It's totally normal for a straight girl with a wonderful boyfriend who she loves embarrassing much to spend half her time on the internet staring longing at pictures of another girl, who she's never met, and scheming about how to get close to her, right? =P
My 2NE1 fangirlism in a nutshell, haha.
Thus my new blog background. Because it's not my fault that she looks so gorgeous all the time!
(I love you CL)
((CLassified))
Monday, April 30, 2012
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Differences in Opinion
I know this is lame, but I'm having one of those moments. You know, the one where you just can't seem to wrap your brain around the fact that not everyone sees something that you know for a fact is wonderful and thinks that same.
Obviously everyone has their own point of view, and not everyone will like the same things... but sometimes it just doesn't make sense to me when it's about something that's so obviously awesome. =P
And that, kiddies, is why it's bad to be totally obsessed with only about four different things. It then becomes a huge deal to you when one of those things gets trashed talked on the internet. =P
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Pottermore
Hahaha, yeah, alright. I'm late to the party. I totally kicked myself for forgetting to sign up in August, and I've been checking like mad ever since then to see when it opened. And now that it has, I very very late Pottermore survey, because I feel like it. :D
What's your Pottermore username? MagicLight17469.
What House do you think it sounds like? Hmm... it's pretty general, but it has a bit of a Ravenclaw lilt to it, if you ask me.
What House do you want to be in? I've never seen myself as a Gryffindor or a Hufflepuff to be perfectly frank. I've always thought Ravenclaw's kind of smart-alec, sarcasm fit me, but that could also fit Slytherin. The only thing that prevented ever prevented me from throwing myself all the way at Slytherin was that the house members in the books were all douches. But I guess there's not rule saying you have to be friends only with the people in your house...
Does your username relate to you at all? Um, because I'm magic? Because it's Harry Potter world? And I have... light coloring? :P
What kind of wand would you wish to get? I guess I imagined that mine would be fairly bendy. I don't know why that's something I assumed about myself before now, but yeah. The only core that I for some reason didn't think fit me was dragon heartstring. Again, I don't know what I based that on.
Are you pure, half-blooded or Muggle born? Half-blood, I believe. Witch for a mom, muggle for a dad.
Which day did you get into Pottermore? Um, day 13556667468? Hahah, I really don't know. In April.
What shape is your Patronus? Tiger. It's the only animal I've ever had really strong feelings of attachment toward in terms of species.
What does your boggart look like? The people I love listing every lie I've ever told, or every mistake I've ever made and saying that it has broken our bond and they will henceforth have nothing to do with me.
Would you rather be an Animagus or a Matamorphmagus? Metamorphmagus. Once I'm born a metamorphmagus, I can always become an Animagus, but not the other way around. Plus I've loved the idea of being able to change your appearance at will long before they appeared in the Harry Potter series.
If you were an Animagus, what animal would you be? Again, Tiger. Although that would probably make it very hard to get around unnoticed... But I really don't have any particular attachment or affiliation with another animal.
So the actual results of my Pottermore initiation were as follows:
Wand: Length:11 in
Wood:Maple
Core:Unicorn
Flexibility:Surprisingly Swishy
*Hehe, I'm surprisingly swishy*
House: Slytherin
Wow... I'm totally unsurprised by my results, which makes me pretty happy. =P
Hahha, hilariously enough, my boyfriend ended up in Hufflepuff, with the expectation of being either a Gryffindor or a Hufflepuff.
Our results were both oddly appropriate, and amusingly opposite. But again, it didn't really come as a surprise. =D
(Plus I love green, so bonus!)
What's your Pottermore username? MagicLight17469.
So the actual results of my Pottermore initiation were as follows:
Wand: Length:11 in
Wood:Maple
Core:Unicorn
Flexibility:Surprisingly Swishy
*Hehe, I'm surprisingly swishy*
House: Slytherin
Wow... I'm totally unsurprised by my results, which makes me pretty happy. =P
Hahha, hilariously enough, my boyfriend ended up in Hufflepuff, with the expectation of being either a Gryffindor or a Hufflepuff.
Our results were both oddly appropriate, and amusingly opposite. But again, it didn't really come as a surprise. =D
(Plus I love green, so bonus!)
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
I Think I'm Ugly
And nobody wants to love me.
Just like her I want to be pretty! I wanna be pretty!
Don't lie to my face, tellin my I'm pretty.
I think I'm ugly
And nobody wants to love me
Just like her I want to be pretty! I wanna be pretty!
Don't lie to me face, cuz I know I'm ugly.
Now that's a pronouncement that'll get your attention. I know that it definitely got mine the first time I heard it. Because this pronouncement is also the chorus of a song called 'Ugly' by the Korean band 2NE1. You may have noticed (either on my blog profile, or in a previous post) that I seem to mention 2NE1 all too often, but that's only because it is, not only my favorite band, but also the majority of my interests (that sounds weird, but let's just say my world is very small :P). Okay, maybe not the majority of my interests, but paying attention to 2NE1 is how I spend the majority of my time on the internet, at least.
Many people don't understand the obsession with K pop, or European techno, or have any urge to pay attention to pop culture (or culture in general) outside of their own country, and that's fine. But for me, listening to what's on the radio, watching the pre-programmed shows on cable tv - it just isn't my thing. I prefer the internet - where I have access to everything at all times, not just what's chosen for me. In that way, I've come to use the internet for many things, but in particular, I use it to keep track of pop culture - especially the group called 2NE1 and their label and label mates from YG Entertainment.
Not only do I enjoy their music, but I, like many 2NE1 fans, feel like I've gotten to witness a more personal side of the four girls that make up the group through a reality show called 2NE1TV. Unlike most reality shows on American television, the point of the show is not to provide drama or crazy stunts and activities - the true purpose of the show was originally to give fans like me a more personal attachment to the girls (CL, Bom, Dara, and Minji) and to create new fans by showing what kind of people the performers really are.
Since, for me, I was forced to view this not through the television, but over the internet (waiting impatiently for episodes of the show to be subbed into English) - it struck me as an even more personal experience. It was the same sort of feeling I get from watching vlogs on youtube - I feel like I have a much more personal relationship with a vlogger who I am a fan of than a celebrity (although I know neither personally). This is the same way I feel about the members of 2NE1 (even though they are celebrities.
But beyond that, their music strikes me in a way that most of the music I hear on the radio does not. Adele and Kelly Clarkson aside (both of whose latest albums I am in love with), most songs seem to be about clubbing or partying or sexing, and, while that's all fun and dandy every once in a while, it's not something I particularly connect with. And that brings me back to my opening chorus. 'Ugly' has become my favorite song by 2NE1 (which is actually saying a lot, considering they don't have a single song that I truly dislike). Not only is the beat fun and different - both from the rest of the 2NE1 catalog, and most other K pop out there - but it's really the lyrics that stand out to me and what make the song amazing, in my opinion.
