For Christmas my parents got me a subscription to Netflix and a cord to hook my laptop up to my TV. I pretty much haven’t moved since I set it up. Why? Well, you’re looking at a girl who hasn’t had cable since 1998.
On Netflix, you rate the movies you’ve watched and then they give you suggestions. So what does Netflix think of me?
Well, according to them I like three kinds of films (their categories, not mine) –
Witty, critically-acclaimed movies from the 80’s;
Dramatic films with a strong female lead; and
Cerebral, foreign, dysfunctional family films.
Thanks, Netflix.
Also, every time I log in they give me their top ten selections they think I’d like.
Three of my top ten are always the TV show Weeds.
I actually watched it, and it turned out that they were right on that one. Love it.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Beam Me Up Scotty...
Tonight I went to a dinner party. No big deal, no? Except, I’m awkward at these things. I have trouble talking to people. And so I found a toddler – around two or so, and together we bonded over the dog locked up in the guest house. I mean, he couldn’t say anything more than, “Ma, ma, ma!” but we had a very long talk about dogs.
And then someone walks up to me and says, “John is a special needs child,” and I’m like, “REALLY?! We’ve been chatting like mad!” And then my friend who invited me later says, “Wow, Ana. I’ve never seen how good you are with children, especially, a special needs child.”
And I am still like, “WTF? Special Needs? I’m confused. We talked about dogs! I swear! I’m not crazy!”
A little while later, John ran over to his dad, “Ma, Ma, MA!”
“He wants you to pick him up so he can see the dog in the guest house,” I said. When the father did such, John lit up like a Christmas tree.
At the end of the night, when little John left, everyone was saying their goodbyes, and I flippantly said, “John, I want a hug.”
And the whole crowd instantly said, “JOHN CAN YOU GIVE ANA A HUG?!?!”
John acted as if he didn’t hear them and continued to wander around, grabbing a cookie here and there.
Just as the family was about to leave, John ran over to me, splayed his arms, and we embraced.
“You and me are good,” I told him.
And after the family left everyone said, “It’s so sad, John being special needs and all.”
And then someone walks up to me and says, “John is a special needs child,” and I’m like, “REALLY?! We’ve been chatting like mad!” And then my friend who invited me later says, “Wow, Ana. I’ve never seen how good you are with children, especially, a special needs child.”
And I am still like, “WTF? Special Needs? I’m confused. We talked about dogs! I swear! I’m not crazy!”
A little while later, John ran over to his dad, “Ma, Ma, MA!”
“He wants you to pick him up so he can see the dog in the guest house,” I said. When the father did such, John lit up like a Christmas tree.
At the end of the night, when little John left, everyone was saying their goodbyes, and I flippantly said, “John, I want a hug.”
And the whole crowd instantly said, “JOHN CAN YOU GIVE ANA A HUG?!?!”
John acted as if he didn’t hear them and continued to wander around, grabbing a cookie here and there.
Just as the family was about to leave, John ran over to me, splayed his arms, and we embraced.
“You and me are good,” I told him.
And after the family left everyone said, “It’s so sad, John being special needs and all.”
Wednesday, December 08, 2010
They Dig the Bohemian Look...
One day at work last week no less than ten people commented on my hair and told me how much they liked the way I wore it that day.
What did I do differently? Well, the day before I'd been at work for eleven hours. By the time I got home, walked the dog, and fed myself, I was completely exhausted. I took a shower, then headed straight for bed without blowing it dry or even putting a brush through it. My hair kinda looked like long and loose dreadlocks when I woke up the next morning, and I just left it the way it was.
What did I do differently? Well, the day before I'd been at work for eleven hours. By the time I got home, walked the dog, and fed myself, I was completely exhausted. I took a shower, then headed straight for bed without blowing it dry or even putting a brush through it. My hair kinda looked like long and loose dreadlocks when I woke up the next morning, and I just left it the way it was.
Saturday, December 04, 2010
Actually, It's Pretty Rational...
The other day a friend of mine told me that she was considering getting an IUD as a form of birth control. Knowing that I had at one point researched IUDs, she asked why I had ultimately decided against getting one.
“Uh, it’s a weird story,” I told her, “and it starts with my dog.”
