Imponderables- Wake to Joy by MSB

Silly FMF thinking there are still people left who remember the mandate.

Evening all the way. Morning just seems weird to me for some reason.

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Monday, April 14, 2008 5:26 AM

Pssshhhh. Sex. Who needs it.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Don’t waste yourself in rejection, nor bark against the bad, but chant the beauty of the good.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Monday, April 14, 2008 6:15 AM

OK I'll add another ponder to the list. Continue with the sex one folks, but while you're at it (not it it...just at the ponder) maybe you can answer this one for me. So, what do you do when you feel bad for someone you don't even like? I know a person who pretty much is just a jerk. She gossips and tries to embarrass people who are supposedly her friends and won't tell anyone anything about herself so that they can't do the same to her. Her last actual friend is now moving to new york and as his going away party she was basically begging for friends. It's very pathetic and I feel bad for her but it's her own darn fault for running everyone else off.

I tried to offer a deal but even that didn't work. I was like fine come to a browncoat firefly watching pot luck and I'll go to your cd release party/concert thing. No dice. She just wants people to do stuff for her and never do anything for them. Yet still I feel bad that she's lonely and depressed. Any ideas what to do with a person like that?

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Monday, April 14, 2008 6:26 AM

CALIFORNIAKAYLEE

MsB: I'm guessing from the thread title, you have morning sex on the brain.

Zeek: Eh, I say ignore her. There are lots of lonely and depressed people in the world, most of them more deserving of your sympathy than that chick. Why waste energy worrying about her? If you feel the urge to help someone, why not do something that will actually be appreciated and make a positive impact on society, like volunteering to be a Big Brother?

I skimmed the end of the old thread: Reading what you don't want to read is part of being a teenager. It prepares you for reading/writing/working on/doing what you don't want to read/write/work on/do as an adult. Cultivate the ability to get through an assignment, glean the important bits, speak and write about it intelligently, and then move on without any emotional attachment. It’ll make your working life much, much happier.

~CK

You can't take the sky from me...

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Monday, April 14, 2008 6:27 AM

Seems I have a friend like that. Be careful not to get sucked in. They become your friends and expect you to jump despite the time or place because you are THEIR friend. Is there more of an attraction to this person for other reasons or is it just you feeling bad for her (be truthful, I am a guy and know better).

Either way, don't yourself get guilted into a friendship of any sort. It is not a healthy way to be.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Don’t waste yourself in rejection, nor bark against the bad, but chant the beauty of the good.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Monday, April 14, 2008 6:38 AM

COPILOT

Sex~Whenever honey is home I'll take him. Although it's not hard he's hardly ever here.

Friendship~Is she pretty? Sound like a pretty person personality problem. It's probably not worth the effort. Just be nice and don't agree to anything.

Reading~Some assigned reading is boring. It's school work it's to be expected. Reading for pleasure as often as possible will make it better.
Also Hemingway is dull. Exceptionally dull. Teachers make students read his work as shared torture. It's a bonding experience really.

An I carried such a torch

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Monday, April 14, 2008 6:40 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by copilot:
Friendship~Is she pretty? Sound like a pretty person personality problem.

hmmmmmm.......?

I am on The List. We are The Forsaken and we aim to burn!
"We don't fear the reaper"

FORSAKEN original

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Monday, April 14, 2008 7:00 AM

what 'List'? O_o

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Monday, April 14, 2008 7:02 AM

MSB

Ck...um giggle

morning, noon night, it's all good :)

Zeek- sound like this problem is of her own making. I'd say be honest with her. Tell her you don't want to be her friend and why. She either will get a stunning moment of clarity and go get some help to change into a person people enjoy being friends with, or she already knows and will continue her selfish ways because that's how she wants it. Some people are just innately selfish and can only see what they want. Even when confronted with their one sided relationship choices they promise to change and never do... so I'd say behonest tell her you don't enjoy being around someone who only thinks abotu what's in it for them and never has time to help others...

FMF- HUGS and HUGS gorgeous one.

HUGS Copilot:) I hear that!!! (not the never home part...just the take it when you can:)

____________________________________________

Ain't Love GRAND!!!

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Monday, April 14, 2008 7:54 AM

CK!! You need to post more!