If you've never heard it, I strongly suggest that you give it a listen.
First (for those who haven't heard it and would like to) I'll post the original video. I really like the concept of this one and the song itself does a good job of capturing the sadness and emotion. Then I'll post a version that is subbed in English. If you've never seen or heard it, I would suggest you first watch one, then the other (in the order I posted), but of course, that's entirely up to you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGe0hHvAGkc&list=PL202D1451003EBC18&feature=plcp
And the English subbed:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9D0nLjYMYTw
I feel like you'd be hard pressed to find a person who was unmoved by those lyrics. And if you did, I'd argue that either they simply didn't understand, or that they are somehow a magical being with complete, 100%, all day everyday self confidence.
The thing that I find so endearing about this song is that there isn't one person out there that hasn't had these feelings at some point in their life. We all have moments (sometimes many, many moments) of uncertainty in ourselfs, lose confidence, feelings of self-loathing. For some these feelings are fleeting and uncommon. Others are not so lucky.
For me personally, I have never had a huge problem with my looks. I'm not drop dead gorgeous, or anything, if that's what you were thinking (I'm sure you weren't :P), I've just been blessed with pretty good self-esteem and a positive self image. Much of this I inherited from my mother (as did my two sisters), but of course I have a few problems with my appearance, and I always dread those 'bad face days', as I call them (those days where, not matter which way you look at yourself, you just don't think you look good), but those feelings rarely stay around for very long. More often (though still not regularly), what I'm worried about is a kind of internal ugliness - that awful feeling that you aren't as great a person as everyone seems to think, that you can't live up to the expectations of the people around you because you're just not good enough, that you have ugly thoughts and feelings about others which (in your own mind) no nice, normal person would feel.
Everyone feels this way at some time or another. This self-deprecating thinking attacks everyone at some point. Anyone who has EVER been a teenager (I would argue, especially a teenage girl, but really just teens in general) knows this.
The lyrics of 'Ugly' that relate to this part of feeling ugly - not superficially, but internally - the feeling that your very personality, your very core is ugly - strike me the most. My favorite part of the song is this verse:
"Don't tell me that you can understand me so easily
My ugly and crooked heart may even come to resent you
Don't force me to talk, I'm not right for you
The cold thorns inside that patronizing gaze suffocate me
Don't come close, I don't even want your concern
I want to leave away to somewhere else. I want to shout..."
and which point that songs leaves way to the chorus (which I typed up at the beginning of this post and is sung in English).
The way the lyrics capture my most insecure thoughts that I remember having is beautiful to me, because although, as I have said many time, many people feel this way, for some reason we rarely talk about it. At least not this specifically.
As for me, I am a generally happy person, one who would much rather laugh things off than dwell on them, and someone who would often rather focus only on silly things to avoid feelings down or sad. But sometimes a sadness faces you and forces you to contemplate it. There's nothing wrong with that. I think admitting it when it happens is probably the best thing we can do. It doesn't have to be in some big showy way, but having a song that spells out almost exactly what your feeling sure doesn't hurt. At least in my opinion.
In the end, that's the thing I truly love about this song. That they take these negative feelings and they put them into words, then they turn on the rock and stomp the negativity into the ground.
This was just something I was thinking about recently. Not because I'm sad or down. Rather because listening to this song and knowing the meaning of these lyrics makes me feel stronger. Every time I think deeply about these lyrics, they make me feel reflective rather than depressed, and for anyone who ever has experienced those feelings for real, I think that's a good state to be left in when faced with the seriousness of these words. Or better yet is when you know what they're saying, and despite everything you can let go and just rock out. That is why I love this song, and that is why I love 2NE1. Because, although they didn't personally write this song, I know it was written with them, and everyone, in mind all at the same time (their long time producer, Teddy Park, is the song's writer. I know! I can't believe a boy could be so eloquent about this sort of subject either! But that's my mild sexism talking. Ignore. Anyway, he has worked with the girls since before they debuted, and was actually in a group on the same label before he became a producer. He knows them all personally, and I have know doubt that he has each of the four girls in mind when writing every song, taking their personalities into account. Plus, I think they are at least a little involved in the creative process - that's from what I gather).
I feel that this song really represents them as a group and very much shows their strength as both musicians and women.
That is all I have to say on this matter for now. :) And so I will leave you with a very well done live session of 'Ugly', on that I think gives the most emotion and meaning to the song. :D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lp_2q0zuYCY&list=PLD8E92F6DC40B87F5&index=18&feature=plpp_video
Just like her I want to be pretty! I wanna be pretty!
Don't lie to my face, tellin my I'm pretty.
I think I'm ugly
And nobody wants to love me
Just like her I want to be pretty! I wanna be pretty!
Don't lie to me face, cuz I know I'm ugly.
Now that's a pronouncement that'll get your attention. I know that it definitely got mine the first time I heard it. Because this pronouncement is also the chorus of a song called 'Ugly' by the Korean band 2NE1. You may have noticed (either on my blog profile, or in a previous post) that I seem to mention 2NE1 all too often, but that's only because it is, not only my favorite band, but also the majority of my interests (that sounds weird, but let's just say my world is very small :P). Okay, maybe not the majority of my interests, but paying attention to 2NE1 is how I spend the majority of my time on the internet, at least.
Many people don't understand the obsession with K pop, or European techno, or have any urge to pay attention to pop culture (or culture in general) outside of their own country, and that's fine. But for me, listening to what's on the radio, watching the pre-programmed shows on cable tv - it just isn't my thing. I prefer the internet - where I have access to everything at all times, not just what's chosen for me. In that way, I've come to use the internet for many things, but in particular, I use it to keep track of pop culture - especially the group called 2NE1 and their label and label mates from YG Entertainment.
Not only do I enjoy their music, but I, like many 2NE1 fans, feel like I've gotten to witness a more personal side of the four girls that make up the group through a reality show called 2NE1TV. Unlike most reality shows on American television, the point of the show is not to provide drama or crazy stunts and activities - the true purpose of the show was originally to give fans like me a more personal attachment to the girls (CL, Bom, Dara, and Minji) and to create new fans by showing what kind of people the performers really are.
Since, for me, I was forced to view this not through the television, but over the internet (waiting impatiently for episodes of the show to be subbed into English) - it struck me as an even more personal experience. It was the same sort of feeling I get from watching vlogs on youtube - I feel like I have a much more personal relationship with a vlogger who I am a fan of than a celebrity (although I know neither personally). This is the same way I feel about the members of 2NE1 (even though they are celebrities.
