I hate Easter

Nope, actually I don’t. Of course, we don’t have an Easter bunny here and our Easter isn’t for another month but I am still waiting for my university replies and although it has only been two weeks I am slowly going crazy here. I hate waiting! I don’t even know if Easter is to blame but I have to blame something so yeah…there you go. And while I’m on the subject it is such a rip-off that I never had an Easter bunny! Kids these days get presents…why didn’t I? If I was lucky I got new clothes and some chocolate. I want a basket full of cupcakes and chocolate, I love chocolate, I deserve chocolate! We don’t even have a Tooth Fairy. I was supposed to throw my teeth over a house so that a crow could get me a new one. Yeah, a crow. And it didn’t even bother to give me some money. Nope. Just a new tooth. That sucks. I'm sorry, that was my opressed childhood coming out there for a minute. But you have to agree that no chocolate is just a cruel punishment. I want chocolate and a reply, pretty please! Ugh…I never appreciated before the awesomeness of only having to wait 3 or 4 days for a university reply. I should have stayed were I was(actually, not really since it was utterly boring and crappy and useless but I am getting anxious). And the weird part of it all is that I don’t even care if they say yes or no(ok, maybe just a little). I just want to get it all over with!

So pretty please make up your damned minds and send the nice Romanian girl a reply before I start trying to reproduce the Guernica on my wall! Or building a city out of matchsticks. Or something equally time consuming. Anyone care to teach me how to knit?

And another thing: I have started watching Gilmore Girls, yet again(please don’t mock). I only made it to the 3rd season last time and got depressed because I knew Jess was going to leave(don’t mock this either) so now I am watching the 4th season and I’ve discovered, much to my shock, that I am missing a DVD. Where did I put it? Has anyone seen it? Pretty please? I have scoured every last bit of space and I cannot find it. But I did find a paper clip in my wallet(Why was I looking in there?). I am sure I have never seen this paperclip in my life and I have no recollection of ever getting a paper that came with a paperclip, much less a light-blue one. This is a unfair trade and I want my DVD back!

Happy easter to all those celebrating.

What do dentists have to do with forensic science?

I’ve mentioned here before that when I grow up I wanna be a forensic scientist. Fingers crossed they take me. Well, my family thinks it’s completely wrong for me because…wait for this, ok?…I am afraid of dentists. How in heaven are those two even remotely related? What does the fact that the thought of a guy poking and drilling in my mouth makes me hyperventilate have to do with my ability and willingness to be around dead people? Am I the only one missing the connection here? (I’ll completely skip over the fact that the only clue they have about what forensic scientists do comes from CSI. Only my bro has a slightly more reasonable idea. Dad has no clue what that is but smiles and nods and tells me not to marry a Brit.) And while I’m on the subject: nope, my decision to do this has absolutely nothing to do with CSI so stop bugging me with that question, will you? Yeah, yeah, I never heard that one before! Oh my, you’re so smart and clever! Jeebus, every time someone asks me about my university choices and I tell them they feel like it’s their obligation to make a CSI comment. Trust me, it got old long time ago. Although the funniest comment I got on the subject was years ago, when I was thinking of going into forensic psychology and my cousin(and he’s one of the bright ones in the family, god help me) asked me if I had visions(remember Profiler?).

Yeah, it’s make fun of Addie in my house. Complete with baby stories because maybe my future sister-in-law hasn’t heard them all. Get out bro’s baby pictures, will you? After all, she’s marrying him, not me. And when we’re not making fun of me(seriously guys, stop!) it’s wedding planning time. If I make it through this weekend without killing them all or getting wasted it will be a miracle.

England is not far enough. How much for a house on Mars?

Strangest vacation spot

I have taken the voluntary task of writing about a given topic, once in a while. I’m not the only one and if you look left you can see links to other people’s blogs, people who are doing the exact same thing. So here it is, today’s topic: Strangest vacation spot.


