No Title Necessary

I've always wanted to be part of a drive-by fruiting. As the fruiter, mind you, not the fruitee.

I have been remiss in my blog posting.  This trend is likely to continue.  At least for the next few days, I'll be packing up my things so that I can move into a microscopic studio apartment.  And for the week or two after that, I'll be settling into a new job with United Health, being a cube monkey.  Whatever free time I have will be split between eating, sleeping, and Nick.  Not to mention I'll have to figure out the internet situation.

There's no doubt in my mind that this is a change for the better--I'm not shedding any tears over saying goodbye to Target, even though I am going to miss regular chats with my coworkers.  I'll still shop there, and I'll never wear red and khaki together as long as I live.  My friends here at the Zombie Haus will still be my friends.  We'll still have goofy conversations about pointy sticks and discuss the awesomeness of bad movies and alcohol.

I'd say that I'd have a housewarming party, but I'm pretty sure the place is too small for that.  Maybe I'll organize a night for bar-hopping instead.

To paraphrase Trae, life moves on in a generally forward fashion.

And I have "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" stuck in my head.  The TMBG cover, of course.  I wish I had enough space somewhere in my house to get up and work out some choreography.  That would (a) solve the not-sleepy problem and (b) maybe get this song out of my head.  My current method is not working.

MOAR COWBELL

Dear god, someone help me.

I joined Twitter.  My handle is katerussian.  Big surprise, I know.

Life can sometimes suck, but even when that happens, a good burger and good company is often enough to make things better.  Also, The Tale of Despereaux is cute.  And so is my little monster all tangled up in Christmas lights.

In other news, happy Festivus, everyone!

I've spent a lot of time on the phone in the last few days.  Shutterfly's hold music is some sort of crappy elevator music (reminiscent of Kenny G), and Kodak favors The Eagles.  Photobucket, apparently, does not believe in hold music.  At least none of it was "holiday music".  I might have thrown the handset were that the case.

Also, my mp3 player shuffled up Joy Division, New Order, Depeche Mode, ...Anna Tsuchiya?

There goes any cred I might have had.

01. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."
02. I will respond by asking you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
03. You will post the answers to the questions (and the questions themselves) on your blog or journal.
04. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
05. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions. And so on and so on and so on...


This one is from Cryztal!

[i.] Name a TV show you'd hate if you didn't love it so much. Or if you don't watch TV, fill it in with any other (narrative?) media. For instance, a webcomic series, or a band.

BIG guilty pleasure here--I love to watch So You Think You Can Dance.  The idea of "the voters of America" choosing the next big sensation really, really bothers me (my stance on American Idol should tell anyone that), but I love to watch people dance.  Especially really, really good people dance.

[ii.] Does the major you had in college relate at all to your job? How about your dream job?

At the moment, not really.  Paralegal studies are one thing, developing one-hour photos is entirely another.  Eventually, I'd like to be working with the ACLU, so studying law is really going to help me there.

[iii.] Which is ruder to talk about: Political alignment, sexual history or religion? And why?

Sexual history by far.  I don't exactly wear my political or religious beliefs on my sleeve, but I'm much more comfortable discussing socialism and the Flying Spaghetti Monster with strangers than I would be discussing my sexual history.  I only share that with my closest friends and the people I plan to sleep with.  You know, 'cause they might need to know.

[iv.] If you could compare your romantic agenda to that of a political system (technocracy; anarchy; capitalism, etc.), what would it be?

Since I really don't have any sort of romantic agenda right now (it's a little complicated to explain), I guess the best possible answer would be anarchy, though I don't think it really fits.

[v.] Say you and your best lady friend have your eyes on the same guy. Would it be morally repugnant to continue pursuing this sought-after fellow, or do you believe in the philosophy "All's fair in love (sex) and war?"

This is sort of a tough one for me to answer, and I've been in this situation way too many times.  Unless I have reason to believe that he's also interested in me, I will stop pursuing this fellow and give my friend a shot.  Of course, if the friend is already dating someone or chasing someone else as well as the male in question, that might change my answer.


