I hate our neighbors!!

Im sorry, I need to rant! I know I have alluded to the horribleness that is our neighbors before, but now I am going full out. They are horrible horrible people, and that is coming from someone who sees the good in everyone...including offenders incarcerated for murder!!

Short and definitely not sweet overview of them; They are a large family, I guess, of around 3 women and anywhere between 5 and 15 kids, sometimes a few male stragglers. In others words; I have no idea who the hell lives there, but a ton of people are always hanging around! The "adults" are never outside, I can count on 1 hand the amount of times that I have seen them. The kids are loud, rude, obnoxious little brats! Every last one of them!

Ok I know what you are thinking, we all have annoying neighbors right?! Here is why they are beyond annoying and to the point of horrible and "move out" types of neighbors;

1) They do this horrible "drill team" practice thing for hours on end every single day during the summer. They do it in the middle of the street, without regard for traffic. Its all pre-teen or early teen girls and it is disturbingly sexual at times. Plus, they use drums and a fucking whistle!! (I wrote a very mature and respectful letter to the "adults" about this after we moved in offering many compromises so that it would not ruin the summer for the rest of the neighborhood....they refused to talk about it and started doing it more often and even louder)
2) They throw rocks and garbage at my dogs!! This one literally infuriates me to the point of shaking and crying because Zindle goes into panic attack mode trying to protect Domino and he cowers in the corner trying to get away. (For the record, this is the one thing that I actually went over there and initiated actual communication with the "adults" about...it resulted in being called a racist and having threatening remarks made about the safety of my dogs!)
3) They repetitively get animals and neglect them by leaving them on a short tie out in their back yard when they get bored of them. I do call animal control when it gets to the point of being disturbing, but that means that my own animals' safety is further at risk.
4) As I said, all the kids are unruly little brats, which I know is a direct result of the horrible parenting (or extreme lack there of) one in particular though is beyond a brat, she is a downright scary person...and get this, she is probably about 12! She picks fights with us, yells names at us, walks by our house yelling "black power" and other derogatory slurs in our front window, and threatens our dogs! And all of this is while we are literally minding our own business!

So, we don't get to enjoy our yard, or even an open window during the summer because of their horribleness. Our dogs don't get to go outside in our own yard safely when their kids are outside because they purposfully antagonize them, stressing Zindle out to the point of seriously disturbing anxiety, or throw crap at them making Domino cower in the corner! All of the other neighbors are great (seriously, all of them!) and everyone is disturbed by them. They all sporadically call the cops on them, which I guess is good, but for some reason they blame us. So they retaliate against us and justify it by saying that we call the cops every week on them (which we have done literally 3 total times in the year and a half we have been here!). 

I hate them! I hate that I have tried every responsible method to communicate with them about this! I hate that they make me dread being home on sunny days, the few nice days that the Pacific Northwest allows us! I hate that they make me question my belief that everyone is inherently good and wants to at least attempt to peacefully coexist. I hate the most that they invade my space, my desperately needed safe haven of home.

Proud to NOT be a barbie!!!

I saw this ad on Rachele's blog

Apparently it was banned from being used by the Body Shop because Mattel (that's right, the Barbie people) thought it was offensive! After doing some internet research on this, I realized I'm a bit late on the uptake, but I do remember wondering what happened to this ad...

...and hearing that it was banned from billboard advertising because it was offensive. How is that possible?! How can something like this ad be ok to advertise and flaunt in young girl's faces, but a depiction of a real woman is "offensive?!" I happen to find it offensive to show sickly thin (and yet still photoshopped!!) women who have fake body parts in advertisements. When will our society finally realize that stick thin, silicone, and Botox do not equal beauty?!

Beauty is comfort in your own skin, its kindness and generosity, its glowing because you are happy, and emanating that to others! Just imagine what the world would be like if we all modeled that to young girls....

...but I love the library!

My school shares a building with the Art Institute, which is....interesting! Generally it is not a problem because we have our own floor, but we do share a library. AI students treat this shared space like a coffee shop (at best, a bar at worst); talking, laughing, fighting...basically everything loud you can think of! This has been my biggest complaint about my grad school experience so far, how can a grad school not have an adequate library?!

Anyways, AI is on break so I have been enjoying some blissfuly quiet library time. Today though, they are doing new student tours, which is slightly annoying, but at least they are only in here for about 5 minutes at a time. Just a few minutes ago though, I heard a tour guide make a painfully blasphemous statement! He walked in with all his new students and said, "I can't believe this is still needed in our digital era, but.... (rolling eyes and scoffing) this is the library"Gasp! And he said this, right in front of all these books! How insulting!

As you probably know, I love love love books! So, this hurt me :( Not only do you people ruin the library experience with your gabbing, music listening, and facebook-ing, but now you are insulting the books...to their faces!?! This passionate bibliomaniac is deeply offended...

