quidditchgrrl

I was thinking about this blog entry today while I was out riding (even before the wipeout), and boy, do I need to make it, if only to blow off steam.

People need to remember and follow a few simple rules when they're out enjoying the urban outdoors:

( A rant and bloody pictures )

We decided that Bernie (that's our 8-year-old puppy) could have a rawhide bone last night, since his ear is messed up anyway (they cause yeast infections in his ears) and he's been a good boy of late.

( Oh, shit. Literally. My poor puppy. :( )

I think karma just sent me a couple of messages.

There's been quite a bit of drama at the Temple this week concerning the HVAC. Tuesday's group was hot and frustrated, but calm and "I hope we get this fixed soon!" Last night, OES called twice, ranting, then I got two more rants, then hung up on, followed by a nasty email.

I am sympathetic to their plight - the Masonic Temple in my hometown still doesn't have AC, so I understand sitting in a hot room in formal dress sucks - but they complain and whine and moan so much that you stop feeling sorry for them and just get pissed. Yet another incident to further solidify my conviction that I will never, EVER join OES. (I doubt they'd have me as they seem hellbent on alienating every person under the age of 50.)

At least the day can't get any worse, right? Right?

Especially those of you along the northern and eastern parts of the United States who are complaining or wow-ing about the warm weather:

It's because of El nino

I'm going to make a t-shirt to wear to work that says, "It's because of El Nino!!"

(Although one guy did say, "I know! The last time El Nino happened, I was in South Florida. Not a great year for me.")

Grump.

I find it rather amusing that the original purveyor of the last old and busted wank over at bad_penny is now "Mon Dieu! Quelle horreur!" over the inevitable death threats against the people she called out.

Kind of like giving a psychotic a lead pipe, later saying, "I never thought they'd hurt anyone!" when they go on a rampage.

As some folks well know, this fandom has had death threats before.  Those death threats began over ONE LINE of snark regarding a fanfic, posted in an LJ entry.

Strangely, that bit of fandom history was rather glossed over in the MsScribe/GT wank backstory.  Didn't fit quite so well with Charlotte Lennox's tale of woe, I suppose.

Putting the car in reverse doesn't take the miles off, and you can't go running off at the mouth then claim that you have no hand in what comes after.  Heat. Kitchen. And so on.

At least have the cojones to put things up under your original handle, ya wankers.

(Disclaimer:  please don't assume that you know what my opinion of this particular historical recounting is.  My opinion is rather unpopular (and don't assume that you know what that means, either).  I object to the lack of context for the recounting of the wank, and for bad_penny's "I'm not a slut, I'm just popular!" reaction to the backlash.)

I'm a big conspiracy theorist, as some of you well know.

I quit doing point-of-sale PIN transactions about three years ago.

This is why.

Hackers and other nefarious types can obtain your card number, PIN, and in some cases, your bank account number during a point-of-sale transaction where you use your PIN. Wal-Mart and Office Max have both had their customers' numbers hacked and stolen.

Now banks are trying to pin those losses on the consumers, up to $500. Yeah, right. *stabs*

I wonder how much this third-party merchant paid to have their company name expunged from the notification letters? And how often it's happened in the past.

I've been reading No Place to Hide, and it's terrifying how easily identity information is obtained and used. ( I thought it was funny )

So, funny. Funny in an ohmygodwerealldoomed kind of way. Big brother doesn't have to watch you; you're keeping track of yourself just fine. Click, click, click, and they've got you pegged.

Even if you are only marginally interested in how the government tracks people, at least pick this book up to read the chapter on how a program was used to generate a list of possible terrorists that could have been involved in the 9-11 attacks. That program picked more than a half-dozen of the actual hijackers on the first run-through, with the least specific data filter.

It's tough to reconcile, eh?

To go completely to the other side of happy, random thoughts:

Does the idea of Exxon posting a $11 BILLION dollar profit last quarter make you feel ill? I'm having a hard time containing my disgust for the oligarchy right now, especially after watching the video for "Wake Me Up When September Ends" and fighting tears. Again. (I hate that song, just for that reason.)

I have to echo Honeybunch on his sentiments on The Constant Gardener: I can't say I liked it, but it was a great movie. Gave more vent to that feeling of disgust.

At times I wish I could be oblivious. That way I'd never feel compelled to read the newspaper or online articles, or volunteer to help people who need it. Having said that, reading the Faith and Values section of the Dispatch has given me some new hope for middle-American church values. Take off that WWJD bracelet and start doing it (without complaining, kthx).

Angst brought to you by the letters P, M and S.

chickadilly mentioned this, and I've heard a little of this, too.

If you think that I jumped on the Brokeback Mountain bandwagon because OMG teh buttsecks, ( you don't know jack about me. )

In other news, who knew a baby could fart, burp, hiccup and barf at the same time? Yep, babysat tonight. Good times.

I've now hit the wall. Please filter me out of this RPG wank, I don't want to read any more bashing among people I consider my friends.

Y'all need some time to cool off, so don't post anything that you might regret later. I am, as always, available to buzz on AIM/YM if you want to talk about the GOOD things in fandom, or the bad things that you wish you'd done differently.

KTHXBAI.

I've been debating about getting this off my chest for some time, but after seeing ladyanabelle get stabbed in the back after venting a little (and it's really an...insignificant isn't the word...I guess her rant seemed more impersonal to me), I'm ready to vent my spleen (or should that be gall bladder?).

First, a disclaimer: No, I do not consider myself anything like a BNF, nor do I look upon that designation with favor, other than the fact that it can be interpreted to indicate a long-time contributor to a fandom.

ETA: BNF = Big Name Fan, a term usually used in a negative/jealous way.

This is going to be long, so be forewarned.

( Rant: How Not to be a BNF. I'm going to hurt feelings, undoubtedly. And step on toes, certainly. But trust that this is just the opinion of someone who is just sick and tired of the drama and posturing of wannabe-BNFers )

Wow, I'm not bitter, am I? :-|

Feel free to leave your anger here, tell me how I am wrong and point out my hypocrisy (and trust me, I see little pieces of myself in the above too). I'm game. There's a lot of negative feeling associated with the term BNF, and a good deal of envy as well, I'd wager.