But beyond that, their music strikes me in a way that most of the music I hear on the radio does not. Adele and Kelly Clarkson aside (both of whose latest albums I am in love with), most songs seem to be about clubbing or partying or sexing, and, while that's all fun and dandy every once in a while, it's not something I particularly connect with. And that brings me back to my opening chorus. 'Ugly' has become my favorite song by 2NE1 (which is actually saying a lot, considering they don't have a single song that I truly dislike). Not only is the beat fun and different - both from the rest of the 2NE1 catalog, and most other K pop out there - but it's really the lyrics that stand out to me and what make the song amazing, in my opinion.
If you've never heard it, I strongly suggest that you give it a listen.
First (for those who haven't heard it and would like to) I'll post the original video. I really like the concept of this one and the song itself does a good job of capturing the sadness and emotion. Then I'll post a version that is subbed in English. If you've never seen or heard it, I would suggest you first watch one, then the other (in the order I posted), but of course, that's entirely up to you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGe0hHvAGkc&list=PL202D1451003EBC18&feature=plcp
And the English subbed:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9D0nLjYMYTw
I feel like you'd be hard pressed to find a person who was unmoved by those lyrics. And if you did, I'd argue that either they simply didn't understand, or that they are somehow a magical being with complete, 100%, all day everyday self confidence.
The thing that I find so endearing about this song is that there isn't one person out there that hasn't had these feelings at some point in their life. We all have moments (sometimes many, many moments) of uncertainty in ourselfs, lose confidence, feelings of self-loathing. For some these feelings are fleeting and uncommon. Others are not so lucky.
For me personally, I have never had a huge problem with my looks. I'm not drop dead gorgeous, or anything, if that's what you were thinking (I'm sure you weren't :P), I've just been blessed with pretty good self-esteem and a positive self image. Much of this I inherited from my mother (as did my two sisters), but of course I have a few problems with my appearance, and I always dread those 'bad face days', as I call them (those days where, not matter which way you look at yourself, you just don't think you look good), but those feelings rarely stay around for very long. More often (though still not regularly), what I'm worried about is a kind of internal ugliness - that awful feeling that you aren't as great a person as everyone seems to think, that you can't live up to the expectations of the people around you because you're just not good enough, that you have ugly thoughts and feelings about others which (in your own mind) no nice, normal person would feel.
Everyone feels this way at some time or another. This self-deprecating thinking attacks everyone at some point. Anyone who has EVER been a teenager (I would argue, especially a teenage girl, but really just teens in general) knows this.
The lyrics of 'Ugly' that relate to this part of feeling ugly - not superficially, but internally - the feeling that your very personality, your very core is ugly - strike me the most. My favorite part of the song is this verse:
"Don't tell me that you can understand me so easily
My ugly and crooked heart may even come to resent you
Don't force me to talk, I'm not right for you
The cold thorns inside that patronizing gaze suffocate me
Don't come close, I don't even want your concern
I want to leave away to somewhere else. I want to shout..."
and which point that songs leaves way to the chorus (which I typed up at the beginning of this post and is sung in English).
The way the lyrics capture my most insecure thoughts that I remember having is beautiful to me, because although, as I have said many time, many people feel this way, for some reason we rarely talk about it. At least not this specifically.
As for me, I am a generally happy person, one who would much rather laugh things off than dwell on them, and someone who would often rather focus only on silly things to avoid feelings down or sad. But sometimes a sadness faces you and forces you to contemplate it. There's nothing wrong with that. I think admitting it when it happens is probably the best thing we can do. It doesn't have to be in some big showy way, but having a song that spells out almost exactly what your feeling sure doesn't hurt. At least in my opinion.
In the end, that's the thing I truly love about this song. That they take these negative feelings and they put them into words, then they turn on the rock and stomp the negativity into the ground.
This was just something I was thinking about recently. Not because I'm sad or down. Rather because listening to this song and knowing the meaning of these lyrics makes me feel stronger. Every time I think deeply about these lyrics, they make me feel reflective rather than depressed, and for anyone who ever has experienced those feelings for real, I think that's a good state to be left in when faced with the seriousness of these words. Or better yet is when you know what they're saying, and despite everything you can let go and just rock out. That is why I love this song, and that is why I love 2NE1. Because, although they didn't personally write this song, I know it was written with them, and everyone, in mind all at the same time (their long time producer, Teddy Park, is the song's writer. I know! I can't believe a boy could be so eloquent about this sort of subject either! But that's my mild sexism talking. Ignore. Anyway, he has worked with the girls since before they debuted, and was actually in a group on the same label before he became a producer. He knows them all personally, and I have know doubt that he has each of the four girls in mind when writing every song, taking their personalities into account. Plus, I think they are at least a little involved in the creative process - that's from what I gather).
I feel that this song really represents them as a group and very much shows their strength as both musicians and women.
That is all I have to say on this matter for now. :) And so I will leave you with a very well done live session of 'Ugly', on that I think gives the most emotion and meaning to the song. :D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lp_2q0zuYCY&list=PLD8E92F6DC40B87F5&index=18&feature=plpp_video
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
...Grr arg...
Dear god this website is difficult for me to work. I hate being reminded what a techno-illiterate I am. But anyway...
I couldn't resist a book quiz, although my answers are going to be embarrassingly non-'knock knock, cough cough, mmm'es quite' literary. =P
9. If you could force everyone you tagged to read one book, what would it be?
The Thirteenth Tale. It perfectly describes the feeling of truely loving to read and the books themselves. Oh, and it's a crazy brilliant mystery. So so good. This is one of the books that makes me wish so hard that I could erase my momory of it so that every time I start to re-read it, I'll be reading it for the first time. I guess I'll have to settle for plain old re-reading.
I couldn't resist a book quiz, although my answers are going to be embarrassingly non-'knock knock, cough cough, mmm'es quite' literary. =P
1. What author do you own the most books by?
Crap... It's hard for me to answer this in my current position, since I'm watching my uncle's house and can't check my books, but if I were to give an education guess - I own the six Harry Potter books, the six Mediator books by Meg Cabot, Scott Westerfeld's four Uglies series books, plus both of his Peeps books (dear god did I dislike the sequel compared to the first), so I'd guess it's them.
2. What book do you own the most copies of?
Hmmm, I can't think if I own multiple copies of books... Oh, wait, I ended up with three copies of Go Ask Alice because I accidentally stole a copy from a cabin my family visited after I already owned a copy, then my mom bought a copy not realizing I already had it.
Hmmm, I can't think if I own multiple copies of books... Oh, wait, I ended up with three copies of Go Ask Alice because I accidentally stole a copy from a cabin my family visited after I already owned a copy, then my mom bought a copy not realizing I already had it.
