Campfyre Stories

… and some you don’t even try.

One person always knows.  She knows when I’m covering up, she knows when I’m being an optimist.  Even when I don’t say it outright, she sees the real meaning behind what I do say.  That’s few and far between.

I’m not sure what does it, really.  Most people accept whatever I say.  When I joke that I need a sugar daddy, they laugh along with me.  When I talk about running out of options, but do it with a smile on my face, they smile along, they play along, they try to see the joke that I’m trying to make.

She doesn’t.  She sees through it and tries to see the truth no matter where or how hard I try to hide it.

My ex-husband always hated that I call myself the FyreGoddess.  No matter that the vast majority of Fire Goddesses are goddesses of the hearth (some brief information can be found here), his concern was the infamy of fire GODS, many of which are feared by many religions – the Devil himself being one of them.

However, I’ve never really been all that supersticious when it came to devils or gods or numbers…  Friday the 13th has been good to me.  My phone number ends with the number of the Beast followed by the number of God and even my most religious friends still call me.

Ok, so here’s the deal.  I really want to see the Omen.  I never saw the original, though I should have by now, and I’m sure the new one isn’t the better of the two, so I should totally see that one first.  Problem is, no one wants to see it with me.  My regular movie buddy is taking a movie break and everyone else has said that it’s too scary for them.

Now, I don’t really like to see movies by myself, especially not new ones, because then I have no one to talk about the movie with, but this one…  on opening night…  and then walk home…  alone… in the dark.  Um…  yeah…  no.

So I have probably one person left who hasn’t yet said no, but hasn’t said yes yet either.  I want to go…  I want to see it on 6/6/6, but I’m just enough of a girl about this one that I can’t do it by myself, no matter how independent and rational I claim to be.

Not and walk home alone after it’s over.

Last week I finally got the opportunity to see Aeon Flux.  Now, you have to understand that I was HUGE fan of Peter Chung‘s animated series on MTV (back when MTV still actually played music videos) and also of the animated shorts that were featured on Liquid Television.  I wasn’t sure what to expect, having heard not great things about this, but as sci-fi fans know well, science fiction takes a lot of flack.  It doesn’t have to be high cinema, it just has to be an entertaining movie with a plot that doesn’t cause you to lose IQ points.  Here is a pretty decent review of the movie.  The hard-nosed critics gave it a very reasonable B, boosting it above B-grade status.

I have to give it to Charlize Theron, she is the most amazing chameleon I have ever seen on any screen.  She just forms to whatever role she’s playing, adapting the necessary spider-like qualities to portray the Monican agent more fully than I could have imagined.  With the sheer amount of special effects, it would be really easy for the effects to steal the show, but Theron keeps an iron grip on the character, the story and even the underlying themes throughout the whole thing, without basking in some ego-driven spotlight.

I have the original series on order from Netflix, so I’ll be able to share them with Spawn while re-familiarizing myself with them.  I’m very much looking forward to that.

This weekend, Spawn and I joined Princess and another friend to see X-Men, the Last Stand.  I’ll be completely honest, I had pretty low expectations for this movie.  I was very concerned that they would sacrifice the pseudo-political themes and the intelligence of the other two for effects, and, to a certain extent they did, but the movie didn’t suffer for it.

First, though, a bit about the experience.

I forget now what Regal calls it, but when it was Hoyt’s it was called The Twenty.  What it is, for those of you who live under a rock, is the commercials and cleverly disguised commercials they subject you to for twenty minutes before the previews start.  So, if you want to get there in time to get decent seats, you are forced to watch this mind-numbing garbage that actually makes the time DRAG.  I think my IQ dropped just from watching that drivel.  And, as much as it pains me to say it, the actual Twenty was more entertaining and less consumer advertising.  The behind the scenes stuff was better.  This stuff just hurts.

Also, TOO YOUNG TOO YOUNG TOO YOUNG.  Why don’t more movie theaters have age limits for PG-13 and R-rated movies?  Obviously there are too many parents who cannot make rational decisions regarding their children, or maybe it’s just that the wallet-rape by the ticket counter and concession stand means that most parents simply cannot afford to see a movie and hire a babysitter for those couple of hours.

I think that the stadium seating and the "OMG is it getting BIGGER?" screen are not worth the IQ -lowering, wallet-raping, shut-that-kid-the-hell-up experience that the mainstream theaters offer.  I think I will save a couple of bucks and hit the smaller, independently-owned theater for my mainstream movies instead.  Bonus points for the cafe next door and lack of "no outside food or drink" restrictions.

Ok, on to the movie, and because this is already long and I’m likely to spoil *something*, you gotta choose to read on from here: Read the rest of this entry »

I used to love politics.  I used to love political debate and keeping informed as to what was going on in the world, politically.

Not anymore.

It seems like the vast majority of people have completely lost all rationality and common sense when it comes to what is going on in the world.  At least, I find that true of the outspoken and once-informed people.