NVG, nope not an attraction thing. She is attractive but she's dating a guy I used to work with and play poker with. He moved away and she's in the process of moving to be with him. Which is another part of why I feel like I should just be nice to her. She's moving mid june. I can put up with a lot if I know there's an end date.

MsB, see the honesty thing was part of what I couldn't bring myself to do. She's all depressed sounding. I don't want to add to her burden by telling her why I don't like her. She even flat out asked why I don't like her. I was just like "nope we're not having that conversation".

Bah hopefully June will get here real quick. In reality I probably won't see her much anyway. I should get over feeling sorry for her fairly quickly.

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Monday, April 14, 2008 8:00 AM

June seems to be a way point for a ton of people right now. I would do my best to ignore her until then. You can't do for her if she is not willing to do for herself.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Don’t waste yourself in rejection, nor bark against the bad, but chant the beauty of the good.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Monday, April 14, 2008 8:06 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by CaliforniaKaylee: I'm guessing from the thread title, you have morning sex on the brain.

It's not even May yet! *hopes someone here knows that song..*

Who's June? or is everyone personifying the month...? *is confused*

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Monday, April 14, 2008 8:22 AM

Not sure but there seems to be some type of deadline for a lot of people that happens in June.

Dinner duty tonight. Not sure what to make. Guess I just have to fun with it (hopes for suggestions).

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Don’t waste yourself in rejection, nor bark against the bad, but chant the beauty of the good.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Monday, April 14, 2008 8:36 AM

CALIFORNIAKAYLEE

53 work days until the end of June! Believe me, it'll go real quick for some of us.

So yeah, I've been working lots, and not here much. I stopped by once last week and couldn't seem to get a foothold in the conversation before I had to get back to work. Reading and writing and homework, oh my!

Other than work, the highlights of my week were buying this keyboard: http://www.razerzone.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=
76 and going to this party: http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/02/20/geek-goes-chic-were-partying-with
-popsugar/ I went with some people from work, but this being LA and us each wanting to drive home directly from the party, we had a series of great "Swingers" moments, pulling out of the parking lot at work, on the freeway, and then pulling into the parking structure (one of the guys refused to valet -- thankfully he snagged us a ride back to the parking structure at the end of the night, because my feet were killing me).

~CK

You can't take the sky from me...

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Monday, April 14, 2008 8:38 AM

ah, ok. *is no longer confused* thanks NV ^_^

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Monday, April 14, 2008 8:51 AM

Okay, so hi....

and now back to the literature discussion because some of that just hurt my soul.

We read for many reasons. Enjoyment, distraction, enrichment, knowledge. You will be drawn to a certain type of book and would probably be very narrow in your experience if it weren't for someone pushing you outside those boundaries. If you only ever read what you're drawn to, you could be missing a whole range of experiences and story telling styles. (For example: I don't like Sci-fi/fantasy. Never have. But I've read some that I enjoy. It would never be something that I would pick up on my own, but since I had to read it, I enjoyed it.)

I just finished The Kite Runner. I was given this book as a Christmas present...in 2006. It took me over a year to even crack it open. It just didn't appeal to me at all. When I finally did open it, I finished it in a matter of days. It was fantastic. It's a beautiful book about an Afghan man's experience growing up in Afghanistan and then moving to the USA. It's a love letter to a fallen country that has lost its way. It's fiction, but the look inside the characters lives is revealing...and educational to me...a white woman living in America. It's also revealing about my own country and how immigrants often live.

I read a book called Falling Leaves about a Chinese girl's experience in her family, both in China and in America. It's heartbreaking. And an entirely different look at American immigrants. I was haunted by this book for weeks.

Granted, those books aren't considered classics, the principles still apply to classics. It's hard to know where you're going if you don't know where you've come from.

Also IMO, you can't be a decent writer without reading. You can't write three dimensional characters different from yourself without some type of experience with people different from you. Reading is about vocabulary (would you have EVER heard the word 'thither' if it weren't for Jane Austen?), grammar, sentence structure. Reading makes you a better writer. Reading is about expanding your world view and you can't be a good writer without a broad view of the world.

Quote:
Originally posted by LeopardFlan:
You can always tell if you're going to like a book from the first page (which is why I often spend hours in bookstores- I end up getting snared by the books), and literature shouldn't be any different then that.

