Close Mindedness

I don't live in California anymore. I grew up there and even helped on the gubernatorial recall campaign that put Arnold in office. California is supposed to be the land of the crazy left wing liberals. At least that's what everyone says about it. Let me 'splain why this matters.

I recently got a new part time job to help pay the bills. It's for a company that does outbound survey's for everything from coffee to politics. With the elections only weeks away of course most of the surveys are about those.

I was tasked with calling people in California last night and asking them a series of questions about the upcoming elections. The first question was, "Tell me, in your own words, what is the MOST IMPORTANT Issue facing your community today."

Most of the responses were boring. Mundane crime and economy answers. One lady really pissed me off though and it was difficult for me to finish the rest of the survey. Her response was "Prop 8." Of course we are asked to probe for clarification, and I had no idea what Prop 8 was. When I asked her what it was about Prop 8 that concerned her she responded with, "That marriage is between a man and a woman. That my nieces and nephews will go to school and they'll teach them that it's okay to marry their same sex."

We're asked to continue questioning them until they say something along the lines of "That's all." Needless to say if my supervisors were listening to that call I would have been marked down on tone of voice and not probing enough. After that response I wanted to get her off the phone as quickly as possible.

How can people be so close minded to think that two people that love each other shouldn't be allowed to share that love in marriage? Whether it's two men, two women, or a man and a woman. Just because I don't find other women sexually attractive doesn't mean that I have the right to make sure that other women out there can't either. I don't care what you do in your bedroom just don't bring me into it, and I wont bring you into mine.

How hard is it to keep our noses out of each others business? I don't quite understand all these people that go about saying that they're trying to help us by taking our liberties away. Anti-Abortionists and Anti-Gay Marriage are the two biggest ones. Who the fuck are you to tell me what I can and can't do with my body? And who the fuck am I to tell you what you can and can't do with your body? It's ridiculous.

1 Candidate I CAN Get Behind

Dolores for President!

100 Chart Toppers the Year I Tested Out of HS

Apparently Monday is LIST DAY. I was going to make Friday list day here, but noooooo. Miss abdpbt says that Monday's have to be list day. So fine! Here's my Monday list.

I was reading another blog recently. I can't remember which one it was and I can't remember where I found the list but here it is. The idea is that you go to this website, no I can't remember the address didn't I just tell you that, and find the list of 100 chart toppers the year you graduated from high school. Then you go through and bold the one's you liked. I have added comments on those bolded.

1. Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix), Los Del Rio
   
2. One Sweet Day, Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men
   
3. Because You Loved Me, Celine Dion: Yeah I know sappy schlock, but I liked it.
   
4. Nobody Knows, Tony Rich Project
   
5. Always Be My Baby, Mariah Carey
   
6. Give Me One Reason, Tracy Chapman: How can I not like a song by someone with the same last name as me. Seriously I really do like this song. Probably one of like 3 songs by Tracy that I actually like.
   
7. Tha Crossroads, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
   
8. I Love You Always Forever, Donna Lewis
   
9. You're Makin' Me High/Let It Flow, Toni Braxton
   
10. Twisted, Keith Sweat
    
11. C'mon N' Ride It (The Train), Quad City Dj's: You're probably thinking by now that this girl has no taste. She liked this song? What's wrong with her? I didn't like it so much for the lyrics but the catchy beat that made it easy to dance to. No I didn't do the train.
    
12. Missing, Everything But The Girl: I don't remember why I liked this song just that I did.
    
13. Ironic, Alanis Morissette: There were a lot of Alanis song's that I didn't like but this one I did. I also loved the video for this song. I saw her in concert once and OMFG does this girl have some energy. It's like she did an 8-ball before she came out on stage. She couldn't sit still.
    
14. Exhale (Shoop Shoop), Whitney Houston
    
15. Follow You Down/Til I Hear It From You, Gin Blossoms: Another one of those top 40 songs with a catchy beat.
    
16. Sittin' Up In My Room, Brandy
    
17. How Do U Want It/California Love, 2Pac
    
18. It's All Coming Back To Me Now, Celine Dion
    
19. Change The World, Eric Clapton: Who wouldn't love a song that starts "If I could reach the stars I'd pull one down for you". EC has got to be one of my favorite musicians of all time. I've loved him since he was in Cream.
    
20. Hey Lover, LL Cool J
    
21. Loungin, LL Cool J
    
22. Insensitive, Jann Arden
    
23. Be My Lover, La Bouche
    
24. Name, Goo Goo Dolls: Sometimes I wish I had someone that I could hide from the world with. Where it didn't matter who I was or what my name was. I think that's why I still like this song.
    
25. Who Will Save Your Soul, Jewel: I think that this song is a great commentary on where the world was at the time it was written and where we're still headed. Kind of sad but everyone is just looking for a quick buck.
    
26. Where Do You Go, No Mercy
    
27. I Can't Sleep Baby (If I), R. Kelly
    
28. Counting Blue Cars, Dishwalla: I think the main reason I liked this song is because I was a new pagan at the time and really into the goddess figure and it refers to god as a woman.
    
