Thinking Points...

I miss blogging.

I don't have nearly as much time to blog as I used to. /sigh

In an attempt to resolve both of these things, I think I'm going to start writing more 'bulletin style' posts...and I'll write detailed posts whenever I have the time.

Sound okay? Good! Let the bulletin points begin!

- Small town living is the worst. There's never anything to do [that doesn't require driving to another town], there are never any new people to meet, and internet connectivity is terrible.

- I've been watching the 3rd season of Orange is the New Black. I like the show and I'm glad that we are getting some backstories of different characters. In my opinion, there are other characters that are far more interesting than Piper. /ponder is she even the 'main character' anymore? If she is...why?

- Judging from the outcomes of some of the decisions I've made while playing TellTale's Game of Thrones, I definitely would not make it in Westeros. Or Essos. I've got about half of an episode left to play through before I join the ranks of gamers impatiently awaiting the release of the next episode. Last thing I read about the game said that the anticipated release date of episode 5 is towards the end of July. The end of July!!!! Uggggggh.

- If you're going to talk badly about someone, it's probably a good idea to make sure that that person isn't within earshot. Or....here's a thought...maybe just don't be a mean-butt that talks badly about people! What a novel idea!

- Have you seen the latest Disney/Pixar movie? The one with anthropomorphized emotions....
I saw it the week that it came out and I'm not sure how I feel about it. I think it was certainly a well-executed movie and I absolutely loved the concept...it just didn't seem like a very good children's movie. It was too deep. Then again...it may have been developed as a 'family' movie with humor and silly antics being used to give light to some seriously meaningful issues. /shrug yeah, this will probably be a good topic for a longer post.

- Have you ever known anybody that just doesn't pull their weight and take care of their share of things? Aren't they just the worst? How do you handle these type of people? [seriously, any tips/suggestions would be very helpful!]

- I cannot watch the news anymore. Nope. Done. Will someone be so kind as to remind me to turn it back on after the 2016 presidential election? Or maybe after the primaries? That is, unless there's going to be another Clinton disgracing the title of POTUS...then I'd like to know so that I can make some relocation arrangements...

- I've become increasingly aware that the majority of Americans truly do not care what is going on in their states, country, or even the world. Not as long as they're kept fed and entertained! Rather sad, if you ask me.

- I think I need to learn how to adult. I'm about to being another decade of life and I feel as if I'm still stuck at the beginning of my 20s... At what point am I supposed to start feeling like an actual grown-up?

- Thanks to the never-ending torrent of emails, I found myself seriously considering a reboot of some sort of online dating. Yes, I know that I, myself, said that this is a terrible idea. I still think it's probably a terrible idea. /sight what's an overtly geeky, introverted, working, single mother to do?

- Someone needs to invent a dating site/app that's for friendship! Yes! This needs to happen! I would definitely participate in something like that! Because, really, it's not a relationship that I want, per se...I really just want a friend to talk to and hang out with.../sigh yup. I'm a sad individual.

Sunday/Monday...

Hey hey....

Hope you guys are having a good Sunday...I made the fatal mistake of going grocery shopping today.

Thankfully, I was not drop-kicked by a rogue banana...but the grocery store was definitely packed. I'm guessing that Sunday afternoon must be a popular time to go grocery shopping...which, of course, means that I will no longer willfully go grocery shopping on Sunday afternoons. If waiting until Monday afternoon or even Thursday evening means that I won't have to dodge crowds of people and painfully long check-out lines, then sign me up! [This ends the grocery store quasi-rant...]

Remember a few posts back when I mentioned that I'd be starting a bible study on the book of Daniel? [click here to see said post] Well...here's a plot twist...

I'm now facilitating the bible study! Crazy, right?

/sigh I made the mistake of completing too many of the workbook's lessons [we were supposed to complete just one...I completed five]...thanks to my overzealous appearance, I was asked if I would facilitate. I assumed that entailed leading the discussion for the next week's lesson...and I assumed wrong. Apparently, I'd agreed to lead all of the lessons. All of them. [Because that's exactly what I need...a big ol' bowl of commitment with a heaping pile of anxiety on the side!]

