How did I forget to mention this story? Last Friday, while the whole geek & perv fest was going on, my friend, lostdwarf, and I were in the bathroom at the SUB when she heard two girls talking. She told me this afterwards because I missed it.
The gist of it is that one girl said something funny to her friend and then the friend replied by saying "lols". And by that, I don't mean that she "laughed out loud". I mean that she said "lols" as a word. She turned an acronym of actions into a word. OMFG. When my friend told me about it, I was like, "huh? What are you talking about? You mean she said "lols" instead of actually laughing out loud? WHO DOES THAT? Who?!!!"
Completely shocked and appalled, I was speechless - until all the cursing came back into my mind. This is going to make me sound old, but who cares, since I've come to accept that I am officially old, so I may as well sound like it too. I blame this abomination of the English language by this younger generation on text messaging and IMs and chatrooms (wow - that sounds so 1997, like, from the time of ICQ and that crap). Okay, sure, I'm all for slang, and my grammar isn't what it used to be. But at least I don't say internet acronyms as words.
What next? Maybe at work, I'll be chatting with a colleague when I suddennly remember that I have to go do something at my desk, so I'll say, "BRB!" Or if I'm telling a joke, I'll end it by saying, "semi-colon closing bracket!" Ugh. Morons.
 This is even better than The Notebook. I love Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling as a real-life couple. Like many other celeb-obsessed people, I was sad to hear when they broke up. But it looks like these two are back on, bitches! They were spotted canoodling all over Toronto this past week. They're so cute and perfect together, I love it. Yay Mcgosling!!!
So I was walking with a friend to lunch at the SUB Friday afternoon when suddenly I saw a couple of people dressed up in these crazy looking costumes. I said to A, "whoa, what the hell are those people dressed like that for?" And then she said to me, "um, it's not just those people. Look around - there must be a convention." And sure enough, when I actually looked around, practically everyone at the SUB was in some bizarre outfit. I thought I walked into Comic-Con or something. Seriously. (The photo at the top of this post isn't mine, but it's a good example of what we saw.)
But as we entered the SUB, it turned out that we weren't far off with that assumption. It was in fact "Anime Evolution" - an anime convention. There were SO many people there, and about 90% of them were dressed like sci-fi fantasy people, animals, wizards, I don't know what the hell they were supposed to be. (I was surprised at how many white people were into that stuff too - I assumed it was mostly asians who liked that stuff, but not at all. It was definitely about 50/50 asians/white people.)
Saw lots of slutty looking fairy-type chicks. A lot of skanks use Halloween, costume parties, etc. as an excuse to dress like a ho, and this was no exception. Sure, they were fancier and more fanciful with the white wigs, wings, tails, capes, and wands, but at the end of the day, they were skanks.
I really don't get the whole anime thing, so if you're into it, please explain it to me. Without really knowing anything about it, I'd say that it looks like some sort of asian emo/goth/sci-fi thing. My friend was telling me a bit of what she knew about anime, and it disturbed the hell out of me. Like, my jaw actually dropped and I was pretty damn horrified and disgusted. Not that all of it is weird, but there are small segment of the genre that are specifically and particularly bizarre. (You could say that about any genre or interest group though.)
The one she told me about was some segment that likes to call themselves "furries". On a general level, it just refers to people who are really into anthropomorphic animals (kind of like half animal / half humans). But on a more specific and creepy level, it refers to some pervs who are so into it that have a fetish for it - think stuffed animals. Gross!
What else did I learn? Oh yeah, she said that a lot of anime comics have stories about girls getting raped by these tentacled monsters. UGH. *puke* Keep in mind that she told me this at lunch, so I was feeling even more sick. WTF is wrong with these people?! I'm all for fantasy and sci-fi, but that is warped!