This one is from Mark!

1. Is there something from your past that you may not talk about often, but are proud of?

Not really.  In case you guys haven't noticed, I'm not exactly humble.  If I've done something good, chances are people are going to know about it.

2. In the grand scheme of things, how do you feel about where you are in life right now?

Pretty so-so about the whole thing.  I mean, my job sucks total balls and I'm usually pretty much broke.  But that's a temporary thing.  I've got good friends and I know where I'm going, so I've got something to work for.

3. Why do you love kittens so?

They're just so cuddly.  Also, cats are smarter than humans give them credit for.

4. What's the deal with mushrooms?

If it's not a plant or animal (or plant or animal byproduct), I don't wanna eat it.  That and the texture really bothers me, which is why I don't like avocados.

5. How do you feel?

Generally with my hands, though I have been known to use my feet from time to time.


This one is from John!

1. How did you become interested in photography?

When I was twelve, my parents gave me an automatic point and shoot camera so I could take pictures of my class trip to Chicago and Saint Louis.  Then I started taking pictures of all the family vacations and events.  A few years ago, I started getting into the urban explorer culture, and decided that I wanted to show the rest of the world how beautiful decay can be.  I guess that's where it really took off.

2. What city (or rural area) would you most like to live in?

For years, I've wanted to move back to Boston.  It's a lovely city with a lot of history and diversity, not to mention some of the greatest pizza I've ever had and a fantastic mass transit system.  Besides that, most of my extended family lives in the area.

3. What musical venue or setting would you most like to play?

Ooh, good one.  I'd love to play at the Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis--I love the atmosphere there, it's really almost laid back for a punk club.  Either that or the Seventh Street Entry, also in Minneapolis, which is one of the most intimate venues I've seen.

4. Which TV show / movie / anime would you feel most natural living in?

Probably Seinfeld.  I have the wacky friends, the crazy mailman, and a string of humorous anecdotes that really don't mean anything.  Maybe at 22, everyone considers their life episodic.  I know I do.

5. How would you summarize the difference between your high school and college experiences?

In high school, I was almost always trying to prove that I wasn't a total nerd, and I spent a lot of time worrying about how I compared to my sister.  In college, I think I realized that I didn't need to hide any of my geek cred, and that if who I was wasn't good enough for someone, I probably wasn't going to be happy as their friend anyway.  I've grown into my personality, I think.  Man, that sounds pretentious.

It's coming. Need I say more?

This will be part of the No Brand Blog, a new project in the works over at No Brand Con.  I may cross-post my articles, but it's just as likely that I will simply leave them on the No Brand mainpage.  Unfortunately for my faithful (cough) Livejournal readers, this does not mean more posts about my day-to-day life.

This is just a little reminder to all my lovely friends--go vote. I am.

Happy Wednesday played today. Apparently people like the Hokey Pokey. Now I lost at Unspeakable Words, so I'm gibbering.

Oh god, my head.

What did I do to deserve this kind of hangover?

Big storm about to hit.  I'm excited.  And glad that I don't have to work tonight.

While playing The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly:

"Hey Chad!  Fuck you!"  I pass Chad a card.
"Well, fuck you too!"  Chad passes me a card.
"Okay, cheers."  Both of us clink glasses and take our penalty drinks.
"Wait, what?"  Randall looks very confused.
"Don't worry, this happens all the time."

I am so bored.

( Meme. )

The store manager denied my request.

I have unpaid time off requests pending for each of the Sundays in August. I am drafting a letter to the Ethisphere Institute (which will probably be posted here). One of my coworkers was denied an availability change to work weekends only, so she left to work her other job. Another one can't get evenings off to go back to school. Another has been repeatedly scheduled in areas he is not trained to work.

For one of my shifts this week, I have been scheduled outside my standing availability. This really, really blows.

When I think that things can't get any worse, Target manages to completely fuck me over.