Yep. That's me.

Luckily, I grew up with all of the ladies that are in the class with me [about half of them are family...not exaggerating], so the anxiety isn't nearly as crippling as it could be...but it's still a violation of my 'talk as little as possible' approach to life.

[Small statement of disclosure here: it's now Monday morning...I fell asleep before finishing this post....]

Has anybody listened/watched/read the news this morning?

The world has gone absolutely bonkers! And, as much as it pains me to say it, the United States is right at the front of the 'let's all go to hell in a hand-basket' parade!

We've got a presidential administration that is blatantly incompetent...the 'President' and his cronies have seemingly gone out of their way to prove this time and time again. We've got a 'Secretary of State' that thinks that bringing a washed-up folk singer to an impromptu Kumbaya session is an appropriate show of support in the wake of a tragedy...and so, so much more!

/ponders

Yeah, no. I'm not going to continue on that rant...it would take a good day or two of just typing, and I probably still wouldn't have finished.

And, odds are, if you keep up with the news at all, you are probably already aware of all the shenanigans and reading my rant really isn't necessary.

Internal angst aside...

I watched the latest episodes of Arrow, and I've got a little bit of fangirl ranting that I plan on addressing in my next post...check back soon!

Lego, Arrow, and Avoidance....

I promise I'm not the jerk that you
think I am...

Well...

I should probably start with an apology of sorts...

I hadn't originally planned on going almost two weeks between posts...but, every time I sat down and tried to start a post, I couldn't come up with anything worth posting...

After a few days, started a post wound up becoming quite the daunting task...kind of like when you've waited beyond the proper social conventions for responding to a friend or associate in a timely manner...it's not that you truly meant to take weeks to get around to calling/emailing/texting them back...but here you are...weeks later...attempting to respond to a now ancient message...and desperately attempting to construct said response in a way that sounds the least like an inconsiderate a-hole...

Yep...it's like that. [Do people without social anxiety issues have this same problem?]

Now that my awkward metaphorical tap dancing is out of the way, I can post about far more entertaining things!

Legos....Legos everywhere...

This past weekend, Birmingham hosted the Brick Fair...the Lego Convention has been around since 2008, but it's only been stopping in Alabama since 2012.

I'd decided to take the kiddo...and the crowd was much, much larger than I'd anticipated. I'd timed our arrival to be within 10 minutes of the start time...and we still had to wait in line a good 10-15 minutes before we had reached the table to buy tickets. I guess more people like Lego than I'd thought!

There were lots of vendors and lots or pretty awesome displays...if you are [or know] a Lego fan, I definitely recommend paying the Brick Fair a visit next year...

What else.../ponders...

Oh, yes...I've finally returned to watching Arrow...[and it feels like I'm cheating on Supernatural]

Now that I've started watching it again, I can't really remember why I'd put off watching the 2nd season for so long...the 2nd season is pretty amazing!

In the 2nd season, a lot of 'new' characters are introduced [though, some are not entirely new...some are just new to the pertinent story line]...and I would say that it's in this season, more so than the 1st, that you'll see more of the connections between the characters. I consider myself as fairly well-versed in the world of comic books...enough to have realized who some of the characters are before their 'big reveals'....and I am loving how the story has developed thus far [and certainly curious to see what they plan on doing in the future...there are so many possibilities!].

I suppose I've got a slight advantage...playing catch-up removes the agony of having to wait for weeks and weeks to see the next episode. [Having to wait for new episodes of Supernatural is killing me!] And I've programmed my DVR to record season 3 of Arrow...so I'll be all caught up soon enough...

But, yeah. Arrow. Awesome. Watch it.

Lastly...

WTF is going on with our government?

