So, I realized it's been a while since I have written anything here. In my defense, there's not a whole lot going on right now - just skool. And playing for choir. Aaaannndd...that's about it. Didn't really feel there was anything noteworthy worth noting. But I do have some things that have been bugging me, niggling in my mind. So I'm gonna write about things I don't get, and if anyone feels the need to enlighten me, feel free to do so. Or just shake your head in wonderment at how my brain works (or doesn't work, depending on your perspective).
Twitter: I finally caved today and started a Twitter account - FOR SKOOL! I didn't want to - really I didn't! I don't really care about tweeting, and following people, and hashtags and @whoever nonsense. I already waste half of my life on Facebook - I didn't want to feed my social networking addiction.
But last night, in my 512 class, A., one of the guys, who is a principal working on his doctoral degree, showed me his Twitter feed, and how he follows people who post links to all sorts of websites and articles related to education and technology integration, which is my area. Since what I'm working on (handheld PCs in science) is a new area, with little actual research published, I need any and all resources I can find.
So, I did it. I set me up a Twitter account. Then I had to select people to follow, and that darn Twitter! First, I think I can just look up the five people A told me to follow. But then Twitter makes me follow five more people. And then five more. And then five more. So I search and follow the first people/movies/whatever I can think of. Once the feed gets going - WTF? It's like an explosion of hashtags and @ all over my screen, with links flying hither and yon. And nowhere do I see the actual people I signed on to follow in the first place. Also, a certain unnamed celebrity whom I opted to follow has diarrhea of the Twitter account, so I am unfollowing him to unclutter my page.
But, I still don't get how the feed works, why people or organizations I DIDN'T sign up to follow show up, or why we even need it in the first place. I just don't. I don't get it.
LRT PDAs: Yesterday I was riding to skool, and I ended up in a car with me, an older lady, and a young college couple. Shortly after we left Century Park (the LRT station), the young couple (YC) decided that they needed to demonstrate to the world (or at least me and the older lady) how much they enjoy one another's company. This demonstration took the form of a make-out session that lasted from Century Park to Health Sciences/Jubilee (five stops). Normally, I would have averted my eyes and ignored the love-fest happening in my vicinity, but the angle of the sun was such that I was presented with the following options: look at the YC PDA; look away from the YC PDA but catch the reflection in the window; stare at the sun, in hopes of going blind, so I wouldn't have to see aforementioned PDA; look out the window at such an angle that no reflection could be seen, which necessitated a nearly 180 degree Exorcist twist; stare at the floor.
I finally settled on the last option, but then I was left with another problem - the sound effects emanating from the YC PDA. I was listening to my iPod on full volume - I even have earphones that have additional volume control, so I can turn it up REALLY loud. It was loud enough that I could no longer hear the LRT wheels clacking; but I could still hear the PDA smacking coming from the corner. If I'd had a sharp implement with me, I would have been sorely tempted to jab it in my ears, so as to render myself deaf and unable to hear the enthusiastic goings on in the corner. Sadly, all I had was mechanical pencils, and while they work great for poking out eyeballs (so I hear), they don't really fit well in the ear canal.
What I don't understand is, why? Why do you need to do that, YC? Why do you feel the need to makeout in front of complete strangers as though you were back in your own dorm, with the lights out? I didn't need to see that - I was quite sure you had affectionate feelings for one another, based on the hand-holding as you boarded; I did not need to see and hear incontrovertible proof of your feelings for FIVE FREAKIN' STOPS!! Also, male half of YC, I'm proud of you for using birth control - heaven knows your type don't need to be procreating right now - but next time, perhaps you shouldn't flash it while making the handoff to the female half of YC, especially not while proclaiming you swiped it from your mother's supply. I am fairly certain there is some sort of Planned Parenthood-type place up here, where you can get that for free. You never know who may be listening, and if I knew your name, I'd have ratted you out to your mother in a heartbeat. Just sayin'.
The Library: I recently re-discovered the joys of a public library that didn't SUCK (Moreno Valley public library, I'm lookin' at you). It's very handy, as there are several branches that all trade books with one another, and you can go on the website, look up books, place a hold, and pick them up when you get the e-mail telling you the book has arrived at your local branch. As my local branch is just a short LRT ride away, I have made use of the hold/pickup function many times since my return from CA. But there is a particular series I started read (The Edge Chronicles, for anyone who cares), and it is here where my problem begins. The library has every book in the series but ONE. And, as it's a ten-book series, the one that is missing is #6, which has some major plot points in it that set up the rest of the series. I tried skipping it and moving on to #7, but I didn't understand what was going on in the first few pages, so I stopped reading.
