is a delicious show, and if you don't appreciate it then you can go kick rocks. I think that Wentworth Miller's character's master plan to break out of jail is the sexiest damn thing I have ever watched....and not solely because Wentworth Miller is eye candy.
In other news, I am being annoying and obsessive today. So I am making an executive decision to put myself to bed....with an hour of reading Eclipse first, of course.
And, a thought: hickies...cute or trashy? Hmmm, it is up in the air.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Olympic Odes
So, I was not exactly that psyched coming into this summer Olympics. But then I realized that the next time I will have the opportunity of watching gymnastics and swimming will be when I am 25. Agh! That is enough to make anyone turn on their tv.
And once it is on, how can you turn it off? Seriously! Michael Phelps is the fastest swimmer that has ever lived! How can you not be enthralled by that! Plus I think that it was incredible that he gave up his spot in the men's relay to Ian Crocker last Olympics. I know he already had six gold medals at that point, but still. You have to be crazy-nice to sacrifice for a teammate like that. And Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson are amazing. Shawn is absolutely adorable and I love her name. And Nastia was killer. She is not exactly short for gymnastics, and yet she was so consistent in sticking her landings. She is fabulous, and she really seems like a down-to-earth, likeable person. And not in just a little girl kinds of way, like some of the female gymnasts. Also, nice choice of eyeshadow for the individual competition. Some of the girls seem to go a little crazy with the electric blue powder and eyeliner, but hers was completely perfect. And don't even get me started on Ryan Lochte. He is dashing. That is the best word I can think of to describe his face. I'm not attracted to him, even in a celebrity crush kind of way, I just think that he is objectively very very very good looking. And I was so happy that he won a gold medal today.
Also, watching Bella Caroli watch Nastia Liukin's floor routine was the most enjoyable thing that I have done in a loooong time. Seriously! Watch it on Youtube. I promise you will be smiling the whole time.
Oh! But sidenote, the body glitter that some of the gymnasts have on their faces is not cool at all. It looks gross when it mingles with sweat and everything, and makes them look younger. Which is especially bad for the Chinese women gymnasts because it is already suspected that three of them are underage. I think it is almost certain that they are younger than 16 because even NPR did a story on it. If they are, that is disappointing because it means that the Chinese government knowingly issued them illegal passports with fake birth dates. That is underhanded, and shouldn't be ignored by the Olympic Committee. I don't necessarily think that they gymnasts themselves should be punished at this point if they do turn out to be underage, but I do think that lying about their ages is at least as bad as steroid use.
And once it is on, how can you turn it off? Seriously! Michael Phelps is the fastest swimmer that has ever lived! How can you not be enthralled by that! Plus I think that it was incredible that he gave up his spot in the men's relay to Ian Crocker last Olympics. I know he already had six gold medals at that point, but still. You have to be crazy-nice to sacrifice for a teammate like that. And Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson are amazing. Shawn is absolutely adorable and I love her name. And Nastia was killer. She is not exactly short for gymnastics, and yet she was so consistent in sticking her landings. She is fabulous, and she really seems like a down-to-earth, likeable person. And not in just a little girl kinds of way, like some of the female gymnasts. Also, nice choice of eyeshadow for the individual competition. Some of the girls seem to go a little crazy with the electric blue powder and eyeliner, but hers was completely perfect. And don't even get me started on Ryan Lochte. He is dashing. That is the best word I can think of to describe his face. I'm not attracted to him, even in a celebrity crush kind of way, I just think that he is objectively very very very good looking. And I was so happy that he won a gold medal today.
Also, watching Bella Caroli watch Nastia Liukin's floor routine was the most enjoyable thing that I have done in a loooong time. Seriously! Watch it on Youtube. I promise you will be smiling the whole time.
Oh! But sidenote, the body glitter that some of the gymnasts have on their faces is not cool at all. It looks gross when it mingles with sweat and everything, and makes them look younger. Which is especially bad for the Chinese women gymnasts because it is already suspected that three of them are underage. I think it is almost certain that they are younger than 16 because even NPR did a story on it. If they are, that is disappointing because it means that the Chinese government knowingly issued them illegal passports with fake birth dates. That is underhanded, and shouldn't be ignored by the Olympic Committee. I don't necessarily think that they gymnasts themselves should be punished at this point if they do turn out to be underage, but I do think that lying about their ages is at least as bad as steroid use.