As I'm sure you know, our 'State of the Union' address took place last night. From what I heard, it was more of the same...nothing different form the straight manure that we've been thrown over the last 6 years. I elected to play Disney Infinity with the kiddo rather than subject myself to that bowlful of crazy.

Don't get me wrong...I am very concerned about the state of our nation. But I am adamant that the majority of this country's leaders are not in the same boat. Not by a long shot. Soooo yeah. There's that. It's crap.

There it is....got the awkward 'return post' out of the way...back to blog posting regularly! [That's the plan anyway!]

Political Soapbox Post...Well, Sort Of...

Yeah, I still love my plaid shirt...

So, yesterday was a rather important day...politically speaking, anyway...

Yesterday was the long awaited Mid-Term Election Day. I sincerely hope that every one that is able to vote went out and did so. I did! And I got the "I Voted" sticker to prove it! Everybody loves these little stickers, right?

Whatever your political affiliation might be, the outcome of these elections is irrefutable - our country now has a senate that is republican/conservative by majority.

Some people are upset about this and some people are ecstatic and relieved...whether this shift in political power plays towards improving our country or furthering its downward spiral...well, that's something that we'll have to wait and see.

As with every political election, there's the sideshow of rabid supports from both sides of the aisle slinging mud and stupid insults at any person or entity that has the 'audacity' to have an opinion that differs from their opinion. From my observations, a large portion of these shenanigans are mean-spirited, grade school 'political tactics' that are more based on ignorance and stubbornness than any fragment of actual fact.

Just my thoughts, but anyone that has to stoop to name calling to defend their view points probably shouldn't be in positions that hold any sort of political influence.

Jehmu Greene

One such unfortunate individual caught my attention this morning. I was listening to a local talk radio station during my drive to work and the show's host replayed a bit of audio from last night's broadcast. In the audio clip, a guest commentator was being interviewed for her thoughts on the resoundingly conservative results of the mid-term election. This person was Jehmu Greene, a staunch supporter of the democratic party who has been in and out of the media for the last 5 years or so.

Greene's outright hate for conservatives was glaringly obvious from the instant she started speaking. Greene was very quick to assert that conservatives, specifically the Tea Party, are responsible for the majority of the negative effects being felt throughout our country today. She continued to insist that the democratic party, including President Obama, have no liability for the condition of today's America. I wasn't able to find a transcript of this portion of the radio show, but her argument was something to the effect of the democrats not being liable because they've been handed impossible circumstances. The impossible circumstances? Republicans. She likened the republican party to her 3-year old nephew, going so far as to say that her nephew was actually easier to work with.

This isn't the first time that Greene has been publicly ridiculous. As a guest on the Hannity show, Greene attempted to use humor to thinly veil her hatred for the republican party by telling a joke whose punchline involved drowning Texas senator Ted Cruz and House majority leader John Boehner. Classy. Super classy. Links to information about the gaffe.

NewsBusters - Randy Hall's Blog - October 16, 2013

Carlson (Left) - the Bow-Tying White Boy

Greene - I Was Speaking the 'Stone-Cold Truth' With That 'Joke' about Drowning Republicans

Want more evidence that this sort of behavior is commonplace for Greene?

Greene Calls Tucker Carlson a 'Bow-Tying White Boy' on America Live

Yep. More name-calling, this time with some racist flair.

I looked up Carlson, and evidently he does try and rock a bow-tie on more than on occasion and it does look sort of goofy...but his preference for whimsical neckties doesn't belong in politics and neither does the color of his skin [just the same as the color of Greene's skin should be irrelevant, am I right?].

My point in writing this soapbox-ish post?

People like Greene are having an influence in politics and it's ridiculous. Rabid, poo-flinging supporters are blindly and savagely supporting both parties and it's ridiculous and it should be stopped.

How and by whom? That I don't know...but then again, I'm not in politics and I don't get paid to know these things and to spew my opinions everywhere...

But if anyone knows how to get paid to spew opinions, please let me know! I'd love to have a career that involves getting paid just to say what I think without having to do any research!!