It’s Open Thread time! For some of you it might be your Friday, if you have tomorrow off for Good Friday. So in the spirit of that, I present you with Rebecca Black’s “Friday”!
Kiddings! I wouldn’t do that to our readers. Enjoy the stylings of The Asteroids Galaxy tour, who are in a Heineken commercial and whose song I enjoy!
32 replies on “Fun Fun Fun Open Thread”
Woo, just want to take a moment to do a little happy dance for my college BFF for getting her dream job learning how to prepare organic, nitrates/nitrite free salami in Berkeley!
I’m a proud mama!
Oh crap, ladies. I just got into an intense convo with my 17 year old sister about Christianity. To make a long story short, she said that she believes that every word in the Bible is “true.” I tried to ask what she meant by that, and of course, going down that road with a teenager is not super productive. I should have known better. But I just really want her to think about things. I don’t care what conclusion she ultimately comes to, but PLEASE just learn some critical thinking skills.
Le sigh. I sent her the Christian Feminist posts from here in hopes that they might better illustrate what I was trying to say.
If we’re sharing videos of beer ads with good songs, then I must include a link to the Carlton Draught ‘Big Ad’:
I know it’s the fun fun fun open thread, but I have to vent. I took a sick day yesterday, because spring+brinkswomanship=killer hayfever. I dosed myself up on antihistamines and advil and slept most of the day. Today rolls around, and even though it’s Good Friday and I am always grumpy about having to work on Good Friday (it’s a holiday in Australia but now I’m in the US), and I’m still not 100%, I felt guilty about the sick day yesterday, even though I clearly needed it, so I dragged myself in (an hour’s drive each way). Only to read my work email and discover that because of construction in the offices today, people were invited to work from home if they wanted. So now I’m sitting here in the middle of construction noise with a headache and hardly anyone else is here. ARGH RAGE AT THE UNIVERSE.
That’s all. I am just still reeling from the unfairness of it all!
Crap crap crap I posted a comment on Other Ladyblog, mostly to share an opinion piece that I found relevant and rage-inducing, and I also threw in a line about how weird it was to call a girl a slut for sleeping with one dude (focusing on the meaning and forgetting about slut-shaming generally, because I am exhausted and uninformed and occasionally unintentionally ignorant). I got called out on it and I feel like an idiot because it seems like I’m cool with calling ladies sluts, as long as it’s being used accurately. Argh, that’s what I get for procrastinating from my essays with internet. Sob.
Oh goodness and it’s the “featured” comment at the moment, I want to keep apologising again and again so no one thinks I’m the worst. I’m not! Not always, and not about this! D:
Ok, I feel like writing a comment on theotherladyblog is sometimes like dangling a flank steak over a pit of rabid hyenas (I am not sure if that analogy makes sense- but I also have not really slept due to essay writing). I am sorry that you are going through that, but you know what you meant, we know what you meant… I think it’s sometimes best to let this shit go, ya know. Also, since I stopped commenting upon and reading the O.L.B. I have been approximately 200 times less stressed about my internet social interactions. I am not saying that you should or have to do that (I personally left cause the content didn’t interest me anymore), but I do think that there are places on the internet where you can comment and have community with other women without getting eaten for breakfast.
Sorry for your ordeal, but thank you for voicing this. There have been numerous times I have wanted to post my opinion or share an experience over there, but I hesitate because I’m not sure how it will be taken. I’m not eloquent on the best of days, so chances are that I’d never adequately explain myself, and yes, I admit that I’m not always the most informed person on several issues. Which is why I like these kinds of sites that talk about these issues and allow commenter to interact… at least, so long as its done in a respectful and instructive way.
Anyways, if I were you, just let everyone know that you were in no way trying to offend anyone, that you get all their points and appreciate their comments and then just walk away from it. It may take a day for that knot in your stomach to go away, but you’ll feel much better once you do.
Big warm internet hugs!
Thank you both. :) I think I’ll log out of Other Ladyblog and limit my time there even more, so if I ever feel the urge to say something, I’ll have those extra few seconds to realise it’s not worth it. I was incredibly panicky because it happened just as I was about to go to bed so I was sure an enormous fight would erupt overnight. Luckily it didn’t receive any more comments about the not-so-eloquent part while I was asleep. Huzzah!
Seriously, thank you both again for replying, and warm internet hugs back. :)
You may know that I have custody of the Little Bastard, a sweet dog who was effectively abandoned by his owner. He’s a great dog, but it’s not working out for either of us – he’s miserable because I’m out all day (and won’t eat unless I’m home) and I’m weary of the things I have to give up to take care of him (sleep, leaving the apartment, let alone travel). I’ve been trying to find a permanent home for him to no avail for nearly a year. His owner, to make a long story short, won’t do anything to either take him with her or find him a new home. Keeping him is not an option, as I don’t have the financial and transportation resources to properly take care of him.
My only option at this point, therefore, is to move out and have someone else take care of him. However, the Little Bastard has had five caretakers in his six year life; I don’t want to make him feel abandoned again.
