Yeah, Great Blog…

My mother has had the same bedroom set of furniture since Bill Clinton took office for his first term.  She recently finally decided that she had enough money to buy a new set.  She was further motivated to make the change by redecorating the master bedroom with a new color of paint and carpet after sleeping amongst the same vomit-inducing shade of mint green for the past ten years.  This redecorating was completed almost four months ago, so I inquired this morning about how the new furniture was treating her and my stepfather.

After waiting for three months for the set to be delivered, it finally came this past Tuesday.  Everything that could possibly go wrong with this process did.  First, they said that they would be delivering the set on Monday, so my stepfather took the entire day off of work in order to grant access to the house.  The company called at 6pm to say that they wouldn’t be able to make it that day and would come on Tuesday.  So my mother had to take Tuesday off and wait around.  Knowing that neither she nor my stepdad would be capable of transporting the furniture from a truck outside to their bedroom inside, my mother opted to pay extra for the delivery service that will move the pieces right into the room, unpack them and assemble if necessary. 

So of course when the truck finally does show up, there is one rather scrawny man accompanying the furniture who unloads the pieces onto the driveway and starts to bid my mother adieu.  She stops him, my mother can be rather demanding when necessary as several years of living under her rule has taught me, and fights with him to bring the furniture inside.  Obviously, she feels bad that the guy has to do it himself but it’s really not her problem that the company only sent one mover.  After about half an hour of back and forth, the guy finally agrees to move the furniture into the house (no doubt after hearing about my mother’s painful health issues).

After inspecting the furniture, my mother realizes why the guy wanted to leave as quickly as possible.  Every single piece was damaged in some way.  Some of the pieces have scratch marks and dents that were probably made in transit, which while unfortunate is not exactly the manufacturers’ fault, but some of the pieces were defective from seemingly “shoddy workmanship” (her words, not mine).  One of the bedside table’s paint does not match the rest of the set and some of the dresser drawers do not close all the way.  The mirror on the headboard is cracked.  You get the picture.

Now my mother is trying to figure out how to complain about this awful service and either receive a repair, or a new finished and pristine set of furniture.  She hasn’t gotten far in her search as she found the company online and can’t find a working set of contact information.

Apparently, she tried to check out the company before she purchased the furntiure.  She found glowing reviews online and believed the company’s claim of a 99% satisfaction rate.  There were no complaints filed against the company with the Better Business Bureau.  She thought she had found a good deal and would get her money’s worth.

I know she shoulders part of the blame here for this disaster, but I can’t help wondering how many other people have been scammed in a similar manner.  Shouldn’t there be a better way of keeping track of online companies that fail their clients?

As much as I hate the annoying TV commercials, when it comes time for me to furnish my own apartment, I am going to a physical store and interacting with a human being face to face before I hand over any cash. 

Alright I know you’re young, energetic, and excited for all the possibilities of the future. So I apologize in advance for ruining your dreams.

One of the leading headlines in today’s Wall Street Journal reads, “Class of ‘08, A Scramble for Jobs” (see below for the full article) and basically, the article goes on to tell us how college graduates, especially ones with mediocre grades, are never going to get hired what with the present economic crisis and all.

I’m sorry, but it’s true. I know I should be outraged at the current Masters of the Universe for screwing up our economy and ruining our lives, but I can’t… because it’s so predictable. Nothing’s ever easy for us, guys. We’re the ones who had to get into college when it was the hardest time to get accepted; we’re the ones who have to try to find a job when no one’s hiring. Most of us also picked a major that has a starting salary of zero. Shit happens.

But it’s okay because we’re learning how to DEAL.

Full article

I’m worried. Very worried.

Yesterday I was working late with my boss and we were on one of our usual tangents. I don’t know how it came up, but he ended up telling me, “Suits are dead. They don’t even wear suits at Fidelity anymore.”

This upsets me. What does this say about our corporations? What does it say about the mentality of our Great country? And, most importantly, who are American women going to check out??

There are few things in the world more attractive than a guy in a suit. A suit exudes success, respect, brains, and every good adjective in the book. And now, the suit is going out of style. Why? Because men are either too fat to look good in them, or too lazy to get dressed up every day.

Suits were the last remnants of gentlemen from the age where guys dressed to impress. Now, “dressing up” for a guy usually consists of jeans and a T-shirt. Maybe you’ll get a button-down and jeans and sneakers if you’re really lucky. Men just don’t care anymore! And we women have been too easy on them. While we’re really careful with our appearances and spend time and money to make sure we look presentable and respectable, guys are held to none of the same standards.