I walk there on Sundays, because the bus system shuts down that day. It's at least a five mile walk each way (impossible to bike, because Eau Claire is built on a HUGE fucking hill), and in the current state of the Eau Claire roads, takes me through two construction zones. I've spent the last two months battling HR to stop scheduling me on Sundays (because I'd rather not get splattered while walking there). I have stressed that this is TEMPORARY (until the construction ends), spoken to HR at least twice before submitting my request for new availability (and both times been told "oh yeah, that's just fine") then finding out that nope, apparently it's not fine. First because if I want Sundays off, then I have to work every single Saturday. That's okay with me, and I tell that to HR. Second because apparently I can only have Sundays off if it's for religious reasons.

WTF, Target. You're willing to give Sundays off to people who spend 1-2 hours at church, MAXIMUM, but not willing to give Sundays off to a girl who has patiently, then irritatedly, then while in tears explained that she does not want to be hit by a car and die in a construction zone. I consider life holy. And that is religious reason enough for me. Why isn't it enough for Target?

To make matters even more interesting, Target's new issue of the company magazine is bragging about how Target has been put on a list of the world's most ethical companies. I think the Ethisphere Institute might like to know how Target treats its employees when they're not watching.

My complaint is now in the hands of the HR manager, and if that doesn't work, I'm going to the store manager.

Also, I was reminded that I shouldn't talk about this with my coworkers because wanting one day off a week is not Fast, Fun, and Friendly. Know what else isn't Fast, Fun, and Friendly? Jerking your employees around. Bullseye, you are now on my shit list.

Livejournal says I haven't updated in seven weeks. Oops.

I just set up a wireless network for the Zombie House. I am so smart!

Okay, fine, so it's just a picture.

Happy Wednesday (the band in which I play bass) has updated its online player with the current live version of His (Tentacled) Glory. You can go here to listen to it. Just click on the player and be assailed by the goodness of nerd rock. Also, you can actually hear me playing bass (and if you listen carefully near the end, you can hear me sing, too).

Normally, I don't find it necessary to talk about what it is that I see at work on a day to day basis. But tonight, after working in the toy department all evening, I'm pretty sure I need to say something before I burst a blood vessel or two.

I was cleaning up the doll aisle tonight, and I noticed something odd. Barbie is getting less attention these days, due to new dolls like the Disney "princess" (not to mention High School Musical and Hannah Montana...ask me sometime what I think of that) dolls, the Bratz dolls, and--this is the one that really blew my mind--the America's Next Top Model dolls.

Now, I can handle the Disney thing. Like most girls I know, I watched Cinderella, Snow White, and the rest find their way to some fairy-tale ending, with the underlying messages about true love, faith in others, and faith in yourself. Okay, right? The Bratz dolls--those annoy me. They could definitely be part of the growing problem with young girls/women and self-image, but they are not based on a "reality" TV show that glorifies catty behavior, valuing someone simply for her looks, or the fascination our society has with a body type that, while it might occur in nature, is so rare that there are women who die trying to attain it. It is my firm belief that no girl that is of the age to be playing with dolls should be exposed to a TV show that does such a thing.

(Note that a tiny section was devoted to the "Groovy Girls" dolls, which are plush dolls that each have a name like Caring Carla, Respectful Roxie, Honest Hannah, etc. These dolls are made by the Girl Scouts, and are obviously an alternative.)

It seems that every so often, there is some article in some magazine or newspaper decrying these standards set for beauty, but girls continue to buy into it. There are fashion designers who require their models to have a body mass index of at least eighteen, but for every designer that does, there is a Janice Dickinson out there extolling the virtues of anorexia. Even the models themselves aren't safe--Tyra Banks was declared fat simply for being a size eight! That's not even the average size of the American woman.

I cannot begin to say how ashamed I am, but simply by being thin I feel like I'm perpetuating some kind of negative influence. I can't even really speak up to say love yourself for who you are. Sometimes I go so far as to wonder if I'm naturally this skinny, or if I'm subconsciously being swayed by all the propaganda.

I need to get to bed. I'll probably have something else to say on the subject soon.