Ramble, ramble, ramble

So I know its been a while since I have written a post, not because I don't have things that I want to say, I have just been stoopid busy. I manage to do this to myself every now and again. So I have to now make it a point to take some time and just write for the hell of it. So here ya go, a nice set of wonderfully disjointed thoughts to get you ready for a snow storm and a weekend.

I figured out a while ago that I really don't like massive corporations. They are top heavy and tend to take too long to react to changing conditions. And unfortunately, one of them has become almost a necessary evil. It is a giant sucking whirl-pool of cheap goods. Stuff is so cheap that everyone can afford to shop there, but then it traps people into having to shop their to get their cheap stuff. Now while there is one that rises to the top of the scale when it comes to just plain nuts and hard to deal with, there are several smaller corporations who make dealing with the giants look like a walk in the park.

These are the aspiring minor demons. They want to reach the full-grown demon size of the corporation in the first part of this rant. These minor demons are in many ways even worse. If you can show that a problem that has cropped up has been solved, then they look to make sure that a totally un-related issue be addressed. And then another one, then another one, ad naseum. I think you get the point. They are like a person with just enough education to make them think that they know it all. These are the most painful to deal with. At least with a full grown pain in the ass, you get to deal with all of the individual cells.

This makes a great portion of my job a pain in the ass. Any little hiccup and the whole apple cart gets toppled.

There have been a lot of hiccups lately.

So now onto the political section of this rant...Remember when the Tea Party was the scariest thing on the scene?? Yeah well now the republicans have surpassed the once laughable group of nutballs. Now, today, they are voting on a bill that could possible end access to birth control for hundreds of thousands of women. And it's the Dems too. They have their part in all of this crazy. It seems to me that both partes are actively trying to distance themselves from their voting base. They are running away from the common people as fast as their little legs can carry them.

And I have no idea who's bright idea it was to all but ignore the fact that gas could hit a projected $5 a gallon this summer. I will never be happier to be able to park our suburban and take the bikes. Hell, I can't wait for it to be warm enough at 6:00 am so that I can ride to work.

I have decided that I love tattooing. I love seeing a peice of art come alive, and seeing people's reaction change at it changes. I love testing my skills, and re-working a peice until it is just right. And what's even better than that is I get to do it again on Saturday!

Valentines day...

Ah, Valentines day. The day of inflated expectations. The day that teaches us we are not worthy of love if we don't currently have someone special in our lives.And the best example of legalized prostitution that we have. If there is one thing that Valentines day teaches us, is that if you give people stuff, they will like you. Love  you even. It is the candy coating on the dark chocolate of a relationship. Sweet at first, then complex with a touch of bitterness before you decide you love it.

Now don't get me wrong, I love shiny, cuddly, chocolaty stuff as much as the next girl, but I love it even more when it happens on different days throughout the year. I love the fact that my husband doesn't need a reminder to do something special for me, or I for him. And maybe I am just getting older, but the thought of a cardboard heart filled with diabetes inducing sweets just doesn't turn me on anymore. The thought of spending cash on flowers that are not going to last is great, but I want my stuff to hang around for longer than a week.

The kind of love that Valentines Day proposes is the kind of Love that everyone dreams of. Yeppers the big 'L' love. The one that movies are made about, the kind that poets spend hours preaching. And yet aside from romantic movies, nothing makes those who are single, or those who can't spend the kind of time they want to with the one they love, feel more lonely. 

And we start our kids early. Who out there doesn't remember going to the store and getting cheap Valentines for your class in school? I know I did. She-Ra and GI Joe were huge when I was in school. So it became a competition. Who had the coolest Valentines for the class? That award always went to the kid who gave out big suckers, or treat bags or anything but conversation hearts. With our decorated paper bags hung off of the front of our desks, we waited. As everyone got up one by one and put those coveted cards into re-purposed lunch bags, we tried to see who was handing out what. The we got to party. We got to sort through piles of garishly colored cards to see if we did get one from everyone in the class. Because nothing sucked quite as much as getting to the last kid in class and realizing that you miss-counted and are short a Valentine. I always over counted.

And even when my teenage son was in elementary school, we went through this ritual. Then in 5th grade, Valentines abruptly ended. It is taboo to have kids that are of middle-school age trading little love notes. So we are taught that it is okay, then it's not, then it has to be okay, or you will be sleeping on the couch for the week. I really wish we could make up our minds.