Any advice as to what to do? He’s really a wonderful dog, but I really need a life.
I’ve been following your adventures with Little Bastard and I’m a bit confused on the issue with the dog’s owner. You can explain it if you’re comfortable doing so, but you don’t have to. My advice will likely remain the same.
Get the ASPCA involved. If the dog has been abandoned, which is what it sounds like, they can get the owner to give up ownership either by signing over the dog to them, or making the owner ‘shit or get off the pot’. So to speak.
They are better equipped to deal with this situation than you are, and there are many lovely foster parents and workers who can help the dog get placed in a permanent and loving home. I know that this is a bad time to take any animal to the SPCA, but you’re going to get stuck in a bad way if you don’t extract yourself from the situation. And this gets you out from under the thumb of the (nominal) owner.
Thanks for the advice! To be fair, it is a deal that I made (cheap rent for dog care), hence the only option being to move out.
The owner is a (now former) friend. To put it diplomatically, I don’t understand her, either. She refused a suitable forever home back when LB had more behavioral issues. She keeps on saying she’ll take the dog, but keeps on making excuses and pushes the date back. She thinks of the dog as an accessory to show off but doesn’t want to take on *any* responsibilty (e.g. she refused to e-mail me the emergency animal hospital’s address). So trying to deal with her is not an option.
The father wants the Little Bastard out to a new home and would also let me live in the apartment without LB, though fairly for a higher price. On the LB issue, he’s on my side but won’t do anything (long story). It seems like he wants to wash his hands of all of this and place the responsibilty on me.
I have written permission to find the Little Bastard a new home, but owner adamantly refuses to have him in a shelter. Though they may need to be revised, I have ads up for him in various websites with the help of neighborhood people and the local dog kennel manager. The workers at the various shelters that I contacted were adamant that the Little Bastard only be placed in a permanent home.
Since finding LB a new home doesn’t seem to be happening, the only option for me to get out of this situation is to move out. At the same time, I don’t want to screw the dog over.
I think LB’s owner has some serious issues.
But that said, have you tried the Craigslist route? We foster parents regularly post our animals on Craigslist, mostly to good success. You always screen the people who are interested in a dog, so if someone gives you a bad vibe, you don’t need to adopt the animal out to them.
I would still encourage you to contact your local shelter and asked to speak to whoever coordinates the foster program. They’d be able to give you some good advice and possible hook you up with some foster parents who can put the word out that the dog is up for adoption.
Thanks, I’ll try Craigslist again Monday; hopefully it won’t be a spam e-mail-fest as well as the shelters again.
For more clairty:
Owner met LB when working in another country. After the job ended, she and her dad brought LB back to the U.S. She had the dog for roughly a year when she wasn’t working and then moved overseas without LB
The owner’s dad had LB at his home in the countryside. After a year, he told the owner that he found a new permanent home for him in the countryside. She refused. The compromise was to have LB live in the father’s apartment in the city. Whoever lived there would pay cheap rent in exchange for dog care. The father would pay for dog food while the owner would theoretically pay for everything else (though it’s really the father paying for everything). The owner probably claimed that it would only be temporary until she took him with her.
Should add that the father really just wanted LB out of the family.
A (now former) friend of the owner moved in. The owner told her that she’d bring LB with her overseas, but repeatedly made excuses not to when the time came. The owner also never visited LB when she was in the country, nor did she check up on LB. Unfortunately for LB, the caretaker *really* did not do a good job, to the point that the neighbors and building staff complained. To mitigate somewhat, the caretaker is extremely allergic to everything and worked very long hours. The owner found out about LB’s condition nearly a year later. The caretaker moved out, though before the owner did anything.
I moved in over a year ago when unemployed/unpaid. The owner promised that someone would come in periodically to get LB groomed and checked up, but that never happened. When I’d mention that LB had behavioral issues, the owner would throw a fit and blame me. LB had behavioral issues (e.g. hated other dogs, which is not good when nearly everyone in the neighborhood has one, barking early in the morning because he wanted company), which I paid a behavioralist to help fix; the owner never even thanked me. The owner also never contacted me to ask about LB, though she did visit him when she was in the country. And surprisingly, she’d take him to get groomed. She’d claim that she was going to take LB overseas, but always pushed the date back with some excuse.
I asked the owner what her plans were for LB and mentioned that he would be better suited in a place with a yard/family. The owner threw a fit, claiming that it was better than his being a stray, that no one wants to adopt an older dog, that his behavioral problems were just “too bad.” After one hell of a struggle and possibly her other friends yelling at her that I was right when she ranted about me, she finally agreed to let LB go to a new home if one came up. The owner still claims she wants to take him abroad, though.
Apologies for the length and whining. But this is why I have an issue with her.
I’m at home with my BF in Kansas City and we both have a morning of in-apartment work (and then he travels to stores in the afternoon).
