BTT: Quirky

This week’s question is suggested by (blogless) JMutford:

Sometimes I find eccentric characters quirky and fun, other times I find them too unbelievable and annoying. What are some of the more outrageous characters you’ve read, and how do you feel about them?

This one required some thought mainly because I don't read a lot of books with eccentric or quirky characters. At first I wanted to say that I don't read a lot of fiction but then the eccentric parents of Jeannette Walls's memoir The Glass Castle popped into my mind. Walls does an excellent job portraying them in a fashion that leads readers to see how unstable they really are. I found myself identifying with Jeannette because my father can also be described as an eccentric, unstable man. (We have alien landing pads next to the barn.) So while her parents were eccentric they weren't too unimaginable for me.

I was completely annoyed by Anne Tyler's character Bitsy Donaldson in Digging to America. A woman who craves multi-culturalism, an environmentalist, and who has no problem telling people how they should live their lives. Bitsy drove me bezerk! She is just too much. I could not believe how she constantly preached to Zibar on how she should raise her daughter. Like suggesting Korean children's stories, soy milk, or looking down on her for changing her daughter's name from Suki to Susan. Bitsy also criticized Zibar for working instead of being a stay-at-home mom like herself. I usually have issues with such preachy characters or people. And I normally steer clear of parents like these at school.

I am just starting The Almanac of the Dead by Leslie Marmon Silko for the third time. While the book is close to 800pgs, which isn't bad, there are so many crazy, almost unimaginable characters involved that one really has to keep up with the plot to make sense of everything. This time I am actually mapping out the character connections. I remember trying to read this in college. Alex Kuo, my professor, quoted Simon Ortiz who said something along the lines of "if its fiction, you'd better believe it." I always think of this quote when reading literature that seems so off the wall, and this book is definitely up there. I'll be in touch about my feelings of these characters soon.

Finally, I hated all the characters in Sue Monk Kidd's The Mermaid Chair. All of them added up to such a ridiculous book. I found them to be very annoying and weird, which is most likely why I did not enjoy this much raved about book.

Snow Day

I woke up ecstatic this morning because we have a SNOW DAY!! This means that I can catch up on studying and Lost before tomorrow night, or find amusement in things like this.

Random

This should keep me entertained for awhile.

Stupid Drivers

There is snow in Idaho. Imagine that! Snow! Here, in Idaho! WOW! And when there is snow it seems like all the stupid drivers come out. This morning it took 40 minutes for four miles! Farmer Ted could've run to work and back in that time!

I grew up with snow every year. I learned how to drive in snow that had not been plowed. I've had all wheel drive and 4WD vehicles and know when it is suitable to up the gear. I know how to put chains on and also know that if chains are required on the pass I ain't going! What peeves me is the number of drivers who don't seem to know how to drive in snow. These same drivers fall into a number of categories:

1.) 4WD-Jerks: They seem to think that since they are in a vehicle with 4WD they own the road and have a small probability of causing an accident. While there are many 4WDrivers that do know how to drive in snow there are many that jumped on the SUV trend and have no freakin clue. They seem to believe that just being in an AWD or 4WD vehicle they can command the road. I would like to know how many of them know how to switch into 4WD and when the use of it would be helpful. A dusting of snow does not call for 4WD. And so they drive like idiots, sliding around, not stopping safely, nor watching the driving of others. They give you looks of "why are you in a little car on the road! GET OFF!" as if being in a mini-van-SUV is the only way to travel in icy conditions.

2.) The Clueless: These individuals purchase a 4WD vehicle and have no intention of learning how to actually use 4WD. This always bothered me in places like Las Vegas where there is no snow or muddy conditions and I often wondered what the purpose of 4WD was. Why have one when you're not going to use it? This morning I was behind a Land Rover who couldn't drive. It was going less than 5 mph and was so slow, in slush where there should be no problems. WHY?! LEARN HOW TO DRIVE IT!

3.) Bugs n Metros: JUST SAY NO! When there is ice covering the road please understand that your low weight ain't gonna cut it when it comes to stopping and going. LET UP ON THE GAS PEDAL! Please! Applying more gas isn't going to necessarily get you moving when you're on a sheet of ice!!

And finally, understand that being too cautious can also cause accidents. If you're not comfortable driving in snow, in Idaho, where yes there is snow then try to find an alternative option. Or move back to California.

