Beware the Traffic of Friday Rush Hour!

"What took you so long?" was the first thing I heard as I walked in the door tonight. On my way home I ran into problem after problem. Fate was surely out to get me.

First, I forgot my car keys in my office after I had already walked to my car. Second, once I was in my car I remembered I needed to stop for gas. On my way to the gas station, I was slowed down by the rush hour traffic, but it was worse than usual because there was a car accident. Once I finally got to the gas station all of the pumps were taken and I had to wait for one to open up. When one did open up, would you believe that when I went to pull into the open pump an Audi sped in to the gas station, cut me off and took the open pump! I had to wait 10 more minutes for another pump.

After I got gas I debated whether I should take the freeway or drive on the local streets to get home. The freeway can be faster, but the local streets usually have less people. I don't know what I was thinking because I decided the take the local streets, and boy was that a bad idea! I hit almost every red light in between the gas station and home.

When I finally did get home, it had taken me a whole extra hour beyond what it usually takes me to get home! Geez! I will never forget my keys, stop for gas, or take sides streets ever again! It's a sprint from the office to home down the freeway for me from now on out!

I suppose the only good part of the whole thing was that when I had to go back for my keys my coworker gave me a rose out of the bouquet of flowers she had received that day!

Review: Blood the Last Vampire (2000 Anime Movie)

Blood the Last Vampire has received high reviews. Let's see what I think...

So far in the first five minutes there has been no dialogue. The first dialogue is to set up the plot. The mail character seems to be a young girl, named Saya. One cop says not to piss her off as she is the "only remaining original." Original what?

The next scene introduces a suicide and an American military base. There is a school on the military base and the main character Saya is provided with a uniform and she will attend the school. Her provided reasons for attending the school seem to be a cover for her real reason for being there. Saya is always observing her classmates around her.

She seems to latch on to two girls, one of which is looking pale and weak. When the girls go to the nurses office, the night of the Halloween party, Saya trails them, and when the sick girl sits up from the bed looking to attack the nurse, Saya attacks the girl instead. The girl turns into a Demon and Saya kills her. The other girl fights with Saya before running off into the school, Saya's sword breaks, and the nurse is traumatized. Saya runs leaving the base, grabs a sword from an antique store and returns to the base just in time to save the nurse from another Demon that showed up. The nurse asks Saya why she saves her and Saya givers her a gun. When Saya admits that the gun will not kill the demons, the nurse asks, what's the point then. Saya says it's so that she can kill herself before the demons get her.

Saya and the nurse end up in a hanger, where they fight the demon. The nurse gives up and goes to shot herself, but Saya tells her not to, telling her, The sword Saya grabbed turns out to be a fake, but Saya's partner provides her with a new sword. A third demon watches from the roof and takes off flying into the sky. The nurse faints, and Saya chases after the flying demon. Saya kills the flying demon.

When the nurse awakens, she finds that all evidence of the previous nights activities and Saya have disappeared. She wonders if Saya is still out there continuing to do what she has been doing.

..this whole sequence of events only lasts 45 minutes and then the movie, it just ends.

I suppose I would have been satisfied if there were more story, or set up, but the whole movie seemed to be simply an introduction. I was expecting so much more and went it ended, my friend and I both exclaimed exactly the same thing, "really, that's it!?".

The animation was pretty, the music was good, the voice acting was adequate, but sadly the story line was severely lacking! For me, plot and characters are my two favorite aspects of storytelling. The characters are a huge factor, and perhaps the only reason I wouldn't give the movie and entirely negative review.

I suppose I don't need to know more, but I certainly want to... who/what is Saya? It is not answered here. What is the group she is working for? Who is her partner? What will Saya do next? (And because we've focused on this in my writing group recently) What does Saya want?

In the live action movie version of the same story, the movie lasts for 1.5 hours so there is more time for story. And actually the live action movie has an decent, conclusive ending.

The live action movie follows a similar plot line as the anime movie, but also provides a motive for Saya to fight the demons and there is a character, such as the nurse, who can chronicle the events and provide and external opinion on Saya and her situation. I prefer it.

Really the anime movie is a short snippet of a much larger story.

"For sale: baby shoes, never worn."

Hemingway once wrote a story in just six words: "For sale: baby shoes, never worn."

This "story" was mentioned to me today. The first four words take on a world of meaning once you read the last two words. First there is a sale, then there are shoes, then there is a description of those shoes, however, description implies the reason the shoes are sold. There once was a happy purpose for those shoes, however, now there is no purpose for those shoes, and this is sad.

Doesn't the story have more poignancy before I explained it?

I can accept that these six words count as a story. Then I wonder, could I do it too? How could a person write a story in six words? Hemingway is a master--what are my skills to him? Although, I am certainly going to try. Watch me!

Okay, let's start. Six words and there needs to be a deal sealer. Something sad, or happy? Let's try both! I think a sad six word story would be easier. Hemingway's story is so poignant.

I know you didn't want to die.     opps! Seven words...

Sorry you thought I didn't know.     ...better, but no umph!...

Sorry you died from my knife.      ....okay, okay, this one I can live with!


But now let's try to write a happy one. I think this would be harder because sad things tend to be more poignant than happy things.

Together we make the perfect match.               okay, but no zing...

To make a world, be together.                          hmmm.

Love's the only word I need.                      yeah, but I cheated and used and apostrophe.

