pennie_dreadful | (no subject)

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My bag broke! The strap just came right off. My messenger bag has become my signature accessory. I am know as the girl with the long hair who carries a huge black bag everywhere and it's broken! Beyond repair, this time. I mean, it's broken before, and I just fixed it (safety pins), but the fabric is so ripped up I can't anymore. I would have replaced it but I just have not found another that is satisfactory. My poor, poor bag. It will be missed.

Also I must share this story with you. As you are all aware, I have cats. They are my love, my pride and joy, my constant companions. They sleep in the bed with me most nights. Well, last night they ganged up on my feet, and I had nowhere to put them. So I gently insinuated my feet inbetween them, not intending that they had to jump off the bed, mind you, just scoot over, you brats! Well they got all huffy and jumped off anyway. Last night, at one a.m., I woke up. I had no reason to wake up, so I rolled over and tried to go back to sleep. As I stretched, my feet encounted a cold, wet substance. I immediately came awake, all thoughts of returning to sleep banished. They didn't! They wouldn't! were the thoughts racing through my mind. I sat up, turned on the lamp, and there, on the foot of my bed, was a wad of puke. I could still see vaguely cat food shaped chunks in it. Needless to say Oz and Tob were nowhere to be seen, although I thought I could hear a faint snickering from under the bed.

And that's a perfect segue for this little tirade. I am still working on the sex rant (really it's not properly a rant anymore, since I am doing a bit of research, it's more of a ... well what is it?)

We are all familiar with the cliche in literature and films that "The hero always gets the girl". Yes? Well, even in books where the hero is the girl, she has to be "gotten" by a hero. I R&Red a book a while back, Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin. I was very impressed by it. I was planning on getting the sequel. But you know how sometimes publishers will print sneak peeks of forthcoming books in the last several pages? Usually I don't bother with those, but I was bored and read this one. And the main character, who I was able to identify with so well, (really she was probably one of my favorite fictional characters) is married and has a baby at the start of book 2. GAAHHH! Why? That was exactly the reason I liked her so much! Because in the first book she didn't have time for that crap! And please, don't think I'm against marriage or having children, it's just not something I want (and have never wanted, even when I was a little girl). It seems that no matter how strong and independent a female character is, it always Always ALWAYS ends up being a theme, that you can't ever be happy without a man in your life. Okay, you've had your outing in The Man's World, now go back to the kitchen and raise babies. It fucking PISSES ME OFF. And it was written by a woman! For once, I'd like to read about a female character who is strong, intellegent, witty, but still feminine (which is not the same as "sexy") and NOT have her end up in a committed relationship with "the one".

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Ugh, I was eating when I read the puke story. Thanks for the warning.

Bloody cats. I lost an hour or so of sleep last night when Leon came meowing at the bedroom window to be let inside. I was so tired but my brain came awake and I started thinking. Always death to sleep. Grrr.

Is it the biggest female fantasy to be intelligent, independent, confident, sexy etc. AND be a mother? I'm not saying I don't understand what you mean or sympathise - and for a long time I felt exactly the same way (guess I mellowed?), but why does it have to be one or the other? Either/or? Why can't we be/have both? Why is one a sacrifice of the other? That doesn't seem fair to me!

I can handle that kind of stuff in literature when I know it's probably going to happen. But I was blindsided by this. I mean, okay, she fell in love in book 1. But there wasn't any indication that it was going to lead to marriage and a baby! There are those of us who never marry or have children. We exist! We're not many, but we are here. I just want to see that represented in fiction for once.

And yes I'm still very young. Possibly too young to know what I'm talking about? I never fantasized about my wedding, or imagined myself married with kids. When I was little and I pictured my future, I was always single. I had tons of animals, dogs and cats and horses, and a nice house and everything, but I never imagined myself with a partner. Maybe that doesn't really mean much, but it seems like every other little girl planned her dream wedding and had a dream husband and all that. *shrug* Maybe I will meet Mr. Right one day and be married, but it will be an act of fate and not through my own doing.

There're definitely some nasty double standards. Women often feel like they've failed at being a woman, and are made to feel guilty and lacking whatever they do. Oh you got married and settled down to raise kids, you must really lack ambition and possibly even intelligence, and aren't doing anything to give women a better name in the workplace. Oh you chose your career over having kids and settling down, you must be a real bitch. THAT makes me mad!