Ahh, the life of a server!

I am kicking myself for not finding blogging until after I finally left the hell hole world of the restaurant business!! Damn, that would have been the epitome of cathartic! Maybe I would have been able to keep the horrible thoughts from seeping out in my facial expressions and the ever so mature "leaving table mumbles" if I had an outlet to vent. But alas, I did not think of blogging until later *sigh*.

Recently though, I found a few blogs of servers who did discover the wonders of cathartic blogging while still stuck in the job from hell. They are all a wonderful reminder of why I am choosing to be painfully poor during my last leg of school rather than go back to.....well, there really is not better label than hell!! (can you tell I hated serving?!)

This blog, Girl and a Guitar, is about a Hooters server....and I thought Outback was a hotbed of cheap pickup lines; yikes!

The Bitchy Waiter says everything that continually goes through your mind as a server, think of that the next time you ask your server for a different kind of condiment every time they pass your table, or want separate tickets after the meal is over, or...well you get the idea!

And the good old classic, Waiter Rant :)

Oh boy, I do not miss it!!!

Whatever lifts your luggage!!

I read a piece in the Stranger today that discussed this article. Apparently this douche (classy dig, I know, but whatever..I just like that the link to the story about him is to click on the word douche!) who is an anti-gay activist, going as far to be a member of NARTH (not worth a link, sorry), which is a group that does "research" surrounding the evils of homosexuality and how to "cure" it (gag!). Anyways, it was recently discovered that he had a "luggage boy" (hehe) travel with him on his publicity tour because he "couldnt lift his own luggage"....right, because the first place I look for someone to carry my luggage is a male escort site too! Back to the Stranger article, the author was proposing that the term "whatever floats your boat" be changed to "whatever lifts your luggage" as a way to pay ironic homage to this guy's hypocracy. I think it is hilarious!!

On a somewhat side note, Newbo shared a story about the Pope's rant against the new gay marriage in Portugal. Which I also was enraged by. Shouldnt the Catholic faith be more concerned with their own internal problems than waste their time on something as benign as gay marriage?!

Come on people, loosen up! If it doesn't affect you...it shouldnt affect you!!! Live and let live, even when you don't agree or understand something, thats ok but don't judge and ridicule, just say, "whatever lifts your luggage" :)

What is social networking doing to our society?!

Hi all, so this may be a venting session...just an fyi!

I didn't join myspace when all the craze was going on for quite some time because....well I like to stay out of the craze! Finally I decided to join when my best friend who lives back home in ND got pregnant. Yeah, I caved in for the pictures :) Well, I did the same thing with Facebook, but caved again because I really missed the connection to all my friends back in ND. Ok, that is what these sites are supposed to be for in my mind. Its a great way to catch up with friends who so often live far away in our increasingly mobile and distancing society.

So what are they not supposed to be for? Drama! Why does this happen? I have talked with classmates about the ways that facebook comes up in therapy and it is astounding to me. It has made our society collectively passive aggressive! If you don't like someone, in my mind you have 2 choices; 1) don't have them be a part of your life or 2) talk it through and figure out how to either fix it or make a compromise. Now though, we have option 3) post a "cleverly" disguised hate comment on your facebook status in an attempt at being "sneaky" (please note the sarcasm!) and attempt to start a war of statuses!!!

I don't get it! These are adults doing this, not just teenagers. I know you all know of someone who made a fake profile to stalk an ex, or posts these annoyingly vague yet blatent status messages as a childish dig, or posts pictures with the sole purpose of pissing someone off.

What are your thoughts on this? It really saddens me because this is obviously affecting our society. I don't want future generations to think this is ok, what will that mean for the future of interpersonal conflict resolution and relationships in general? Cant we go back to the days of hand written letters and corded phones that the whole family shares? How do us facebookers who really just want to keep in contact with friends, shield ourselves from the "other side" of facebook?

ps: in case you are wondering, yes someone did post something (not-so)cleverly vague as a dig towards me. It is something that is pretty much out of my control and they did it after I tried to choose option #2. Im writing here about how much the whole concept of facebook interpersonal drama saddens me rather than joining in on the facebook war. The blog fits its name, this is my catharsis....

Pavlov would be so proud

I'm going to just go ahead and say it...I don't like screaming kids! I know, horrible child hating monster right here! Seriously though, its so annoying to be trying to eat a nice dinner, enjoy a movie, buy some groceries, or whatever daily life task you may be doing, and have to listen to some kid screaming at the top of their lungs! Now before you write me off as a horrible person; I do have sympathy for both the kid and the parent when I see that the kid is in pain or something and when the parent is attending to their child and trying to remedy the situation. That circumstance is valid and does not annoy me in the least. BUT when the kid is screaming bloody murder because he wants a video game or some overpriced toy that their mom won't buy them, and the parent just lets it go on...that is not ok! The world doesn't need to suffer because of your spoiled kid and lack of adequate parenting.