29. You Learn/You Oughta Know, Alanis Morissette: I liked this one because it tells you how you should live you life. Go out there! Make mistakes! That's how you learn how to be a better person and make better decisions.
    
30. One Of Us, Joan Osborne: Again I think I liked this one because of my religious research. What if god was one of us? What would (s)he think of what we've done with the planet. I don't think (s)he'd be very happy.
    
31. Wonder, Natalie Merchant
    
32. Not Gon' Cry, Mary J. Blige
    
33. Gangsta's Paradise, Coolio: As much as I dislike rap I did like this song. I liked the movie too.
    
34. Only You, 112 Featuring The Notorious B.I.G.
    
35. Down Low (Nobody Has To Know), R. Kelly
    
36. You're The One, SWV
    
37. Sweet Dreams, La Bouche
    
38. Before You Walk Out Of My Life/Like This And Like That, Monica
    
39. Breakfast At Tiffany's, Deep Blue Something: "And I said what about, breakfast at Tiffany's. She said, "I think I, remember the film and as I recall, I think we, both kinda liked it" And I said , "well, that's the one thing we've got"". I liked it too. You gotta always look for what does work, not what doesn't work or you'll never make it.
    
40. 1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New), Coolio
    
41. The World I Know, Collective Soul: I've been on the edge before. I was pulled back by love. I don't think I ever want to go there again.
    
42. No Diggity, BLACKstreet (Featuring Dr. Dre)
    
43. Anything, 3t
    
44. 1979, The Smashing Pumpkins: Dude it's a song about the year I was born. And Billy Corgan is HOT! with his little baby face and those chubby cheeks you just want to pinch til he bruises.
    
45. Diggin' On You, TLC
    
46. Why I Love You So Much/Ain't Nobody, Monica
    
47. Kissin' You, Total
    
48. Count On Me, Whitney Houston and Cece Winans
    
49. Fantasy, Mariah Carey
    
50. Time, Hootie and The Blowfish
    
51. You'll See, Madonna
    
52. Last Night, Az Yet
    
53. Mouth, Merril Bainbridge
    
54. The Earth, The Sun, The Rain, Color Me Badd
    
55. All The Things (Your Man Won't Do), Joe
    
56. Wonderwall, Oasis: I think everyone needs a wonderwall in their lives. Someone that they can talk to and be saved by sometimes.
    
57. Woo-hah!! Got You All In Check/Everything Remains Raw, Busta Rhymes
    
58. Tell Me, Groove Theory
    
59. Elevators (Me and You), Outkast
    
60. Hook, Blues Traveler: I think this has got to be one of the most honest songs I've ever heard. It tells the truth about the music industry. It doesn't matter what they say or if they mean it as long as it's catchy.
    
61. Doin It, LL Cool J
    
62. Fastlove, George Michael
    
63. Touch Me Tease Me, Case Featuring Foxxy Brown
    
64. Tonite's Tha Night, Kris Kross
    
65. Children, Robert Miles
    
66. Theme From Mission: Impossible, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen
    
67. Closer To Free, Bodeans
    
68. Just A Girl, No Doubt: I've felt like this many times in my life. Where someone else was controlling what they thought I should do. What they thought was right for me. I still feel like this sometimes. I'm just sick of everyone else telling me what they think will be right for me. I'm an adult. I'm almost freaking 30 for Christ's sake. Let me make my own decisions.
    
69. If Your Girl Only Knew, Aaliyah
    
70. Lady, D'angelo
    
71. Key West Intermezzo (I Saw You First), John Mellencamp
    
72. Pony, Ginuwine
    
73. Nobody, Keith Sweat
    
74. Old Man and Me (When I Get To Heaven), Hootie and The Blowfish
    
75. If It Makes You Happy, Sheryl Crow:I can't say exactly why I like this song. I just did. Maybe it was the hook.
    
76. As I Lay Me Down, Sophie B. Hawkins
    
77. Keep On, Keepin' On, Mc Lyte
    
78. Jealousy, Natalie Merchant
    
79. I Want To Come Over, Melissa Etheridge: Who doesn't feel teenage angst at unrequited love for the popular guy at school. The thing that made it really bad is that we were friends. He even told me once if I was older then there would've been something. Goddamn statutory rape laws.
    
80. Who Do U Love, Deborah Cox
    
81. Un-Break My Heart, Toni Braxton: I think this one came out not long after my BF left me for my Best Friend. Joke was on him though. He turned her gay.
    
82. This Is Your Night, Amber
    
83. You Remind Me Of Something, R. Kelly
    
84. Runaway, Janet Jackson
    
85. Set U Free, Planet Soul
    
86. Hit Me Off, New Edition
    
87. No One Else, Total
    
88. My Boo, Ghost Town Dj's
    
89. Get Money, Junior M.A.F.I.A.
    
90. That Girl, Maxi Priest Featuring Shaggy: I wanted to be that girl.
    
91. Po Pimp, Do Or Die
    
92. Until It Sleeps, Metallica: This is post haircut and most of their stuff post haircut I didn't like. But this one I do.
    