When I started thinking about this post I was sure I had nothing. I’ve never been in a former prison converted into a hotel. I’ve never climbed Mount Everest. I’ve never spent the night in an ice hotel also. But to be honest…how many people have? So, I ran the list off places I remember going to through my head and this is what I came out with.

I have been in a rather eccentric Woodstock wannabe. Actually I go there every year. It’s fun, free and you can camp on the beach, right next to the sea. It doesn’t get any better then that.

I have been at the ruins of an old castle, high up on a hill. Didn’t care much for the climb there but the view was amazing. I have also been at the ruins of another castle, this time much closer to the city. Civilization takes the fun out of pretending you’re ancient. Or at least medieval.

I have been in way too many cemeteries. I have a cemetery fetish. Ok, that came out wrong. I like looking at the pretty graves. Not much better, isn’t it? I’ll just drop this one.

I have been stranded in the middle of absolutely nowhere while at summer camp. The closest village was 7 km away and we walked that every other day for smokes. Yeah, we weren’t very bright. There was also absolutely nothing to do there. I don’t have very fond memories of that one.


Someday I might expand on some of those stories because they are worth to be told. But the winner is…the Parisian catacombs. It starts simple enough, a passage beneath the streets of Paris. You can see the marks on the bricks and the street signs of the streets above you. And then you enter the ossuary. It is such a surreal experience to walk through literally tens of thousands of bones stacked up neatly against the walls of a narrow tunnel. There is a nice history lesson here but I will keep history-freak-Addie in her box and not bore you with the details. The things that impressed me the most: the sense of humor the people who stacked them had. There is a skull with 2 bones crossed beneath it. Argh, matey! There are crosses-ok, maybe that’s not funny- and, my personal favorite, skulls arranged so they formed a heart. Yeah, you read that right. A heart. I know I said this once but it was so amazingly surreal and yes, a little creepy.






"In peaceful sleep rest great people."

Ok, time for yet more rules!

I seem to need lots of new rules lately. Here is another one:

If you DO NOT know what you are doing, please DO NOT try to do it!

As some of you know I occasionally have the pleasure of fixing computers for friends/family/random people who have got my number from the first two categories. I don’t mind, I make some money out of it, everybody is happy in the end. I can’t fix many things but I can deal with the basics. But the process sometimes involves so much unnecessary head banging it makes me want to strangle the week’s idiot. If your computer is doing something weird and you don’t know how to fix it then don’t try. There’s no need to do that thing you’re trying to do. If you have a virus then what the heck are you doing in BIOS? Yeah, those are my favorite kind of people. I swear, people being stupid and thinking they know what they’re doing cause three quarters of the things I have to fix. Oh, and also:

I KNOW what I am doing. You DON’T! DON’T try and give me advice.

You called me for a reason, remember? That reason is that you have no clue what’s happening. Yes, I know you’re a genius. Trust me, you’ve made it very clear that you are really good and smart and awesome. But I’m the one with the hands deep inside your computer or typing away here, so please let me do what I have to do. If you’re so smart and feel the need to tell me how to do the job you’re paying me to do then why the fuck didn’t you do it instead of getting me away from my comfy chair? Your advice will only make thing worse. Nope, I really don’t need to change the BIOS settings to get rid of your virus. Yeah, that weird thing your computer is doing is because of a virus. Which brings us to rule number 3 for the day:

If I ask a question, DO NOT lie to me!

I promise I won’t call the cops on you. I can sign a paper stating so if you want. I’m not a professional and even if I were I still wouldn’t care. You can do whatever you wish. But don’t tell me you got a virus by browsing Yahoo and Google, ‘cause I won’t buy it. Yeah, I’m not an idiot. At least give me the benefit of the doubt and tell me a guy sent you an attachment and you were an idiot and opened it. But no one will believe you got a virus from Yahoo. It’s like telling your doctor you have no idea how you got an STD because you don’t have sex and you don’t even touch other people. Being the computer chick is just like being a doctor. People try to treat themselves, lie to you and then try to give you advice. And before I go away, here are a few of the conversations that inspired this post.

