I'm Just Gaying...

500th Post! Oh, And Farewell!

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 19:44:00 +0000

HOOOOOORAAAY! Happy 500th post to me! I made it, I made it!

…

Kinda. While this is technically my 500th post here on I'm Just Gaying…, it's is also going to be my last. It's time to lay IJG to rest. It's been a good few years, and I've had quite a few ups and downs here, but as my posting schedule of late can attest, my heart just isn't here anymore.

So I figured my 500th post would be a perfect time to call it quits. In my time writing here, I've covered politics, queer activism, video games, music, weddings, and gay chicken, but I'm ready to take another step in my life now and let go of I'm Just Gaying…

But this isn't the end of my writing. I feel like I'm Just Gaying… was my baby who is now all growed up and doesn't need me anymore. And like any parent going through empty nest, I've had another child. Or blog… I think I've confused myself with my own metaphor here…

What I was getting at is that I'll now be writing over at my new blog: Richard's Reliquary. I feel like 500 posts is a good place to put IJG to bed and give myself the freedom to repurpose my writing. So join me at Richard's Reliquary to talk about my life and growing into my 30's.

I realize this post is probably more for me than for anyone else, as I don't think many people are still keeping up with I'm Just Gaying… but I do want to thank you all for sticking around and reading, commenting and sharing with me over the years. I've really loved writing here and getting your feedback, and I sincerely hope you follow me over to Richard's Reliquary.

This Is Your Republican Party, America

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 22:16:00 +0000

I was angry when the Republicans controlled the Federal House, Senate and the Presidency (and the Supreme Court, if we're being honest). But that anger never reached the level of Rage that I feel today.

In some sweeping and utterly disgusting moves, the GOP has truly shown it's colors today. Remember, this is the party of "compassionate conservatism"…

Destruction of the Working Class

Governor Scott Walker and his lackeys in the Wisconsin house and senate have somehow, and with little legal integrity, passed a bill designed solely to destroy state workers unions. This, in their estimation, was a measure designed to Save The State. The State will go broke if the Unions are still in existence, according to their estimation.

Yet this does nothing to resolve state budget issues. In fact, if it was related to state budget issues, their senate could not have "passed" the measure in the way they did, which prohibits voting on any budget-related bill without more than 50% of the senate. But that's irrelevant, because this isn't about the budget.

At it's heart, this is a measure designed to destroy the Democratic Party's base. Unions are to Democrats as the NRA is to the Republicans. It's just an unfortunate side-effect that working class people are now set down a dangerous path where representation and fair bargaining are now longer within reach.

All Hail Cesar

Jump the pond over to Michigan, where another completely Republican-run legislative and executive branch have passed some quaint laws today. Namely, they have decided that Big State Government knows best. If the governor so chooses, he or she can dissolve your properly and legally elected local government and install one of their choosing. You know, so they can handle financial issues in a way they think is best without any recourse or due process. Like dissolving unions, firing public employees, and other day-to-day duties.

For those of you who say your vote doesn't count, you now have a valid point. In Michigan at least. Because no matter how you decide to run your town or your local school district, if the State doesn't like it they can oust your officials and replace them.

There's really no need for those pesky elections anymore. I mean, you could hold elections, but they'd have about as much integrity as an Iranian election.

Sing It, Cindy!

So yes Republicans, we have seen your true colors today. They have sat back and made grandiose claims about the Democrats, and President Obama in particular, pushing for Socialism or Totalitarianism. Yet in one day they have shown that they really are the pushers of fringe governmental tactics.

And yes, I take the actions of these state legislators as indicators of what the national republican agenda is because there isn't a single national republican official standing up to denounce these acts as farce and lunacy. By their silence, they are showing their acceptance.

Vacation Time By Country... Guess Where The US Ranks?

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 18:42:00 +0000

Man, I guess those labor unions here in the states really are the cause of all our financial problems....

Silly followers of Tea Party philosophy.... have you no ability to see beyond the thin veneer of "common sense conservativism" to the multi-national coporations and disgustingly wealthey backers? Do you not see that labor unions are really out to help the working man. Like, for real real help, not this "let's prevent all abortions, kill unions, lock and and flay the gays" help that the Republicans are offering right now while they are supposedly "focusing on jobs."

On a lighter note, a friend of ours is moving to France this year, so good for him and his ridiculously better vacation structure. And I've always thought Spain would be a fun place to live...

Music Monday: Rock Is Dieing A Slow And Painful Death

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 20:28:00 +0000

After the Grammys aired, a friend mused that he thought that Rock music is dead. "Look at the nominees," he said, "almost all of them are ancient or near-dead themselves." So I looked at the nominees, and the winners, and I have come to a conclusion: he's right. Rock is a dieing art.

"But Dickie," you say, "Arcade Fire won Album of the Year. How can Rock be dead?" Fair point. We'll get to that in a minute.

Let's take a look at just the Rock and Metal categories. Out of those 7 categories, there were 35 nominations. Only 2 categories featured more than 1 nomination for an artist that has been around less than 10 years. The remaining nominations were for old acts. And yes, even groups like STP, one of my favorite bands, is an old act: they've been around nearly 20 years now. Swallow that pill, 30-somethings.

Pual McCartney, Jeff Beck, Iron Maiden, and Neil Young all won awards this year. So more than half the awards were handed out to artists that are well over 50 years-old, some over 60. For a music form that revolves on the credo of "Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll," I'm starting to wonder if they are referring more to Viagra than to rebellion.

And Neil Young… a man best known by today's generation as a line in that annoying Southern anthem Sweet Home Alabama. Yeah, it's the same Neil Young kids. He's that old.

Let's not get this message twisted. I am a Rock fan. Some of the newer artists that took home awards are in constant rotation on my iPhone, such as Arcade Fire and Muse. And I do love me some revived 90's rock. But without much fresh blood being pumped in to the system, can we honestly hope for a bright future for Rock?

I certainly hope so. But just as certainly I can't say that they are. If the old guard is really the best we have to offer, it stands to reason that Rock is being minimized to a niche market.

Groups like Kings of Leon, Muse and Arcade Fire bring me some hope that the future of Rock isn't completely dismal. And there are certainly a plethora of other lesser known and indie Rock acts that just haven't hit it big yet. But that fact confirms the niche status rather than deflecting it.