Doom and Gloom...

So there is a snow storm headed our way. Out here in lovely Colorado, we think we know all about snow. And most of us who have lived here for at least 10 years can look back and remember 2-3 really good blizzards that managed to close down the city for a couple of days. I know I can think of at least 3 without any help at all. So every time we get a big storm headed our way, people panic. No Shit.

Now one thing I love about my state is the weather. If we get a blizzard after December, it really only sticks around for a few days, then everyone can get their kids back to soccer and flute lessons. But there is always a few. You know who you are. Don't look at me like that. You will be filling up every vehicle in your fleet, and buying every roll of toilet paper, and gallon of water you can fit in your SUV. You ask everyone what their plans are if the storm really is as bad as everyone thinks. You plot, you plan, you stock up like it's 1999.

Well, here is the truth. It's just snow, it melts, and most people would be more than happy to miss a day or 2 of work or school to be stuck at home with the family. I can remember the last blizzard we had I believe it was right before Christmas in 2006. It dumped about 2 feet of the white fluffy devil stuff in my neighborhood. Way more than my poor little truck could handle. So I went outside and shoveled every so often to cut down on the work when the snow finally stopped. My son managed to loose his shoe in our front yard. We didn't find it until our fair city finally thawed in the spring. That winter we got at least 5 inches of snow every Friday for 8 weeks.

So now every time we get a massive storm warning we get the 'doom and gloomers'. They come out all the time. Even in the middle of heat waves. They are poised to jump at the smallest sound, an react with lightning speed to try and assert even a small amount of control over natural forces. Get this...You Live In a Mountainous state where snow in the Winter is Common! You know it's coming, you know it's gonna suck having forced family time, and you know you're gonna run out of beer before it's all over.

I kinda like to snow...

Of mice and men....

So I spent the weekend with my husband vending at the Colorado motorcycle show and swap. It's always and interesting experience. I like getting to see people that I only get to see once a year, and it also gives me time to get in some grade- A people watching.

I find people fascinating. I think that our behaviors speak loudly about who we believe we are. If we believe ourselves to be confident, then we tend to walk a bit differently, we do not need to rely on flash to bring attention to ourselves. If we are shy, we carry our shoulders a bit lower. If we are insecure we feel the need to group together to validate ourselves.

At times we try really, really hard to make it seem like we don't care. We want certain labels, yet we don't want to be labeled. People go out of their way to seem indifferent. They seem to think that their outward presentation is accurate, and true. For some it is, for others it is an attempt to blend and yet stand out at the same time. Both men and women are guilty of this but in entirely different ways.

Men want other men to pay attention to them, and they want them to envy what they have. Be it a car, a girl or even clothes. Men have taken this so far as to say, 'If you're not wearing what we are wearing, then I am better than you.'  Men who need to cling to objects, or symbols, seem to be the ones saying "Look at me, but don't notice me"

Women have a few of the same wants, but also a very twisted way of playing the game. Women will dress provocatively, and then get upset when someone looks in their direction, or makes a comment. I know this for a fact. I used to do this when I was younger. I have since grown out of this, but I see many, many women who haven't grown out of this phase. And it shows.

If you don't want people to pay attention to you, then don't do anything to draw attention to you. If you don't care, then just do what you have been doing. If you want people to notice you, then don't get all pissy when they do, remember you wanted their attention in the first place.

So starts off the beginning of my people watching for the year.

Another year older....

So Monday was my birthday, I had to work. So in between running around and dealing with meetings, I had a few seconds to reflect on things.

I have become jaded and cynical. I don't trust anyone that I don't know really well, and I think that the carreer politician should be shot on principle. Everywhere I look, I see bullshit. I see drama, and I see bored people. I am also tired of hearing how much things suck right now. Listen, things suck for me too, but I am working on a plan. I have cut back on the shows that cost too much money to do, and I am going to invest that energy in my body art business, and my garden.

I love my garden. It is one place where I can go and be alone without truly being alone. Mainly because the hubby won't help...but that's another story. A few years ago I had a killer garden going. I had tons of tomatoes and potatoes, garlic and onions. This year I am going to be planting more stuff that I can freeze, or that will keep for a really long time. I made sure and left my weekends open from Mothers Day through Labor Day.