So yeah, I dunno. I'm sure they're not all pervs, but a good number of them probably are. And the rest are just geeks. We took a peek into one of the rooms where a seminar was happening, and we couldn't believe the number of people in there. They were all enraptured with the speaker, this short, troll-ish looking guy. It was kind of crazy how enthralled they were. This guy was like their Billy Graham or something.
But standing around all of these people, we felt like the weirdos in our regular clothes. I felt like I needed some cat ears and a a pitchfork to fit in. It's kind of how I imagine Comic-Con and those Star Wars conventions to be, with people in full makeup and costumes. That had to be some major effort to dress up before they came there! Gotta give 'em props for that. Now that's what I call devotion.
First off - it's mid August and it fucking rained last night. Normally, I wouldn't really care, but when I'm attending an outdoor concert, then yeah, I damn well care. But you know what, I had my hood over my head and a few songs into, it could've been sunny and dry for all I knew. It was that good of a show.
It started a lot earlier than I thought it would've - at 7:50pm. Actually, it's a good thing I got there when I did, because they started just as I walked through the gates. I guess it makes sense since the doors were at 5pm, and the fact that there are residences nearby, I guess they can't play that late into the night.
I'm not going to pretend that I'm the hugest fan in the world or anything. Quite frankly, I haven't purchased any of their albums since OK Computer or Kid A. I've heard the stuff after that, but I didn't listen to it religiously and can't quote song titles and bsides like a lot of hardcore fans can. For me, it was all about The Bends and OK Computer. Even Pablo Honey was good. Creep, anyone? (I'm really dating myself here, aren't I?)
I've always missed out on their other shows when they've come to town and I wanted to make sure that I saw them this time. I had a feeling that as good as their songs are, they would probably sound a million times better live. And I was right. I wasn't too sure about seeing a show at Thunderbird Stadium since I honestly haven't seen anything there since I was an undergrad years ago and attended the crappy Arts County Fair. But walking in and seeing the place full of people, and the whole stage set up, I was completely won over, and I think it's a great venue for concerts now.
Every concert I go to, it's always the same for me - the first couple of songs, I'll stand there, hands in pockets, and kind of bob my head to the music a bit. But by the 5th or 6th song in, I'm all arms in the air and woooooo!!! all over the place. Since I'm a fan of the older stuff, I pretty much lost my shit once I heard the opening bars of Karma Police. The lyrics, "phew, for a minute there, I lost myself, I lost myself" never rang more true. And then when they played Just, I really really lost my shit. That pretty much did it for me.
It started raining harder and harder and I came to find out that the jacket I thought was waterproof was totally not at all. In fact, I got completely soaked to the bone, just like everyone else there. (Which is why I woke up this morning feeling like crap, like a cold is starting.) But it was so amazing that it was worth it, and I would do it again.
My favourite part was when Thom Yorke was yelling at someone in the front who was attempting to mosh, and said, "Hey, watch it, guy! This isn't some fucking Rage Against The Machine show!" hahaha. That was awesome. Anyway, even though I'm not feeling so hot today (I called in sick and am sitting in bed in my jammies typing this. heh), I'm in a really good mood. Was definitely worth it and I will absolutely make sure to see them as many times in the future as possible. You should too!
Video for Just, from the album, The Bends
Video for Karma Police, from OK Computer
The other day, I was sitting outside and a short distance away were these middle-aged women suntanning themselves. Nothing wrong with that. Except that. after a matter of a few minutes, they were burning and turned red. And yet they didn't move out of the sun. They looked like they were soaking it up. And then a few minutes turned into 10 minutes which turned into 20 and then by time it was half an hour later, these women were beet red.
I spent half an hour watching these women turn a deeper and deeper, alarmingly unhealthy shade of red. Each could see the other, and neither of them chose to say, "whoa, you're really burning up - maybe you should get into the shade?" I don't get it. Why do you want to look burnt? It's not attractive.
