Weekend Update

I hope my American readers had a good Thanksgiving and my international readers had a good time working while we were over-indulging...it's the American way! On Thursday I stopped in at Chris's family's house to say hi and then ate with my parents and my grandma (extended family drama, remember?). On Friday I cleaned; made a pumpkin roll; did laundry; did some other boring, productive things; watched part 2 of Planet Earth; and then went out to Red Lobster with my parents. I don't remember doing much on Saturday, so that must have been the day I spent hours playing Sims 2 *hangs head in shame*. I did, however, make Thanksgiving dinner for me and Chris--Cornish game hens, mashed potatoes, stuffing, brussels sprouts, and the 1 square inch that was left of the pumpkin roll that I made the day before.

On Sunday I went to lunch at a Mexican restaurant and then to IKEA with my mom. I got a bookshelf, a lamp to replace the one that broke, and some other odds and ends. I took Monday off work, so I put the bookshelf together and did some other productive things around the house, then I had class at night.

Which brings us to Tuesday. I went back to work and it was busy as hell. On my way home I got a phone call from Chris. My letter was in the morning paper and someone called our house and threatened to kill me. He said something to the effect of when I die it will be at the hands of a Jewish man. Apparently sarcasm is not taught in the Torah. It's ironic because I am totally fascinated by Judaism and the only group I love more than the Jews are the gays. There was an article in the paper tonight about Hanukkah cooking. I told Chris I was going to write to the paper and register my disgust about it...he didn't find that humorous. Anyway, Chris *69'd the guy and called the cops, but I wasn't part of any of this because Tuesday was Chris's 25th birthday and I was running all over East York trying to find the Futurama movie for him. The officer said we have to decide if we want to file charges or not. I don't; Chris does. I say the guy's a pussy, and if he really wanted to kill me, he would have done it. I called the station and the receptionist said the officer contacted the phone company and that number is disconnected and unavailable and he's supposed to call me when he comes on duty this afternoon. There's never a dull moment. Well, that's not true; there are plenty of dull moments, but the non-dull moments are massive clusterfucks.

So for now, I'm refusing to be afraid in my own home, standing up for the First Amendment, and looking forward to going to the Bears game on Sunday when I get to see my boyfriend Louis Robitaille punch some people.

25 Days of Happiness

I'm going to try something new here in honor of the holiday season...going 25 days without ranting, beginning this Saturday, December 1. The goal is to write one post every day about something good that happened or something I like, whether it be something deep and meaningful or something superficial, but I'm not trying to delude myself into thinking I'll actually post every day. So, don't adjust your monitors; Jenny G is going to try niceness out for a change.

Thankful

I am thankful (or at least I should be thankful) for many things in my life, but since this is a blog post, I wanted to give a shout-out to my blogworld posse. Don't worry if I've left you out; I still love you, but I'm mainly shouting out to my regulars (and people who are still posting!)

Karen listens to a lot of diverse and cool music and is my biggest competition for the love and affection of Jim Halpert. She has also befriended me on LibraryThing and I'm totally jealous of the books she has read.

RC has been going through some tough times lately, but she is seriously one of the coolest people I've ever "met." I never thought I'd get along so well with a Mormon :). She's artsy and an awesome writer and shares my love of Michael C. Hall.

Nomadshan writes! And swims! And rips up trees in her yard with her bare hands and some power tools! And has a husband who makes incredible food! And posts pictures of said incredible food that make me drool!

Dim, as they like to say in the world of message boards, owes me about 1,000 new keyboards for all the drinks I have spit out while laughing at his posts. Whenever I go to a concert I take along his list of concert rules so I can be sure that no one is writing acerbic posts about me the next day.

Funky might end up being my partner in crime at school. She also posts recipes vegan/vegetarian food that even this member of PETA, People Eating Tasty Animals, that is, finds yummy.

Feather has a knack for writing whatever is going on in her mind at the time. I have a feeling a political debate between the two of us would not be pretty, but I admire anyone who says what he or she feels.

Hotwire is finally back from hiatus and is writing posts that are breaking my heart and making me want to drive up to "somewhere in New England" and knock some sense into a certain girl.

Renee is a strong woman who makes (or at least used to make) beautiful music. She has also gone through some trials lately, but I'm definitely glad she's back from hiatus as well.

We haven't heard from Mr. A for a while, but I have rarely not agreed with what he has said in his blog, and later his podcasts. He also sent me some e-mails during a dark time in my life that really helped me out, probably more than he knows.

March has a special place in my blogging heart because he's one of my first readers and because he keeps me abreast of John Krasinski sightings. He's a great dad, loves hockey, and knows more about music than I could ever hope to know.

J. is actually my very first reader from waaaay back in May '05. I have no idea how he has the energy to do all the things he does. I've also informed him that I'm moving to Canada after watching Sicko the other weekend.

And, the people I know in real life...

Rusty, who has been my best friend for over 20 years and whose family is like a second family to me. We lived together for 4 years and managed not to kill each other, which is an amazing feat for her, because I am not an easy person to live with, by any stretch of the imagination. She knows pretty much every horrible thing I've ever done and doesn't judge me (too much) and still loves me for some reason. I'm horrible at expressing my feelings, but I'm fiercely loyal and would gladly rip out the still-beating heart of anyone who fucks with my girl.