Deborah Oropallo

There is not much that happens in Idaho that excites me. Seriously. But I was thrilled to learn that Deborah Oropallo's work is currently exhibited in Ketchum at the Gail Severn Gallery. I first heard of her work on NPR and unlike most stories on art, Oropallo's sounded so interesting I found myself surfing the net for images. I like how she overlays portraits of well-known men with images of everyday women. I'll admit that some of her work does not appeal to me but there are those that do such as Captain's Mate, Pillage n Plunder, Cowgirl, and Helle's Belle's (both seen above). I like staring into the several layers and deciphering the images separately. What I don't like is having to travel to Sun Valley to view this exhibit.

Decisions

When deciding between Midget Wrestling and basketball normally the decision would be easy, anything but basketball. When deciding between Farmer Ted's godson, Cosmo, at the basketball game and midget wrestling the decision became more difficult. Its not everyday that such fine artistic performances visit Idaho. What should I choose?

Basketball. However I was not allowed to wear Farmer Ted's letterman's jacket to the game. And I was not allowed to bring books or crafts or toys. Although I did get lucky in that Cosmo played his harmonica during halftime. It was the best harmonica playing from a 2.5 year old I've ever heard! Beat that midget wrestling!

Death Star Canteen

Because SOMEONE doesn't enjoy Star Wars, but I bet that SOMEONE would enjoy this.

Friday's Feast 177

Appetizer
How many times per day do you usually laugh?
Depends on what we did at school. I would say at least three good laughs a day.

Soup
What do your sunglasses look like?
Green and over-sized. I liked to pretend that they made me invisible when I lived in Tokyo.

Salad
You win a free trip to anywhere on your continent, but you have to travel by train. Where do you go?
Copper Canyon Train ride. I hear its better than the Grand Canyon.

Main Course
Name one thing you consider a great quality about living in your town/city.
It has decent sushi.

Dessert
If the sky could be another color, what color do you think would look best?
I always enjoy deep orange sunsets. Maybe purple or violet would enhance those sunsets.

Hillary's Inner Tracy Flick

Although this isn't a statement about my own presidential candidate preferences I did like this clip. Reese Witherspoon was so awesome as Tracy Flick. I love that movie.

Update: This clip keeps getting taken down so here is the link.

I am Loved

Usually my birthday flies under the radar each year, but not this one! Singing, laughing, cake, more cake, silly flowers, jokes, phone calls, cards, and a surprise party. It was all very lovely. Thanks. :)

BTT

What’s your favorite book that nobody else has heard of? You know, not Little Women or Huckleberry Finn, not the latest best-seller . . . whether they’ve read them or not, everybody “knows” those books. I’m talking about the best book that, when you tell people that you love it, they go, “Huh? Never heard of it?”

Just one? How about three: The Passion by Jeanette Winterson, Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri, and Owning it All by William Kittredge.

The Passion was passed on to me and I found that I couldn't put it down. The way Winterson writes is so beautiful and poetic that I would get lost in sentences. Its not necessarily an easy read because of the emotional range she covers. The Passion intertwines the destinies of two remarkable people: the soldier Henri, for eight years the faithful cook who follows Napoleon from the glory of Empire to Russian ruin: and Villanelle, the red haired daughter of a Venetian boatman whose webbed feet are a quirk of fate and whose several identities are created whole cloth out of Venice's compound of carnival, chance and darkness.

Interpreter of Maladies won the Pulitzer prize a couple of years ago and again I was caught up in the emotion of these short stories. Nearly everyone I've loaned this book to has loved it and never returned it--a sign that I am not alone in my enjoyment. Pure beauty.

And finally, Owning it All, also a collection of short stories on the West, helped me reconcile my confused, rural cowgirl identity. While an undergraduate, graduate and even at times today there have been moments where I haven't been able to relate to others due to my rural upbringing. I've lived the rodeo lifestyle, I've plucked chickens, I've lived in both a single- and double-wide trailer. I know how to farm, milk cows, ride a horse, and speak in an altogether different twang when I go home. This collection helped me comfort my confused-self.

Blog for Choice

Its Blog for Choice Day and this year NARAL has chosen the topic to be: why it is important to vote pro-choice.

