Sex and the City Movie!

Last night I was feeling a little blue that I wasn't going to be able to see the Sex and the City Movie. I was looking forward to seeing it for months. I even had a viewing marathon of all the seasons in the prior weeks so that I would remember all the little details I'd forgotten over the 4 year wait. But as fate would have it my plans for seeing it with friends fell through thanks to online ticket purchasing. Last night every theater where you could buy tickets online was sold out. We should have planned ahead but we didn't so there I was stuck with no place to go...

Then a miracle happened! My mother who is often very forgetful remembered yesterday that it was the premier of the movie. And believe it or not she wanted to see it. I guess she did watch almost all the episodes of Sex and the City while I was watching them so it got her in the mood. But wait! Aren't all the theaters sold out? Well it was a long shot but we tried the theater in East Brooklyn that we frequent because usually all the movies we like are usually not that full because the movie goers of East Brooklyn aren't really into them.

And as predicted there were seats available! I guess we were really lucky that since it's East Brooklyn they haven't crossed over to the online ticket purchasing yet. We sat in great seats and couldn't wait for the movie to start. Both of us were a little apprehensive about the movie because we read or heard so many mixed reviews about the movie. I mean someone bashed the movie on the front page of a highly circulated newspaper!

But we were fans and were determined to like it at least for closure's sake.

We were not disappointed! It was a great movie, a little long yes but a great movie adaptation of the series. We laughed and cried tears of joy and sorrow and in the end we wanted more. Yes the story line was typical but it had the magic of the series and any true fan would enjoy it.

And this morning as I was watching the E! True Hollywood Story of the women of Sex and the City I got the best piece of gossip that there are plans for another movie. Anyone who watched the movie can probably guess where the story line will go but that doesn't mean that we won't want to watch it.

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Windows Vista Transition

I am an avid fan of Windows XP. I've worked with it since SP2 came out and have not had any complaints. Then Vista came out and all hell broke loose. It was not XP yet it was for some people. Yes, it had all the same features of XP and then some but in all honesty to a Comp Sci Major pretty does not make up for all the errors attached to Vista's first release. So like most of my peers I stayed the hell away from it knowing that XP was good enough and there was no need to go to the dark side. But sadly my old system, the CPU I built from scratch was dying. Yes, it was a stupid virus that I killed but unfortunately the damage was done. So I had to do the only thing I could do, buy a new system that came with Vista...

Now I know you are saying I sold out, no that is not the reason. I had my choice of getting a system with XP or Vista. Believe me getting stuck with Vista was the last thing on my mind. However, I gave in because thankfully I had enough nightmares with my brother's laptop running Vista to know what to look out for and how to make sure I wasn't stuck with crap.

First of all I knew RAM was an issue with Vista. 1GB of RAM was not enough, of course it was more than enough for XP but let's not get me started on that again. I know it sounds like I was already planning to get Vista but I wasn't I was just facing reality.

You see before anything I had to calculate the expense of building another CPU or buying a ready made one. I knew already that in the future I would have to get Vista, therefore I was planning ahead. There's no use in building a system if it cannot expand right? So after careful calculations I realized that building my own system cost more than a ready made one that came with almost all the things I wanted. Let's face the fact that no factory made one will be the one you always wanted but if you look around you can find one that comes close enough.

So that's what I did I found a computer that came very close to the specifications I wanted. So why Vista and not XP? Well... one of my compromises was that the new computer came with 4GB of RAM. What's the problem with that you ask? Well that's it it comes with 4GB of ram and cannot expand anymore beyond that. Now I know on average most computers are running on 2GB so I should shut up and stop whining but I was looking at the future. If you look at the ratio of RAM increase from XP to Vista it's 1:2. Meaning when the new version of Windows come out your computer may need to have 4GB of RAM to run properly so I'm just about screwed when the new operating system comes out and I'm foolish enough to get it.