In any case, I'm still here. I'm still supporting new Rockers. Even if I'm in the minority for doing so. And it's not that I'm not appreciative of the old guard of Rock, but the energy and power of rock lies in the young and the powerless, not the old and jaded. Let's get some more of those hungry, angry, virile rockers out on the scene and shake things up a bit.

Is Rock dead? Not yet, but it is slowly getting there. And that scares me.

Air Force DADT Training Timeline And Issues Still To Come

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 19:08:00 +0000

I was passed this document (PDF) from the Air Force talking about their implementation plan for the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

There are a couple interesting things to pick out of here. First, that all training is to be completed by June 2011. To me, this represents that the top brass of the Air Force fully expect the repeal to be certified soon, as training is to begin in April 2011. So that's good news for those of us skeptical of when the repeal would be certified.

Second is section 2, labeled Policy. This is pretty much what I figured would happen, but I was hoping for something more. Essentially, this section confirms that the Air Force plans on ONLY implementing the letter of the repeal, meaning that they will no longer discriminate based on sexual orientation when considering recruiting, promotion and kicking people out. However, they will not put in to place any other policies to even the playing field for LGB soldiers.

The housing policy will not change. The pay scale policies will not change. The medical benefits policies will not change. Even naming a partner/spouse as your benefactor or next of kin will still not be allowed, as the Federal Government does not recognize this. Essentially, they are stating that because of DOMA, they cannot implement any other changes.

And this is where I call bull shit. While I am fully aware that the armed forces are simply limited in what they can and cannot provide because of federal policies, I'm going to point to the State Departments recent revelations that they can, indeed, provide same-sex partner benefits and can provide for housing of same-sex partners to foreign-service employees. They are regulated by federal policy as well, yet they have found a way to make it work.

I knew this would be a problem. I knew that this repeal would be just the beginning. And I know that there will be many more discussions, legislative efforts, and lawsuits to come to iron out these policies to make them fair for every soldier.

But this does still benefit quite a few soldiers and potential recruits. I think it will mostly aid young LGB people considering a one-time enlistment in military service, possibly so they can take advantage of GI benefits. These young people may not yet be in a place where they are concerned about long-term relationships or partner benefits, etc. But if they get stop-lossed because we're still tied up in senseless wars, this could become a problem.

For anyone considering longer service, there are still many hurdles to overcome. They'll get no support when it comes time to move because they've been re-assigned to another base. They're spouse will receive no support while the soldier is deployed. It doesn't even look like the soldier's partner will get base privileges. It's not like soldiers are on the top of the pay scale, so trying to find private insurance for their significant others is going to be prohibitive. In short, life for LGB soldier's trying to make a career out of service will still not be easy.

But progress is progress. As anyone familiar with the military knows, everything is a process and change does not come quickly or easily to the armed service branches.

Music Monday: Eminem, Gaga, And Mushy Love

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 21:31:00 +0000

So the Grammy's happened last night. That would theoretically make a great topic to discuss for Music Monday. But I'm going to skip talking about the Grammy's in and of themselves because musical tastes are so subjective and because I honestly haven't listened to all the acts nominated in the various categories I care about, so talking about who I thought should have or shouldn't have won just doesn't make much sense.

Instead I want to talk about one particular artist that won an award last night, Eminem. I'll clear this up really quick for everyone so there's no confusion: I abhor Eminem. I find him to be vile in his actions and lyrics, I think his creativity is severely lacking, and I personally think he's talentless. Of course, my opinions of him are tainted. I've despised him as an artist since he hit the scene and I haven't seen any redeeming qualities in him. In short, I don't care for the guy.

While watching the tail end of the Grammy's last night (we missed the first 2/3 due to a dinner engagement), I heard the announcer state that Eminem had won two awards earlier in the evening. And I lost it! My distaste for him runs so deep that I can't even fathom who would find value in his music, and the idea that he would be rewarded for his antics infuriated me. I may have swore at the TV and I may have thrown a tiny bit of a hissy fit... Possibly.

At this point, my husband looked at me and said "Seriously, cut it out. We get it. You don't like him. Move on. You're starting to sound like Gaga Hater." To which I opened my mouth to rebut… but couldn't say anything, because my husband was absolutely correct.

Gaga Hater deserves a bit of explanation. Gaga Hater is someone we met at a party and then friended on Facebook. Late last week, Lady Gaga's new single Born This Way hit the intertubes, and although the reactions to it have been a bit all over the place, Gaga Hater's reaction was "OMG, this song is trash and you're all IDIOTS if you like it." I thought that was a bit extreme and husband and I joked about it and moved one.

So when my husband pointed out that I was acting exactly like Gaga Hater, I knew he was right and I knew I was being a jackass.

I don't have to like Eminem. In fact, it's likely I will never even get to being OK with Eminem. But I don't have to act like an imbecile because he has a career. Obviously, plenty other people disagree with my assessment of him as an artist. He's won several awards and he's been praised by critics that I respect. I don't like his art, but that doesn't mean his art is valueless.

What I do have to do is cross over from being a jerk about something that is ultimately inconsequential and become someone that can have a civil discussion about the merits of an artist's work. I don't find art that is focused on violence and misogynistic rhetoric is particularly valuable, and that's a point I can make in that discussion. However, I need to understand that others may not see things the way I do. And, most importantly, they don't have to.

So while I don't think I can ever truly "get" why someone would like Eminem, I don't think that anyone that does like him is an idiot.

It may be ironic, but it's because of Eminem and my hate for the guy that I'm in such a mushy, lovey spot right now. You see, it's these sort of lessons that I learn from my husband every day that make me love him more and more. He wants me to be the best person I can be, and it all comes from a place of love. Happy Valentine's Day, sweetheart! You continue to help me grow every single day

Music Monday: In Defense Of Christina

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 16:19:00 +0000

OK, so Christina messed up a line of the National Anthem. She should have had that damn perfect, I’ll agree, but people make mistakes. Look at the ENTIRE half time performance for more evidence of performers making mistakes.

BUT, I’m going to say that those people complaining that “she took too many liberties” with the song, I’m calling bull shit.