I vote pro-choice for many reasons. Here are just a few. For one, I have friends who've had abortions due to domestic violence. I have friend who chose to have one due to being raped. I have a friend who chose an abortion at 17 because she knew she couldn't provide for a child and the incarcerated father wouldn't be able to help her. They are all extremely difficult decisions for women AND men. My brother still has a difficult time with the topic due to a decision he made with a girlfriend at a young age. I vote pro-choice because I feel that one should have the right to make such an emotional decision and its not my place to make that decision for them by pushing my personal beliefs or restricting services. It is not my place to judge these decisions either. I vote pro-choice because I understand that events may occur in our lives (such as domestic violence, partner-rape, or rape) that are beyond our control.

I also don't want women to die. I remember reading about these women and more prior to Roe v. Wade and even after the decision, even today. Women still do not have access to these services.

Which brings me to another reason why I vote pro-choice because anti-choice laws disproportionately affect young women, women of color, low-income women and women who live in rural areas. There are seven providers in Idaho according to one source, and another states that rural women in Idaho have to travel for options. The Guttmacher Institute also states that 93 percent of Idaho counties have no abortion provider.

Finally, I vote pro-choice because women should be trusted to make their own decisions. I am not and never will be in any position to tell a woman what is best for her and her family. Its my body, therefore my choice.

In Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Friday's Feast 176

Appetizer
What is your favorite beverage?

Hot Tea: Earl Gray, Jasmine, or Green Tea

Soup
Name 3 things that are on your computer desk at home or work.

Playdoh, Bobbing turtles, Aleve

Salad
On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being highest), how honest do you think you are?

9

Main Course
If you could change the name of one city in the world, what would you rename it and why?

Washington D.C. When asked where I was from abroad I would say Washington State and people always equated that with Washington D.C. I think either the state name or city name should change so that I don't have to further explain the difference in a conversation that usually ends with "you know, nevermind."

Dessert
What stresses you out? What calms you down?

Stresses me out: my graduate work

Calms me down: Tea, reading, sleeping, sleeping with my dogs

NO!

Me: Mom, what should I name Camden? This is such a weird request.

Mom: Its important to her. I like Camden Walker.

Me: WHAT??!!!

Mom: I think it sounds nice.

Me: Do you want your grandson to have a name resembling Walker Texas Ranger?!

Mom: Oh..................NO! What was I thinking?

Me: Yeah....but think of how much fun we'd have making fun of it.

Mom (still in shock): Heavens to Betsy! What was I thinking?!


I think she'll recover, although when I pointed out that Georgie's was Walker she again went into shock.

(Note: My mother doesn't "do" blogs. If she did she would have clearly seen my post where I made fun of this name. Tsk, Tsk)

BTT

How much do reviews (good and bad) affect your choice of reading? If you see a bad review of a book you wanted to read, do you still read it? If you see a good review of a book you’re sure you won’t like, do you change your mind and give the book a try?

Generally I don't like to read book reviews because I don't want another's opinion to affect how I read a book. However, I have found a lot of good books through looking at book reviews. I mainly skim the review and gather bits and pieces from the titles to see if I'm interested. I've had plenty of experiences where I have read a book and hated it only to see many people rave about it. One example was Eat, Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.

Parents Beware: Kids are Smart

I had a lovely, LOVELY conversation with a four year old yesterday. We were talking about careers and he piped up and said that he wanted to be a seller, like his dad. You know, the kind where people just come to your house and buy "stuff" from you. Hmm...I wonder what he sells....

Middle Name

I have been given the task of naming the middle name of my nephew. My restrictions are that the name will not begin with a B or a J. (I made the mistake of making a BJ remark here with my sister not so pleased.)

Camden (middle name) T.


here is what we've come up with so far:


Camden Yard (after the Orioles baseball field)

Camden Tourniquet

Camden Herbert Walker

Camden Danger

Camden Maynard

Camden Bleu (crap, its a B!)


This is way too much fun to take seriously. I may have to pass this one on to the bro, fo shoa!

WTF?

