Today I found a wonderful site called xtranormal.com where you can create your own animated movies.
Well ok I didn't FIND it all by myself, if truth be told. Like most things that we "stumble across" on the Internet, I got to it by watching a hilarious video that was created on xtranormal. Please be advised, this video is Rated R. Not mine, just the one I linked to above. It is very funny but most definitely full of swear words! NSFW (or kids)
Aaaaanywho- where was I?
Hmmmm. Oh yeah, that's right. The reason for this post. Oy! I get derailed so eas- wait, what is that?
Focus lady, focus!!
*Sigh* So as I was saying... Maybe it's just the fatalistic part of me that doesn't get to come out everyday- but I think about the demise of humanity.
A lot.
My gloom and doom end-of-the-world cogitations are sadly more like a hobby than an involuntary distraction so there really is no excuse. But it does seem to make for some interesting ideas, like the below video. Perhaps a tiny bit on the dark side, but safe for all ages. So without further ado, I present my very short (but hopefully powerful) video.
Simply titled "They're Gone Now", this is my idea of what a snippet of conversation might be like between two robots who were partly responsible for the extermination of mankind. Enjoy! =)
Well I never thought it was possible to be flattered, confused and dismayed all by the same act but once again life has given me lemons with which to make a patchwork quilt. And that ain't easy.
Copy/paste finally came home for some clothes. We talked a little. I pushed his buttons but he wasn't having any of that, and left again. Said that Mac was going to let him stay over. They're not even compatible!! I think he's doing it just to spite me. Either that, or to purposely remain out of touch.
So of course I cried some more...
Then something strange happened.
Alt+Tab flirted with me today. No mistake, his touch definitely lingered longer than comfort can stand. It was nice, but where do you go with that when you're trying to work things out with the progenitor of the comma inside you? I want to do the write thing. But what happens if I politely refuse Alt+Tab, then C/P and I don't work things out? If I just kinda be friendly and noncommittal, maybe A+T could be a fallback\ position. Guilt nags at me even to think of such a seemingly devious ploy, but I have more than just myself to think about now.
It finally happened... Copy/paste and I are expecting our very own little comma in March.
I'm still not sure how either of us feel about it, given the issues I mentioned before. He spent all day yesterday at Kinko's and wouldn't acknowledge me. I cried.
Already I've been asked if I'm hoping for a Serif or Sans Serif but all I can think is, "Which would be more likely to save our relationship?" That's really sad.
On the other hand, if we should end up with twins, I think this would be just too cute!
Copy/paste would melt, be totally won over and become a happy "lifer" in the father/husband organization...
Sometimes I get crazy ideas about what might be a good story to tell.
Surely I'm the only one right? Wrong!
I'll wager that every writer out there- no matter if they have become "successful" or not- has had an idea which is painfully brilliant, or sometimes just painful to hear. Some took the chance and some didn't. Whether a good or bad idea, how did this make the difference between success and failure for these writers? In and of itself- not at all. In this amazing world we're all a part of, the definition of failure is to stop trying for success. Failure is not an action- it is inaction.
Even outside of the writing field this has proven true. There are many politicians, actors, directors and small business owners who didn't fail overall due to one stinker of a decision, or even three. These people picked themselves up and tried again, sometimes changing tack, sometimes with the whole "I meant to do that" attitude.
We all fall- every one of us. And yet, there are still winners and losers in this world. This just serves to illustrate that to fall is not to fail- the failure is in refusing to rise again, or in fearing to even begin.
Mr. Wayne Gretzky's oft-quoted statement "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take", is just as true today as it ever was. That's like having a hard worker who made it happen with old fashioned sweat and elbow grease, ask you what on Earth you are waiting for.
If you think that some magic genie will pop out of the bottle and tell you that in the future, your idea will be a huge success- then you will never begin.
Three points to remember:
1. Do what you love, because you love it.
Sure, this is another one that gets a lot of lip service. However, consider this: if the town crier were to state upwards of 100 times that the sky is blue, would simple repetition make it less true? Of course not! Write that fabulous article, blog, or book because of the creative force which drives you. Art for adulation's sake is almost always a mistake, and quite often a flop as well. If you put your heart into a piece and you love it, then it will never be the regret that an unfinished one can be.
2. Avoid pre-failing your efforts.
Don't concern yourself with what people will think or say about your endeavor. If you have an idea and are able to express it creatively, in a way that touches people, then put it out there! There will always be critics who will pick an artistic piece apart searching heartily for all that is wrong with it. Devote your energy to those who will appreciate its truth, not those who will tear it down.
3. Face facts
I'm passing this one along from Wil Wheaton, the child actor-turned blogger and author of 3 books. He claims someone passed it on to him, and I believe that it's very good advice, indeed.
DON'T BE AFRAID TO SUCK.
Yep, that's it. As previously stated, we will all fall, or "jump the shark" plenty in our lifetimes. Learn from the experience, and go on with life. It won't stop your heart or empty your bank account so don't let it ruin your peace of mind or shake your courage either.
Positive thoughts and positive actions can't help but draw positive results, true?