What those people are really trying to say is that they can’t stand listening to someone with real, actual talent sing anymore. We’ve been so brainwashed by the auto-tuned crap being served to us (again, see the half time show) that we’ve forgotten that there are people that actually know how to use their voice to produce for reals music.

It’s OK though. Black Eyed Pees continue to go mutli-platinum everytime they sneeze another generic piece of recycled trash on to the radio (they call it sampling, but whatevs), so I suppose that’s what people really want. But just because the public doesn’t understand musicality anymore doesn’t mean that Christina gave a bad performance. I’m just saying, public opinion isn’t always accurate, or for that matter, substantial.

I Work To Better Enjoy Life, Not The Other Way Around

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 17:47:00 +0000

I have quite a few thoughts rolling around in my head today. First, I apologize for missing yesterday's Theater Thursday post and I likely won't be posting my Gaming Geekery post today. Although I have plenty to say on both topics the recent blizzard here in Chicago has really mixed things up for me.

The thought I'd like to discuss is this: I don't live to work. Quite the opposite, really. I enjoy what I do to make money, to an extent, but I do not enjoy it so much that it comes before any and all other concerns.

I realize I have a job that requires some responsibility and that I need to fulfill my obligations. I am fully aware of this. But I fundamentally disagree with some people about what, exactly, that means.

For those not aware, my husband was trapped in his car on Lake Shore Drive here in Chicago for over 12 hours Tuesday evening through Wednesday morning. This was while a Blizzard was raging through the area. Two feet of snow dropped in that time, freezing temperatures permeated the air, and wind gusts up to 70 mph roared off of the lake. And the only thing protecting him was his car, which was on a bridge right next to the lake.

To say that I was utterly terrified is an extreme understatement. My husband was trapped, the city wasn't helping him and there was nothing I could do to fix it. I was on the phone with him most of the evening and kept him up-to-date with any information I could find on the news or online.

I say all this to say that when he was finally able to get home at 6:30 am on Wednesday morning after being rescued from his car then trudging through the streets to get back to our house, all I wanted to do was spend time with him and cuddle him and make him warm and to make sure he was really, truly there with me. That he wasn't an apparition.

But there were others that did not see the importance of this. There were those that expected that I and everyone else who had been through any sort of terrifying incident the previous evening be up and ready to work in the morning. Which, to put it as easily as possible, is utter bull shit.

My life and my family and my friends are vastly more important to me than the rudimentary tasks of my position. Furthermore, there is nothing that need be accomplished RIGHT NOW that could not have waited until a more appropriate time, when all the personal affairs had been settled and life was able to resume at a mostly normal pace.

But like I said, there are those that fundamentally disagreed with me.

This is a bit of a rant, and perhaps a bit too personal to post out for the world to see, but I feel that it is important to note that I will never sacrifice personal obligations to fulfill work obligations. Work is designed to earn me the ability to enjoy a personal life, my personal life is not designed so I can line someone else's coffers.

Video Blog: Blizzards and Unions

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 18:16:00 +0000

I recorded this last night while waiting for my husband to get home. He was stuck in the snow on Lake Shore Drive for 12 hours. Luckily, he's home safe and sound now, but we have no idea where his car is.

But in the video, I muse and meander about civil unions here in Illinois.

Illinois Likes Me Now... Kinda

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 16:47:00 +0000

Yesterday, our newly re-elected Governor in Illinois, Pat Quinn, signed into law the legal recognition of same-sex couples via Civil Unions here in the Land of Lincoln. I couldn't be there in person (pesky job asking that people be at work!), but I do get the wonderful benefit of now being marginally less second-class in this country!

When my husband and I were planning our wedding last year, we had a lot of people ask why not just go to Iowa and get married. Their supreme court had legalized same-sex marriage not too long ago, and Iowa is only a couple hours drive from here, so that would seem like the logical thing to do. But we chose to go to Vancouver instead, which is no where near as easy to get to.

The biggest reason we went with a Canadian destination wedding (aside from Bride magazine telling us destination weddings were all the rage last year, obvy) was that we wanted to make sure that the laws would not change wherever we got married. We saw what happened in California and saw the confusion that exists there with some couples being married, some being in civil unions, others wrapped up in lawsuits, and we knew that could easily happen if we went somewhere else in the states.

And we weren't wrong. Right now, some Iowans are pushing hard to create an amendment to their state constitution to bar marriage equality, which is the only option the haters have left to over-turn the high court's ruling. Haters gotta hate, I suppose.

So we went to Canada. The laws aren't going to change up there. Even if the U.S. decides that only marriages between two straight, Christian, child-rearing folk will be recognized here, we know that we are still legally married somewhere. And if we go somewhere that does support LGBT folk as fully-recognized human beings, that marriage will be recognized there as well.

I'm glad to see civil unions come to Illinois. We've still got a ways to go toward real equality, but with this we've taken another step. And, from a personal perspective, I'm very happy that I will now be legally recognized here in this state as my husband's husband. I still have a few questions I need to get answered from a legal stand point (what, if anything, do we need to do?), but this FAQ (PDF) that Equality Illinois put together is really great if anyone else out there needs some more information.

Music Monday: Fiery Sex With Kings

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 16:19:00 +0000

As I struggled to find something to write about this morning, I realized that I had not really talked about Kings of Leon yet. So I'll rectify that today!

About 2 years ago, I stumbled on Kings of Leon's album Only By The Night, which I am sure just about everyone is familiar with. The album spawned approximately 14,000 thousand hit singles, a few even on the pop radio scene. My personal favorite track was Sex on Fire and has now become a karaoke standard for me.

I wasn't too sure what to make of the boys at the time. The sound was certainly grunge-inspired rock. Every track resonated with some '90's sound but they were also pretty solidly modern as well. But the lead singer is what pulled me in most. He has this vulnerability to his voice, this raspy-ness that sounds like he might have just woke up after a night of smoking 2 packs of cigarettes and decided to record a track before even drinking some water. Hmmm… that may not have come across as enticing as I meant it… but in any case, I like his voice!

The band recently(ish) released a new album called Come Around Sundown which is… well, it's OK. The tracks are all crafted well, but there's something missing this time around. I originally chalked it up to the sophomore slumps many recording artists face until I realized this was actually their fifth album.