Why is this coming up? For some reason, I have felt surrounded by screaming brats this weekend. Thats right, "brats" not the valid screamers! The last straw though; I was just in Target and this kid who was probably 5 or 6 was screaming so loud that you would have thought his legs were being sawed off. Much to my despair, I wound up in the same aisle with the kid and his mom. He was screaming because he wanted a candy bar and his mom was on her G.D. cell phone! As it turns out, we were on the same shopping path, even though I tried to change mine multiple times. The kid screamed the entire time and of course, the mom was on her cell phone the entire time talking about some party and this "jerk on facebook"! After hearing this for the entire 45 minutes I was in Target, they ended up in the same line as me (lucky me!) and what did the mom finally do? She gave in, told the person on the phone to hold on, and yelled at her son to "just go get the damn candy bar!" Awesome. I wonder why he screams....because it works you idiot!!! Pavlovian parenting at its best.

Being a Barbie does not get you through life!

I have held off blogging about this ignorant bigot for quite a while, but I can't hold back anymore! As if her close minded views on homosexuality are not enough! I am so sick of hearing her talk. Everything that comes out of her mouth is so fraught with entitlement and...well ignorance! I just want to scream at her that her boring typical blonde plastic looks do not equate with perfection or universal adoration. Does she really think she is more popular or powerful than Larry King who has been around forever?
She eminates this idea that she is 100% right and everyone agrees with her and she should get whatever she wants in life! She is so incredibly close minded and vapid to me! Get a personality and formulate your own beliefs! There is nothing less attractive or more sad to me than a typical society derived "attractive" person who relies on their looks to get them through life. You are not entitled Carrie!!



In this next video she acts like she just stopped a terrorist bomber or something! She also acts like this Miss USA conflict was the hardest thing she has ever gone through, what a privelegded sheltered little life she has led. This is my favorite quote though, "Im disgusted at the way some people can be so intolerant" Come on Carrie, lets try some insight!!

By the way, the group she is speaking to here is the "family research council" and they fight for "preference in public policies for heterosexual marriage and the traditional family." Very likely the same people who posted signs all around my neighborhood that stated "Protect children; reject Ref 71" like we are some sort of child devouring aliens or something! Well guess what, those signs didn't work and neither will your new spokesperson "Carrie the Bigotrous Barbie"!!

Ignorance in full display

There was a guy on the train this morning complaining about the health care debate because, "the only people without health care are the lazy ones who don't work or the ones who decide to spend their money on tvs and stuff instead!" Seriously buddy?! I am a full time grad student who chooses (maybe not the right word...forced is more like it!) to buy textbooks instead of health care...not tvs! My application got dropped from Washington state basic health because of "budget cuts" and I can't afford any other coverage.

Also, because people are fighting to take away my equality rights within my relationship (vote to approve ref 71 please!) I wouldn't be able to be covered by Rachel's insurance even if she had it!

I understand that there is a misuse of the system currently in place and that there are likely many people acting in just the manner that he was speaking of. But, keep your judgemental ignorant display to yourself. Those of us working our asses off to better our situations don't need to hear that during our morning commute!

I like animals more than I like most people!

Really, I do. I am a very very good pet mom. I went into debt in order to give my baby an extra year for cripes sakes! Plus I take care of other people's pets very well in all the different arenas that I have done so in my life (vet jobs, pet sitting, etc..).

Well today, I have had someone accuse me of neglecting their cat and yell at me for saying that I believe dogs should be neutered! What is going on in my world today?!

I was at the dog park and a lovely (sarcasm please!) lady came in with her unaltered doberman. He instantly started fighting with another male directly in front of me so I simply stated "thats what happens with 2 unneutered male dogs." She got all defensive saying "no, he's just playing..trying to show he is boss." I was quiet for a bit. Then, he got into 2 more fights that she had to break up by standing between the dogs. During one of these, Domino was right in the middle. He can't read aggression, so he just sulked over to me, scared and confused. The owner of the other dog is somone who I have talked to a few times and she is constantly contimplating wheather or not to neuter her dog. (Why this is such a decision is beyond me!) I told her that she may want to leave before the dogs get themselves hurt and informed her (yet again) that unneutered males often fight like this. Well, the doberman lady heard this and went crazy! She said "I work in the vet clinic down the road so I know that isnt true!" to which I replied (calmly) "Ive worked in vet clinics for 10 years and I have seen many injured dogs from male aggression fights." I also said that I was surprised she had a purebred, unneutered, ear and tail docked dog since she claimed to work in a vet clinic. Most people in clinics have compassion enough to at least not torture their dog in these ways, and dont get me started on the mutt over purebred argument! She claimed that her clinic dosent hold that belief "they believe in the breed!" which was a bunch of bs and simply her way of justifying her selfish desire to have a purebred fake showdog.

