I hate myself.

So today I was driving to a session when I spied a guy standing by a car on the side of the road and frantically waving for me to stop.

I am extremely hesitant to stop for folks on the side of the road. I once knew a guy who, after stealing a car, apparently ran it into a ditch and banged himself up and -- now visibly in need of assistance -- stood waving for help on the side of the road. When a family indeed stopped to render aid, he carjacked them at gunpoint. And while I hope and maintain that *most* people wouldn't do this, given my close knowledge of the risks I am wary as all heck when it comes to folks on the side of the road.

Moreover, this relatively isolated curved stretch of road was just off of an exit, and it's a turn I've taken at 80+ miles an hour -- and because at least at one time the main road was as potholed as any Baltimore city street, many drivers would largely forgo the road for the use of the shoulder. This is a dangerous fucking place to be standing outside of a car and trying to catch the eyes of the speed demons flying past. *I'd* never choose that place to stand. And yet I know that if I *were* in that situation I'd really be in trouble, and I'd hope to hell that someone would stop for me. (more...)

While I understand why some folks appreciate the service, I don't usually have a subscription to Amazon Prime: I don't make enough Amazon purchases to warrant having one at the current pricing, and I've found that when I do have Prime I order *way* more things than I want or need simply to justify paying for the service. And when I do need to order things from Amazon (especially with what action figures cost these days), it's not hard for me to get my total over $25 to qualify for the free shipping. It's not 2-day shipping, but I'm rarely in that much of a hurry to get my stuff.

Yet every year, as December 20 approaches, I remember that I've not yet ordered certain Christmas gifts -- which means I end up getting a 30-day Amazon Prime trial so that those arrive on time. And then, for the next 30 days, I order more things than I want or need in order to take advantage of the service while I have it -- though I was super good this year (by which I mean I was too distracted to pay attention) and mostly failed to do that.

As a final Amazon Prime purchase, however, I ordered a pair of UV black light flashlights. I've wanted some for a little while now, a desire that was intensified a little over a month ago when I bought a glow-in-the-dark figure that apparently *only* absorbs UV light, which at time of purchase made it a kinda lame and not at all a glow-in-the-dark figure. I kinda doubted the UV light would make much difference, but for $9 and a thing I could use in other contexts (I've got some 3D glasses that respond to blacklit objects, so that's also a thing I could play around with), I figured I'd give it a shot. (more...)

A question I've been asking myself a lot lately: why are so many online commenters so embarrassingly sycophantic? I've always viewed comments sections as a place to attempt to say something that somehow adds something to the discussion. That needn't always be serious -- though in some instances it probably should be -- but it should go beyond what simply liking a post conveys. There's no need for shallow "I agree with this!" and "Thank God for you, poster!" -type remarks. I mean, I guess they might make the OP feel even better, and probably the folks posting them are motivated by some hope of being "seen" by either the OP or others. And on occasion I'm guilty of these motives as well; I've definitely made empty approval noises on Sirena content and squee'd a little when one of the Sirens gave them emotional reacts. But when they're commenting on the posts of celebrities and popular figures and comments number in the hundreds and thousands -- and when they're not saying anything -- it seems unlikely that their comments will attract any attention whatsoever. So why? But I guess it doesn't take much effort to write, "This was masterful. SO MUCH TRUTH!" so it's not like they're wasting much time shooting their shot for a lil' pat on the head. (more...)

The other night I had a dream that I was visiting a childhood friend in his apartment. (Incidentally, I noted when I awoke, the apartment in the dream was actually the home of *another* childhood friend. But the three of us did hang out there often, so I found it interesting that my subconscious brain mapped the space to this friend despite his not having lived there). He was dying -- I was initially under the impression that he'd be gone the next day -- and I was there to say my goodbyes, and I was crying and he was crying and we were telling each other we loved each other and just sadness abounded. And when I learned he actually had maybe a couple more days and was instead due to move to hospice the following morning, I pledged to visit him there and then we cried some more. I hugged him tightly -- he felt so thin and frail; I worried I might hurt him -- and then woke up just as I stepped through the door to leave. (more...)

Just a brief post to remind you that CHERYL BLOSSOM IS THE WORST. On this week's episode, upon receiving the news that Toni Topaz is getting married -- from Toni herself, no less, along with an invitation to her bachelorette party -- Cheryl Blossom succumbed to jealousy and used WITCHCRAFT to "drive a wedge" between Toni and her fiancé Fangs. Why? Because Cheryl and Toni used to be an item. Back in high school. Which, given the 7-year timeskip during S5, was probably at least 8 years ago. And even though Cheryl's with someone else now, she's always felt like she and Toni were destined to be together. So she cast a spell to "drive a wedge" between Toni and Fangs, preventing their marriage and leaving Toni single to someday be hers. And she explicitly ignored the vagueness of "drive a wedge" in terms of outcomes, failing to care at all about the myriad awful ways that that wedge might manifest. She's Cheryl Blossom! She gets what she wants and consequences can't touch her.

Toni and Fangs have a baby.

Yep. (more...)