Thursday, April 26, 2012

State of my Union 2011-2012

Another year has gone by for me and this year, like every year, has been full of change. Change is one constant in my life and while I would like things to stay the same for a while, I know this is a bad wish. My faux big sister, Kim, tells me that I do things (devilish things) when I get bored and I need things to keep me occupied. So while I would like some constancy in my life I know this may not be the best thing for me.

The year was full of good and bad things with several events being in both categories. One of the big things is that I am employed for which I am grateful. While my current positions are not ideal they are bringing money in. The work is not guaranteed and I want to find a position where the work is steady. Education may not be the best place for assured work right now.

I moved again which should come as no surprise to anyone. Moving is one thing I do on a regular basis and I am growing weary of it but I do not know how to set down roots or to find some place that I want to stay. People are always amazed/confused that I have never found a place that I wanted to stay or could not easily leave behind.

A roommate threatened to kill me and burn down where we live. It was not done in a joking manner. He was completely serious as he yelled this at me. The fact I was not killed does not encourage me to think that it will not happen. I imagine one day he will snap even if it is not with me.

I attended several comic and anime conventions over the past year. This allowed me to create blogs on my experiences, meet many great new people, take many photos of cosplayers and see the work of artists I would not have experienced otherwise. I imagine I will meet many more people over the course of the year if I continue to attend conventions. Being able to afford them can be a issue since I do not live near any that I wish to attend so transportation and hotel accommodations are required.

I have started listening to the Carolyn and Joe Show. This is a podcast by two comic creators I met during the year. They read viewer questions at the end of each show and I have contributed several so Carolyn dubbed it "Al's Corner." http://carolynandjoeshow.wordpress.com/

I spent another year with my cats. Blackberry will be nine years old soon and time has just flown by. It seems like just yesterday I was adopting a little 5 week old ball of fluff. My other cat came into my life when BB was 5 and I realized he needed a friend. I went and adopted another 5 year old so they would be the same age. Fortunately the two accepted each other and there is no battle royale going on.

Some things have stayed the same over the course of the year. I am still unmarried (women exercising their choice), not hanging out with other people for multiple reasons (one being my schedule of job hunting and actually working), reading a good deal (but not as much as in previous years) and researching a great deal of topics.

One of my main goals is to attend the large convention in Atlanta later this year. This depends on several factors such as money (okay, it is really only one factor). I have been hear about this convention for years and I think this is the time for me to go.

I have no idea what to expect over the next 12 months. I hope it is not the same as the last 12. I want to find a career. I want to become better at photography so I can do justice to the people I meet at the conventions. I want to making friends that want to talk to me on a semi-regular basis. Maybe the last one is wanting too much. There are many more wants out there but those are neither here nor there.

All in all I am not pleased with this year. While I have met some interesting people in my travels during the year I also saw some long time friends move on. I wish they were still willing to talk to me but things have changed. I have seen my financial situation worsen due to the limited employment. My roommate situation was mentioned before and it is an uncomfortable living environment. I hope this year is better and sees me gainfully employed by this time next year.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Open letter to Jennifer Love Hewitt

Miss Hewitt,

     I am glad to see that you are starring in a new TV series. I watched the first episode that aired on Lifetime last night. It is fantastic you are back on television again. It gives me something to watch. Of course, being that this is television for women, there was a good deal of time spent showing off muscular men in various states of undress which is not something I wanted to see but nothing is perfect.

     I have watched everything you have done and while I am not going to say that I love you (words like that can really get a person in trouble especially if they have never actually met before) I do enjoying seeing you on the big or small screens.

     I empathize with your recent statement about not being able to find someone as you mentioned in a recent article in "TV Guide". I understand what that feels like. You need to find someone who can accept and appreciate your quirky nature. Perhaps you should stating looking outside of California and look someone who may live a little further away. I would suggest my own state but I do not want to be that forward.

     I say quirky with all due respect. You bought Matt Damon a bed. That is not something most people would do for someone they have not met. You are very open with your life such as discussing how you have bejeweled yourself. You stand up for yourself in the media when people dare to criticize your body (which they should not be doing as no one has a perfect body). You use Vanilla as a perfume. Instead of using it to make food, you dab it on your neck. This might explain why people are always exclaiming "Cookies!" around  you constantly. For all those reasons and many, many more, you have gained my attention and admiration.

     The new series comes from a TV movie you also starred in. I wonder how many changes you will make from the movie to the series. I hope to see the likable character that has become your trademark. You were likable even in the movie "Telling you" with that little trademark sound you made every time you spoke. I just hope that you will not end every episode of "Client List" in tears as you did in "Ghost Whisperer." I say this not to be critical but so that you will not be repeating parts of one series in another.

     I imagine you will never see this letter which may or may not be a good thing. I would like to meet you but that is not likely. I plan to continue watching your luminous presence on the screen. I say luminous as a trait you displayed in "The Audrey Hepburn Story."

A devoted fan,

Al

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Virginia Beach tragedy

Yesterday a F-18 crashed into an apartment complex in Virginia Beach, VA. The pilots ejected before the crash and the plane tore into the center of the apartments.
The interstate and roads leading to this area were closed down yesterday as emergency people struggled to contain it. One person observed that this could have been much worse if the plane has crashed into the interstate.

At this point they say there are no fatalities. This is miraculous if they are correct. A miracle if no one was actually in that complex when the plane bore down on it. They (not sure who they are exactly) are saying no one died so they want us to believe that there was not a single person in that building in the middle of the day. This would be fantastic if it turns out to be true. It would be one for the record books. A plane crash and no one died in it (especially in a populated area).

There were many witnesses to this event and, while I was not one of them, they all said they saw people running from the crash but did not see anyone emerging from the buildings. I can not begin to imagine the horror of seeing a plane bearing down on you.

I have to imagine this is going to take a huge psychological toll on many people.

There will be other ramifications to this as well. Of course the military will have to pay to repair all the damage done to the physical structures but what about the emotional ones?

A coworker brought up a good point. He mentioned this could the end of the military in Virginia Beach. The military is looking at closing several bases and this could be the motivating factor to do so. If the base is shut down many more problems will arise for Virginia Beach.

Virginia Beach has two major industries. The military and tourism. Losing the military would be devastating. Lost the second, tourism, as well and it would be catastrophic. Virginia Beach would mainly cease being what it is now.