Gift Cards: The Gift of Champions
This lovely post over at The Guardian is exactly why I tell my friends and family to give me gift cards (or cash) instead of actual gifts. In fact, I am adamant about requesting gift cards (or cash) from family because they, of all people, have no idea what I read or what types of things I enjoy, stemming from the fact that they don’t hang out with me on a regular basis and even close family members (short of married couples) tend to forget things.I have had many problems with receiving gifts that I didn’t need, just like the article above mentions. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate said gifts. It’s nice to know that someone thought about me when they bought me something, even if it was something I didn’t need or didn’t want. Regardless, I make it a point to tell family and friends to just get me cash or a gift card, particularly to a book store (because, to be honest, I enjoy buying books more than any other commodity, which is why one wall of my room is covered in books from the floor almost to the ceiling).So, perhaps a good word of advice for people who “think” they know what to buy a friend would be to just get a gift card to a store you know they shop at. If your friend goes to Borders a lot, then get a gift card there, and the same goes for Target, Walmart, and all the other stores you can think of (heck, even nifty local places sometimes have gift cards). Even better is to give cash to a friend whom you know could use it. Granted, gifts shouldn’t be given to pay off debts and what not, but giving someone cash allows that person to make their own decisions on how to use it (and I would caution you to telling them, “Oh, this is so you can pay off your credit card bill”, because that would probably tick them off).Some people think that gift cards are lazy, thoughtless gifts. There is some truth to that; after all, some people get gift cards at the last minute and hand them off like they’re the best gifts ever. For me, gift cards are the best gift because it allows me to find the things I want rather than having to deal with all the stuff I would get otherwise that would end up never getting used.So, get your friends and family gift cards. Seriously. It’s okay. (Don’t click the read more, there isn’t any more after this!)
Networks Are Evil
Sometimes even smart people (like Joss Whedon) say things that make you go, “What?”. Mr Whedon has been filming his new TV show called Dollhouse and managed to utter this in regards to Fox not liking the initial pilot: Buffy didn’t make the fall sched, Angel got shut down when they saw the second ep outline… it’s birth pangs. The network truly gets the premise (this is a whole new crew, as you know), loves the cast, is excited about the show – but they’re also specific about how they want to bring people to the show and I not only respect that, I kinda have to slap my forehead that I didn’t tailor my tone and structure to the network’s needs, since that’s something I pride myself on . . . I tend to come at things sideways, and there were a few clarity issues for some viewers. There were also some slight issues with tone – I was in a dark, noir kind of place (where, as many of you know, I make my home), and didn’t bring the visceral pop the network had expected from the script. The network was cool about it. Now, I respect Mr. Whedon because I happen to like his work (well, mostly I like Firefly and have a passing interest in Buffy), but there’s something really wrong about a guy as famous and truly intelligent as Whedon telling us that he should be tailoring his interests to the network. And not just any network, mind you, but Fox, the station that has killed just about every good scifi show it has ever laid its hands on; it even tried to kill X-files several times, and we all know how stupid that would have been. Then you look at Firefly, which had a brilliant premise, amazing actors, amazing everything (possibly one of the greatest and shortest lived science fiction shows to ever grace the small screen). Fox cancelled that, and do any of us think that was a good idea? Maybe a few cranky nuts do, but most of us look at Firefly and wonder what the hell Fox was thinking in the first place.What exactly is dumb about all this? Well, the fact that he thinks he needs to tailor himself to a network. Of course, you have to tailor yourself a little, but other networks wouldn’t be so anal as Fox, so why deal with Fox at all? Do they own Whedon or something? Is he bound by contract to write them new shows? Why not peddle your interests to networks more willing to work with you? Fox sucks anyway. True, they have Family Guy and The Simpsons and loads of other popular shows, but ABC and NBC aren’t all that bad anyway. Why are you dealing with these guys in the first place, Mr. Whedon?You know what, we like Joss Whedon’s strange, sideways view of things. Really, we do. We like his ideas and the ways he presents them. The numbers say it’s so. Fox needs to get over the fact that they don’t understand science fiction and realize that we viewers do. Stop fiddling with our science fiction! And Mr. Whedon, stop pandering to the network. Pander to the masses. We like you better.
The Dark Knight: Too Violent?
Alright, having read this post at Yahoo I thought I’d make this handy guide for parents that will help them decide whether or not to take their children to see our bat-like neighborhood vigilante (well, not “our” neighborhood, but someone’s): Does the term “PG-13” cause you to have a fit because it’s just too mature for your thirteen year old? If not, move to step two. Does the phrase “Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and some menace” act as a good indicator for the type of film you don’t want your children seeing? If not, move to step three. Did you take your child to the first one? Were they scared or upset by it? If not, move to number four. Do clowns scare you or your children? If not, move to step five. Are you one of those overly-sensitive types that sends a letter to your congressman every week demanding that the movie and television industries go back to the the days of Andy Griffith? If not, move to step six. Take your kids to see the movie. Basically, if you’re going to get upset about violence and think it may be too much for your kids, then it is too much for your kids. If, however, your thirteen year old has a solid grounding in the reality about movies, then it shouldn’t be a problem. Don’t blame the movie or the producers if the film was too much for you or your kids (or at least what you think is too much for your kids). It’s your fault for not doing the research. That’s all I have to say about that. (Don’t click the read more, there isn’t any more after this!)
