It's Been a Long Time

Hello-

I haven't posted in a while, and thats kind of my bad. I had a serious nightmare with Apple Tech Support, also known as "AppleCare". I took it to the Apple Store on Michigan Avenue because the lid was seriously warped. I didn't take a picture of it like some people have, but I did not ever drop, knock or even scratch up this thing. After being told that the service was my fault due to some "damage on my part", I was told the repair would cost 646.89 to fix, and that I'd lost my AppleCare Extended Service Plan. So...I take my "defective" computer and go home. After calling AppleCare on the phone, they tell me that they are going to send me a box, and I'd send my computer to them in it, and they'd fix it...no problem, since this defect has been an issue. I get the box, wait for my semester to end, and I send them my lovely MacBook Pro. Somehow, they lost my laptop, TWICE, and after me cussing them out, and getting nowhere, I finally was able to find my computer...and it was in TEXAS. Now, I'm not shocked it was in Texas, even though it was supposed to be in Cleveland...but I am shocked with they start telling me the same mess that I was told at the Apple Store, that I am going to have to pay for the repair. I yell some more, and presto, I get my laptop fixed, for free. I was thanking my parents for their DNA...

My dad's also doing better. He just got on a new medication called Aricept, designed to slow down if not eradicate his symptoms so that he's more himself. If you didn't know, my father is suffering from Alzheimer's disease. The Aricept seems to allow him to have more 'good' days than bad, and he seems to be able to recall more information...even if it takes him a minute. I'm not hoping for a miracle cure, I know that Aricept does not stop the disease, but since he is in the beginning stages, I hope that it can at least lengthen the time it takes for the disease to totally dominate him. He also managed to become klutzy, this time tripping on the front steps and banging up his knee. My daddy was always a graceful man in his youth, it seems that his age is finally catching up to him. 

My grades came in, and I was surprised that I'd been able to stay the course, finishing out with a 3.0, doing the damn thing, and this next semester will be even better. Anyway, its late...gotta roll onto the Land of Nod.

Deuces!

Knock the Bullish Out

Hey

So, I got sick. Yeah, ordinarily, it's not a big deal, but I find myself sick and bored out of my mind. I'm not only stuck in the house, I've got nothing but old books, older movies and my silly ol' cat to keep me company. As a result, I have had a fair amount of time to think about things going on in my life. And I've decided I don't like the path of which most of the stuff is going...so that means, in simple words, it's time to Knock Out the Bullshit.

What does that mean exactly? Every year, usually around the first of the year, many people all over the world begin to put their lame-as "resolutions" into effect. Yours truly always resolves to cut the fat, eliminate people and relationships that are not good for me, because they simply suck in terms of my mental, physical and spiritual growth and health. However, I, like many people, suffer from a thing called "having good intentions but no real follow through". Simply speaking, I cannot actually take the steps required in order to make this plan a reality. Well, not this year. Why is this year different...you ask? Well, let's rehash.

In 2007, I had a record year of lows. I was broke (and I mean broke...like digging in the couch cushions for loose change to only remember you'd done that a few days before), fired for the first time, found out my dad had Alzheimer's and dementia, celebrated 15 years of losing someone very close to me, almost died twice, found out one of my best friends bout with cancer was eventually going to kill him, lost an uncle, a great-aunt, along with being dumped, rejected and brokenhearted. It was a rough year. In many ways, though, its full circle because I started last year off not feeling so well, and I start this year off sick. I hope this is not going to be a tradition, because it is a SUCKY one. ha.

So, I am more determined than ever to "knock the bullshit" out of my life and far far away from me. Things are going to be on my terms, I'm not going to try to please anyone but myself. The goal is to do well in school, study for the GMAT and LSAT, and maybe, just MAYBE find some sense of happiness. I'd settle for being content though, because happiness is overrated and short-lived. So, if you hear from me, hold your breath, because I may be telling you it is the last time we will talk. If you don't, well, you get the message.

Romancing the Sex

Hey all,

I'm not sure where I've been the last few days, weeks, months, years...but I was suddenly introduced to the idea of sex being a huge deal. I guess I always knew of people who believed it to be a massive thing, some sort of entity that they carry around with them, this idea of "massive sex". However, I do not share that philosophy. Not that I'm some random whore of a woman who sleeps with anyone I come into contact with, I just do not feel that sex can be held up to that high of an ideal. Because, like most ideal concepts, if they are held too high, they eventually shatter. Herein develops the theory of "real bad sex". I have had enough experience in the world to know that the longer you feign for something, desire it, dream of it, when 'it' happens...well, 'it' may not live up to the expectations you had. Like a good slice of New York pizza or chocolate ice cream when thought of too long, sex can become uninteresting, unimaginative and distasteful. 

So, imagine my surprise when I happened to come across an individual who feels sex is a pretty big deal. This individual, of more than average intellect, physical characteristics and wit, was able to tell me that each time they had sex it meant something to them, and it was indeed some sort of peak in a relationship. However, when I presented my idea that maybe sex is routine for some, and should not be the reason why so many women end up on "Snapped", why so many people go missing, why so many spouses end up dead or divorced...they were unable to explain why they felt this way, other than to say it was what they were taught as a child. Hmm...really?