3. Did it bother you that both those questions ended with prepositions?
No. No it did not. But that reminds me of that funny greeting card they make about not ending sentences with prepositions. I remember my mom showing me and cracking up. =P
No. No it did not. But that reminds me of that funny greeting card they make about not ending sentences with prepositions. I remember my mom showing me and cracking up. =P
4. What fictional character are you secretly in love with?
It's not really a secret, since I always moon loudly over my fictional loves to everyone I know, but here are a few: Fred Weasley, George Weasley, Spike (yes, from Buffy. Don't act like he's not amazing), Shang (yes, from Mulan), Aubrey (yes, there is a vampire theme. Real vampires. The kind that kill people and suck their blood), etc.
It's not really a secret, since I always moon loudly over my fictional loves to everyone I know, but here are a few: Fred Weasley, George Weasley, Spike (yes, from Buffy. Don't act like he's not amazing), Shang (yes, from Mulan), Aubrey (yes, there is a vampire theme. Real vampires. The kind that kill people and suck their blood), etc.
5. What book have you read the most times in your life (excluding picture books read to children; i.e., Goodnight Moon does not count)?
Hmm... As a series, it has to be Harry Potter - excluding the 7th book, which I've only read once so far, I've read the entire series at least 6 times over, more for books 3 and 6. I'm a total re-reader though, so I've read a LOT of books over. Demon in My View is probably one of the ones I've read the most, although I haven't really kept track. That and Buffalo Gal, because I read it once a year throughout almost all of elementary school and then a few times since my friend found my a vintage copy for my birthday because she's freakin amazing.
Hmm... As a series, it has to be Harry Potter - excluding the 7th book, which I've only read once so far, I've read the entire series at least 6 times over, more for books 3 and 6. I'm a total re-reader though, so I've read a LOT of books over. Demon in My View is probably one of the ones I've read the most, although I haven't really kept track. That and Buffalo Gal, because I read it once a year throughout almost all of elementary school and then a few times since my friend found my a vintage copy for my birthday because she's freakin amazing.
6. What was your favorite book when you were ten years old?
Buffalo Gal. I was also really into the Dear America books.
Buffalo Gal. I was also really into the Dear America books.
7. What is the worst book you've read in the past year?
The worst book... Let's see... Oh, there was a book that was assigned for my Ethnic Studies class last semester that I didn't care for. The writing was pretty bad and the author was whinier than I liked. Two of the other books I read for the class were really great though.
The worst book... Let's see... Oh, there was a book that was assigned for my Ethnic Studies class last semester that I didn't care for. The writing was pretty bad and the author was whinier than I liked. Two of the other books I read for the class were really great though.
8. What is the best book you've read in the past year?
I loved the biography of Louisa May Alcott that I read recently. Her life was sort of unbelievable, especially considering how many great literary figures were close family friends and considering what amazing events in American history she lived through.
I loved the biography of Louisa May Alcott that I read recently. Her life was sort of unbelievable, especially considering how many great literary figures were close family friends and considering what amazing events in American history she lived through.
9. If you could force everyone you tagged to read one book, what would it be?
The Thirteenth Tale. It perfectly describes the feeling of truely loving to read and the books themselves. Oh, and it's a crazy brilliant mystery. So so good. This is one of the books that makes me wish so hard that I could erase my momory of it so that every time I start to re-read it, I'll be reading it for the first time. I guess I'll have to settle for plain old re-reading.
10. What book would you most like to see made into a movie?
I'm not a huge fan of books that I like being made into movies; they just never get it quite right. That's why if I plan to watch a movie based on a book, I rarely read the book.
11. What book would you least like to see made into a movie?
Any of Amelia Atwater-Rhodes books, and pretty much all of my favorites that have yet escaped that fate.
12. Describe your weirdest dream involving a writer, book, or literary character.
Dang, I have way too many weird dreams to remember them for very long... The ones I remember weren't about books unfortunately. But I know I've had my share.
13. What is the most lowbrow book you've read as an adult?
My friend and I decided to see what was the appeal of trashy romance novels, so we found the most ridiculous themed book we could find and read it one after the other. I couldn't even finish it, it was just too ridiculous. It's almost physically painful to watch the author try to carry a plot after the first sex scene. I can only imagine there's an even steamier one at the end, but I guess I'll never know.
14. What is the most difficult book you've ever read?
At the time, The Great Gatsby was really difficult for me, especially considering that I HATE it (I can't stand the characters - I know that's the point, but that doesn't mean that reading it isn't painful), but I can say that getting through it did make me a better reader.
15. What is the most obscure Shakespeare play you've seen?
I haven't seen many Shakespeare plays, and the ones I saw definitely weren't any of the histories or anything. They were all pretty standard.
16. Do you prefer the French or the Russians?
Hell if I know. (No 'knock knock, cough cough, mmm'es, quite-literaryness, remember?)
17. Roth or Updike?
Hahaha, about that... How about Upton (Sinclair)? That kind of looks like Updike...
18. David Sedaris or Dave Eggers?
Eggers. I really liked the autobiography that I read, and I'm pretty sure I don't know who the other person is.
19. Shakespeare, Milton, or Chaucer?
Okay, I know that Chaucer was one of the first Englishman to write in English and everything, but it's way too annoying to try to read his writing. I like A Knight's Tale, though. =P
20. Austen or Eliot?
No.
21. What is the biggest or most embarrassing gap in your reading?
Well, when I continue to watch a tv show that I don't particularly care for instead of reading or writing, that's pretty embarrassing...
22. What is your favorite novel?
It's really hard to pick a favorite. I'll just say The Thirteenth Tale.
23. Play?
Noises Off. Hilarious. I don't always like a comedy of errors, but it's so funny.
24. Poem?
"Tiger, Tiger"
25. Essay?
I liked the collection of essays by Gina Barreca called "It's Not that I'm Bitter...: or How I Learned to Stop Worrying About Visible Panty Lines and Conquered the World". Pretty funny. Plus she mentions loving Eddie Izzard who is amazing. :D
26. Work of nonfiction?
I have been reading a lot of biographies lately (being a history major and all), and the biography of Louisa May Alcott is awesome, as I've mentioned. I'm also in the middle of two Hunter S. Thompson biographies that I like. And finally, I found a book called Common Phrases which is really interesting because it describes the sometimes unlikely origins of some of our (you guessed it) common phrases. :P
27. Who is your favorite writer?
It's so hard for me to choose one. I usually go with Amelia Atwater-Rhodes because she wrote some of my favorite vampire fiction (back when people liked their vampires more murderous than tortured) and I love me some good vampire fiction. Plus her first book was published when she was only 14, which is totally badass, considering how good it is.
28. Who is the most overrated writer alive today?
You might be able to guess, considering the above, in which I implied that a certain "vampire" novelist has less talent than 14 year olds, but if not, well... you might just be on some sort of medication. Or possibly illiterate. :P
29. What is your desert island book?
Hmmm. Considering it would have to be a book I know myself to be able to read over and over without getting bored, it might be Buffalo Gal, purely because I have already read it so many times without getting bored (granted with longs spells of time in between). Either that or a Harry Potter book. Or Demon in My View, for the same reason as Buffalo Gal. Or The Thirteenth Tale because it's just that freaking awesome. Man, this quiz is boring. I keep talking about the same books over and over again. I guess that just proves where my loyalties lie.
