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A Rant on the Self-Checkout: I Hope You Die!

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 20:41:00 GMT

I went grocery shopping at Pathmark the other day. When I went to check out with my 20 or so items, there were only two cashiers open (out of about 10), and both had extremely long lines. I eyed the other end of the checkout area where the "Self-Checkout" signs were flaming with repugnance. A haze of beeps and the computer's fakely nice voice echoed like the voice of Satan himself. There was no way I was going to confront the devil of the self-checkout; I'd much rather wait on line for eternity and be greeted by a mediocrely friendly cashier.

There's nothing I hate more than the annoying sound of the automated voice telling you to "Please scan your item" and "Please place your item on the belt." Okay, that might be a bit of an exaggeration-- there are things I hate more. But really, does anybody like the self-checkout at grocery stores? More Here...

July 5th, 1997

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 20:11:00 GMT

On this day 12 years ago, I made one of the biggest mistakes of my life. It was a mistake that would cost me my high school days, most of my teenage years and the experience of being a young lady growing into a woman. It was a mistake that took my innocence, made me grow up in a short amount of time and something that I will never forget or forgive.

It was the day that I began to be the girlfriend of the man who raped me. More Here...

Why I Refuse to Be Mean to People

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 19:41:00 GMT

In life, I have experienced a great deal of cruelty. In point of fact, we all have. We all have been to the points in time where there are the small cruelties of childhood that time magnifies - yelling, fighting, screaming, arguing, defending. There are also the greater cruelties of life - loss of mother or father, lost of friend or sibling or loved one. The ravages of a cruel world on simple people, or on the complicated. The rain falls on the simpleton and the socialite alike, you know...

That is my first reason to choose to not be mean. The world is cruel enough already, without my adding to it. By choosing, actively, to avoid adding to that cruelty, I am aware that even if I do not make the world a better place, I also do not make it a worse place. More Here...

Why I Don't Like American Apparel Ads

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 04:04:00 GMT

If you buy a flute, you own a flute. So why is it that when you buy a camera, you're a photographer?

I like American Apparel. There’s one about to open on Grafton Street in Dublin, and I’m looking forward to having somewhere to buy my basics. But the one thing that has always put me off are the store's ad campaigns:

The lookbook shots are tacky and poorly taken, the lighting is awful, and many of those girls should not be wearing those outfits!

It actually makes me uncomfortable to look at them. I can see where they’re coming from: real girls in real clothes and all that. But I avoided the store for a long time because of the slutty-and-tacky-fashion-victim factor.

There have actually been times where I’d look at something in the shop and say, "Oh there’s a possibility", and then I see the modeled picture beside it and be completely put off the purchase!

I’ve come across tons of fashion blogs where the authors photograph their own outfits in basic, beautiful shots that make me want to buy the clothes off their backs! So why can’t a big chain store manage that?

I don't know, they’re fairly popular so maybe it’s just me with the problem.

What do you think? Are the American Apparel ads catchy or tacky?

Guest blog submitted by A Chick Named Hermia

Job Title; Lazy A**. Description: In Your Dreams

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 03:34:00 GMT

Ye Ole Job Hunt...hmmm, I thought putting it in old english verse would make it less daunting...nope, still sucks. I swear, I just absolutely HATE it!!! And I am reading xangan after xangan going through the same drill, looking desperately for a job and finding zilch. Filling out form after form after pointless form, all hoping to get a FIRST interview. If someone could please tell me the reasoning behind questions like, 'Do you think it's okay to steal from the cash drawer?' I'd appreciate it. To weed out the ones on weed is my logic. But how about 'Are you bipolar?' Is that even legal to ask? They get more bizarre; 'How many times a week do you wear fish net stockings?', 'Would you rather find a booger in your icecream or a beetle?', 'How do you feel about being peed on?' More Here...

I’ll Have Coffee with My Coffee: Gilmore Girls, Dating, Marriage, and Quirky Charm

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 03:04:00 GMT

One of my favorite shows is Gilmore Girls. And Lorelai Gilmore is, without question, one of my television heroes. Self-sufficient to an astounding degree, she left home at the age of sixteen (okay, I didn’t do that), had a kid (okay, I skipped that part, too), and became a successful woman (I’m working on it). Like a caffeine-powered, Jimmy Choo wearing Super Woman, this character possesses a level of quirky charm that could—if she really existed—resurrect Jesus and possibly block out the sun. Okay, I kid.

One thing that I always liked about Lorelai is that she had standards when it came to men. Sure, her dating record was as marred as anyone else’s, but she didn’t date just to date. Recently, I’ve been thinking about all the women I know, and I’m wondering what happened. Instead of focusing on dreams and careers, it’s about finding a boyfriend—any guy will do! Hey, you there! You’ll do! More Here...

I'm The Only Girl Without A Promise Ring

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:25:00 GMT

Not just any ring.... but a Promise Ring. A ring that says, "I love you and I promise to always love you." Even if you're in a really good relationship... isn't nice to have that little symbol on your finger so you can show if off to your friends, or show it off to the haters so they know not to mess with you.

I really want one. But I don't want to get it just because it's something I want. I want it to be given to me because the gift giver really wants me to have it. Do you get it? More Here...

Four-Way Intersections

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:55:00 GMT

As I travel around my adopted hometown of Krungthep, I sometimes see things and think, "Oh, that is so very Thai." These things usually seem innocuous enough at first glance, but I think they illustrate the differences between Thai culture and other cultures. Four-way intersections are a good example.

When I drive in the US (or pretty much any "developed" country), there are rules and laws and signs and to some degree, everyone follows them. Very little is left entirely to human nature and the good will of the drivers. More Here...

The "News" is Just Another Television Show.

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:25:00 GMT

My problem with television - beyond the not-reality of reality shows and over-the-top "talent" contests - is that the news is now just like every other show.

I'm really not interested in news personalities having personalities. I want action, not acting. Let's hear what happened in some far-off place I'll never visit, rather than consider the finer points of the anchorperson's presentation skills or his or her outfit. Please, they're paid to look good; I do it for free. You can bet I wouldn't let my stellar personality distract you from the trouble going on in the world. No matter how good I'd look, people are dying, while the U.N. just sends volunteers all the time, and people win Nobel Peace Prizes, even when fighting persists. Talk about it. That's right; so what that Billy from our hometown High School High wins a National Merit Scholarship? Some dude you saw on your public transportation commute robbed a liquor store for cash but left the cigars in the humidor. Classy. You want tragedy, pain, loss, and heartache, and I'd deliver it, stoically, and quickly:

"Yeah, so... things went down, today. Michael Jackson died... not today, but recently. Same thing. Another celebrity died, too, adding to the unreasonably-high famous-people death toll, this summer."

"This just in: Michael Jackson is dead, and tabloids are now filing for bankruptcy for lack of material, and appealing to Congress for a bailout." More Here...

Would You Let Your Teenager Take Birth Control?

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 19:52:00 GMT

I watched an episode of George Lopez, and Carmen, the soon-to-be-16-year-old-daughter was asking for birth control pills. More Here...