There has been much already said regarding February's issue of Playboy. I can't help but think that Playboy is making an attempt to draw in the comic book geeks of the world with this issue. I agree that Tiffany Fallon is not the best representation of Wonder Woman and I had never heard of her before this issue. Does she even know Lynda Carter or what Wonder Woman stood for? I also agree that this use of the image is transforming or equating Wonder Woman with sexuality. It seems our society can't handle a non-sexualized superhero. Dwight from The Office knows what a stripper looks like since Jennifer Garner used it as one of her many aliases. Even Kim Possible bared her mid drift. I also bet that there is some sort of "enhanced sexuality makes me feel powerful" message within the issue too. But what is this power? I'm tired of women relating sex appeal to confidence. As if the only way I can be confident is if I install a stripper pole in my bedroom.

What I find very disturbing about this issue is that her "costume" is painted on. We have reached the point in our society where clothes don't do it for us any longer and thus we need to paint women, so we can see all that we need to see. So that nothing is left but the stripper shoes. Why wear actual clothing when paint will do? Will this be the Halloween trend of the future?

Its Monday. Lighten up.

Ebay

Have you ever bid on an item only to lose it to a jerk who bids at the last second? Well, I'm that jerk and I just successfully won another auction in this manner. Ha ha.

Sex and the Teenage Girl

Caitlin Flanagan has an interesting piece on Sex and the Teenage Girl over in the NY Times. I found her approach interesting and for the most part I didn't care much for it. So when I popped over to F-Words and saw that I agreed with Sara's perspective it made me smile. There are women in this world who remember the importance of class in society. There is a reality present that is rarely discussed which is disappointing. Something tells me that Flanagan would never have been in Juno's position nor would her daughter.

The article's mention of Juno also reminded me of an excellent blog posting over at Law and Letters. Excellent and well stated.

Farmer Ted has taken my LSAT studying to the next level by forwarding me links of everyday logical reasoning questions. How thoughtful of him...

Thanks Mankiw...I think....

Really?

Designer Vaginas, Anyone?

"Nature Walk"

Yesterday during PE I had my students walk around the field looking for signs of nature. Foot prints in the snow, empty nests, birds in the sky, the barking of a dog; they aren't hard to find out there. My attempt was to calm and center them on this walk because I believe that PE should be calming and relaxing some days. At the end of the session I asked them what they found: squirrels, rabbit footprints, bird's nest, but dear R had a different response. When asked what signs of nature or animal life he saw he responded with yellow snow. Technically its a correct observation!

Friday's Feast 175

Appetizer
What is your middle name? Would you change any of your names if you could? If so, what would you like to be called?

Elizabeth, also my grandmother's middle name. No, I wouldn't change any of my names and am the type of woman who will keep my maiden name if ever married. When I was 13 I told everyone to start calling me 9. I wanted a number for a name because I thought it was cool.

Soup
If you were a fashion designer, which fabrics, colors, and styles would you probably use the most?

Wool, cashmere, tartans, and bold colors. Why be drab?

Salad
What is your least favorite chore, and why?

Cleaning the bathtub.

Main Course
What is something that really frightens you, and can you trace it back to an event in your life?

For awhile there driving scared me and I was able to trace it back to my brother's horrible car accident.

Dessert
Where are you sitting right now? Name 3 things you can see at this moment.

At the computer. Cup of heavenly tea, playdoh, and a poster of the Breakfast Club.

I'm old

This prep class for the LSAT is driving me nuts. Its not so much the material but more so the organization of the course. The lessons are at 7pm Eastern time which translates to 5pm Central so I've had to rework my work schedule to get off at 5 and yet I'm still about 20 minutes late to each lesson. I can't imagine what it would be like for someone living in Pacific time zone and working full time. Yes there is the option of re watching the lesson but its not the same as actively participating in the live lesson. There are two things that have just bugged the shit out of me so far: 1) the fact that I am not able to directly contact the instructors via e-mail. Instead I am able to correspond with an anonymous person who isn't familiar with my progress. and 2) that office hours are during the day. Actually they were between 1 and 2 yesterday which is when I'm at work. Imagine that, people actually work! So I e-mailed my issues off and was given the computer e-mail address and told that the office hours are set by the needs of the students. To which I asked when these needs were asked of us. I haven't been asked of my office hour preferences.

