"Its a Boy Thing"

I'm sorry, but I just watched 3:10 to Yuma and while I thought the movie overall was well done, full of suspense and even thrilling, I found the ending to be, well, dumb. How is the ending supposed to exemplify the central character's sense of morality? How? It was ultimately insulting, and I have no respect for the bad guy no matter how many times he pretends to do the "right thing". Pretending to do the right thing does not amount to accomplishing the "right thing", no matter how many times you pretend. And, ultimately, killing people for no good reason is wrong.

Alan was kind enough to explain to me that the reason why I didn't understand the movie's ending was because "it was a boy thing" Well, I'm glad I don't have "a boy thing", because apparently "a boy thing" makes you prone to irrationality and purposeless, void, emotions of mortality. And, it makes you want to kill people.

The Epic Battle of Man Vs. Octopus

My latest creation is ready for the world to see... Which earthly creature will win?

Flowers for Valentines Day

Did you know?

Potatoes are originally from Peru! Potatoes are a wonderful and versatile tuber. However, they can contain toxic compounds (mostly solanine and chaconine) that can cause food poisoning, coma and even death. When a potato is green underneath the skin, this is usually an indication that the toxic compounds are highly concentrated. Thus you should never eat green potatoes!

Valentines Day

Of all the holidays I have seen the US celebrate, this holiday ranks in the top 5 of the weirdest holiday celebrations ever. 

Reasons why Valentine's Day is strange:

1) It isn't a real holiday.

2) This entire day is dedicated to alienating single people.

3) People who are in relationships, especially men, feel guilted into buying crap.

4) Women feel the overwhelming desire to receive crap that they don't really need, from men.

5) Too much emphasis is placed on material objects as expressions of care and love. (Even more so than Christmas. Disgusting.)

6) There is no unifying "faith-based ritual" or "historical tradition" to justify its existence.

7) There is no clear concept about what is celebrated on Valentines Day. I mean, some say this day celebrates love, some say it celebrates friendship, others say its a day of passion and lust, others use it as an excuse to gorge on chocolate and wear pink. Which one is it? Is it all of these things? Is it nothing? What the hell is love anyway? Its all up for grabs. 

8) On this day, ordinary feelings for people who you care about are exaggerated and idealized. And this exaggeration, this fantasy of emotions, this world of perfect love and expressions of affection (based on consumerism), is inevitably compared and contrasted against every day life. This has the effect of making every-day life seem less than adequate.  And, it encourages people to have unrealistic expectations of what being in a real relationship truly implies. 

9) Not to say that I don't appreciate spontaneous demonstrations of affection and lots of chocolate. But, I don't like having  a day when I know I should expect spontaneous demonstrations of affection and chocolates. Because, guess what, its not spontaneous if I'm expecting it! Duh.

So in conclusion, Valentine's Day is a day when people who care for other people feel the need to buy presents for said people who they care about, and wear red/pink, for no clear reason, because on this one day they can delude themselves into believing they are involved a relationship based on the purest feelings of mutual love. Except, the concept of what love consists of is not quite clear. And, the people who they care about expect them to buy stuff and act spontaneous about it. 

At the risk of sounding like a bitter old woman who doesn't understand "love" to al the brain-washed Valentine-believers out there, I stand firmly in my belief that Valentine's Days is weird. 

TAXES 2007

Sundays are good days for eating pancakes, wearing pajamas, and filing your taxes. Today I have done all three of these things, and I am feeling mighty productive. 

I was especially excited about filing my taxes (yes, excited is the appropriate term) because I was hoping to receive a major federal and/or state refund. This did not happen, as the evil government insists on relentlessly taking all of my money. I should have known this, but I guess I am still a little tax-naive. Al least my taxes were not as bad as they could have been, due to my hefty 401K contributions. 

This is a list of things I have learned this year (from filing my taxes with TurboTax)

- Donating to charity, even if the charity claims that the donations are tax-refundable, does not mean you may deduct said donations from the amount you owe the government. Your itemized deductions (everything you give to charity) must be larger than your "standardized deductions" in order for your donations to positively impact your taxes.

- Turbo Tax asked me if I have received income from the Ottoman Empire, to determine -somehow- if I would be eligible for a tax credit. This seemingly ridiculous question made me realize that Turbo Tax is definitely worth the money.

- Make 401K contributions to the max!!!!!!!!!!! Everything you contribute will lower your taxable income for the present year, and help raise funds for when you retire. It is a win-win situation for you.

- Being a student is very, very good for your taxes. In the past, I had always taken my student status for granted. I could not claim that I was a student in 2007. [sad face]