93. Hay, Crucial Conflict
    
94. Beautiful Life, Ace Of BaseI think I wanted to be happy no matter what. This song gave me that hope.
    
95. Back For Good, Take That
    
96. I Got Id/Long Road, Pearl Jam
    
97. Soon As I Get Home, Faith Evans
    
98. Macarena, Los Del Rio
    
99. Only Wanna Be With You, Hootie and The Blowfish
    
100. Don't Cry, Seal: This goes along with wanting to be loved. Wanting someone there to hold me and tell me it would be okay and I didn't have to cry.
     
     Can you guess what year I graduated? Or actually tested out. I didn't "graduate" in the strictest sense of the term. I tested out before graduation because I was going to college at the same time as high school and what I was learning in college was more advanced than what I was learning AT THE SAME TIME at high school. Isn't that the way it's supposed to work though? College = more difficult than high school. Am I right?
     
     Remember I did say guess. Not go plug one of these songs into a search engine somewhere to see what year they were on the charts. So guess. What year did I test out of high school?

16 Things I Have Made

This list will not include food stuffs. That list would be huge. It will however include some of the craft items I can remember.

1. Numerous cross stitch items
   
2. 2 pairs of socks
   
3. Numerous fulled bags
   
4. Numerous Market Bags
   
5. Clapotis
   
6. a couple of hats
   
7. 2 chemises
   
8. 2 pairs of shorts (with help from mom)
   
9. 1 under skirt
   
10. 1 over skirt
    
11. 1 bodice (again with help from mom)
    
12. curtains
    
13. popsicle stick structures
    
14. clay ashtrays
    
15. beautiful finger painted landscapes (at least that's what I told my mom they were. They must have been beautiful because she usually put them up on the fridge.)
    
16. And one time in elementary school, I made a mission out of sugar cubes (I don't remember which one it was though)
    

1 Answer to a Hypothetical Question

A few days ago Dooce posted a question.

If you could donate some money to a starving family so that they could feed their children but were only allowed to do so if you also gave an equal amount to a crack addict to buy more crack, would you?

She left the comments open on this one. Which I have noticed she's doing more and more lately. I didn't respond to that question. Several thousand responses did come in, quite a few of them were blasting her for asking such an obviously political question. Which it totally wasn't. I am going to answer that question now though.

Having been in the situation where my mother had to decide if she would eat or my brother and I would, I would so totally give the money to the family. My logic is this. If that person takes my $20 or $50 and goes and buys crack eventually they will get bad shit or OD and die. One less crack addict to worry about. However, it might mean one mom or dad that doesn't have to do without and become ill because of a lack of or improper nutrition.

I know some of you may think that's callous and cold and I'm a major bitch for even thinking something like that. However if you're giving them money to buy crack they're not going to use it to get into rehab or buy food. You gave them the money to BUY CRACK. That's what they're going to do with it. Those kinds of people are not helpable, is that even a word?

I'm all for trying to help people that genuinely want the help. That are ready to give up their addictions and clean up their lives. We should have places for them to go where they're in a controlled environment relearning how to be human and not drug addicted monsters. I'm not trying to say that all crack addicts are hopeless. But the ones that are happy with their addictions? Fuck em. Let them kill themselves. I'll even help them on their way if it means that someone else gets the help they need.

A List of 26 Lists

So I have put up a few lists on things on my blog fairly recently. So much so that I was linked to be another blogger as being a list lover. She has challenged us to make lists. Not meaningful lists of anything of significance. Just a list of useless things. To that end I have decided to make a list of things you can make lists of.

1. Things you have made.
   
2. Books you have read
   
3. Movies you have seen
   
4. Reasons to keep hitting snooze in the morning
   
5. People you love
   
6. People you hate
   
7. Things you need to do
   
8. Books you need to read
   
9. Books you want to read
   
10. Books you need to read but don't really want to
    
11. Stuff you need to buy
    
12. Stuff you want to buy but don't have the money for
    
13. Ideas for blog updates
    
14. Knitting patterns you want to make
    
15. Knitting patterns you want to design
    
16. Crafts you want to learn
    
17. Games you want to play
    
18. Celebrities you want to fuck
    
19. Celebrities you want to kill
    
20. "Normal" people you want to kill
    
21. Food you love
    
22. Food you hate
    
23. Cars you want to own
    
24. Cars you have owned
    
25. Hair colors you have had
    
26. Hair colors you would like to have
    

This list could go on and on but I have to go get in the shower to get ready for work now. You can add more in the comments.

Blog Theft 101

1. Find a blog you love.
2. Steal ideas from it

It’s that simple. Granted the blog I stole this from stole it from another blog. Woo Hoo. Lots of fun.


The instructions for passing this list around the internet like a viral disease are as follows:

1. Look at the list and bold those you have read.
   
2. Italicize those you intend to read.
   
3. Underline the books you love.
   
   Abdpbt has added to these instructions the following:
   
   
4. Put in ALL CAPS the one that are also on the hypothetical list of books that Sarah Palin did not ask to have banned, but merely inquired about the theory of banning in general, a subtle and unimportant distinction.
   