Eventually?
Oh.My.Goodness.
I just had a dream that I wish I could erase. You know one of those really vivid ones that injects itself into your real life memories so that even when you are awake you can't go back to being the person who hadn't experienced whatever you experienced in your dream? And if its a good dream, then you can't go back to living your life regularly because you didn't know what you were missing before. Or at least you weren't as aware of it. And so your life is destined to feel incomplete until you can banish the dream memory to the back of your mind. But still, you will be reminded now and then of that thing that you can't have at the moment, that you really really really really just need.
And no. Do not be silly. I am not talking about sex.
I wish I wish I wish. That I was not in Baltimore.
I am so angsty, you would think I was still a teenager.
"The Duchess: You're thinking about something, my dear, and that makes you forget to talk. I can't tell you just now what the moral of that is, but I shall remember it in a bit.
Alice: Perhaps it hasn't one.
The Duchess: Tut, tut, child! Everything's got a moral, if only you can find it."
-Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
I just had a dream that I wish I could erase. You know one of those really vivid ones that injects itself into your real life memories so that even when you are awake you can't go back to being the person who hadn't experienced whatever you experienced in your dream? And if its a good dream, then you can't go back to living your life regularly because you didn't know what you were missing before. Or at least you weren't as aware of it. And so your life is destined to feel incomplete until you can banish the dream memory to the back of your mind. But still, you will be reminded now and then of that thing that you can't have at the moment, that you really really really really just need.
And no. Do not be silly. I am not talking about sex.
I wish I wish I wish. That I was not in Baltimore.
I am so angsty, you would think I was still a teenager.
"The Duchess: You're thinking about something, my dear, and that makes you forget to talk. I can't tell you just now what the moral of that is, but I shall remember it in a bit.
Alice: Perhaps it hasn't one.
The Duchess: Tut, tut, child! Everything's got a moral, if only you can find it."
-Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Rush Limbaugh is a freaking douche
I saw a clip of him discussing Elizabeth Edwards and how she might be smarter than her husband and might have been directing his speeches and a large portion of his campaign. In a negative way, of course. God forbid Rush would discuss a woman being smart as a positive. Anyway, he wrapped it around in a very convoluted way to blame her for her husband's infidelity.
Gosh, its like Rush Limbaugh really wants to go to hell or something. He's willing to pull out all the stops.
The worst part is that his little misogynistic rant on Elizabeth Edwards was garbled and unclear and he stopped for a break at least three times in the middle of each sentence. Seriously, guy. Lay off the crack.
Gosh, its like Rush Limbaugh really wants to go to hell or something. He's willing to pull out all the stops.
The worst part is that his little misogynistic rant on Elizabeth Edwards was garbled and unclear and he stopped for a break at least three times in the middle of each sentence. Seriously, guy. Lay off the crack.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
The Female Only Child
Olive is in this category and so I am particularly partial to it.
All the stereotypical negatives about only children are not actually true according to most of the literature on birth order that I've been reading. They aren't more selfish, they do know how to relate to people, and they don't have less conflict in their lives. Instead of having conflict with siblings, however, they have more conflict with their parents than other children. Supposedly. I didn't see this at all with Olive....but I would also be the first to admit that she was special. She was compassionate and only wanted harmony in the world, so maybe she didn't fit at all into the only child conflict box.
The main drawback of being an only (expecially an only girl) is that they are often more dependent on their parents and keep a dependency on other people later in life. In that way they can be like younger children who like to defer to their partners with certain decisions, and enjoy being taken care of.
Another characteristic of female only children is that they model themselves closely after their parents. They often take over the same interests and tendencies.
The best match for female only children is supposed to be older brothers of sisters. Female only children want storybook romance and attention, and the older brother of sisters can give it. But he might not get enough playfulness in return like he is used to from his younger siblings because the only female child is simply not as flirty and playful.