But then again I am very loyal to my operating system so I'm guessing that I won't want to change for the next couple of years at least so if that is the case screw it I am stuck until this computer dies!

So I bought it and it arrived in 2 days! Once out of the box it took me half a day to set it up, hook up the printer, scanner, set up my mother's account and guest account.

Amazingly it was not that difficult the whole transition of peripheral devices and software. Believe me I have heard horror stories of people not being able to use this or that because it was not Vista compatible. I did have my scary moments though don't believe me that it was smooth sailing. First of all I did not realize that I just didn't get Vista I got Vista (64-bit)! I know the horror!!!

By now lots of companies have patches or firmware that are compatible with Vista, which makes transitioning a lot easier these days. BUT I just don't have Vista I have Vista (64-bit)! So what's the big deal? Why am I bitching? Let me put it to you this way, I can safely say that of all the computers in the world only 10% have a 64-bit processor.

Yes, this is a good thing to the computer science world and I'm actually really excited about this. But this was a surprise, I wasn't expecting it, and guess what it makes downloading Vista compliant software just a little bit more tedious because I must make sure it works with 64-bit Vista!

But all complaints aside I am starting to like Vista. Yes it asks you permission for every little thing but I kinda like that because it feels like it's looking out for itself. I love the power I have over other accounts especially the guest account je je je.

All in all I don't miss XP that much and ironically my mother fell in love with it's "ease" of use. Personally I thought XP was easier but I realized why Vista is easier for her because I already made all the decisions for her account and if anything does come up unexpectedly, Vista does a good job of explaining itself.

So therefore I am now a Vista user and proud of it!

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Short Story

I great friend of mine shared with me her ideas for a short story she is writing. That reminded me of the short stories I wrote when I took English classes in college many years ago. Although I know for a fact that my writing is far inferior to anything anyone may write, at the time I was proud of them. This story called No More Nightmares I remember writing for an advanced writing course on fiction I took in the summer. It was the first writing that the professor would see so I was aiming to impress. I spent hours working on it and like most of my short stories it had a bit of truth in it from my childhood; embellished of course.

No More Nightmares
By: LunaMars331

The butcher knife was lifted high in the air ready to strike its sleeping victim. The new moon gave its edge an eerie glint as the shadowed figure crept closer to the woman sleeping on the canopy bed. “So beautiful, so kind… angel,” said the male figure as he stood at her side. Just then the door opened.

“Ayami, wake…” those were the last words of the intruder before her throat was slit open. She fell to the ground with a thud but it fell on deaf ears. Her assassin cleaned off the knife and dropped it next to the gun in the intruder’s hand.

“No more nightmares sweet princess,” said the man as he opened the bedroom window.

Morning brought the sound of chaos as Ayami woke to find her beloved aunt Hikari dead in a pool of blood next to her bed. Her terrified screams woke everyone in the house bringing to her room concerned staff who added their cries while their masters looked on in shock. Soon sirens were heard and medics brought in to calm the family and take away the body after pictures were taken of the crime scene.

Detectives badgered everyone in the house seeking answers but none could give any. The knife was clean of fingerprints, not a sound was heard all night, the gun was not fired, and the window was left open. The case was soon dropped as unsolved due to the lack of evidence. “The perfect crime,” said one detective to his colleague as he put away the case file.

Ayami stood silently by the coffin of her aunt as it was lowered into the ground. She was an orphan and alone in the world again. Little by little family and friends went home until only she, uncle Kenny, and Edmund were left to ponder over her aunt’s life.

Aunt Hikari was a mystery to her only niece who loved her because she was the only relative she had in the world. At age ten, Ayami’s parents were killed in a car accident. They were on their way to the airport to pick up Hikari who hadn’t seen her older sister in years. Ayami was thrown into her aunt’s care since no other living relative could be found. Her aunt was not fond of children and soon put Ayami into a boarding school that she paid for with the money Ayami’s parents left her in their will. All in all Hikari only had to see her niece during the summer vacations.