I've read MANY books that didn't get interesting until over 100 hundred pages. Captain Correli's Mandolin, for one. Brothers Karamozov didn't get interesting until about 300 pages in. Anna Karenina took some warming up to. Right now, you think you can tell if a book is good by reading the first page. Exposing yourself to books that you didn't like the first page of could change your mind. Right now you think Steinbeck is horrendous. You could be wrong (although I agree with you after a horrible experience trying to read The Red Pony).

Even saying all that, you won't believe me. You'll just have to wait and see. Such is the privlege/curse of youth.

***************
"The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it." - George Bernard Shaw

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Monday, April 14, 2008 9:18 AM

Rugbug is wise. If it weren't for school forcing me to read things then I'd never realize I like certain types of books.

At least once you've tried reading a bunch of different genres then you can honestly say what you enjoy most.

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Monday, April 14, 2008 9:27 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by RugBug: Okay, so hi....

and now back to the literature discussion because some of that just hurt my soul.

I have read three steinbeck books, they were all horrendous, and i did not read them because i was drawn to them, i read them because i had to. with any luck i won't ever have to read another steinbeck again. he's fucking depressing.

in rebuttal, I have read many books i wasn't drawn to, perhaps because they were gifts, or because I was bored out of my skull and needed something to do, or because someone lent them to me because they thought I'd like them. And I have read all of them all the way through for the experience and the chance of discovering something new. some of those books were total mindfucks, which i love, because i adore a challenge, others just made me want to shoot myself, or were just meh *makes so-so gesture with hand*

I've read books i thought i'd love, then i get to the last few chapters or so and all of a sudden it's like "what the fuck? why does this totally suck all of a sudden?" I've also read books I didn't know if i'd like or not until i got to the middle or so and i say "huh, that's interesting." I'm just saying that pretty much every book that has been handed to me in school has been more or less painful to read, with the exception of shakespeare, and The Once And Future King, which I read solely because I owned it, my teacher okayed it, and i was curious as to the angle it would take on King Arthur.

I'll conceded that you never know until you try, and you have to expand your horizons, but there are just some genres that people won't like (i.e. i hate life story shit, the whole story of people living and talking about their day to day, it just doesn't appeal to me, and so far i haven't read one i've liked. they don't present a challenge to me).

Also, about the writing thing, I agree completely. I like to think I'm a decent writer, and other people have the same opinion, but I've always labored under the theory that I'm a good writer because I've been reading or been read to since i was an infant, and I have a habit of picking up the technique individual authors use. I wish I could write like Sir Walter Scott, i really do, but I probably never will, so i'll stick to what i know.

In response to the whole classics thing, I just don't understand why the collection of classics can't evolve with the times. shouldn't it? I mean, horray for all of those century+ old people who have made it into the category of classic, but how long are we going to have to learn about stuff that was written five hundred years ago? yeah, some of it's really good, but most of the really good old stories are never taught. why? why the depressing stuff that has lead about 98% of my classmates over the years to dread reading? why can't we occasionally work the modern stuff into the curriculum? You talk about narrow experience, tell it to the teachers who ONLY teach the tiniest portion of the "classic" spectrum, and never turn hemingway down to introduce students to stephen king or dean koontz or tess gerritsen, all of whom write incredibly compelling, nail-biting stories. If teachers expanded the range of genres they teach, perhaps students would finally take it upon themselves to do the same.

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Monday, April 14, 2008 9:43 AM

98%? Somehow I doubt that. It seems more like you want what you want and who cares if other people enjoy the books that are being selected. That's just a part of school though. There will be things that are taught that don't interest you. While the stuff you like probably bores some others to tears. In an ideal world everyone could get a customized curriculum. We live in a far from ideal world. Best to get used to it as soon as possible.

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Monday, April 14, 2008 9:43 AM

wHatz iz deez buks U shpeechs uv? mine liks teh piturz uv stfs end smel teh pges wif cu lOn.

Had one hell of a weekend that pretty much leaves me dumbfounded and speechless. Someone says something I don't catch and I reply in my best low and dumb voice, "Mongo like candy."

Yeah, thinky thingy wonky gone bye bye la-la stuffs and such.

