http://aricekroe.tumblr.com/
Figured it'd help with the pressure of not having to write essays every time.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Friday, June 17, 2011
Thursday, May 19, 2011
$$$
It's a well-known fact that loudly proclaiming the gigantic amount of money you spend typically elicits as much sympathy as a chick bemoaning the hardships of being pretty (and Gwyneth Paltrow wonders why people hate her).
Of course, as per my usual introductory disclaimer of obnoxious behavior in this blog, I do exactly what I claim I dislike. I wouldn't say the circumstances to foray into the territory of publicly announced annoying behavior are particularly extraordinary, but using the extremely dull bell-curve of my life of normalcy as a reference, I feel the need to document.
The Excuse: Recent viewing of my CC bill and the direct correlation it has to the past three weeks being more...eventful than others. On a less reasonable level, I also have developed an insane addiction to online Flash Sales and went nutso-reveling in Oregon's lack of sales tax on a recent trip. Those tallies, I'll leave out.
5/01/2011: Unexpectedly bring a new puppy home- yay! He's adorable and extremely well behaved though, so no biggie. Or so I think. His name is Koda.
5/07/2011: Punk kid slashing my tire at the movies: $111.00
5/14/2011: After two weeks of general normalcy in regards to raising three dogs, Thorne and Hiro decide it is time to shake things up and now fight constantly. Middle of the night ER visit: $479.00 (No worries, Thorne's recovered nicely).
5/18/2011: Dog Behaviorist quote: $1290 - he was nice enough to knock off $100 since I'm delivering him two dogs instead of one to fix. Joy. Brain-scratching kicker of the situation: both dogs get along great with the new one.
AD clip chow as an emotional indicator every time the cost of something was mentioned (and the general shenanigans prefacing said cost):
Total: $1880.00 ... and the month's not over yet.
Though, in comparison to the $7000 lawn and $1000 adoption/daycare/giardia-curing bill we paid when we first got Hiro, I guess this isn't so bad.
Next week: First time visiting NYC. Misbehaving dogs are under supervision of Nick's parents and my fingers are crossed that everything isn't a total nightmare.
Repeat shot of the wolf pack (My quest to figure out a way to photograph Koda where he doesn't look like a scary black silhouette continues..):
Of course, as per my usual introductory disclaimer of obnoxious behavior in this blog, I do exactly what I claim I dislike. I wouldn't say the circumstances to foray into the territory of publicly announced annoying behavior are particularly extraordinary, but using the extremely dull bell-curve of my life of normalcy as a reference, I feel the need to document.
The Excuse: Recent viewing of my CC bill and the direct correlation it has to the past three weeks being more...eventful than others. On a less reasonable level, I also have developed an insane addiction to online Flash Sales and went nutso-reveling in Oregon's lack of sales tax on a recent trip. Those tallies, I'll leave out.
5/01/2011: Unexpectedly bring a new puppy home- yay! He's adorable and extremely well behaved though, so no biggie. Or so I think. His name is Koda.
5/07/2011: Punk kid slashing my tire at the movies: $111.00
5/14/2011: After two weeks of general normalcy in regards to raising three dogs, Thorne and Hiro decide it is time to shake things up and now fight constantly. Middle of the night ER visit: $479.00 (No worries, Thorne's recovered nicely).
5/18/2011: Dog Behaviorist quote: $1290 - he was nice enough to knock off $100 since I'm delivering him two dogs instead of one to fix. Joy. Brain-scratching kicker of the situation: both dogs get along great with the new one.
AD clip chow as an emotional indicator every time the cost of something was mentioned (and the general shenanigans prefacing said cost):
Total: $1880.00 ... and the month's not over yet.
Though, in comparison to the $7000 lawn and $1000 adoption/daycare/giardia-curing bill we paid when we first got Hiro, I guess this isn't so bad.
Next week: First time visiting NYC. Misbehaving dogs are under supervision of Nick's parents and my fingers are crossed that everything isn't a total nightmare.
Repeat shot of the wolf pack (My quest to figure out a way to photograph Koda where he doesn't look like a scary black silhouette continues..):
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Disclaimer Disclaimer
Hindsight readings of what I posted is always a continuous battle to push down the impulse to edit disclaimers in front of every entry, mostly of the defensive variety like, i.e. "I'm not really THAT judgmental and bitchy all the time. I like people, I really do!" <-- that's a popular one.
Reality is, I like the majority of people, extremely dislike a small minority of them, and get annoyed by all of them at one point of the other. Of course, the last point is more of a reflection of my lack of patience, adjustment, and understanding and I'd be incredibly stupid to always assume general intellectual superiority is what leads to my irritation.
You annoy me.
That being said, here are a couple cynical, grossly-simplified "About Me" translations of the day! Yaaaaay.
Common Assertion:"I'm trying to find myself."
Translation: "I'm self-centered to the point where I rationalize my impulsive, irresponsible actions into a statement of my deep profoundness pertaining..to me, of course."