...and last, but certainly not least, B. Enjoy B.'s blog while you still can because she has a little B. on the way and will probably not have much time for blogging! One of my favorite college memories is when Rusty and I spend the night at B. and J.'s apartment and we all got drunk with B.'s mom.

Google

First of all, happy birthday to Rusty! She is 6 months and 1 day older than I am. HAHA!

I finally got StatCounter to work again, and some pretty interesting keywords brought people to my humble blog:

"child friendly facts about laughing gas": Ummm...

"wellbutrin and laughing gas": Wellbutrin is an excellent drug, so of course I'm allergic to it.

"i hate bath and body works": So do I! I love their products, but that store pisses me off!

"laughing gas party": Invite me! They gave me laughing gas when I got my wisdom teeth out, and I would totally do that stuff recreationally, but...

"laughing gas vs marijuana": Definitely marijuana...

"things wrong with society": How much time do you have?

"homosexual incest": Woah! I was trying to figure out when I wrote about homosexual incest. Turns out it was this post, a LibraryThing update where I mention one of the worst books I've ever read, The Chimney Sweeper's Boy.

"dog beegles": It's beagles, but no matter how you spell it, they're the best dogs in the world!

Limited Time Only!

My letter was posted on the newspaper's website, and I am supposed to call them tomorrow to give them permission to print it. *Link removed* When/if it's published, I'll scan it with my fancy dancy new printer and post it.

It's Letter to the Editor Time

I read both of York's newspapers every day (I only subscribe to the AM paper, but I don't think the evening newspaper delivery guy realizes that) and I frequently read articles that piss me off, partly because I'm a pissy, irritable bitch, and partly because a lot of stupid things go on in York on a daily basis. I frequently consider writing letters to the editor, but I have only done so once...until today. York is my home and I love it, but it's a hotbed of ignorance and bigotry that I have to overlook in order to love it. If you have access to "Dueling Banjos," I would recommend playing it while you read this article.

The article (edited for length; full text can be found here):

Eastern York School District's board meeting was standing-room only Thursday night after more than two dozen people turned out to protest a diversity assembly held last week at the high school.

Kathy Freeland, who has a 15-year-old and a 16-year-old in the district, said she received no notification of such an assembly and was "disturbed" to learn that her children were addressed by a "gay man, an African-American woman and a Jew."

"I send my children to school to be taught academics," said Freeland. "I'll handle the morals."

*SNIP*

Offended by speaker: Many at the Thursday's board meeting said they were personally offended by the fact that the homosexual man who spoke stated that he was "born gay and did not choose to be gay."

Laurie Lehman, who has a 10th-grade student, said, "This is not what I'm teaching my children. We have a biblical-based belief system" and said she felt that proper notification should have been given to parents about the assembly and the follow-up meeting. "I want to be notified if a speaker is highly controversial."

*SNIP*

The Smiths said they felt that both sides of the story should have been represented. "Why not also include someone who used to be gay but now no longer is, or a Jewish person who has since converted to Christianity?" Laurie Lehman asked.

Trying for dialogue: Cathy Bollinger, diversity director at the York County Jewish Community Center and a facilitator of the assembly, also addressed the board.

"The goal of this assembly was to break down walls and hold a dialogue," said Bollinger. "It was never intended to hurt anyone. Yes, a York College man said he was born gay. He believes this to be true, that doesn't mean you have to believe it."

*SNIP*

Assistant superintendent Rita Becker said the intent of the assembly was to "erase bias and bigotry among our students and to teach that all humans are worthy of value."

*SNIP*

Becker also said the district would be failing if it didn't prepare its students for a diverse and ever-changing world.

"Personal bias can lead to hatred," she said. "We need to create an environment where all students feel safe and welcome."

My letter:

I read the article in Friday's newspaper about the uproar over the diversity assembly at Eastern York High School and I was appalled—appalled, I say!--by the fact that Eastern would have the audacity to teach its students about tolerance. I can think of nothing worse than forcing innocent teenagers to be “addressed by a 'gay man, an African-American woman and a Jew.'” What's next; teaching our children that it is acceptable to speak to a Muslim or a Latino? Not only that, but apparently the homosexual man said he did not choose to be homosexual. Who is he fooling? We all know how easy life is for homosexuals in an open-minded area like York.

I do not have children, but I would be absolutely livid if I spent 15 years trying to teach my child to hate others based on their race, religion, or sexual preference, only to have those ideas obliterated from his mind by a 45-minute assembly. Not only that, but the assistant superintendent had the gall to say that all humans are worthy of value. When I teach my child about morals and values, I will most certainly warn him about that sort of propaganda; otherwise he will be running the streets thinking everyone is equal. It makes my blood boil just thinking about it. I hope the administration of Eastern York School District is duly punished for providing its students a forum to discuss tolerance and diversity; that is something for which the good citizens of York County should not stand.