I get lunch now. Work after lunch. Yay foodz!!!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Don’t waste yourself in rejection, nor bark against the bad, but chant the beauty of the good.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Monday, April 14, 2008 9:50 AM

CALIFORNIAKAYLEE

Why can't the classics evolve with the times? Because reading the same literature your parents -- or your first boss, who will almost certainly be 20+ years older than you -- read when they were in school gives you a common culture to draw from. Pop culture changes too quickly, you need a solid basis in older English Lit to give you that common knowledge with people four times your age.

The second reason is because older books are generally less controversial. For each new book that gets added to a school’s curriculum, the school has to get the book approved, which is a long and costly process, meaning that something else has to be cut out of the budget (music, sports, campus improvements, dances, etc etc etc). Old books have been long since approved, and the school likely owns the hundreds of copies needed to teach literature, so the cost is much lower. And since the old books have been approved, and have been read literally by generations of Americans, the school is much less likely to get complaints from parents.

Take for instance “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou, which was required reading for me in high school 10 years ago. New-ish book, with a non dead white male author (black female author who is still alive). Possibly one of the most traumatizing books I’ve ever read -- it describes child abuse in graphic detail. This was the school’s attempt to get new English Lit onto the curriculum, and to present a different view point in literature, and we skipped some Hemmingway for it. I’m not sorry I didn’t have to read Hemmingway, but I really could have done without the gory details of this woman’s life, or what I felt was a celebration of teenaged sex, prostitution, and absentee parents, while turning a blind eye on pedophilia. Appropriate literature for 16 year olds? I think not.

There are some modern authors I would like to see included as at least “choose any book from this list” -- Stephen King and Dean Koontz are not among them, it takes more than nail-biting plots to produce literature -- but I understand the reasons that books are not added to the school curriculum often, and usually not until after the book and the author has been accepted by society as a whole.

And this brings me back to my earlier point: perhaps the best thing you can learn here is how to simply do an assignment and move on, without spending the emotional energy on hating it. It’s not worth your time. And believe me, this does not get better as an adult. If anything, it gets worse. Even if you have your dream job, even if you don’t have to worry about money. Believe me. Cultivate this ability now, it will save you an ulcer 10 or 20 years from now.

~CK

You can't take the sky from me...

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Monday, April 14, 2008 10:15 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by freelancertex:
Quote:
Originally posted by RugBug: Okay, so hi....

and now back to the literature discussion because some of that just hurt my soul.

I have read three steinbeck books, they were all horrendous, and i did not read them because i was drawn to them, i read them because i had to. with any luck i won't ever have to read another steinbeck again. he's fucking depressing.

I agree. :D

Quote:
Originally posted by freelancertex:
I'm just saying that pretty much every book that has been handed to me in school has been more or less painful to read, with the exception of shakespeare, and The Once And Future King, which I read solely because I owned it, my teacher okayed it, and i was curious as to the angle it would take on King Arthur.

I felt this way in high school too, for the most part. There weren't a ton of books that I read that really captured me. I even felt that way in college as well(I was this close *holds up thumb and pointer finger* to an English minor, but never completed it...I HATE writing..:D), maybe because someone else was picking the books for me.

Quote:
Originally posted by freelancertex:
Also, about the writing thing, I agree completely. I like to think I'm a decent writer, and other people have the same opinion, but I've always labored under the theory that I'm a good writer because I've been reading or been read to since i was an infant, and I have a habit of picking up the technique individual authors use. I wish I could write like Sir Walter Scott, i really do, but I probably never will, so i'll stick to what i know.

Keep working at it. You never know, you may be a better writer than he is. :D

Quote:
Originally posted by freelancertex:
In response to the whole classics thing, I just don't understand why the collection of classics can't evolve with the times. shouldn't it? I mean, horray for all of those century+ old people who have made it into the category of classic, but how long are we going to have to learn about stuff that was written five hundred years ago? yeah, some of it's really good, but most of the really good old stories are never taught. why? why the depressing stuff that has lead about 98% of my classmates over the years to dread reading? why can't we occasionally work the modern stuff into the curriculum? You talk about narrow experience, tell it to the teachers who ONLY teach the tiniest portion of the "classic" spectrum, and never turn hemingway down to introduce students to stephen king or dean koontz or tess gerritsen, all of whom write incredibly compelling, nail-biting stories. If teachers expanded the range of genres they teach, perhaps students would finally take it upon themselves to do the same.