“My computer was doing this really weird thing.”
“Uh-huh…What weird thing?”
“Well, there was this message and it was making a weird sound and just acting crazy.”
“Uh-huh…that sounds like a virus.”
“Yeah, that’s what I figured so I went into BIOS and…”
“Wait! You did what???”
“I started the computer and entered BIOS.” Muttering about how I have no clue what I’m doing and do I even know what BIOS is.
“Why did you do that?”
“Well, that’s how you fix things. Are you sure you can fix it? You don’t really look like an expert.” I wonder how I was supposed to look. Must I have zits, glasses, weigh a ton and be a WoW addict?
“Yeah, I’m sure. Can I ask why you didn’t use an antivirus?”
“Oh…well, it’s easier in BIOS.”
Please note my self-restraint and the fact that I didn’t start yelling “How in God’s name can you debug a computer in BIOS? Call Bill Gates, you are a genius!”
“Nope, actually you can’t do this in BIOS.” I swear, some people think that BIOS is the answer to every problem. It’s magic! “You should have used an anti-virus. You can buy one but there are a few free ones, blah-blah.”

Can someone make computers idiot proof? Next on our list and the reason for rule 3.

“I think I have a virus.”
“Does seem so.” Running the anti-virus and swinging happily in the chair. I was having a good day, he hadn’t tried to fix it himself.
“I don’t know how I got it, I never go on those websites.”
“And what are those websites supposed to be?” Hey, I never said I’m not taking pleasure in this. “You know…those with naked women. I stay on Yahoo.”
“Only Yahoo?”
“Sometimes Google, but I never go on those websites!” Please note that I never asked how he got the virus, at any point in the conversation. I know viruses, adware and spyware happen. It’s the way of the Internet.
“Uh-huh…did you open any attachments lately?”
“What are those?” I’ll take that as a no.
Blah-blah further on.

Another one, this time on the wonders I’m supposed to do. I must be a magician! I got a call to go and install a new DVD-ROM. I get there, unplug everything.
“Can you get me a screwdriver?”
“What for?” Well, I could have said I need it for my special ritual. All hail the Goddess Screwdriver!
“Uh…to open the computer.”
“Oh…do you have to do that?”
“To install your DVD-ROM? Yeah…I kinda have to.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“But can’t you just…I don’t know, tape it or something?”

Goddess Screwdriver, smite thy idiot! Yet another one:

“It’s not working, it’s not working!”
“What were you doing before it stopped working?” She hadn’t even let me turn on the computer at this point so here come the completely unnecessary questions.
“Nothing.” Remember rule number 3?
“Ok. When did you notice it stopped working?”
“Today when I got home from work.”
“And last time you opened it it was working fine?”
“Yeah.”
“And does anybody else have access to this computer?”
“No.”
“Ok. Let me see what I can do.”
“But can you fix it?”
“I can try.”
“You don’t really look like you’re good at this.” Again…how am I supposed to look?
“Well, if I can’t fix it then I can call someone else who will, ok?”
“Oooookaaaaay.”
I open the computer and see that Windows wasn’t starting because it was trying to boot from the CD-ROM and not from the hard-drive. In the meantime the happy midget was yammering on and on in my ear how “can you see? Can you see? It’s not working!” Open BIOS and try and venture a wild guess as to who had set the primary boot device to the CD-ROM and forgot to add the hard-drive anywhere. And you wonder why it didn’t boot from a Sims CD… I change the settings and wonder of all wonders it starts!
“How did you do that?”
“I changed a setting. Why did you start BIOS? And why didn’t you tell me?”
“Well, the last guy did it and I thought I could make it work better.” Goddess, smite this one as well, will you?
“Yeah…ok. That will be double-the-amount-of-money-I-was-going-to-ask-for-originally.” What can I say? Stupidity is costly. Maybe next time she’ll remember not to poke around places she shouldn’t.

