I believe the year was 1995 when my mother purchased her first desktop computer. It was a nifty little PC and ran under the direction of Windows 95. Those were trying times. The computer crashed more than a caffeine junkie. Everything you could think of: the blue screen of death, that illegal operation window, and even something claiming "WINDOWS DIE NOW" appeared on that computer monitor. But, it was all we had, and we loved it very much.
Throughout the years, I had my bouts of PC terror. There were times where I spent hours on a paper, and jolly ol' Windows would say that Microsoft Word has stopped responding and had to close. My fears: 3. Spiders, 2. Death, 1. Losing a 10-paged paper on a PC.
Even through all of my frustrations and all of the times I threatened to throw my computer out a window (I was quite vocal about this), I still had a special place in my heart for PCs. It came to a point where I was used to all of the errors. I knew how to maneuver my way out of the blue screen of death and even out of a frozen program. It seemed as if I conquered the dark forces of the Microsoft platform. This all felt fine for a while, that is until I realized I was selling myself short.
My mom and I combined have put in thousands of dollars for the Microsoft corporation. A large chunk of that money wasn't even for the purchase of the computers themselves, oh no. You can get yourself a cheap hunk of PC junk and still run Windows. That large chunk of money went into buying software and hardware to help our sick little PCs get better in times of strife. The computer I'm using to post this went through virus hell and had to be shipped off to a computer store for about a week. Come to find out, Windows XP had "holes" of security that made its computers very vulnerable to virus attacks. It was then that I came to another realization: Microsoft is working against me.
There are tons of conspiracy theories out there against Microsoft. Some are plausible, some are slightly ill-conceived, and some are just ridiculous. But does it really matter which are true and which aren't? The real point is that Microsoft and Macintosh users alike are seriously trying to figure out why PCs are so god-awful. These thoughts have lead to great commentary and satire, which have both heavily influenced the recent PC vs. Mac advertisements. Apple is genius in that instead of having to go through the pains of consumer research, the consumers themselves have done all of the work for them.
For years, I swore by my PCs. In reality, I just knew I wouldn't be getting an Apple for a very long time. Those suckers are expensive, and for good reason, they're incredible. It took me about 5 years to finally see the light, and today, you are looking at the proud owner of a Mac Book Pro.
You are also looking at a very, very poor little girl.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Aboot Meh...
I've been tagged! It's like my childhood all over again, only no one's throwing rocks at me.
...Kidding. So, Jungsun Moon tagged me. He used to be my English teacher. Now he just shows up at my house begging for change.
Here are the rules: 1. Let others know who tagged you. 2. Players post 8 random facts about themselves. 3. Those who are tagged should post these rules with their 8 facts. 4. Players should tag 8 other people and notify them they have been tagged.
1. My birthmark is in the shape of a heart. My mom used to tell me that an angel marked me with that so that I can always remember that I am God's child.
2. Walter Jacobson came over my Grandma's house and ate some fried chicken. My aunt was a journalist and worked with Fox for a while and I think she invited him over just to chill out. He didn't leave the same.
3. I was on the Bozo Show. I did the cup thing and lost. I was also fortunate to be able to meet Cookie before he died.
4. My 9th chromosome is reversed. I have no idea what effect it has on me. Maybe it's responsible for all the seizures and heart defects.
5. My musical tastes are baffling to say the least. I used to be into Classical hardcore. That's all I listened to. It was my mom's influence, mostly. I still have it in the mix along with some alternative, techno, showtunes, world, old school gospel, etc.
6. High school was a really weird time. Glad that's over.
7. Here's an Inside the Actor's Studio question:
If heaven exists, what would you like God to say when you reach the pearly gates?
"Monica, I heard every word."
8. Right now, I think I'm feeling the best I've ever felt in my entire life.
...Kidding. So, Jungsun Moon tagged me. He used to be my English teacher. Now he just shows up at my house begging for change.
Here are the rules: 1. Let others know who tagged you. 2. Players post 8 random facts about themselves. 3. Those who are tagged should post these rules with their 8 facts. 4. Players should tag 8 other people and notify them they have been tagged.
1. My birthmark is in the shape of a heart. My mom used to tell me that an angel marked me with that so that I can always remember that I am God's child.
2. Walter Jacobson came over my Grandma's house and ate some fried chicken. My aunt was a journalist and worked with Fox for a while and I think she invited him over just to chill out. He didn't leave the same.
3. I was on the Bozo Show. I did the cup thing and lost. I was also fortunate to be able to meet Cookie before he died.
4. My 9th chromosome is reversed. I have no idea what effect it has on me. Maybe it's responsible for all the seizures and heart defects.