I am unaffiliated, and always have been.  On some topics I lean left, on others I lean rights, but I’m always willing to listen to opinions that conflict with mine.  Usually, I try to find common ground, because I believe that even diametrically opposed people can usually find *something* that they agree on.  "United we stand, divided we fall".  There is little unison in the United States these days, and I fear for the future of our country.

There are far too many people who don’t seem to understand that the country is not the government, but the people.  The government is flexible and changes as regularly as the PEOPLE decide.  Sure, there are certain limits, such as the presidential elections occurring every 4 years, but there is opportunity for national change every 2 years – if we make the changes, as a country. 

The titles Liberal and Conservative (or, more often Neo-Con) have become dirty words, instead of the neutral words that they should be.  This has happened because of what people do under those titles.  The widespread hatred coming from both sides doesn’t do a damn bit of good in making the country better or safer or whatever it is we’re supposed to be doing, it simply serves to further widen the divide between the PEOPLE who make our country.

George Bush is not America.  Congress is not America.  We, as a nation, are defined by our people.  It is not the choices of our government that define us, but the choices of the people.  If we scream at each other, then we are a nation of screamers.  If we insult foreign nations, then we are a nation of insulters.  Bush is our president now, but the election results clearly indicate that he does not represent the interests or the choice of the entire country.  Rational people understand that, and accept that in another 2 years, a new choice will be made that will not reflect the interests or choices of the entire nation.  That new president will make decisions on how our country is run, but that person will not BE America.  America will still be me, and you, and every other citizen who believes in the ideals upon which this country was founded.

There may come a day when those with power decide to use it against the citizens of this country.  I don’t know when or who or how, but I do know that once those decisions are made and implemented, the people of the country will not allow it to continue.  There will come a time when the belief in the ideals of this country, or at the very least the comfort level in the lifestyles we have become accustomed to will outweigh any fear that is forced upon us, because WE are America, not those who may choose power over responsibility.

It doesn’t matter what you believe.  It doesn’t matter who you support.  It doesn’t matter whether you veer left or right in your political beliefs.  What matters is that our country is defined by the collective individuals.  It’s when people lose sight of that and try to define the US by the actions of the few, the actions of those with temporary power that they have lost sight of what this country is and what makes it great, even when we disagree with each other, with our elected leaders, with our role in the world.

Because the country is great.  It is great with potential, it is great with possibilities.  People say "love it or leave it", but if we each contribute to making the United States the nation that it is, all that we really need is a love and respect in ourselves.  Loving my country does not mean always agreeing with the actions undertaken in its name.  Loving my country does not mean supporting decisions that I disagree with.  Loving my country means doing my part to ensure that contract between the government – every election, every time – and the people (known as the Constitution) is honored.  Loving my country means paying attention and making sure that it is not taken away from me or from my child(ren), whether from an inside or outside source.  Loving my country means not allowing it to be torn to pieces because of the individuals who are too goddamned selfish to look past their own nose and see that their right to opinion is just as valid as the rights of those with opposing opinions.  You don’t have to agree, you don’t even have to respect it, but you MUST respect that right to it.  You MUST respect the validity of the counter-argument or you are no better than those you deride.

Fewer and fewer people seem to understand this.  Fewer and fewer people seem to accept that even a changing of the guard this year or in two years is not going to repair whatever perceived damage that has been done.  The real damage is that we, as a nation, are being ripped apart from within.  That too many people think that they are the only ones that are correct and that the rights and freedoms granted to all should only be reserved for those who are correctly aligned.  The real damage is being done to us BY us, and few can accept it because few, it seems these days, can see past the end of their noses.

United we stand.  Think about it.

So I was thinking about mail, and sending mail, and postcards and stickers and all kinds of things and I realized that most people don’t get fun mail very often.  Instead, they get bills and junk mail and THIS is why they don’t check their mail, and probably also why they don’t appreciate the postal service.

That said, I am offering, just for the remainder of the month of May, to send a piece of mail to everyone that requests it.  I make no promises what, exactly, I will send.  It might be a postcard, it might be a card, it might be a letter, it might be some stickers, but I will send a piece of mail to everyone who sends me their physical address.  I will send everything out during the first week of June, once I have all the addresses together and ready to go.

Here’s how it works:  Click on THIS LINK, which will take you to the Contact Me page and send me your name (pseudo or real) and address.  This will come to me by email, and comments are off on this post because I don’t want people to publically post their physical addresses.

If I receive your email before 11:59pm, Eastern Daylight Time on May 31, 2006, I will send you something.  This is *not* restricted to the US, so if you’re in another country and want some mail from the US, go ahead and send me your info…  it’ll just take longer to get to you.

So, there you go, I’m sending mail, maybe even to YOU.

I am a member of a thing called Streetwise.  Basically, it’s a company that recruits regular people to help to market movies, music, games, products, etc.  I joined because they were looking for team members for the City of Villains team, while I was beta testing the game.

It’s a pretty sweet gig, and I often get some pretty cool swag from it.  Right now I’m on the teams for Monster House and for the DMB Summer Tour.  You can get to ticket purchasing using the link on this page or play a pretty lame basketball (HORSE) Monster House-themed game.