The whole thing made me realize that I'm old. I'm not young, in college and have time to waste or be that flexible. I don't have the option of fitting in office hours between political science 101 and political science 102. It frustrates me because I find it hard to believe that I'm the only person working full time in this course, although maybe I am. Its also nerving because I'm paying for a service that I'm unable to use because of work. I just wish they would understand this and thus be more accommodating to those living on the West coast.

grrrrrr

I've spent hours going over every aspect and learning strategy of the LSAT and I don't seem to be improving. It has been extremely frustrating and I can't help but wonder whether the studying and course is a waste of my time. I could be using the time toward writing my thesis. And so my prayers for a snow day at school so I wouldn't have to go to work and thus study for the LSAT didn't exactly pan out for today. Oh well. This whole process has just exhausted me. Writing personal statements that sell everything you've done isn't my forte, in fact I don't even talk about my international work to anyone anymore; its just not something I bring up. I think the last time I brought anything up was at Christmas when Farmer Ted's unionist cousin was discussing Cuba. Even then I wasn't keen on boasting my humorous introduction to Fidel. Yes I've had some adventures in my life but I'm not comfortable using them to advance myself, I'd rather have other aspects define my personal statement. However, I'm still trying to learn what those aspects are. I hate this.

Wonderment

Sometimes I wonder whether I should just embrace my artistic side. I'm okay with it, but lately it feels like its the only thing I'm good at. Seriously.

While I'd rather not work as a "floral designer" anymore (the snobbery of the term makes me wretch alone) they still call when they're in a bind, which is frequently enough that I get a nice paycheck every two weeks. I never thought I could design well but you can't keep ignoring compliments forever. I suppose I'm just worrying myself over nothing but I can't help but think, "Is this it?" After busting my ass on a thesis that goes no where one week and the next is back-burnered because another grad student is more important, I am finding myself wondering if I should just "settle". I've decided that an academic career is something I'm no longer interested in pursuing and have decided to apply to law school, but what if that doesn't pan out? Should I settle on my artistic side? The side that doesn't make sense to me? You have no idea how strange it is to design flowers mentally in your dreams, at stoplights, or on the toilet. You have no idea that I cringe at poorly designed arrangements and at times have to keep myself from fixing them. On vacations our pictures are of the flowers. Its everywhere. And it scares me.

I think its mainly because there isn't any intellectual challenge in it. The only challenge is the design, and when given a range of ingredients it only takes seconds to finish. I know, I'm being silly but I can't help but be confused...

The Course(s)

I started my online LSAT course yesterday. The instructor is most definitely younger than me and has already sent me IMs by mistake that are questionable. I now want to ask about "her pen thing" and feel like I can since it was his mistake. You can't just send a person an oddball message and think they'll forget about it. I want closure!
So, yep, I'm not sure if law school would be right for me but its seems logical considering my Master's thesis contains constitutional law...we'll see. The course has an interesting way of making me feel like a complete douchebag. For one, I wasn't a political science major and its all the rage in our class chat room! Thus, I've been kicked to my regular Star Wars geek corner. I'm also not keen on talking up practice LSAT scores or listening to our instructor talk about not studying at all and scoring a 172 and not going to law school. Uhh.....dude....I was kind of hoping you could give me some pointers...things that may or may not have worked for you...gee.....thanks.

Farmer Ted is busy pulling together lectures for the two Econ courses we're teaching this semester. We are currently debating the issue of powerpoint lectures. I say yes for the 101 course but no for the 500-MBA course. I feel that if you're an MBA student you should be able to effectively take notes, listen to the lecture and not have everything handed to you with a bow. Farmer Ted feels like powerpoint would benefit us better. Maybe I'm just remembering the intensity of my grad courses and wanting others to feel my pain...who knows.

I'm just not looking forward to LSAT---Microeconomics---literature review---law school applications. Anyone know how to subtly write a personal statement that mentions your thesis in adult entertainment business laws and the First Amendment?

Friday's Feast 174

Appetizer
When was the last time you received a surprise in the mail, and what was it?

December--A gift card to B&N. You can never have too many books.

Soup
If you could have a summer and/or winter home, where would you want it to be?

Summer Home: San Juan Islands, with a kayak, view of the ocean and plenty of books.

Winter Home: Tokyo--for its urban beauty, lights and sprinkles of snow every once in awhile.

Salad
Pick one: pineapple, orange, banana, apple, cherry.

Pineapple--hands down. Its a must have on ANY pizza.

Main Course
Describe the nicest piece of clothing that you own.