Oddly, at lunch, I read a reviewer's quote that said "a writer's job is to reveal reality." Classics aren't classics because they are old, it's because of content. Some classics aren't much over 50 years old. Lord of the Flies (excellent), Animal Farm, The Catcher in the Rye, Slaughterhouse Five, Catch-22, Brave New World, etc were all written in the mid 20th century. The list does evolve, but takes a while to trickle down.

The fact that you can even write the names Steven King, Dean Koontz, and the other (I've never heard of) sort of indicates that you might not have the experience to decide what is worthy of study and what is just a good read. Steven King does have a few loftier novels such as The Green Mile and The Shawshank Redemption, but for the most part, he's fluff. I enjoy fluff right along with the next person, but I recognize it for what it is. I call them 'airport or vacation' reads. Not too deep. Not too taxing. But highly enjoyable. My favorite airport read right now is David Baldacci.

***************
"The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it." - George Bernard Shaw

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Monday, April 14, 2008 10:26 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by CaliforniaKaylee:
The second reason is because older books are generally less controversial. For each new book that gets added to a school’s curriculum, the school has to get the book approved, which is a long and costly process, meaning that something else has to be cut out of the budget (music, sports, campus improvements, dances, etc etc etc). Old books have been long since approved, and the school likely owns the hundreds of copies needed to teach literature, so the cost is much lower. And since the old books have been approved, and have been read literally by generations of Americans, the school is much less likely to get complaints from parents.

Take for instance “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou, which was required reading for me in high school 10 years ago. New-ish book, with a non dead white male author (black female author who is still alive). Possibly one of the most traumatizing books I’ve ever read -- it describes child abuse in graphic detail. This was the school’s attempt to get new English Lit onto the curriculum, and to present a different view point in literature, and we skipped some Hemmingway for it. I’m not sorry I didn’t have to read Hemmingway, but I really could have done without the gory details of this woman’s life, or what I felt was a celebration of teenaged sex, prostitution, and absentee parents, while turning a blind eye on pedophilia. Appropriate literature for 16 year olds? I think not.

CK has a great point here. Older books often seem safer. They are quite controversial when first published, but with societal changes, they don't seem so edgy.

And reaching a consensus on what books can be taught is a long and involved process. For example, I absolutely think I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is an appropriate book for a 16 year old. 'Course I feel books that traumatize us (or challenge us with their stories) are often what expands our world view the most. I read Running with Scissors by Augustine Burrows, last year. I was a little shocked and appalled, but it increased my understanding of the world. The fact that it is a memoir REALLY disturbed me. But someone grew up like that and it shaped him into the person he is. It has increased my compassion and understanding. Made me a little less judgemental...hopefully. Now...this isn't a book I would want an immature 16 year old to read, but I don't feel it would be bad for a mature, wiser 16 year old.

***************
"The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it." - George Bernard Shaw

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Monday, April 14, 2008 10:33 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Zeek: 98%? Somehow I doubt that. It seems more like you want what you want and who cares if other people enjoy the books that are being selected. That's just a part of school though. There will be things that are taught that don't interest you. While the stuff you like probably bores some others to tears. In an ideal world everyone could get a customized curriculum. We live in a far from ideal world. Best to get used to it as soon as possible.

Okay seriously, if I collected a nickel from every person i encountered in school who asked me the question "why are you reading?" whenever they saw me reading in my spare time, I'd probably have at least a grand. If you followed me around when I was in high school, you'd quickly learn that about..maybe five percent of the populace had a recreational book in their backpack. The kids I grew up with just. don't. read. Parents used to go up to my mother and ask "how did you get your daughter to love reading so much? I can't get my kid to read five pages." makes me sad. *wipes tear from eye* they're missin out.

srsly though, i don't want a customized curriculum, and I understand that in school we have to study things we don't want to, BELIEVE me i know that full well. It's just that, why can't we read something more entertaining every once in a while? not every assignment, just maybe once or twice a year? Read and DISCUSS what the writers of today are talking about, because I think that would be a highly interesting conversation. it might bring up some things i'm totally missing in the plot.

