Dammit, Petrelicest...

Gah! With no more Doctor Who or Sherlock, I've turned to Heroes for entertainment... I am so addicted. I'm also really torn because

I

WISH

THAT

THESE

TWO

AREN'T

 BROTHERS.

JEEZ.

...But it's somehow better that they are.
Good god, what have I become?

ALSO, Hiro.

THE GAY STEAMROLLER TRIUMPHS.

"I would not tar the political branches with the brush of bigotry."
-John Roberts on the court's new-found refusal to take all the DOMA shit.

F#CK, YEAH!! We will flatten that crappy tar with our uber fabulous GAY STEAMROLLER.
...Even if it takes 5 freakin' years to do it. =P

(This image belongs to The Oatmeal. He is freaking amazing, go check him out.)

ROLL ON, AWESOME PEOPLE.

Digital Copies

I just had an interesting conversation with Cooper today. Along the way, complained a bit about the absurd prices of comics and manga. I tend to slam through manga, comfortably reading about 4 volumes at a time. One of my favorite mangas is xxxHolic, a CLAMP story about the manifestations of habits, desires, and modes of thought. It's laid out beautifully, the art is amazing, and the characters and stories are divine. I would buy the entire series, happily giving my money to the artists, if each volume wasn't $10.95 new. I realize that the artists spend a very long time planning and drawing these beautiful things and I'm sure that a whole volume is worth $10.95, but, in reality, I'm not going to buy a whole bunch of these new. I just don't have the money! This brings up an interesting point.

The worth of a book isn't in the binding. It's the relationship between the reader and the story. You can bind the Twilight series in beautiful gold-framed, embossed mermaid skin, but it doesn't mean I'm going to buy it. Just because you spent a fortune to make the physical book doesn't mean that it's actual value goes up all that much.
The same's true for any work of art! You don't look at Van Gogh's Starry Night and say "My god! He really spent a fortune on paint! I hope he got his money's worth in the end.*" No, you think "Wow! Look at these colors! And the swirls! And the yellow!! ...And is that a tree or an alien structure??" and then you fight the urge to draw on a little exploding TARDIS in the corner.

Of course, it would be lovely if Van Gogh turned a profit on this! I would pay for tickets to see it myself... If I wasn't able to find a digital copy.
This brings me to things like eBooks. How much should we pay for one? Obviously, we should pay the person who types up the thing themselves or the person who creates the technology to properly scan the thing, as well as the author, editor, and publishers... But after that's done, should we pay for every single digital copy of the book? The work has already gone into it. I know that the author and the typists or programmers are still getting paid every time we buy one, but it's still kind of weird. We're used to paying for physical copies of things. Buying a used movie is fine, because you're buying it from the original buyer. But it it okay to buy or even trade a digital copy? Where should the line be drawn, and by whom?
When you sell a work of art, you're selling the physical product and an idea. You want your copy of The Picture of Dorian Gray to hold up, but the whole reason you bought it was so that you could experience the story the pages contain. So if the physical aspect is taken away (like with eBooks), the only thing that remains it the feeling itself. In this digital age, we are peddling ideas. Nothing more.
So how much is an idea worth? Can it be translated into dollars? If so, should it be? Should it be regulated?
These are questions that I have no answers to. If you have opinions or corrections on any of the points I've made during the post, feel free to leave them in the comments! Don't worry, I don't bite! I'll even respond to each one. =)

______________________________

*As far as I know, he only sold one painting: The Red Vineyard. ...So no, he did not get his money's worth.

JUST STOP

The checkup I talked about in my last post went all right, but they weren't able to draw any blood from me. My veins are too small, so they couldn't really find 'em. Didn't stop them from trying, though! Now I have a stab in each arm. X(

I also got the first of three shots that will vaccinate me from.... <drumroll/>

CERVICAL CANCER!!

...Wait, what? Why do I need that??

As it turns out, cervical cancer is actually quite a problem and all female teens are supposed to get a vaccine for it.

Well and good, right?

WRONG. This means that I have to get 3 MORE shots of this crap, and I'M NOT PLANNING ON USING MY CERVIX ANY TIME SOON.

In case you don't know, human reproduction is a bit of a hot-button issue for me. Our numbers are increasing at a rapid rate. Humans are breeding faster then we can find answers to our numerous health, economic, and environmental problems. So it isn't just that I'm cranky about taking unnecessary drugs, I'm cranky about being lumped in with all you breeders! Good GOD, there are too damn many of us! Just STOP for a while, will ya??

