It's Friday!!!

I'm busy working on a new blog post, in the meantime have a look at this:

YUMMY!!

Oh, and one more random gif (which I like because of reasons!):

D

Pirates A'hoy!

Is it wrong to steal from thieves?

By that I mean film piracy.

Here’s the thing, in this new age I think its really time the PTB pulled their fingers out of my pockets and re-thunk their entire system.

Do I think film piracy is wrong? Actually yes and no. 

In my opinion it’s like the prohibition era of the 1920’s, and about as uncontrollable. 

Yes going into a cinema and filming the film then uploading it, is costing the film industry millions... or so they try and make you believe, but come on lets face it we are in the middle of a depression, who can afford to dish out a twenty just to see a film?

And if the answer to that is, then you just don’t get to see it until it comes out on DVD? I’d be fine with it, if the PTB did not rage a physiological war on all my senses practically mind controlling me to need to see that film. 

Every billboard, every advert, every interview, every trailer and every single one of the millions of posters all over the town are a subtle but undeniable push on your subconscious until you are convinced that dolling out your last twenty bucks is the only way to find true happiness.

True story. Today’s advertising and promotion companies have become coldly and calculatingly scientific in their hunger to sell their product, and the film companies pay for the best in those fields. Every word, every image and even the colors of those images are carefully created to tempt you beyond common sense into parting with your hard earned money.

I remember as a kid (and yes it was in the last millennium!) it cost 25cents to see a film in the evening and 10cents for the matinee. 

Nowadays it does not matter what time you go, you pay up to 20€. What could possibly justify that kind of inflation? New technology? Films costing more to produce? 

I agree the actors are jumping on that band wagon and charging ridiculous amounts of money for each film they work on, but that’s another rant.

There are so many more cinema’s all over the world today than there were back then, they are bigger, and the films themselves have become shorter, there are also a lot more people going to see the films now than they did back in dark ages of my childhood. Computers have made special effects and stunts a mere mouse click away. I think if you worked it out penny for penny, the film industry today is robbing you blind.

Television is another medium that’s firing it’s guns on illegal downloads, and one I am completely and utterly against. I think they are the pirates and not the people downloading their favorite shows.

Those shows are aired openly, you are permitted to set your recording devise to record it, and watch it whenever you want, but if you download it from the internet that is illegal... WTF?

Why? 

Because they want to be able to charge you upwards from 30€ when they bring out  the DVD’s that’s why. Despite the fact that those shows have already paid for themselves, and made a profit. 

Television shows make a killing in commercials. Depending on when it’s aired, and what the viewer counts are. If the show is at the top of the ratings range one 30 second slot can cost up to $2.4 million, even the less watched shows cost $100 000/30 seconds. 

There are about 8 minutes of adverts for every 30 minutes of show time, which is not counting the adverts before the start and after the finish of the show, between show commercials can take up to 6 minutes..... 

And then there is the re-runs, those same shows will be re-shown over and over for years to come and every time the commercials are making money. 

So anyone with a calculator can try and work that out. For me its clear enough to see that they are making enough money without charging me an arm and a leg for the box set!

DVD production of TV shows are pure profit with absolutely no expense for the Networks, no air time, no advertising, and nowadays with amazon download and itunes not even the cost of DVD production. 

And they call us Pirates? 

Which brings me to my theory. These companies are paying billions in legal fees against Torrent sites, Peer to Peer download sites and even individuals that have been caught pirating. While I agree making DVD’s of downloaded films and shows and then selling them is illegal and deserving being called Pirating, charging me for the DVD or download of a show that has already made it’s profit is just as bad. 

I think Cinema’s should go back to much cheeper matinee and morning shows during the week, even evening shows during the working week can be brought down in price, (and someone should really sue them for the prices they are charging for popcorn...).  

That way if people absolutely want to go see a movie, making it more affordable during certain times would actually increase their ticket sales. 

I mean lets be honest if I had a choice between paying say 3 € for a movie, or downloading a crappy Cam-recording that I can’t see, I’d pay the fiver, and I know my kids would rather go see it at the cinema with their buddies. I think the profit in increased teenage sales alone will make it worth the lowered ticket price.

