what a freak!
Mood:  incredulous
Now Playing: black eyed peas
Topic: Weird shit
This story is from the weird news today:

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Watching contestants eat dead rats on NBC's gross-out stunt show "Fear Factor" so disgusted a Cleveland man that he has sued NBC for $2.5 million, saying he could not stomach what he saw.
In a handwritten four-page lawsuit filed in federal court in Cleveland on Tuesday, paralegal Austin Aitken said, "To have the individuals on the show eat (yes) and drink dead rats was crazy and from a viewer's point of view made me throw-up as well an another in the house at the same time."

His suit added, "NBC is sending the wrong message to its TV watchers that cash can make or have people do just about anything beyond reasoning (sic) and in most cases against their will."

He said the show caused his blood pressure to rise so high that he became dizzy and light-headed, and when he ran away to his room, he bumped his head into the doorway.

In a brief telephone interview with Reuters, Aitken said, "I am not at liberty to discuss the complaint unless it is a paid-interview situation."

A spokesman for "Fear Factor" said the show would have no comment until it sees a copy of the complaint. The spokesman said the program did feature a rat-eating scene in New York's Times Square on Nov. 8.

Over the years, contestants on the program have eaten some weird things, including ground-up spiders and live worms.


I guess that guy has never heard of that thing called a remote control! No, I didn't think that they would eat gross things on fear factor?? That guy is a moron. The sad thing is that either NBC will settle out of court with that idiot and he'll come away with thousands of dollars or he'll probably win in court. What is this world coming to???

I feel so important
Mood:  special
Now Playing: 3 doors down -- here without you
Topic: Introspection

In the past 30 days, I've had 1,649 unique hits on my blog. Isn't that incredible? I wonder why people are so fascinated with blogs? I'm intrigued by them, of course, having one myself. What kind of a person is a blogger, though? Do we all share the same type of personality? People talk about their life being an open book, but bloggers' lives are open webpages. Right? I think that maybe it helps us feel connected to other people all over the world who we might not otherwise have known. There could be someone exactly like me living in South America, you know?

Are bloggers lonely people? I wouldn't say so, but we probably have some need for others to relate to us. Through blogging I've gotten to know people that I never would have met, and likewise. At the same time, it's enabled me to know current friends or acquaintances better, provided they have a blog. Some of my friends say that they never email me because they can already read about what's going on in my life, and they feel like they know what's going on with me at pretty much all times. If a few days pass without me posting, people think that there's something wrong. Sometimes I do have to take a break, though...... sometimes it just requires too much brain power to put together a coherent thought or idea. Sometimes my brain is just fried. That happened more often during last semester when I was already writing a 3 page essay for every English class. That's why I posted those essays on here a lot, actually... because that's WHAT was going on in my life. School just took it over. This semester I'm going to try to find more balance, because I think that I can still get good grades without being so obsessive over every little assignment. I would drive myself crazy trying to make everything perfect -- and a lot of those were just 10 point homework assignments! I'd like to keep a 4.0 gpa each semester, but if I get a few B's, I won't freak out. I'd be ecstatic to get a B in algebra. Fortunately Dyanna at work told me that she'd help me out... I think that I can probably do it, I just need to relearn the basic concepts. Hell, I might even end up liking it. I'm keeping an open mind. ;-)

That's it for now..... I got dumped on at work yesterday and today, so I should really get some shit done!

will it ever
Mood:  hug me
Now Playing: Evanescence
Topic: Rants
stop raining??????

I am so sick of this nasty weather.... it's gloomy as all hell. yuck.

Couldn't it at least snow so it would look pretty? Well, maybe I don't want it to snow..... since I'm in Baltimore for the moment, driving would be a real bitch, and so would parking. Hmm. Oh well. I'll just put a snowplow on the front of Roxie. She'll love it. For those of you wondering who Roxie is, she is my car. Here she is, sitting happily in the lot of Brown's Honda:

I'm pleased to say that I've even kept her clean! I've never been very good about keeping my vehicles in good shape, but I've taken good care of her so far. Granted she's a bit dirty from all the rain we've been having, but she'll get a bath once we have a few days of sunshine.

Guess that's it..... I've been busy at work today, but I really haven't felt like doing anything. Guess that's not too much different from any other day!

one more thing...
Mood:  lazy
Topic: Jokes & Funny stuff
First, here is the Engrish of the day...

Secondly, I saw Phantom of the Opera last night... was going to see Meet the Fockers, but decided to be cultured instead. I thought it was never going to end! Ugh. Don't get me wrong, I loooooooove the music, but it was too long. I also didn't care for the guy they cast as the phantom... probably the most superbly casted role was Carlotta, everyone else was rather mediocre. Just a warning.

change
Mood:  surprised
Now Playing: 3 doors down
Topic: Introspection
If you would have told me at this point last week all the shit that was going to happen in the following week, I wouldn't have believed it. It's insane, but I love it.

It was definitely time to shake things up in my life... but this isn't really chaotic, so I can't say that I'm feeding off of unhappiness like I used to do. I actually used to like being miserable... isn't that silly?

*yawn*

I am a bit sleepy, though... I can't remember the last time that I got a full 8 hours of sleep. Probably sometime before last week! :-P~

I would write something really insightful and intelligent right now, but it's 8 a.m. and I had a hard enough time getting in to work this morning. :)

car talk
Mood:  silly
Now Playing: Sarah McLachlan
Topic: Miscellaneous goings-on
Whenever I think about it, I like to read the latest question posed to Car Talk... since the holidays, I've been running behind on them... thought this one was funny. Not that people being trapped and dying in their cars, but their responses just crack me up. Hey, this could save you one day!

