Scary enough for Halloween

Today while reading this I found this wherein I found the following statistics:

Teen pregnancy rates decreased 29 percent for blacks and whites in the 1990s, compared to just 19 percent for Latinas, according to one group's research

Teen Pregnancy is dropping clear across the board--sometimes faster, sometimes slower. How do we fight this frightening trend? Not only the trend, but the insistent and wrong-headed view that it's somehow a good thing for the nation! When will the national dialogue deal with the complexity of teen pregnancies instead of treating any and all knocking-up of teens as one and the same thing?!

Happy Halloween: I fear I may be breaking the new catching trend in long names, but am quite certain I can't think of anything worth titling.

That's pretending that "titling" means to make a title of.

I am so happy it is Halloween. I love it. Though Spencer may think it trite, I think the date deserving of a little Edward Gorey tribute. After all, he is No. 1 on my list of cross-generational lovers.



He was pretty much obsessed with Dracula. (And the New York City Ballet and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but I'm trying to be particular.)



Have a Happy Halloween.

So, to avoid studying I went on a crazy internet journey which is always fun. I went from a guitar parts website to a surf band in LA of guys in their

50's who only play double neck guitars to this other guy's website who does things like this:


and this:

and one more so there are 3 and harmony:

I find them all delightfully disturbing.

Happy Halloween! I'm sad I won't be at the party.

http://www.JimWoodring.com

In the Spirit of really, really long titles and doing things other than that which is vital to my progress in this mortal life, I submit to you the fr

uits of a very special search I did in preparation for next year's "Snakes on a Plane" blog-buster, "Elephant Riding Space Cowboys." Yep. It's just what it sounds like. Here are some possible scenes from this futuristic romp back to the days of the Wild West like you've never seen it before!!



So... start spreading the word on that blog-o-sphere, dudes.



























Our hero, JR, as a baby.

I really should be doing homework as it is already a day late and I have a conference with the dean's fellow in less than an hour, for which I have...

prepared nothing. The title thing wouldn't let me put the full title on there. That sucks. Here's another Chindogu invention I think could be useful.

So I read some things on the group page that I'm curious about. Was Joni embarrased by something Spencer did? What was it? What is this romance story Hillary and Kim are writing about Claire and Spencer? What's the capital of Algeria?

Anyway, things here are okay. I've been very unmotivated the last couple of days which isn't that good. I've decided I'm no longer reading for Torts this week which was a liberating experience, though that could prove a bad decision in the end (I don't think it will).

Also, I've eaten about 5 BLT's in the last few days and they've been really good. Wheat bread with a thin spread of mayo, brown sugar bacon, a thick slice of tomato and a few leaves of green lettuce, not iceburg, but the real kind. It's quite a tasty little sandwich. Other foods named after famous people: Beef Wellington, Peach Melba (and Melba Toast), Fetuccine Alfredo, Cobb Salad, Beef Stroganoff.

On an enitirely different note, I'm tired of meeting new people and having nothing to talk about. I've decided small talk is stupid and I don't want to do it anymore. I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to do, but I welcome any suggestions. I've thought about not talking to anyone, but that path only leads to loneliness and ending up like this guy - which I don't want.

Chindogu

Yes, I guess it's finally time to share my love of all things Japanese. While reading an article about how Japanese fashion designers are creating portable vending machine suits and purses that transform to look like manhole covers--also an interesting article, check it out here--I found this craze called Chindogu which you might enjoy reading about. Don't miss how Chindogu means "Weird Tool" and not "Penis Tool," nor the equally entertaining "Tenets of Chindogu" and the different Chindogu they have on display. Is it not neat-o? Check it out here.

Simpsonized!!!

Simpsonize Me

Yes that's right. You can finally find out what you'd look like in the Simpson's Universe. All you have to do is submit the right pic and voila! You're a Simpsons character. Here's me...

http://simpsonizeme.com/

For to photo

Liz and I have talked. We want more photos on this blog. So, to start off what I hope becomes a very common indulgence by all parties with in-computer cameras or enough resolve to put pictures from cameras onto computers, I give you myself.

Part 1. Bess at home on cold and windy night without heater.





Part 2. Bess a la Renaissance



I look forward to your offerings, whether they be of the self or others.

Love,
Bess

Victory!

So, I work with several different employees from the PE department, known only as "PE Person" because of their bristling personalities. I think that they have all been taught in staff meetings to be cold and unapproachable and to reject all offers of friendship. So I sit here, day after day, in complete silence with one of them for hours at a time. The silence is only broken when the boyfriend of one of them comes in and they go into the back area and make out among the hanging sleeping bags and I hear them giggling. Some days I get here before PE Person and log onto the computer, turn on music, etc. On those days, PE Person comes in and looms over me for a few minutes without a word, trying to figure out what to do with herself if she can't surf the internet. If I ever get up to go to the bathroom or to do some work, within five seconds PE Person is in my seat and moving my stuff out of the way without a word. I tell her at times that she can turn the music down if it's disturbing her studying and she says "No, that's okay." But when I leave the room and come back, the music is invariably turned off.
Today I'd had enough. I got here first, logged in, turned on music, and sat...just waiting. When PE Person got here she loomed and then flounced to the other chair, not knowing what to do. After a few minutes she got bored enough that she actually spoke to me and asked how long I would need the computer for. I told her that it would be a while, that I was working on my statistics homework and needed the internet. This apparently stumped the poor little passive-aggressive soul (not that I can really criticize anyone for that at this point) and she left to go to the computer lab. To capitalize on the moment, the computer labs closed shortly thereafter for devotional. She had to come back and sit and stare into space for the next hour before heading back to the lab. I can't help but feel very proud.
I really probably ought to add that much of my animosity comes from the fact that various PE Persons have been in charge of this room and equipment for the past few years and none of them seem to have done anything. The room was disgusting, the equipment was dirty and damaged, and I spent my first few weeks just cleaning while PE Person sat and surfed the interweb. On one of the rare occasions when one of them spoke to me, she said "I'm so glad you're cleaning. It's so gross in here, I haven't been able to bring myself to touch anything." So they sit and do nothing, and get paid more than I get paid. Even the smallest forms of revenge are sweet. As Rachel said "Take the bitch down!"

Baby's New Tooth

My mom says I can't play with airsoft guns anymore. Guess which front tooth is partially fake, after being shot out of my mouth by an airsoft-wielding, tooth-destroying, non-weenie, semi-crazed England and Literature 2007 student.