30. And... what are you reading right now?
Just finished rereading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (for only the second time. Yeah I know. I read the first time in under 32 hours and didn't read it again until, like, two or three years later. Mostly because I guess I'm the type of person who holds a grudge. I still haven't quite forgiven her for killing Fred), because seeing the end of the movie series made me realize how much I'd forgotten about the book. I'm currently in the middle of (don't judge me) a Johnny Depp biography (it was a gift, I swear. Although I do love him), a biography called Some Girls about a art college drop-out from New York who lived in a harem in Singapore for a year, and another biography called Breaking Up With God, which, while not something I have experienced, is really interesting and depressing at the same time.
I'm not a huge fan of books that I like being made into movies; they just never get it quite right. That's why if I plan to watch a movie based on a book, I rarely read the book.
11. What book would you least like to see made into a movie?
Any of Amelia Atwater-Rhodes books, and pretty much all of my favorites that have yet escaped that fate.
12. Describe your weirdest dream involving a writer, book, or literary character.
Dang, I have way too many weird dreams to remember them for very long... The ones I remember weren't about books unfortunately. But I know I've had my share.
13. What is the most lowbrow book you've read as an adult?
My friend and I decided to see what was the appeal of trashy romance novels, so we found the most ridiculous themed book we could find and read it one after the other. I couldn't even finish it, it was just too ridiculous. It's almost physically painful to watch the author try to carry a plot after the first sex scene. I can only imagine there's an even steamier one at the end, but I guess I'll never know.
14. What is the most difficult book you've ever read?
At the time, The Great Gatsby was really difficult for me, especially considering that I HATE it (I can't stand the characters - I know that's the point, but that doesn't mean that reading it isn't painful), but I can say that getting through it did make me a better reader.
15. What is the most obscure Shakespeare play you've seen?
I haven't seen many Shakespeare plays, and the ones I saw definitely weren't any of the histories or anything. They were all pretty standard.
16. Do you prefer the French or the Russians?
Hell if I know. (No 'knock knock, cough cough, mmm'es, quite-literaryness, remember?)
17. Roth or Updike?
Hahaha, about that... How about Upton (Sinclair)? That kind of looks like Updike...
18. David Sedaris or Dave Eggers?
Eggers. I really liked the autobiography that I read, and I'm pretty sure I don't know who the other person is.
19. Shakespeare, Milton, or Chaucer?
Okay, I know that Chaucer was one of the first Englishman to write in English and everything, but it's way too annoying to try to read his writing. I like A Knight's Tale, though. =P
20. Austen or Eliot?
No.
21. What is the biggest or most embarrassing gap in your reading?
Well, when I continue to watch a tv show that I don't particularly care for instead of reading or writing, that's pretty embarrassing...
22. What is your favorite novel?
It's really hard to pick a favorite. I'll just say The Thirteenth Tale.
23. Play?
Noises Off. Hilarious. I don't always like a comedy of errors, but it's so funny.
24. Poem?
"Tiger, Tiger"
25. Essay?
I liked the collection of essays by Gina Barreca called "It's Not that I'm Bitter...: or How I Learned to Stop Worrying About Visible Panty Lines and Conquered the World". Pretty funny. Plus she mentions loving Eddie Izzard who is amazing. :D
26. Work of nonfiction?
I have been reading a lot of biographies lately (being a history major and all), and the biography of Louisa May Alcott is awesome, as I've mentioned. I'm also in the middle of two Hunter S. Thompson biographies that I like. And finally, I found a book called Common Phrases which is really interesting because it describes the sometimes unlikely origins of some of our (you guessed it) common phrases. :P
27. Who is your favorite writer?
It's so hard for me to choose one. I usually go with Amelia Atwater-Rhodes because she wrote some of my favorite vampire fiction (back when people liked their vampires more murderous than tortured) and I love me some good vampire fiction. Plus her first book was published when she was only 14, which is totally badass, considering how good it is.
28. Who is the most overrated writer alive today?
You might be able to guess, considering the above, in which I implied that a certain "vampire" novelist has less talent than 14 year olds, but if not, well... you might just be on some sort of medication. Or possibly illiterate. :P
29. What is your desert island book?
Hmmm. Considering it would have to be a book I know myself to be able to read over and over without getting bored, it might be Buffalo Gal, purely because I have already read it so many times without getting bored (granted with longs spells of time in between). Either that or a Harry Potter book. Or Demon in My View, for the same reason as Buffalo Gal. Or The Thirteenth Tale because it's just that freaking awesome. Man, this quiz is boring. I keep talking about the same books over and over again. I guess that just proves where my loyalties lie.
30. And... what are you reading right now?
Just finished rereading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (for only the second time. Yeah I know. I read the first time in under 32 hours and didn't read it again until, like, two or three years later. Mostly because I guess I'm the type of person who holds a grudge. I still haven't quite forgiven her for killing Fred), because seeing the end of the movie series made me realize how much I'd forgotten about the book. I'm currently in the middle of (don't judge me) a Johnny Depp biography (it was a gift, I swear. Although I do love him), a biography called Some Girls about a art college drop-out from New York who lived in a harem in Singapore for a year, and another biography called Breaking Up With God, which, while not something I have experienced, is really interesting and depressing at the same time.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Adventures in K-pop. K- hip hop... K-hop?
Reading a certain blog has really got me thinking of fun adventures and good and/or interesting times I've had in my life, which is often a wonderful thing to be thinking about. This particular instance was probably one of the most fun days I had in my freshman year of college. It was one of those days where everything (even the seemingly bad things) led to fun. And it all revolved around our tickets to a small, but popular U.S. tour by the Korean hip hop band Epik High. So thanks Tablo. I owe you one. : P
Let's start with a little recap. I met my friend Caitlin at the beginning of our freshman year of college through her roommate, my friend at the time who I'd known in high school. After a ridiculous first meeting (courtesy of my Wreck This Journal and Caitlin's perfect timing) I managed not to scare her off and we quickly became good friends. Through this friendship, I somehow adopted her obsession with all things Japanese, and especially pop culture, that she'd harbored from high school (my high school foreign country obsession had been England, which began my continuing love for The Mighty Boosh and Dylan Moran, although the obsessing has dropped in intensity).
To make a long story short, this Japanese pop culture interest lead to a Korean pop culture interest and that left the two of us, plus Caitlin's then good friend and several Japanese exchange students she knew, with tickets to the Epik High concert in San Francisco.
