Proactiv

Yeah, I guess the stuff is alright. And I might buy it if it wasn't $45 for some face cleanser, toner and lotion. Plus I've come to a conclusion: If you wash your face two times a day with any sort of soap you will prevent zits. The only product I actually really did like was the Refining Mask...but then, I can probably find roughly the same product made by Neutragena at Target.

My biggest problem was the fact that the cleanser and the lotion dried out my skin too much. Plus, I swear that Benzoyl Peroxide doesn't prevent any zits (for me). I think this is why I liked the refining mask so much--it had salicylic acid. And using the cleanser and lotion once every 3 days just wasn't helping....at all. Plus, it makes the crap last forever...I mean seriously, they had me on a special plan that I would get a new shipment of stuff once every 6 months...I don't think I used half the product by the time they were supposed to send me a new shipment.

So, I canceled my 'subscription' [Aside] That's another thing, I hated this "we'll ship you the stuff every month, even if you don't need it!" attitude--Dude, if I like your product I'll get it again, but if it's just so-so, then no, I won't. Deal with it. [/Aside] The first time I called, the guy convinced me to just wash my face less frequently, and they'd ship me a new set of the product after 6 months. I got to the time when they were supposed to send another shipment and I called them back and was like "dude, haven't finished the first set you sent--it dries out my skin too much, and it's causing me to break out more than it's preventing breakouts." And this is when the salesguy brings up the fact that they have special "for sensitive skin" stuff. With Salicylic Acid. But by then I was done. I'm sorry, that's it. You had your chance to give me other stuff, you didn't. You failed, Proactiv. You failed!

So, would I suggest it? No. But that doesn't mean that it hasn't worked well for other people. In fact, the only reason I tried it was because it got glowing reviews from two of my friends, and none of my other friends had tried it and I figured "what have I got to lose?" So, I guess what I'm trying to say is "figure out what works better for you, Benzoyl Peroxide or Salicylic Acid. If it's Benzoyl, then get Proactiv, but if you prefer Salicylic, then don't bother blowing your money on Proactiv, get some Noxzema Microbead cleanser instead."

Harry Potter 5 (the movie)

God how I love these kids. I really, really do. Plus, it's got Gary Oldman, and he's just awesome. Obviously they cut out a bunch of filler. Unfortunately, some of it was filler that I think they needed. For example, in the movie Cho and Harry stop dating because she rats out the group to Umbridge. I don't remember this happening in the book...I thought it was one of the girls that was friends with Malfoy that ratted them out. Also, the movie needed more Kreacher...I don't think they adequately set up what's to happen in the 6th and 7th books (but once again, I get the 5th and 6th confused, so maybe the event I'm thinking of happened at the beginning of the 6th book). Speaking of which, since they didn't set up the SPEW club in the 4th book (a club for the betterment and freedom of house elves), they're going to have to change what happens in the 7th book slightly (though this will have no effect on the over all outcome).

The biggest let down for movie 6: No more Gary Oldman.
The best thing about movie 6: Tons more Alan Rickman. At least there should be. And if there isn't, I'm going to cry.

Harry Potter 7 (the book)

I loved the book. Yes, it could have moved quicker, but I really did like it. Though, unlike the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, I was disappointed there isn't another one coming out. Alas, I'll just have to wait for the movies then. My biggest problem with the books is that so much happens in them that you really do have to read them a couple of times to catch everything, and who wants to read a 700+ page book a couple of times? Meh. Still, the books are well written and I love the characters, what more could I want? Also, I give it ten years before people start equating the books to the story of Jesus. You know...like Narnia.

[Aside] I always did think that was funny...the bible thumpers loved Narnia which is a story about witchcraft and insane worlds that couldn't possibly exist where the animals talk and there are centaurs, but they hated Harry Potter which is a story about wizardry and insane worlds that couldn't possibly exist where the animals can talk (sometimes) and there are centaurs....hmm, i'm not really seeing the difference here...besides, and more importantly, they're both about good vs. evil, sacrificing for what's important, and learning about what really matters. [/Aside]

[Aside] Also, they need to do the epilogue at the very end of the movie...like how they finished all three Pirates movies--there's a definite end to the book, and the epilogue is just extra. Thus, i think it would be cool to have it at the end of the credits instead of just before the credits. [/Aside]

Anyhow, I would recommend reading this book. Unfortunately you'll have to read the other 6 first. (BTW, the third book is the best, in my opinion, and the 5th and 6th are probably my least favorite...but then, that's because they kinda moosh into one book for me).

