You’ll have to pardon my inability to focus on one topic tonight… my foot is really bothering me today and I’m kind of spaced out on painkillers and anti-inflammatories that are not supposed to make you loopy. Uh huh. Right. *edited* I decided that since I went on and on about these two things, I’d cut it off there and save the other stuff for another entry. Like tomorrow, when I’m not about to pass out from the pain.

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OK, so despite my usual “we can’t afford it” speech, John talked me into seeing the midnight showing of The Dark Knight on Friday. Oh, how I loved this movie. I’m not a huge Batman fan, although I did like the first two. Clooney was okay, but don’t even get me started on Val Kilmer. Anyway. We went, I loved it, and I would actually pay to see it again. I thought it was fabulous and I can’t stop talking about it. I really haven’t been this hyped up over a movie in a long, long time. And Heath Ledger’s performance as The Joker? Amazing. Anyway, while checking my email and news online today, and I saw a headline about how parents will be upset because Dark Knight is too dark. I read the story, followed a link to another, then another, etc. By the time I was done, I learned that some people are actually trying to get groups together because it’s too dark and inappropriate for kids and Oh My God, The Movies are going to hell in a handbasket and *gasp* everybody boycott The Movies!

What the hell? Seriously, you couldn’t tell by the previews alone that this movie was probably not for young children? It’s not a straight take of the comic book, with the pow! and bam! and all that. It’s dark, complex, layered. Dude, it’s Christian Bale in a tight black suit. Wait, that’s not where I was going with that. 

So this got me thinking about how people are up in arms over everything these days. It’s like, if there’s not something to bitch about, we just can’t be happy. You know those people, right? The ones you stay away from, because Hello, Debbie Downer. I feel that we, as a society, are becoming that way. Back to this specific instance, though… just use some common sense. You saw the previews on tv (and if not, have you been living under a rock in the bat cave?). There are plenty of other movies out that you can take your kid to see. I don’t think it’s necessary to boycott (seriously?!) a freaking movie because you don’t feel that you can take your 10 year old to see it. Am I out of line on this? I mean, I know I don’t have a kid, but good God. Do we really have to make a deal out of everything?

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Touching on the notion that we need something to bitch about to be happy, but first the good part…

Extreme Makeover -  Home Edition. If you didn’t know, last week the show came to Ohio after choosing a family from West Chester, which is about ten minutes south of here. A good friend that I work with is friends of that family and had the inside scoop all week, so it was really neat to get updates on what was going on behind the scenes. If you watch EMHE, you know how it goes… the family is nominated by family members and friends to have their story chosen. They surprise them, send them on a vacation and build them a new home in 7 days (actually, I learned that they really only have FOUR days to build. It adds up to 7 with the filming and multiple takes, travelling, etc.) The story is really touching - as they all are and I admit I cry just about every week - and I wish I could’ve volunteered but I had to work the days that my company was scheduled to be there. I also had to work the day of the reveal so I couldn’t go to that. I can’t wait to see it this Fall! (special section on our local news site & Akers Angels, the family that was chosen)

OK, so what’s the bad part? With just about the nastiest tone ever, I’ve heard several people saying things like “well good for them, but I could use a new house too”. Or “those lucky bastards”. Or my personal favorite… “what makes them any more deserving than anyone else?”.

Woah. Why can’t anyone just be happy for someone else anymore??? When did it become okay to be that ugly and insensitive? When did we all become so jaded and bitter? I don’t know why this surprised me so much, but it did. I mean, I can kind of see the concern of the house being in perfectly good condition and how it was a shame to tear it down, but I know for a fact now that every salvagable part of the home to be torn down is donated to that particular community so that others can benefit from it. That’s something at least, isn’t it?

Here’s the thing. You have to be nominated and chosen. There are tons and tons of people in need of a new home, but they can’t do them all. They’re a tv show, they’re not God (or whatever you subsribe to, if anything). This bitter, jaded, jealous and cynical attitude blows me away. Sure, I felt a little pang of wow they’re so lucky when I heard about it. But I didn’t make snarky comments about how I think I’m more deserving. Gah, I’m giving myself a headache talking about this. Bottom line (mine tonight, anyway): stupid people need to shut up and get over themselves.

Well I’m going to take another ketoprofen and get over it, because I need some sleep. Podiatrist tomorrow @ 3:45PM. Hopefully, he’ll be able to figure out more about what’s wrong and what to do about it. ‘Night…

OK, here’s the thing. I’m not a confrontational person. Not usually, anyway. I like to avoid it if at all possible, because I just get all weird and nervous and I don’t know what to say and end up sounding like an idiot. That being said, I do have a limit, and react accordingly if pushed over it. There were some changes made in our workplace structure, and it shook things up a bit. People had to take on more responsibility to make up for the people we lost, etc… you know the drill. This is when everyone needs to be on their game. We all need to step it up and just do the damn job already. So I have a question, because I need some insight (advice, an idea, whatever).

How do you handle your peers at work who are not pulling their weight, and therefore are making work life hell for everyone involved? Go.

A bit of a rant today, because I’m not feeling well and I just want to vent. We’re going out to eat with my mom and her “friend” today for my birthday. This guy is very anti-Obama and as we’ve come to know him, very anti-anything-that-is-not-white. He claims he is (or was) a die-hard democrat. Funny how that happens. On Halloween when they came over to sit with us while we passed out candy, he snuck into the garage and put a McCain sticker on my car. Very mature, no? If you ask him why he is against Obama, all he says is that he (Obama) doesn’t believe in our country, his name might as well be Osama and take your pick of all the stupid chain emails going around about him being a terrorist - he apparently believes them all. (I’m probably inviting flames from people who agree with my mom’s friend. I. Don’t. Care.)

I whole-heartedly believe in and am proud of my decision to support Barack Obama. I’m so very happy that he was elected. But I leave it alone. I don’t talk politics with people, because I’m not good at getting my point across in a calm manner when backed into a corner. But my limits are no doubt going to be tested today. When my mom called me earlier to ask where we wanted to go, I heard him in the background saying “as long as I don’t have to eat Obama. None of that watermelon and chitlin crap. hehehehe”. GAH. If you don’t hear from me for a while, I’m most likely sitting in a jail somewhere.