And I know you’re thinking, ‘well it’s the your fault for caring.’ Let me address this plainly and simply: Women are in a catch-22 situation right now. If we stopped taking pride in our appearance like men have, then the world will perceive us as incapable, sloppy, dumb, and ugly. But as we continue taking care of our appearances, we perpetuate the stereotype that “all girls think about is clothes and makeup.”

I’m sorry this got really preachy, but can I get an Amen from anybody here?? Am I the only one who is upset and depressed to find out about the Demise of the Suit? Please comment and tell me I’m not alone!

I just watched Descent, a movie starring Rosario Dawson and Chad Faust.  It’s about a college-aged woman (Dawson) who orchestrates the rape of the man (Faust) that date-raped her.  Got all that?  I’m really not giving anything away, all of this is pretty much declared on the back cover. 

Half of the movie was fine.  Nothing new, but definitely worthwhile.  I was totally committed to the story line as we saw Dawson’s character deal with the aftermath of being assaulted.  But when things just stopped being explained and her entire demeanor changed completely, I cried foul.  She went from being withdrawn, confused, depressed and frightened to cold, calculating, manipulative, seductive and borderline misanthropic.  Now such a transition isn’t impossible, but if you’re going to put the main character on such an arc the audience deserves an explanation.

In the interest of full disclosure, I can’t be impartial when it comes to storylines involving rape.  The issue affects me greatly to this day, and it is just not possible for me to separate the topic from my personal feelings and prior experiences.  However, I don’t think my past should prevent me from having valid opinions about the way rape is portrayed in the entertainment industry. 

What angered me about this movie was that Dawson’s character’s actions made no sense.  Out of nowhere she had the power, control and composure to lure her rapist into a secluded area.  She effortlessly convinced him to let her blindfold, handcuff and tie him spread eagle to a bed.  I don’t understand how Faust’s character could not know that some awful fate was awaiting him, I don’t buy that he was just so cocky that he really thought she had changed her mind about him and really wanted to fuck him mere months after he brutally attacked her.  (Just as a side note, there was no grey area in the initial rape scene between Dawson and Faust.  She’s screaming and fighting and he tells her that she’s a dirty cunt etc. etc. etc.) 

In the end, a big black man appears and rapes the rapist.  The skinny white boy screams and thrashes against the bed for several minutes while the black rapist tells him to take it all etc. etc. etc.  To be fair, the man is introduced as a shady character earlier in the film, but it is never even hinted that he would be up for such an act. 

I don’t understand what I’m supposed to take away from this film.  Obviously no real revenge can ever soothe the pain of being raped.  Did I really need to see the parting shot of Dawson crying in the dark corner?  I don’t think any new questions were raised.  I don’t think any new aspects of the issue were explored. 

Out of curiosity I listened to a bonus feature question and answer session with Dawson and the writer/director.  I was physically sick listening to them justify this movie as a champion of victims’ rights.  I was flabbergasted as they explained that they screened the film for Eve Ensler, the mastermind behind The Vagina Monologues, and the entire V-day staff went nuts in support of it.  What kind of message does it send when authorities in sexual assualt prevention support a movie that depicts male rape as the answer?

 Maybe it’s just too late for me to be thinking about all of this, maybe I need a clearer head in the morning for actual intelligent reflection, but I challenge you dear reader to watch this film and decide for yourself if it is worth anything.  I would love to hear someone else’s impartial thoughts/opinions. 

I’m a pretty awful person when it comes to most things. I’m cynical, I have a very raw sense of humor, and I hate political correctness. But every once in a while something comes along that blackens my heart a little more, though on a much different level. This is one of those things.

15-year-old Lawrence King was murdered at school on February 12, 2008. Friends say the reason was his sexual orientation and gender expression. Make sure Lawrence is not forgotten.
~Remembering Lawrence King

It’s hard to hear about things like this. You hope–you pray–that the world is changing. There are even things that tell you a new direction has been taken, that things will get better, but then something like this happens.

Lawrence King was shot in the head for asking another male classmate to be his Valentine. Listen to what Ellen has to say above, because she says it all. The fact that we live in a world where the fear of being gay or being associated with people who are gay is WRONG. It is truly saddening, and one more life has been wiped from this earth. Who knows what Lawrence would have become later in life? Now, we’ll never know.

Hopefully we will see a time when these kinds of stories don’t pepper the headlines.

RIP Lawrence. The above header image is in memory of you. It’s not much, but I think you would have appreciated it.