adopted kid was like 22 or something, she decided she needed to look him up. So, she ignored her own kids (there was a scene where they had no food in the house and they had to call their dad because they didn't know where she was. She'd stay gone for days at a time looking and not tell her kids), harassed the birth son even though he made no attempts to contact her and the PI she hired said he knew she had attempted to contact him and had the info to call her if he wanted and basically ruined everyone's life around her. But, hooorah, it ended with the birth son and her finally getting together and hugging and him saying "I consider you both my mothers." Oh, get over it. That's so TV. I wonder what really was said in this "true story".
Honestly, I would have been more inspired had she not guaranteed her other kids years of therapy. I guess she was saying "my mom screwed me up because she was embarrassed that I had a kid, I'm going to screw you up by making you think I love your other brother more."
Yay! A useless post {g}
Posted by vixen at 07:35 PM | Comments (7)
January 17, 2002
My lucky numbers.
"Anyone who dares to be, can never be weak."
Lucky Numbers: 12, 16,17,24,28,38.
These are MY lucky numbers. The rest of you, back off!
(If you couldn't tell, I had a fortune cookie. Woo.)
Posted by bard at 10:23 PM | Comments (1)
January 14, 2002
Various Things
Various things to think/complain about.
Nothing is worse than listening to a radio station (Mix something or other) that plays 60's-today music, having them play decent older songs, and then suddenly play N'Suck.
'Lil note to my friends: Yes, I know you haven't seen each other in person for a couple months. But, when you do see each other, why discuss the online RPG you play together almost everyday??
To my other friend: You're whipped. Admit it. Move on.
Yo, ISP: I hate your service. Improve, damn you. And on a related note -- yo, potential ISP, get your act together and provide two-way cable modem service in my area already. You've only been promising it for the past two years.
Barn. Woo, you got new buildings. Damn, are they ugly. I prefered the rundown stuff better.
Me: Learn to bowl. You suck.
Posted by bard at 10:24 PM | Comments (0)
January 12, 2002
Tag.
Tag. Woo. I played laser tag tonight for the first time. I ranked 27th (last) after the first game and 19th after the second game. You could say that I improved... but I still royally suck. Oh well.
Posted by bard at 10:25 PM | Comments (1)
Tag.
Tag. Woo. I played laser tag tonight for the first time. I ranked 27th (last) after the first game and 19th after the second game. You could say that I improved... but I still royally suck. Oh well.
Posted by bard at 10:25 PM | Comments (0)
January 10, 2002
My boat.
I have a yellow boat. I think it is very cool.
I put the plug in the sink. Filled it with some water.
The boat now floats.
Yay.
"Zoom, Zoom" say I.
Then the faucet is turned on.
Uh, oh. Flood.
Boat becomes submerged and filled with water.
Tears.
Posted by bard at 10:27 PM | Comments (0)
January 03, 2002
Buddy Clinton:A Life Lost
Poor Buddy Clinton. He's Bill and Hillary's dog...he has a book you know. You people should know who he is. I guess since you're not from Arkansas...anyway. Here's a little article about him. May he rest in peace and may the person who let him get hit by a car get hit by karma.
Posted by vixen at 07:32 PM | Comments (0)
January 02, 2002
You Say You Want a Resolution
Well, here are some resolutions I'm making for the New Year. It's my Top Ten Resolutions of 2001 {wild cheers}. Ok, it's just 10 things I want to do.