Kenny Stone was a successful lawyer who lived in a grand house with his only son Edmund. His wife died of cancer when their son was barely fourteen. The house was lonely without her even though they had a staff of people working round the clock to keep the house in order. It was at a party of mutual friends that Kenny first met Hikari. He was infatuated with her good looks and worldly personality. They soon married and when Kenny learned she had a niece he insisted that the girl should live with them and be a sort of sister to his son who was by then fifteen.

Edmund’s first impression of Ayami was that of a scrawny fourteen-year-old with lanky dark brown hair and dull green eyes. She was not worth his time and clearly not an equal so in that first year he chose to ignore her. It was not until his sixteenth birthday that he began to notice Ayami’s good qualities. That day his best friends came early for his birthday party so they went off together to ride their bikes for a while before more guests arrived. Edmund was forever forbidden by his father to jump Dead Man’s Cliff with his bike but that day he felt like all was well with the world and no harm could come to him. So with the encouragement of his friends he jumped it and for a few blissful moments his landing was perfect but then came the downward hill and the jagged rocks. He was thrown off his bike to roll down the rest of the hill without it. He survived with only a few cuts and bruises but his clothes were all muddy and torn. That’s how he appeared to his stepmother Hikari who went into a fit of hysterics over the stupidity of his actions. To say the least he was grounded and the party was canceled by his father who sent him up to his room without anything to eat or a “happy birthday.” It was Ayami who snuck into his room that night to relieve him of hunger and surprised him by bringing a cupcake with a candle that he could blow out. Since then he include her among his best friends and together they became mutual confidantes.

It was on one of their confession nights that Ayami finally told Edmund why her eyes were such a dull shade of green. “It’s because I can’t sleep Edmund, and it’s not insomnia, I have what I think is called chronic nightmares.” He had to laugh at her seriousness and the use of the word ‘chronic.’ “Please don’t laugh Edmund, I’m not laughing.” It was true she was not in fact there were tears in her eyes. He immediately pulled her into a compassionate embrace and afterwards she leaned her head onto his shoulder and told him everything.

It was her first summer vacation when the nightmares started. “Oh Edmund they felt so real as if I wasn’t dreaming but I always woke up from them in the morning.” The dream sequence started with someone waking her up but in the darkness she couldn’t see who it was. They next covered her mouth so she couldn’t scream then flashed a gun in her face. A cloth was then placed over her eyes and she was given the instructions to not move otherwise the gun would be fired. The events that happened next were too horrible to describe, they involved touching and prodding. “Sometimes I wake up with some bruises but not often so I think that I must move too much in my sleep. What do you think Edmund?”

He could not think the description was too horrible that if it were him he would choose never to fall asleep again. “It sounds too real to be a dream,” was the only thing he could say. “Is the voice man or woman Ayami?”

“It was always muffled but every now and then it sounded like it was a woman. But now I hear a man sometimes, it almost sounds like your father’s voice but that’s silly of me because many voices can sound like your father’s.”

Yes, it was silly Edmund knew his father was incapable of such a crime but this needed some investigation. For the next few weeks he tried to stay up and watch Ayami’s door making sure no one got in or out. Sadly he was only human and succumbed to sleep often except for one night. That was the night of his aunt’s death. He first heard the footsteps, someone creeping through the front door, another running to the kitchen. Then the one from the kitchen crept up the stairs to Ayami’s room. Edmund was about to make his move to barge in and catch whoever was causing Ayami her horrible nightmares when he heard the front door open again. Whoever it was skillfully climbed the stairs without the slightest creak. The moon chose that moment to shine on the one coming up the stairs. Horror of all horrors Edmund saw his stepmother holding a gun to her side walking toward Ayami’s room. She stopped at the door and whispered words that Edmund will never forget, “I forgot the clothe, now what am I suppose to use to keep that little slut’s mouth shut?” It was then she opened the door, stepped in, and soon afterwards he heard the thump and next saw his father come out of the room and stand in the moonlight. It was then Kenny turned and saw his son crouched in the shadows watching him.