Do I have to tell you about the time someone asked me to install Windows XP on a computer that could barely function with ’98 because “she only knows how to work with XP!!!”

Yeah. People are stupid. Don't try to fix your own computer if you have no clue what you're doing.

100 facts

I read a lot of blogs, mostly blogs of strangers. It’s the 21st century way of peaking from behind the curtains. Yeah, I’m nosy like that. My favourite blog was that of a New York waiter. Sadly, he quit his job and it got boring. But I’m straying away from my point. One of the blogs I read has a post of 100 facts about the blog writer. Now the title becomes clear, doesn’t it? So, I decided to write 100 facts about myself. It took me almost 2 days to complete.


1.I like things that smell like bubble gum. Shower gel, body lotions, pretty much anything that smells like bubble gum.
2.I like to buy products that smell nice but I rarely use them.
3.I get excited by new stuff and get bored in 1 to 5 days. Few things have lasted longer.
4.I smoke and I don’t want to quit.
5.I drink coffee.
6.I drink Coke. I will choose Coke over Pepsi any day. I think people who drink Pepsi just don’t
know how to enjoy life. I think that people who can’t tell the difference between Coke and Pepsi have no taste buds.
7.I believe everybody has the right to choose when it comes to their lives and their bodies. Yes, this means I am pro-choice and proud of it.
8.I have been in boys’ dorm rooms that were cleaner than mine. I like my mess, thank you very much, and will not clean unless I am mad, extremely bored or am having a cleaning fit.
9.I cannot stand my bathroom or kitchen to be dirty. This does not apply to dishes which I don’t mind doing but I will leave be if I don’t feel like it, sometimes even for weeks.
10.I would have liked to work in advertising.
11.I think I am funny. Most people disagree.
12.I learn every year how to tie a tie knot. It takes me 10 to 11 months to forget this information and then I look online and learn again.
13.I also drink tea. I prefer green, black and peppermint.
14.I like peppermint things. Tea, ice cream, chocolate and that’s just what I can think of right now.
15.I am mildly dyslexic. It gets worse when I am stressed. I lost 0.5 of a point in a math exam because of this many years ago and I still haven’t gotten over that fact.
16.I dislike having to wake up early.
17.I dwell on small things.
18.I will sometimes beat myself up for stupid things I did years before.
19.My left eye is different because of a surgery I had. Until 2 years ago it was the first thing I noticed every time I looked in a mirror. Now I have to focus to notice it. It hasn’t changed. I have.
20.I dislike wearing make-up because it makes my weird eye more noticeable.
21.I’ve never had a good idea of what I want to do with my life. When I was 7 I wanted to be an astronomer. I wanted to be a journalist, computer tech, doctor and so many other things.
22.When I was 8 or 9 I announced that I wanted to be a writer. No one took me seriously. They still don’t. In the meantime I discovered that I lack talent.
23.I am competitive.
24.I like to win.
25.I like red wine.
26.I will drink if I want to drink even if I am alone in my house. This doesn’t make me an alcoholic.
27.I have watched all the Gilmore Girls seasons many times. I can still laugh at the funny scenes and I still cringe when a moment I hate comes along.
28.My favourite Survivor contestant was Andrew Savage, from Pearl Islands.
29.Yes, I watch Survivor. I dislike all other reality TV.
30.I like warmth.
31.Oddly enough my favourite seasons are fall and winter.
32.I like snow. It makes me happy. When the first snow of the year falls, I’ll be outside.
33.I prefer dogs to cats but I can appreciate the commodity of owning a cat. I had one, they’re much less maintenance. Dogs are friendlier.
34.I have made many bad dating decisions. I don’t regret them.
35.I would never in a hundred years date again most of the guys I dated in my teens.
36.I like to drink from the appropriate glass for every drink. I can’t drink wine from a wrong glass.
37.I like drinking out of bottles. Even wine.
38.I can be bitchy. I enjoy it.
39.I am polite. I say “please” and “thank you”.
40.The fact that I am polite does not mean that I like you.
41.In fact I dislike most of the people I meet every day.
42.I have been tested and I have a high IQ but I will not share the number.
43.However, I take pride in that number.
44.I have long hair and yes, I am aware that it would take much less time to take care of it if it would be shorter. However, I like my hair long.
45.I am not and have never been religious. I dislike most forms of organized religion.
46.I like colors, I just don’t like the way they look on me. That’s why I wear mostly black clothes.
47.I think Macs are cool but I wouldn’t like to own one.
48.If I have to choose something, prettiness will factor in. I like to have pretty things.
49.The fact that I am bad at something will most likely stop me from trying it again. This does not apply to pool and writing.