5. Strike through books that should not be on the list. This might be due to the fact that you hate them, or think they are not “literary,” or just because you are being capricious today.
   
6. Color green those books that are propaganda or glorified trash. Feel justified in making these kinds of distinctions based on your status as both an ivory tower intellectual and a card carrying member of the media elite. Accuse naysayers of living in a “fly over” state. Drink organic coffee sweetened with agave nectar or stevia.
   
7. Color red those books you haven’t read but “should” have, or which you have never heard of. Offer self-effacing, anti-intellectual explanations where necessary. Talk about how much you like popular culture as diversion tactic, and to make people think that you are “quirky.” Wear glasses with dark rims.
   
8. Add books that should be on the list to the end. Take comfort in the fact that no list of this kind could ever be complete, and will always alienate someone. It is the problem with establishing canonicity. Pat self on back for using word “canonicity” outside of academic paper. Also, punch self in face for being tool.
   

She says, “Listen, it’s my website and I make the rules. So I don’t want to hear any bitching. So without any further ado, the list:”

I have edited the list to reflect my changes with the above rules except rule number 1. I’m just too lazy to go try to find a copy of that list and compare.

1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen: I personally feel anything by this woman is useless drivel. If I want to read trashy romance novels I’ll go buy them on clearance at Big Lots for 50¢.
   
2. The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien
   
3. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
   
4. The Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling: Loved every one of these books. I do reread them sometimes too. I did however get very angry with JK when Dumbledore died in book 6. Hope that didn’t ruin it for you.
   
5. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee: Had to read it in school. Don’t really remember it though.
   
6. The Bible: I really should read this just to see what all the crazies are talking about and why they’re so fanatical about this book.
   
7. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
   
8. Nineteen Eighty Four by George Orwell: I find it kind of scary that under the current administration, and possibly the next, we’re moving closer and closer to this state. Orwell was right just not on the date.
   
9. His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
   
10. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens: I’ve heard this is a really good book. I didn’t see the movie but it seems like it might be fun. I’ll let you know once I’ve read it.
    
11. Little Women by Louisa M Alcott
    
12. Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy: abdpbt said this was the most depressing book she ever read until she got to one of the other books on the list. I however found it wonderful. Makes me want to keep going no matter how bad I think things have gotten just like Tess did.
    
13. Catch 22 Joseph Heller
    
14. Complete Works of Shakespeare
    
15. Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
    
16. The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien: Read this as a child. I’ve always loved fantasy novels. Even the trash romance novels I read now are about things that probably can’t happen. Time travel and vampires and stuff like that. Some will say that this shouldn't have it's own place on the list as it's part of the LoTR Trilogy. In fact it is not a part of the trilogy. It's a prequel. (And OH MY GOD THE HELL! How much of a geek am I that I abbreviated it LoTR?)
    
17. Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks
    
18. The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger: Another book I was forced to read in high school. Don’t really remember much of it though. I do know I liked it.
    
19. The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
    
20. Middlemarch by George Eliot
    
21. Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell: hated the movie, and I know everyone always says the books better but I don’t think I can make myself care about such a spoiled rotten brat as Scarlett.
    
22. The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald: Don’t really know what this one is about but I do know that there’s always a lot of hype surrounding it.
    
23. Bleak House by Charles Dickens
    
24. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy: This is one of those books you just have to read at least once in your life.
    
25. The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams: Loved the movie, hope the books better.
    
26. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
    
27. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky: Another one of those books you have to read.
    
28. Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck: I like the other Steinbeck work I’ve read so I’m hoping this is good as well. I think I may have read this in high school but I don’t remember.
    
29. Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll: Loved the Disney movie as a child and didn’t realize quite how different they make things.
    
30. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame: Love Mr. Toad’s wild ride and like books with anthropomorphized animals.
    
31. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
    
32. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens: This is one of those books I SHOULD read but probably never will.
    
33. Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis: Anthropomorphized animals. What more is there to say?
    
34. Emma by Jane Austen: See number 1
    
35. Persuasion by Jane Austen: See number 1
    
36. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by CS Lewis: See number 33
    
37. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini: I’ve heard of this book and heard good things about this book. So eh? Why not?
    
38. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis De Bernieres
    
39. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden: Another one where I loved the movie and hope the books better.
    
40. Winnie the Pooh by AA Milne: Who hasn’t read Winnie the Pooh? If you haven’t there must be something wrong with you.
    
41. Animal Farm by George OrwellMore anthropomorphized animals, and this one has a message.
    
42. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown: I read it because of all the hype surrounding the movie. It wasn’t as good as I had hoped but it was better than the movie.
    
43. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
    
44. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
    
45. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
    
46. Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery: I read this as a preteen and thought it was boring. I still think it’s boring.
    
47. Far From The Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy: I like his other work and therefore will hopefully like this one too.
    
48. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood.
    