With Only By The Night, there was a sense of magic in the album. Its as if the band knew they had a great record lined up and they put their everything into it. Sundown was more like them trying really hard to come up with great tracks, but without that sense of confidence and magic.

Don't get me wrong though: I like Come Around Sundown. I do. I just don't like it nearly as much as I like Night. And if I hadn't burnt myself out on Night, I'd probably listen to that album over Sundown whenever I'm have a Kings of Leon craving, but as it is Sundown is good enough and fulfills that craving when it comes.

I've been told that I should pick up the older albums by Kings of Leon and I likely will soon, but for some reason I've held off. I think it's probably related to how much I enjoyed Only By The Night and how not-as-stellar Come Around Sundown is, so I'm worried the earlier albums will have by more like Sundown. Maybe if I stay ignorant of the earlier stuff my image of the band will stay positive.

Gaming Geekery: I Is Be Scared

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 17:15:00 +0000

Patrick's mischievous smile should have warned me. The little voice in my head was screaming "This is a BAD idea!" But who really listens to their inner monologue when a pair of pretty blues are staring you down? Besides, he just wanted me to try it once. I mean, if he liked it, it couldn't be that bad… could it?

Trying to appear as casual as possible, I picked up the controller and pressed start. The Playstation whirred and whizzed for a moment before the intro scene for Resident Evil came on and in no time I was plopped right in the middle of Raccoon City. I was surrounded by zombies and had almost no way to protect myself. My character was running across the game's cityscape, but my heart was pounding and my mind was screaming in terror. But I did not let that show on my face for one second, even though Patrick was watching me like a hawk for any sign of being scared.

I almost made it to a point where I could save the game and suggest another activity without seeming like I was freaked out. Almost. That is until something skittered by the window my character was standing by and I jumped. Before Patrick could even register that I had jumped, the creature that ran past the window dived through the roof and landed right in front of my character. And that's when the shriek came. From me. Oh, and the controller might have "slipped" out of my hand and found its way on the other side of the room.

Patrick did not know how easily I got spooked until that evening. And to be honest, I didn't either. I suspected, but I had never tested the theory. Of course, as teenage boys are prone to do, I was then subjected to some ribbing from Patrick about my inability to play Resident Evil, but I learned a valuable lesson about myself that night: I can't play horror games.

I always hear about how great the Resident Evil series is, and about how awesome these survival/horror/shooter type games are, but I just can't play them. And it's not just games specifically trying to be horror games. In the first Halo game the hero encounters The Flood, which is basically an alien zombie race, about half way through the story. Guess who stopped playing story mode?

Crackdown 2 introduced the world with mutant zombies, that got turned off within 10 minutes. Conker's Bad Fur Day had a level that was all about suspense/horror (although poking fun at it) and I barely pulled through that level, with only the humor to push me forward (where the hell is another Conker's game, Rare?). BioShock was going great until I wandered into a room and all the lights went out for a few moments until a spotlight came on to highlight a corpse hanging from a table nailed to the ceiling in a crucifix pose. I have no idea what happens in the game after that point.

I just can't play horror games. It is really an oddity to me because I love horror movies, but games are a different story. I feel like with a movie things continue to move forward for 2 hours then it's all over, but with a game I'm expected to walk myself into a room to scare the crap out of myself. For 10 hours straight. No thanks.

Try and try as I might, I just can't do it. I've even sat back and watched The Husband play Resident Evil 4 on the Wii, but I can't do it for more than a few moments. When my former roommate use to play Fatal Frame in the living room, I would have to go into my bedroom or put on headphones while I sat at my computer because I couldn't handle it.

Am I the only one out there that would rather play Beautiful Katamari than Ultra Mega Space Alien Zombies That Are Actually Vampires And OMG There's A Scary Little Girl Over There Trying To Eat My Face? Those of you who can force yourselves to play these survival horror games can you tell me how? What's the draw?

Theater Thursday: Buffy, Drag Queens and Angelina Jolie

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 00:16:00 +0000

Oh, the pangs of actually having to work and getting caught up so I can't post during my lunch hour... Anyway, so I'm a little late with the post. Y'all just get a less formatted version of the post because I get to write it on my iPhone!

Television

Two gynormous TV events for me this week! First, the premier of Ru Paul's Drag Race season 3! I am pumped for the show. We actually started watching the first two episodes last night and I only made it through the first and half way through the second before I fell asleep. Not that it was boring, but I was T-I-Red. I'm excited for the competition this year though, much more so than I was for last years cast, so you can bet you'll see plenty updates from me as the season goes on!

The second big event was that I finished my re-watching of Buffy season 2. I forgot how important this season actually was: Angel's curse revealed, The cementing of the scoobie gang's roles (Xander the protector, etc), Willow dabbling in witchcraft, hearing the familiar refrain that Buffy really is alone... Those are all things that become themes throughout the rest of the series. And still, more than a decade later, the show can find a way to pull at my little heart strings.

On a less monumental scale, let me just state, for the record, that Scott Caan is one sexy, furry, little man. I had avoided Hawaii 5-0 for as long as possible, but when it came on this Sunday I just couldn't resist... And now I may be hooked. Not because it's a great show or anything, but I will take any opportunity to ogle that man shirtless or in tight, ass-hugging slacks.

Movies

We didn't really watch much. The husband watched Salt while I played on my laptop, but I wasn't too drawn in to the movie. He enjoyed it though. Action, Angelina, Liev Schreiber (ok, that part I did enjoy), those all spell "movie husband enjoys." I just didn't get pulled in to the story.

I did make it half way through some super indie (read: no budget) gay flick called Issues 101. The "plot" was some kid going off to college, realizing he's gay, then rushing a fraternity. But when it became a poorly executed soft-core fantasy porn, I cancelled the play back and went back to gaming. I guess that should teach me that an average 1 star review on Netflix is probably more accurate than not.

What Did You Watch

So, what was on your weekly viewing plate? Any of your stories start up this week? Let me know in the comments!

Crazy Be Crazy: Politics, Apathy, And Michele Bachmann

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 21:43:00 +0000

Call me crazy, but I am WAY more excited to watch the utterly insane Michele Bachmann (the link is great, if a tiny bit NSFW) give the Republican rebuttal than I am to watch Obama's actual State of the Union address tonight. I mean, she's crazy. Scary… but just plain out there, which should hopefully provide lots of fun for everyone to pick through!

