Things I found funny on the internet today

From Texts From Last Night:

(401): Renamed my iPod as 'the titantic' so when I plug it in it's says 'the titantic is syncing.'

(904): taking a shot every time they compare curling to a real sport

(801): I am in the checkout line at the dollar store and there is a guy in front of me holding a pregnancy test, a chocolate bar, and fake roses. Champion.

(908):Intervention is following me on twitter. (440):wow.

From LOL Cats:

From Failblog:








This post should also serve as notice that I will not be posting tomorrow. I'm going out of town people and will not be able to grace your day with my musings. Try not to be to upset.

Going Natural

Among my many new years resolutions this year was to try to switch over to natural cosmetic and beauty products - I can say 2 months in this is my most successful resolution by far (probably because it does not involve going to the gym, changing my diet or time management). At this point I have managed to switch over a good portion of the products I use to a natural alternative. I now use natural shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, face lotion, eye cream, foundation, mascara, toothpaste and deodorant (am I missing anything?), the remaining non-natural items in my bathroom are there just until I finish them up and can replace them with natural options.

Though I have not been doing this long enough to say that I see any difference in the way my skin, hair, etc feels from using these products, I do know that they are better, not only for my body but also for the environment as well. And while I have made a commitment to this and do not plan to give up there are many deterrents that I have discovered, some obvious some not so, that would likely turn away the casual shopper looking for natural alternatives. And this is where the problems lies. Though I don't think it's good to encourage the idea that people should not have to put some work into choosing the right products for themselves, I do however think that large brands (ones that are generally speaking not natural or environmentally conscious) have such a corner on the market consumers have to go to great lengths to find the alternatives they are looking for. For example, I decided the other day that I was going to purchase a natural foundation - my first choice was The Body Shop, the product I intended to buy was actually not available as the stock they had in store had recently expired (a sign that such products are under consumed) and had to be sent back. My next step was Sephora but I knew I needed to do research because, unlike The Body Shop, not everything at Sephora is natural. List in hand I headed into Sephora feeling knowledgeable and ready to make an informed choice. 20 minutes later I left feeling disappointed and not so confident. I did find a product that so far seems ok but half the things I found online where not actually in the store and those that were underwhelmed. This lack of selection and options has been something I have encountered before when looking for other products. An obvious solution is to buy things online but sometimes you just want to be able to shop for things in a store like a normal person.

Another issues is the price, ok I knew pure natural products would be more expensive and I was ready for that but it seems to be more then I expected. Maybe because I'm switching over a lot of products in a short time. But it just seems wrong to be paying more for products that contain ingredients that I can grow in my backyard (this is a lie since I live in an apartment but you get the point) than those that are created in labs with synthetic chemical.

In high school I became a vegetarian and have managed to continue not eating meat to this day (I do now eat seafood so am no longer technically a vegetarian) and while that was a much bigger lifestyle change to be sure I feel, even at that time, there were less external obstacles to overcome. Of course I had to cut steakhouses out of my diet but almost any restaurant carried vegetarian dishes and you could buy fake meat products in most any grocery store. Since that time it has become even easier, so I can only hope that will be the case with natural cosmetic products as well - that with time they will become more popular and hence more available, both in convenience and price.

oops...

Alright, ok, so this time I actually did just forget as I totally meant to post yesterday - I even had something to talk about, I'm just absent minded (it was a Monday, what you do expect people?).

Well, by talk about I mean I found this interesting article - it's kinda long but it's worth it.

Well to follow up on that last post it seems I am procrastinating about blogging, as I completely forgot to post yesterday (forget or procrastinated?...no one can be sure). I'm not sure if it's me that is boring lately or the world but I can't seem to come up with any good ideas to blog about. Ok, so it's probably me since the world always has things going on. Whatever strange mood I have been in lately has left me with a lack of desire to engage in the world (this is not to be read as a cry for help or anything, just me in a funk). It's a weird feeling of disconnection that is causing me to be not very fun (in my opinion anyway). This is what long periods of intense boredom can do to a person. It's not pretty kids...

Maybe I just need quiet time to chill and get back to normal. Or I need to do something fun, exciting and different to break the monotony. Considering the post before last about needing to save money, quiet chill time seems more feasible. At least for this weekend.

