Viggle Me Not

A while back I started using Viggle. I’ve gotten a couple of gift cards from them and they’ve had a big selection in the past including Sephora, Barns & Noble, iTunes, CVS, Old Navy, Gap, Best Buy, and, come Christmas last year, Amazon. The last time they had gift cards this year was before September.

If you look at their homepage, they still advertise gift card offers. I wrote them to ask why the gift card page was consistently empty. I got no response. This isn’t shocking since they’re customer service skills rival Verizon.

Viggle complete a bid update and for over a week, didn’t even have a section for gift cards. When they finally brought it back, they had the same one for a flower website. It was the only gift card they’ve had since the summer. I believe that’s called false advertising. 

If that’s all they’re going to have, they have nothing I want. Why should I waste my time on a perpetually problematic app if they no longer have anything I want? I suspect they only brought that section back because so many people complained and threatened to leave. I’m also skeptical if they’ll ever add anything worth having. I’m at least giving it until January to see what happens.

Music: Pink and Glitter by Tori Amos

Good in Goodbye

I know someone, Bella, who was very in love with her boyfriend, Edward. They’d been almost 2 years and things were serious.

Edward’s lease was up in the spring and they had talked about moving in together. They had discussed wedding plans with both families and hoped to do it in 2014. The bridesmaids had been chosen and number of children discussed. Bella didn’t buy any plane tickets home (1,000 miles away) for Thanksgiving or Christmas because they were doing the holidays with his family (VA). She called him her Prince Charming. A lot.

Bella had a big work project that was very stressful and hectic. She'd been working on it for months. The day after it was over Edward broke up with her.

If there were problems, no one ever knew about it, possibly not even Bella. She was completely blindsided. The day before they’d been discussing Thanksgiving plans. My heart breaks for her. She not only has to grieve over a lost love but a lost future she was promised.

Despite the pain she’s in now, I have no doubt she’ll be better for it. Life has been very good to her so she hasn’t had the experiences that break us down and make us grow. I think she will learn a lot, especially about herself, and be stronger for it. When she finally gets to happy again, I have every faith she’ll meet someone who will deserve her.

Edward was never the perfect boyfriend. He dragged his feet about committing because he wanted to keep dating other people. While stringing her along, Edward neglected to mention this to Bella. He would make jokes to be edgy and shocking. It was never anything but awkward, especially for Bella. While Bella thought he was handsome, she was kind of it. Edward was definitely dating up.

I’m in a weird place because I’m not that close to Bella. I’d like to do something but I don’t know what. At the very least I’ll send her a nice note. I'm sending good juju her way.

Music: Good in Goodbye by Carrie Underwood

Pop Star Fail

Whilst looking up info regarding Kelly Clarkson’s pregnancy I came across an interview she did with Time. While I'm still happy for her that her personal life is perfect, she just plummeted in my estimation.

When it comes to music she’s a bit more ballsy but apparently the only definition for feminism is “Get out of my way, I don’t need anyone” and she loves being taken care of by a man “who’s an actual leader.” The bottom line is “I don’t believe what the word feminism stands for”

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, there is more than one version of feminism! I am so unbelievably sick of celebrities publicly getting it wrong and constantly bashing a word they can’t be bothered to try and understand.

Most pop/country stars are taught a very narrow and erroneous view of feminism. Rather than look into it for themselves, they continue to perpetuate a negative stereotype. 

If a New York celebrity went out and started bashing southerners because people from the South are unsophisticated, uneducated hicks who love Wal-Mart and processed food, the media would rip them a new one. If a non-religous starlet said she’s not into Jesus because Christians are holier-than-thou jerks more interested in what they believe than how they behave, the media would have a field day. When Kelly Clarkson and Katy Perry do it with feminism, it’s fine.

Making blanket statements about people you can't be bothered to understand is ignorant and shameful as a role model. All feminists are not man haters, we don’t believe we in the ‘I don’t need anyone’ mentality, and we don’t hate marriage or family.  You want to know why 'feminism' is such a dirty word? Public figures constantly making ignorant and erroneous statements like Clarkson did at Time.

I believe I am just as capable as any man and deserve the same rights and opportunities. That's the core of feminism. If any starlet anywhere has a problem with that, you can give up your career and go home.

Let’s not forget how Clarkson subtly bashes men who date feminists as well. Just because a man loves a feminist does not mean he’s incapable of leading. Michelle Obama is a strong woman and a feminist and regardless of what you think of Obama’s politics, he is leading this country. 

Men who date feminists want partners. Period. One of my favorite things about The Boy is that he doesn’t want to be the center of my universe. If I lost myself in our relationship, I would stop being the girl he fell for in the first place.

In the unlikely event any of the pop darlings I tweet this at read it, here’s what life would look like without feminism:

-No athletic programs or scholarships for girls

-No female professional sports leagues

-Women would openly be paid less than a man for doing the same job

-Women would be relegated back to the typing pool and denied opportunities afforded to men

-Women would be openly denied leadership roles at work, school, and (probably) home

-Women would be forced to keep a pregnancy resulting from rape or risk a back alley abortion

-Women wouldn’t be allowed to wear pants to school, work, or church

-Women wouldn’t be allowed to vote

-The same celebrities who bash feminism (Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, Kelly Clarkson) would have little to no creative control over their careers. No agent or manager would take their opinions seriously. "Just shut up and sing sweetheart."

My mother was denied a car loan despite having a stable career, good credit, and steady pay check. It wasn’t until my mother threatened to sue the bank for denying her a loan they readily gave to any man that they gave her the loan. 

Bashing feminism as a national role model who benefits from it every damn day is deeply offensive. To think it plays no role in a professional woman’s day to day life is impressively ignorant. I know Clarkson and Perry come from different worlds but they’ve been out in the big old world long enough to know better.

Before you decide you’re against something and start saying negative things about feminists and the men who love them, maybe you should know what you’re talking about. Ignorance should not be acceptable.

On the Way

I had thoughts about Kelly Clarkson’s wedding and her relationship with Blackstock, why leave this announcement off limits. I logged on to FB to post this when I saw her announcement. I should have screen captured when it said, “posted about a minute ago.”

I like that she made the announcement over FB and Twitter rather than make a huge production out of selling her story to some tabloid. There’s something fun about knowing the news before the press and realizing they don’t have any more of the story than you do. I googled news for her after I saw the story break and it was all about her losing her beloved dog Joplin. I’ve enjoyed watching the ensuing media frenzy.

From what I know of pregnancy, it usually takes a while to show itself. Most women don’t even realize they’re pregnant until 4 to 6 weeks. Even if you watch everything like a hawk, it’s difficult to be certain too early in the pregnancy.  

The wedding was on October 20th so I’m betting she was knocked up before getting married. Most celebrities don’t make public announcements such as these until almost 3 months in. There’s a reasonable margin of error so most wait until they know the pregnancy will last.

Leading up to her elopement, Clarkson was very vocal about wanting a pregnancy for Christmas. Her wedding was also pushed up and transformed into such an elopement all parents and siblings were excluded from the ceremony. 

While I believe the big wedding was scrapped for valid reasons, the cynic in me wonders if it was rushed because they suspected or knew a baby was on the way. Either way I’m happy for her. She’s stupid in love with her fiancee and loves being a stepmom. I wish them smooth sailing, lots of luck, and hope that we still get that country album she was talking about for next year.

Music: Ready to Fall by Meredith Edwards 

(Why is this cheese-tastic love song stuck in my head? Why?)

Shopping

The Boy and I were at Target earlier tonight grabbing some things. Behind us in line was a woman in her late twenties buying only two things: Cool Mint Oreos and the Target gourmet brand frozen pizza.

I think this may be the official food combo of a single lady’s night in. Allow a substitution for Ben and Jerry's if it's been a hard week.

Walking home I told The Boy I knew how someone’s night was going to be based on the two items she purchased. His response? 

“Was it condoms and lube?”

I like my boyfriend a lot.

Funemployed Pt 2

I have two interviews on Friday, one with a client from a staffing agency and one with another staffing agency. I hope this means I’ll have a paycheck soon. I just looked at what COBRA and it’s painful.

Since I’ve been unemployed I’ve also done other things besides apply for jobs including but not limited to:

Organized my closet

Change my sheets

Deposited $10 worth of pennies at the bank

Unpacked all my stuff from the wedding trip to NY and stashed the duffel

Watched most of season 4 of Torchwood

Gotten the dogs haircuts

Raked and bagged a yard’s worth of leaves

Improved my smoothie making skills

Read Texts from Dog, Dog Shaming, and gotten further on Poetry

Attended chair yoga at the senior center

The last one was an exercise class my mother attends. It got me out of the house and taught me a few easy exercises you can to around the house or office to help build and stretch muscles. It’s low impact because I was the only person there under 60.

We did one thing with those little superballs you get for a quarter. One went down a woman’s shirt and the instructor caught one that way too. I enjoyed how zen I felt after. Maybe I’ll look into regular yoga after I’m employed again. I know The Boy has been curious so maybe we’ll do that together.

Music: Jack by Tom Petty

In It Not to Win It

It’s refreshing to know that some people won’t let something like maturity stand in the way of their competitive spirit. There are multiple sides to this story. Here’s how things looked from where I was sitting.

One of the hints for bar trivia last night was sign language. Jordan, one of my friends and regular attendees, is an interpreter. We usually have so many people we split into 2 teams. The shenanigans began when one of the more competitive girls, Sandra, on Team A announced on the MeetUp page “I would like to nominate Jordan for Team A.” A girl who is even more competitive, Clara, replied “I second this. He’s always on the other team.”

Jordan is usually on the other team because he’s friends with several Team B regulars. The reason I stated on the MeetUp page was that, “We want Jordan because we like him every week” and omitted ‘not just weeks he’s useful.’ Clara came back with “We want him every week. He just doesn’t like us : (“

When we got there Sandra and Clara started with arguments for why he should be on their side. I only joined in to point out that they have never fought for him before his skills were relevant. Clara told me I was wrong “I’m sorry you don’t pay attention to that but I try to get him to join our team every week.” 

I’m going to throw in a few ‘bless her hearts’ and say this with all the affection I can muster: Shenanigans. 

I’m sure she’s invited him in the past but does she fight to get him on her team every week? No. Has she ever fought to get other people from Team B in the past when they weren’t of use? Very much no.

The sign language round turned out to be the alphabet. Team A was like “We don’t need Jordan. We’re fine.” That’s fine since we weren’t 100% on the answers. That’s when Clara and Sandra decided Jordan wasn’t allowed to help the team he was on. Sandra immediately pulled Jordan aside to distract him and called in Clara to help. They were blocking him on both sides so he couldn't see to help us and announcing they were distracting him.

It was one of the most childish and petty things I’ve seen happen at trivia, possibly my adult life. This wasn’t high school behavior, it was junior high. I wasn’t particularly interested in speaking to either one of them for the rest of the night. It was alienating, inappropriate, and, as it turns out, unnecessary.

Team A was in the lead until the very last round when they fell to second place. Alienating friends and making several people uncomfortable was totally worth it then?

I’ve been on the winning team several times and would you like to know what I’ve gotten for it? Nothing. That’s right, winning doesn’t really get you anything. If it does, I’ve never seen it.

If there was money or free beer on the line, I could understand a little bit of competition. This was excessive. You know how couples who are obnoxiously adorable look like they’re trying to prove something? Kind of the same here. What’s missing in your life that this behavior is acceptable when you’re dancing toward 30? If the answer is nothing then why act like this?

This is why I’m always on Team B. I’ve seen people ignore correct answers because they didn’t want to listen, hog between round puzzle sheets, and suck the fun out of it all in the name of winning. I appreciate the spirit of competition but what is the point of winning if I hate getting there? 

I’m honestly not sure I want to go back next week. If it was anybody’s first night, I wouldn’t blame them for not coming back.

Music: Choose Your Battles by Katy Perry

Funemployed

‘Funemployed’ was a term a friend of mine used last summer when she was between jobs. I thought it was a touch silly then and worrying about my car payment didn’t make it immediately grow on me.

However since I’ve been out of work I’ve watched most of season 4 of Torchwood and caught up on some reading. The dogs are enjoying having me home more. On Friday I had lunch with an old friend I hadn’t seen in too long. Next week will involve raking the yard, starting to go through old Christmas decorations, and other bits of straightening up.