I hate weddings. I know I'm planning one but it's not going to have much in common with what people consider weddings to be. I've managed to miss all 6 weddings I was invited to since 2002. I think that takes real talent don't you? I never fantasised about "the perfect wedding" etc - even at a young age I thought that was pretty shallow. Bugger the wedding, what about the marriage? A perfect wedding doesn't mean the marriage will be perfect!

That kind of rant? :)

I wasn't saying that I don't respect women who choose that path for their lives. And I most especially don't think any less of you because of your decision. After all, the world would be up Shit Creek without mothers who feel called to be just a mother and or wife. It's just that I don't like being made to feel, I don't know, left out or abnormal for not wanting what everyone else wants. And it's not as if I choose to not want it; the desire just isn't in me. In fact the idea of living with someone--forever, bothers me in a very fundamental way. And having my own children is a subject that fills me with dread. I don't want that level of responsibility.

But does every book have to have a romantic element? Can't I have a heroine who has a job, does it well, and that's it? No boyfriend or mysterious stranger who is sexy as hell? I really thought that was what I had in this book, at least at first, since all the other male characters were unavailable for various reasons.

I'm 100% agreeing with you, if that wasn't clear before. Just wanted to add my own peeve :)

Personally, I'm a real sucker for some romance. I think you have to read "literature" to get books with interesting women characters who aren't pining for a man or whatever. But even then there'll be relationships. It's, well, it's a pretty integral part of being human so it's not surprising so many writers write about it. I wouldn't expect much of it in crime/mystery-type books though.

I wouldn't expect much of it in crime/mystery-type books though.

Well, there was that too. She was trying to track down someone who tortured and murdered children.

Hmmm, tortured and murdered children and romance, definitely not a good mix! It'd be a bit inappropriate really, wouldn't it.

I think you'd like Three Bags Full.

I have no idea how I missed this post today. That sucks about your bag. I used to be the guy in a long trench coat and fedora until the shootings at Columbine forever tarnished the image of anyone in a trench coat. I still have the coat, but it is old now and it has lost its orignal lustre.

Also the cat vomit story tells me that you shouls have remembered just who is in charge of your life. ;)

BTW, your rant is very poignant. As a fan or romantic comedies, I realize that the two protagonists are going to end up together in the end, and I am okay with that. However, as a fan of sci-fi and horror films, I am often annoyed by the same principles that seem to require the female heroine to end up with the strong man, lest her hubris cause a nasty end to her life. I was always a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (which featured a strong-willed woman), who kept pining over guys. I liked the idea of a woman being the strong character, but then she would sit around whining about being alone. It seemed to me that her worth throughout the show's seven seasons ended up being too dependent on the strong men in her life; thus negating her heroic qualities.

(I would reference books about strong female characters, but I have not read any of late; except Friday by Robert Heinlein...andFriday was obviously a female character written by a man).

A trench coat and fedora? Classy. And of course, the cats in our lives are ultimately the ones who end up running them. Really it is easier that way. Word to the wise, when/if you get a cat, don't bother fighting it. They always win.

--Okay this is too retarded not to share with you. The maintanence person's office is right next to mine, and she listens to her voicemail on speaker phone. She has a message from a tenant who wants to place a work order to repair her window, which she broke while trying to kill a fly. Um. I think that bill is going to fall on her, not the homeowner. Sheesh.

What can I say, I'm a classy 1940's detective sort of guy. ;)

So this person who left the message broke a window and wants someone else to pay for it? Makes a whole lot of sense after severe blunt trauma to the head. Currently, I am snickering about that one. Later on, I may be howling with laughter...it is still early. :P

Yeah, property management and commercial are all jumbled together in the same office. The property management people are a lot nicer. I wish I was working for them. :( The job has begun to suck even worse, in case you wanted to know. So far today I have wrestled with the printer, gone to Office Depot, and wrestled with the printer again. And the internet went down twice while I was trying to post this reply and I lost everything I wanted to say.

The boss was in this morning (he's been gone the last two days) and he was not as impressed at my progress as you were. I said to him, I told you I couldn't type (in as polite and contrite a voice as I could manage). I considered messing up on purpose in front of him, but decided that would be laying it on a bit thick. Then I messed up in front of him. Not on purpose. -_-

Ouch! Making a mistake in front of your boss is never a recipe for fun. But what is he going to do, fire you and have to train someone else over the next two days? He sucks, and you can quote me on that.

I'm sorry that your job right now sucks so much. *hugs*
Although if I were in your shoes, I would treasure the Office Depot runs. Whenever I go to the post office for me work, I stop by a gas station and get a cup of coffee, and sing aloud to the rock station the whole time I'm driving.