I can't quite pin down why, but I'm just not so very excited about the State of the Union address tonight. Maybe it's because I don't expect to hear anything good (or anything at all) about the things I care about: LGBT equality, healthcare, and education. Maybe it's because I'm afraid the President will spend his time pandering to the Right. Or maybe it's because I'm starting to care less and less about politics of late.

Ah… ye old political apathy. The most vile villain of all campaign managers! If someone doesn't win an election, they blame it on voter apathy. Obviously it's the voters fault that the politicians can't seem to excite them anymore. Perhaps AstraZeneca can come up with a political Viagra to help out with that problem…

But I'm having a hard time wondering why I should get so passionate right now. I was passionate during the Bush era because he was actively working against my interests. I was passionate during the 2008 election because the alternative to Obama would likely have put me on a big game preserve for future hunting shenanigans. I was passionate during the Prop 8 lead up because it could directly affect me.

Or maybe it was just because I was in my early 20's. Who knows?

What I do know is that right now I don't feel driven to fight and care deeply about politics. I've accepted that nothing good will be accomplished in the next two years, if anything is accomplished at all, at least on a Federal level. In city politics, I should be fired up about the mayoral campaign, but really… in a city where the mayor just tears down private property in the middle of the night and gets away with it, does what I want really matter? Yes, the Rahm situation is quit hysterical, but all the other candidates are laughably under-funded and under-impassioned.

So while I realize that I might be called a "bad citizen" by some of my more politically motivated friends for just not caring about the state of political affairs at the moment, I just don't see the point in getting all wrapped up in something that ultimately won't lead anywhere. Rahm will go all Bush v Gore if he needs to ~~steal~~ win the election here in Chicago and nothing is going to happen on a Federal level except a bunch of posturing. And none of that gets my belly all tickly at all. I mean really, Mitch McConnell strutting his stuff usually results in explosive vomit on my end.

In the meantime, I am more than happy to sit back and watch a crazy woman be crazy on a national scale. Believe me, her rebuttal will be the most entertaining thing on TV tonight, and I just can't wait!

Once Again, It's Time To Lipsync... For Your LIFE!

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 20:00:00 +0000

Oh, I am so ready for some new TV! And first up is the new season of Ru Paul's Drag Race!

Yes, I am so frakin' ready to show the world my Curage, Uniqueness, Nerve and Talent… er, rather watch other people's C.U…. Ok, well, you get the picture.

I have not gone out to see the pre-season videos this year, mostly on purpose. I know the type of drag queen I enjoy seeing perform so if I just look at the girls' pictures I know I'll form a bias right off the bat. I'd like to go into this season with an open mind, learning about the performers as the season progresses.

And I'd just like to point out that the show is always available right from the Logo website, so everyone that complains they don't have Logo you've got no excuse now! That's actually how me and my husband watch the show, so we're familiar with the whole she-bang. The player kind of sucks, but it's definitely workable.

In any case, y'all better get ready, because the divas are back!

Music Monday: Magnet

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 16:06:00 +0000

I'm still in a bit of a music funk. I've been having trouble finding enough new music to replace the tired albums I have on my iPhone, which is perpetuating this cycle of stale sound. I end up listening to the same new-to-me tracks over and over again, which I then burn out on faster than I would like. Which then means I have even less fresh music to listen to.

There are a few artists that are able to transcend this trend though. I've talked about them in general a long while ago, but I wanted to write about Magnet for today's Music Monday. Magnet is a Norwegian singer-songwriter that produces some great, ambient alternative music. If you enjoyed the intricacies of someone like Florence and the Machine, or even some of Alanis Morrisette's more adventurous tracks, possibly even some Spoon, then Magnet's style should be perfect for you.

Most of his songs are fairly mellow, but each is intricately crafted. There are layers upon layers of sound in his albums which adds the kind of depth that I adore in music. While I do love the bare, raw emotion a man/woman and their guitar often produce, the carefully crafted sounds of more layered songs work on a different level to paint the emotional picture the artist is going for.

Magnet is great at what he does. His albums have a way of drawing me in and taking me on a journey right along with him. To me, that's the sign of a good artist. He doesn't tell you a story, he gets you to experience the story for yourself.

It doesn't seem like he really made a splash here in the states, and I have no idea what his popularity is outside of here, but if you're looking to give him a try you can get his album The Simple Life on ~~Amazon MP3~~ (EDIT: this is not true anymore. You can get his CD, but not the digital from Amazon). This is his newest album even though it's a few years old at this point, but it is also my favorite of his. For my gaming pals, you may recognize a track or two or maybe just his voice if you ever played Dreamfall: The Longest Journey. He contributed a couple songs to that sound track, which, even though I never played Dreamfall, the fact that he contributed to a game that so many people love gives him bonus points in my book!

If you want a sample, check out the video for Lonely No More from A Simple Life:

Gaming Geekery: Thoughts On Cataclysm

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 18:49:00 +0000

I've said that World of Warcraft has to be my personal favorite game, followed very closely by Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Final Fantasy X. Warcraft only really eeks out of the other titles because it's lasted so long and I've been playing it off and on for years at this point. I'm currently in an On period and thought I'd share my thoughts so far.

New Expansion, New Content

A new version of Warcraft just released last month called Cataclysm. What Cataclysm did (among many other things, but this is the biggest part in my mind) was go back to the early game and completely re-do it. Essentially, new life was breathed into the start of the game giving people like me another reason to re-visit old areas of the game we may not have explored in months if not years.

Initially I created a new Night Elf Mage, simply because I was excited to see my favorite race's new beginnings and get that back story going. But I switched it up and started playing a Goblin Shaman because I had never played through the Horde side of the game. I had previously touched the early zones of the Horde side a few times, but never played it through. So I took my Shaman all the way through the re-vamped content. Not having the original experience to compare it to, I have to say that I enjoyed the stories presented and really enjoyed the new thinking the game has with regard to questing and zone exploration. My one complaint would be that it appears much more work was put into the earliest areas and the higher-leveled areas seem pretty much the same to me.