TV Fall Lineup

It's time for the review of what's returning and what looks good...and conversely, what looks bad...oh so bad.

TheCW: The bastard child of the WB and UPN. They've gone downhill. They canceled Veronica Mars. BOOOO! but they are bringing back Beauty and the Geek in the 8pm time slot on Tuesdays. The only bad thing about this is that it makes such a wonderful Summer show...I don't know how it will hold up against shows like House and Dancing with the Stars .

Fox: Fox has been playing around with the Sunday night lineup for a while--back in the day it was the Simpsons, King of the Hill and some other shows. Last year it was Simpsons, random sitcom, The Family Guy, American Dad. This year King of the Hill is replacing the random sitcom.
Wednesdays at 7pm will be the airing of the new sitcom Back to You starring Kelsey Grammer (Frasier) and Patricia Heaton (Deb from What About Raymond). The commercials airing on Fox make it watchable, but the extended commercial on the website doesn't. So, I don't know if we'll ever watch this...maybe.
Tuesdays brings the new show New Amsterdam at 7 and then House at 8. I don't know if we'll watch New Amsterdam. Though I almost want to watch the show, and Moonlight, and whatever the other one is that's the same premise and see which one is better. Somehow, I think all three will be canceled after 6 episodes, though.
Thursdays will have the new Gordon Ramsay show Kitchen Nightmares at 8. It looks like Fox is looking to capitalize on the viewership of Hell's Kitchen. Little do they realize that the whole reason for watching Hell's Kitchen is because nothing else is on Monday nights during the summer. Not so with Thursdays during the fall (Grey's Anatomy, The Office/Scrubs, CSI). We usually record CSI and The Office, so the only way we're going to see this show is if one of the aforementioned shows is a repeat.

ABC: The least watched network in this house. As in, the only time we watch it is when Girl's night is being hosted over here. As such, they are bringing back the Bachelor in the Monday at 9 timeslot (which just sucks for girl's night). They are also bringing back their big hits--Dancing with the Stars, Ugly Betty, Grey's Anatomy, Men in Trees, and Desperate Housewives. Lost will begin sometime mid season.

NBC: This used to be right up there with ABC for least watched Network in this house, but then Heroes happened. Now, we have Heroes night at our house...which does put a damper on girl's night as Heroes is on right before the Bachelor.
Mondays will kick off at 7pm with the new show Chuck, which we'll probably watch a few episodes, followed by Heroes, which is ultimately followed by Journeyman (this is one of the shows I was talking about with the whole time travel/living forever thing...my guess is we won't like it).
Tuesdays sees the return of The Biggest Loser as hosted by the chic that plays Sammi on Days of Our Lives. We won't watch it, but I bet my mom will.
Wednesdays will have the first airing of Deal or No Deal (at 7), and the Bionic Woman (at 8). The only reason to mention Bionic Woman is because Isiah Washington who was fired from Grey's Anatomy will be making some guest appearances...if that isn't an indication of how well that show will do, I don't know what is.
Thursdays brings back the winning line up of My Name is Earl, 30 Rock, The Office, Scrubs and ER (dude, this show has been on FOREVER...when will it leave?!?!?!?).
Fridays will star the second airing of Deal or No Deal, and Friday Night Lights (which I think was only renewed by a hair).

CBS: This is by far the network we watch most.
Mondays will have the returning show How I Met Your Mother (Watch this show if you haven't done so already!), the new show Big Bang, and then Two and a Half Men, the Rules of Engagement and CSI: Miami (oh red-headed step child of CBS that is David Caruso, how much do I hate you?...We have, in the past recorded this show...I'm not sure if we will this year.)
Tuesdays are pretty tame with the only show worth watching (maybe) of NCIS at 7.
Wednesdays see the return of Criminal Minds (also, watch this show) at 8 and CSI: New York at 9.
Thursdays are a hit with Survivor: China at 7, CSI at 8, and Without a Trace (apparently it didn't do so well on Sunday nights).
Fridays have the new show, Moonlight (about a guy that just won't die), at 8 and Numbers returning in the 9 o'clock timeslot.
The Amazing Race will return mid-season, but no word yet on if it will air on Sundays (boo) or in the Survivor timeslot in the off season (yay!).