Songza

Check out Songza, the online jukebox. I haven't had a lot of time to play around with it to see what the selection's like (although I did pull on my hair and pull on my pout and listen to "Fascination Street" by The Cure), but you type in the name of an artist or song and play it. You can also create a playlist. I haven't had any lag or buffering yet which certainly beats my radio station's stream that buffers every 5 seconds.

Strike!

I'm not completely sure how I feel about unions. While I certainly think workers' rights are important, most of us have two choices when faced with undesirable working conditions: quit or suck it up. Because of the writers' strike, 102 people who worked on the set of The Office have been laid off, like hair and make-up people and camera operators. That really fires me up because I don't give a rat's ass what people do unless it affects others, and this is starting to affect others. In this case, writers, who don't make tons of money but make way more than, say, a make-up artist, go on strike. The network heads don't give a shit because they're rolling in money, as are the actors. Who suffers? The "little guys."

Another thing that is pissing the shit out of me is how everyone is licking the actors' feet for joining the picket lines. First of all, according to their SAG contracts, they have to continue to report to work even if the writers are striking, so they're breaking their contracts (unless they also happen to be writers, like Tina Fey). Secondly, actors make scads more money than anyone else working in television. What would your employers say if the teachers in your area were striking and you decided to skip work to go walk on the picket line to support them? Way to be, actors. Breaking your contract and refusing to work when you have multi-million dollar cushions. Here's a fucking cookie; now get back to work. Third, Eva Longoria brought the picketers Domino's Pizza. If that whore brought me nasty-ass Domino's pizza I'd shove it into an orifice where pizza isn't shoved. Well, except for during nights of drunken debauchery, but I'll leave my Saturday nights out of this.

Damn, I'm pissy tonight. End of rant.

Guilty Pleasure Saturday #11

This is my second Britney Spears GPS. I guess I shouldn't make fun of L. for liking her. I'm posting this because I think this is Britney Spears's best song (and yes, I realize that's an oxymoron.) I don't know if you've seen the video for her new song (don't bother if you haven't), but current Britney needs to go back and look at past Britney to see that this is how pop is done.

More Neurotic Than 91% of the Population

Heh. This is about 95% accurate. The detailed report was scarily accurate.


My Personality

Neuroticism	91
Extraversion	2
Openness To Experience	37
Agreeableness	50
Conscientiousness	83

You often resist any cravings or urges that you have, but sometimes you give in, however you experience panic, confusion, and helplessness when under pressure or stress. You get overwhelmed by too much noise and commotion and do not like thrill-seeking activities. You prefer dealing with either people or things rather than ideas. You regard intellectual exercises as a waste of your time. You do not like to claim that you are better than other people, and generally shy from talking yourself up, however you do not enjoy confrontation, but you will stand up for yourself or push your point if you feel it is important. You are well-organized and like to live according to routines and schedules. Often you will keep lists and make plans.

Test Yourself Compare Yourself View Full Report A wide variety of layouts for myspace to choose from.

Aqui Esta el Titulo

Yeah, long time, no talk. That's because a.) I've been busy and b.) I have nothing to write about. Most of the things going on in my life aren't really blog-worthy or blog-appropriate.

The receptionist came back today after being off since September 19 for foot surgery (for once I'm living by the axiom "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all"), so hopefully work will go a little smoother and my hair will start falling out a little less. BUT, one of my coworkers messaged me on MySpace and said she (the receptionist) is taking Wednesday off. Serenity now...

If you haven't already, head on over to Rusty's blog to check out her two new additions. I hate cats, but these guys are adorable!

School is coming along. I've handed in and gotten back all the papers for the on-site class, so now all I have to do is an online final the week of December 3rd or somewhere around there. I have 28 1/2 pages done on my big-ass paper, and that's without proofreading anything (I can bs an extra page or so during the proofread) and without adding page numbers.

Now that I'm in school, I've noticed I'm much less anal about the house. For example, I usually have to have all the clocks correct to the second (insane, I know) and now they're all off. Although now that I just wrote that, it's starting to bug me...

I'm not voting tomorrow. Feel free to call me a hypocrite or, if you're hot, come spank me.

It's getting to be SAD time again. I can't stand non-daylight saving time.

As far as the holidays go, Halloween was pretty uneventful for me. It's my second favorite holiday, but I wasn't really feeling it this year. I don't have any big plans for Thanksgiving; dinner this year will just be me and my parents because of some drama in the extended family. This will make some people want to bludgeon me to death, but I'm almost finished with my Christmas shopping...I usually have it all done in the summer though. New Year's eve and day are going to be, as always, spent on the couch watching the Twilight Zone marathon. Unfortunately New Year's Eve is on a weekday this year, but I took the afternoon off so I didn't have to miss much of my precious TZ. Wow, I'm lame.

Speaking of Halloween, the Simpsons Treehouse of Horror was on last night. Not the best one ever, but Heck House was definitely the best of the three, although I'm biased because of my love of Flanders. My all-time favorite vignettes are The Raven (even though they didn't do my favorite line--"'Prophet!' said I, 'thing of evil — prophet still, if bird or devil!'") and the Shinning. The Office hasn't really been doing it for me too much this season. Hopefully the writer's strike won't affect everyone's shows too much.

The Raven: