I have at most half an hour before my next subject comes into the lab so I thought I would rant. I read an article this morning that said 1 in 7 voters are still undecided about this presidential election. Seriously? What have these people been doing for the past year? Haven't they taken even a little bit of time to see what the candidates' positions on issues are? I am an Obama supporter, and I've already voted, but I respect the points of a McCain supporter as long as he/she has thought them through. The voters I hate are people who don't really pay any attention to the debates or the issues and just decide who they want to vote for in the booth. These are the jackasses who voted for Bush in 2000 and 2004 because he seemed like the moderate candidate.
I think that if you haven't made an intelligent decision about who you are going to vote for then you shouldn't vote at all. Our political system was not put in place so everyone would be forced to vote, whether they've made up their minds or not.
Another thing that pisses me off: the Proposition 8 in California. Why is it anybody's business if two gay people get married? I don't understand how anyone could oppose that except for prejudicial or religious grounds. Will gay marriage mean that honest, god fearing husbands will fag out and marry other men? Probably not. Will it lead to the destruction of our country because the birth rate will go down? With only 10% or so of the population likely to be gay, that's not going to happen.
Saying gay people should not be married because it would make someone feel uncomfortable is like saying two Black people shouldn't be married because Black people are weird.
And religious beliefs? Since when did this country become a theocracy? This is not going to deplete the numbers of blank-eyed religious swooners who pack the churches every Sunday. Damn christians think their religion is being attacked by this, but this is just another lame reactionary response from a group that is not under any threat.
So, don't be stupid. That's the lesson for today (because for some reason I've begun extolling people on virtue). And, happy Halloween.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Sunday, October 26, 2008
New Ghost Cake episode: Spooky Stories
My latest show is up on iTunes: ghost cake. Or, you can find it on lordshipslimbs.blogspot.com
This episode is about local ghost stories. Most of them are about the pioneers, but there is one more recent story. I also conduct an EVP session. That stands for Electronic Voice Phenomenon and people say it is audio proof of ghosts. The ghosts supposedly say things that only a recorder can pick up. If you search for EVPs in Google you'll find some good ones. If you live in Utah you can look at the Utah Ghost Organization at Utahghost.org. They have all of the investigations on the site, with pictures, videos and EVPs. It's fun to look at.
Leave questions or comments here.
This episode is about local ghost stories. Most of them are about the pioneers, but there is one more recent story. I also conduct an EVP session. That stands for Electronic Voice Phenomenon and people say it is audio proof of ghosts. The ghosts supposedly say things that only a recorder can pick up. If you search for EVPs in Google you'll find some good ones. If you live in Utah you can look at the Utah Ghost Organization at Utahghost.org. They have all of the investigations on the site, with pictures, videos and EVPs. It's fun to look at.
Leave questions or comments here.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Hating on the Accent
I'm preparing the next story I want to produce for The Unbodied. I'm not done with it yet but I wanted to make one of the characters British or Australian, just for fun. I thought it would add another dimension to a show with only two or three actors. I wanted to practice an accent so I went on Youtube to see if there were any instructional videos. I watched several, including ones that had nothing to do with accents and one video made by a huge queen, and I noticed something interesting. Most of the comments were pretty disparaging ones left by British or Australian people. I will admit that most of the accents weren't too good, but the comments seemed pretty cruel.
I think maybe those leaving the comments were offended that Brits and Aussies would be stereotyped. I know there are several different accents in Britain alone, not to mention the rest of the anglophone world. It could also be that British people are sick of Americans thinking they can speak with an accent and just using a cockney one. It would be like assuming all Americans speak with a heavy Southern accent or something. I'm doing that in my head right now...
This is a video of a guy trying out an American accent. Like British or Australian accents, there are tons of instructional videos on how to speak American English. They mostly teach standard American, which sounds like a reporter or something. For the most part I found their information to be accurate, except for one video that claimed Americans never pronounce the t in nt words, like can't or tint.
It seems like Americans are much more interested in trying to do a British accent than the other way around. Most American commenters actually found accents sexy. In fact, I think most people watching the American videos are from non-English speaking countries who want to move here and don't want to feel like such a foreigner. I almost feel bad thinking about a person losing their accent, but it's not like it's a distinct language or something.
I think maybe those leaving the comments were offended that Brits and Aussies would be stereotyped. I know there are several different accents in Britain alone, not to mention the rest of the anglophone world. It could also be that British people are sick of Americans thinking they can speak with an accent and just using a cockney one. It would be like assuming all Americans speak with a heavy Southern accent or something. I'm doing that in my head right now...
This is a video of a guy trying out an American accent. Like British or Australian accents, there are tons of instructional videos on how to speak American English. They mostly teach standard American, which sounds like a reporter or something. For the most part I found their information to be accurate, except for one video that claimed Americans never pronounce the t in nt words, like can't or tint.
It seems like Americans are much more interested in trying to do a British accent than the other way around. Most American commenters actually found accents sexy. In fact, I think most people watching the American videos are from non-English speaking countries who want to move here and don't want to feel like such a foreigner. I almost feel bad thinking about a person losing their accent, but it's not like it's a distinct language or something.
Friday, October 17, 2008
New Ghost Cake episode: The Unbodied Debut
Here's another episode I've put my heart and soul into (or, if I believed in souls it would be in there). For this episode I wrote and directed a radio play. A horror radio play. I was inspired by those old radio programs from the thirties and forties that would come out with scary stories every week, or sometimes every day. They would have a diverse array of stories. Sometimes they would be predictable but sometimes they would be so entirely weird and offbeat that it made up for the conventional ones. I think horror and science fiction was (and still is) an arena to develop offbeat ideas. It can often be a mirror, reflecting societal values in a different light.
I don't really deal with any flawed societal mores but I did have a great deal of fun making this show. I had to come up with actors and make sound effects. It was difficult to put together but I enjoyed it. I might do at least one show like this every month. I was also considering having a section of the show be devoted to bizarre and unique locations in Utah. I think most of the people who listen to the show are from Utah, but maybe others would be interested in that sort of thing.
Yeah, go take a listen to the show on iTunes by searching for ghost cake. If you don't have iTunes you can get it direct from this site: lordshipslimbs.podomatic.com.
Let me know what you think about it.
I don't really deal with any flawed societal mores but I did have a great deal of fun making this show. I had to come up with actors and make sound effects. It was difficult to put together but I enjoyed it. I might do at least one show like this every month. I was also considering having a section of the show be devoted to bizarre and unique locations in Utah. I think most of the people who listen to the show are from Utah, but maybe others would be interested in that sort of thing.
Yeah, go take a listen to the show on iTunes by searching for ghost cake. If you don't have iTunes you can get it direct from this site: lordshipslimbs.podomatic.com.
Let me know what you think about it.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Fall Fell Too Soon
Indeed. This time last week it was beginning to get colder, and just yesterday it snowed. Not just a little bit either, enough to cover the ground. To make matters worse, the radiators have been very conservative in their doling out of heat. According to said radiators, it isn't necessary to be warm in the middle of the night. Or most of the day, for that matter. The thermostat is controlled by the people living downstairs, so I hope they decide to stop messing around with it so I don't have to wear a coat all the time in my apartment.
Fall has crumbled. It is way too early for the weather to be this cold. Leaves are still on the trees! At least this year I am ready for the change. I got my spiffy new coat a few weeks ago and the decrease in temperature has enabled me to test out the warmthness of it. Check. I picked up some new gloves at Savers, along with some sweaters, and they are warm. Check. I even have several scarves to use and hats. This year when I see old man winter doing his thing, I'm gonna kick his ass.
This is my favorite time of year. I like the changing of the colors. I think the oncoming of Fall would be much less dramatic in other places, especially big cities, because here the mountains burst with orange, red and yellow this time of year. It's like a ticker tape parade for the outgoing summer. I also like this time of year because the days get shorter and the light gets dimmer, perfect for a creepy Halloween. And layering clothes is always fun.
I don't know if this means the coming winter will be colder than usual or if it's just a freak storm that blew in, but I hope we have a few more crisp Autumn days before it gets really cold.
Fall has crumbled. It is way too early for the weather to be this cold. Leaves are still on the trees! At least this year I am ready for the change. I got my spiffy new coat a few weeks ago and the decrease in temperature has enabled me to test out the warmthness of it. Check. I picked up some new gloves at Savers, along with some sweaters, and they are warm. Check. I even have several scarves to use and hats. This year when I see old man winter doing his thing, I'm gonna kick his ass.
This is my favorite time of year. I like the changing of the colors. I think the oncoming of Fall would be much less dramatic in other places, especially big cities, because here the mountains burst with orange, red and yellow this time of year. It's like a ticker tape parade for the outgoing summer. I also like this time of year because the days get shorter and the light gets dimmer, perfect for a creepy Halloween. And layering clothes is always fun.
I don't know if this means the coming winter will be colder than usual or if it's just a freak storm that blew in, but I hope we have a few more crisp Autumn days before it gets really cold.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
My Quiz from QuizYourFriends.com
A funny quiz, except I effed up the last question. The correct answer is the DI but I accidentally put Abercrombie and Fitch. I hate that store.
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Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Another Reason I Love Japan
These videos are pure gold. I guess they are intended to teach Japanese girls English. I don't know who picked the scenarios for the videos...
Working on a new show. Should be good.
Working on a new show. Should be good.
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