Our recording schedule will look something like this:
Sunday: Fox Line Up (7-9)
Monday: Chuck (NBC: 7), Heroes (NBC: 8), Journeyman (NBC: 9), CBS Line Up (7-10)
Tuesday: New Amsterdam (Fox: 7), Beauty and the Geek (CW: 8), House (Fox: 8)
Wednesday: Back to You (Fox: 7), Criminal Minds (CBS: 8), CSI: NY (CBS: 9)
Thursday: Survivor (CBS: 7), CSI (CBS: 8), The Office (NBC: 8), Kitchen Nightmares (Fox: 8)
Friday: Moonlight (CBS: 8), Numbers (CBS: 9)

Yes, I watch entirely too much TV...but as I said, it's all recorded, so it's more like I just don't do any housework...Yay for living in slovenly filth!

Garden pictures--

Posted here for your viewing pleasure so you don't have to go to my garden blog.






(These photos, as with all the previous photos, are edited with the Picture Viewer in Vista. These ones, unlike the Quazi photos, are generally heavily tweaked on the brightness, and tint scales; and slightly tweaked on the contrast, saturation, and color temperature scales. The red flowers picture is the only one that has been cropped from the original. I think the red flowers is also the only one where a flash wasn't used.)

I feel like SUCH A DORK!

I went out shopping for Nathan and Christina's baby today. And I got some clothes. I got a set of pants, and I got some onesies (from different stores), along with other stuff.

I bought the onesies to go with the pants. And, because I am a dork, I bought "Newborn" size pants, and "0-3" size onesies. Now then, I know most of you that read this blog haven't had children (nor have I for that matter). But, I am here to tell you that Newborn is not the same size as 0-3. Nor do 0-3 size clothes necessarily fit wee-babies. That is, even though the size thingy says 0-3 months, what they really mean to say is "if the baby weighs less than 8 pounds at birth, you'll be waiting about 2-3 weeks before they'll fit into these clothes."

Yeah, apparently babies lose weight right after they are born and it takes approximately 2 weeks until they are at "birth weight". Who knew?

But anyhow, this pretty much means that if it were up to me to clothe this kid, it would be topless for the first 2-3 weeks of life and then bottomless for the next couple months. Aside from the fact that the baby is going to be born at the beginning of August. It probably doesn't even NEED pants for the first 2 weeks. Damn.

[Aside]: At least I try. Shawn claims that if we ever have kids, he will go out and buy some fabric for like $1.99 a yard and then go and make the kid clothes. Of course, the "making the kid clothes" really means cut out squares, hem, make head hole, hem, put on baby, tie shoelace under arms. You can probably get at least 3 outfits per yard using this technique. He refers to these clothes as "Jesus wear". Be glad I didn't let him make any of these tunics for the baby. [/Aside]

So, WeeBaby: I'm sorry your aunt is such a dork. I promise I'll try to get my shit together. With any luck, the stuff we got you will be there before you're born.

Quazabutt

See what happens when you read other people's blogs? You get all inspired and shit.




(these were all 'edited' with the Vista picture viewer thing. I say 'edited' because I really didn't edit them. I think I saved a copy of the original and tweaked ONE thing slightly off "center" so it would save the picture at a whopping 750k instead of the original 1.2M...So, in other words, aside from the undersaturated picture, these are in essence, "unedited").

Breed Bans

So, I read C-Bone's blog today. and it kinda made me sad. I mean, I KNOW there are a lot of people that want breed specific bans on dogs. But it still makes me sad.

At one point in his blog, he mentions the whole "seeing some 100-lb woman walk around with a 'death' dog that she can't control because she doesn't have enough strength to do so" thing. Which...sure, but at the same time, it sounds like he really should be advocating dog SIZE bans. Any dog that weighs 60 lbs or more is going to be able to drag a 100-lb person wherever it wants to go. Just because it can. And any dog can bite, maul, or kill.

(Disclaimer: Yes I realize this is a pro-pit bull site; I'm using it, however, to prove that all dogs bite--NOT that pit bulls don't bite.)