The day of the concert, we came into town early, although San Francisco is only about an hour and a half away, in order to spend the afternoon playing in the city before the concert that night. Being jobless college freshmen at the time, we were very budget-minded (i.e. cheap) and therefore, as was our custom, parked in the parking structure at San Francisco State for a $5 all day pass with the intention of taking the Muni across town to the concert venue, instead of fighting for parking and probably paying over $30 for the day.
Walking across campus on our way to the Muni station, we happened to be spotted by my good friend from high school, Mel, who I had serveral times visited there, but hadn't informed of our plans on this particular day. Being a Saturday, she had nothing planned and decided to hang out with us before the concert. The three of us- Caitlin, Mel, and I - hopped on the Muni and headed down to the pier. Once we arrived at the docks, we used our tickets to hop on a trolley (for those who've never used the Muni, it's an amazing combination of a sort of subway/light rail that travels both above and below ground, a bus system, and a trolley system. It's awesome if you don't want to spend much money because for the time period in which it's valid, one ticket purchased works for all three) and headed down to Pier 39 to run around and be touristy, for lack of anything better to do.
A few hours later, Mel had to head back to the Muni station to meet up with some friends back at school, but the trolley was crowded and we weren't sure when there would be another, so we decided to walk all the way back to Pier 1 (not a crazy distance, but still quite a ways, especially when it wasn't planned and you're dressed to be cute at a concert). When we got there, we all took a breather before saying bye to Mel. Caitlin and I sat in front of the Pier 1 building for about another hour, people watching and quietly judging the moves of the trick bikers that always hang out in that spot across the street, before we made our way back over to the Muni station.
Now, I'm not sure if it's in their best interest to do it this way, but often, when entering these stations (or buses. Or trolleys) there is someone in a glass booth and you flash your prepurchased ticket toward them and they wave you through without a very close inspection. Oftentimes, it is quite easy to get through with a recently expired ticket. Just cover up the time a bit with your thumb in a seemingly accidental way and bam - you're through (I actually spent the weekend with Mel on a different occasion and made it through the whole time using her expired bus pass everywhere I went). This time, however, we ran into the one woman who decided she needed to closely inspect the tickets. What's more, they weren't even expired for another five to ten minutes, but this woman insisted we buy new tickets.
Now, the tickets for these things are about $1.50 - not exactly unfair pricing. But being po' arse college freshmen, we were both unwilling to part with extra cash (jeez) and felt a sort of moral indignation at not getting away with our usual trick. Seriously, no one ever gets caught doing this! We have to be the only two?
A long story short (yeah, obviously working out real well so far. This long story is so short right now. So short), we decided to walk to the concert. The concert on the top of the hill. The concert on the top of the hill in San Francisco. Sigh. I don't know what we were thinking. I don't know if you're familiar with the hills in San Francisco, but, uh... they're tall. And I know they're not moutains, and it's not like the going's treacherous, but, they are pretty straight-the-hell up. Like vertical. Like climbing a lowercase L. Thinking back, I should have been happy to pay $1.50 to avoid that. But oh no. Moral indignation. Sigh.
So with maybe an hour and a half left before the concert at this point, we start to climb. From flat ground, all the way to the freaking top. Let me just tell you- there is quite a lot of cursing and heavy breathing involved in this process. This is the kind of hill that is almost harder to go down than it is to go up, only because every step feels like your stepping off the edge of the world and the slower you go, the more it feels like falling. Not that I'm bitter. But enough about hills... :-P
So we reached the concert venue slightly behind schedule and a bit sweaty and went to meet Caitlin's friend and the exchange students in line. Our seats were good for poor college kids - front few rows of the balcony, only slightly off center, but we knew we weren't getting anywhere near the stage. Epik High was featuring other bands on their tour - all of whom were Korean American (some kind of Korean solidarity, I believe) and most of them were good. I believe it was the first time I had heard of the Far East Movement, who weren't yet popular outside of L.A. Epik High puts on a great show, it has to be said, and this is coming from someone who knew little of their music previous to the concert.
After the concert, realizing that we didn't know where the closest Muni station was, we decided that we would simply have to walk all the way back down the hill to the one we usually use (I know, no more about hills. I'm sorry). I was secretly dragging my feet, hoping - like many other fans standing outside the venue - to catch a glimpse of the band after the show. But it was late and we still needed to get back to the school and then to San Jose where Caitlin is from and I was staying for the weekend. So we saw the boys (the Japanese exchange students) off (they had foolishly chosen to park at the venue, where they may have avoided sweating, but it cost them a pretty penny. Not like us smart people. Yup) and began our descent.
A few blocks later, there was a bit of a commotion going on in the distance. As we got closer, we realized that it was people scrambling to take pictures. With who, you ask? That's right. With the band. We ran into the band on the street after the concert. They had finally gotten rid of all the picture seeking fans as we approached and were about to cross the street, which we also needed to do. Wanting to seem cool and together, and non-fangirly, we walked next to them, said hello and complimented the show, before calming waving goodbye as we turned to continue down the hill and they walked straight toward their tour bus. The ones that spoke English thanked us for the compliments and for liking them, before nodding goodbye.
That's right, fan girls. I was close enough to Tablo to see that the beanie he wore onstage was sparkly. And that's not something you can tell from far away. :-P
How eventful could the night really be after that? We made it back to the car, got some stereotypical two in the morning Jack in the Box (or Jack in the Crack, as we artfully referred to our favorite late-night grease fest), and drove home to San Jose (my temporary for that weekend home). I'm pretty sure it was close to five in the morning after we dropped off Caitlin's friend and finally made it back to her house. Her parent's weren't thrilled.
What a great freshman year adventure. Just remembering it brings back my old (all of three years) wanderlust. :-D
Let's start with a little recap. I met my friend Caitlin at the beginning of our freshman year of college through her roommate, my friend at the time who I'd known in high school. After a ridiculous first meeting (courtesy of my Wreck This Journal and Caitlin's perfect timing) I managed not to scare her off and we quickly became good friends. Through this friendship, I somehow adopted her obsession with all things Japanese, and especially pop culture, that she'd harbored from high school (my high school foreign country obsession had been England, which began my continuing love for The Mighty Boosh and Dylan Moran, although the obsessing has dropped in intensity).
To make a long story short, this Japanese pop culture interest lead to a Korean pop culture interest and that left the two of us, plus Caitlin's then good friend and several Japanese exchange students she knew, with tickets to the Epik High concert in San Francisco.
The day of the concert, we came into town early, although San Francisco is only about an hour and a half away, in order to spend the afternoon playing in the city before the concert that night. Being jobless college freshmen at the time, we were very budget-minded (i.e. cheap) and therefore, as was our custom, parked in the parking structure at San Francisco State for a $5 all day pass with the intention of taking the Muni across town to the concert venue, instead of fighting for parking and probably paying over $30 for the day.