- Be More Organized
I've read that highly successful people are well organized (this goes with # 4 if you want to scroll down) so this year I plan to stop cluttering my desk and relying on post-it notes stuck all over to organize me. I have a nifty little PDA that is only used to play tetris. I'm going to set myself up a schedule and stick to it. That means a schedule of my jobs, my sleeping habits, everything. I won't put off studying until the last minute. I'll organize a time for chatting and a time for webwork and not try to do both so that I get confused and end up typing something hi to Bard in the middle of an article on Bill Clinton. "Bill Clinton had many scandals. Bard!!!" This resolution will be broken as soon as my class starts but it's nice to know I thought about it. - Be More Social
I was browsing social phobia books on amazon (the mall for social phobics) last night and I actually ordered one. It's supposed to give you some information on how to combat the "most misunderstood mental illness". Personally, I'm setting myself up for failure and calling it crap but I'll give it a read (see #4 to find out how ironic this is). However, I would like to be more social in some ways. I would like to be able to get a job without freaking out if someone talked to me or asked if I wanted mayo on my sandwich when they went to get lunch. Hiding under a desk and screaming "no mayo" is not a way to impress a boss into giving you a raise. So, I'm going to try and convince myself I'm an idiot for worrying what people think of me, all the while convincing myself that they hate me and think I'm a freak. Don't worry, I don't want more friends. I just want to be convince people who see me and don't know me I'm semi-normal. - Get a Job
You know, it would be much easier to judge the whole "mayo" scene if I actually had a job. I've never had a real job. I did some summer work at a pool, volunteered around in a bunch of places and yeah, I call myself a webdesigner and at one time I was pretty good. I could pick and choose clients and make as much money as I wanted to really. Normally I did 2-3 sites a month, made about $500 and money from a site I still I do (for which I'm contractually obligated not to give my salary away, lets say greater than or equal to). Today, I haven't had a real client in a few months. Yeah, I've done a few pages for discounts for people people knew. But I've made maybe $200. All of my webdesigner friends are suffering the same fate. They only get clients through friends and associates now, no one just clicks in. I guess the market is tough. At least I still have the undisclosed job...until they shut down (slated at around Jan 31 according to Fucked Company but I don't believe them. We'll overcome!). Anyway...where was I? Oh yeah, I'd like to get a real job. One that pays more than $6 an hour and doesn't involve the phrase "Uh, did you want fries with that?" would be nice! - Read Less Self Help Books
For me, 2001 was the year of self-help books for some reason. I don't know why. I didn't buy these things! They just ended up in my hand. Everything from "Biblical Prophecies and You" (not it's actual title but I forget, it spends time touting that the world was near it's end and using Biblical passages to prove it before telling you you're going to hell), to "Mindfulness in Plain English" (a book that teaches that the only way to enjoy life and be mindful is to clear your mind of everything) to "Juice for Life" (a book about juice can make you healthy, wealthy, happy, smarter and more interesting...hey, it worked for the author!). All of them trying to convince empty headed people that they need to buy more books in order to become a better person. I did get a few laughs out of them, but that was about all. Lovely friends who think I need self-help. They can help themselves to biting my...that's for another year. - Worry Less About My Weight
This has also been a year for anorexic behavior. I didn't realize how pathetic until last night when I was reading a group that was pro-anorexia and proud. I commented it was sad but identify with half of the things they were talking about. I read that group and the girls diaries until about five this morning. It was kind of like "get over yourself" call. I know all about identifying yourself with your weight, it's a number I toss around so casually (and my friends, online and off, know all about how often I toss those digits around). I know all about telling yourself the feeling of hunger is good. I often did that to myself while at school when all was eating was basically a small dinner (more than some of these girls, but not healthy) "you're not hungry, you're just burning off calories. It's a good thing." I spent time figuring out how many calories were in the food I ate, exercising that off and doing a few more miles for good measure, weighing myself in the morning and in the night. As much as I try be nonchalant about it, I know exactly how much my weight fluctuates during the day. I know how much weight I lose when I go to the bathroom. I know how much weight one glass of water weighs on me. Again, not to the extent that I used to or of these girls (obviously, I'm still a bunch over 100 lbs and have been for some time), but bordering on it. I think school triggers a lot of that for me. I'm not nearly as bad about counting calories and weighing myself now that I'm not going to class. I don't remember how bad I was originally. I don't remember much from that period of life actually. I don't even really remember if I was ever hospitalized for anorexia. It's all like a watercolor that's been left out in the rain. I remember being in the hospital (I assume that was about suicide though) and going to group and seeing a therapist one on one. I wrote a lot too but my journals aren't really meaningful. It's just random thoughts that make no sense and that seem to come from a person I don't even know. I don't even remember writing most of them. She's a person I don't want to know again. So, I'm going to make myself not revisit that period of my life. - Pay More Attention to My Reef Tank