But she's a damn good best friend.
All the stereotypical negatives about only children are not actually true according to most of the literature on birth order that I've been reading. They aren't more selfish, they do know how to relate to people, and they don't have less conflict in their lives. Instead of having conflict with siblings, however, they have more conflict with their parents than other children. Supposedly. I didn't see this at all with Olive....but I would also be the first to admit that she was special. She was compassionate and only wanted harmony in the world, so maybe she didn't fit at all into the only child conflict box.
The main drawback of being an only (expecially an only girl) is that they are often more dependent on their parents and keep a dependency on other people later in life. In that way they can be like younger children who like to defer to their partners with certain decisions, and enjoy being taken care of.
Another characteristic of female only children is that they model themselves closely after their parents. They often take over the same interests and tendencies.
The best match for female only children is supposed to be older brothers of sisters. Female only children want storybook romance and attention, and the older brother of sisters can give it. But he might not get enough playfulness in return like he is used to from his younger siblings because the only female child is simply not as flirty and playful.
But she's a damn good best friend.
Birth Order
I think that birth order is the most fascinating thing since astrological signs. And while it is not as mystical, it is far more relevant to everyone's lives...their personality, their futures and their compatibility with other people.
Some people, Josh included, are birth order skeptics and cannot see how something so seemingly trivial can impact their personality much less their entire life. But birth order personality traits are so logical, so consistent between people. It's not about fate and predestination. It's about environment shaping a person. Social scientists say that the fundamental aspects of your personality is shaped during your first three years of life. And every year after that is of decreasing importance to the make up of you. Your childhood years impact your personality more than your teens and your teenage years more than college life and so on. Of course there are a lot of elements that combine to make up your formative years. But think about it. Wouldn't the additional presence of another sibling in your family (or the absence of all your existing siblings) fundamentally change the way that you grew up. Your parents treat you differently, they give you more or less attention, you learn to share or you don't have to share at home, you are the constant babysitter or you are the one who is being babied.
I feel particularly strong about birth order because I can see exactly how being the oldest child and having a younger sister has affected me. And I find that most people you meet are much easier to understand if you can see where they are coming from. That is, the birth order that they are coming out of.
So, I am going to be boring and talk only about birth order. One per night. And first, thanks to my predictable narcissism, will be me!
OLDER SISTERS OF SISTER(S)
An important factor in how birth order affects your personality (especially in terms of compatibility) is not only your birth order, but your gender and the gender of your siblings. This is important because it often changes how your parents treated you, how comfortable you feel with the opposite sex, and how well you understand the opposite sex.
Interestingly, nearly all of my friends that I can think of are older siblings...with a few only children scattered in. Not many of them are older sisters of sisters, however.
Older sisters of sisters are not as easy to understand as other firstborns are. They do have the defining firstborn characteristics of seriousness of purpose, the natural ability and desire to lead, high standards, conservativeness (NOT in terms of politics!), and adherence to authority.
Additionally, however, older sisters of sisters are extreme perfectionists. They have overdeveloped consciences and tend to feel guilty VERY often. They dedicate themselves to their goals to the point of blindness to other areas of their lives. They are also "super feminine" because they have no brothers and thus will not generally have the influence of a masculine peer in their early life. They also are almost unfailingly conscientious. So conscientious and obedient that they are often the favorites of most teachers, and develop great relationships with their male teachers and male figures of authority. Part of the reason for this is that older sisters of sisters, with the no brother to draw attention away from them, tend to be especially close to their fathers. The time spent interacting closely with a father male authority figure makes them comfortable and even drawn to other male authority figures. And those authorities will like them for all their mature, good-girl attributes.
Older sisters of sisters tend to have a slight problem dealing with guys. Having no brothers, boys are foreign to them. However, this is most expressed when dating and because of their comfortability with male authority figures, older sisters of sisters often have many male friends, much to the chagrin of their boyfriends. They often have misconceptions about how to interact with boyfriends (and husbands) because they assume the opposite sex to be less sensitive and to fit with male stereotypes. Intertwined with this is the tendency of older sisters to want to dominate. They will be planners like any other firstborn and will want their eventual partner to go along with their schemes and ideas. But at the same time, older sisters of sisters will also want to be submissive, just as they were comfortable being submissive to their fathers. This will confuse them (and their partner) and cause a lot of inner conflict.