Throughout much of my adult life, I’d considered getting a dog, but when I sat down and thought about it, I always went with NO. Dogs were a lot of time and responsibility. You had to get home to let them out. You had to be around to feed them. You had to walk them. You had to find a place for them to stay if you wanted to leave town on the spur of the moment. No, getting a dog was definitely NOT a good idea.
And then one day a few years ago, two weeks before law school finals, I got in my car, drove an hour outside of town, and picked up a dog at the SPCA. I did it completely on a whim. I had no idea how to raise a dog or what this dog would be like. I just walked through the kennel, pointed to Martha and said, “That one.” I didn’t even look at any other dogs. It was a dumb decision, and it was pretty irresponsible. At times and especially during the early months Martha was quite a handful. Truth be told, I didn't even like her that much in the beginning. I thought I might have made a mistake, but today very little makes me as happy as watching Martha sleep, wag her tail, or trot happily beside me on our walks. On paper, she's not just worthless; she's a drain. In practice, she's the most valuable thing I own.
IUDs last for 5-7 years. If I got one today, I’d be 42 by the time it needed to be removed and very likely unable to have children. Now, I’ve never wanted children. Children are a lot of time and responsibility. You have to feed them. You have to educate them. You have to hope that you don’t horribly scar them for life. You will worry about them whenever they are out of your sight. You will forever be tied to the child's co-progenitor or otherwise have to live out a grand lie that Baby Daddy died in a horrible car accident before baby was born, and uh, you can't really remember his name because in fact he's still alive and completely unaware. Alternatively, you could use the nameless one-night stand story and mortify your own parents for life because they'd actually buy it - not to mention that your child will grow up thinking Mommy is a little loose. You would have to QUIT SMOKING AND DRINKING! No, I will never purposefully want children.
That being said, I can see myself dating someone a few years down the road, getting ridiculously drunk one night, and one of us says, “Hey, let’s have a kid!” and the other idiot replies with, “Sure, why not?” If I had an IUD, I’d be likely to wake up the next morning and think about getting it removed, only to decide, “OH HELL NO!” upon further reflection. If I didn’t have an IUD, the damage might already be done.
“Basically, I want to leave myself open to making stupid decisions,” I told my friend.
“Uh, it’s a weird story,” I told her, “and it starts with my dog.”
Throughout much of my adult life, I’d considered getting a dog, but when I sat down and thought about it, I always went with NO. Dogs were a lot of time and responsibility. You had to get home to let them out. You had to be around to feed them. You had to walk them. You had to find a place for them to stay if you wanted to leave town on the spur of the moment. No, getting a dog was definitely NOT a good idea.
And then one day a few years ago, two weeks before law school finals, I got in my car, drove an hour outside of town, and picked up a dog at the SPCA. I did it completely on a whim. I had no idea how to raise a dog or what this dog would be like. I just walked through the kennel, pointed to Martha and said, “That one.” I didn’t even look at any other dogs. It was a dumb decision, and it was pretty irresponsible. At times and especially during the early months Martha was quite a handful. Truth be told, I didn't even like her that much in the beginning. I thought I might have made a mistake, but today very little makes me as happy as watching Martha sleep, wag her tail, or trot happily beside me on our walks. On paper, she's not just worthless; she's a drain. In practice, she's the most valuable thing I own.
IUDs last for 5-7 years. If I got one today, I’d be 42 by the time it needed to be removed and very likely unable to have children. Now, I’ve never wanted children. Children are a lot of time and responsibility. You have to feed them. You have to educate them. You have to hope that you don’t horribly scar them for life. You will worry about them whenever they are out of your sight. You will forever be tied to the child's co-progenitor or otherwise have to live out a grand lie that Baby Daddy died in a horrible car accident before baby was born, and uh, you can't really remember his name because in fact he's still alive and completely unaware. Alternatively, you could use the nameless one-night stand story and mortify your own parents for life because they'd actually buy it - not to mention that your child will grow up thinking Mommy is a little loose. You would have to QUIT SMOKING AND DRINKING! No, I will never purposefully want children.
That being said, I can see myself dating someone a few years down the road, getting ridiculously drunk one night, and one of us says, “Hey, let’s have a kid!” and the other idiot replies with, “Sure, why not?” If I had an IUD, I’d be likely to wake up the next morning and think about getting it removed, only to decide, “OH HELL NO!” upon further reflection. If I didn’t have an IUD, the damage might already be done.
“Basically, I want to leave myself open to making stupid decisions,” I told my friend.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)