49. Lord of the Flies by William Golding: Another one of them required books.
    
50. Atonement by Ian McEwan
    
51. Life of Pi by Yann Martel
    
52. Dune by Frank Herbert: I liked the movies and this is another that I hope will be better.
    
53. Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
    
54. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen: See number 1
    
55. A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth
    
56. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
    
57. A Tale Of Two Cities by Charles Dickens: I’ve heard Dickens is boring. I’ve been told a very verbose person. However if I can get through Hugo I could probably get through Dickens.
    
58. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley: It’s another one of those future doom and gloom books but still there’s hope.
    
59. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
    
60. Love In The Time Of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
    
61. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck: Yet another required read. However this one I enjoyed.
    
62. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov: I’ve heard the story outline but never actually read the book.
    
63. The Secret History by Donna Tartt
    
64. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold: This want to read is based on comments other’s have left regarding this book.
    
65. Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas: I’m just not one for prison stories. I know it’s supposed to be a great story but thbbpt is kind of how I feel about it.
    
66. On The Road by Jack Kerouac: I don’t really have anything to say about this one I just don’t think I’ll ever read it.
    
67. Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy: Another one of those that I think I might like because of my like of his other works.
    
68. Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding: Hated the movies would probably hate the books. I mean I have enough blogs to read already. I don’t want to add another.
    
69. Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie
    
70. Moby Dick by Herman Melville.
    
71. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens: I like the musical that was adapted from this perhaps I’d like the book.
    
72. Dracula by Bram Stoker: I’ve read lots of vampire stories. I usually like them all. This one was a fun twist on the usual story.
    
73. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett: I know I’ve read this but can’t for the life of me remember anything about it. Which means I was either really young or it really sucked.
    
74. Notes From A Small Island by Bill Bryson
    
75. Ulysses by James Joyce
    
76. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath: This is one of those woman books. Right? Something every woman should read. Right? At least that’s what I remember hearing about it.
    
77. Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome
    
78. Germinal by Emile Zola
    
79. Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray: The plot of this book seems incredibly boring. I’m not really interested in intrigues and plots to get the dying aunts money and other such drivel.
    
80. Possession by AS Byatt
    
81. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens: Who doesn’t remember humbugs come x-mas time?
    
82. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
    
83. The Color Purple by Alice Walker: I know Oprah was in a movie of this once. Or was in Whoopie. Shit I can’t remember and I’m not going to take the time to look it up.
    
84. The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro: If this is the one they made the movie out of never never never going to read it. The movie almost put me to sleep it was so boring. And since most of my reading is done in bed I’m pretty sure the book WOULD put me to sleep.
    
85. Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
    
86. A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
    
87. Charlotte’s Web by EB White: Loved this book as a child. We need more PEOPLE like Charlotte in this world. Willing to go out of their way to help others.
    
88. The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom: How does this person know who I’m going to meet in heaven? Or even if that’s where I’m going? I mean come on. Did he die? Did he go to heaven? I know if I went to heaven I don’t think I’d ask to come back to write a book about who I met there.
    
89. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: This is bolded and italicized because I’ve read some of them and need to read the rest.
    
90. The Faraway Tree Collection by Enid Blyton
    
91. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad: I just like the title. Sound all dark and dangerous. It probably isn’t though.
    
92. The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery: Read in the original French. Over the course of several months with my French-English dictionary next to me. I never was a good French student.
    
93. The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks
    
94. Watership Down by Richard Adams: All I remember is something to do with rabbits. Not sure if that was in the story or if it was just the picture on the cover. But I definitely remember rabbits.
    
95. A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
    
96. A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute
    
97. The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas: I’ve heard lots of things about the musketeers and what they did, what they stood for and all that I should probably read what all the fuss is about and really learn what Dumas thought they should be.
    
98. Hamlet by William Shakespeare: Another one of those required reads in high school. And oddly enough one that I really did like. I know I said earlier that I didn’t care for intrigues and trying to get what you don’t really deserve but hey it’s Shakespeare.
    
99. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
    
100. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo: The first time I read this, yes first time I have read it more than once, it was hard to get through. Damned Hugo and making the first 6 chapters about the history of what’s going on at the time.
     
     
     Books added by abdpbt:
     
     
     
101. The Moor’s Last Sigh by Salman Rushdie.
     
102. White Teeth by Zadie Smith.
     
103. Tom Jones by Henry Fielding.
     
104. Geek Love by Kathryn Dunn.
     
105. Blindness by Jose Saramago.
     
106. The Corrections by Jonathan Frantzen.
     
107. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
     
108. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers.
     
109. Fury by Salman Rushdie.
     
110. Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri.
     
111. The Monk by Mathew Lewis.
     
     
     Books I would add:
     
     
     
112. The Hunchback of Notre Dame By Victor Hugo
     
113. The Sword of Truth Series by Terry Goodkind
     
114. The Complete Works of E.A. Poe
     
115. L’Etranger (The Stranger) by Albert Camus
     
116. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
     
117. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
     
118. Something Wicked This Way Comes By Ray Bradbury
     
119. The Foundation Series by Isaac Asimov
     
120. Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonegut
     
121. Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
     

Yes I have read all the books in my additions. Yes I liked them all. 113 is actually 8 or 9 books and 119 is at least 3, probably more.