At least I know I'm not alone...

http://www.wikihow.com/Stop-Procrastinating

http://www.getmoredone.com/tips2.html

http://www.positivityblog.com/index.php/2009/04/23/how-to-stop-procrastinating-7-timeless-tips/

http://www.ehow.com/how_2248_stop-procrastinating-habit.html

http://www.webmd.com/balance/guide/its-never-too-late-to-stop-procrastinating (even one on web MD - does this mean I can call my procrastination a disease?)


I could go on but frankly, I think you get the point.

budget 2.0

I'm putting myself on a budget again. I don't feel like I spend that much but apparently my bank account sees things differently. And while I do not have a European vacation to save up for I do need to save. As my lack of savings has proven, I apparently need strict rules to make myself stick to a budget so hence I'm putting the allowance back into affect.

I will give myself $100 a week to spend on everything else that I do not classify as bills; so that's food, going out, coffee, shopping, etc. So this way if I have a bigger purchase coming up I need to save up the extra from weeks where I do not use the whole $100. I am also considering setting savings goals - like I need x number of dollars by such and such a date but I think I might hold off on that till I get the $100 a week thing up and going. In order to make keeping track of my spending easy I'm planning on withdrawing $100 in cash (maybe not all at once since carrying around cash makes me nervous) so once that is gone by spending is done.

Starting Monday I put my plan into action.

Shit, I think I'm getting old

Though I don't plan to throw in the towel at 25, I have been noticing however, that I am not as young as I used to be. I first started to notice this slow decent to the grave in terms of the affect alcohol has on me, more specifically my recovery time after consumption of said alcohol. I am not now nor have I ever been a raging alcoholic (by any stretch of the imagination) but in my youth (aka college) I would have to put back a good amount to be in pain the next day. Now, however, that is not the case. Even after a tame night of a few drinks it is not uncommon for me to have a headache and feel the effects, in a way I would consider not in proportion to the amount I drank. I now consider this the first sign of my demise.

This week, having been busier than what I consider normal for myself, has brought attention to what I shall call the second sign that I am becoming old. I am burnt out. Now when I say this week has been busy I mean that I have had stuff to do at night - I have not had my normal do nothing every night routine. When I was young (again college) I ran around like crazy all day and yes I did get brunt out then too, however it was after a lot more hectic of days than what I have had this week. Apparently, you turn 25 and you start needing lots of sleep and also much more downtime. In short you become lame. Maybe this should not be so upsetting to me but in my (probably hysterical) mind it is a signal of the beginning of the end.

Don't be surprised if the next time you see me I am knitting vests for elderly cats with arthritis.

Weird Day

Today has been strange. It started out strange and it just seems to be continuing in that direction. It began unusually in that I had to get a ride to work; I managed to get my car locked into my works parking garage (long story that ends with me hating the metro). So I arrived in the Hollywood area about an hour before I had to be in work, taking advantage of the situation I went to get some breakfast and coffee. While walking to work I had one of those weird moments that seem to only happen when something has broken your standard ritual and is causing you to see an area or situation in a slightly different way then you normally do. I was standing on the corner waiting to cross the usually busy street near my office, when all of a sudden I realized that it was quiet. Ok, for people who do not live in cities this might not seem odd but having spent a lot of time in this given area, I have never seen it quiet. There were no loud tourists, no cars racing by, no wind, nothing just silence. It seemed like a city at peace. But despite this comparative silence there were still people walking around, the area was not deserted and this made the scene (both in the visual and auditory sense) seem even more exceptional. I'm sure it only lasted a second or two but in that moment it was like the silence between inhaling and exhaling.

I don't know if it was the moment that was unusual or the fact that I noticed it but it left me with a feeling I could not really identify. Neither good nor bad. Just different for having experienced it. The rest of the day went by fairly normally except for the fact that I kept feeling like I could not settle into a normal routine. For the most part my day is spent doing the same activities while at work and I am only passively involved in most of them; basically it's the epitome of going through the motions. But today I was out of sync.

