30 April 2003

Fishing Anyone?
I'm not a great advocate for fishing, but more because it's deathly boring than cruel. However it has always bothered me that hooks rip the mouth of the fish so badly. Snagging season (in Michigan) really bothers me too. I could never watch it when my uncles and grandfather would go snagging because it just ripped into whatever they could literally "snag" to pull it out of the river. I never complained though because I love salmon!

An article quoting the head of PETA's just killed me though: "It's shocking that people will still go fishing for fun. We argue that for every cruel thing people do, there is a compassionate alternative." Ummm...would you rather us net them so they just suffocate instead of get mouth snagged? If you want to get down to it, all the methods of killing (especially fish) seem rather far from "compassionate." Considering that the fish market will not be going away, and the web of live will continue regardless of PETA, I thought that was a rather flimsy statement.

28 April 2003

OH...
And if you want to do well on your next date guys, please note today and Saturday's "Cathy" comic on my sidebar. If you date is a normal girl (they usually are down deep even if they try and hide it) they will love you for this treatment. HINT ERIC
Nervewracking Adoption
...without the roller coaster. Bethany did not work out at all. She was the grumpiest rabbit in the world. She bit both Eric and me, and wouldn't let us touch her. *hmph* I like the advert line "...and she loves to be petted." Whatever. So I'm going to meet Elizabeth, an albino that looks identical to my first rabbit. I already met Rowan, and she is also a very good candidate, but is a lot smaller than what I would like. Rowan was extremely friendly though. I'm just really upset that the website made out like Bethany was loving, then the foster mum tells me that she's really grumpy and doesn't really like to be around humans. She even growled at us!!

I was able to go straight to a really nice cookout with some friends after the rabbit experience though, and that was really fun. It's been a long time since I've been to a cookout, but tis the season! It got me in the mood to host one. :)

25 April 2003

I feel a bit "old." I was at the ballet tonight and there were a bunch of giggling high schoolers behind me, so I turned to give them the "look," which resulted in instant silence. *sigh* Is my face that grouchy???

On a lighter note, Peter Allen Webb's little digital camera is so cute!!!
Continuing the animal rights discussion...
I found this article most infuriating. (Thank you Neal for pointing me in that direction of the National Review Online.) Basically, I am being told by the animal rights people that we can't experiment on the monkeys so that we can better understand the virus that is currently killing hundreds, but we should "use humans diagnosed with permanent unconsciousness." This goes way beyond the rights of animals. I love animals. I think that they DO have a certain level of rights, especially to avoid extinction and to preserve ecologies that are necessary for a proper Earth environment. BUT, to experiment on people????, not a common animal species of which has no danger of extinction????

Does anybody notice that we experiment on animal species that are very productive, and that we breed species to specifically experiment in order to save lives? But now, we "should" experiment on comatosis or vegatable-state humans to save other humans? Where is the respect or logic? Animals do not have souls; they breed and die. Simple as that. But we'll advocate (not me though) to experiment on another soul?

Please explain.
*sigh*
I just had to explain the functional difference for data exposure between a database and a website to my boss. He truly did not know.

24 April 2003

Ramblings to think about...
I found it very interesting upon noticing the kindness we humans are (sometimes) to technology, and how courtesy is (occasionally) lacking to fellow humans. For example, Eric drives up to the Taco Bell drive-thru and very nicely says "no thank you" to the automated welcome advertisement that blasts at you as soon as you pull up, but proceeds to treat the fellow at the drive-thru like crap...basically mumbling something totally incomprehesible as he grabbed the bag from the kid. I can't decide if it's more of a sporotic individual act, or if we tend to do that as a whole?

22 April 2003

Animal rights wacko-ism?
I am an animal lover to the core. Tree Frogs are among my top favourites, as I sponsor one at the Cincinnati Zoo. I have been discouraged by my wonderful, but in this case, cruel, husband from having a Tree Frog as a pet. Therefore, I have extended my home to a poor homeless rabbit that needs adopted. Bethany (was already named) is 6.5 pounds and a rabbit mutt (no particular breed, it seems). Although I had some concerns about Bethany living with Q (our cat), they become less when I realized that Bethany was not much smaller than the cat. Also, Q is being declawed next week, and is prohibited from the basement, where Bethany will reside. (Bethany's litter trained, so that's good - and YES, rabbits can be litter trained!)

However, I was a little perturbed of the process of bunny-adoption. Upon application completion, you have to go through a telephone interview, and then endure a house visit. Ummm...OK I guess. I can see that a facility would want to make sure that the home was suitable for the rabbit, I think. I'm starting to think they're a little obsessive though. However, I was informed that follow-up visits would occur, to make sure that the rabbit was adapting well to the new environment. OK, that's nuts! It's a rabbit for god's sake, NOT a human baby!

Now watch...the adoption counselor's going to read my blog and not let me adopt Bethany...*yeesh*

19 April 2003

Engineers
In two words: Exhausting Conversationists...and my reaction.

Let me explain. I was in my little happy world of Legal Beaglism when my world was suddenly infiltrated with engineers. Fortunately, I can usually follow the line of conversation relatively well, except I get to a snapping point, of which I have arrived tonight. This is when the constant battle of analytical logic is heaped onto the previous spat of analytical logic, hoping to disprove a different viewpoint that was also arrived with analytical logic. Born engineers have an amazing capacity to continue the onslaught of analytical logic to disprove or prove a point for eons. Born lawyers have an amazing capacity to not really give a damn of what another person thinks of their logic or point because they are right anyway. We also enjoy spats of analytical logic to prove or disprove a point, but when it gets down to it, and the conversation comes to a close (which happens far more quickly), you simply tell your disagreeing friend that they are wrong, in whatever terms you want, i.e., tell them to go to hell or whatever enters your mind because you are done with the conversation.