As far as the books on the original list are concerned I have only read a quarter of them. Not great but still much better than abdpbt’s assertion that most people have only read 6 of the books.


So what would your list include?

Was Hitler a Great Leader?

This is becoming a trend for me. Getting my blogging ideas from Dooce's comments. I just can't help myself. The people that post to her comments are usually the funniest people in the world.

Yesterday she opened herself up to more hate asking for discussion. She posted a video clip of Republican VP Candidate Palin and asked why people were still so in love with her. One of the comments left was this, in regards to Democratic Pres Candidate Obama.

"Hitler was a great speaker, did that make him a good leader?

I think it's scary to have such a smooth talker in office. I'm not saying he's Hitler, but who knows. And I admit I like listening to Obama speak. But he gets away with saying some shit because he's so smooth...I don't care for that kind of pull."

This got me to thinking. I know I'm going to offend some people out there in the Interwebs with this post but hey that's why I love having a blog. I can write whatever I want and don't have to care who I piss off.

Mirriam Webster defines the word leader as:

" a person who leads: as a: guide , conductor b (1): a person who directs a military force or unit (2): a person who has commanding authority or influence"

By that definition Hitler was not just a good leader. He was a fucking phenomenal leader. His countrymen loved him, as evidenced by the atrocities they committed for him. He gave his people what they needed at the time. Which is what made him so powerful.

Granted he united his people with hate and did horrible things to people that didn't deserve it. He was still a great leader. While his country was in turmoil and being bombarded from all sides by those opposed to what he was doing he still managed to keep control and had a huge army at his command. While I don't like the things he with his "leadership" I do have to say that the man was and great leader.

Censorship

I usually try to stay out of the policital debates. That's not what I wanted my blog to be about. I wanted it to be about light and funny things. And I guess what I'm about to say isn't really a political debate, more of a debate/rant on censorship and the 1st Amendment.

I have tried to post openly and honestly about what I think and feel in life. I have always tried not to alienate anyone from reading my blog. We all know there aren't very many of you. I have censored myself with regards to certain aspects of my life. However, I have to open my mouth about what is going on in the comments of my favorite blog to read.

Heather Armstrong writes and publishes Dooce.com. Almost always her posts are light and funny posts about her husband, child, or dogs. Every once in a while she'll get a bug up her butt and post about something important to her. Kind of like the bug I get up my butt every once in a while.

Today she, in my opinion, tactfully posted her feelings about the speech given by Republican VP candidate Palin. She posted a link to an AP article explaining how some of the things said in the speech were incorrect. She left this post open to comments. She usually closes comments on all of her posts. She has gotten tired of the hate spewed her way.

I can't begin to fathom why she left them open this time. I don't know her personally, although I do feel a certain amount of closeness with this woman who has opened her home and life to the world. I can only guess that it was because she wanted people to get together and actually TALK about what's going on in this election.

What I found somewhat disturbing was the amount of people telling her that she never should have posted about this. That she should have kept her mouth shut and posted about what she knew best. That a mommyblog was no place for politics. What are they thinking? This is America that she lives in and we have the 1st Amendment.

IT'S HER BLOG. sHE CAN POST WHATEVER SHE DAMN WELL PLEASES AND YOU DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT TO TAKE THAT AWAY FROM HER. We are granted a certain amount of freedom of speech by the 1st Amendment. I know that freedom comes with responsibilty. I do not believe that she was being irresponsible in her post.

Although I don't agree with ALL of what she said I do agree with a lot of what she said. Whether or not I agree with her comments however has nothing to do with her ability or right to post them. It's her point of view on this issue.

Neither am I saying that the people that told her to shut up should not have been allowed to post. They could have, as some did, simply stopped reading the blog. If you don't like something that you can't control you stop subjecting yourself to it. If you can control it then by all means try to change it. To publicly attack someone the comments of thier blog and tell them that their stupid or don't know what they're talking about is, to me, akin to going into someone's living room and saying those things to their face. It's like the cyber bullying commercials, don't know if you have them where you live, but "If you wouldn't say it to someone's face why would you say it online?"

What someone else posts on their blog is none of my business. If I don't like it I don't read it. It's not like she's in these people's homes with guns to their heads forcing them to read her blog or look at pictures of her dogs. I know she lives within 25 miles of me but I'm not afraid she'll come over and "pay me a visit" if I don't read her blog on a daily basis.

So what the fuck is wrong with people that they think it's okay to tell her what she can and can't say on her own damn blog? Have we become so self-centered in this country that we can't accept that there are other people out there? That they might think differently than we do? That they have the right to think differently? That that is what actually makes this country great?

Soemtimes I get so fed up with the pettiness in the world.

Constipation Studies

So I'm driving to my studio this morning listening to the local oldies radio station. I hear a commercial for Lifetree Clinical Research. They're doing a study on constipation. Specifically on opiate narcotics and the effects on bowel mobility. The commercial wasn't clear on that point.