The Boy’s family does an early Thanksgiving with his out-of-town sisters. My mom had a Groupon for a hibachi place so our weekend has been spent getting fed and raking leaves with family. Can’t get much cheaper than that.

We raked an insane amount of leaves and only stopped when we ran out of bags and daylight. His one cousin started a fire to burn bigger sticks. I kept saying I wanted to roast a marshmallow. His mom went inside and found the lone giant marshmallow so I roasted it on a stick. There are pictures somewhere. It was nice.

I had 2 interviews less than a week after I lost my job so I’m hoping that I won’t be out of work for too long. I’m going to try and keep myself occupied enough in the meantime that it’s productive time. On that note, I’m going to straiten up the coffee table, put away laundry, walk the dogs, and making the most out of being ‘funemployed.’

Music: Fade Away by Automatic Loveletter

Working It Out

I lost my job on November 1. The reason I’ve been saying in interviews is that I wasn’t learning anything new and there were no new challenges or new opportunities. I also throw in the shift in corporate culture like how camaraderie between coworkers was discouraged or how we were penalized for leaving seconds early.

That last part actually happened. People would be leaving on the minute but still penalized for leaving early. We found out they were timing us to the second but we weren’t told the exact second of our arrival. They only stopped doing that when we put it in our contract they stop. 

The week I left The Favorite came into work for 3 hours that Tuesday. I asked my manager a question and got a condescending response. I asked someone else a question and didn't get any response. It was a hostile place to work.

The first thing I did was update me resume in a variety of places and send it out everywhere. I sent it to several friends and recruiters, updated it on Monster, USAJobs, etc. and busted my butt trying to find new work. I had interviewed with another staffing agency a couple months prior so I told them I was available for temp work.

I had 2 interviews on Thursday, one with a new staffing agency and one with a client from the first staffing agency. The new staffing agency sounds like it has positions with places that have opportunity for advancement and room to grow. I’m cautiously optimistic. They sent my resume to one of their bigger clients around COB on Friday so I’m hoping for an interview next week.

I’m not sure what comes next but I’m trying to cut back on my spending. I also looked into unemployment and got some paperwork. I may have to call the office to figure out exactly what comes next but I’m not opposed to the money to help with bills until I find work. I have at least two staffing agencies who can verify that I’m not sitting on my laurels.

I’ll keep you posted on how it goes.

Music: Angels Would Fall by Melissa Etheridge

Home Sweet Own Book 39

For Noteworthy I’m doing the next book in a critically acclaimed series by Jasper Fforde, the Thursday Next series. It is one of my favorite series and a must read for any book lover. If you haven’t read the previous 6 books, you don’t have a chance of following the events of The Woman Who Died A Lot. 

There are reoccurring villains I was pleased to see return but it’s not Thursday as we always knew her. Still on the mend from injuries sustained in the last book, she’s not quite herself when facing these old foes.

The story is a bit unusual in that it takes place over a few days, something Fforde hasn’t done in this series. In that time Thursday has to help divert a smiting, thwart Goliath, run a library, help Friday readjust to never running the Chronoguard, and support Tuesday in her genius. 

Fforde crams a vast amount of detail and plot lines into a short timeframe but fans were prepared based on his previous books. If you’re not a fan, don’t start here. You will be so many versions of lost. Go back to the first book (The Eyre Affair) and work your way here. It’s worth it.

Bookworld didn’t have as much of role as it once did but it will play a critical role in the next book which I eagerly anticipate. Thursday is about to go where few have ever gone before.

1) Fiction – A Once Crowded Sky by Tom King

2) Nonfiction – The Man Who Loved Books Too Much by Allison Hoover Bartlett

3) Sci-Fi – Redshirts by John Scalzi

4) Fantasy – The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde

5) Mystery – Book of Lies by Brad Meltzer

6) Horror – Call of the Jersey Devil by Aurelio Voltaire

7) Memoir/Biography – Data, A Love Story by Amy Webb

8) Chick Lit – Me and Mr. Darcy by Alexandra Potter

9) Feminist – Commencement by J. Courtney Sullivan

10) Teen – What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

11) Holiday

12) Essays – What Was I Thinking? ed. by Barbara Davilman & Liz Dubelman

13) Short Stories – Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman

14) Library

15) Animal – Puppy Kisses Are Good for the Soul by Howard Weinstein

16) Book about Books – Judging a Book By Its Lover by Lauren Leto

17) New – Pitch Perfect by Mickey Rapkin

18) Old – Dark and Stormy Knights edited by P. N. Elrod

19) Pop Science – Why Men Fake It by Abraham Morgentaler, MD

20) Near – Lust, Lies, and Love Over Lunch by Krista White

21) Far – Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi

22) Graphic Novel – Love and Capes: Do You Want to Know a Secret? by Thomas F. Zahler