If you can't tell, I have recently come away fused from engineering analytical thinking...a lot of it. I mean, they can't even read the "store hours" sign without an analytical approach.

I probably shouldn't blog this, because it's late AND I'm fused, but hell, it's my blog, and I have a right to post my irritating thoughts as well as my good thoughts, with even a few insightful thoughts. Don't hold your breath for insightful ones though.

16 April 2003

Back to School!
Yay! I start my Masters with the University of Pheonix online July 17, 2003. I'm going for a MA in Education, specializing in website design for facilitation and curriculum development for online training. Basically, I'm learning online how to be a professor online. It's going to be interesting! I'll be glad to get this done because there are a lot of business schools within universities that are going to the online version of education. Since my Bachelors is a BSM, I can stay home and teach from there. *happy*

14 April 2003

Saturday
Since I was in major depression that my husband works for a worthless client that can't coordinate schedules intelligently, so he has to work ALL weekend (note my bitterness), I lapsed in a coma of watching Stargate for 5 hours. After that, I decided that I might change what was seeming to become a rut, so I played Dungeon Siege to improve my character that is running around in multi-player with Eric. (We both started with "no experience" characters in multi-player.) I had nightmares that night when I dreamed that I went through the Stargate and had to kill Krugs to save my life.

I have decided that his client must die...after I sue them for reckless endangerment of my sanity.

11 April 2003

Look into yourself

I really didn't think I would find Balrog in my inner self though!


So which LOTR Villain are you? Hmm??

made by Michelle at EmptySpace.

10 April 2003

Losers!
It didn't take them long to realize what side of the fence was preferrable! They sure have been walking it for long enough...

08 April 2003

Bored at work?
I highly recommend this online Solitaire. It is a very good way to knock a few hours off of the day if it's a particularly boring day, such as today.

07 April 2003

Movie reviews from the weekend!

Welcome to Marian's Movie Review.

Firstly, Bringing Down the House. AWESOME! Number 1, you have to realize how truly comical Steve Martin and Queen Latifah is without even trying. True actors. They don't have to act! I would highly recommend this film if you enjoy the "ever-elusive-black-humor-that-the-white-man-just-can't-get-but-it's-great" buzz that is woven through the entire film. And yeah, I just have to say the reason why the bitch sister got her butt kicked was because she did Taboo...oh sorry, Tae-Bo. Tolerable front kicks, but a little predictable. Please note that I could not find any website that described Tae-Bo, just DVDs and VHS...of course what is there to explain? If you haven't sensed it, I highly denegrate this...this...this....*speechless*.

Moving on.

The Pianist. Could we GET any sadder? It would have to be a real effort. As Neal pointed out, throughout all the hopelessness and cruelty, one of the most heart wrenching scenes was when the pianist gets to play again...after 5 years of no playing. His expression was...difficult to express. There was no finality or "win" in the movie though. Just an interruption of life...a horrible and nightmare interruption. If you are a happy person, and want to stay happy, this would be a film to avoid. If you a realist, and like being a realist, you would probably appreciate this film.

Please keep tuned for more of Marian's Movie Review in the upcoming future!
All I can say is...
that Sahaf is getting damned annoying. It used to be entertaining, but it's definitely degenerating...

AND...let the Iraqi people speak!

04 April 2003

Wow!
I am SO excited for my friend who has been given the opportunity to teach fulltime yoga at River Light Yoga. It's tought lose her as one of my best Tae Kwon Do students, but this is her dream, and I totally comprehend it since it's my dream as well to teach fulltime, but just teaching Tae Kwon Do... not Yoga :). We just happen to be passionate about two different arts. Good luck girlfriend!

03 April 2003

RANT

I am so angry with the human selfishness that exists in people. RANT RANT RANT VENT VENT VENT There. I feel better.
So wrong

It is so wrong that I know the drive-thru workers for both 1st and 2nd shifts at McDonalds. It's even more wrong that they know me and barely wait for me to get the words out for what I want. I thought the manager that took my order today was going to have heart failure when I "randomly" decided to go with a breakfast bagel versus my usual "unrandom" *cough* breakfast burrito!

02 April 2003

LTHP

LTHP = Looking Through Husband's Pocket

Ladies, I must say, this is a very lucrative business. I found $20 and a cough drop this morning :) I would recommend this practice highly!
Corporate office politics

I usually make it a habit to avoid such annoying politics, but this was too fascinating to not record:

1) Admin is overworked horribly.
2) Admin tells Boss 1 (her boss).
3) Boss 1 told Boss 2 (my boss) that Boss 3 (also my boss) needs to have me do Boss 3's expense reports and travel arrangements because it's just too much for Admin.
4) Boss 3 told Boss 2 (b/c this made him mad) to tell Boss 1 to come to Boss 3 if Boss 1 had an issue with Boss 3's using the Admin for Admin work.
5) It's gets way complicated after that. Apparently this was the start.

The weird thing is, they went ahead and had me start doing Boss 3's expense reports and travelling, but since this takes about an hour a month, I'm not sure how this is going to help Admin's workload.

At first, I was annoyed, then mad, then amused.

01 April 2003

Actors

1) I think this is one of the more mature things that an actor has done in respect to the war...
2) I think ol' Hugh needs some pointers about selling himself as a husband...