Quote:
Originally posted by RugBug: Keep working at it. You never know, you may be a better writer than he is. :D

LOLZ!!! I will cry if that day ever comes, cuz he holds me in awe.

But still, we never even read HIM in school, and I think he's worth studying. I'm still stuck on the fact that he can make a page long sentence - a single sentence - and have it not be a run-on. his structure alone (and in high school my teacher harped on structure a lot) blows my mind.

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Monday, April 14, 2008 11:13 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by freelancertex:
Okay seriously, if I collected a nickel from every person i encountered in school who asked me the question "why are you reading?" whenever they saw me reading in my spare time, I'd probably have at least a grand. If you followed me around when I was in high school, you'd quickly learn that about..maybe five percent of the populace had a recreational book in their backpack. The kids I grew up with just. don't. read. Parents used to go up to my mother and ask "how did you get your daughter to love reading so much? I can't get my kid to read five pages." makes me sad. *wipes tear from eye* they're missin out.

Eh I don't think it's just reading good books that matters. It's people's individual tastes that are different. I didn't read like a maniac when I was in school and I don't read much at all now. Even though I did get that English minor. (

@ rugbug)

People don't care about the same things no matter how much you wish they would or feel like they're missing out. I wish everyone I knew loved Firefly. It's just not going to happen though. I've given it a valiant effort, but after that I just let it go.

Don't worry so much about your classmate's love of reading. If you have something you want to read on your spare time go right ahead. If you want some discussion then join a book club.

Don't waste your effort trying to change the system. Cause frankly I don't think you'll find enough people who agree that it's broken.

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Monday, April 14, 2008 11:32 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Zeek:
Even though I did get that English minor. ( @ rugbug)

Hey...has anyone seen Zeek? I'm not sure what happened to him.

(I was also "this close" to philosophy and psychology minors as well. But then I decided at some point I needed to stop taking extra classes and get my butt out of college.)

***************
"The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it." - George Bernard Shaw

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Monday, April 14, 2008 11:36 AM

we dont have a book club >< least i dont think so, cuz the english department emails us about EVERY english club they have. :-\ *is sad again*

and i'm not trying to change the system, i'm just posing a question. i want to know WHY they don't do that.

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Monday, April 14, 2008 11:49 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by RugBug:
Quote:
Originally posted by Zeek:
Even though I did get that English minor. ( @ rugbug)

Hey...has anyone seen Zeek? I'm not sure what happened to him.

(I was also "this close" to philosophy and psychology minors as well. But then I decided at some point I needed to stop taking extra classes and get my butt out of college.)

*Zeek got psychology and economics minors as well*

*Zeek diagnoses RugBug with classic Zeekwannabetosis syndrome*

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Monday, April 14, 2008 12:10 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Zeek:
*Zeek got psychology and economics minors as well*

Suck-up.

Quote:
Originally posted by Zeek:
*Zeek diagnoses RugBug with classic Zeekwannabetosis syndrome*

I do wanna be you. Except retaining the me-ness of me while inhabiting the you-ness of you. I will heretofore be known as Zeebug.

***************
"The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it." - George Bernard Shaw

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Monday, April 14, 2008 12:13 PM

Zeebug declares Mondays are now Fridays. Fridays are now Mondays. Go forth and enjoy your weekend. :D

***************
"The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it." - George Bernard Shaw

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Monday, April 14, 2008 12:17 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by RugBug:
Zeebug declares Mondays are now Fridays. Fridays are now Mondays. Go forth and enjoy your weekend. :D

All hail Queen ZeeBug!

*Zeek assumes policy will be reversed by old Friday*

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Monday, April 14, 2008 12:31 PM

Lets hope so.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Don’t waste yourself in rejection, nor bark against the bad, but chant the beauty of the good.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Monday, April 14, 2008 1:42 PM

LEOPARDFLAN

I just wish we didn't have to do Romeo and Juliet. It was one of Shakespeare's first plays, and I'm sure he wrote better ones later in life, and we already know the full story anyway, we should study something that we don't know about. Gee, what a concept, don't cha think?

Sorry, I'm in a sarcastic mood today.

#~%~~*~~~&~~~*~~%~#\/#~%~~*~~~&~~~*~~%~#

\~~~*~~^~~*~~~/$$\~~~*~~^~~*~~~/
98% of teens have smoked pot, if you are one of the 2% that haven't, copy this into your signature.