Dear Tom and Ray:
We recently had some major floods here, and several people were trapped and died in their cars. I'm guessing the electric windows were not functioning and the water pressure kept the doors from opening. If you do find yourself trapped in a car that's underwater or going to be underwater, what's the best way to get out? -- Bill

TOM: Well, if you weren't forward-thinking enough to order the optional factory-installed snorkel, the best way to get out is through a window. Once the doors are submerged, the water pressure makes it nearly impossible to push the door open -- as you pointed out, Bill. Most people don't realize that.

RAY: If you have old-style, roll-down windows, it's no problem. But if you have electric windows, you have to act quickly. Many cars allow electric windows to operate for a minute or so after the car has been turned off, so as soon as you find yourself in a situation like that, you want to get a window open. Or open a sunroof.

TOM: It's counterintuitive. But if there's any chance that you're going to end up underwater, it's the right thing to do.

RAY: Once you're stuck and underwater, and your window won't open -- for whatever reason -- there are still ways to get out. Some companies sell an emergency hammer that you keep in the glove box in order to break a window and escape. We've also seen a flashlight that's designed to double as a window-breaking tool. If you live in an area that's prone to flash floods, keeping one of these things in the car isn't a bad idea.

TOM: Without a usable tool, you'll probably have more luck kicking out the windshield than one of the side windows.

RAY: The side windows are very difficult to break. They're slotted into a channel on both sides, and locked into the weatherstripping on top. The windshield, on the other hand, is not really locked into anything. It's attached with an adhesive and should pop out if you push against it with both feet. It won't be easy, but since you can brace yourself against the driver's seat, that's probably your best bet, Bill.

TOM: Of course, you could also just buy the car that's designed to allow you to breathe underwater ... the Scubaru.

RAY: That is truly awful. I formally disown you.

sore
Mood:  lucky
Now Playing: Evanescence
Topic: Miscellaneous goings-on
Moving out really kicked my ass.... I'm so out of shape... I've got a few bruises, too!

I have a nice list of places to check out as far as finding a more permanent residence... there are 3 or 4 places near school that sound promising, and all of them are in my price range. YAY! I'm really excited to start this new phase of my life..... I think that it's going to be better than I'd ever imagined. Sure it's going to be hard to be on my own, supporting myself while going to college, but it's really not that much different from what I was doing before, since I paid rent then, too. Ahh, responsibility. I don't mind it...

Tonight I'll probably cross the vast Chesapeake.... funny, I never thought that I'd be living on the western shore but driving to the eastern shore to hang out. Weird.

Life's strange. It really is. But it's good. Really.

well that sucked!
Mood:  don't ask
Now Playing: Sarah McLachlan
Topic: Friends and Family
Ugh.

To make a long story short, I'm moving out tonight. Things weren't working out and I realized that the only reason that I was still there was that it was comfortable. It was a difficult decision, but one that needed to be made.

Unfortunately I was forced into this particular conversation while I was at work, so I'm not pleased at the venue. At any rate, it's over... honestly, I'm just relieved. Does that make me a bad person?

fumbling towards ecstasy
Mood:  lyrical
Now Playing: Sarah McLachlan
Topic: Introspection
As most of you know, I'm rather eclectic when it comes to musical taste........ one day I could be listening to Jay Z, the next Velvet Revolver, music from Les Miserables........ you get the picture. I'm listening to Sarah McLachlan and Tori Amos at the moment....... I love the title track off of Sarah McLachlan's fumbling towards ecstasy album.... she is such an incredible songwriter. The music and the lyrics are just beautiful. I suppose that I haven't listened to her in a little bit because her songs are always played at funerals of my friends. *sigh* Speaking of which - Jason, an autoCAD operator at work had one of his friends kill himself Sunday night. That sucks. It seems that this kind of thing always happens around the holidays, too...... sounds like a good research paper topic. I'm actually looking forward to getting back to classes, I like being busy. Guess that's it for now. There will be a surprising post (well, maybe not surprising for everyone) in the next week. Like I said, stay tuned... and here are the lyrics from the SM song I was talking about:

All the fear has left me now
I'm not frightened anymore
It's my heart that pounds beneath my flesh
it's my mouth that pushes out this breath
and if I shed a tear I won't cage it
I won't fear love
and if I feel a rage I won't deny it
I won't fear love
Companion to our demons
they will dance, and we will play
With chairs, candles, and cloth
making darkness in the day
It will be easy to look in or out
upstream or down without a thought
and if I shed a tear I won't cage it
I won't fear love
and if I feel a rage I won't deny it
I won't fear love
Peace in the struggle
to find peace
comfort on the way
to comfort
and if I shed a tear I won't cage it
I won't fear love
and if I feel a rage I won't deny it

I won't fear love
I won't fear love
I won't fear love.

hmm.....................
Mood:  vegas lucky
Now Playing: Junkies
Topic: Weekend happenings
Sorry for my lack of posting, I haven't been home much... (that's the understatement of the century)

Here was my horroscope for yesterday:

The erratic emotions that you have been experiencing over the past couple of days should ease at this time, LAUREN. You will find that you are much more able do deal with things that come your way, and that you are more flexible and easygoing overall. Regardless of the unexpected twists and turns that pop up in the road in front of you, you have your pedal to the metal. You are strong and confident in your approach to everything. Do not doubt yourself for a second.


Yeah, that would just about fit perfectly. Major changes coming for 2005......... stay tuned.