Goddess almighty. >=[

PS: Yup, I can feel the hate-mail comin' in... Family members: I love you, but I've already heard the speech. I just want you to know that nothing will make me not feel REALLY pissed off about overpopulation. Yes, I KNOW that it's a hairy issue and that you can't just stop people from breeding. I'm sure my opinions may change in a few years. This is nothing against you guys. Shots and human sexuality just gets on my nerves, okay?? Go pester some pot-head and leave me with my angry, hypocritical, skewed outlook on the world. According to you all, it should change next month anyway.

ANGSTADY-ANGST, HURRAH!

Hello, world.
Despite what my last post may have lead you to believe, I'm actually not constantly depressed anymore. What cured me? I'd like to say the support of my family and friends, but I'm gonna be honest here. While the humans whom I occasionally let within my personal bubble of 5 feet (most notably Cooper McHatton) helped me feel a little less empty inside, what really cured me was the Vlogbrothers. I'm sorry, guys. You helped a lot, but there's something about John and Hank that reminds me that, despite our faults, we're all made of some form of awesome.
That being said, I'm not feeling too amazing at the moment. I have a doctor's appointment (for a check-up) in a few hours (I don't know WHEN) that I became aware of just today. I HATE DOCTOR'S OFFICES. I DON'T KNOW WHY. I can read all day about lympoma and sleep soundly at night. I can look at diagrams of tracheotomies and all I'll think is "Neat!" I'm the kind of person who thinks it's fun to stay up until 6:00AM on a school night reading up on torture methods on wikipedia. However, when I walk into that cold, foul-smelling office, I immediately start to panic. My throat feels like it's closing, I can't fight off the people trying to hug me or comfort me, and I'm afraid that the rushing sound in my ears will be my undoing.
So, yeah. I don't particularly like the doctor's office. On top of all this, I DON'T KNOW IF I WORK THIS FRIDAY. The days have been scrambled up on me and I can barely remember what I did yesterday, never mind the day before that. I really hope they'd call me if I skipped a day. It is VERY important that I find out if I work, because I have a therapy session RIGHT WHEN I F#CKING WORK EVERY OTHER FRIDAY.
<rant>
...And I've been staying until at least 4:00AM every night for the past week, my library book is due tomorrow, my friend Talon and I are trying to make things work between us (but I think we might be failing), I'm sure Shanti has sent me a new email, but I haven't checked it yet and I hope she isn't mad at me, I love math but I suck at it, I feel like a heel for not hanging out with Cooper as much as I should, the overuse of emotion among humans is stupid, unnecessary, and confusing, I don't understand women, I can't remember what day it is, I keep forgetting why I'm here and I wonder if I ever knew, panic attacks are rampant, the ninjas are all after me, and I'm pretty damn sure that the Silents are creeping up on me wherever I go.

AND THAT'S JUST THIS WEEK. A rather GOOD week, compared to what this month's been like.

</rant>

...Oh, and commas are CONFUSING, especially when I misuse them. Sorry about that. >.<
BAH. Anyway, what was I saying before my post was bombarded by ANGST??
Oh yeah. I'm not depressed anymore.
Wheee. <waves maracas/>

Happy Father's Day!

...Yes, that's my Dad. Yes, he has maple syrup. No, I am NOT ashamed of him!! ...Most of the time. XD

Damn it, U2!

U2 IS SO F#CKING DEPRESSING. I love it, but GAWD. Instant sorrow. X|

I don't know why, it just makes me sad! Cold inside, like I've accidentally killed a kitten.

....WHELP, off to go listen to Skrillex. At least that doesn't make me want to vomit ice water.

FIREFLY. FUUUUUUUUUU-

I just finished Firefly.
I, just, what? HOW. I don't understand why this was axed!! How...?

I never even got to see Mal and Inara make up! I never found out who Shepherd Book is! WE NEVER FOUND OUT WHY RIVER HAS PSYCHIC POWERS. <--[Highlight to see the spoilers]

I mean,

....I wanna throw tables or something right now.

I've still got to watch Serenity, though. Fingers crossed.

Why, Fox? WHY??

I just watched episodes 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 of Firefly. Back-to-back.
....I think I need a plan for when I finish the show. I've already started padding the walls of my room, but I'm not sure it'll be enough.
WHY, FOX?? WHYYYY??? CURSE YOUR SUDDEN BUT INEVITABLE BETRAYAL!!! T.T

PS. Cooper? Are you reading this?? If so, DUDE. FIREFLY. I'm tellin' ya. Wee bit racy, but WORTH IT.