Monday evening, slight headache

[cleolinda]

I want you to know, first of all, that I am not in a bad mood. I'm a little tired, but it's been a fun day with the puppies and we had a constant light snowing of cherry blossom petals up and down the street all day. I'm mostly just glad to be off duty now. I haven't been particularly inspired writing-wise the last few days, but c'est la vie. That said, I have a few things to get off my chest (all of them directed at various family members):

My room is not the Jones Household Computer Lab. Stop treating it as such. Y'all have computers of your own, and if they're overrun with viruses, that's not my fault. So QUIT IT. BOTH OF YOU.

I am lying down in pitch dark with a compress over my eyes Sunday afternoon. You come in and--yes--start using my computer. And talking to me. WHY ARE YOU TALKING TO ME? IN THE DARK? WHILE I'M CLEARLY HEADACHING? WHY DO YOU DO THIS?

If you are going to tell me not to take a shower because you need to take a shower, then TAKE A GODDAMNED SHOWER ALREADY. And DON'T run the water for twenty minutes with the door open before you even get started.

The toilet brush is not Excalibur. I am not the only person who can wield the power of scrub.

Don't throw food away. Just don't. You, in particular, have no grasp of which foods should stay and which should go. The cheese with the wide green vistas of mold? That can go. The muffins I baked this morning? HANDS OFF.

Fin.

Rare Semi-Identical Twins Discovered.

Sheep engineered with 15% human genes. UNCLEAN! UNCLEAN!

Famed former brothel Mustang Ranch burns.

Got problems? Blame Californians.

Is that a crocodile under your robe, or ...

From carebearssparky: Little girl with off-brand doll (and willing to pay $20 to have its hair styled) humiliated at American Girl store by stylist and other customers/parents.

Neil Gaiman on the Stardust trailer: "I like the trailer. I've seen a lot of other trailers for Stardust, and was astonished to see how much they vary and the impression they seem to give, and I realised how close the recut trailers for The Shining and The Parent Trap and Mary Poppins were to the truth. In November I saw one trailer for Stardust that gave the impression it was a film about three witches on their quest to become young again. I saw one that didn't seem to be about anything, but still left you feeling like you'd seen (and not enjoyed) the whole movie, which wasn't any movie that had ever been made. There was one trailer that gave the impression that this was a film about Tristran's quest to discover the riddle of his birth, which he solved by becoming a sky-pirate." That last one, I would totally go see that.

Ewan McGregor on Trainspotting Sequel: He and Boyle are Not Friends, Sequel Will Not Happen.

Requiem for a Fighter: Darren Aronofsky will helm "The Fighter, a fact-based boxing drama that will reteam Departed co-stars Mark Wahlberg and Matt Damon." Speaking of whom: Scorsese and DiCaprio Reteam on The Wolf of Wall Street; Wahlberg: "I Had Problems with Scorsese."

Michael Biehn Talks 'Avatar' -- Cameron Not Using Cameras?

Bond 22: Tomorrow's Rumors Never Die. My mother finally watched Casino Royale, by the way, and actually liked it, although she swore to the end that Daniel Craig "was not the most attractive actor they've ever had play Bond." Well, maybe not in the face, but... (Actual response: "Girl, he fine. Are we gonna have to watch this again? Don't lie.")

Comments

[gwenmary.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry you're so stressed. That kind of reminds me of this thing that went around MySpace awhile back. It went like this:
Directions:
write ten statements
intended to different people
with things you've always wanted to say.
never tell which one is to who.

It's kind of like therapy, lol..that's just my opinion. I hope you feel better and may you always be inspired.

[lotusbiosm.livejournal.com]

The American Girl link is broken- there's a "%20" in the middle of it (it works if you take it out)

[girlsetsfire345.livejournal.com]

That american girl doll story almost made me cry... my parents bought me an american doll (molly, I think?) for christmas when I was little. Looking back on it, I didn't have half as much fun with it as my no-name dolls, because they always wanted the American Girl doll to stay pristine. Plus, it was too big to play with. This story doesn't surprise me; I heard they discourage same-sex couples. For such an influential company in a young girl's formative years, they sure seem to be close-minded and brutal.

[thea-scooter.livejournal.com]

People and sheep should never mix. Ever. Even if it's just in a test tube.

[rebel-waltz.livejournal.com]

the California thing, especially the comment about their driving, made me laugh. my family back in Colorado has been complaining about the Californians there for years. whenever we go back there to visit they make a comment. also, the guy i've been in love with forever is from CA so i can definitely blame at least one problem on them XD

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Thanks--my email always inserts a random space to protect from junk spam, and unfortunately I forget to take it out half the time.

[erinya.livejournal.com]

I can't help thinking that the California-haters are jealous.