The final event of the day came when I heard that someone had fallen from the shopping complex across the street, from the 5th floor onto the sidewalk. Hearing about an incident where someone has passed away is always disturbing but when it is in a close proximity, the affect always seems magnified. Though I could not see anything other than police cars, ambulances and cordoned off sidewalks from my office building the incident was still very visible. The power of the internet being what it is, I got more info from that than from the fact it happened right across the street, in a building my company owns. Via twitter I saw that it was a suicide. One of the street performs that dress up as characters on Hollywood Blvd; this particular person was one of the 2 or 3 spidermen who are here on any given day. Obviously, I can't be sure, because whenever something of this nature happens there is always gossip, but I have a feeling I might know which person it was. I know it's completely selfish to turn someone else's death into something about yourself but in all honesty I think we all think about death (and most other things) that way. As humans the things that we experience and observe are from the standpoint of how does this affect me, even if we never consciously think of it in that way.

This was a person I most likely saw everyday and while I never talked to him, and probably more because of that fact, it's a strange feeling that comes over you when you realize they are gone. It has manged to truly wake me up from my routine, where I would observe but not really think about most of the things I saw on any given day.

Now I am off to watch Lucha VaVOOM. Did I mention it was a weird day.

I'm Watching You

That's right kids, I have put a tracker on my blog; I have gone high tech. I would like to say that this move was prompted by an imagined increase in people actually reading my blog but that is unlikely. Basically I just wanted to be fancy.

But who knows maybe I do have this unknown herd of followers...

I guess we will find out.

Gym Anthropologist

It is possible that I will never fully understand the gym (yes, this does mean that I have started going to the gym again). While I know the gym is a good thing, I can't help but be struck by how odd a concept it really is. Of all the institutions modern society has created the gym is one of the more puzzling to me. As I know I have said before in a previous post I should be spending more energy on my workout then analyzing the gym culture but clearly I find the latter to be more entertaining. I should note that I don't think the gym is bad (despite how difficult it was to get me to go back), clearly being physically active and getting exercise is very important and when I go I really do feel better. My issue is more with the extremes that occur.

Firstly, the fact that in this modern society we are so inactive that we had to create a building where we could go to run around and lift heavy things truly speaks volumes. We have made exercise into a culture not just an activity. In Los Angeles you are in the minority if you do not have a gym membership and working out is a very common topic of conversion. As anyone who has spent a decent amount of time in a gym has probably seen there is a wide spectrum of participation in the gym culture. I would venture to put myself in the less involved end of that spectrum. I go to the gym, I do my shit and I get out. I do not hate the experience but I do not love it either. It makes me feel good in the long run but I do not go into some type of shock if I am not able to workout 5 times a week (hell, I never work out that often). My goal in going to the gym is fairly modest. Which offends the trainers there I came to find out during an evaluation by a trainer; when asked if I wanted 6-pack abs I said no, I was just there for a little weight loss and general over all fitness - he just stared at me as if I had just personally insulted him and wrote down 6-pack abs as one of my goals anyway.

While I am perfectly willing to accept that others are more ambitious then me, I still find the outright displays of vanity a little disturbing. Great, you want to work on your arms, that's cool. But is it really necessary to do that one particular (and I might add very weird looking) move 50 times to isolate that one specific muscle? Or the one time I watched a guy walk right up to the mirrored wall and flex, repeatedly for a good 3 minutes just looking himself over and admiring. There are many other examples and all are done as if it were something normal. Which, if you were wondering, it is not.

Obviously working out is a lesser of many, many evils that people could use to fill their time but it is the extremes that gym culture has come to that always strikes me as odd every time I walk through the doors. I blame my easily distracted (and judgemental) nature from allowing me to just zone out during my workout. I can't be sure if it's my lower end of the spectrum position that keeps me from feeling a part of the gym culture or my natural aversion to gym culture that keeps be at the end of the spectrum; either way my position allows me to comfortably observe what goes on around me. And if you are worried that I am being too harsh on the muscle heads and workout freaks don't worry, I'm sure if they were not blinded by the testosterone/adrenaline that is pumping through their veins they would be judging me too.

My Newest Obsession

Los Angeles Police Department Crime Maps

It is exactly what it sounds like. You enter an address and it pulls up the crimes reported in that area within a given time frame. Ok, so you might be thinking that this does not sound like fun. And you my friend would be wrong.

This site combines all that I look for in a time wasting site. Interactive. Check. Informative. Check. Addictive. Check. Somewhat frightening. Check.

What could be better than spending a morning looking up all the robberies, violent crimes and grand theft autos in your neighborhood?

Oh hell no!