Walking across campus on our way to the Muni station, we happened to be spotted by my good friend from high school, Mel, who I had serveral times visited there, but hadn't informed of our plans on this particular day. Being a Saturday, she had nothing planned and decided to hang out with us before the concert. The three of us- Caitlin, Mel, and I - hopped on the Muni and headed down to the pier. Once we arrived at the docks, we used our tickets to hop on a trolley (for those who've never used the Muni, it's an amazing combination of a sort of subway/light rail that travels both above and below ground, a bus system, and a trolley system. It's awesome if you don't want to spend much money because for the time period in which it's valid, one ticket purchased works for all three) and headed down to Pier 39 to run around and be touristy, for lack of anything better to do.
A few hours later, Mel had to head back to the Muni station to meet up with some friends back at school, but the trolley was crowded and we weren't sure when there would be another, so we decided to walk all the way back to Pier 1 (not a crazy distance, but still quite a ways, especially when it wasn't planned and you're dressed to be cute at a concert). When we got there, we all took a breather before saying bye to Mel. Caitlin and I sat in front of the Pier 1 building for about another hour, people watching and quietly judging the moves of the trick bikers that always hang out in that spot across the street, before we made our way back over to the Muni station.
Now, I'm not sure if it's in their best interest to do it this way, but often, when entering these stations (or buses. Or trolleys) there is someone in a glass booth and you flash your prepurchased ticket toward them and they wave you through without a very close inspection. Oftentimes, it is quite easy to get through with a recently expired ticket. Just cover up the time a bit with your thumb in a seemingly accidental way and bam - you're through (I actually spent the weekend with Mel on a different occasion and made it through the whole time using her expired bus pass everywhere I went). This time, however, we ran into the one woman who decided she needed to closely inspect the tickets. What's more, they weren't even expired for another five to ten minutes, but this woman insisted we buy new tickets.
Now, the tickets for these things are about $1.50 - not exactly unfair pricing. But being po' arse college freshmen, we were both unwilling to part with extra cash (jeez) and felt a sort of moral indignation at not getting away with our usual trick. Seriously, no one ever gets caught doing this! We have to be the only two?
A long story short (yeah, obviously working out real well so far. This long story is so short right now. So short), we decided to walk to the concert. The concert on the top of the hill. The concert on the top of the hill in San Francisco. Sigh. I don't know what we were thinking. I don't know if you're familiar with the hills in San Francisco, but, uh... they're tall. And I know they're not moutains, and it's not like the going's treacherous, but, they are pretty straight-the-hell up. Like vertical. Like climbing a lowercase L. Thinking back, I should have been happy to pay $1.50 to avoid that. But oh no. Moral indignation. Sigh.
So with maybe an hour and a half left before the concert at this point, we start to climb. From flat ground, all the way to the freaking top. Let me just tell you- there is quite a lot of cursing and heavy breathing involved in this process. This is the kind of hill that is almost harder to go down than it is to go up, only because every step feels like your stepping off the edge of the world and the slower you go, the more it feels like falling. Not that I'm bitter. But enough about hills... :-P
So we reached the concert venue slightly behind schedule and a bit sweaty and went to meet Caitlin's friend and the exchange students in line. Our seats were good for poor college kids - front few rows of the balcony, only slightly off center, but we knew we weren't getting anywhere near the stage. Epik High was featuring other bands on their tour - all of whom were Korean American (some kind of Korean solidarity, I believe) and most of them were good. I believe it was the first time I had heard of the Far East Movement, who weren't yet popular outside of L.A. Epik High puts on a great show, it has to be said, and this is coming from someone who knew little of their music previous to the concert.
After the concert, realizing that we didn't know where the closest Muni station was, we decided that we would simply have to walk all the way back down the hill to the one we usually use (I know, no more about hills. I'm sorry). I was secretly dragging my feet, hoping - like many other fans standing outside the venue - to catch a glimpse of the band after the show. But it was late and we still needed to get back to the school and then to San Jose where Caitlin is from and I was staying for the weekend. So we saw the boys (the Japanese exchange students) off (they had foolishly chosen to park at the venue, where they may have avoided sweating, but it cost them a pretty penny. Not like us smart people. Yup) and began our descent.
A few blocks later, there was a bit of a commotion going on in the distance. As we got closer, we realized that it was people scrambling to take pictures. With who, you ask? That's right. With the band. We ran into the band on the street after the concert. They had finally gotten rid of all the picture seeking fans as we approached and were about to cross the street, which we also needed to do. Wanting to seem cool and together, and non-fangirly, we walked next to them, said hello and complimented the show, before calming waving goodbye as we turned to continue down the hill and they walked straight toward their tour bus. The ones that spoke English thanked us for the compliments and for liking them, before nodding goodbye.
That's right, fan girls. I was close enough to Tablo to see that the beanie he wore onstage was sparkly. And that's not something you can tell from far away. :-P
How eventful could the night really be after that? We made it back to the car, got some stereotypical two in the morning Jack in the Box (or Jack in the Crack, as we artfully referred to our favorite late-night grease fest), and drove home to San Jose (my temporary for that weekend home). I'm pretty sure it was close to five in the morning after we dropped off Caitlin's friend and finally made it back to her house. Her parent's weren't thrilled.
What a great freshman year adventure. Just remembering it brings back my old (all of three years) wanderlust. :-D
Friday, August 12, 2011
Male/Female relations
No, it's not that you dirty perv.
Aaanyway- the other week my boyfriend was showing me a few of his favorite ridiculous youtube videos, featuring such classics as The Barking Cat (which is admittedly hilarious) and other gems. During this mini-marathon, we were offered as a suggestion for a video that was titled something to the effect of 'Women Can't Drive So Let's All Laugh At their Suckness', which my boyfriend decided to click on. The video contained some pretty horrible driving, so it's was funny if you like to watch people have a hard time at life and embarrass themselves (I do not share this particular enjoyment. I'm the person who frantically buries themselves under pillows and furniture to avoid viewing the embarrassing things people do on reality tv. Don't even get near me with the first few weeks of American Idol. ...or the rest of the show for that matter...). But the thing that got me was how many other 'women at shit at driving and life' videos there were in the related video section.
Still, it's been a while since then and I totally forgot about it until today, when some brilliant driving inspired me. Including the incident today, I have two good examples of men failing at driving. Both of the stories amuse me, both involve u-turns, but one is significantly more epic than the other. So just to even out some of this oddly sexist tendency on the internet, here are to friendly (ish) recountings of Men Fail At Driving and Such stories. Enjoy. :)
The first:
I've read that statistically men tend to make better drivers because they are nauturally more aggressive and that translates to being more decisive behind the wheel. I don't necessarily know if that's true (being that the one thing that I actually took from my high school statistics class is that statistics lie), but this is an example of male desisivness (and/or tendency to purchase vehicles too large to maneuver properly) behind the wheel gone awry- Today I was sitting at a spotlight on my way to work. I was coming from my boyfriend's house and when I do this, I find that I avoid more traffic if I take an in-road half the way, and the freeway the rest. So this road that I'm on is not very big. I think it was just two lanes at this point. But anyway.