Meanwhile, I am keeping an eye on the dogs. Her dog keeps picking fights with the males. Domino is sticking to the sidelines, confused about the lack of friendly playing. And, people are 1 by 1 taking their dogs either home or into the other dog park area. Oblivious lady though, still thinks that she is right and her dog is "just playing." Awesome. Although I completely stick to my belief that dogs should be neutered except in the very very rare occasion that you are actually a responsible and well intentioned breeder (rare rare case!). I still was upset by this lady challenging me and telling everyone that they do not need to neuter their dogs.

The other case; a lady I was cat sitting for this weekend completely lied to my boss and said I neglected her cat! I love cats and this one's name was Purple, anyone who knows me knows that I would never neglect a cat..expecially not one named Purple! So although my boss believes me and I am sure the lady was just trying to get a free service, It still stung.

Reasons number 1275 and 1276 why I like animals more than people! :)

What does this say to young girls??!!

This is what is wrong with our society! Why do we need models that are so skinny they are sick? How do you make a size 4 woman feel fat?! Seriously, I am baffled by this. This picture is absolutely disgusting! It isn't even physically possible to be this skinny, why photoshop a beautiful skinny girl down to an alien looking form?

I know I am not alone in my belief that a confident, healthy woman is far more attractive than a sickly one who feels fat in her size 1 jeans! Case in point; Dr. Torres on Grey's Anatomy is leaps and bounds more attractive to me than Dr. Grey!! (And no, the irony of the fact that I had to pull a fictional character as a reference rather than a real woman in our society is not lost on me) She is confident in her skin, she even danced around in her underwear on tv!!

Why are we setting this unattainable goal for our women? If our society is making models feel fat, there is something that needs to be changed! We need to embrace ourselves and find a way to be comfortable in our skin. I am not saying anything is wrong with wanting to look good. But, you do not have to look like a photoshoped model in order to do so. Be happy with your unique aspects, it is what makes us different! Be healthy, eat well, find a weight that is comfortable for you, then flaunt it! Confidence and uniqueness are far more sexy than trying to fit some predetermined mold! Come on girls, nobody wants to be a plastic Barbie, how incredibly dull! Let yourself age, embrace your laugh lines, they are proof that you are living! Enjoy life and enjoy food, do you really want to die wishing you had eaten that piece of oreo cheesecake?!

Much thanks to Dove for using real people as their models!!

No internet for a week?!

Our cable and internet have been down now since Sunday. I can go without cable, we only have a few channels anyways. But, loosing internet is like loosing a limb! Rachel called and scheduled a repair for today. Although I was not excited about the 4 hour timeblock that I had to be home for, I was very much anticipating the return of internet signal. Apparently my expectations were too high...

The cable guy was there for over an hour trying to figure out what was wrong. Side note: this completely freaked out Domino of course. He tried to shove his 100+ pound body under our bed numerous times! He came back in to say that the cable line was ruined and would need to be reburied.....sometime within the next week! Being pessimistically suspicious, I asked what he thought happened to it. He said that it went around our neighbors part of the house and was both intertwined with all their crap behind the house and had been dug up and chewed by their dog...as I suspected. He gave me an apologetic look and said we would be called with a more definite date.

I HATE OUR NEIGHBORS!!!
This is what the back of their portion of the house looks like;

So, the cable line is underneath and tangled between this junk yard! Plus, their poor little chihuahua is tied up on the side of the house all day long. Of course she chews on cable lines and breaks free to roam around. (Something else she does that bothers me because I know I am going to come home someday to see her dead in the street!)

I hate them! They sit home all day doing nothing with their lives aside from impeding on ours. I am a busy grad student and I need internet!! Not to mention, we pay $62 a month to have it!

So, that is my rant session. I am currently sitting in the library "quiet zone" (dont get me started on loud libraries!) waiting for an email from my professor and listening to 2 teenage boys gossip about their myspace. I am frustrated.

When opposites collide!

*Friday update: Apparently this guy got hauled away in handcuffs a few hours later.....ahh, karma! :)

My school is little, its a private graduate school, not a big univeristy so there are significantly fewer students. I love this because there is good communicaiton between professors and students. It like a little community and it is a wonderful way to foster growth.

Of course though, there are downfalls to this. The main one being our facilities. We have 1 floor of a building that is mainly filled with students from the Art Institute. Aparently they don't have enough room in their 2 buildings, so occasionally they have classes on our floor. This may not seem like a big deal, but it really really is! We have completely different atmospheres and they should not intersect.