5. My musical tastes are baffling to say the least. I used to be into Classical hardcore. That's all I listened to. It was my mom's influence, mostly. I still have it in the mix along with some alternative, techno, showtunes, world, old school gospel, etc.
6. High school was a really weird time. Glad that's over.
7. Here's an Inside the Actor's Studio question:
If heaven exists, what would you like God to say when you reach the pearly gates?
"Monica, I heard every word."
8. Right now, I think I'm feeling the best I've ever felt in my entire life.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Virginia Tech
This blog doesn't serve a lot of people. To be frank, no one reads this blog, I'm sure. I stopped posting for that very reason. It kind of goes with the "fallen tree in the forest" theory. I wish this blog could make a sound, but it doesn't. However, I still feel the need to write, especially now.
It's frightening how unaffected I was when I first heard about the shootings. Maybe it was because there was an optimistic part of me that believed that no one was seriously injured. I thought maybe only a couple of students got injured, and they would receive the proper care and be alright. That all changed when I saw the death toll.
Right now, a lot of the concentration is going to the killer. Seung-Hui Cho was called a "loner" by his peers, often exhibiting antisocial behavior. For this reason, I can see why he's getting a lot of attention. He fits the description of a lot of youth in America today, especially in high schools. If we can look into Seung-Hui Cho's mind and find what caused him to snap, we could possibly make contributions to youth psychology.
Not that it needs to be said, still, what Cho did was unthinkable and deserves no sympathy. That's just a proposal to dig up whatever positives can come from this tragedy. Though, I don't think looking into Cho should overshadow the victims, which I believe is happening. There is a curiosity that I'm sure is in all of us to know who Cho was. I don't feel there is anything wrong with that, but I do feel there is something wrong when I can't get media coverage on the victims. I thought we were supposed to see both sides.
Articles like these shouldn't overshadow articles like these.
The first link details the way Cho killed his victims. The second article are vignettes on the lives of the victims. The first article only generated disgust while the second brought me to tears. Among that list were people with such bright futures like Caitlin Hammaren. She was described by one of her teachers as being "...one of the most outstanding young individuals that I've had the privilege of working with in my 31 years as an educator." There were also accomplished individuals like Kevin Granata, who was declared "...one of the top five biomechanics researchers in the country working on movement dynamics in cerebral palsy."
All of the victims were extraordinary in some way. Let's talk more about them.
It's frightening how unaffected I was when I first heard about the shootings. Maybe it was because there was an optimistic part of me that believed that no one was seriously injured. I thought maybe only a couple of students got injured, and they would receive the proper care and be alright. That all changed when I saw the death toll.
Right now, a lot of the concentration is going to the killer. Seung-Hui Cho was called a "loner" by his peers, often exhibiting antisocial behavior. For this reason, I can see why he's getting a lot of attention. He fits the description of a lot of youth in America today, especially in high schools. If we can look into Seung-Hui Cho's mind and find what caused him to snap, we could possibly make contributions to youth psychology.
Not that it needs to be said, still, what Cho did was unthinkable and deserves no sympathy. That's just a proposal to dig up whatever positives can come from this tragedy. Though, I don't think looking into Cho should overshadow the victims, which I believe is happening. There is a curiosity that I'm sure is in all of us to know who Cho was. I don't feel there is anything wrong with that, but I do feel there is something wrong when I can't get media coverage on the victims. I thought we were supposed to see both sides.
Articles like these shouldn't overshadow articles like these.
The first link details the way Cho killed his victims. The second article are vignettes on the lives of the victims. The first article only generated disgust while the second brought me to tears. Among that list were people with such bright futures like Caitlin Hammaren. She was described by one of her teachers as being "...one of the most outstanding young individuals that I've had the privilege of working with in my 31 years as an educator." There were also accomplished individuals like Kevin Granata, who was declared "...one of the top five biomechanics researchers in the country working on movement dynamics in cerebral palsy."
All of the victims were extraordinary in some way. Let's talk more about them.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
I think I'm going to like my journalism class...
I walked into my 9 a.m journalism class (news media writing) yawning profusely with the crustiest eyes in the room. I'm talkin' pie crusty...
Our teacher exploded with a barrage of bad jokes and depressing stories about his misfortunes at a number of Chicago and Milwaukee newspapers. Apparently, he was fired so much, it made him become a teacher.