23) Reread – Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

24) Wild Card – Altared edited by Colleen Curran

25) Otherworldly Creature – Those Who Fight Monsters edited by Justin Gustianis

26) Free – Point Your Face at This by Demetri Martin

27) Noteworthy – The Woman Who Died A Lot by Jasper Fforde

28) Bestseller – How to Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran

29) Themed Anthology – Red edited by Kris Goldsmith

30) Steampunk – The Immersion Book of Steampunk edited by Gareth Jones and Carmelo Rafala

31) Movie-Book – One for the Money by Janet Evanovich

32) Media – Doctor Who: Touched By an Angel by Jonathan Morris

33) Travel – Love with a Chance of Drowning by Torre DeRoche

34) Food – Spiced by Dalia Jurgensen

35) Classic – Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

36) Humor – Sleep Talkin’ Man by Karen Slavick-Lennar

37) Poetry

38) Past – Stasiland by Anna Funde

39) Future – Go to Hell by Pab Sungenis

40) Dystopia/Post-Apocalyptic – Diverse Energies edited by Tobias Buckell & Joe Monti

41) Zombie – FUBAR, Volume 2: Empire of the Rising Dead

42) Sports – Red Rising by Ted Starkey

Music: Lost Raiders by Audiomachine

Stupid Is as Stupid Watches

I saw a pre-release of About Time with my friend Lizzie. We ended up in a conversation with the woman next to us about Girls and Sex and the City. It wasn’t a positive conversation.

For the record, I tried really hard to like Girls. Despite Lena Dunham’s talent sa a writer I hate every character on that show. They are all incredibly self-involved, self-destructive, whiney, and idiotic. No person I know is acquainted with anyone like them so to people outside of Brooklyn, they’re not that believable either.

I thought SATC was overrated as well. These women were doing things in their 30s I know better than to do in my 20s. Samantha would have all kinds of STDs and major emotional intimacy issues. I’ve only known one person my adult life that rivals Charlotte for unrealistic ideas about love and marriage. Carrie spends so much money on designer items and time in emotionally unavailable men that if she were your friend, you’d want to smack her.

The woman next to us said “It’s like they’re glorifying stupidity.” I agree totally.

SATC reinforces the same stupid stereotypes I wish women would get away from. Carrie spends so much money on designer shoes and clothes that she can’t afford her apartment. Years are wasted pining after Mr. Big who was emotionally unavailable. IRL, neither of these situations would have ended well but where’s the fun in reality? Better to teach women you can make a man fall in love with you and designer clothes are more important than rent.

Charlotte firmly believes in the Park Avenue fairytale and once she thinks she has it, she stops working for anything else. When that falls apart, she doesn’t have much left. Despite these major mistakes, she learns nothing. In the second movie she becomes overwhelmed by her family despite not working and having a nanny. The lesson here is that you can have unrealistic ideas about love and marriage and you’ll end up being Mrs. X from The Nanny Diaries.

Girls teaches that you can be a useless, selfish, and lazy but there aren’t any consequences. When Hannah gets an ebook deal and is faced with real work and possible success, she self-sabotages. I found her pathetic but the popularity of the show will reinforce the behavior.

Emotional stability and plotlines based in reality must not make compelling television because these stories keep repeating. In About Time, a woman makes similar mistakes but doesn’t get off so easily. It broke your heart to watch but I loved that she had bona fide consequences.

Maybe that’s why I said About Time was quiet. Every person in the movie was realistic and didn’t act like idiots. We need more of that on TV. I’m going to back to my genre fiction where women don’t take crap and kick butt. Let me know when muggle writers start writing better women.

Music: Suffragette by Nina Gordon