(Other Disclaimer: I play devil's advocate--I don't want a pit bull, or even a pit-bull looking dog. This has nothing to do with the breed's reputation, or personality but with the fact that I think the dogs are ugly. That's not to say that I wouldn't get a pit bull mix--but it would have to be cuter. And generally, 'cuter' means 'more hound like face'...so less boxy head, more elongated snout.)

However, I do advocate people being given a test before they get a dog to see what type of dog they're qualified to own (currently there are tests used to make sure that if you're a couch potato you don't get a dog that will require a 3 mile jog daily). And I do advocate bite rules and vicious dog laws. But a over-all breed ban? not so much. And as I've said before, get yer damn pets fixed!

This is very similar to the Columbine thing--Was it the music, the clothes or the individual? Me? I think it's the individual.

No TV! NOOOOOOOO

Crap. The Mythbox keeled over.
Of course this would be the DAY AFTER SHAWN SOLD THE OLD BOX TO JAMIE!

He's trying to fix it, but I have a feeling that it didn't record the So You Think You Can Dance results show. meh. I'll just read about it on Television Without Pity tomorrow.


The biggest problem, though, is that now it means I can't watch PBS. How am I supposed to learn about the crazies who have ferrets? (oddly, had the show been about Cats or Dogs, I would have been like "weirdos, but I've seen it before (think Best in Show)." Not so with Ferrets apparently--I just look at the people and go "Are you high?") Or the fact that CERN really does have the particle accelerator just as described in Angels and Demons? (which, by the way, NI sold a bunch of stuff to recently. CERN. Not Angels and Demons.)




Also, I can't tell you how excited I am about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows coming out. I mean really, I shouldn't be this excited since I'm probably not going to read it for a while. But it does bring up the fact that I probably really want the whole boxed set for Christmas. Yes, I have decided that I shall re-read the entire Harry Potter series...Granted, it would actually be the first time that I read the third one as I listened to it on tape...and I'd probably read the books in sequential order as opposed to going 3, 4, 1, 2, 5, 6 (God, throw in a pi in there and I'd be counting like that penguin in that one story...)




OH, and I'm pissed at AOL. Because their HIQ-viewer doesn't support Vista 64-bit because they are stupid. How the HELL am I supposed to watch videos of Histeria if they go about and deny me that opportunity.

And in case you were wondering, yes, I'm still Hyper Link Happy. By the way, have to seen the "Will It Blend?" Videos? Pretty nifty.

Le sigh

Shawn made me take down my rants. For fear they would result in someone getting fired. BOOOOOO!!!!! Down with the censorship, man! What? do you work for the Gov'mint or something? BOOOO.....HISSSSSSSS.

But this may have just got him to actually read my blog (look up: doubtful) so he can at least know what I'm writing about and tell me when I've overstepped my bounds.

Hyperlink Happy

Hyper link #1: Ad report card for the Scion XD Sheeple. We saw this ad when we went to see Knocked Up at the theater. It's an interesting ad. I liked it, but by the end of it I felt bad for all the murdered Sheeple (Sheeplecide if you will). Ultimately I turned to Shawn and said "Did you like that ad?" "it was alright, the art was cool. Why do you ask?" "because you're obviously their target audience--male between 18 and 30." "well, if you're asking me if I wanted to buy a Scion based off that add, the answer is no. However, if I wanted to buy a Mini based off their Hammer and Coop ads, the answer is yes." (I suggest number 3 for all the Night Rider snark)

Hyper link #2: Slate's report about the fad of Crocs. Now then, I went to school in Boulder, the birthplace of the Crocs, and even then, they weren't all THAT popular amongst the college set...they seemed to be used more as lounge shoes than real shoes...similar to slippers, really. Kerstin was the first person I knew to wear Crocs as actual shoes, but that's alright Kerstin was one of those super artsy people--seriously, the girl could take some damn fine pictures. Plus, her house was awesome (it was an old barn that was converted into a house--the hot water lines ran under the cement floor and acted as a heater), and she had two Bouvier des Flandres dogs named Lucy and Linus. As an aside, she was a workout nut--if you Google her, you'll find that she does lots of biking and triathlons. Anyhow, back to my point. My point is, that in Boulder, the shoes weren't worn as shoes. They were much more popular elsewhere in the state...like in Parker, where my in-laws have become converts to the Croc shoe...seriously, it really is almost a religion to them. MIL has like 4 different pairs of the shoes, and FIL has at least 2 pairs--one of which is the business croc. That's right, the business croc. You can call it what you want. As for me, I'll still call it ugly. Also, as the Slate article points out, the shoe itself isn't great for your feet because of minimal support--besides, I think I'd rather get a pair of Danskos.