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Monday, April 14, 2008 2:27 PM

I liked Romeo and Juliet, only because I operate on the principle: "well at least theyre together now, wherever they are" if not in life, then after it, u know? :-P

however, yes, he did go on to write fantastic stuff later on, like Much Ado About Nothing, which is my favorite play by him and it's absolutely HILARIOUS! i convinced my shakespeare teacher to teach us that instead of one of his other plays ;) but she also likes me so that prolly played a part.

Still, Hamlet is something of a mindfuck. it's a tragedy, but it's fuckin creepy.

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Monday, April 14, 2008 2:34 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Zeek:
Quote:
Originally posted by RugBug:
Zeebug declares Mondays are now Fridays. Fridays are now Mondays. Go forth and enjoy your weekend. :D

All hail Queen ZeeBug!

*Zeek assumes policy will be reversed by old Friday*

Now wait a dang minute here, ya'll cant just go around bestowin titles and what not willy nilly, there is a chain o command around here and its the chain I beat you with til you realize......

I am on The List. We are The Forsaken and we aim to burn!
"We don't fear the reaper"

FORSAKEN original

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Monday, April 14, 2008 4:04 PM

LEOPARDFLAN

Quote:
Originally posted by freelancertex:

Still, Hamlet is something of a mindfuck. it's a tragedy, but it's fuckin creepy.

Oooh, then I wanna read it now. Fuckin' creepy is my middle name (you should see some of the stuff I write when I put a mind to it...

)

#~%~~*~~~&~~~*~~%~#\/#~%~~*~~~&~~~*~~%~#

\~~~*~~^~~*~~~/$$\~~~*~~^~~*~~~/
98% of teens have smoked pot, if you are one of the 2% that haven't, copy this into your signature.

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Tuesday, April 15, 2008 12:57 AM

SPACEANJL

I was reading over this post, and trying to think of a single thing I was forced to read at school (or have ever been given as an 'improving' read) that I have enjoyed.

Came up empty. (I enjoyed Shakespeare - no forcing there)

But - I will give most things a go. Agree on the 'life story' front - I find the prevalence of those things creepy and depressing. It may e cathartic for the writer, but for others, it's voyeurism. Still, like a deal of 'entertainment' out there, don't like, don't look.

Of course, if you don't read the older writers, you never get to spot where the newer writers are nicking ideas from. (And this goes for watching tv/films as well - there's an idea that there are only something like five original plots in the world, after all.) Going right back to Greek tragedy allows you to spot a good many plot devices used in modern soaps, believe it or not. Shakespeare has been so mined by others, that if he was alive now, he probably would be on a writing team (hey, possibly with Joss and co - that would be cool) - and this idea was used in the sequel to 'Cast a Deadly Spell' A film which required a knowledge of detective noir and cult horror, incidentally.

Thing is, they can make you read them. But you have a right to say ' I don't like this.' If you can then supply a reasoned 'because', it's all good. I've read Orwell, Huxley, Dickens, Sholokov, Milton, Aeschylus, Donne and many others across the spectrum. Some of it I enjoyed, some of it was merely an experience.

But...there was a ponder someplace around here. Guess I'm channeling Jayne again - if there's a willin' someone, you don't go holdin' back

NV, you are cooking for MsB? That's mighty brave - woman's a hellacious good cook. But we have recipes, many recipes...pm and you shall find. (If she still has the Jamaican fish recipe I sent her, that's a good one.)

Zeek - step away from the emotional vampire. It's for your own good.

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Tuesday, April 15, 2008 5:01 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by FutureMrsFIllion:
Now wait a dang minute here, ya'll cant just go around bestowin titles and what not willy nilly, there is a chain o command around here and its the chain I beat you with til you realize......

Hey you had your chance to declared Monday/Friday thingie. ZeeBug just had a better campaign platform.

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Tuesday, April 15, 2008 5:48 AM

Good morning Ponderers. Seems things are good in the neighborhood.

AnJL, seems I pulled it off. Doctored the hell out of a spaghetti sauce base with carmelized onion, saute'd green onion, red pepper, and a little bit of parsley and diced tomato with the good whole grain elbows and other stuff to make a goulash with some bread sticks (reserve whole grain biscut dough with mixed seasonings) that was actually pretty freakin' good. Wish I would have seen the yellow squash earlier cuz it would have been great in the sauce.