Let's be honest. In ancient times, when sex was required in order to create more members in a society, it was not some special thing. Most men, who were deemed desirable in their physical traits in those days were told to have sex as often as possible in order to create desirable heirs to their name.  Only with the overpopulation of humans, the concept of love as well as marriage between two people lasting forever, did the idea of the physical representation of a union (sex) grow the emotional and "big deal" ideology that stands today. Also, with the addition of unwanted pregnancy, disease and feelings of lust disguised as love that can come as the result of an orgasm (male or female), sex has become more a "mental game" than a simple physical activity designed to create children, which, by the way, happens to feel good to both partners. I've thought about this while trying to build thoughts to discuss sex on the radio show, and I'm sure that not everyone will agree. However, I ask that they take the disease, the possible resulting children and even love out of the equation. The act of sex is not the "head game", but the dealing with the partner. Therefore, "Romancing the Sex" shouldn't happen. Leave the romance for later.

A.

Somethin' For Nothin'

So, I'm making my plans for the New Year. Everyone says that it's resolutions, that every new year allows us a chance to clean our slates and start anew..and while I'm no big believer in fresh starts, mainly because fresh starts don't exist, I'm owning up to my mistakes, and planning to make the best decisions in my life. Also, fresh starts don't really exist..especially in relationships. I say this because things never seem to want to be left alone. Sadly, we live in an insecure society. People feel that they must be judge against as well as judge other people. Were they better looking, better in bed, funnier, smarter, more interesting, charming, giving than I am? I'm sure at some point everyone has asked these questions, especially when dealing with matters of the heart and matters of intimacy. It's the questions that drive us. Well, my philosophy is to let sleeping dogs lie. Otherwise, leave the past alone. If it isn't affect you, what you currently do or plan to do, then it shouldn't matter. Sadly, I have yet to meet someone, especially a male that I'm attracted to. I thought that these issues would kind of be resolved, but, I just cant seem to find the combination of sexiness, maturity, sensuality, kindness, trust and devotion in a man. I keep looking though, and that brings me to my New Years 'resolution', to devote myself to myself...to find self-love first, and then find it in someone else. I wish I could relieve certain moments in the past over again, behave differently, but since it's not an option, I will be shaking the past moments, assumptions and bad advice off of my feet and going for what is best for me. Not the concept that is given four stars by Good Housekeeping magazine.

A.

Randomly Random Holiday Thoughts

I was up at the god-awful hour of 530am the night before New Years Eve, and I found out that Vanilla Ice aka Rob Van Winkle starred in a movie called "Cool as Ice" in 1991. The movie is like when you are driving down a highway and see a bad car accident, ambulances and all, and want to look away, but you can't. Eventually traffic slows down to a slow crawl because everyone is staring. Maybe it was the combination of just seeing the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Part III, since I was in a 90's movie mood, but  it was pretty bad. The movie is about a guy, named Johnny, who is played by Vanilla Ice, who rides cross-country with his band. And yes, in a strange coincidence, he is a rapper. The movie even opens with Ice rapping in his usual flamboyant style...and the song's chorus (or hook) is sung by none other than the cell-phone tossing Naomi Campell, who appears in the opening. Johnny gets the bright idea to travel across country with his band mates, and along the way, meets Kathy (Kat) played by Kristin Minter, an honor student. She catches his eye, and he decides to stay in town long enough to get her attention. Meanwhile, the town is so supportive of Kathy excelling in school that a local news crew comes to interview her. In the interview, they talk to her father, who makes a lame attempt to cover his face. It is revealed later that her father was put into the Witness Protection Program and is found by the crooked cops looking for him, who just so happen to be watching the interview. At this point, Im laughing so hard that I can barely understand anything going on. Not only is this movie poorly acted, its storyline is predictable (Johnny must help Kat save her dad from the crooked cops who want to harm him while still managing to be cool and wear the flashiest pants ever designed), and the dialogue is terrible. An example:

Johnny goes to Kathy's house to see if she's home and possibly talk to her...instead of seeing her, he finds Kathy's mother, Ms. Winslow.

Johnny: Hey-yo, wasup ma'am? Ms. Winslow: Can I help you? Johnny: Yeah, I'm looking for Kat. Ms. Winslow: We don't have a cat. Johnny: Kathy, your daughter.

It's so bad, its good...well no actually, it sucks. I see movies like this and wonder, what Hollywood exec said, "Hey, let's greenlight a "hip-hop" remake of Rebel Without a Cause, and let's do it with Vanilla Ice! It'll bring in MILLIONS!" I hope it wasn't because V. Ice, his "down" nickname, said he was like the "James Dean of rap", and Rebel was Dean's most well-known movie. Cool as Ice was received so badly by critics that the director, David Kellogg, didn't work again for EIGHT years after this movie came out. He is now known for directing 1999's Inspector Gadget. Many reviewers said, and I agree, that the whole budget for the film must have been spent on V. Ice's wardrobe, since everyone else looks like they just kind of fell out of the second-hand clothes shop. Almost 20 years later, in Indiana, I bet James Dean is STILL rolling in his grave.

A.