Well, a little less heavy subject. Ever since I had people look at my tank for the holidays, I've felt it was pretty pathetic. My sister poked around at the glass, saw my one little fish (I have two, one hides a lot) and said "is that all? You have this big tank and just rocks and one tiny fish?" I pointed out the one tiny coral I have too and tried to find my other fish. She left disinterested. That's pretty much everyone's reaction to the tank. I really haven't been taking care of it lately (nothing to take care of really). So, I splurged on myself and ordered a bunch of corals from this online place (they're having a sale...it's not that bad) and they are supposed to arrive tomorrow. That means I'll have an excuse to mess with it some more. Woohoo!! Here comes the Kalk drip {fish techie pseudo-humor...you wouldn't understand). My coraline is looking pretty good though, even though I haven't been paying attention to the Calcium levels or anything else. A bunch of my live rock is covered in purple. I just rearranged it a bit so some is ugly hideous white as it's been hidden from the light but it'll spread or be covered with wonderful little corals. - Spend Less Money
Yeah, I know the above makes this seem dumb, but I spent way too much money in 2001. I need to cut back. I need to pay off my credit card first and then my student loan and be debt free. So, I'm not charging anymore. I actually did set up a savings account in 2001 and I've been putting $50 a month in it. That's good at least. I don't really want to touch that for bills or student loans. I'm thinking of trying to put $100/month in it and see where that gets me. The only thing is I have so many things to buy an not enough cash. I have dozens of pets to feed and they all eat expensive food. My dogs get about $80 a month in food. They also get heartworm and flea stuff but I only have to buy that every 6 months (and it's about $200 for all of it). My rabbit and my cat together probably get about $30. Then there's the fish and salt for them. I haven't been cleaning it much but I'll start with the new stuff. Then I have my credit card, newly upped with my class and a bit of Christmas and now I have my student loan. I know I'll have to pay about $600 to taxes (last year I had about $900 but I made less this year). A friend offered to do them for me if I took him to dinner. I had to pay $150 last year to get them done so that sounds like a deal and I have other various bills and expenses too like everyone else....and on top of all that I'm a spend thrift. Anyway, I don't know if I'll have $100 left over every month but we'll see. - Whine Less
The above mention of money will hopefully be the most whiny I get this year. I'm well aware that I'm a spoiled brat and I have nothing to complain about. You don't have to point it out. I know sometimes I sound ungrateful and pathetic but, really, I'm just blogging. I don't blog about all the good things that happen to me because they aren't as interesting as the bad. Misery loves company and all. - Blog More
I'm slacking off! I started blogging with good intentions. At least one sort of relevant thing a week. Over the last year, months passed with only one entry. And no, I'm not going to post idiotic things for sake of posting. I'm actually aiming for quality (as much as you can expect from me) and quantity. - Stop Making Top 10 Lists
You know, these things are annoying. They are long, nobody probably reads to 10 and even though I have ten ides when I sit down to write them, I always loose one or two along the way. Besides, saying it's a "Top Ten" lists places limits on my creativity (you can change that line to represent the BS of your choice).
Happy New Years one and all and may you and I both stick to at least some of our resolutions!
Posted by vixen at 07:31 PM | Comments (0)
Resolute on Bobby Flay
One of my resolutions is NOT to let up on Flay. Luckily, other people have joined me in not resolving to let up on Flay! Here's a sampling:
Bobby Flay Web Comic.
May the new year bring even more members to the anti-Bobby Flay ring (which is at 30 sites and going strong) and hope that the weenus keeps it up in 2002. Everyone needs a whipping boy!
Posted by vixen at 07:24 PM | Comments (19)
January 01, 2002
Bah, Stupid People
You know, nothing pisses me off more than to hear people bragging up their boozing as if it makes them something special. Even people telling me I should drink don't piss me off as much as that.
Last night was the "wonderful" New Year's Eve. Basically, it's one of the many excuses that people with nothing better to do and no real way of having a good time without chemicals use to get drunk off their asses and annoy the rest of us who do have more than half a brain. Frankly, I'm sick and tired of people thinking it's cool or something fun to do, or that people will like them and have respect for them. Listen up, kiddies, if your friends only like you because you drink, they're not real friends. Same goes for everything else--pot, sex, sniffing glue...
What's even dumber than that is when people actually drive home after they've been "partying." The hell do you think you are doing that? It's bad enough to take yourself down, but to risk taking down others who were smart enough to avoid the damn shit is just ridiculous. Use your heads a little for crying out loud :P. How would you like to be responsible for killing someone's loved one all because you don't think? How would you be able to live knowing that, if it weren't for your being "cool," somebody would still have their mother, father, brother, sister, or child? It's stupid and bloody selfish. It's also pathetic that you have no regard for anybody but yourself.
I saw on the news earlier that the cops around here raided a party and arrested minors in possesion along with the stupid bastards who furnished them with alcohol. Too bad everybody out drinking didn't get hauled in, especially the idiot children who think it makes them more adult. News flash, it doesn't. The fact that you think it does just shows your complete lack of maturity. Maybe when you grow up past the "I need everybody to like me" stage, you'll realize that all of this was a mistake. It's one thing if somebody actually has a drink or two and is responsible with it. It's another when somebody thinks it helps define who they are and figures everybody wants to hear about their escapades. To quote my grandfather, who was an alcoholic: "There's nothing more boring than someone drinking to someone who isn't." How true. Learn it and love it, morons, it ain't gonna change.
Tell me, what is the joy of getting shit-faced, puking all over yourself, and waking up sick as all hell? How in the world has that enriched your lives and made you a more likeable person? How does it make you a better person than who you are when you're not drinking? If somebody can actually give good reason for it, hell, I'll marry Bobby Flay. :P
Posted by ladyx at 11:25 PM | Comments (0)