If you make work chores into a party, you will have more fun. (Plus you are finished soon. Just keep smiling and thinking about how you are so close to doing what you want with your life!)

*sigh* Except Office Depot is only about a mile away. And I discovered that Office Depot makes about as much sense to me as Home Depot. I have to make Home Depot runs for my dad sometimes, and this was about as much fun.

I get the feeling the boss-man has a very low opinion of my intelligence. The fact is he's only around when I screw up or have to admit I don't know how to do something, and never when my ingenuity shines through (as in, I had no fucking idea how fix any of the shit I've had to fix, and yet I still figured it out. Hell, I even managed to bring back the correct ink cartidge. On the first trip!) And it's not as if I volunteered for the job in the first damn place.

But then again, I don't have a very high opinion of him either, a guy who gives me a task, knowing full well my knowledge of this office and it's procedures is negligable, and then takes off, leaving me to muddle through it on my own. Plus he just looks funny. I swear to God he has no ass. I think it must have migrated to his belly.

Images of a migrating ass are floating around in my head. Rather disturbing imagery, I might add.

If Home Depot is so close, then there really isn't time for a dance party in the car. Sadly that is one of the aspects of my job that I enjoy the most...yeas my job has some perks. I mean I am sitting here typing responses on LJ much of the day...when I should be working.

Plus who cares what the boss thinks of you? You know you are intelligent, right? Your cats know that you feed them and are sometimes easy to control through brute force? Not to mention your LJ friends are always ready to be wowed by your rants and pulled in by your sense of humor.

What else do you need in life?

Images of a migrating ass are floating around in my head. Rather disturbing imagery, I might add.

Now that is what I expect to see when I click on a link that says "disturbing images". :P

Well, since I am no longer typing into Excel, I haven't got anything to do. And, oh, by the way, I cannot for the life of me figure out to get the labels to print from Excel into Word via the mailmerger. I really really tried, and asked the paperclip and everything. So I'm going to ask the people at the residential office if they know how to it; maybe it's just my lack of knowledge, and not that the labels will not print, thus rendering all my work in vain.

And hey, you're right, I don't give a fuck what he thinks of me. Although I know my other, "real" boss likes me, and she is the best boss EVAH. Seriously, I have no complaints about her. I know if future employers contact her about hiring me (which needs to happen soon) her report will be glowing. I really am good at my other job. I don't hate it quite as much as this one, but at least I have one other person that I can make faces at whenever I have a dumbass on the line. Part of what's so terrible about here is I am so alone. Except for the real estate agents, who, when it comes down to it, are sort of my bosses too.

Having multiple bosses is simply no fun. Too many people expect you to know how to do their work...and that is not the way of the modern world. (Give me Brave New World or give me death!)

I just found out that by showing my boss how to do my work for the end of the month closing, I can (sadly) stretch 2 hours worth of work into 6. This would be fine with me if I were not more interested in what my Internet friends are up to with their lives. At least I am out of here in 10 minutes. I sort of cannot wait...I just finished my final "big event" at work and now I have nothing major to accomplish between now and when I leave...except maybe for making that handbook thing. Blargh!

Random note: I need to learn how to underline and such in my replies...my vocabulary is so "active" normally, and without the ability to italicize, my words are just kind of lazy.

Well, it showed the commands in the preview. I shall try once more.

To italicize, you put around the word you want to make all slanty and sexy.

Same with bold and underline .

And to link to another user the command is <lj user=" their name here, close the quotes and brackets. Well it didn't work that time either. Just look up the FAQS and it should have it in there somewhere.

Edited 2008-07-24 21:01 (UTC)

Gah, see the effects of bad HTML? I won't even bother trying to fix it this time. If comments could be posted rich text then I could show you, but then again I also wouldn't need to.

Ah yes, I believe I have seen those commands before. I shall attempt to use them this weekend...once my brain functioning returns. (I just now returned from the airport/shopping. I left my house at 6:50 AM and returned at 9:50 PM.)

Edited 2008-07-25 02:02 (UTC)

Word on not wanting what everyone else wants. I personally want to be married someday, and I'm open to the idea of kids, but I want these things on my terms.

The Shadow War trilogy by Chris Claremont has one of my favorite strong female leads: Elora Danan, all grown up from the movie Willow. She does get a boyfriend or two, but no settling down.

Oh, nice rec. I mean I don't mind occassional boyfriends, I've had those (okay, one) myself, but every relationship doesn't have to lead to marriage.

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