Wll, back to work I go.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Don’t waste yourself in rejection, nor bark against the bad, but chant the beauty of the good.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Tuesday, April 15, 2008 6:58 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by nvghostrider:
Good morning Ponderers. Seems things are good in the neighborhood.

AnJL, seems I pulled it off. Doctored the hell out of a spaghetti sauce base with carmelized onion, saute'd green onion, red pepper, and a little bit of parsley and diced tomato with the good whole grain elbows and other stuff to make a goulash with some bread sticks (reserve whole grain biscut dough with mixed seasonings) that was actually pretty freakin' good. Wish I would have seen the yellow squash earlier cuz it would have been great in the sauce.

Wll, back to work I go.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Don’t waste yourself in rejection, nor bark against the bad, but chant the beauty of the good.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

mmmmmm....FMF hungry.....

I am on The List. We are The Forsaken and we aim to burn!
"We don't fear the reaper"

FORSAKEN original

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Tuesday, April 15, 2008 7:26 AM

Awww.

Foodz for all!!!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Don’t waste yourself in rejection, nor bark against the bad, but chant the beauty of the good.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Tuesday, April 15, 2008 8:12 AM

Considering the book theme of late maybe some of you guys want to take advantage of this deal. http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?sduid=4015&t=796062

I'm thinking of doing it. What's the worst that could happen? The rebate doesn't go through and I end up buying some books at the regular amazon price. Not the end of the world.

So, there is a slight update to the mean girl situation. She's going to come to poker night tonight to just hang out. Bleh. I'll try to stay strong but I know my weakness for pathetic people who ask for help. The pathetic part makes me feel sorry for them. The asking for help part probably reflects more on me. I don't ask for help unless it's something I really need help with. So, I think I default to assuming others do the same. Therefore if I can help I feel guilty if I don't. I'll have updates tomorrow I'm sure.

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Tuesday, April 15, 2008 8:40 AM

At least you're cool enough to accomodate. I'm at a point of helping those who help themselves. That's it. I realized that doing more than my part is not healthy or productive. Occasionally there is a person who stands up from that unlikeable spot but it is rare. Wish ya the best of luck Zeek.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Don’t waste yourself in rejection, nor bark against the bad, but chant the beauty of the good.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Tuesday, April 15, 2008 10:45 AM

lolz. seeing kenneth branaugh's film rendition drives the creepiness home cuz of the way he made hamlet's dead father look and sound. the voice is like death and his eyes are bright fucking blue and really wide so its like "holy. shit. that thing. is gonna kill me." every time i read hamlet i see that image and i'm like *hides*

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Tuesday, April 15, 2008 11:24 AM

LEOPARDFLAN

Cool! Now I wanna see

#~%~~*~~~&~~~*~~%~#\/#~%~~*~~~&~~~*~~%~#

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98% of teens have smoked pot, if you are one of the 2% that haven't, copy this into your signature.

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Tuesday, April 15, 2008 1:05 PM

lolz, while you're at it, see his version of Much Ado About Nothing as well. fucking HILARIOUS. ESPECIALLY Michael Keaton as Dogberry XD i swear i've never laughed so hard.

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Wednesday, April 16, 2008 5:10 AM

Poker night update:
That girl is just a moron. So, I invited her to a browncoat get together so she could have something to do and maybe meet some friends. She declined to go work out instead. That was this past Sunday. Last night she's all "where did you even find people who get together to watch a canceled TV show? What do they have a message board where they sit around talking about it all the time? hahahahaha" (all said in a very condescending tone of voice). I was like "yeah that's exactly how I met up with them". That was pretty much the end of that conversation and the end of me feeling sorry for her. What kind of a person thinks they can make friends by insulting someone else's interests?!? She is on her own.

Anyway still a fun night despite her presence.

How's everybody else doing?

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Wednesday, April 16, 2008 5:15 AM

I am still pondering on what the hell "pretty person personality" is.

And good riddance to her Zeek!

I am on The List. We are The Forsaken and we aim to burn!
"We don't fear the reaper"

FORSAKEN original

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Wednesday, April 16, 2008 5:25 AM