Not that I need anyone to click on the links, but a couple of people have asked me why those things are at the bottom of the page, and more than anything, I wanted to give y’all a chance to join Streetwise and have input into what sorts of promotional materials are put out for various pop culture things.  I don’t get any rewards or incentives for getting others to sign up for Streetwise, so it’s not something I need you to do, it’s just a cool thing that I decided to share.

</sarcasm>

There has been construction going on outside my building all week long.  Every day this week I have woken up to the smell of tar.  Today, unfortunately, I woke up to the lovely combination of the tar and, this time, the sound of a jackhammer.  Needless to say, it got me out of bed earlier than I ordinarily would have.

So I went outside and waited for my transportation to the job interviews I was going to (ask next week how they went.  Asking me today is not going to give you any real information).  While I was waiting, I decided to find out what these guys have been doing all week, anyway.  I mean, I’ve been watching and listening and smelling it all week, I might as well ask, right?

Yeah, turns out that this is just preparation for what’s going to happen over the summer.  These construction workers, they’re fixing the sewer line that runs under my street (and, frankly, knowing that, better the smell of tar than the smell of sewage, right?) so that over the summer they can fix (as in repave) the entire block (at least, maybe more of the street, I don’t know).  Do you see what this means?  ALL SUMMER LONG I get to wake up to the smell of tar.

You know, I gave up smoking…  I gave up tar.  Bastages.

Irreverence suits me.  While people are rarely surprised at my antics, regardless of how strange or irreverent, I do get off on doing very strange things as often as I can.  When my friend answered the door last night to let me in, I presented him with a red rubber devil duck.  What amused me was that he didn’t realize that it was a gift, that I was giving it to him and gave me a very puzzled look, but being the good sport he is, he took it in stride and didn’t even ask, "What am I supposed to do with this?"  The answer to that question is, of course, that you take a bath with it.  Obviously.

Mine, which I left at home, but often carry with me, just because, has eyebrows.  I drew them on with a sharpie.  He just looked too happy, a little goofy, and now he looks kind of demonic.  I left the other red rubber devil ducks alone, though, because I feel that gifts of waterfowl should really be given unadulterated.  They can draw their own eyebrows on…  or they can keep him looking goofy, I mean, really, it’s not MY duck.

In other topics, but somewhat related, people need to actually check their damn mail.  Because, seriously, you never know when I’m going to decide to send you something for no reason whatsoever….  or maybe because I have a very good reason and found the perfect card both to give you and to come from me.  The woman at the post office told me that it was people like me (in a good way) that are keeping them in business.

Heh.

That’s all.

Let me start by saying that I support small businesses.  I think that starting a small business and making it successful is really what the American dream is.  Every small business owner wants his/her little shop to go national and become a chain like the now-boycotted stores such as Starbucks and Borders, but few actually make it.

Let me continue by saying that I was raised by activists.  That I was taught at a very early age about the value of small businesses and the evils of corporate giants and the horrors of monopolies.  While I have not grown up to be an activist myself, I do hold on to a lot of the ethics and morals that were taught to me by people who still believe that corporations have at least some measure of evil and that’s it’s almost always better to spend a little more to support a small business.

I don’t buy coffee at Starbucks – pretty much ever.  Usually I can find a better cup of coffee just about anywhere and, if I can’t find a specialty coffee place, a cup of joe will do me just fine.  I don’t do much fast food at all and never McDonald’s because it gives me food poisoning every single time (I was recently informed that the probable reason for food poisoning at McD’s is because they inject their french fries with beef extract,  I haven’t eaten mammal in about 20 years, so there you go).  I rarely eat at chain restaurants, not because I don’t like them or eschew them, but because I can usually get more satisfaction from a different restaurant.  i even order pizza from a local place rather than Pizza Hut or Domino’s.  I would rather buy my greeting cards at a funky little shop on Lark Street than just about anywhere else.  I rarely go see movies at the Regal (or whatever chain) theaters, preferring the indie art house or even the little local place with the smaller screens.

I do support local and small businesses on a regular basis.

All that said…

There has been talk of rezoning an area near where I live.  Walking distance, in fact.  It’s right by the hospital, the law school and several other businesses and they plan to put in a Panera and a 24 hour Walgreen’s.  I am excited by this.  I like the idea of having Panera (one of few chains I do enjoy) and a chain drug store close enough to walk to.  And it pisses me right off that the busybody activists in Albany are trying to prevent this from happening. Read the rest of this entry »

Dragonmaker said that he was going to see the lawyer today.  As soon as I sign the papers I need to start redesigning the whole blog, since the adultery thing will no longer be eternal (or so he claims).

So…  I’m looking for suggestions.  Colors, schemes, tag line concepts.  I can’t promise I’ll use any of them, but I wasn’t expecting it to come up so quickly (you know, the bit about 7 years later).  Any thoughts are certainly welcome.