http://www.examiner.com/x-2593-Modern-Love-Examiner~y2009m3d28-The-toxic-witch-wears-two-faces-in-life-and-in-love-but-here-is-how-you-can-spot-and-avoid-her
The subject of this article, the Toxic Witch, is ever so reminiscent of a few unnamed women at Fest. Renaissance Festival is one of the most accepting places for people of all backgrounds to hang out together: that accepting attitude unfortunately seems to be a magnet for the unstable of both sexes. Occasionally the visibly "issued" will show up: men looking for girlfriends in the WAY too young age category, ex-girlfriends who follow around their former lovers and hang outside their booths making everyone uncomfortable...
But the worst are the women who purposly befriend couples only to attempt to break them up later. The ones who try to get in the man's pants while he's drunk at the bar after hours only to tell the S.O. all about it the next day, or spread insidious rumors to anyone who will listen. These women are so pathetic, they do it just to see if they have the power to create drama and trouble between a couple. Many a man has been on the receiving end of these rumors, and quite a few relationships weren't strong enough to withstand their efforts.
Fest is just like high-school: rumors fly like mad and gossip provides entertainment on the hot days. Befriending one of these women only brings out the pain-in-the-ass factor, and unfortunately it can take a little while to get the TW radar working properly to avoid trouble. But it does start working eventually, and just like any other bully in life: the more you ignore one of these raging bitches, the sooner they go away.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Child Brides
An article on the BBC dated 3/13/09, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7926263.stm, never made it to US newswire.
In the past two years, 6,000 children have disappeared from one region of India alone. One region. Caylee Anthony disappeared, a single child, and she was all over the news for months. Her mother is still in the news as her trial nears, yet 6000 missing children in another country don't make the media here. The police in India say most of the children missing probably eloped. Excuse me? I wasn't aware a six-year-old could "elope." The article reads like a horrible Indiana Jones Temple of Doom thing: where are they all going? Who's taking them, and why doesn't anyone seem to give a damn at all? I noted the missing are predominantly poor children: because their parents don't have enough clout with law enforcement to make a big enough fuss? Or because a poor family has working parents, working children, and no one to watch out for the smallest members 24/7?
6,000 children in 2 years. That's 250 every month. 250 elementary schoolers vanishing into thin air. I wonder what sort of attention that would get in the US, the UK, France?
In Saudi Arabia girls can be promised into marriage at any age, although their much-older "husbands" are supposed to wait until puberty to consummate. Consummate: there's another word right up there with elope. Most girls hit puberty at about 12: is that the proper age to "consummate" their marriage with a 40 year old man?
In California a man was arrested for SELLING HIS DAUGHTER into marriage to pay a debt. he doesn't understand what the big deal is: in his home country it's normal behavior.
Things are bad in the world these days, there's no denying it: economy is slipping toward oblivion, people are losing jobs, homes, vacations, bonuses, cars, THINGS. And while Americans are up in arms over AIG bonuses being stolen out of the taxpayers' pockets, 6,000 children missing are classified as foolish kids who eloped by their own police force.
Where's the attention? Where's the outrage?
In the past two years, 6,000 children have disappeared from one region of India alone. One region. Caylee Anthony disappeared, a single child, and she was all over the news for months. Her mother is still in the news as her trial nears, yet 6000 missing children in another country don't make the media here. The police in India say most of the children missing probably eloped. Excuse me? I wasn't aware a six-year-old could "elope." The article reads like a horrible Indiana Jones Temple of Doom thing: where are they all going? Who's taking them, and why doesn't anyone seem to give a damn at all? I noted the missing are predominantly poor children: because their parents don't have enough clout with law enforcement to make a big enough fuss? Or because a poor family has working parents, working children, and no one to watch out for the smallest members 24/7?
6,000 children in 2 years. That's 250 every month. 250 elementary schoolers vanishing into thin air. I wonder what sort of attention that would get in the US, the UK, France?
In Saudi Arabia girls can be promised into marriage at any age, although their much-older "husbands" are supposed to wait until puberty to consummate. Consummate: there's another word right up there with elope. Most girls hit puberty at about 12: is that the proper age to "consummate" their marriage with a 40 year old man?
In California a man was arrested for SELLING HIS DAUGHTER into marriage to pay a debt. he doesn't understand what the big deal is: in his home country it's normal behavior.
Things are bad in the world these days, there's no denying it: economy is slipping toward oblivion, people are losing jobs, homes, vacations, bonuses, cars, THINGS. And while Americans are up in arms over AIG bonuses being stolen out of the taxpayers' pockets, 6,000 children missing are classified as foolish kids who eloped by their own police force.
Where's the attention? Where's the outrage?
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Recruitees Beware: AppleOne
I've been working very diligently on finding a job in Florida so hubby, dog and I can relocate from the tundra to a beachier clime. I have an unusual experience/skill set and am smack-dab in the middle of experienced manager and fresh-from-college: in other words, I'm in a position that a recruiter may have a better time finding me something than I could find myself.
Therefore, I was ecstatic when I found four, count them FOUR perfect-for-me jobs in Orlando that are through, you guessed it, AppleOne.com recruiters. So I followed their instructions, spending hours loading all the information into their website that you can find on my resume anyway (apparently a resume just isn't sufficient). Then I set up a mandatory interview at my local office.
Local office promptly called to tell me they only recruit for local jobs, and to get a job in Florida I'd have to contact the FLORIDA offices. Only you can't GET an interview in Florida if you AREN'T LOCAL. That's right folks, a monumental catch-22 that they don't bother to list on their website. Anywhere.