Some people are made for the sun, some people like my friend Jenn, are cursed by it. But she ain't no fool! She stays the hell out of the sun or at least covers up. We were walking outside the other day and after less then 10 minutes - and we were barely in the sun, she was turning red. And she had even slathered on SPF 70 - yes, 70!!! I didn't even know they made 70. I thought my SPF 55 was a bit crazy, but 70 may as well be a sweater.
I really wanted to go up to those women and tell them that it's time to accept the fact that they're never going to be bronze or tan - just pale or red. It's not worth the risk of cancer just for the slim chance to look like some golden goddess that they imagine themselves to be in their head. Sorry ladies, it's not going to happen. Maybe they should move to an asian country, where being pasty is a virtue. hehe
 Was sitting around with a couple of friends watching tv, and we came across the movie, Little Women. It's the one from the early or mid 90s starring Winona Ryder, Claire Danes, Christian Bale, and a bunch of other people. I remember reading that book as a kid, as it upset me even back then, that Jo (Winona Ryder's character) didn't want to marry Laurie (Christian Bale's character). And this was how I felt without having seen any actors fill the roles - I had my own images in my head of how everyone looked, and I was in tears because I thought it was so sad and messed up.
 When the movie first came out, I didn't really like it at first, because well, I tend to not like a lot of movie versions of books I've read. But then, when I saw the movie again a few years later, I saw it with fresh eyes and I really liked it - except for Claire Danes' overacting (I swear, every time her lower lip starts to quiver, I have to roll my eyes and laugh). So now I love it. But I still have a few issues with it. Whoever is responsible for the casting made a mistake by casting Christian Bale as Laurie. Big mistake. Because really, it's not plausible in any way, shape, or form, that Christian Bale would profess his love for a woman and then get denied. I mean, seriously. I don't buy it. What woman in her right mind would turn down Christian Bale?!
 It would've made more sense had they cast Eric Stoltz in that role instead of the one he played as the sister's husband. He's not a bad looking guy, but he's more "normal nice guy" - the kind of guy that you'd love as a best friend but not necessarily be in love with. You wouldn't swoon over Eric Stoltz.
Also, I'm not a fan of Samantha Mathis as the older Amy.I hate to say I really liked Kirsten Dunst as the younger Amy though. Susan Sarandon is perfect as the "Marmy". But the part that is truly messed up is that Christian Bale wants so badly to be a part of the March family that he went and married Jo's sister Amy. It's pretty sick. You know he's still in love with Jo, but is settling for the sister. I would NEVER be with someone who was in love with my sister. ugh. gross. *shudder*
 Back to Winona Ryder and Christian Bale. Watching it again with friends, it's funny that all of us were yelling at the tv - "Why are you turning down Laurie?! You stupid idiot!!" And then when Jo meets that Professor, played by Gabriel Byrne. I wasn't sold on that when I saw it years ago. But I have to admit that this time, when watching it all the way through to the end, it's like, okay, Gabriel Byrne, you've won me over! I can see why Jo would be in love with him. She didn't want to settle for Laurie, even though she could've. It's very inspiring. Ladies - never settle! But then again, if Christian Bale were the man you'd be settling for, would that be so terrible? I think not!
Best line of the movie though, is when Gabriel Byrne says, "I have nothing to offer you. I come to you with empty hands." sigh... if that's not swoon-worthy, I don't know what is.
I wanted to write about a few things, but I'm so dead tired right now. I think it's because I've only had about 5 1/2 hrs of sleep each night this week. It finally caught up with me. A good 10 sleep is what I need.
I felt a little lightheaded towards the end of the day at work. And while I was driving home, I realized that I hadn't really drunk anything all afternoon other than a smoothie from lunch. And it's pretty warm today. So I think I was dehydrated. Guzzled a bunch of water when I got home and then I felt better. But then the sleepiness came on, which I'm fighting as I type this. sigh... I think sleep is winning. I've gotta go.