I've had constipation problems since I was a baby. My mom said the first time I had a solid movement it scared her because it was bigger than what she could do. Since then it hasn't gotten better. I'll go three or four days sometimes between movements if I don't take a laxative or get enough fiber in my diet; and I start getting nauseous after eating towards the end of that time.

When those blessed days come I can spend as much as 30 minutes on the toilet. I don't try to rush things. Just let them happen naturally. This is learned after one time trying to rush it and tearing myself. Not good.

So I call the number and I start talking to this lady who's accepting applications at the research center.

Me: "I'm calling about the constipation study."

Her: "Oh Great! You have constipation?"

Me: "Since I was a baby. Scared my mom once when I was still in diapers."

Her actually sounding like she really cares: "Oh my you poor thing. Well let me ask. Are you taking opiates?"

Me: "No. Is that what you're looking for? People taking opiate narcotics?"

Her: "Yes. Well...hold on a second let me check something really quick."

Hold Music

Her: "Are you still there?"

Me: "Yes"

Her: "We're not looking for control subjects at this time. But you know you can look online for other places that might be doing research that can help you." In her most concerned voice, "I'm so sorry we couldn't help you."

I just about pissed myself laughiong at that, after hanging up of course. She really felt bad that I can't shit on a regular basis. Or at least she sounded like she cared. She takes her job a little too seriously.

Questions?

Why do non-funny people even try to be funny? It's just sad really.

Questions?

Why does a hangnail or paper cut hurt so goddamn bad? I think I'd rather cut my finger off.

Questions?

Why do adult children torture themselves with week long "vacations" driving their parents around Texas and Oklahoma?

Knitting Nightmare #2

The evil that is Fun Fur should be blasted off the face of the planet. As well as the person that invented it.

When I was still living with my mom my niece came to visit for Christmas. She saw me knitting and decided that she wanted to learn. So we went to the local Wal-Mart and bought cheap yarn and needles so she could learn how to knit. I didn’t want to let her use my expensive bamboo or wool. She decided that she wanted a bright blue fun fur. I tried to dissuade her and get some nice smooth light acrylic yarn. She poo poo’d that idea. So we get the fun fur and some size 10.5 needles.

We take it all back to the house and I try to teach her to knit by having her sit in my lap so she can see exactly what I’m doing and copy the movements. She gave up on the fun fur so I handed her some nice smooth light acrylic yarn. After about 3 minutes of this she gives up and says she can’t do it. I keep trying to get her to knit and she keeps saying she can’t. I eventually give up.

I still have this bright blue fun fur however and no idea what to do with it. She decides that she wants the little kerchief pattern on the ball band. So I cast on my one stitch and start the painful task of making a neck kerchief with a KFB of the first stitch on each row.

I hated this after the about the 3rd row and wanted to throw it away. However I had promised my niece that I would make her this damned kerchief and so I would finish it. It took me about 3 years. There were several times where I would pick it up thinking it won’t take me long to finish then I can be done with it. Those periods only lasted about 10 minutes before I became disgusted. Then I would throw it back in my bag cursing the evil that is Fun Fur. The periods in my bag lasted much longer than 10 minutes.

It’s done. I’ve bound off. I still have to weave in the ends and mail it to her though. Not sure if she even still wants it. It’s been so long since she said she did. Maybe I’ll give it to my local animal shelter for some cat to snuggle with. It’s not really good for much else.

Questions?

Why do the firemen always eat at the pizza place down the strip from me? Not that I'm complaining. They're not bad to look at, but you'd think they'd try to eat something a little more healthy than pizza.

Breaking In

In case you’re new here I spent a month in Paris when I was 17. It was a graduation gift to me; and Uncle Sam. We went with a local Community College as a group of about 30 people. We stayed in the dorms at La Citè.

My room was on the troisième floor, which in America would actually be the 4th floor not the 3rd. The first floor is 0 in France and most of Europe for some strange reason. This was also the top floor of the dorm. My room was in the corner of the building by the street which meant that I could look out my window and see a beautiful park.

The windows in these rooms opened inward and had very deep sills. I spent quite a bit of time sitting in my window doing my homework. The buildings were old enough that they had large stone ledges around the outside of the building. Being on the top floor the roof sloped away pretty quickly from the ledge. I also spent time standing on the ledge and leaning against the roof.

I was hanging out with my friend Lily one day when it started to get late. We had class the next day and decided to call it a night. Lily had apparently forgotten her key. Her roommate was already asleep and wouldn’t wake up to the knocking on the door, or the ringing of the phone.

We looked out one of my rooms windows and saw that her roommate had left the window open. There was no AC in this building. Having been in the rock climbing club in High School I have no fear of heights or hanging onto stone with my bare hands.

Since her bedroom window was open I decided to walk along the ledge outside the building to get into her window and let her into her room. Needless to say when I jumped down inside her dorm room her roommate woke up. Pounding on the door? No. Screaming telephone? No. 17 year old girl landing in her room? YES!

She wasn’t very happy. She started screaming at me to “Get out!!” I tried to calm her down by letting her know who I was but that just seemed to make her even angrier. She actually got out of bed and started chasing me towards the door.