Hmm....Probably a small collection of Marc Jacobs sweaters and shoes.

Dessert
If you could forget one whole day from your life, which day would you choose to wipe from your memory?

Just one? Christmas 2006, easily.

Cards

We received a late Christmas card from FT1 and FT2. I found this both entertaining and frustrating. Lets begin with the frustrating matters shall we? You see the day after Christmas I was at a friend's house where she informed me that she received a Christmas card from the FTs. I was like "WTF?!" why? And she was like, "I don't even know them, nor does C so you tell us." So here is my rant, to them, as if they care: WHY DO YOU SEND OUR FRIENDS CHRISTMAS CARDS??!! You don't know these people! They are not your friends!
What also gets me is that the FTs live in another state (thank Heavens) and thus don't even see us nor our friends, but seriously, WTF!

Another frustrating aspect is that you can't even bring it up in conversation, nor ask for their friends' addresses to do the same. "Uh, can we get a list of your friends to mail holiday cards to?" Again, WTF!

So, in terms of entertaining it was exactly that when the card arrived late, to family, to people they actually know. There is also a small ounce of entertainment in the fact that they actually did the above, because serious, who does this? Oh wait, they do!

Movie Time

Having recuperated from being poisoned by hippies or rednecks (we're not quite sure) we had some netflixs to catch up on. We loooovvvveee Netflix. My nerd moment of the day involved calculating the precise cost each movie we had sent to us last year. It averaged out to be approximately $1.17. And for that price you can get movies, watch them for ten minutes and decide to send them back. My time is worth more than a buck seventeen!

This is exactly what we did last night. In went Running with Scissors and out it came after twelve minutes. In went The Science of Sleep and out it came after ten minutes. The hotness of Gabriel Garcia Marquez couldn't cut it this time.

The third movie we actually had to view since I had to write a movie review of it in order to get a letter of recommendation. Farmer Ted couldn't stop laughing when he realized that I actually had to write an essay of my thoughts regarding Barry Levinson's The Diner and Tin Men. So I compared and contrasted, threw in some lines and even a reference to the great Ingmar Bergman, it was easy-peasy. Overall these two are worth watching as they remind me of times spent at Rico's where all we had was cups of coffee, Scrabble and good conversation. I also now have a "test" to pass, only it involves baseball instead of football in which case my thesis chair pointed out that it was probably better that way since football would be too easy for me. Great....

Mass Texting

I despise texting. Yes, it can come in handy sometimes, but not all the time. What I find annoying is how people mass text everyone things like, "Happy New Year!" or "Happy [insert holiday, event, day, month, alcoholic beverage, etc]" to everyone in their address book. I don't even talk to some of you people anymore! Some of you won't even return my phone calls, but hey, I'm worth a mass text. Thanks asswipe.

Whats worse is that Farmer Ted's fam does it. We've asked repeatedly for them to stop. They don't listen and thus I rant. There is something about having a family member text you OVER calling you on a holiday that just bugs me. And to confirm your hunch that its a mass text from other fam is just plain crazy.

I'm almost tempted to just randomly text crap like, "S&M party, midnight, my place!" or "Bong hits at 9 on me" just to piss them off. Do you think they'd get it?

I am an Angry Woman

There, I said it. Its the reason I decided to start an anonymous blog. I have anger. Its there. Its been clocking in regularly for oh, lets see...the ENTIRE HOLIDAY SEASON! And so, in attempt to keep my relationship calm and collected I have resolved to rant anonymously. Farmer Ted has heard plenty and the dogs have learned to turn their backs.

There has always been something liberating about spilling your guts to the world via a blog. Nobody may read it but you sure as hell feel better. Which leads me to why an anon-blog? Why not just say screw you to those reading the previous blog? Because the three, YES 3!!, happen to be Farmer Ted's family. The issue at hand-- a ranting regarding e-mail forwards and friendship. They don't mix people! Just because you send them doesn't mean anything in terms of friendship. So FT2 cried, took it out of context, cried some more, refuses to talk to me and now I'm pissed.

Lesson learned: NEVER LET YOUR FAMILY READ YOUR BLOG IF YOU HAVE ISSUES WITH THEM.

Resolved: Begin blog. Vent. Delete blog when done.

Beside FT1, FT2 and The Ma I have plenty to rant about. Just you wait!