Love is how we speak together.                 ooohhh I like this one.

Can you do it? Write a happy six word story?

Sleep Disorders and Parasomnias: Nightmares

Nightmares are vivid nighttime events that can cause feelings of fear, terror, and/or anxiety. Usually, the person having a nightmare is abruptly awakened from REM sleep and is able to describe detailed dream content. Usually, the person having a nightmare has difficulty returning to sleep. Nightmares can be caused by many factors including illness, anxiety, the loss of a loved one, or negative reactions to a medication. Call your doctor if nightmares occur more often than once a week or if nightmares prevent you from getting a good night's sleep for a prolonged period of time.

From WebMD.com

I often dream and remember. Much of the time, I wouldn't clasify those dreams as happy per say, mostly somewhere in the middle, or weird, or nightmarish. However, I didn't know that nightmares were classified as a sleep disorder. I took them as normal. You dreams are unconscious--how could you control them or "fix" them as if they were a negative diagnosis?

I hold that dreams are made up of your fears and desires, colored by your daily life. If nightmares are negative and require a cure, then the only way to cure a nightmare would be to cure all the negative things that happen to you during your waking life. 

Then again, it is not possible to cure all the negative things that happen to you in your waking life simply because you do not have control over all of these things. In this case, the theory that your dreams are a reaction (and somewhat of a balm) to those things in your waking life that may bother you, then that means that dreams are a cure or a coping measure for those things in your waking life that you cannot handle or do not know what to do with.

There are those who say that when they are working on a complicated problem (let's say a computer code for instance) that they were mulling over it and thinking about it all day, but could not come up with the solution. That night they dream about the code and solving the problem that was stumping them. Then, when they woke up, they solved the problem with ease.

I would rather think that my dreams, whether they be happy or stressful or downright awful, served some purpose for me. I would rather find a usefulness in my dreams. Even if they are difficult, nightmares help me to face those fears during the day, that I have no choice about facing at night while asleep.

Facing ones fears at night in dreams helps one to recognize those fears during the day and face them with more strength than would otherwise be mustered if said fears had not been dreamed of.

Kinect UFC Trainer: For Guys... and Girls?

Lately I've been using the Kinect game called UFC Personal Trainer. Now I've heard that UFC has been marketed toward women as well as men. And there is a girl exercising on the cover of my box:

However, I wonder why there are no girl trainers? I understand that the three trainers: Mark DellaGrotte, Greg Jackson, or Javier Mendez are leading mixed martial arts (MMA) training experts. Sure, great! But I'm sure the game designers could have found a female leading mixed martial arts trainer.

I would find myself more able to immerse myself in the game if my on-screen trainer were of the same gender. The trainers encourage you with phrases and complete the exercises alongside you. It's more motivating and fun to exercise with a friend than a guy.

~Signed, A girl

*I have no real problem with this game, it's great for exercising!

Monster Making: Good vs Evil

I attended a "Monster Making" party last night hosted by one of my good friends. She had scoured the clearance section of craft supplies and come up with about 30 packs of iron-on monster kits for t-shirts. I started with this kit:

 From there I thought I'd just make a cute girly monster--something I could wear on a casual Saturday. First I cut out the body from the sheet and ironed it on to my t-shirt. Then I went back to the drawing table to design the rest. Which eyes would I like? There are at least 6 options on this sheet alone, and I had access to maybe 30 sheets and 6 different designs. What would I do for hair? Did I want bows? Antennas? Which mouth would I use?

As I was designing and considering my many options, my friend mentioned that she would use more than one sheet and give her monster a front on the front of her shirt, and a back on the back of her shirt. I really loved that idea, but didn't want to be a total copycat--I wanted to think of something similar but not identical. What could I design that would be both opposites, but yet the same? Then it hit me, eureka! I would make the monster on the front of my shirt "good" and the monster on the back of my shirt "evil". I am quite pleased with the turn out. Here are my results:

Teen Mom: Scraping By vs Passing with Flying Colors

The past couple of days I have been catching up on the Teen Mom episodes that I recorded on the DVR. The current episode I am watching is a special about the young dads. I have watched many episodes of Teen Mom, and yet I still find myself surprised by it. It can be easy to just say they're stupid kids making stupid choices; however, life is not always that simple. For most of the young parents, much of their stress seems exacerbated by the situation and they continue to make decisions and act in ways that, to the viewer, appear naive and thoughtless. However, at times, there are those who can find some perspective, even if it comes at some cost. 

The couple on Teen Mom that actually gives me hope because they're young, but wise, is Tyler and Catelynn. One of the young dads, Corey, who has two twin girls, says  "before you do something, think about the consequences" to which Tyler agrees "you really gotta think because you not the only one who has to suffer has to suffer in a bad situation, when this happens, you know it all comes back to those kids."

This statement exemplifies that Tyler has a certain clear perspective on the situations that is not mired down by stress like many of the other young parents. Tyler and Catelynn are unique and perhaps an anomaly, in that they 1. were teen parents who gave their child up for adoption, 2. stayed together, and 3. are thus far succeeding in all they put their minds to, whether that is finishing school or getting jobs.

So Teen Mom started out as a guilty pleasure for me to watch where many of the girls were train wreaks, you know, where you can't look away? But now, I find myself watching because, yes, I want to see the drama, but more so because I want to root for those two who make hard decisions, but can still find the silver lining for themselves and together.