I wasted hours of my time, posted all my resume info on a website I no longer want it posted to, and argued with a stupid rep who insisted that NOBODY in the recruiter industry handles relocation positions. Bullshit honey, that's how most people with experience get jobs out of town: they go through recruiters. Get your facts straight before you lecture someone who clearly knows more about your job than YOU do. I'm still irked, and I'm waiting impatiently for them to pull my info from their site (which I requested she do immediately). If it's not off by the time I'm done with this post I'll send yet another strongly-worded email and call about the situation.
Ugh.
Therefore, I was ecstatic when I found four, count them FOUR perfect-for-me jobs in Orlando that are through, you guessed it, AppleOne.com recruiters. So I followed their instructions, spending hours loading all the information into their website that you can find on my resume anyway (apparently a resume just isn't sufficient). Then I set up a mandatory interview at my local office.
Local office promptly called to tell me they only recruit for local jobs, and to get a job in Florida I'd have to contact the FLORIDA offices. Only you can't GET an interview in Florida if you AREN'T LOCAL. That's right folks, a monumental catch-22 that they don't bother to list on their website. Anywhere.
I wasted hours of my time, posted all my resume info on a website I no longer want it posted to, and argued with a stupid rep who insisted that NOBODY in the recruiter industry handles relocation positions. Bullshit honey, that's how most people with experience get jobs out of town: they go through recruiters. Get your facts straight before you lecture someone who clearly knows more about your job than YOU do. I'm still irked, and I'm waiting impatiently for them to pull my info from their site (which I requested she do immediately). If it's not off by the time I'm done with this post I'll send yet another strongly-worded email and call about the situation.
Ugh.
Monday, March 09, 2009
Reviews
1. Watched The Watchmen on Saturday afternoon. Hmm. To remove all spoilers I'll just say that the extra hour of unnecessary gore (no really, it didnt' move the story along AT ALL and was just ishy for the sake of as much blood as possible) is an hour I'll never get back. However, the story itself was pretty good...dark, but good. I left feeling very angry and stirred up for quite a while, which while uncomfortable is still better than leaving a movie feeling like brain cells were killed during the viewing. Oh, and I seriously want to know if Dr. Manhattan is computer enhanced. If not...well well.
2. Just finished the Obsidian Trilogy (The Outstretched Shadow, To Light a Candle and When Darkness Falls) and the first two books of the Enduring Flame trilogy (Phoenix Unchained and Phoenix Endangered). All five are co-written by Merecedes Lackey and James Mallory, and for any fan of complex, earthy, unforgiving fantasy I highly recommend them. The characters multi-faceted and flawed, the history is rich and full of background, and the evil is well, evil. It's excellent, and neither author is shy about putting the characters in impossible situations or causing harm and death. The only drawback is the second trilogy isn't finished, and neither author's website has any further details. Argh!
2. Just finished the Obsidian Trilogy (The Outstretched Shadow, To Light a Candle and When Darkness Falls) and the first two books of the Enduring Flame trilogy (Phoenix Unchained and Phoenix Endangered). All five are co-written by Merecedes Lackey and James Mallory, and for any fan of complex, earthy, unforgiving fantasy I highly recommend them. The characters multi-faceted and flawed, the history is rich and full of background, and the evil is well, evil. It's excellent, and neither author is shy about putting the characters in impossible situations or causing harm and death. The only drawback is the second trilogy isn't finished, and neither author's website has any further details. Argh!
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Spring Fever and Frustrations
It's March. Yay for weather that finally cooperates with my idea of the melty season.
And along with that, my itchy feet have become restless again, as they do every year around this time. My review is done, my "bonus" will be here by mid-month, and all financial ties I have to my current job are now exciseable, if necessary. So my eyes are wandering to possible greener career pastures, especially since I'm finding it pretty difficult to get the editing business up and running. Slow going, but persistence will pay off eventually: I'm certain of it. In the meantime, I'm trying to focus all that energy on finishing creative writing projects (and start them) and edit THOSE for submission.
I'm still having plotting issues. But I'm taking a writing class on Saturday and hope to get some tips on, well, how to be mean to my characters. I have this weird problem where I don't want to do anything too horrible to them. Stupid, and boring! But there you go...my characters' lives can't be as bland as mine, or nobody (including me!) will ever want to read about 'em.
Hmm...what sorts of evil doings can I get my Banshee up to in the next few days? Plenty, I'm sure...I forsee some death approaching...
And along with that, my itchy feet have become restless again, as they do every year around this time. My review is done, my "bonus" will be here by mid-month, and all financial ties I have to my current job are now exciseable, if necessary. So my eyes are wandering to possible greener career pastures, especially since I'm finding it pretty difficult to get the editing business up and running. Slow going, but persistence will pay off eventually: I'm certain of it. In the meantime, I'm trying to focus all that energy on finishing creative writing projects (and start them) and edit THOSE for submission.
I'm still having plotting issues. But I'm taking a writing class on Saturday and hope to get some tips on, well, how to be mean to my characters. I have this weird problem where I don't want to do anything too horrible to them. Stupid, and boring! But there you go...my characters' lives can't be as bland as mine, or nobody (including me!) will ever want to read about 'em.
Hmm...what sorts of evil doings can I get my Banshee up to in the next few days? Plenty, I'm sure...I forsee some death approaching...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)