It’s essential to his job to be on the phone during this in-apartment work time… except that I can’t do MY work (today: reading Deleuze’s esoteric nonsense… ok, I love him I’m just angered currently. love me some esoteric). I just use it to do other “tasks:†emails, facebook, open threads… but I’m at my best in the morning, so him being on the phone for 40 minutes is complicating my work day.
It’s not that big of a deal this week (since I leave on Monday), but I’ll be living here over the summer… any ideas on how to delicately bring this up?
A few other details: there are no doors in our apartment, actually, except to the bathroom. He’s new in the company and frequently has to kiss ass a bit to total morons (so I can’t NOT listen). He insists on using speakerphone on his phone, which, frankly, we all should, it just also adds to the noise level of a phone call (this is also awesome because then I get to hear what the other person on the phone says =) ).
As far as your boyfriend is concerned, I think if you raise the issue and show that you understand it’s his work and that it’s necessary for him to do it a certain way but it’s just not working with you two doing different kinds of work simultaneously in the apartment, you should be able to compromise and figure out a system that works for everyone.
Otherwise, how big is the apartment? Is it possible to install a make-shift door (no matter how flimsy it is) on a room on one side of the apartment and you just hole up on the other side? It may not be 100% sound proof, but it may do enough to block his noise from overwhelming you, or from any noise you may make from interfering with his call.
Also, is it possible just to slip out and work at a cafe for those crucial hours in the morning? That way, you’d know you’re getting your work done at your peak time, and once your latte and reading is done, you return back home to a phone-free environment.
Maybe something along the lines of “hey, I know that it’s your new job and you prefer to use the speakerphone. I don’t want to interfere with your doing your job, but mornings are best for me and I can’t get work done because of the noise. It’ll be great if we can work it out sooner than later.”
Agree with the leaving in the morning and installing door suggestions. How about noise cancelling headphones?
It’s Friday morning here – because of the Easter hols I won’t be back in work until Tuesday which feels like an amazing luxury at the moment. Right now I have sausage cooking that will shortly be placed in a floury white bun and sent directly to my tummy. Then, after some time spent digesting, I’ll be going running. Hooray for Fridays!
No Free Good Friday for me, so I’m in the office. But I get the Monday after Easter of, so it’s still a mini mini holiday.
Being the good unemployed person I am, I just applied to two jobs, both which match my skill set well. The one is part time, and I immediately got an auto response email saying that they’ve been inundated with applications, and that it’s going to take them a while to get through all of them.
This job is part time and was posted today. Gotta love this economy, amirite?
I am currently soaking in the bathtub and using the strongest-smelling bath salts ever. My derby league had 2 skaters from Muskegon come to our rink and do a 4 hour workshop with us. The combination of 4 straight hours of sweating and having left my damp gear to stew in the back of my car has resulted in a truly overwhelming stench. Aint no stank like derby stank.
I talk about derby an awful lot. I’m well aware of this, but people always talk a ton when something really great comes into their lives. Babies, significant others, jobs, whatever. Right now, derby is that great thing. A little over a year ago I joked about playing, but here I am today skating my butt off and actually getting compliments on some things. I got 2 compliments from Dot Matrix, who was in Whip It. I have never had a single positive thing said to me regarding sports. I know it is cheesy, but I think roller derby really has saved my soul.
Everyone I’ve ever known who does Derby talks about it all the time and is obsessed with it. It sounds like an addiction, for reals!
Heh. My experience is that that obsession part of it lasts for about 2 years and then it becomes this thing you do that is pretty cool, but is a ton of work. The shine does eventually wear off (but not the part that likes bragging about how big your bruises are).
I think rollerderby is so cool, I just don’t have the guts to join up. I wrote a story about it a year ago, and the rollerderby-fever is very strong with anyone who does it.
If its something you want to try, you should give it a shot. I won’t lie and say it’s easy, but you’re stronger and tougher than you think, and derby is a really excellent way to get in touch with what your body can do.
Any Canadian Persephoneers out there? In particular ones who need to rage about the apparent defunding of Planned Parenthood in Canada? Not okay. Put me in an awful mood for the rest of day.
Yes and yes! This is why we need to get “The Harper Government” out of power.
Another Canadian too! Have you ladies seen this?
My apartment application got approved! I don’t have a move-in date yet, since they’re still working on the apartment-turnover-schedule for next month, but it will probably be May 15. I SO EXCITED!
Things I will be able to do:
Have a sewing room, have a dog, do my workout videos, have a closet just for shoes, be able to walk around without pants on, be able to chillax wherever I want without fear of being interrupted, have a fridge where I can find things, set it up so I can play WoW on my TV (aaaaaw yeah), aaaaand basically be awesome.
HOORAY!
Almost all of those are criteria I have when looking for an apartment. Yay for improved quality of life!
congratulations! I’d ask if I could share so I can walk around with pants off too, but then it would just be awkward! :)
I am so jealous that you have time to sew and play WoW. I realized a while ago I’d have to give one of them up, and I gave up WoW :(