This was my little pep talk to myself today about finding a way to just TAKE THE PLUNGE doing what I love, and want to do full-time. The fear of change, fear of failure or rejection is a powerful force that is difficult to overcome. But it is a worthwhile effort to do just that. Life is too short to live it in quiet desperation, as Thoreau put it. He also advised by example that we should "suck out all the marrow of life", or to paraphrase, live every day with passion and vigour as if it might be our last. One day it will be, you know.
I want that last day to be something I would never regret even if I could.
What do you think?
Which is better, to skip and skin your knee- or to stand still, uninjured, and bored?
Never let the fear of striking out get in your way.
~~"Babe" Ruth
Bonus: Here's one of my favorite songs with a message along the same lines.
Can't embed it, but check it out- it's a real mood lifter! I Hope You Dance - Lee Ann Womack
Some useful tips to increase positive energy return for inner peace & harmony:
Everyday, give someone a warm and cheerful smile for no reason at all.
Be kind to animals and children-they are the only truly innocent ones.
Find a way to do more things you like per day than things you don't.
Do not fall in love like it's a booby trap, choose it as a firm path.
Even when it's difficult, do what you know is right- you won't be sorry.
Kindly let another car in front of you when you can.
Be quick to think, slow to speak.
No one is perfect. When there must be argument, be civil and respectful.
In a bad mood? Focus for the moment only on good things and ideals for an instant lift!
Those who cannot hear a shout will strain to hear a whisper.
Let your cherished ones know that you love them, constantly.
Don't bicker over politics or religion. Discuss. Be polite.
Silver-lining people are really onto something. Try it sometime.
Even a fact-filled speech, if unproductive, is like sand in everyone's shoes.
When you wrong someone, apologize. Mean it.
Dare to believe... no matter what people think or say about you.
Instead of giving what you get, try giving what you would LIKE to get.
Don't gloat. It's just tacky.
If you ever get the chance to be someone's ALL, take it.
Good and bad things will always happen. Let the good things be a permanent tattoo on the experience of your life and the bad, just lint brushed off your jacket.
“Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today.” ~ James Dean
One thing I've learned during my time as an onliner, is that we are ALL good at something. This applies to RL as well as VL. There's no sense in trying to force a talent out of ourselves that we don't have. We might as well develop and hone the one(s) we're given by God. Most of us have more than enough of that thing we ARE gifted at to be truly unique from everyone else.
I mean, I'm just plain strange myself- but that's me. And I'm ok with the fact that everyone doesn't get me, or even particularly like me. As far as I know, I don't have any enemies but yeah, I do weird some people out because my perspective is often so different from those around me that some just don't know how to take me.
That's my talent- I have a natural tendency to almost always see things from a different angle than others. Sometimes this alienates me, but it also makes me a good puzzle solver, and surprisingly intuitive about people, their motives and what they're thinking.
Why?
My guess is that it's because people hide things about themselves in places that most folks don't look- but it just happens to be my normal view so it's quite visible to me. I never appreciated how much this tendency could assist me in helping those who are hurting, or don't feel they are heard or appreciated. Sometimes they just need to know that someone else- even just one other person- knows where they are coming from and agrees with some conclusion they have reached about life and which is the right path.
Ok, either I have really hit on a major, profound truth here- or I desperately need more coffee. *Eh* Need, shmeed. When is it not a good time for that rich, snugly, lovely coffeeness? Forget the fact that I drink so much coffee my grandchildren will have espresso pumping through their little veins.
Until next time, just remember:
Laziness is just another word for rel
ok, so after much booing and hissing, and beating about the head and shoulders... *SIGH*
I drank the koolaid ok people??? Give it a rest already. I found that all three seasons are currently available for instant viewing on Netflix so I dived right in.
I have put in many hours. Shed blood, sweat and tears, working feverishly to get up to speed before the new season starts.
Shameless Network Plug-- This most excellent series returns for a 2-hr premiere of Season Four on 21 Sept at 8pm/7c.
(Are you listening NBC? You can just deposit money in my Paypal acct plskthx)
First impressions of this series:
Sylar is pretty hot (looove furry mens! *giggle*), BUT Mohinder is even hotter still. Sorry Zach, nothin personal. HA!
Questions:
Why the heck didn't they use the David Bowie song "Heroes" as the theme? It is a perfect fit! I don't care how old he is, Bowie still rocks my sox.
WTD happened to Molly? Did I nap at some point in the last few episodes w/out realizing it??
What happened to my pink strapless-- er, wait- inner monologue INNER MONOLOGUE!!!!
Um, I think it's medication time now.
WE'RE ALL MAD HERE... 0-0
One of these days, perhaps I will meet a man who is insane enough to say those three little magic words to me....
"Paper or plastic?"
Ah, bestill my heart. BUT-
Until that day, I am so.in.love with copy/paste! I wanna have its babies and stuff. I mean, it was love at first click! The first time I hit Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V, it took my breath away. I'm still waiting on the test results, but I'm pretty sure I had an orgasm.
So today I'm thinking... why am I so sprung over copy/paste? Is it because I'm tremendously lazy, or just because it takes that level of efficiency to rock it like I do?