Common Assertion:"I'm really sweet, but if you wrong me, I will be a total bitch."
Translation: "I'm insecure and boring to the point where I interpret my emotional immaturity as a character strength as opposed to what it really is...and I cause drama because it gives me attention."
Corgi puppies to diffuse the aura of crankyness preceding this statement:
Reality is, I like the majority of people, extremely dislike a small minority of them, and get annoyed by all of them at one point of the other. Of course, the last point is more of a reflection of my lack of patience, adjustment, and understanding and I'd be incredibly stupid to always assume general intellectual superiority is what leads to my irritation.
That being said, here are a couple cynical, grossly-simplified "About Me" translations of the day! Yaaaaay.
Common Assertion:"I'm trying to find myself."
Translation: "I'm self-centered to the point where I rationalize my impulsive, irresponsible actions into a statement of my deep profoundness pertaining..to me, of course."
Common Assertion:"I'm really sweet, but if you wrong me, I will be a total bitch."
Translation: "I'm insecure and boring to the point where I interpret my emotional immaturity as a character strength as opposed to what it really is...and I cause drama because it gives me attention."
Corgi puppies to diffuse the aura of crankyness preceding this statement:
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Acting Pet Peeve
Saw the trailer for Love and Other Drugs the other night. Anne Hathaway did the thing that just drives me crazy - bring her voice down to a husky whisper when she's issuing a monologue with a VERY IMPORTANT POINT. Call it the "Sarah Chalke dramatic acting" style, if you may. Can't pinpoint exactly what's so irritating about the delivery but seems to be the go to style for overly expressive loud actresses to inhibit when they're being serious. TALK IN YOUR NORMAL VOICE, DAMMIT. Being mopey and making your voice really small does not induce me to take you seriously.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Philosophical 24 hours
First: Discussion on morality - innate or religious?
Morals Without God?
Next: The Free Will vs. Determinism debate
Yay Netflix. I've watched two movies that addressed the hypothetical situation where knowledge of the future was known (and identified as 100% full-proof) and the corresponding reaction of what society would be like.
So, the two movies: TiMER and Minority Report.
I was really intrigued that despite the two genres having extremely different stylistic takes and feels: 1)Indie Romantic Comedy; and 2)Blockbuster Action Conspiracy Thriller, there was quite the striking similarity at the beginning on how they presented the deterministic technology and the benefits.
A) Utilizing an advertising campaign to hawk the benefits of the deterministic technology:
1. TiMER: A implanted timer watch that countdowns to the day you will meet your true love based on the release and detection of some "love hormone". Knowledge of when you'll meet your true soulmate means a society of no more divorce or heartbreak.
2. Minority Report: Precognitive beings are able to pinpoint the exact time (with corresponding images to deduce the place) a murder will occur, including victim and perpetrator based on the detection of a "metaphysical tear" in the world. The difference from TiMER is that the murder is preventable while the soulmate-meeting is not. So now, we have a society where no one has been murdered for six years.
So you would think - dark futuristic sci-fi thriller directed by world renowned director OR fluffy romantic movie about finding true love: which would have a more realistic approach to the philosophical debate on the pros and cons of having to face the reality of a world without free will? Surprisingly, the latter.
It stinks when you discover your destiny and it is not aligned with what you want. In Minority Report, it's Tom Cruise having to find out he's a killer. In TiMER, it's Emma Caulfield finding out 15 minutes before the movie's conclusion that the guy she's been seeing the entire duration of the film (and adorably so) is not her soul mate, and instead, it's the guy that her stepsister has shown interest in (also adorably so).
So, moving forward, what did the screenwriters do for the above dilemmas (*spoiler alert*)?
Minority Report: Fill the entire story with convenient gaping plot holes (minority reports! They exist! But in his case it doesn't! But that doesn't matter!), flawed conspiracy theories, and an emotional (also plot hole-filled) back story for our hero as a stimulus that he DOES have free will and despite THERE BEING NO MURDERS FOR SIX YEARS the deterministic system must be immediately dismantled and it's a happy ending for all (try telling that to all the murdered people in the future)! Way to circumvent the philosophical debate and Philip K. Dick, screenwriters.
TiMER: Realize that the TiMERs are 100% infallible (as the precogs were before Tom Cruise conveniently had to get away with murder) and having Emma Caulfield break up with her cute boyfriend and start small-talking to her true soulmate at the end. Unsatisfying for the lack of squee-inducing conclusion expected from a romantic film? Yes. But realistic and thought-provoking (are the TiMERs really just self-fulfilling prophecies? Should she have broken up with Mikey?)? Also yes. I guess it's the big difference when you're independent and don't have to pander to a large audience wanting a pat happy ending despite agreeing to see a movie that devotes the first hour explaining how you have no control over your pretty sucky future.