Meanwhile Lily is waiting out in the hall for me to open the door. When I finally get there to open it she has this huge smile on her face, like she’s trying very hard not to laugh. I’m sure had I seen a mirror I would have seen the same expression on my face.

We both laughed our asses off about it the next day. Thought it was the funniest thing on the trip so far. This was about one week in. There was a lot more hilarity after this.

Our teacher from the states, who grew up in Paris and wasn’t staying at the dorms, came to talk to me the next day. Tried to yell at me and tell me he was going to send me home early. When I explained the situation and what we had tried first he changed his mind. This woman, whose name escapes me, was less than pleased to see me on the bus for the field trip the next day.

She tried to get the rest of the students after me too. When Lily and I explained what had happened they all laughed along with us. She didn’t make very many friends in Paris.

Come back later for more installments of my fun times in Paris. Like the time three of us chased a beggar off the metro.

Questions?

When will the hot go away?

Knitting Nightmares #1

When I first learned to knit I taught myself. It was prescribed as physical therapy after having a cystotomy in my wrist. After just a couple of months I was back to full flexibility, able to touch my thumb to my forearm.

I learned to knit by watching Knitty Gritty on the DIY Network. Apparently I didn’t watch close enough. For the first 6 months of my knitting career I was always knitting through the back loop. I was apparently also wrapping the yarn backwards when purling. So you’d think that with the twisting of the knitting and the twisting of the purling they’d cancel each other out. But noooo, not the way it works.

I couldn’t figure out why my knitting was so damned tight. My fabrics didn’t move the way they were supposed to. They just sat there like hard little lumps. Like some sort of cyst. See what happens when you try to do something for yourself? I was about to give up then I found my LYS and a very helpful women.

She told me about her beginner’s knitting class and it wasn’t until I took that class that I realized what I was doing. Even then it took the instructor looking at my knitting to tell me. I still have that little bright pink baby sweater. With the first half of the back with twisted stitches. I’m such a perfectionist that if I did it now I’d rip it out and start over. However it was my first ever piece of knitted clothing and it will stay with twisted stitches forever, and probably unseamed as well.

Questions?

Said in the voice of a 5 year old. "Intraweb...Can I ask you a question?...Can I have a hug?"

Bastille Day 1996

In 1996 I tested out of high school. I only stayed long enough to go to my senior prom, what a nightmare but that's another post. I was going to college at night and high school during the day and had been for 2 years. I was sick of school.

As a graduation gift to myself, and ostensibly to earn more college credits, I took out a student loan and spent a month in Paris. I have lots of stories to tell and lots of things I miss.

I went with a group from my local community college and lived in the dorms at La Citè. We attended classes at the Sorbonne. We all know the real reason to go there was to party like it was 1999. There were many nights where we didn't get back to the dorm until 3 or 4 in the morning. Hey! I was 17 and in a foreign country with no parental supervision. I was going to study?

We went during the month of July. I missed my favorite holiday. The 4th. But I was in Paris for Bastille Day. The 14th. Bastille Day is France's independence day. It is so called because in 1789 the French proletariat stormed the Bastille, Paris's main jail, which they felt was a symbol of the corrupt political system. It was the beginning of the French Revolution and the beginning of the downfall of the Monarchy.

The entire city shuts down and huge parties are held everywhere. Even along the banks of the Seine River that runs through the middle of Paris. My two best Paris buddies and I found ourselves along the banks of the Seine partying all night long. We danced and drank cheap French wine and ate good food and had a huge blast. One of my friends, Anastacia, was a line dancer back home in LA. She would go to cowboy bars and dance several times a week. She knew them all. The Achy Breaky, The Boot Scoot Boogy, and most importantly the Electric Slide.

Lily and I didn't know any of these dances. Stacia decided to teach us the Electric Slide since it was the easiest. So there we were, three american girls that spoke bad French at best, on the banks of the Seine river in Paris at a huge party doing the Electric Slide. We were having fun and ignoring everybody else. After about 5 minutes of us doing this constantly, the music never stopped, we started to gain an audience. People were noticing we were doing the same moves, in unison, and too the beat.

I don't remember how exactly it happened but our audienced eventually turned into students. We were teaching the young, what we thought were the cool, French how to do the Electric slide. By the end of the night we had about 200 people behind us doing the Electric slide along the banks of the Seine to European techno music. We only stopped when we were about to fall down. This was about 2 am. We'd been dancing since 4 pm.

The thing that really makes this story great is the fact that we missed the last Metro to La Citè by about 15 minutes. So we had to walk. At 2 AM. Through the middle of Paris. In our "Party Clothes". Three young, attractive, American girls walking through Paris, half-drunk, trying to find our way back home. Needless to say we found we didn't find La Citè. We DID find an all night Mickey D's and a phone book to call a cab. Which only cost us about $10.

So not a bad evening. I'm surprised I can remember most of it. come back tomorrw so i can tell you more tales of my exploits in Paris. Like the time I was walking around on the 4th story ledge of my dorm.