As for TV shows. The networks need to open their online site’s to international viewers, allowing everyone to download and watch shows run the previous night for a small fee. Hulu charges $6 a month (but no downloading and not for international viewers), I’d go as high as 15€ for the right to watch my favorite show the day after it’s aired and the right to download it to watch on my big screen. 

Logically all TV shows can not be shown world wide at the same time, I realizes that, but there is also no reason for the rest of the world to be a year behind, and honestly in foreign speaking countries the fact that you can jump onto NBC and watch Castle in english is not going to cost them any viewers since people will still want or need to watch it when its Dubbed.

Win win. It might not be the most profitable solution for the Networks or the PTB, but it is the most honest one. 

So yeah stop the Piracy... theirs not ours.

Heels, Men and TMI!

So, yesterday I discovered yet another reason why it is so hard to be feminine!  I, once again, tried to learn how to walk in heels (read: stumbled around in a pair of heels, desperately trying to look at least a teensy tiny bit elegant), while listening to my mom in the background saying things like “she never could walk in heels.”  Challenge accepted Mom!  

Being a woman is hard work, and being a feminine woman takes dedication and determination!  Women got brains and the ability to think (and added the multiple-orgasms bonus ), while men got the brawn, the penis and ejaculation.  And that’s it!  That’s all they got!  But don’t feel sorry for them!  They also did not get periods, pregnancies, hormones and everything that comes with it! And they have the gall to complain when OUR monthly cycles mess with THEIR plans!  

For example, man plans a day at the lake and when you then have to tell them that, “actually honey, today is not a good day for me to spend out on the lake as I am currently menstruating”, they act like they are the ones who are suffering!  Then they’re all: “Oh come on!  I was looking forward to the day at the lake with my buddies!”   Ok, firstly ‘coming on’ is exactly what led us to this argument, and secondly: seriously, do they honestly think that this is something we are enjoying and have done deliberately to fuck up their plans?!  

Waking up in the morning in a pool of your own blood.  Bundling up the sheets and blankets and throwing them in the washing machine, before dashing into the bathroom with a steady stream of blood running down your legs.  Showering and trying to get dry and plugged before the next volcanic eruption of blood and tissue spurts from your va-jay-jay!  You are bloated three (sometimes it feels like ten) times your normal size, you have a lovely smattering of pimples all over your face, your back aches, you cramp, your nipples hurt and you have to constantly rush to the bathroom to change the plug of old smelly  blood.  That’s another thing men don’t appreciate!  How hard we have to work to keep smelling fresh as a daisy while fighting the battle of blood river!  
Then you get the “we can go to the lake anyway!  You don’t have to swim!”  Right, like swimming is the biggest problem! 

The biggest problem is trying to change your menstrual nappy and plug in a public toilet while making sure that no part of you touches any part of the door, walls or loo!  I think you will all agree with me that, anything that is going to be shoved inside me, will not be making any contact, direct or indirect, with any part of a public bathroom! Make all the jokes about PMS you want guys, but until you have walked a mile in our high heeled shoes, you will always be the weaker sex! 

Which conveniently brings us back to the subject of walking in heels (see what I did there?).  So, after stumbling around in P and A’s stunning heels yesterday, I decided to do some research.  I googled “how to walk in heels” and found a 6 Step Guide!  

Sweet as! 

Ok, Step one: Practice, practice, practice!  Totally useless tip since Little D-man is getting christened on Sunday, and I have a nice shiny new pair of heels in my cupboard that need to be up and running by then!

 

Skipping ahead to 

Step 2: Start small.  I really don’t have the time for this!  I have the heels, they are not small and I need to be walking on them within the next few days!  I do not have the time to go out and buy a smaller pair of heels to ‘train’ in! 

Skipping to Step 3: Choose your heels carefully.  I did!  I spent many careful hours in the shoe shop and on the internet till I found the perfect pair of HIGH heels!  Guess we can check this as ‘done!’