I've been meaning to go to the spa to get a facial or a pedicure or massage, but whenever I look at the cost, it always shocks me every time. You'd think that I'd get it by now. There's one that I think is pretty reasonable and it's half of what most other spas charge. I like it because they use Aveda products which I love.
My face has been kind of battered by the sun this summer, so I'd really like to get a facial. The first time i had a one, I was really surprised when they started massaging my neck, shoulders, and chest. I was like, um, what the hell is up with rubdown? Since when were boobs part of a facial? I've come to learn that the top half of the boobs are always part of the massage. The first time, I was like, whoa - at least buy me some dinner first! But now I know that it's just part of the deal.
Full body massages - now that's a whole other story in itself! Kind of weird, but then it's like, oh well, okay then. And it really is totally relaxing and de-stressing. So I guess it's worth the awkwardness of having a stranger feel you up for an hour.
It occurred to me while I was out at a restaurant the other night that all I ever eat is chicken. Any cuisine, any ethnicity, if given a menu, then I'm looking for chicken. Chicken parmigiana, chicken karaage, chicken pakoras, chicken katsu, fried chicken, etc. You know how kids always eat chicken nuggets and fries? Well, I don't think I've ever outgrown that. Seriously.All that stuff above is essentially, in one form or another, chicken nuggets for adults. As much as I like to think that I've got somewhat of a sophisticated palette, the fact is, at the end of the day, give me a piece of fried chicken and I'm good.
My second encounter with a homeless person was on my last night in New York. I was hanging out in Times Square with my coworker Ian, who had just quit and was moving to Singapore, stopping in NYC for a couple of days first. We had just come from the theater, having seen Rent. It was about 11pm and the air was still thick and warm. People were out and about as they always are in Times Square. We got some ice cream and sat down along one of those garden sitting areas in front of office buildings. There were lots of people sitting around doing the same thing.
So we're sitting there chatting when all of the sudden the guy to our left says to us, "Ain't that right? Rich people don't have any problems." And Ian said, "Well, no. I don't agree with that at all. Rich people have problems too- they just have different problems." And the homeless guy looked intrigued and interested. He said, "You're right. I hear what you're saying. We all have pain. See this guy? (points next to him at another homeless guy) Would you believe he's a rich boy? Yeah, he had all the money in the world. But he had pain, so much that he couldn't deal with it and gave up that life. The depression did him in. We all have pain. I don't care what color anybody is - I like everybody. Black, white, yellow, red, whatever - we're all the same inside."
Then the guy started opening up and talking about how pain is the one thing that we all have in common. He told us about how he used to be a Staff Sargeant in the army in Desert Shield, which later turned into Desert Storm. During that time, he saw a lot of terrible things happen and after he was out of it, he became depressed. Then he was diagnosed as bipolar. He talked about the government and the war, and the current state of affairs.
Ian asked him about how he became homeless and how is he able to sleep outside. The guy said that he chose to be homeless because he didn't want to be a burden. I'm not sure who he would've been a burden on - his family? I dunno. But he said that he can sleep anywhere - uptown, downtown, Queens, Brooklyn, wherever. "You just get used to it - the noise. This is New York. There's always somebody walking, there's always somebody talking. You just sleep." But he pointed to a church across the street and that's where he was currently staying.
I don't think that my retelling of this story can fully capture the emotion of the moment. This man was articulate and his story just completely moved me. And it's funny because it's the complete opposite of my other homeless guy encounter. I went from some guy throwing a racial slur at me to another guy saying that we're all the same. This guy didn't ask for money or anything. And he actually said, "I'm sorry, I don't mean to go on so much. I'm just venting." I just felt so terrible that a man who once served his country as a Staff Sargent is now a homeless man by choice. I don't really understand that choice, but I'm sure he had his reasons.
It left me with a heavy heart that night. Just makes you think - everybody has a story, everybody chose a path to get them to this point. Sometimes, people like this guy just want to be heard. Listen to what they have to say and it might open your eyes to their world, to their life, at least for a brief moment.
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