It’s Official, All Politicians Suck
…and should have their jobs taken away from them and given to people who are not politicians. The President also should be an impartial party who does not hold ties to any industry, particularly companies with a significant amount of power as it is (like, oh, I don’t know, oil companies).President Bush has gone off and done what all Republicans and Democrats do: blame someone else for what plagues the country. Rather than accepting responsibility for the fact that he and his party have done practically nothing to alleviate the economic stress forced upon the average American by oil companies who refuse, for some reason, to make significant leaps into the reusable fuel infrastructure, he has gone one step into stupid land and declared the following: “It’s time for members of Congress to address the pain that high gas prices are causing our citizens,” the president said. “Every extra dollar that American families spend because of high gas prices is one less dollar they can use to put food on the table or send a child to college. The American people deserve better.” And: Bush said that Democrats are at fault and that “Americans are increasingly frustrated with Congress’ failure to take action.” No, what Americans are frustrated with is a government that doesn’t give a flying f*ck about them. We’re tired of fuel costing us $4+ a gallon. We’re tired of there not being economically viable alternatives. We’re tired of the government’s and this administration’s failure to put adequate pressure on oil companies or on the industry itself to provide these alternatives. We’re tired of hearing about how you want to drill in Alaska and ruin beautiful, vital natural habitats that maybe some of us would like to get to see without having to look at those ugly oil rigs. We’re tired of getting screwed in the butt because you and your lackeys are more concerned with lining your pockets with more money or spending your time dealing with what you perceive to be moral issues of society when you could be spending your time helping the country become better (as opposed to driving it into the ground and not giving a fig about it). We’re tired of our politicians bickering all the time (yes, that means you too Democrats) rather than doing what they’re supposed to do: compromise when reasonable.Mostly, we’re tired of you and your administration and everyone else who claims to represent the public’s interest because you aren’t doing what we hired you for. We’re paying your salary and you have failed us repeatedly. The fact that the United States is not in a state of civil war (or, at the very least, a conflict of proportions akin to the protests during Vietnam) shows that Americans have considerable restraint. We’re being extraordinarily patient and lenient right now.All we want from you is the following: Stop fighting. Seriously, just stop it. I don’t care if someone is a Democrat or a Republican. You all suck. Yes, I’ve said it. Every single one of you suck. There may be good Dems or Reps, but in the end, it’s the same old yarn over and over and Dems doing this and Reps doing that and both hating each other for virtually no reason anyway. You are hired to do a job. DO IT. Bickering is wasting our taxes and we’re sick of it. Stop telling us that it’s someone else’s fault that you failed to do something (like, oh, I don’t know, driving the cost of oil down). Bush, I’m talking to you. Get out of your fantasy world where the Democrats are evil and you can blame them for everything. You are just as bad. Stop trying to push for drilling in pristine locations like Alaska. I don’t care if there is oil there. Seriously, I don’t. Just because there’s something there that you want doesn’t mean I want you drilling there. Leave it alone. We already destroyed the Native Americans and stole their land. Leave some for nature please. Contrary to what you might think, Mr. Bush, Americans actually do like pretty scenery. Stop violating our civil rights to make you feel better. I don’t feel safer. I feel violated when you make new laws that toss the Constitution out the window. I’d rather live in the dark without intelligence agencies, because the fear of being spied on for essentially no valid reason is more terrifying than getting bombed. Stop cramming moral garbage down our throats. I don’t care if someone is gay and neither should you. If you don’t like gays, don’t associate with them. Stop trying to make laws that turn them into second class citizens just cause you get the hee bee gee bees. The Bible belongs in Church and, if you’re one of those types, in the home. It doesn’t belong in politics. Use common sense instead. Should we kill people with our bare hands? Probably not. Should we violate young children or do nasty things to innocent people? No. Common sense wins. Stop being an *sshole. That goes for all of you politicians. Stop it. There are more important things than your ego. Here are a few very valid and good examples: education, immigration, the economy, the wars (yes, plural, I know, you didn’t know Afghanistan was still going on did you?), civil rights, the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and even the Special Olympics, because all of those things are more important than your petty personal opinions about things. It’s okay, really. In fifty years you’ll likely only be remembered for being a jack*ss anyway. Stop doing things for your personal interests or the interests of business. Start doing things for the people, because that’s your job. Stop halting research into science because you don’t understand it. Just because you’re an uneducated moron who doesn’t know what gravity is doesn’t mean you should ban something from happening. If you don’t want to educate yourself on science, then you have no
Poor Baby
Dear Mr. Obama,If you’re going to throw a temper tantrum every time someone says or depicts something about you that you don’t agree with, what exactly makes you think I want you as our Commander in Chief? Right now you don’t have your finger on the big red button, but if you became President…you would.My advice: Stop throwing a fit and realize that your political campaign from now until whenever it is you cease being a part of the Presidential world is going to be marred by rumors and this little thing called Satire. You’re supposed to be educated, so look it up in the dictionary and stop being a baby. It might be tasteless, but it’s doing what journalism does. You don’t have to like it, but stop being a baby about it. Probably the only good thing I can say about President Bush is that he doesn’t get all uppity when someone makes fun of him on television or draws a picture of him doing something questionable in satirical fashion. It might be because he’s not mentally capable of contemplating such things, but I doubt it.So please, stop being a baby and laugh. Thank you. (Don’t click the read more, there isn’t any more after this!)
Destroying America (one step at a time)
Congratulations America. Really, well done. This is the man you voted in twice. How does it feel being fisted by your own government? Like warm apple pie perhaps? And before anyone gets in a tiffy over this rather rudely placed comment: I’m referring to those that voted for Bush not once, but two times, passing on Al Gore and John Kerry, the first of which was by far the better choice and the second of which was still better than the mentally handicapped nitwit that sits in office now, twiddling his thumbs as he contemplates what else he can do to screw this country. (I have no intention to make this blog a political one, but I just can’t shut up about this. This is too much and I’m showing considerable restraint right now.) (Don’t click the read more, there isn’t any more after this!)