Sunday, April 5, 2009

Day 5: Beverly Hills NO.

It is SUCH a beautiful day out, and I just have to sit here appreciating it through the window of my stupid box office. If I didn't like my coworkers so much I would hate this job on days like today.
On that note, I really like when work feels like I am on a sitcom.
... I had just typed up a story of something funny that happened yesterday at work, but I realized how lame it made me sound, telling work stories in my blog, so I deleted it. Just know that work can be fun, sometimes.

In other news.

Last night I spent the night at Liz's house and aside from food and making fun of the movie Beverly Hills Chihuahua (her parents were watching it, sigh) we went upstairs and I showed her the first episode of Season 1 of Doctor Who.

Wait, hold on. I'm don't think I am done talking about Beverly Hills Chihuahua. Liz and I were listening kind of from the kitchen, and her parents kept cracking up after lines that I didn't see any humor in. There's a scene where an iguana is trying to escape from a store or something by hiding under a pinata and one of the employees is chasing it? That's the entire joke. Her parents were rolling! And in general, I'm finding there is a huge population of that world that is highly entertained by a talking and dancing dogs. This movie brought in $29 million, debuting it at number one in the box offices in the first weekend.
WHY AM I NOT AMUSED BY TALKING AND DANCING DOGS?
Sometimes I wonder if I am missing out on a simpler form of entertainment because I am so much harder to impress. SHOULD dancing dogs amuse me?

Dogs, cats, monkeys: when animals speak in movies, and the movies are not Babe, Charlotte's Web, or Homeward Bound - or a cartoon - I don't want to see it. I don't find it funny. Ahhh.
Similarly, I saw Bedtime Stories and thought it was a pretty okay movie, but they insisted on putting in this stupid guinea pig with big weirdo cartoon eyes that served no purpose other than to be funny, and it WASN'T, so it ruined the entire movie for me. RAWR.

Okay, I am moving on. So I showed Liz Doctor Who and I am proud of myself for spreading it on and I am happy she likes it. :D I am almost done with Season Two. Halfway there!

A few months ago I did a Parselmouths interview for radio with this girl I met at a Wizard Rock show named Abby. I really enjoyed this experience because she is blind and was using it as a learning tool for future radio shows she plans to execute. It was a lot of fun and we've kept in contact a bit since then.
The point of this story is that today she wrote on my facebook wall and I turned to Liz and asked her "Hey Liz, how do blind people use facebook? In fact, how do they use computers?"
Neither of us knew so we spent about 20 minutes on google learning about all of the different methods, such as brail keyboards and systems that essentially read anything on a webpage out to people. This was all making sense until we got to this sentence:

"Sometimes visually impaired people dont even bother hooking up a monitor to their computers at all."

We were both just like "What!?!!" and then a split second later said - "Oh, well that makes sense, they can't see the monitor after all."

But then we were both quiet for a few minutes while we both sat and contemplated the idea of using a computer without the monitor. It seems so - wow. I don't even know. It's STILL blowing my mind. Have any of you ever considered this? I just can't imagine surfing the web, checking email, reading wikipedia... without a monitor. This is literally just like - 100% data transfer from machine to brain with no visuals.
We rely SO MUCH on our visuals.
The craziest part is that I was reading a web forum about this and someone even replied saying "Hi, yeah, I'm on such a computer right now. It just takes getting used to."

People are walking around using monitor-less computers and interacting with us and we don't even KNOW. People amaze me. Every single day.

Today's word: Extubsas
To have a bad attitude after taking a bath. -VicMorrowsGhost (This word amused me because the definition is completely phonetic. Ex-tub-sas. Being sassy when you exit the tub. Hahhaa.)

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26 comments:

Samantha said...

It is normal to not be amused by talking dogs. Talking dogs are generally pretty lame.

Anonymous said...

Lactista: Spanish women who are intolerant to dairy products.

Katy said...

brund: to have a brunch from a "brand-name"/chain restaurant, like McDonalds or the Red Lobster.

I also dislike dancing/talking dogs, but still love Homeward Bound and Babe and Charlotte's Web and animated movies. You're not abnormal. There are plenty of other suitable forms of comedy.

Crystal said...

I don't want to spoil anything, but the end of season 2 made me cry a lot.

Hayley Hoover said...

Termed: The state of mind after finishing a term paper. For example, "I cannot go out with you; I cannot move or breathe. For I am termed."

Dana Vlahos. said...

Conef: A new brand of aspirin, which can also be a substitute for your breakfast.
"did you eat breakfast?"
"oh no, I had a headache, so I just chewed on some Conef."

And, I DEFINETLY recommend you read 'A Starbucks Nation.' If you read it, you'll know exactly why I recommend it. Plus, It's amazing. :D

Melody said...