I've recently started revisiting my Night Elf Hunter though, who was my original character. I hadn't touched her in probably over a year, but I've been more and more interested in playing the character again. It's a bit of a nostalgia trip playing this character though. The equipment in her inventory and items she has all bring back some memories of when I played the game a few years back and was much more involved in it at the time.

Redesigned Classes

Many of the classes have changed since I last played. For example, my Hunter now uses a Focus mechanic for her abilities when she use to use mana. Leveling up is also very different and goes right along with the game's streamlining efforts. Being forced into one role right off the bat is a bit jarring, but it does allow you time to really understand your chosen role before giving you the chance to make mistakes.

I think the Hunter change is the hardest one for me to really understand. I had grown use to playing her a certain way and I'm now trying to essentially re-learn her play style all together. No longer can she just release non-stop damage. Every once in a while she has to slow down now, and that's a bit tricky for someone who is use to unleashing ability after ability. But she's still fun to play regardless of the changes, and she still has the same pet she's always had as her companion, so there's some comfort in that at least.

The Shaman is a mixed bag of a class. It can heal other players well enough, it can act as a damaging force to be reckoned with, but I'm just not clicking with it like I thought I would. I enjoy healing in Warcraft in general, but the Shaman doesn't feel right to me. She does it well, mind you, but… well, it's just boring. She has very few bells and whistles. Perhaps it's time to go back to my Druid and explore what healing is like with him now.

Better Than I'd Thought

Well, those are my thoughts on the "new" World of Warcraft. I can sum it up by saying: It's different, but I like it, and the new content is better than I thought it would be. It's like biting into a sandwich thinking it's a burger, but it turns out it's actually a chicken sandwich. You have that moment where you are a bit shocked because you expected one thing, but then you realize it's actually a very good chicken sandwich, so you're OK with that as well.

I'm trying to expand myself to more console games recently too. When I say trying, I mean that I walk to my consoles, look at the boxes, decide I'm not up for any of them at the moment, then sit back down at my computer. I'm not quite sure why either because I just got some new games not too long ago. I'm sure I'll get around to them eventually though. Perhaps it's the bad gamer in me that just doesn't want to invest time into something I'm not sure I'll finish? Whatever it is, Nathan Drake is calling my name and I really want to make some time for him!

Theater Thursdays: Memory Lane Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 19:46:00 +0000

It's been a slow television watching week, but that doesn't mean we haven't dug in to a few things here and there. Once shows start to come off their winter break I'll be a bit more involved in Stories, but until then here's what I've been watching.

Television

I'm still making headway through Buffy Season 2. I'm getting up near the end of the season now and although I remember most of the story lines, it's great to see it through again so that I can remember some of the smaller details. This week brought some pretty classic moments: Angel telling Buffy he loves her, Angel turning evil again after he and Buffy do the dirty nasty, and learning that Oz is a werewolf. It seems to me that the second half of Season 2 is really where the show caught it's stride, with the trademark humor and the whole cast finally clicking into character. I may have also convinced the husband to watch the show with me too!

We also caught an episode of the new Restaurant Impossible, which is a blatant and total rip-off of Tabatha's Salon Takeover… except in the restaurant world. I admit that I actually like Tabatha's show (though not so much her), but this episode of RI failed to impress. This is a guy who is suppose to be rejuvenating a restaurant to make it profitable again, yet he turned around and ordered plastic lawn chairs for the new dining rooms? Really? Plus he's no where near as genuinely condescending and confrontational as Tabatha. This guy, Robert Irvine, is just a whiny prick that throws temper-tantrums. If I wanted to see that, I'd watch Flipping Out… but I don’t.

Finally, I watched a few words of The L Word with the husband. I think it's more of a "him" show than a "me" show, but I have enjoyed the episodes I've seen so far. Poor guy has to explain to me what's going on whenever I catch an episode, but we've nicked-named one of the girls Pixie… and that's about all I can remember of the characters. Pixie is crazy possessive and also kind of my hero for being out and proud insane.

Movies

The A-Team came in the mail from Netflix. My husband is a huge action fan. If there's explosions and bad acting, he wants to see it. And even though we successfully dodged A-Tem in the theaters, it was only inevitable we'd watch it at home. And watch it he did while I tried my hardest to bury myself in World of Warcraft. The thing with A-Team is that Bradley Cooper is so hot that I can't help but stare at him, so I ended up watching it a little. I'm pretty horrible about movies because I'm that guy that goes "that is so not real, it could never happen!" Of course I never say that in movies I'm liking, but still… In any case, I had to remind myself that The A-Team never purported to be realistic, so saying whatever action shot just happened isn't real was pointless.

And just for shigiggles, we also watched X-Men 2. That has to be my favorite of the three actual movies, so I always enjoy spending a couple hours watching that flick.

What Did You Watch

So what's on TV that I'm missing, or what movies do I need to add to the queue? I'm excited for Ru Paul's Drag Race to start up again soon, and of course our regular stable of shows will be back shortly, but what are you looking forward to starting back up?

Book Review-ish Thing: Sex At Dawn

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 17:28:00 +0000

Authors and publishers are awfully fond of provocative titles for books, aren't they? I mean, Sex at Dawn just sounds so… sultry! The name immediately conjures up images of a book with cover featuring Fabio shirtless on a horse with a fawning female in the background. That image, however, would be quite wrong.

I'm a big fan of Dan Savage. I like his books, his podcast, his column, his community outreach projects, his television appearances… Yeah, big fan here. On one of his podcasts he made mention of the book Sex at Dawn and I decided that it sounded interesting enough to give it a shot. Dan had mentioned that the book was a look at our pre-historic mating and sexual habits, and that was enough to get me interested.

The books authors, husband and wife team Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jetha, he a psychologist and she a psychiatrist, set out to make a point: the concept that humanity has always existed in monogamous, pair-bonded couples is just false. The authors systematically take apart the argument that marriage, as it exists today, has always and forever been, therefore it should always and forever be. That same argument is often used to implement restrictions on what kind of relationships will be recognized, what behaviors should be legal, and what men and women should be allowed to do with and to their own bodies. The authors thought it was about time that someone step up and say "You know, that's not how we as a species evolved, so perhaps your arguments are wrong."