Back story: I moved into a new apartment last May and since it never rains in LA I did not discover until November that the large window in the living rooms leaks - a lot. Since discovering this it has been an ongoing issue to get it repaired. So far they (my management company) has 'fixed' the leak 4 times. Every time though, the next rain would bring more leaks and more phone calls to our management. The last time it leaked (late January) I had had enough and decided a strongly worded email was the way to go. Names and addresses have been removed for obvious reasons.


Hello,

My name is Jane Whitty and I live in unit xxx at xxxx xxxxxx Ave., [my roommate] reported a leak in our apartment on Monday. This is the third time we have contacted PAC regarding this issue and there has been absolutely no resolution. Twice (this will be the third time) maintenance crews have come to our apartment to work on this issue. Every time we report this issue it takes numerous phone conversations to actually get any information on what is going on. Last time I had to put up signs, after explaining many time over the phone, pointing to where the leak was coming from to actually get the correct area repaired. And each time we are told the issue has been resolved and each times it rains the same spot leaks as if nothing was ever done. This is unacceptable. Today you contacted Sherri to tell her that nothing can be done until it stops raining. While I understand there are limitations to when repairs of this nature can take place this is not an acceptable response as you have know about this issue for months. The leak is causing damage to the unit as well as requiring constant clean up from us on a daily basis. And as this week has provided high rainfall the maintenance on our part has been burdensome. I need to hear, either in response to this email or via phone, that the repairs have indeed been done and that you have tested the repair so that this issue will not come up again. If after this third repair the area still leaks, I feel, we will have to look into other ways to resolve this issue as a constant leak is not an option. In addition to this issue I would like to report that the heat in the main living area (living room and kitchen) is not working again. I believe Sherri contacted you at least once about this issue as well. The thermostat seems to be working, however, no matter how high we set it the heat does not turn on. Could you please send someone out to look into this issue. You have permission to enter the apartment at anytime if no one is available when the maintenance person arrives.

I can be contacted either by responding to this email or by cell, xxx.xxx.xxxx.

Thank you for your prompt attention to these matters.

Sent January 20th


Update: So after receiving this letter they did sent someone out who repaired a crack in the exterior and resealed the window. All seemed well, the repair survived one round of rain. So when I heard it was suppose to rain this weekend I was not concerned - I figured we were safe. Clearly, I spoke too soon because I just received a message from my roommate saying that, oh guess what? It's leaking again. So basically I'm furious. This is the 5th time! 5th time! we have had to contact them about this. Enter bitchy email number two.

This email is to inform you that our apartment is once again leaking and from the same spot that has been the issue all along. Though the last repair, which took place after my original email was sent, did hold for a few weeks it clearly did not fix the issue. As I stated in the email sent January 20th this issue is becoming increasingly burdensome and as repair after repair fails Sherri and I are becoming even more frustrated as it seems this issue is not something PAC is able to resolve. It is now Friday evening and as your offices are closed for the weekend (and it is expected to rain all weekend) we will have to provide continual clean up after the leak. Come Monday when your offices reopen Sherri or I need to hear an actual plan to fix this issue that goes beyond what has been done already. As you have known about, and been unable to repair, this issue since November I expect a concrete solution or as I said in my January email we may have to seek outside repairs. It is an undo burden to expect us to deal with a leaking window every time it rains while time and time again no repairs you have provided resolve the issue.

My contact number is xxx.xxx.xxxx

Sent February 5th


Notice complete lack of pleasantries here. So now I'm off to research LA renters laws to see if I can actually hire my own repair person like I threatened...

Updates to follow.

buzzed posting

Ok, ok I could not make the drunk posting happen last week and since it's a Thursday I don't think tonight would be the night to revive that dream, buzzed (or whatever you want to consider 2 glasses of wine) posting is as good as it's gonna get.

My fear, however is that I will just kinda space out while I'm suppose to be writing this....which might be happening right now, I can't be sure but judging from the fact that it has taken me like 20min to write this makes me think yes.

This I have googled tonight:


Fudge - most specifically if fudge does or does not need to contain fluff. Thoughts? I'm putting this out to the greater blogger community. My google research is leaning towards no but we all know sometimes google can't be trusted. No one tell google I said that though.