You're definitely not alone in the whole not-amused-by-dancing-dogs thing. The trailer for that movie alone turned me off. I saw the trailer and said, "Okay, that is a movie that I NEVER want to see."

Capcha code: blect. An exclamation of distaste or disapproval.

Arletta said...

In my web design class my sophomore year we had to do a whole bunch of extra stuff on our web pages for the visually impaired, so I had an idea of how it works.


word verification: graunag- the word used to described your stomach growling.

disasterpastor45 said...

My Dad has been blind since he was a teenager and has never seen me. He was a college math professor, with my English Major Mom helping him prepare for classes (full-time, non-paid). My Dad got a DOS computer around 1986, and his current DOS computer around 1994. He uses DECTalk on that one, a speech program, along with WordPerfect 5.1. His computer is mighty hobbled though.

So we got him a new computer last year and he has Jaws 9.0 installed on it. He mostly just gets his e-mail with it and uses the scanner. He creates CD inserts on his DOS machine.
I can't teach either of my parents anything about the computer because we all just don't get along at all.

My word verification today is:
adecelse - http://tinyurl.com/dg53cx

disasterpastor45 said...

Blind people don't use a mouse!

hymil - What the rich virgin Wall St. Banker has.

disasterpastor45 said...

dinesine - I just cannot leave this one alone, but I will/or won't.

Elizabeth... said...

I am in awe of the monitor-less.

Conamsc: The act of completeing a jigsaw.

Dette said...

I'm legally blind - I don't know really how to explain that.
All I know is that my acuity is supposed to be 20/200. that is to say I see at 20 ft what people with perfect vision could see from 200 ft. When I was 14 I was told I will never be allowed to drive because of this and because my left eye is blind.

That was a huge gut-punched feeling moment for me. But I'm extremely greatful that I can see. It's such a wonder that well sighted people take forgranted a lot of the time.

Aaaaaaaanyway.
I used to use this little keyboard like thing for taking notes. You type the notes, and save them on the machine... When you want to go over them it reads them to you. It was pretty nifty. Although I had a lot of trouble remembering shortcuts and hot keys and such. I wasn't very comfortable with it, so I don't use it anymore. But what it is esssentially is a monitor-less computer. Probably without internet access... I can't remember.

Haha. Although before the whole Ctrl + ++++++ on webbrowsers existed, it was super tough for me. So thanks programmer who decided that this was a great idea!


I'm also not amused by stupid talking animals. I like movies with talking animals that have some degree of sense... Like... Babe. I also kinda liked Stuart Little when I was younger, I think. The whole trailer for Beverly Hills Chihuahua was utter WTF-ness to me.

Raven Zoe said...

stwing: a stewardess who is also a swinger. Example: "Are you single?" "No, I'm a stwinger."

abbs866 said...

I don't usually comment on your blog because I read it with my Google Reader. But I just wanted you to know that there is one more person out there reading the words you type and appreciating them.

Rammurou - When a kangaroo runs into a brick wall.

Natalie said...

I like your blog. :)
I'm watching Doctor Who RIGHT AT THIS VERY MOMENT. It's the one with the scary bomb kid.

PS (I don't think anyone actually likes animals that talk)

Jordiekins said...

initio: a spell to initiate something

Johnny Motif said...

Quebef - A. slang The common response to accusations of stolen beef-based foods. "Did you take my hamburger?" "Quebef?" "Okay, well now I know you did it."

disasterpastor45 said...

denereq - sitting in Denny's and verbally asking for a song to be played and then it plays next.

Well, if Kristina & Haley can comment on each others' blog at the same moment, it could happen...but what are the odds?

Alex Dahlberry said...

Yeah, I don't find talking animals amusing on the most part.
And the things about the visually impaired using computers is very interesting.
And we don't mind reading about your work experiences :P

Nathalie said...

Hello!
I'm a 5awesomegirls fan and saw the link to your blog. I'm also following Hayely's blog. I told Hayley she is my favorite awesome girl, and that's true, but you're my second favorite, just right behind her! I love your videos! And you're not the only one who thinks talking dogs are not funny. I don't like them as well, and my mom is actually afraid of dogs that talk...unless of course, it's a cartoon.

kaitlin said...

jeeez, there's like torrential rain here, and of all the places to be a beautiful day, it's seattle

Catherine said...

exacti- to be almost exact; can be used in place of the phrase "almost exactly" Example: "His tie matched my dress exacti."

VicMorrowsGhost said...

YEAH! Word of the day! :D

molly said...

monday the 5th of april in my diary is me having the exact same thought about blind people and computers. i am so freaked out right now its insane. :|

Anonymous said...

i actually have a blind friend who is more computer literate than i am. she uses a program called jaws, and it talks to her. it rather freaks me out.