I have also discovered that my tolerance level has bottomed out.

Someone once told me that in your 20's, everything is mutable. Everything can change for the better and you see the world in color. In your 30's the color fades to shades of grey where the lines start to blur. The edges get fuzzier. Then in your 40's, the world, having lost all of it's fantastic colors has become stark black and white. There are no fuzzy edges, and there is little room for much to change in your mind. You like what you like and that's all there is to it.

I can understand part of that now. But only part

Safe once more

Or is it? If you have been living under a rock for the last week then you either don't know or don't care about SOPA. SOPA is the brain-child of politicians trying to make the internet more politically correct. Yep. That's right. No more cute cat pictures, no more pron...

In my opinion, SOPA wasn't about copyrights. It was about trying to sneak politically correct censorship around the general public. Adding copyright infringement on was just a way to be able to give reason for shutting down a site. It would have given the 'powers that be' a reason to stop by a crappy little blog if they used a trademarked picture or a song and talked poorly about anything other than the aforementioned cats and pron. It was a sneaky trick that backfired.

Now don't get me wrong, as an artist I believe in copyrights and trademarks, but I also don't expect my work to be kept off of the internet. If I post a picture of any of my work on sites like Deviant Art, Etsy or Facebook, I expect that someone will like and hopefully be inspired by my designs. But I don't expect them to not steal my shit. I realize that once I place something in the public forum, that even though I maintain the copyright because it is my original design, I give up the expectation that people may be as honorable and not steal designs. But alas, people are people. And given the proliferation of different ways to put things on the Internet, I don't think that you can expect anything to be kept off the 'net.

So we are at a point where we can decide, do we want our freedoms on the internet, or do we want our intellectual property rights protected? Because I don't think there is any way you can have one without trampling over the other like a herd of stampeding buffalo. The only way that anyone can have their cake and eat it too would be to bake a freakin' cake and dig in. And as for stopping the piracy, has anyone been out to the flea market lately? There is more pirated shit out there then there are legal immigrants. People will always find a way to steal others ideas. Yes, even though we have laws that say you can't do it.

So agree or don't agree, but the only place I think you can expect people to respect your trademarks and copyrights is in your mind.

It's a bit early, but here ya go!

I know we are still a while away from Valentines day, but the cards and the candy have replaced the breakable stuff and the spray snow. Here is a classic Fig and Frag for your enjoyment.

Fig-"Happy Valentines Day!" *carries in armload of pink and red boxes*

Frag-"Um, What the hell is all of that for? I mean, It's not like your dating anyone right now."

Fig-"I know, I know. But I figure if I see someone I wanna date (read 'sleep with') then all I have to do is give them this massive pile of fattening chocolate, and cheesey cards, and I won't be lonely any more. I mean it's supposed to be the most romantic day of the year."

Frag-"Okay...Put the heart shaped boxes down and step away from the negligee. What in the world would make you think that this could possibly work?"

Fig-"I saw it on TV. If I give someone a valentines day gift, they are supposed to return the favor. Right?"

Frag-"I think that you have completly missed the point of this Hallmark Holiday. Valentines day is nothing more than another day. It is a way for companies to fill the space between the Christmas season, and Easter (read sell more stuff). And I think that people place too much emphasis on this contrived pile of drivel."

Fig-"But, but..."

Frag-"Let me help you out here. If you carry that pile of stuff around hoping to charm your way into someones pants, then all your going to get are dirty looks. Valentines day is not a free pass for sex! Unfortunatly, the card companies have made this day about legalized prostitution. 'Here I bought you these chocolates, will you have sex with me?' It is one day of the year, when people trade goods in the hope for sex, without having to deal with dirty looks"

Fig-*jaw sits on the floor* "I have never looked at it that way. Now that I see it from a different angle, it does seem kinda foolish." *opens box of chocolate*

Frag-"The idea behind Valentines day is not a bad one, people expressing their love for one another is a wonderful thing. But that is something that should happen everyday, not just once a year. I would like to think that people are smart enough that they don't have to be reminded that they are in love with their signifigant other. Hey pass me some of those." *Starts digging into chocolate box*