Putting those blarring red flags aside, he does have a true passion for journalism. He said so himself...heh. He's pretty nice. We had to write profiles about ourselves, and he even excused my incurable habit for not indenting and/or spacing my paragraphs. It's awful, I know. I'm not in the mood to upset my professors by making their eyes bleed trying to read through one of my papers.
Journalism wasn't really an interest of mine until my sophmore year in high school. It still isn't really a burning passion of mine. Film is my number one interest, but like I've been told over and over again, I should have something to fall back on. Journalism is just as iffy, and all that's left for me is...clerical work (*vomits all over keeeybroad@33rf).
But speaking of journalism, now that I'm taking a course in news media writing, I have to keep up with what's going on the world. I guess news is Barack Obama is pretty much confirmed to be running for prezzy ... yeah, I'm not looking to be taken seriously. I read this article and this article.
The first could be interpreted as an attack on Obama, but it was more on the double-standards in electing officials. Carol Moseley Braun tried to run for president in 2003 with far more experience and "firsts" under her belt than Obama, but she wasn't taken seriously and was unable to raise enough money to continue running. She endorsed Howard Dean instead. Great move there.
The second article is more positive with high hopes for Obama's run, even in the beginnings of his seat in the Senate. The author suggests that since there won't be a sitting president nor vice president running, it lowers the bar for the candidates. Hmm, that actually sounds more insulting reading back on it. There's also a mention of Obama's unfaltering popularity, which is almost transforming into superstardom.
That's something a friend of mine expressed a concern about. She said something along the lines of, "It's kind of frightening that so many people want him to run." It's not that she's againt Obama, it just all seems so superficial. I sincerely hope that if Obama gets elected that he does all the things he's promising like cleaning up the face of politics and shifting the focus more on national problems. However, I'd rather him be elected for his standing background and what he's promising instead of just the breakthrough of having the first African-American president. It would be a breakthrough having a non-White president of any background.
Even though I don't agree with him 100% about the war, and I'm most definitely pro-Life, I do think a win from Obama would at least make room for some much needed changes. Though, with his little knowledge on Foreign Policy, among other things, he'd have a harder time with me and securing the vote of those that aren't affected by his fame and new modeling contract.
I wonder if there's a cream for "burning passion."
Our teacher exploded with a barrage of bad jokes and depressing stories about his misfortunes at a number of Chicago and Milwaukee newspapers. Apparently, he was fired so much, it made him become a teacher.
Putting those blarring red flags aside, he does have a true passion for journalism. He said so himself...heh. He's pretty nice. We had to write profiles about ourselves, and he even excused my incurable habit for not indenting and/or spacing my paragraphs. It's awful, I know. I'm not in the mood to upset my professors by making their eyes bleed trying to read through one of my papers.
Journalism wasn't really an interest of mine until my sophmore year in high school. It still isn't really a burning passion of mine. Film is my number one interest, but like I've been told over and over again, I should have something to fall back on. Journalism is just as iffy, and all that's left for me is...clerical work (*vomits all over keeeybroad@33rf).
But speaking of journalism, now that I'm taking a course in news media writing, I have to keep up with what's going on the world. I guess news is Barack Obama is pretty much confirmed to be running for prezzy ... yeah, I'm not looking to be taken seriously. I read this article and this article.
The first could be interpreted as an attack on Obama, but it was more on the double-standards in electing officials. Carol Moseley Braun tried to run for president in 2003 with far more experience and "firsts" under her belt than Obama, but she wasn't taken seriously and was unable to raise enough money to continue running. She endorsed Howard Dean instead. Great move there.
The second article is more positive with high hopes for Obama's run, even in the beginnings of his seat in the Senate. The author suggests that since there won't be a sitting president nor vice president running, it lowers the bar for the candidates. Hmm, that actually sounds more insulting reading back on it. There's also a mention of Obama's unfaltering popularity, which is almost transforming into superstardom.
That's something a friend of mine expressed a concern about. She said something along the lines of, "It's kind of frightening that so many people want him to run." It's not that she's againt Obama, it just all seems so superficial. I sincerely hope that if Obama gets elected that he does all the things he's promising like cleaning up the face of politics and shifting the focus more on national problems. However, I'd rather him be elected for his standing background and what he's promising instead of just the breakthrough of having the first African-American president. It would be a breakthrough having a non-White president of any background.
Even though I don't agree with him 100% about the war, and I'm most definitely pro-Life, I do think a win from Obama would at least make room for some much needed changes. Though, with his little knowledge on Foreign Policy, among other things, he'd have a harder time with me and securing the vote of those that aren't affected by his fame and new modeling contract.
I wonder if there's a cream for "burning passion."
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