'can cats get lap bands'. www.lapbands4cats.com / 1800.fat.cats. Check it.


oh, oh project runway is on....got to go.

slacker

Yep, I'm a slacker. I totally forgot to post last night. I actually remembered as I was falling asleep last night but I had (have) no where near the dedication to do anything about it at that point. And to add to my slacking ways today's post is just gonna be a link (that's right people deal with it).

http://usforpalin.com/

I spent a good portion of my day being entertained by this little gem. Be sure to check out the tips on how to give yourself a Palin inspired beehive. And the dramatic recounting of the time one of Sarah's book signings was egged...I will give you a teaser.

"The impact of the egg striking the stack of books resounded like a gunshot in the nearly empty Borders..."


You're welcome!

Arts in LA

Arts in Los Angeles are facing a crisis right now (due to the budget issues LA has been dealing with) and though I know not everyone who reads this lives in LA, I wanted to put it out there anyway. I have taken the liberty of stealing snippets from an email I received, from a theatre I volunteer at, as it sums up the issue better than I could.

Dear Friends of Antaeus and the Arts in Los Angeles, I am writing you about a CRISIS facing artists and arts institutions in Los Angeles. No, not the Pasadena Playhouse closing, though that too is very sad. Some LA City Council members want to take the 1% of the Transient Occupancy Tax (hotel tax) that currently is allocated to the Department of Cultural Affairs and place it into the city's general fund. This would be a DISASTER for all of the Arts Organizations in LA. Jobs would be cut, programming scaled back and there would be related economic repercussions. We need all the of the artists and arts lovers in the community to pitch in and help stop this action.

Live performances enhance not only the individual but the community as well. According to a recent study by the National Endowment for the Arts, people who attend live performance events volunteer more, vote more, even participate in more physical exercise! Performance arts institutions within a community lower crime rates and raise property values. Most importantly, theater patrons bring added revenue to the local restaurants and stores, increase the tax base and even feed the parking meters.

Danielle Brazell at Arts for LA has said that "We have also received word that the CAO's office is recommending that all 09-10 unencumbered grants be revoked. There's a budget and finance committee meeting on Monday. Although two separate motions, if either goes through it could be catastrophic for grantees." For Antaeus alone that means a tremendous loss in grant monies expected for 2010. For the community as a whole, this would mean literally hundreds of thousands, and possibly millions of dollars in already approved grant monies being pulled from organizations across the city.

Below is the email I wrote to members of LA's City Council. If anyone is interested in contacting them as well let me now - I have their contact info. The city council is suppose to be voting on these motions on wednesday, in a special meeting.


Dear LA City Council Member,

I am writing to you regrading two motions coming up for debate by the city council that impact funding for the arts in LA county. The first being the motion to discontinue sending the 1% TOT tax to the Dept. of Cultural Affairs, the second to revoke all 09-10 unencumbered grants. While I would not pretend to downplay the budget issues facing LA, I feel it is important that the city council, and all people in Los Angeles, understand that the arts are not a luxury to be taken away when things get tough. Arts are vital to every city, town and state but I feel Los Angeles has a particular opportunity to show how essential and life changing the arts can be. Los Angeles is the west coast center for arts of all varieties and anyone living here knows how varied and exciting arts expression is in LA. Having grown up on the east coast, my view of Los Angeles is from that of an outsider. And while my thoughts on this city have changed over my time here, the thing that has not changed is my view of how important arts are in Los Angeles.

Also coming to LA from the east coast has allowed me to see Los Angeles in comparison to other cities. If this funding is taken away and arts institutes are left to feel the impact all on their own, this city will lose credibility as a place were true innovation can happen. Having worked in the arts in Los Angeles I know that this city has amazing things to offer its residents and visitors but our small, independent arts arenas cannot do this alone - they need the support of the city councils who see the positive impact these institutions can have on their districts. As I am sure, if you have taken the time to look, you have seen yourself.

We all know that these budget issues will take sacrifice to resolve but the arts are not an acceptable place to make such drastic and indiscriminate cuts. Arts and the institutions that foster them are the soul of this city and without them we will lose a large part of what makes our city so great. I urge you to really think about what these cuts will do and the extremely visible, true and lasting impact they will have.

Sincerely,

Jane Whitty


Sorry to dedicate such a long post to this but as I hope to work in the arts field in some capacity I have strong feels about this type of stuff. And the fact that they are having a sneaky, not at all talked about vote make me even more upset.