Our floor: We are respectful of our graduate student status within a professional atmosphere. Most people are dressed fairly nice and conservative. We are quiet, it is an unwritten rule that our computer lab is quiet so people can do their assignments or research. Our classes are always on time and we respect our professors and fellow students. Basically, it is just a professional atmosphere filled with very hardworking students.

Their floors: Very loud! I rarely go to the library because it literally sounds like a busy coffee house with everyone gossiping about last night's party and not a single soul reading or studying! This is really a shame too, bucause the library has a beautiful view looking over the waterfront and mountains...and I never get to use it except for the few days that they have a longer break than us, during which I fully enjoy the silent library! Students are usually walking around on their cell phones. Plenty of the clothes are either costumy or trashy. Basically, it is the polar opposite of our floor.

Aside from my longing for the library and the cloud of smoke I have to walk through on the way in the door, this contrast is not a problem to me. I actually enjoy the culture shock at times. But, I hate when they come onto our floor and gossip loudly in our computer lab or stroll arrogantly through our halls. Is distracting and disrespectful in my mind.

Now to the reason for this post. I was sitting in our testing center computer lab today scoring a personality test. I heard a guy in the hall on his phone yelling at someone for calling him while he was in class.
Arrogant little prick: Why are you blowing my phone up?
...
ALP: Im meeting with my teacher and you keep calling my F*&^ing phone! Im talking to my teacher...thats so rude dude.
Me (to the other girl in the lab): Why is his phone even on then?
Her: I know, isnt that rude?!
ALP: I cant meet you now, I came early to talk to my teacher, dude!
...
ALP: Im not bringing you your computer you asshole, Im in class!!
...
ALP: F*#K, Im not doing it, asshole! Dude you are being so retarded (keep in mind, this is a psychology grad school, we do not use that word!)
...
ALP: (at full scream mode now): Send the f*"king cops then, Ill tell them Im meeting with my teacher and you were blowing up my phone, they will see it was f*#king rude! Send them!
...
ALP: no dude, you are a F*"k! Whatever dude, Im gonna be an adult and talk to my teacher...your just a F"*k!!

Me: And that is the difference between an Argosy and an AI student.
other girl: Perfect example!

Seriously, this guy is in school acting like this. He is an adult and he was acting less mature than most kids I know! Oh, and I walked by the room he was in a little while after this and he was playing a game on whoever's computer it was....no teacher in sight!

Its stuff like this that make me appreciate my parents greatly. I was taught respect and how to act in a professional environment. I can have fun, but I know how to act like an adult and when it is appropriate to do so. Obviously a very valuable lesson.....

An attack on bigots! (lets turn the tables for a minute)

*disclamer: this is a rant in the truest sense but it is important to me and that makes it emotional!*


I read an article in The Stranger on my train ride home today that made me force back tears. For those of you who are not Washingtonians, here is a little back story before I explain the article. Our state presented a law (ref 71) giving domestic partners almost equal rights, basically "everything but marriage." A religious group formed a petition to get enough signitures to be able to put it (ref 71) on the ballot in November. Basically this is a repeat of prop 8 in California but with a domestic partnership law rather than actual marriage.


Ok, now for this article. It was ruled that the contributors of this referendum had to remain public, so The Stranger decided to utilize that. The author called up some of the backers of the ref 71 vote and asked them why they were against the domestic partnership law, here is a sampling of what they said. Im calling them by their names as well just because the comments are too stupid to be hidden behind anonymity!


James McFadden stated that although he is backing it, it is really a lost cause because "gay marriage is going to happen" in "pro-gay and very liberal" Seattle. Ok, gotta love an optimist (sense the sarcasm please)! He then stated that he is against gay marriage though because he has "seen people with perferated anuses and they end up with a colostomy bag." Ok James, you lost me there. For starters, anal sex is not a direct synonym to domestic partnership! There are pleanty of straight couples who have anal sex, plus even if us gays are not allowed a stitch of civil rights, there is still going to be anal sex going on in all forms of relationships, legal or not! Why is this guy worried about anyone's anus but his own?...odd


Carrie Vasko had some very weird ramblings that I didn't follow. She did pull out the gay teacher card though saying that "school is there to push math and science, not to push these personal agendas." Because yes Carrie, our entire life mission is to convert as many young vulnerable children as possible...bring on the toaster ovens!! (again, sarcasm please!)


Esther Mayoh (hows that for a name?!) said her main reason for being against ref 71 was that she "didnt want our state to leagalize sodomy." Here we go with the anal sex again! Yeesh people, is that the only thing you can come up with?! She passed the petition around to what sounds like quite a few people, but admited that she didn't read it! How very responsible of her. She also referenced a few family members who were "involved in that lifestyle" but are not anymore. Here is a hint Esther; they are very likely still gay, they are just lying to your bigitrous ass about it!!


