"Spring Cleaning," or "I Hate Chores"

So now that spring has officially pushed winter off the ledge, it's time for that yearly renewal that we all anxiously await. Did you detect a hint of sarcasm? It's there, I assure you.

I've been using this blog for about four months now. It began as a vessel of my Digital Writing class and has turned into something that I actually care about. I've had blogs before, but they fizzled. This blog, however, feels comfortable to me--it's kinda like home.

That being said, I've had a few visitors lately in the form of assignments that were to be posted to this blog. I had to open up my home and allow those horrible-looking assignments to be posted. Fortunately, they are now gone. Deleted. Spring-cleaned.

Also of note, I am going to be adding a lot more to this blog--not only will this be an outlet for my views on the world in text, but also audio. That's correct, the podcast has been revamped and as soon as I can find out how to fix the feed, it will be available here on the blog, or on its very own website.

I am hoping to stick with my original manifesto for this blog and really make my voice heard. I know people have to listen to it, but maybe if I scream loud enough...

For those of you who actually read this blog, please leave comments. I really appreciate hearing feedback. Thanks for putting your voices out there too.

Look, Ma, I'm Sharing!

Check out the portfolio homepage I made for my collected works.

It might not be as interesting as my bitching and moaning about things, but if you have nothing else to do and it's raining outside... it might be worth checking out.

Manifesto Revisited

Oh yes, it is spring once again and it's time to start anew! It's time to look into our closets and the nooks of our pantries and throw out everything that is old and tired. Away with the sweater you bought last winter that you will never wear again. Out with those old Justin Timberlake albums. 

A wizened professor informed me that I also need to revise the manifesto that I posted at the beginning of this blog. The problem is, I don't feel that my manifesto needs revising. I am not sure how I feel about that--is it better that I haven't flip-flopped or have I not become enlightened? 

I still stand by my original utterances--words are power. Words are ideas and words are change. I believe that everyone should share their thoughts and their ideas, I believe people should spread the word. 

One day, someone will read what I've written and it will give them a new perspective. I am not saying that they will change their lives because of something that I've shared, but perhaps they will think twice. I believe this because I've had some of my perspectives changed by reading works from my fellow human beings. 

At the end of the day, we are all strong influences on one another. I intend to spread my influence and allow others to pass theirs along to me. This is necessary for our society to grow--we must keep out minds open to new ideas.

We must spread the word.

In case of emergency...

...please proceed to the nearest Apple Store.

((So I have to update my zero followers on a couple of points.

ONE: you may notice that there are some random things posted to my blog that don't seem to fit in with the usual format. Rest assured, it is only for my Digital Writing class. Once this semester is over, they will be hidden from the public view. Thanks for caring. Or not--it's whatever, really.

TWO: Apologies for my absence. I've been lazy. Sue me.))

Many of you may know that in all fantasy, I'm a vampire. That is, I sleep when the sun is out. I don't know why, but that has become my cycle over many years. It really sucks when I have something to do during the daytime. It will suck even more when I finally get that coveted nine-to-five.

Last night (and by last night I really mean 3 a.m. this morning) I decided to ride around for a while. I was developing cabin fever and just needed to get away. My trip took me everywhere you could imagine in the Washington, D.C. metro area.

Along the way, my iPhone's battery began to die. I plugged it into the new car charger that I got--then it started acting foolish! The buttons (the physical ones) stopped working. When I reset the phone, the battery wouldn't hold a charge.

Jump to this evening when I went to the Apple Retail Store. I signed up for an appointment and raced to the mall. Surprisingly, I got there early. When I finally got called to the Genius Bar, the girl there (who didn't tell me her name) noticed that the case was cracked on the back. I told her about the battery. She did a diagnostic test on my phone. When she came back, she told me that she would just give me a new phone because my case was cracked and she could replace it just for that reason. Apple always amazes me.

The downside... iTunes doesn't back up your photos =(

Let's pat ourselves on the back!

Are y'all gonna watch the Oscars tonight? I must admit that I won't. I will be reading about it tomorrow. I don't care about celebrities getting together in their rented dresses and wallowing in self-appreciation. I am sure that there will be some noteworthy performances to discuss... Heath Ledger maybe? We will see!

More to come!

Just for the record...

I fucking hate Fox News Channel.

I happened to be surfing through the channels and came upon a show hosted by some guy named Sean Hannity. Not only did he have guests on his show that still referred to African Americans as "Blacks," but he wanted to talk about Obama looking like a monkey!

What the hell, is this the damned 1950s? Thanks for throwing some more gasoline on the fire that is racism, Fox News. You're about as irresponsible as that homeless mother with 14 children.

I also want to say that this Hannity guy plays his hate mail on the air. He complains that he and Fox News are the voices of reason. Seems odd to me that the voice of reason would receive hate mail. And if indeed they were the voice of reason, don't you think that voice would be able to deduce that playing hate mail on live TV is an idiotic idea?