Why does the library hate me? Or rather, why does the library hate anyone who might read the series? I realize that some patron may have checked out the book and never returned it, but if that's the case - buy another copy! You only have one copy of each book, so if one doesn't come back, buy another one! It's like, six bucks! Because I am now stuck not finishing off the series, and it's making me cranky. I even had the brilliant idea to buy the sixth book, read it, then DONATE it to the library for any future readers, to spare them my torment, but not one of the bazillion book stores in this city even carries it. Why, bookstores? Why do you hate me? It's not even that old of a book.
The End of The Genius Wars: So, a couple years back I found an amusing book entitled Evil Genius, about a boy in Australia who is groomed to be an evil genius from the moment he's born. Shortly afterwards, I found the next book, Genius Squad, which continued the story. Last week, I was delighted to discover the third and final installment, The Genius Wars (at the library!). I finished it last night. I am no longer delighted, because after reading through a very well-paced, moving story, I got to the end and was left with a distinct feeling of WTF? That's...really the end? Why? Why, Catherine Jinks, did you decide to end the story that way? What possessed you to just leave it like that? It's not a cliffhanger ending, it's like you got to a certain point and just decided, "Eh, I'm done." I seriously inspected the spine of the book to make sure that no pages had been ripped out - that's how abrupt the ending was. Why did you do that?
The Latest Episode of Sherlock: I could say the same thing to the creators/writers/grand-poohbahs in charge of production for the BBC show Sherlock. For the uninformed (as I was, until Cathie skooled me proper), this is a delightful miniseries which basically takes the stories of Sherlock Holmes and puts them in a modern setting. Martin Freeman (who will be Bilbo in The Hobbit) plays Watson, and Benedict Cumberbatch (yup, that's his real name, and he will be voicing Smaug in The Hobbit: Part le Deux) plays Sherlock. It's hysterical - I love it. And each episode is two hours long, so they can tell a really good story. But here's the problem. They only air three episodes a season, every two years. So season one aired in 2010, season two finished today, and the next season won't begin until 2014 (one may assume). The episode today was The Reichenbach Fall, for anyone who knows their Sherlock stories (if not, go look it up). WHY, BBC? Why are you ending the season there, and making me wait two years for the next episode? I was just getting officially hooked on the show - why would you stop it there for two years? I'm an American - I have a short attention span and I thrive on my weekly shows! If I have to wait two years for the follow up epsiode, I'm gonna forget! Your plot to keep me hooked will backfire, and you'll lose a viewer!
Resident Evil 4 (the game, not the movie): So I managed to convince JD to let me bring the PS2 back up to Canada with me. And it has been nice to shoot zombies as a form of stress relief. But I had the "bright" idea to "challenge" myself while playing, and recently started a profile on the "professional" setting of the game. As my astronomically high death count can attest, I am not a professional at the game, but even the most difficult parts only take me three or four (or five) attempts before I succeed without dying and move on to the next chapter. Except now. I am stuck at one stupid "boss" (in the sewers, the bug in the red robe, JD, Gillian, Michael). I cannot friggin' beat this stupid thing, and it's making me far angrier than it should, really. I just don't get why I keep getting killed, when I've beaten this stupid level more times than I can count. I think the game is cheating. And it wouldn't bother me so much if it didn't invade my sleep - last night's dream involved G-ma and G-pa Horspool's house, three of those stupid bugs, my dad, and his .357 revolver. And even in my stupid dream, I kept dying and having to start over while trying to get at strategically placed (and completely useless) flash grenades. You would think that I play this game all the time, but I limit myself to half-hour sessions (to the nearest save point), so I usually quit after three or four attempts and my subsequent character deaths - which has limited my playing time to 20 minutes/day before I give up in utter disgust. I've been stuck here for four days. It's annoying. I'm annoyed. I just don't get WHY I'm so annoyed, and why I'm stuck.
Resident Evil 4 (the movie, not the game): Yeah, I don't know what's up with that mess. I just know that even My Beautiful Future Husband Wenworth Miller wasn't enough to make me want to see it more than once. I don't understand why the writers felt that they could dispense with any sort of storytelling - not that the first three movies were really heavy with the story, but you could at least make sense of what happened and why. Here, it's like they decided to go for nifty special 3D FX, and tying it to RE 5 (the game), without bothering to explain how/why the zombies have mutated, or who/what the Executioner is, or how Albert freakin' Wesker JUST. WON'T. DIE. but can render Alice all but impotent. That being said, I will still probably see the fifth movie when it comes out. It's a sickness, I know. But you'll thank me when the Zombie Apocalypse happens, and my family knows what to do.
So that's it, really. Not exactly deep musings on the universe, but issues that have been annoying me for the past few days. I feel better for having gotten them out there. Feel free to mock - I don't care what you think, as long as it's about me.
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