And on to my personal favorite, Paul Henry, the biggest misinformed, judgemental idiot of them all! His entire belief system on this issue seems to be built on his idea of gays being basically comprable to rats. He stated that gays (I hate the use of the term "gays" by the way, its just a way to distance yourself from someone you are uncomfortable with!) are "even more than gross. I think they are major incubators of a lot of the bacteria. It is common for homosexuals to have hundreds of different sexual experiences with people...There are bacteria that are called 'gay-related syndrom' or something, but it is not healthy. And by using lots of antibiotics against them, the antibiotics are no longer usable because they don't work." What the fuck?! (excuse my language, but that deserves the F word!) Seriously, where does this stuff come from? I was unaware that my monogomous, loving, respectful relationship was crawling with bacteria simply because it is with a girl! They really should have put that in the manual when we joined this cult!


Why did this article make me cry, you ask? I have so much invested in gaining equal rights. It potentially affects my right to see my girlfriend in the hospital, our ability to raise children someday, our financial stability within our relationship, insurance, wills, and the list goes on and on...

I am being told that these basic human rights are being taken away from me on the basis of "sodomy" and some odd bacteria that dosen't even exist?! This is my life, stay the hell out of it! Giving us the right to legally be in our relationship does not affect anyone outside of it! I am appaled that anyone outside of my commited relationship finds it to be their right to take away any of ours. We are not "incubators of bacteria" who all sleep with hundreds of people. We are simply 2 people in love who have commited themselves to eachother in a very normal relationship.


Shame on you Paul, Esther, James and Carrie for placing your assumptions on my life! Keep your bigotry to yourself, talk about how horrible we are with your equally ignorant friends if that makes you feel superior, but do not impose it on a society that is working to include us. We are not asking for you to be gay or even to be accepting of us. I could not care less if you liked me, I do my best to exclude bigotry from my life. We are simply asking that you just stay out of an issue that does not affect you in the slightest way. We only want the basic human rights that you are allowed. And you are given these rights no matter the status of your marital relationship. Nobody comes into your bedroom to inspect for "sodomy" or "bacteria" because that is ridiculous, it has no merit on the ability to legally be in your relationship, so why are you placing it on mine?

"My love is just as real as yours..."

Ok, I am done...I am stepping off of my soap box that should not have to exist.

Really really bad service!

I mean really bad! My mom, my sister, and I met for happy hour last Friday. My mom works right by a shopping area with a few chain restaurants but we decided to go to a locally owned bar instead. We had been there 2 times before and the first time we had great service and met the owner who talked to us for a while. It was a nice local feeling experience.

The next time we went our server (a different one, we will call her Trish) wasn't the best and she was pretty crabby...but it was really hot and there was no ac so we gave her the benefit of the doubt. My low end for tipping is 15%. I have put my fair share of time in as a server and bartender so I know that sometimes you are just having a bad day. As long as you make an effort and don't act blatantly rude to me, you will get 15%. Needless to say, we gave Trish 15% that time.

Now for this Friday. My mom and sister were already there when I got there. I sat down and Trish came over to get my drink order. I asked for the house cab which I have gotten both previous times and she said "we don't have one." This seemed awfully convenient since happy hour was only applicable to the house wine, but alas I ordered a non-happy hour wine. She brought it by without a word and did the same with our appetizers a few minutes later. My mom asked for ranch and she walked away wordlessly, leaving us to wonder if she even heard us. She came back and put ranch on the table. That was the last bit of attention we received the entire time we were there!

We sat for over 45 minutes with not even a look in our direction! Empty glasses, dirty food plates, no water and no bill. Its not like we were even out of the way, we were right next to the bar! Close enough to hear her flirting with the rail customers while we were being neglected. My mom finally went up to the bar and asked to pay the bill. We tipped $1. I literally never tip less than 10% (that is my amount if needed for "bad" service), but this was obscene. She was blatantly not serving us for whatever reason.

Wouldn't you know, I got home and realized that my license must have fell out of my purse at some point in the bar. Awesome. Trish already didn't like us for some unknown reason. Then we tipped her $1 which I know she displaced on us rather than attributing to her own crappy service. I can visualize her finding my license, laughing, and tossing it in the garbage. I knew it was fruitless, but I went in the next morning to look for it and leave a note with my number. Big surprise, no one called.

So now, tomorrow morning I get to spend a good chunk of time at the oh-so-fun DMV and waste $20 that I don't have on getting a new license. Oh well, at least I don't have to serve tables anymore!

Anyone else have a bad restaurant/bar experience to share?

The inadequacies of our society's paychecks!

I saw a post yesterday on the most underpaid jobs and it made me sick! It said that EMTs make an average of $10/hour. They save lives and are readily susceptible to traumatic experiences and they make about as much as a line cook in a restaurant! Every time I think about how overpayed celebrities and professional athletes and how underpaid the people who are actually making a difference are, I want to scream. When did our society-wide payscale get so skewed?