“No more nightmares, son, no more, now go to sleep.”

“What’s that in your hand father?” Edmund noticed his father was holding some object.

“A tape with my voice on it. She can’t use it anymore… good night son, I’ll see you in the morning.” And with that they went to bed.

Only two of the three people standing by the now pile of dirt, truly knew what happened that night Hikari died. Kenny walked up to Ayami who was shedding silent tears and gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. “You know you are not alone Ayami, Edmund and I will always be your family no matter what. We will protect you.” With a smile Ayami turned around and threw her arms around her uncle in an honest heartfelt embrace.

“Thank you uncle, thank you, now I will have no more nightmares, she’s taken them with her.” And with that the three left the grave sight where nightmares ended and which let green eyes finally shine brightly.

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Is it okay not to have a role model?

My niece Gabby called me up the other day to ask me a question for her homework assignment: who are your role models? Perhaps this is an easy answer for everyone but for some reason I had no answer. This really shocked me because well doesn't everyone have a role model? I have always thought of myself as the odd one out but this question really threw me to left field. Was it possible that I lacked a role model? If so why?

So I did what anyone else would do and turned the question on her. Her response to the question was what you would expect from any 10-year-old: me, her father, Hannah Montana, and other celebrities that she likes. Believe me the list went on and on, which made me feel more and more like an oddity.

Of course I had to answer the question after her long list so I came up with my parents, short sweet to the point she had to be satisfied with that, right? WRONG! Apparently role models are a bit more extravagant than parents, so I threw in Bill Gates and Anne McCaffrey.

I know I know! I panicked! Then of course names are not enough for this assignment she needs reasons why they are your role models. Seriously why can't teachers just give assignments where you don't need to ask other people for the answers?

So in all honestly if I had role models they would be my parents because they lived the American dream. They came to New York as immigrants, studied, got jobs, climbed the ladder and prospered. Bill Gates because he turned and idea into billions of dollars and isn't that the dream of everyone? Anne McCaffrey because she's my favorite author. Her books got me through tough times growing up and whenever I am having a really bad time I escape to the world of Pern where humanity is just out there in it's barest forms. I've always liked how the world of Pern does not have religion. Personally I've always believed that religion is really what messed up our world in the first place because if you think of it most wars started because of religion. But I'm not a fool to think that to eliminate religion would make earth a utopia. Nope if Pern taught me anything it's that humans are humans and when there are no excuses for fighting there will always be that one person who wants to rule the world.

So she was finally satisfied with that and our phone call came to an end. Of course that's when I really started to wonder what was wrong with me that I don't have a role model?

Well it all boils down to the fact that I have made a habit of studying people and that little talent of mine has just bit me on the ass. First of all I think of role models as people you want to model your life after. Well that just cancels everyone off my list because honestly who wants someone else's life?

So there that's the problem I have never found one person on planet earth that I can say I want their life. See let's take an example I have always loved Mozart and grew up listening to him. But in all honestly when you look at his life do you really want to model your life after a crazy genius who died young because he was an alcoholic and never learned how to take care of himself?

Even Angelina Jolie doesn't have it all. Yes she is partnered with the most beautiful man in the world, has the most beautiful children, is a humanitarian and has a fantastic career. But she has a shaky relationship with her father, no privacy, and is always being judged by the world.

Okay okay if I had to choose a role model celebrity there is Johnny Depp but even he is misunderstood and had a rough childhood.

But Angelina and Johnny both make me feel that it's okay to be different as long as you are okay with it because the world will follow. So in that sense they are my role models.

So in conclusion, there are no people on earth who have a life that I want but I have a lot of people I admire for being different. I think that role modeling makes you a follower or ink on a stamp why be someone else if you could be yourself? So in that aspect I guess I'm not weird I'm just one of the lucky ones that realized it's okay to be a weirdo as long as you embrace your weirdness.

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