In terms of compatibility, older sisters of sisters are supposedly best matched with younger brothers of sisters. Generally speaking, all older siblings are supposed to go best with younger siblings and vice versa because they balance each other. Where the older sister is a nervous, high pressure, serious perfectionist, the younger brother is laid-back and easy going. Younger brothers are often the center of attention and rarely are without girls who would love to be with them. The only difficulty here is that younger brothers may not stay interested in older sisters of sisters because younger brothers enjoy being babied and need constant attention which older sisters of sisters often do not realize. Plus, younger brothers will have many girls to choose from because of their magnetic, female-friendly personalities and will choose the most stand-out ones, which are not always older sisters.
Another good match for the older sister of sisters is the older brother of sisters. Older brothers of sisters (this refers to any older brother that has one sister whether or not they also have a brother) are supposed to be the best at understanding the personality of the older sister. From acting as the guardian of their sister they are also superb listeners, they are particularly conscientious towards girls, and have a better sense of the rest of their male peers how females tick. They also provide the authority figure that older sisters of sisters feel so comfortable with.
This, is very funny and deliciously satisfying to me. Because it fits me so very perfectly. I am a perfectionist. I feel constantly guilty. I want to dominate and have the entire world follow my perfectly planned schemes. But I also want someone to dominate me on occasion....I want to be challenged. I have always been considered one of the nicest students by my teachers growing up and I typically have excellent relationships with my male professors. I look up to them and they respect and look out for me. Fitting with the whole birth order compatibility schtick, I am now dating a younger brother of sisters...my "best match". And just like birth order theory would predict, one of our biggest conflicts is that I do not baby him...I don't understand how to, I don't realize how much attention he needs, and I don't realize how guys react to certain things. And, he HATES the idea of me having friends that are guys. My guy friends, on the other hand, almost without fail are older brothers of sisters...the ones that birth order theory predicts are the best at understanding older sisters of sisters.
Hmph. It all makes sense. And I am pleased with the niceness of how everything fits into my life. It means that I am perfectly compatible with my friends, my boyfriend, and my career goals. But I won't go into career goals here.
"BANG!"
-The sound five minutes ago that echoed through the neighborhood just before all the lights went out.
Some people, Josh included, are birth order skeptics and cannot see how something so seemingly trivial can impact their personality much less their entire life. But birth order personality traits are so logical, so consistent between people. It's not about fate and predestination. It's about environment shaping a person. Social scientists say that the fundamental aspects of your personality is shaped during your first three years of life. And every year after that is of decreasing importance to the make up of you. Your childhood years impact your personality more than your teens and your teenage years more than college life and so on. Of course there are a lot of elements that combine to make up your formative years. But think about it. Wouldn't the additional presence of another sibling in your family (or the absence of all your existing siblings) fundamentally change the way that you grew up. Your parents treat you differently, they give you more or less attention, you learn to share or you don't have to share at home, you are the constant babysitter or you are the one who is being babied.
I feel particularly strong about birth order because I can see exactly how being the oldest child and having a younger sister has affected me. And I find that most people you meet are much easier to understand if you can see where they are coming from. That is, the birth order that they are coming out of.
So, I am going to be boring and talk only about birth order. One per night. And first, thanks to my predictable narcissism, will be me!
OLDER SISTERS OF SISTER(S)
An important factor in how birth order affects your personality (especially in terms of compatibility) is not only your birth order, but your gender and the gender of your siblings. This is important because it often changes how your parents treated you, how comfortable you feel with the opposite sex, and how well you understand the opposite sex.
Interestingly, nearly all of my friends that I can think of are older siblings...with a few only children scattered in. Not many of them are older sisters of sisters, however.
Older sisters of sisters are not as easy to understand as other firstborns are. They do have the defining firstborn characteristics of seriousness of purpose, the natural ability and desire to lead, high standards, conservativeness (NOT in terms of politics!), and adherence to authority.