These are the average salaries with 10 years of experience according to payscale.com;
Elementary school teacher $50,000 (they are mentoring and guiding our future!)
Police officer: $55,000 (they risk their lives for us!)
Firefighter: $50,000 (they risk their lives not only for us, but also for our possessions. Id say that running into a burning building to save my couch is worth way more than $25/hour!)
RN: $60,000 (they are monitoring our health, working long grueling hours, and by our bedside during our most difficult times)

And yet the popular movie stars are making millions per movie! Keep these statistics in mind the next time you drop your kids off at school or require any medical attention. Please give these people the respect that they deserve because they are definitely not getting paid what they are worth!

In search of silence

When I moved away from ND, I was ready! I needed a change in many different forms; scenery, atmosphere, temperature(!), societal views, availability of experience, well you get the point. I love WA and the changes that I have been able to make within myself because of this move. But, there are those times when I really miss certain aspects of ND; simplicity, community, a societal sense of motivation, and mostly, family.


Currently, I am in one of those times as the noise of my life is overwhelming me. My neighbors are having what they consider a yard sale (aka: a junk yard has been transported into my front yard and labeled with price tags), the kids are multiplying by the day to be left outside under the watchful care of their bikes and toys, the dogs are even multiplying and becoming more vocal (not my lovely Domino of course, he is actually cared for and not left to roam!), and the noise of police sirens are becoming more of a staple. As I type, I am listening to all of this with the oxymoronic sound of an ice cream truck directly outside of my window. There is a line of kids waiting to fork over money, can she not turn the monotonous high pitched music off now?!

Ever since I moved here, I have noticed that I crave silence. I started driving with the radio off, finding myself sitting on the couch doing absolutely nothing, and searching for secluded parks so that I can just sit. I need silence! I spent most of my childhood and adolescence living in the country of ND surrounded by fields. Sadly, I don't remember ever paying attention to the absence of noise. I took it for granted along with the lack of crime and news reports showcasing the local fair or a sale at the mall simply to fill the hour. I guess it is true that absence makes the heart grow fonder.

So, I have traded in my silence for opportunity, mild weather, and an open minded atmosphere. I still believe it is a good trade but am reminded of that sacrifice as I search for my silence. As I am researching the slow hours at the local park, finding a coffee shop that doesn't play music (not an easy task!), suffering through heat and stale air so that my windows can be closed, and writing nasty letters to my school library about the absurd noise that is allowed (that's a whole other rant that you don't want to get me started on!), I will miss my scarcely inhabited open spaces back home. Someday I will find my silence again.....

Contrary to what this post will likely lead you to believe, I am actually a pretty smart person!

Ok, as the title states; I consider myself to be rather intellectual. I am by no means one of those people who can read something, learn it instantly, and keep it on hand forever (wouldn't that be nice). But, I am in grad school and doing rather well, thank you very much! Ok, just keep that in mind as you are reading this. Sometimes I think that my neurons are so overworked with school related business, that they just "take a break" on me.

I live in the Seattle area and it is oddly hot here right now. Like most Seattle-lites we don't have air in our house. I tried yesterday to work on my dissertation, but sitting with a laptop on me just got to be too much after a few hours. So, I figured I would go to the local library (which was wonderfully air conditioned) to do some work today. Ok, that was the "good idea" portion of my day.

Side note:
I recently bought a new bike and I really love it. A little Crystal FYI: I have had rheumatoid arthritis in my knees since I was 2, in and out of remission. So, I haven't been able to ride a bike for quite a while. I finally figured out though that (while I am in remission anyways) I can ride a simple bike on simple roads or paths. So...I bought an awesome old Schwinn Cruiser, it is adorable! (I will post pictures later) But, it is a single speed and has push back breaks, not exactly an off-road or even hill friendly bike.

Ok, on to the "bad idea" portion of my day. I decided that in this 95+ degree muggy Seattle weather, I would ride my bike to the library! I took the flat and straight route there, turns out it was a sidewalk that was about 2 feet wide, constantly scattered with mailboxes, and along a busy road...fun! Alas, I made it to the library; soaked in sweat and stinky. It was a good thing that I had a private study room reserved or I would have been a spectacle!

Stupid idea #2: I decided that in order to avert from the "sidewalk of doom" I would go up a few blocks and take a road that I figured would be less rush hour-ish! (I know, not a good day for grammar either) This road turned out to be practically a roller coaster! I had to get off my little 1 speed bike about 5 times and walk up hills in 95+ degree weather! Oh, did I mention that I had a backpack with my computer in it on my dripping wet back?! Finally I came across a paved trail that I could veer off onto which I decided to do, not really knowing where it would take me. Anything sounded better than the very large hill looming ahead of me at that point.