50.I don’t eat dairy. At all. Except for chocolate milk.
51.Fast food is a blessing and I would eat it every day.
52.I am lazy.
53.I am a night person.
54.I have been an insomniac for a long time. I will not take any pills for it because, frankly, I enjoy it.
55.If I could pick any city in the world to live in it would probably be London, followed closely by New York.
56.I will avoid walking unless I am on vacation.
57.I would like to go to Japan only to be able to travel in a Maglev train.
58.I can’t drive. I’d like to learn.
59.I’d also like to learn to ride a motorcycle.
60.I love Pringles.
61.I don’t eat breakfast.
62.I can’t touch type. This makes me sad.
63.I don’t understand the cuteness of penguins. I think they’re ugly.
64.I play backgammon. In fact the game I play most now is a backgammon game.
65.I used to be a gamer-chick and I was really good at most games. I got bored about 3 years ago. Despite that, I never got the appeal of shooters.
66.I usually carry a book with me when I go out. Even if I go out drinking. It’s especially fun if I have to wait in line and I whip out a 4-500 page book or one with a really dirty cover.
67.I also carry a notebook and pen with me most times. Inspiration strikes at the most random times.
68.I have a pentacle ring. I got bored of answering idiotic questions so I stopped wearing it.
69.I used to be a rocker-chick. It makes for good stories of my fun youth. I still have fun, though.
70.I can never remember the difference between “loose” and “lose”. I’ve tried a million different ways. I’ll usually read the sentence out to see if it makes sense. Also, I usually get it wrong.
71.I’ve wanted a pair of Docs for 5 or 6 years. I hope I’ll get one this fall. I probably won’t take them off ever again.
72.I like movies with happy endings but I have weird ideas of what a happy ending is.
73.I love crappy horror movies and watch every one I can because I get to make fun of them
74.I love watching snooker. I suck at pool so I have no chance of being good at playing.
75.I don’t like plush toys. Despite that, I have a big bag filled with them under my bed. The dangers of being a girl, I suppose.
76.I am not sentimental and I lose most of the things that most women keep for years and years. I once forgot a love letter I got(long story about that one). I also lost a ring I got for Valentine’s Day many moons ago and I’ve never kept a flower in a book.
77.If I need money I will usually find some on the street. Never much but enough.
78.The only romance book I like is Jane Eyre.
79.I’ve been told I’m an expert at eye rolling and sighing. I practice a lot.
80.I love smileys and use them constantly.
81.I will go to extensive lengths to find a great gift for someone because I love getting good gifts.
82.I hate waiting for anything.
83.I don’t give random gifts. But I do like getting them so feel free to send me something ;)
84.I don’t drink unsweetened stuff. I usually add 2 teaspoons of sugar in my tea or coffee.
85.I’d like to have a vacation house in the mountains somewhere or in a small French village.
86.I have romantic views of small French villages. I don’t wish to know the reality. My imagination is much better.
87.I don’t like cutesy pet names. I have a name and I like it. I also have a nickname that I like. Are those 2 so hard to remember that you have to use a cutesy thing? There is only one that I don’t mind.
88.I am blunt.
89.I will answer most questions honestly unless I feel it’s none of the asker’s business. I won’t answer questions about my age, though. I don’t have a problem with it, I just think it’s incredibly rude and most people need to learn not to ask that. Next time they might get a person who does mind.
90.I am cynical and enjoy it.
91.I generally enjoy most of my flaws. If I didn’t I would probably work on them.
92.My only make-up must have is lip balm. I also usually have a black eye pencil around my purse. I have used one to write something down in the past when my pen stopped working.
93.I could never collect anything. I find collecting in general utterly boring.
94.I have quite a few metallic boxes and I will buy almost anything as long as it comes in a metallic box.
95.I have one perfume that I like. There might be others but I haven’t found them yet. It’s Miracle by Lancôme. Fell free to send me one as well.
96.I will lie thru my teeth and with a smile on my face to get out of trouble. Because of this I rarely got in trouble when I was a kid. I’m really good at it.
97.I can’t stand small purses even though I never carry lots of things with me. It must at least fit a big book. I would take a messenger bag over one of those tiny purses any day.
98.I love input, both positive and negative. I can take critique well, as long as it’s founded.
99.I like change. I like to move. I sleep on my pullout couch once a month because I get bored of always sleeping in my bed.
100.I like French music. In fact, this list was written on an Alizée and Patricia Kaas musical background.