Sex at Dawn is a very, very interesting read. It is written with a mix of science, psychology, anthropology and sociology (with plenty and wit and humor in the mix to keep those of us not in academia interested). But it is also an important book in that it challenges the standard definition of what human relationships are by looking at our past.

As you progress through the book, you'll learn that the authors don't believe in the standard model of monogamous marriages as espoused by many modern religions (and some governments). You'll also learn that their disbelief is deeply rooted in our ancestry and our biology. And you'll learn all about the bias some researchers have imposed when referring to marriages throughout differing societies.

I won't spill all of the details of the thorough and complete research and information the authors provided, which includes a very long list of citations and suggested reading. But I will say this: it opened my mind as to what it is to be human, and what kind of rules we impose upon ourselves. It's made me ask how did we get to this point we are now in our history? And, probably most important, is any of what we use to do as a species prior to agriculture and settled societies really relevant to what we do today?

I strongly recommend Sex at Dawn to anyone even remotely interested in the topic of how we, as humanity, evolved into who we are today. While the book is about proposing an alternative view to the current assumptions of many of today's scientists, it's also about getting a much deeper understanding of ourselves. I have a feeling there are some who will not enjoy the book, not because the book is explicitly anti-religious or anything to that nature, but because it does fly in the face of current "common knowledge." But just think about where we would be if no one ever questioned the notion that the world is flat, which was Common Knowledge at one time. There's value in the discussion if nothing else, and I hope that you take the time to check out Sex at Dawn and read up on what is a more realistic view of our evolutionary path.

She Who Inspires Laughter And Loathing

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 15:58:00 +0000

Oh, my dear Sarah Palin. She's sooo smart! Every time she does something stupid and gets called out for it, she has this amazing ability to act like the problem isn't her, it's everyone else ganging up on her that's the real problem! It's almost like she's one of those soccer players you see during the World Cup that fake an injury whenever anything happens in hopes of getting another player carded or just slowing down the game. Effective but blatantly obvious.

She's been the at the center of the controversy about over-the-top rhetoric in the U.S. political landscape, particularly for her map of targets. And she recently went on to a Fox program (BTW, she also works for Fox) to explain why she is really the victim in all of this hate-spewing recently, and that her "targets' couldn't possibly be used to indicate anything other than happiness and bunnies. Or some such bull shit, I usually stop hearing what she says shortly after she starts talking. Once someone has proven their an idiot it's hard for me to waste time on them anymore. But if want to hear what she said verbatim, check out the video at this link.

One of her quotes that I'll paraphrase here is that she believes that the whole point of this backlash against her recently is to try and get her to shut up and go away, and that it's all some conspiracy from The Left to discredit her. Why is it always a conspiracy with her?

While I won't throw out the possibility that some in the behind-the-scenes business of Washington may be fanning the flames of the story to add fodder to the anti-Palin presidential bid in 2012 (which is inevitable), I also won't throw out the idea that some on the Right are right there with the Lefties pushing the story. Less competition is a good thing for lesser known Republicans looking for the party nomination.

However, perhaps Palin should actually learn to shut up. "Uh-oh, another lefty trying to hinder free speech!!1!11!" Well, no, not exactly. I actually hope that she continues to speak, as publicly and as often as possible. It's extremely amusing once I settle my knee-jerk reactions. And I firmly believe in the credo of letting someone be their own demise as the are much more effective at it than someone else pointing at their flaws. You know, let them ramble so the people can see how idiotic they actually are.

Sometimes silence is golden. And if Palin were smart, which she's proving that she is not, she would simply not comment on the whole ordeal. Maybe state that in light of the situation she's removed the map, but other than that simply state "I refuse to engage in this highly charged and obviously biased discussion." Then move on.

Of course, she allows herself to be drawn in, which does nothing but benefit her opponents on the Right and the Left alike. So please, Sarah, please, please, please keep on talking.

Music Monday: Florence And The Machine

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 16:00:00 +0000

This column has gone through sooooo many different changes and adjustments and title changes… I'm a bit over the theme, so from here on out I'm going to call it Music Monday. All I can promise I'll talk about for sure is music. May be current, old, something I love, or hate, or an artist that annoyed me, or music from a movie or game that caught my attention… or all the above.

A high school friend that I still keep up with a bit on Facebook mentioned that he thought Florence and the Machine was his pick for best artist you've never heard of, which I tend to agree with. Well, I did agree with. Until I remember she performed on the MTV VMA's last year. And her song Dog Days Are Over was featured in a Glee episode. And her album Lungs has gone platinum a few times over world wide. So I suppose I would say that Florence is more of the best artist I had never heard of.

Then I changed that by picking up Lungs. The only regret I have with regard to this record is that I didn't grab it when I saw Florence perform at the VMA's last year. At the time I thought the song she performed sounded interesting, but I promptly forgot about it after the show, probably as a result of my mind trying to purge all of the VMA's from my memory.

Lungs has a very percussive feel to it throughout, which may explain why I'm enjoying the album so much. Being a percussionist, I always enjoy when drumming is an actual part of the music rather than just the rhythm that drives things along. Most of the songs feature boisterous drums that add character to the songs and really pull me in to the music.

Oddly, I feel like Florence and the Machine has a very Cranberries feel. Not that Florence sounds like the Cranberries per se, but I feel like Florence takes some similar risks that The Cranberries did in the 90's. The style of vocals, the challenging of the standard song-writing, the heavy use of rhythm while the vocals challenge the necessity to follow standard patterns. And yes, she does have some similar vocal qualities, so I guess there's that too.

So I'm thoroughly enjoying Florence, but I'm having a hard time finding other artists to get into lately. My faves haven't really released anything knew recently, and finding new music to dig into lately has been challenging. So I'm turning to my readers again for some music recommendations. What's the hotness right now out there? Who is that new band or act that's just about to explode that I need to listen to RIGHT NOW?

Being A Bad Gamer

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 18:19:00 +0000

My work laptop is busted at the moment and I'm sitting at work twiddling my thumbs waiting for it to be repaired... Which, of course, means time for a blog post!

I'm a bad gamer. There are a lot of reasons I say this, including my penchant for easy games and my lack of interest in puzzle challenges in action games, but I also say this because I never buy games anymore until they are cheap. Like $20 or less.