If you are thinking that my oh-so-lovely journey is over at this point, you are sadly mistaken. The trail just so happened to end at the busiest lake/park in the area! This means that there were cars parked along every road, people everywhere, and absolutely no place for me to ride my poor little bike. So, I walked in a ditch (that's right, in an effin ditch!) around half the perimeter of the park because otherwise I would have been hit by a car. (Although this prospect didn't sound too bad at the time, ERs are air conditioned after all!)

I finally made it back to the "sidewalk of doom" that I had went through all of this in order to avoid. Over an hour and a half later I made it home from what should have been a 30 min bike ride. I was practically dripping with sweat, starving, and in a pretty sour mood.

What am I doing now? Sitting on my couch sopping wet because I sat in the sprinkler. I have the fan pointed directly on me and am eating a popsicle! Ahh, summer.....

Just say no to proselytizing!!

Proselytizing is defined as; "To induce someone to convert from one belief, doctrine, cause, or faith to another."

Lets look at the verb in this definition, it is the basis of what drives proselytizing. Induce means "to lead or move by persuasion or influence, as to some action or state of mind."

Now if you want someone to believe in, cherish, obey, love, and generally give their life to someone would you expect that coercing someone to convert by means of persuasion is the best way to go?! Before I get too far into this I want to lead with the statement that I am not against religion. I believe fully that everyone has the right to believe in and worship whatever entity they so choose. I know that organized religious practices and beliefs help many people out and give them something to hold on to and a purpose in life. I think that this is great and should be a basic human right to pursue if so desired. (Ok, that is my preface)

But (you knew it was coming!), I do not believe that anyone has the right to push their belief on others!! Ever! Just because you are amazed by the wonderful things that your religion has bestowed on you, does not mean that everyone needs to follow that belief in order to lead a happy and fulfilled life! I view the act of proselytizing as an ignorant display of egocentricism with a front of fake altruism. It is absurd to assume that your views are the only ones that should be acceptable and the only path to righteousness! Whatever happened to equality?

Why am I posting this? I have been literally stalked by a certain religious group that goes door to door and doesn't take "I am busy" or "I am not interested" as a good enough reason to turn around and ride their bikes away. And no, I am not exaggerating with the stalking comment; they came by at least 3 times a week for a good month! Near the end they would park their bikes behind the house to hide and even tracked me down in the mall one time! How can anyone believe that getting someone into their religion in this manner could be beneficial to any party involved?! I have also witnessed the direct display of proselytizing in the prison system through my internship. There are certain religions who hound offenders to "find the light" or "right their wrongs through verse" while others simply provide an outstretched hand. This says, "I am available if you decide to talk" and guess which method attracts the offenders who really want religious help through their life change? I think that it is a terrible mistake to undermine the power of an outstretched hand. It is much more effective to be available to those who want to listen than to waste time speaking to a distracted and disgruntled audience.

Anyways, this topic has come up for me a lot in the last few years of my life and it always leaves me with a sour taste in my mouth and a very uncomfortable feeling. I am open to any thoughts on the topic though (just no stalking on bikes!) so...thoughts?

Pet sitting and the other things we put ourselves through to pay rent!

As a 4th year full time grad student, I don't have a lot of time for anything outside of class, practicum (pre-internship), homework, papers, oh and that lovely little dissertation. So, work is almost out of the question unless I find a way to not sleep. I worked as a veterinary assistant through undergrad and freaking loved it, but it was time consuming and not incredibly lucrative. I was a server/bartender at Outback for my first 3 years of grad school and although I hated it, I made good money. Last December though I finally succumbed to the fact that I no longer could work on a regular scheduled basis like a normal person. So I quit, and although it was awesome and liberating and a huge huge relief, I also was (obviously) not making any money.

Solution: I now work for an online business that does pet sitting, dog walking and the like. It is perfect for me because I can take jobs when I have time and basically it is like a work study job. Not to fool anyone though by the term "work study" because boring, it is not! I usually get to stay in pretty nice houses all around Seattle which is fun....but there are the few odd cases. Some examples; a house that seriously reeks of urine, an obsessed to the point of psychopathology dog owner, a cat that needs insulin but hides in boxes in the basement. These are just a few, I could go on and on!

Although I am beyond excited to start my career, I will always have the memories of my various jobs. I have shoveled popcorn, slept in cleaning closets while waiting for my shift to be over, assisted in puppy C-sections, cleaned up some unmentionably nasty stuff in kennels, had to call the cops on gypsies who accused me of trying to kill them with diet soda, and walked over 200lbs of dogs at once! It has been awesome, scary, boring, frustrating, validating, painful, fun, and above all; wonderful incentive for continuing my degree.

So, discussion: What has been your favorite job? worst job? most interesting moment at work? best horror story? let the stories begin......