Republicans and all of their let's-keep-our-heads-up-our-asses bullshit is really starting to wear on me. The Democrats won in many races across the country in droves. If I had a voice of reason, I think it would tell me to shut the hell up and stop whining already. Until Obama screws our country like Bush did, they have no room to talk at all.

I've been very rant-y lately, haven't I?

This doesn't feel quite right

Remember the eight-year-old boy that shot his father and his father's roomate? You remember, the one that the cops interrogated without the presence of a parent or lawyer? Apparently, he plead guilty today!

The now nine year old (who has remained anonymous due to his age) has allegedly come to the decision on his own. He has not been sentenced yet, but it has been decided that the courts will have say in his life until he is at least eighteen.

The Associated Press broke the story today, and you can check it out here.

This doesn't sit with me well. From the beginning I don't think things have been conducted properly. As I said, the boy's questioning was suspect from the start. Now, I wonder, do the proceedings seem a little off to anyone else but me? What judge would accept a nine-year-old boy's guilty plea? I am not sure that a child of that age, if he has a full understanding of the trial and all of its implications, should be able to submit a guilty plea. Where was his lawyer or his mother? Why was there a trial in the first place? It seems as though there should be a different way to handle something like this. Regardless of what anyone else says, I don't think you can convict a nine year old because it is nearly impossible that he or she understands the affects of his or her actions.

This entire debacle is very suspect to me. What kinds of precedents will this set?

How low can you go?

I haven't spoken a word about this woman thus far because, like mamma says, if you can't say something nice... well, you get the picture.

It's been a rough road for the mother of octuplets, Nadya Suleman. Not only does she have a total of 14 children, live in a three-bedroom home with her mother, and refuse to get a job; but now she's losing her home!

Perez Hilton reports that Nadya's mother has neglected to pay any mortgage payments since May 2008!

After digging around a bit, I've also found that this family has trouble paying for anything. TMZ.com has discovered that around two years ago, she got a boot on her van for having multiple delinquent parking citations while going to class at Cal State Fullerton. Not only was her car disabled, but she had left two of her children in the car while she was in class! Check out the story and the pictures here.

After all the headlines, I have something to say. Buckle up kiddies, it's time for a rant.

I would first like to say that I do not have issues with reproductive aids for those who need them. I understand that many times, one of two partners in a couple may be infertile. I am not sure what Nadya's reasoning is, but again, when it comes to her body, I believe she can do what she wants with it and face the consequences when they come around.

Regardless of my beliefs, however, she has crossed the line into irresponsibility. She is being a reckless mother. I am not one to judge as I am not a parent, but I cannot imagine under the current circumstances that these children will grow up with the resources they need to have a healthy, productive, and meaningful life. No matter what Suleman says, no matter how much love is in her heart, it will be difficult for her to provide herself emotionally to that many children at once.

This woman is being reckless financially as well. She knew that she could not afford her kids. From the looks of this recent website, she was looking to get donations to help raise them all along, just as many multiple-birth couples have had in the past. The difference is that those couples were trying to help themselves, Suleman is not. Allegedly, she has a nanny that takes care of the kids--for $500 a week! Five-hundred dollars a week for a nanny when they can't afford to keep their home? She's not even working to try to support them! This nanny is naive--where is this money coming from? She claims not to be getting help from the government, but recent revelations reveal those claims to be complete bullshit.

I feel sorry for these children and I hope that they are able to reach every goal that they set in their lives. I feel sorry that their mother is so irresponsible and batshit crazy. I can only hope that there is someone out there that will give the kids what they need to succeed. I am not one to advocate families being separating, but if things don't begin to straighten out, maybe the foster system would be a better option.

What this woman does with her life is none of my business--to each her own. My concern is for the children and her irresponsibility, I feel, is going to make lasting impressions on each of them.

Maybe it's just me, but...

I am so sick of hearing about financial problems!

I don't mean to sound like a complainer, it's just starting to clog the news like nothing before.

We all have heard about the financial bailout, the car maker bailout, the economic bailout, and now we will have a homeowner bailout. Not only that but we hear about the scandals with Blagojevich, Burris, and now UBS. When is this crazy train gonna pull up to the station and let everyone off?

Can't we hear about something intriguing? I don't mean to complain, but I would rather hear about the missing little girl in Florida or the crazy chimp that mauled a woman this week. Those are the real stories, everything else is just a broken record with no humanity.

Blame it on Barbie!

Mattel's internationally popular doll, Barbie, turns 50 this year.

After hearing comments about Barbie, I ask you--do you think that the ever-popular doll has shifted the focus from female practicality to female superficiality? Has she played a part in the explosion of materialism? Is she a beauty or a bitch?

Whether life is imitating art, or art imitating life, Barbie has certainly played a roll in the lives of many children for generations. It doesn't look like she's going to stop anytime soon.