(OH, I dooooo haters! Don't kid yourselves.)
I have to ask myself- what do I bring to the relationship?
I mean, is copy/paste really THE ONE, or will he wait until we have three commas and an ampersand, go out for a pack of printer paper one day, and never return??
Now I'm really worried. I should change- be a better user. He won't say it, but I know that copy/paste is jealous that I use Backspace almost as much, maybe even more. I'm ashamed of it, but what can I do? Sometimes I just NEED to backspace!
Anyway, I know that copy/paste sees other users, too. Just yesterday I caught my coworker using it when she thought I wasn't looking. She tried to play it off, because we're supposed to be friends and stuff, but I know what I saw. Bitch!
Immediately I ran back to my computer and hit Ctrl+C real quick to see what would happen. He says it's my imagination but I know it took longer than normal. Then he turns it back on me, talking about how much it hurts that I used to use Escape DOZENS of times in a day. I'm all like- first of all, I didn't even know you then. And secondly- it was 3.1- EVERYBODY was doing it!!
So, I just don't know if we're meant for each other, but I'm hooked on him. What to do- what to DO???
First it was just Yahoo Profiles... Then Myspace (under duress, I might add)- harmless enough. Then Twitter, then Facebook and Blogger, Wordpress, LiveJournal-- augghhh!! Where does it all end?? I can feel the cold, steely electronic tendrils wrapping around me like some nightmare.
No posts here in months... Ok, so yeah I was never good at keeping a diary either. Seems to me that most people are either out there living life or at home blogging about it.
Anywho... what drew me out of my literary cave was an aggravating experience with Dell tech support. My friend bought herself a new Dell laptop, and wanted to get on the wireless network but it wouldn't connect. Since I had offered to help her get her laptop on a paying basis if she should need it, she asked if I could check it out. Right off the bat, I remembered that when I bought my Dell laptop a few years ago I had the same issue with not being able to get on the OPEN wireless network at Panera, even. I was able to see the wireless router but my wireless network card was saying the router wasn't responding to its requests to make friends. So I called Dell tech support (such was my naïveté in those days), and got lucky. I had no clue how lucky at the time- I actually got hold of a tech who could help me reconfigure my wireless card so that it and the router decided to talk to one another and got on famously.
Flash forward to yesterday (from a few years ago, not from right now because of course that would be a flashBACK)-- new Dell, Vista instead of XP, newer model of wireless card and I have no idea what config settings I need on the wireless card, or what else I might need to do to get this puppy on the intarwebz.
First step- check the forums. There are mentions of how bloody worthless and cumbersome ipv6 is, some users saying it caused them problems trying to connect to wireless. I know she won't be needing it- so I disable that. Second step- there are also mentions about router firmware upgrades that may need to be done to make it compatible with Vista. Router already has the current firmware version- Check. Next step- download the newest updates that the Dell website says have come out since the laptop was built, so she needs those. Installed and reboot... still no webz. Final step-- dreading it based on a huge PILE of reviews I see all over the internet about Dell tech support these days-- I finally break down and call Dell.
Despite the fact that I started the conversation with: I downloaded the updates, the router is working fine with the most current firmware and has ppl already surfing on it, tried rebooting the computer, no I don't need to powercycle the router, remember I already have other machines using it wirelessly (damn you, spellcheck! if this ain't a word it should be, dagnabbit) without issue & etc.. Despite all that, Miss Rashmi (not India- surely ^0^) still wanted me to try these things so I gently reminded her I already FRIGGIN DID!! Well apparently that kind of troubleshooting was all that was included in her payscale because her final step was to transfer me to "the next level" of support. I'm guessing this is the level just above "I'm an idiot and can't turn off my computer". To be fair to Morris, he did at least listen when I told him what I had done already. But I lost hope with him when he talked about logging into my router (him, not ME. wth?) I explained to him that although he had no business in my router, I would be happy to get the info I needed to login to it to let him know the config settings if he could hold on just a minute? He said sure no problem. Since by this point, I have spent a total of 10 mins on hold altogether since I dialed the shiny little Dell toll free number-- I figure this is the least he can do. While I am working feverishly to get into the router so I can pick Morris back up and get his bow-down-to-the-guru expertise, he hangs up.
At this point I don't even care enough about Dell's clown tech support to call them back and tell them how disappointed I am that although I can hold for them 10 mins, they can't hold for even two without hanging up. K. whatev. So anyway, long story short (too late, I know)- I was able to determine that for some reason Broadcom wireless cards seem to be averse to the idea of auto syncing channel when connecting for the very first time. I manually changed the channel to match the router, and voilà- I was able to shoot the curls. WOO! ...without any useful input/action from Dell ASSistance ...despite the fact that the "support" is covered for 2 years
So that's why I been like "FUCK HECTOR!"
Disclaimer: Although I did embellish this tale with some witty sarcasm that would have been poignant at the time, I refrained and was nothing but civil and patient with the Dell techs. Quite frankly, that's how I would want to be treated, which I feel is justification enough for bearing with an Idiot Handler and an Elitist Snob while they assume that I haven't done the basic stuff that one should try before even calling in.
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