So I'm sitting at the light and I'm watching as the left turn lane gets to go. The last person to turn across from me was this guy in a gigantor pickup that decides to make a fast just-beat-the-yellow-light u-turn. Unfortunately for him, he is either new at driving a truck this unnecessarily huge, or just kind of sucks at life, because he didn't manage to make the turn. This wouldn't be such a problem if it wasn't now our turn to drive straight... Straight into him. Two lanes of traffic had to wait while this guy (who had managed to block us both by covering most of the two-lanes-merging-into-one area where we were headed) who then proceeded to cut me off from passing him by being too big and driving to slow. Then, for his finale, blew through the next light in a did-he-make-it-or-didn't-he fashion. Sigh. Silly man.
I think that last move proves that his bad driving is a constant thing and not just circumstance.
Now this second story was much more epic to witness, also involved a man and a u-turn, with the added benefit of a big rig. I know, right? You can already tell it's going to be awesome.
This was a couple years ago now. I actually might still have been in high school. Again I was sitting at a red light waiting to go straight, having just pulled out of the parking lot from dropping my sister off at swim practice and was heading home. Also again, the road I was on was fairly small - two lanes on each side.
At the left turn light opposite my lane was a giant big rig with two trailers. I won't say what company it was from, but I will tell you that there are two red circles involved.
Now, if you've ever driven anywhere near a big rig, you know that they need a lot of room to turn, to the point where they sometimes need multiple lanes just to turn right, let alone u-turn. Well, this particular driver decided that he was going to make a u-turn with mutiple trailers (the giant part of the truck that holds stuff. So two of those giant things) onto a small two lane road.
I and my fellow drivers watched with vague interest as the light turned green and this man made his attempt. I was initially surprised that the cab (the drivey part. You know, the part with the engine) even made the turn in the space allotted, and even more so when the first trailer managed to slide its way through, teetering slightly. But then, as I feared, the close space proved too much for the second trailer. I and my fellow drivers now watched in surprise and horror and the second trailer swayed a few times before actually TIPPING OVER, taking out the street sign and part of the stop light, leaving it swinging violently in it's wake as the trailer skidded over to the side of the road.
Needless to say, I was pretty shocked.
Cue the still swaying street light to turn green and the path of my lane covered by big rig tipping over type debris and said tipped over big rig just barely out of the road on the abnormally large shoulder.
That was seriously crazy to witness.
And there you have it, two of my personal examples of men failing and driving.
The. End. :P
Aaanyway- the other week my boyfriend was showing me a few of his favorite ridiculous youtube videos, featuring such classics as The Barking Cat (which is admittedly hilarious) and other gems. During this mini-marathon, we were offered as a suggestion for a video that was titled something to the effect of 'Women Can't Drive So Let's All Laugh At their Suckness', which my boyfriend decided to click on. The video contained some pretty horrible driving, so it's was funny if you like to watch people have a hard time at life and embarrass themselves (I do not share this particular enjoyment. I'm the person who frantically buries themselves under pillows and furniture to avoid viewing the embarrassing things people do on reality tv. Don't even get near me with the first few weeks of American Idol. ...or the rest of the show for that matter...). But the thing that got me was how many other 'women at shit at driving and life' videos there were in the related video section.
Still, it's been a while since then and I totally forgot about it until today, when some brilliant driving inspired me. Including the incident today, I have two good examples of men failing at driving. Both of the stories amuse me, both involve u-turns, but one is significantly more epic than the other. So just to even out some of this oddly sexist tendency on the internet, here are to friendly (ish) recountings of Men Fail At Driving and Such stories. Enjoy. :)
The first:
I've read that statistically men tend to make better drivers because they are nauturally more aggressive and that translates to being more decisive behind the wheel. I don't necessarily know if that's true (being that the one thing that I actually took from my high school statistics class is that statistics lie), but this is an example of male desisivness (and/or tendency to purchase vehicles too large to maneuver properly) behind the wheel gone awry- Today I was sitting at a spotlight on my way to work. I was coming from my boyfriend's house and when I do this, I find that I avoid more traffic if I take an in-road half the way, and the freeway the rest. So this road that I'm on is not very big. I think it was just two lanes at this point. But anyway.
So I'm sitting at the light and I'm watching as the left turn lane gets to go. The last person to turn across from me was this guy in a gigantor pickup that decides to make a fast just-beat-the-yellow-light u-turn. Unfortunately for him, he is either new at driving a truck this unnecessarily huge, or just kind of sucks at life, because he didn't manage to make the turn. This wouldn't be such a problem if it wasn't now our turn to drive straight... Straight into him. Two lanes of traffic had to wait while this guy (who had managed to block us both by covering most of the two-lanes-merging-into-one area where we were headed) who then proceeded to cut me off from passing him by being too big and driving to slow. Then, for his finale, blew through the next light in a did-he-make-it-or-didn't-he fashion. Sigh. Silly man.
I think that last move proves that his bad driving is a constant thing and not just circumstance.
Now this second story was much more epic to witness, also involved a man and a u-turn, with the added benefit of a big rig. I know, right? You can already tell it's going to be awesome.
This was a couple years ago now. I actually might still have been in high school. Again I was sitting at a red light waiting to go straight, having just pulled out of the parking lot from dropping my sister off at swim practice and was heading home. Also again, the road I was on was fairly small - two lanes on each side.
At the left turn light opposite my lane was a giant big rig with two trailers. I won't say what company it was from, but I will tell you that there are two red circles involved.
Now, if you've ever driven anywhere near a big rig, you know that they need a lot of room to turn, to the point where they sometimes need multiple lanes just to turn right, let alone u-turn. Well, this particular driver decided that he was going to make a u-turn with mutiple trailers (the giant part of the truck that holds stuff. So two of those giant things) onto a small two lane road.
I and my fellow drivers watched with vague interest as the light turned green and this man made his attempt. I was initially surprised that the cab (the drivey part. You know, the part with the engine) even made the turn in the space allotted, and even more so when the first trailer managed to slide its way through, teetering slightly. But then, as I feared, the close space proved too much for the second trailer. I and my fellow drivers now watched in surprise and horror and the second trailer swayed a few times before actually TIPPING OVER, taking out the street sign and part of the stop light, leaving it swinging violently in it's wake as the trailer skidded over to the side of the road.
Needless to say, I was pretty shocked.
Cue the still swaying street light to turn green and the path of my lane covered by big rig tipping over type debris and said tipped over big rig just barely out of the road on the abnormally large shoulder.
That was seriously crazy to witness.
And there you have it, two of my personal examples of men failing and driving.
The. End. :P
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)