Hyper link #3: A man was shot and killed at the Denver, Colorado capital. Apparently the crazy walked in and claimed he was the emperor and he was going to take over the state government. The fact that this happened didn't surprise me, the fact that it made the news on the BBC did.

Hyper link #4: Meanwhile, the biggest news in Austin is that the Lake is reopening. Well, that and the fact that the City Manager is fed up with people saying she's a nepotistic fool, so she's taking her toys and leaving (aka retiring).

ETA: Hyper link #5: I really like this Linux commercial. I mean, really. A lot.

Bully Breeds

I still get an email of "Today's Headlines!" from the newspaper in Colorado. Some of today's news includes another pit bull mauling someone story. At the beginning of the story, they say neighbors help save a grandma and 3 babies from a pit bull. They don't mention (until about halfway down) that the babies weren't the ones being attacked, and that's the point in the story that they decide to tell you that the babies were in the house (with their babysitter) when the great-grandma, who doesn't live at the house, walked in with her homeless grand-daughter (the babies' aunt I guess). And the dog attacked them. The cops showed up and killed the dog.

In the last paragraph, one of the neighbors says "I think the dog was protecting the babies." but then goes on to negate that by saying he doesn't understand how people could own vicious dogs (keeping in mind that so far, there's no proof the dog was ever vicious before...so really, what he means is '...how could people own vicious dog breeds?').

My issues with this:
1. replace "Grandma and Aunt" with "Burglar and Child Molester". Do you think the dog would be given all this post-humus shit? No, it probably would have gotten a freaking medal.
2. Pit Bulls are generally bred to be suspicious of strangers and protective of their family.
3. In the early 1900's, Pit Bulls were sometimes used as babysitters for the children of the rich and famous. Mostly because they mauled people that got close to the kids (unless the pit knew the person...as in that person had to be around the pit bull a couple times a week). Hey, it made sure your kid was safe from kidnappers and therefore the inevitable ransom. Of course, breeding a dog to have a high tolerance of pain is going to make it a good companion for kids and a good fighter.

Then there was this follow up article. Wait, the Great-Grandma and Aunt were actually the Grandma and Cousin to the BABYSITTER?
Issues (aside from apparently there are people not even related to the babies entering the house):
1. The Aunt/Cousin lady says she stabbed the dog multiple times with a knife, but it still attacked her grandma...Bullys (way back in the day) were bred to withstand vast amounts of pain, and to stick to whatever they were doing even if it meant they were going to die. This is why stabbing, shooting, and pepper spraying these dogs usually doesn't stop them (which, is admittedly, probably bad...and this is part of how they get their bad rap). At the same time, German Shepards, Malinois, and Mastiffs exhibit this same trait of being able to withstand pain to get the job done. This, of course, isn't accounting for the little dogs--which usually don't do as much damage to people, but man, some of them are very aggressive and vicious.
2. The cops show up and shoot the dog once. It still was acting aggressively and so they shot it again, killing it. I'm sorry...but I think if I was shot by the cops I'd probably be acting pretty aggressively too.
3. The rule is that you have to keep your dog penned when it's at home? Wow...what a great way to make sure your dog is more willing to bite ANYONE (including the children in the house). "Yes yes, I've got this brilliant idea--I don't want my dog to bite anyone, so I shall keep it away from people unless absolutely necessary. And then I'll act all surprised when it's suspicious of all people and finally snaps and bites someone!"
4. I absolutely agree with the spaying and neutering. So, in the words of Bob Barker, "please remember to spay and neuter your pets!"