Additionally, however, older sisters of sisters are extreme perfectionists. They have overdeveloped consciences and tend to feel guilty VERY often. They dedicate themselves to their goals to the point of blindness to other areas of their lives. They are also "super feminine" because they have no brothers and thus will not generally have the influence of a masculine peer in their early life. They also are almost unfailingly conscientious. So conscientious and obedient that they are often the favorites of most teachers, and develop great relationships with their male teachers and male figures of authority. Part of the reason for this is that older sisters of sisters, with the no brother to draw attention away from them, tend to be especially close to their fathers. The time spent interacting closely with a father male authority figure makes them comfortable and even drawn to other male authority figures. And those authorities will like them for all their mature, good-girl attributes.
Older sisters of sisters tend to have a slight problem dealing with guys. Having no brothers, boys are foreign to them. However, this is most expressed when dating and because of their comfortability with male authority figures, older sisters of sisters often have many male friends, much to the chagrin of their boyfriends. They often have misconceptions about how to interact with boyfriends (and husbands) because they assume the opposite sex to be less sensitive and to fit with male stereotypes. Intertwined with this is the tendency of older sisters to want to dominate. They will be planners like any other firstborn and will want their eventual partner to go along with their schemes and ideas. But at the same time, older sisters of sisters will also want to be submissive, just as they were comfortable being submissive to their fathers. This will confuse them (and their partner) and cause a lot of inner conflict.
In terms of compatibility, older sisters of sisters are supposedly best matched with younger brothers of sisters. Generally speaking, all older siblings are supposed to go best with younger siblings and vice versa because they balance each other. Where the older sister is a nervous, high pressure, serious perfectionist, the younger brother is laid-back and easy going. Younger brothers are often the center of attention and rarely are without girls who would love to be with them. The only difficulty here is that younger brothers may not stay interested in older sisters of sisters because younger brothers enjoy being babied and need constant attention which older sisters of sisters often do not realize. Plus, younger brothers will have many girls to choose from because of their magnetic, female-friendly personalities and will choose the most stand-out ones, which are not always older sisters.
Another good match for the older sister of sisters is the older brother of sisters. Older brothers of sisters (this refers to any older brother that has one sister whether or not they also have a brother) are supposed to be the best at understanding the personality of the older sister. From acting as the guardian of their sister they are also superb listeners, they are particularly conscientious towards girls, and have a better sense of the rest of their male peers how females tick. They also provide the authority figure that older sisters of sisters feel so comfortable with.
This, is very funny and deliciously satisfying to me. Because it fits me so very perfectly. I am a perfectionist. I feel constantly guilty. I want to dominate and have the entire world follow my perfectly planned schemes. But I also want someone to dominate me on occasion....I want to be challenged. I have always been considered one of the nicest students by my teachers growing up and I typically have excellent relationships with my male professors. I look up to them and they respect and look out for me. Fitting with the whole birth order compatibility schtick, I am now dating a younger brother of sisters...my "best match". And just like birth order theory would predict, one of our biggest conflicts is that I do not baby him...I don't understand how to, I don't realize how much attention he needs, and I don't realize how guys react to certain things. And, he HATES the idea of me having friends that are guys. My guy friends, on the other hand, almost without fail are older brothers of sisters...the ones that birth order theory predicts are the best at understanding older sisters of sisters.
Hmph. It all makes sense. And I am pleased with the niceness of how everything fits into my life. It means that I am perfectly compatible with my friends, my boyfriend, and my career goals. But I won't go into career goals here.
"BANG!"
-The sound five minutes ago that echoed through the neighborhood just before all the lights went out.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Wyoming
I can't seem to get soap off my hands here. The water must be soft. Or hard. Or whichever one doesn't work as well at getting you clean.
People also seem to love their liquor here. Drive through liquor stores and everything. Yeehaw!
"I spilled ice all over the hotel room, is there a vaccuum here?"
-my sister
People also seem to love their liquor here. Drive through liquor stores and everything. Yeehaw!
"I spilled ice all over the hotel room, is there a vaccuum here?"
-my sister
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