crappy day = life lessons

Life lesson #1:
Don't expect anywhere to deliver anything nice after midday on a weekend. Even if it is as a birthday gift.

Life lesson #2:
Rainy day weather does not necessarily mean that people stay at home. They crowd the shopping centres that have undercover parking instead.

Life lesson #3:
Just because I leave lots of room behind me when I drive-through park does not mean that the person who parks behind me will stay in their carspace lines. In fact, they're likely to park even closer to the rear of your car making it impossible to pack groceries into the boot.

Life lesson #4:
On the busiest weekends, expect more fuel pumps at the servo to be out of order.

Life lesson #5:
People really do walk faster to get in front of you at shopping centres, so then they can walk slower without being hindered. Seriously, I observed it a lot today. Mostly teenagers. Figures.

Life lesson #6:
The least visible car colours in wet weather happen to be owned by drivers who forget to turn their lights on in the rain.

Life lesson #7:
Even though the Telstra people you dealt with on the phone are awfully helpful does not mean Telstra will actually do it right this time.

Life lesson #8:
I really am turning into my grandmother. God help us all.

viva la USA!

I really need to save up to visit Kyle and his family within the next year or so, which I going to be so tough considering I have no income to speak of. But I am determined that it will happen.

I need to get money for a passport, travel insurance, flight tickets and spending together before I go anywhere... I'm thinking a minimum of $3000 sounds about right.

Oh boy.

steampunk

I think I found my dream cosplay (for when I get back to a respectable body shape). I've been wanting to try my hand at cosplay before, but I never really had any idea what I wanted to do.

Ex Machina by dark-spider

This is a gorgeous piece of art, and it piqued my interest in all things steampunk... again. The webcomic Girl Genius had me going for awhile, but never to the point where I wanted to cosplay. Now though, I believe I have found the right inspiration!

Now all I need is the money and resources to pull it off, and a convention to show it off at, hehe.

troll blues

I have personally discovered the one major negative about internet anonymity for myself: trolls. Obviously I'm not talking about the ugly, dwell under a bridge type (although sometimes the content of some forum posts seem to be spouted by said creature), I'm talking about the people who hide behind a username simply to act like an ass to other people online.

I know, I know. It's not exactly a new phenomenon. However, seeing as I have recently been a victim of a troll (not to mention witnessed plenty of of them in action), it has made me question the society we find ourselves living in. Yet again.

I know that Blizzard are taking away anonymity on their forums, but still... the damage is done. People somehow feel entitled to belittle others and try to make them upset just to make themselves feel cool, or dare I say it, more significant than they are in real life. They seem to like to control the mood of others online.

Sometimes I wish I could understand the mindset of these people. It turns out that I can't though, I bring all the values I would exhibit in real life to my online communications. I won't set out to make someone feel bad, I actually want to have decent discussions. I was raised to treat people with respect, so that's what I will do, regardless of the setting.

Have we really stooped so low that simple manners don't even matter anymore?

I know I shouldn't be feeding the trolls, but honestly I feel like it's gone far enough. Nothing I say or do will change the fact that they're out there, but I feel the need to do something.

So trolls beware: I have a torch and pitchfork.