What we talk about while drinking Beer

Conversations with my coworkers this evening at Happy Hour:
-What you will find doing field work (uh...personal massagers for women)
-What type of underwear the sorority intern was wearing today (g-string)
-The fact that Johnny can't say "Breast Pump". Okay, he can, but you have to give him 4 beers first.
-That Colleen asked our other intern if he knew the guy that went and chopped his girlfriend to bits then barbequed her (and this is the girl that gets upset when I tell her my cat killed a mouse). 1--what did she want the intern to answer? "Oh yeah! he was my best friend!" and 2--Matt pointed out that this may speak more to what Colleen thinks our intern is like than anything...well, to be fair, the intern is pretty quiet.
-And finally. The fact that someone took down Matt's Texas Road map. Of course he's not upset that it was replaced with another state's road map, he's just upset that he doesn't have his original Texas road map....Never fear, he went to the Chevron and got a new one.

Dooce made me do it

No, really...she did. She got me all inspired and shit.

Edited with the crappy editor that comes with Windows Vista. The most annoying part is that you can't save the pictures at a size similar to how they were taken...I took the pictures, they were approximately 1.2M, now they are like 200K. woo. Oh yeah, I used Shawn's digital SLR...ain't no way I can get pictures like this with a point and shoot.

Baby YAM is here!

Hey all, Yam (not her real name) was born on July 3rd at about 3:30 pm (2 days before her parents anniversary). She weighs in at a whopping 7 lbs 1 oz and approximately 19 inches long. I haven't been informed of any difficulties during delivery, so I'm assuming everything went alright (aside from having labor induced), unlike Calison's delivery in which she was delivered by 'crash c-section' (you can read about that here and here).

Yam's parents have labeled this picture "Road Warrior" which I find hysterical for some reason.

Yeah, stupid ass Kubuntu has some issue with me typing in a title...thus, this will be titleless.

Anyhow.

Oh. My. God. I think I may have to do this next time someone goes on vacation.

Also, Miss Sarah still has not sent pictures of Yam. And yet her myspace friends all have pictures up of said baby, but they are mean and have their profiles set to private so I cannot see Yam. le sigh.

4th of July barbecue

We had our annual 4th of July barbecue. More people than ever showed up. What do you know? Shawn's finally made friends at work. :)

the Bathroom project

We're still not done with the bathroom. However, because of guests coming over, we finally got the little toilet paper holder thing put up. Still no mirror. Nor are there any shelves. And the vanity cabinet doesn't have any of the knobs on it yet. Plus I want to get new light fixtures. Yeah...we're so close I can almost feel it. Ergo, it will more than likely stay unfinished until Christmas.

IFL

So, since, generally, there isn't anything on Monday nights right now, Shawn has taken to watching the International Fight League. Which is perfectly fine...it's like wrestling, only people can seriously get hurt (well, okay, it seems the wrestlers get seriously hurt too, but it's usually after they've been forced into retirement). However, I love the names these people have--most the the nicknames are insane...and not in a good way...there's Chris Horodecki aka The Polish Hammer (so...is that like a wrench? I kid! I kid!), and Matt Horwich (which, I swear the first time they said his name they said Man Horwich...yeah....), then there's always The Predator, and The Experiment.

And the best part about all these guys? They have cauliflower ears...I swear...all of them.

Focus on the Family....Bleggggth

There are a vast majority of people who are obsessed with Focus on the Family. This, is fine. However, as an aside--Fuck you James Dobson, get out of politics! Okay, I feel better, and now I can commence with my blog.

After having seen movies, I will occasionally read the reviews on Focus on the Family's sister site, Plugged in Online. I actually know people who refuse to watch movies unless they are given the green light by Plugged In. And these people are adults. Adults who should be able to tell the difference between right and wrong, even if a movie glorifies what is wrong. I realize that the main thing was probably more of a "I don't want to give my money to a movie that is going to have things in it I fundamentally disagree with." In which case, you shouldn't go to the movies. Ever. Anyhow, I used to disagree with the Plugged In reviews a lot-but then they went and got all politic about things so they didn't just outright say "if you go to this movie you are supporting the devil" like they used to. So now, I gotta read the review in order to see if they think it's a bad movie or a good movie.

Anyhow, I've gone and digressed again. But, the point of this blog was that we went and saw "Knocked Up" and it was a funny movie (Crude, sure. Funny, absolutely). So, because of all the drug use and premarital sex, I figured that the review would be scathing. Which, I suppose it probably is. But my favorite part? where they mention that Debbie has admitted to having 3 red bulls in 15 minutes under the "drug and alcohol content". HAHAHHA, what would these people do if they knew there were "worse" energy drinks on the market?