Step 4: Take baby steps.  WTF, I’ll never get to my destination like that!  I’m ALWAYS late, I don’t have time for baby steps!  If I am going somewhere, I am going there fast! These legs don’t pitter-patter, they stride!  Big, long strides!  My sisters walk like that too!  Mom also used to!  My dad once told me that he just used to hang onto her arm and flap in the breeze!

Skipping to Step 5: Take small, slow steps (what? You mean like ‘baby’ steps?), do not bend your knees any more than you normally would, don’t put your toes down first, keep your legs close together (ha ha, that’s what she said!  Yes, sometimes I am 12!), cross one foot slightly in front of the other and stand with the heel of one foot touching the middle of the other foot, while cocked at an angle from it.  Ok, speed reading through the instructions may not be the best idea here! I look like a fucking drunk duck!

Skipping to Step 6: Add cushioning wherever there’s a lot of pressure and/or friction.  Like the pressure of my ass landing on the concrete after I trip over my own feet?  Because that will be happening, a lot, if I try and do everything listed under Step 5!   I’m adding cushioning every fucking where!  Knee guards, wrist guards, pillow on the butt and a bicycle helmet! 

I am so going to see my ass on Sunday! 

D

my turn to rant

Who the hell gave those idiots running kindergartens so much power???  I am so tired of waiting around wondering and hoping that my little girl gets into the one here by us, not daring to phone because last time I did she told me VERY impolitely to just be patient and wait, that was two damn weeks ago.  I heard via the Krippe that the other kids have all gotten confirmation from  various kindergartens that they got in.  This is driving me nuts!!  Yesterday in Pekip one was complaining that she had been waiting to get her son into a Krippe as of September.  She said they said they had no room, then a few days ago she and her husband donated some money to that affiliated church and on monday she was informed that they have a place available for her son.  She was quite disgusted, says those donations are suppossed to help the church not to be used to further your goals, aim whatever the correct term of phrase would be, so is that their not so subtle way of blackmailing the parents???  Donate or else??  Its at times like these that I could get depressed again, because I have to ask myself what is it about me that makes me get rejected so often :-(  But in this case I think I'll just remain angry because DAMNIT this is just NOT FAIR. Kids who live in the next dorf got into this kindergarten and my daughter not, although she lives in the same damn town!!! What the F!!!!! Am so livid I can't even spell, grrrrr.  The government sure as hell screwed up on this one didn't they???? I wish there was somewhere I could go to, to complain.

no idea

Have been walking around the last few days feeling miserable and running myself down for not being able to do anything right, feeling like my family doesn't want me around, etc etc, you know how it is once you get started. Anyhoo, I was browsing through other blogs, when I read one who mentioned that her mother kept a gratitude journal in her desk draw where she would write in everyday what she was grateful for, and I thought, you know what she's right. No I'm not going to start one, but we do sometimes spend way to much wallowing on what is not going right in our lives (I know I do) and forget about all our blessings. Look at me, 7 years ago I'd have spent the day alone at home wishing for a family, now I am in a mostly loving relationship, shame he is difficult but he does try so damn hard to do right and he does love me. I've gone from struggling to have one baby to being a mother of two... and here to the list can grow, cause you know how it is once you get started. :-) So I thank God for all my blessing and I also remembered what D and I always said, when you're really feeling down something will come along to show you that you don't have it as bad as others, and another thing, something that Dad always said, something that I held onto through all miscarriages: the only thing you can't do is light a match on a bar of soap! (of course with todays advancements some idiot has probably figured out how)

Anyway, P and D, sorry for mutilating your blog, but I just felt this need to get this out there.

Something sweet to start the day.

Sometimes I think they don't make men like they used to. (Points at Dad...) Love this song and just had to share it with D and A and S and N :D

Brad Paisley with Andy Griffith "Waitin' On A Woman"
- Watch more Music Videos at Vodpod.

Figured it out!!

Ok Quicktime is awesome, but only sometimes. I figured out how to do clips.

This one should tide us over until I can do more :D

That's it for now, will have more fun over the weekend. LUL