There was a time when I'd buy games on the day they came out. My husband probably recalls waiting in line with me to get Halo 3 and how excited I was to get home and tear in to some multi-player with some friends. But aside from the recent expansion for World of Warcraft (Cataclysm), Halo 3 was probably the last game I bought on day one.

Sometime after buying Halo I realized something that changed my buying habits: I just don't play games all the way through very often. I buy them, play them for a bit, enjoy what they offer, but then get bored before I finish it. I have very rarely finished a game and can only think of a few that I have actually completed. It was that realization that made me think "are these things really worth $60?"

Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy the time I put in to a game, but a game that I only get 10-15 hours worth of solo game time out of that costs $60 versus a board game that both myself and my husband have gotten countless evenings of enjoyment out of for $35... In that light, the $60 just doesn't seem reasonable anymore.

So now I buy games when they reach "greatest hits" status and cost $30. Or a buy two, get one free sale comes along. Or I see a fantastic deal on Amazon. Or I wander into GameStop and see a 4-year old game that I never got around to playing selling used for $5.

Why does that make me a terrible gamer? Well, for one, I still never finish those games. But (and more importantly to some of my developer friends) my purchases never feed the developer machine. Because I buy used, where neither the publisher nor developer ever get a dime, or I buy waaaay late in the product life cycle, where only the publisher is cashing in on the game anymore, my money doesn't really go to support the games I like.

But you know what? I'm still not gonna pay $60. Smart marketers know that customers like me who live in the tail end are still valuable. I'd rather buy and play old games that have proven themselves though reviews and friend recommendations than risk a hefty front-end investment now for something that I know I won't get full value out of anyway.

That makes me a bad "gamer," but I don't really care. I'm the one playing all the good games, enjoying what I find fun, and still having money left over to do other things, so I'll be bad gamer for quite some time to come. Besides, everybody loves a bad boy from time to time! ;)

Warm And Gooey > Cold And Crispy

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 15:00:00 +0000

What I wanted to eat for a snack yesterday:

What I actually ate for my snack yesterday:

Sometimes eating better is just plain boring!

Theater Thursdays: Not So New Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 16:09:00 +0000

Well, it's not quite theater centered, but y'all should already know I love me some alliteration.

I figure Thursdays, for all my love of the day, would make a perfect day to discuss what I've been watching in the realm of television, movies and theater (whenever we get the chance to go). I don't think I'll take this column as a critical analysis (or hack-job analysis as is more likely with one of my pieces), I do think it'll be fun to discuss what I've been watching. There will likely be spoilers, but considering I'm almost always behind on my TV watching and what not, I doubt that there will be too many. Join me and discuss what you've been watching in the comments!

I'll be honest and state up front that I'm just not much of a TV person. There are a few shows that I love and will watch regularly, but in general I just turn on Comedy Central of MSNBC and let it go in the background while I'm on my computer gaming. My husband watches far more TV than I do, which in turn means I get caught up on a few more shows than I would on my own devices.

Finding myself drawn into his Stories is a side affect of living with a TV watching person though. I would not watch Grey's Anatomy on my own, but since he watches it I find that get more and more interested in his shows. Keep that in mind as we dive into what I've been watching this week!

Television

First, I've started re-watching Buffy on Netflix. Yes, I am one of those geeks that thinks Buffy could be the best show that ever existed, and it is possibly one of only two shows that I've cared to go back and re-watch again and again. I'm in the middle of Season 2 and just watched the Halloween episode where Xander runs around in his camo's with a tank top on most of the show and… wait, where was I? Hmmmm… anyway!

The L Word has also been playing in our house this week. My husband has been getting into the show, and I've caught on to it after a couple episodes as well and have so far been enjoying it. I think we're both big fans of Shawn and her bad girl with a heart appeal, but we're already getting annoyed with the petty, controlling characters on the show. I suppose getting to a point where you have strong opinions about the different characters is a good thing though as it means your getting invested!

We also watched Grey's Anatomy this week. I'm not exactly sure how far behind we are with this season, if at all, but the episode we watched was the episode about a school shooter that opened fire on his campus and, of course, all of the victims came to the hospital that is obviously close to everything. It was a rather timely episode given the shooting in Arizona this past weekend. What stuck out to me in the episode was the mother of the shooter and her reaction to the whole event, as well as people's reaction to her, then drawing the parallel to the Arizona shooter's family… It wasn't super happy fun TV, but it was interesting and poignant.

Movies

Netflix brought us two movies this week: The Expendables and The Sorcerer's Apprentice. We saw Sorcerer's Apprentice at the movies when it released and I had just about the same impression of it at home as I did on the big screen. It's enjoyable and fun, but nothing I care to cherish forever or watch again. The fact that Nicholas Cage was in it and he didn't annoy the hell out of me actually speak volumes for the movie, but he is still in it, so it can't really get over that hurdle.

The Expendables… was not at all what I thought it was going to be. I truly lost track of the movie half way through and just focused on my laptop because it just stopped making any sense whatsoever. I was expecting an action-comedy, but was getting a "serious" action movie vibe instead. In a movie filled with action stars, I do expect to see some great fights, explosions, etc., and those were all present, but I do also expect a bit of self-awareness and in-jokes, perhaps some subtle jabs at the genre itself. Instead it felt like they wanted it to be a for seriousness movie with a bunch of not-for-seriousness actors.

What Did You Watch

That's what I watched this week. Most of our regular Stories are on winter break still and since it's Oscar season, not many movies have bee released that appeal to us. While I enjoy a good drama, my husband is not a big fan of any movie that is too serious, so Oscar season is usually a bust for us.

But what have you been watching? Tell me about it in the comments!

Ode To Thursday

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 13:55:00 +0000

If Thursdays were friends, they'd be that friend that is always hanging out with your group but nobody remembers inviting them out.

If Thursdays were co-workers, they'd be that coworker that everyone in the office wonders what exactly they do while they continue to get promotions and raises.

If Thursdays were video games, they'd be those weird niche games that you see on the shelves that somebody must buy, but the sales clerk can't seem to remember ever selling a copy.

If Thursdays were an item on a buffet, they'd be the obligatory steamed veggies that everyone puts on their plates but no one eats.