Nothing In Particular

I really have nothing good to say. I'm sorry.

I've been working on four different projects -- and I've honestly been working. Hard. It's crazy. My neck hurts. I should probably look into ergonomics or something like that.

Let's see... it's summer which means it's warmish here on the coast. I don't like the extra crowds tourism brings, but I realize it's good for the economy. It's not like I'm a beach bum anyway. I'm way too fair skinned and the beach has a lot of sand. That, and the ocean has stuff that lives in it. I do like listening to the surf and the smell of the salt breeze. I don't feel the call of the sea, but it is soothing. That, and when I'm all wrapped up my stupid little problems, the vastness of it all is humbling.

Still sober. Coming on a year soon. Nothing especially exciting with that either. I have had no great moments of clarity or any of that.

Right now I'm waiting for my banana pudding popsicles to freeze so I can eat one. I'm also waiting for my toe nail polish to dry so I can put on my shoes.

Wow, this is really weak. Ummm... interesting and not-so-interesting facts about me:

If Bejeweled Blitz on Facebook cost money, I would owe a lot to some bookie type. I now totally get how people can be addicted to stupid things like slot machines. Never going to take that up.

I'm considering going vegetarian + fish. I don't know if I have the strength of conviction to really go for it.

I have lost contact with one of my closest friends. He was non-judgemental and always there for me during my early sobriety and I could tell him anything. It's my fault, I've let life interfere. He's probably got a job and a girlfriend at this point and I don't even know. I feel the loss and have no one to blame but me.

I'm totally bored with WoW. I log on, run around the fountain in SW. Occasionally I start some dailies or decide to find focus with achievements -- but I just don't care. My guild imploded, I took time off, and now I'm undergeared and lonely. Sort of sad.

And, last but equally unimportant, I'm really looking forward to Brave and sort of craving a green tea latte with almond milk.

So, there's my post. Perhaps radio silence would have been better. I will dedicate some energy toward planning next time.

50 Shades of Meh

Yes, I read the book. I had to - the hype made me feel like I was out of the know. So I read it. I had heard many things, good and bad. And, since I have nothing better to talk about today, I will address them.

1. I'd heard it was poorly written. I disagree. It's written in first person point of view, so everything is from the main character's perspective. It's conversational and, at times, train of thought. It works for what it is. Overall, I enjoyed the read and never got taken out of the story by problems with the quality of writing.

2. It's like Twilight for adults. Okay, well, the female lead is lacking a strong personality in the same every-girl way of Bella. In fact, I don't even remember her name or what she looks like (I remember her outfits though - weird). Christian, on the other hand, is really fleshed out (insert naughty laugh here). In a way it makes sense. It's from the 1st person  and Christian, like Edward, is the object of the heroine's obsession. Both Christian and Edward stalk their female. Both are a super man in every regard, but emotionally distant.  I've heard rumors that this started at fan fiction, but I'm not interested enough to confirm.

3. It's about corrupting innocence. I disagree. Female lead jumps into feet first. Why? Because she's never been aroused before. Christian, once he finds out the scale of her innocence, it reticent about said corruption. Her virginity wasn't a big deal to her, so therefore not a big deal in the scheme of things. Now, if she was a nun who was a virgin based on the dictates of her conscience and he broke her down, that would be different.

4. It's a romance novel, not literature. Okay, well, I think romance novels are a form of literature, so there. However, romance genre fiction is qualified in part by having an emotionally satisfying happy ending where the good guys are rewarded and the bad guys are punished. Fifty Shades does not meet that standard. The series as a whole might, but I'm not interested enough in spending the money to find out.

Yes, the book is steamy. There are sections that I really enjoyed. I find nothing appalling about a little rough sex or even some light bondage. I do draw the line at actual pain for pain's sake. Yes, I understand that pain and pleasure are part of the same family, just in extreme forms -- that doesn't mean I secretly long for a spanking. If the reader is cringing and/or wincing during scenes that are supposed to be hot, it takes the reader out of the moment and breaks from the story. In that, the book should have stayed classified as BDSM erotica and not mainstream.

As to the idea of a movie, I cannot see it being anything other than a porn because it's all about sex. Picture the remake of the Thomas Crown Affair but without the side plot of the art theft. Plus, I kept seeing Christian Bale as he was in American Psycho.

So my overall opinion of Fifty Shades -- it was fine. I read it, was intrigued by it as much as any romance novel. I'm not addicted. I also will not be requesting to be tied up with a tie any time soon. Probably.