I made it to 100. Pfew! *relieved sigh* If you read that big list you are my hero. Can you write yours? My infinity dare still stands. I'm even offering a cookie bribe.

Do I have to pick?

I am driving myself batty. I’ve been known for my lack of ability to make decisions. Hell, I freely admit that it will be a cold day in hell before I can decide on something without questioning myself at least twelve and a half times. Don’t get me wrong, there are some things that I can pick in a second but others…hmpf. And for the last few days I’ve been thinking of a topic for this particular blog entry. I’ve typed 5 and three quarters paragraphs, all on different subjects, ranging from Lost to my bout of melancholy and let me tell you…it’s hard to be indecisive. So I thought I’d leave you with two questions before I go on my merry way.

What is the appeal of Lost? Because, seriously, I seem to be the only person on this planet who doesn’t get it. Please explain, because I am lost(and please pardon the pun).

Could you write a list of 100 facts about yourself? I was inspired to try and do so by a post in another blog. And let me tell you, it’s harder then it seems. I’m at 60 something right now. I might post it, I might not(but to be completely honest I will probably post it because I post pretty much everything that flies thru my ity-bity brain). But could you? And how much does that list say about who you are?

I’m going away now. I have a bunch of crappy movies I rented yesterday(and one is worse then the other) that I must watch. But before I go…I dare you to try and write that list! I double dare you! I infinity dare you! I’m going a bit overboard here, aren’t I? I still dare you!


Ta-ta, grasshoppers. *waves* I’ll be back soon enough.

No!!!

Listen up, Hollywood! You are not allowed to make another remake. Nope. Not now, not ever. Go back to make useless sequels and prequels but no more remakes! You’ve destroyed…pretty much every movie you’ve ever remade. While I get remaking J-movies because, let’s face it, most Americans can’t follow a subtitle you’re no longer allowed to remake great movies. Shall I remind you of Psycho? Dawn of the dead? House of wax? The wicker man? The omen??? You’ve ruined every movie you’ve remade. Why didn’t you figure our by now that it’s a bad idea? Well, now, ladies and gentlemen, the power at be have decided to remake Rosemary’s Baby!!! Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!

And if that’s not bad enough, the guy in charge of the project is Michael Bay. You know the guy that believes that every scene of every movie must have special effects and that has already ruined Texas Chainsaw Massacre and that at the moment is destroying A Nightmare On Elm Street. Dear lord help me, I’m gonna go Unabomber on his ass!