*would never live anywhere else*

It sounds like you need a lock on your door. Don't know what to do about the food, though. Warning labels?

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

I think the company's changed a lot since Pleasant Rowland left and it got sold to Mattel, quite honestly.

[redcoast.livejournal.com]

Aw, man! Your family got viruses (viri?) on their computers? Seriously, aside from the inconvenience, they could have their identities stolen. If you want to hear of some good freeware anti-virus programs, I got recs.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

I have a lock, but it doesn't work. This now makes two consecutive houses where my bedroom is the only one in the house that won't lock. *sob*

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Tell me what you've got--the problem in my mother's case is that we can't even get the computer to stay on long enough to start any of the programs.

[girlsetsfire345.livejournal.com]

True that. It's sad to see something I genuinely loved as a child become what it is now. Say what you will but those were where it was AT in the early-to-mid 90's as a young girl. It's like seeing what Nickelodeon was then, and is now. Ren and Stimpy, what what.

[lotusbiosm.livejournal.com]

Get a eyehook one (you know the kind where there's a hook and a hole and you put the hook in the hole and it keeps the door from opening). It'll only work when you're inside, but it'll keep people from bothering you when you're headachy or otherwise in need of solitude.

[oldfeatheryhat.livejournal.com]

For the record, I actually know a pair of half-identical twins, although it didn't happen the same way listed in the article. The egg split before fertilization, and then both the halves were fertilized, so they share their mom's DNA and not their father's (although I can't tell them apart, they even walk the same). But it is kinda cool.

[reannaremick.livejournal.com]

That American Girl story makes me want to throw up, I can't believe it! When I was a kid we didn't have enough money for American Girl dolls, but since my mum got a discount as a Toys R Us employee I could get the *paper* dolls which were still outrageously priced, but I loved them to pieces, most of them literally. That poor little girl...

[dreamingreader.livejournal.com]

The American Girl story made me so sad. I loved all the AG books when I was young and had a doll. I feel like then it wasn't this big deal to have one. I just seem to notice how the "designer-lust" is hitting younger and younger these days. I wish that something could be done for that little girl.

The Californian article made me laugh because I'm from Reno and we blame everything on Californians: bad driving, pollution, the drought.

[redcoast.livejournal.com]

Well, they won't help much for your mother's computer (though I do know of a few things that might help), but here goes:

Anti-virus:
AVG 7 (http://free.grisoft.com/doc/avg-anti-virus-free/lng/us/tpl/v5)
Avast (http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html)

Anti-spyware:
Spybot. (http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/)
AVG Anti-Spyware (http://free.grisoft.com/doc/20/lng/us/tpl/v5)

Anti-adware:
Ad-Aware (http://www.lavasoftusa.com/products/ad-aware_se_personal.php)

I'd say pick one from each category. I use AVG, Spybot, and Ad-Aware myself. For your mom, you probably need more heavy-duty tools. Will the computer stay on in Safe Mode?

[tifaria.livejournal.com]

I really want to believe that the American Girls story isn't true, because the other option makes me cry. It's just so, so.. the only word I can think of is really more of a distressed, muffled sort of screaming noise.

[raphaelle.livejournal.com]

"girl, he fine." *giggle*

um. yeah. i was hooked as soon as i saw the trailer, in which he walked out of the water in basically a pair of briefs. um, those thighs . . . *eyelash flutter*

also, i fangirl casino royale to a HUGE extent and i cannot wait for bond 22 (although i will be deeply disappointed by the fact that eva green won't be in it!).

[fauxkaren.livejournal.com]

Heck yes, the California haters are jealous. Also, I think it's only people who live in California who understand that SoCal =/= NorCal. Also, it is a well known fact that SoCal is far superior. Hehehe.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

I'll have to try Safe Mode. The sad thing is that I put Spyware Blaster, Ad Aware and something else (I forget) on their computer, and also made them switch to Firefox, and they still got viruses because they forgot to use the programs.

[linz-lou.livejournal.com]

"The toilet brush is not Excalibur. I am not the only person who can wield the power of scrub."

haha That seriously made me laugh out loud. I had a similar experience this weekend. I cleaned the bathroom Sunday - I mean, total scrub-down - and my sister says, "It's about time." Excuse me, but since when did you become too good to scrub the shower? It really annoyed me, but, at least the bathroom is spotless! :P

[discogravy.livejournal.com]

http://www.blogitude.com/uploads/2000/07/bartholo.jpg

Re American Girls Dolls:

[koritsimou.livejournal.com]

My first thought was how to donate my gently used Felicity doll to her, but my dim brain is trying to grasp some other, greater point that giving her the designer doll would ruin.

[discogravy.livejournal.com]

supar-secret-tip: give them user accounts w/o admin access. remove programs that cause problems (or their rights to use those programs). et viola.