Thematic take: it kind of sucks balls if you no longer have free will, though a lot of it is attributed to the response people have to knowing their destiny and acting accordingly, which in term brings up the debate on whether or not determinism is just an act of free will satisfying a self-fulfilling prophecy.
So while I completely entertained with Minority Report with it's awesome CG, neat futuristic tech, and well directed action sequences, for wanting to take on such a heavy though-provoking theme - it sucked, story wise. Which wouldn't be too bad if the dialogue didn't try SO HARD to convince you that it was thought out and smart. Cause it wasn't.
TiMER was totally fluffy and the "soul mate" premise a bit silly but I give kudos for not taking the easy way out.
Morals Without God?
Next: The Free Will vs. Determinism debate
Yay Netflix. I've watched two movies that addressed the hypothetical situation where knowledge of the future was known (and identified as 100% full-proof) and the corresponding reaction of what society would be like.
So, the two movies: TiMER and Minority Report.
I was really intrigued that despite the two genres having extremely different stylistic takes and feels: 1)Indie Romantic Comedy; and 2)Blockbuster Action Conspiracy Thriller, there was quite the striking similarity at the beginning on how they presented the deterministic technology and the benefits.
A) Utilizing an advertising campaign to hawk the benefits of the deterministic technology:
1. TiMER: A implanted timer watch that countdowns to the day you will meet your true love based on the release and detection of some "love hormone". Knowledge of when you'll meet your true soulmate means a society of no more divorce or heartbreak.
2. Minority Report: Precognitive beings are able to pinpoint the exact time (with corresponding images to deduce the place) a murder will occur, including victim and perpetrator based on the detection of a "metaphysical tear" in the world. The difference from TiMER is that the murder is preventable while the soulmate-meeting is not. So now, we have a society where no one has been murdered for six years.
So you would think - dark futuristic sci-fi thriller directed by world renowned director OR fluffy romantic movie about finding true love: which would have a more realistic approach to the philosophical debate on the pros and cons of having to face the reality of a world without free will? Surprisingly, the latter.
It stinks when you discover your destiny and it is not aligned with what you want. In Minority Report, it's Tom Cruise having to find out he's a killer. In TiMER, it's Emma Caulfield finding out 15 minutes before the movie's conclusion that the guy she's been seeing the entire duration of the film (and adorably so) is not her soul mate, and instead, it's the guy that her stepsister has shown interest in (also adorably so).
So, moving forward, what did the screenwriters do for the above dilemmas (*spoiler alert*)?
Minority Report: Fill the entire story with convenient gaping plot holes (minority reports! They exist! But in his case it doesn't! But that doesn't matter!), flawed conspiracy theories, and an emotional (also plot hole-filled) back story for our hero as a stimulus that he DOES have free will and despite THERE BEING NO MURDERS FOR SIX YEARS the deterministic system must be immediately dismantled and it's a happy ending for all (try telling that to all the murdered people in the future)! Way to circumvent the philosophical debate and Philip K. Dick, screenwriters.
TiMER: Realize that the TiMERs are 100% infallible (as the precogs were before Tom Cruise conveniently had to get away with murder) and having Emma Caulfield break up with her cute boyfriend and start small-talking to her true soulmate at the end. Unsatisfying for the lack of squee-inducing conclusion expected from a romantic film? Yes. But realistic and thought-provoking (are the TiMERs really just self-fulfilling prophecies? Should she have broken up with Mikey?)? Also yes. I guess it's the big difference when you're independent and don't have to pander to a large audience wanting a pat happy ending despite agreeing to see a movie that devotes the first hour explaining how you have no control over your pretty sucky future.
Thematic take: it kind of sucks balls if you no longer have free will, though a lot of it is attributed to the response people have to knowing their destiny and acting accordingly, which in term brings up the debate on whether or not determinism is just an act of free will satisfying a self-fulfilling prophecy.
So while I completely entertained with Minority Report with it's awesome CG, neat futuristic tech, and well directed action sequences, for wanting to take on such a heavy though-provoking theme - it sucked, story wise. Which wouldn't be too bad if the dialogue didn't try SO HARD to convince you that it was thought out and smart. Cause it wasn't.
TiMER was totally fluffy and the "soul mate" premise a bit silly but I give kudos for not taking the easy way out.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Waxing Poetic
Day before yesterday:
I come home to Nick watching an episode of VM because he felt like seeing something that he knew was good for sure as opposed to trying something new on the netflix stream.
Yesterday:
This time, I come home to him watching a documentary on how Steinways are made.
Not much, but it's the small stuff that I like to document and remember. Completely induces the best case of the warm and fuzzies.
I come home to Nick watching an episode of VM because he felt like seeing something that he knew was good for sure as opposed to trying something new on the netflix stream.
Yesterday:
This time, I come home to him watching a documentary on how Steinways are made.
Not much, but it's the small stuff that I like to document and remember. Completely induces the best case of the warm and fuzzies.
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