You Touch My Vagina, I'll Hurt Your Penis!

Sound like a harsh statement? It is in some respects, but in today’s political atmosphere, it is something that needs to be said. Not only is the male dominated GOP trying to take away a woman’s right to free access to birth control, in Wisconsin they have sneakily passed legislature to rescind a law that made it easier for women to file a lawsuit when being paid unfairly. The GOP and other people like to use fear mongering tactics and ignorance to tell us that the Democrats are waging Class Warfare, but it seems that these people are stirring up something even more ancient - the suppression of women.

I was reading the Huffington Post in my bed the other morning as I woke up as I do every morning instead of a morning paper, and came across the article “Equal Pay Enforcement Act On Verge of Being Repealed by Wisconsin Republicans”. What the Wisconsin Republican Party is doing is rescinding a law that "made it easier for victims of wage discrimination to have their day in court.”
This story has been pushed under the table a bit by recent activity by a loudmouthed, mysoginistic, biggotted, addict who somehow equated a woman’s use of contraception to being a prostitute and a slut. Not only that, he wants to see the product of his tax money, meaning - Rush Limbaugh wants Sandra Fluke to make porn for him.

"So Miss Fluke and the rest of you feminazis, here's the deal, ... If we are going to pay for your contraceptives and thus pay for you to have sex, we want something. We want you to post the videos online so we can all watch."

Rush Limbaugh is now facing a backlash with two of his advertisers jumping ship because of his ignorant and horrifying statements on this issue. And there have been many.
March is Woman's History Month. It is supposed to remind us of all the struggles that women have experienced in our fight to get out from under the thumb of men. Isn't it odd that all of these months that are in honor of some form of historical win are all because of the struggle that a certain part of society has had with one specific group of people - the White Man. I hate to put it all in one group because there are plenty of white men who fight against these injustices, but their fight is still against their own group. And that isn't to say that women or other minorities haven't hurt their own causes, but these are outside of the median in the constant of things.
The contraception debate is personal for me as a woman. And NO, Rush Limbaugh, it isn't because I just want to have more sex. I am part of a large group of women who HAVE to take birth control whether we like it or not. In NO WAY am I at risk for getting pregnant. I am a lesbian. I certainly don't WANT to have to take a pill every day. However, because I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, my hormones need to be regulated. This is done by taking birth control. 
WARNING - Graphic Mental Images - Read at your own risk.
Believe me, I certainly hate taking a pill every day, and just by doing so puts me at risk of the many side effects that the pill can cause. However, I would rather deal with that than bleeding for almost two months straight and so much that I would have to go to the bathroom at LEAST every HOUR. That's not to mention the horrible pain from my uterus cramping to push out all of the blood clots as I sit on the toilet to let them ooze out of me.
Can you imagine? Guys? Imagine having to shove something up one of your holes once an hour. Not only that, but the removal of that clotted and bloody object as well, every day, every hour, all night long, for almost two months. Does that compare in any way to what you have to go through if you just can't "get it up?" Your Viagra and Cialis aren't facing scrutiny and they only help a physical fact of life for most of you - getting older and how that hurts you emotionally and mentally. My vagina is bleeding all over the place and you just want to be able to get an erection. Really? You are the sluts in that case. How the HELL can I be even thought of in that way when all I want to do is to not be in pain and not become anemic from bleeding so much.
I apologize to those of you who are reading this for the graphic nature of what I just described. I sincerely hope that no one has to ever endure what I went through. I can only imagine the women out there, here in the US, that do not have the money to pay for the contraception that helped me get back onto a normal cycle and stop my profusely horrifying, bloody nightmare.
When men get together to try and decide what is best for women, they have no clue. Until you can say that you have been through anything remotely similar to what I have, you have no jurisdiction over my health. If you want to take away our coverage for things like birth control, then you do not deserve your Viagra. Looking back at the title of this post, I would have liked to say something else as I was so angry reading these recent articles. I digressed for the sake of professionalism. However, let me be clear about what I really wanted to say for the second part of the title - Lorena Bobbit had the right idea: you touch my vagina - I'll cut your d*** off!

Picnik is Packin' Up - Headed to Google+

Previously Created through Picnik.com

Sun is going down and the mosquitoes are coming out - Time to Pack Up!
My favorite web based photo editing site is packing up its basket and folding up its blanket. At least it is a green product and will be recycling. As of April 19th this year, Picnik.com will be closing its photo editing site. Apparently, they have been working in conjunction with Google+ and moving some of their popular photo treatment effects into Google+'s Creative Kit.

They are Making it EASY!
Not only are they giving us a handy dandy tool to download all of our creations into neat zip folders onto our computers called Picnik Takeout, they also give us the option to transfer them to our Google+ accounts as well. I will be doing this in the next few weeks and am sure I will be seeing a HUGE influx of new photography swarming G+.

Money Back? Who Does that These Days?
Apparently Picnik.com does! I have had a premium membership with them for a very long while now. I am not sure when my membership runs out but apparently that doesn't matter. They are not pro-rating it. Here is what they say about refunds:

To our primo Picnik Premium members, we’ll begin processing a full refund of your current membership fee within a week of this announcement. By “full” we mean the whole darn thing. Yep, this means even if you are on your very last day of an annual membership, we will refund you the entire $24.95. Just because we want to say thanks.

All I have to say to that is - NICE JOB! This has to be one of the best transition schemes I have seen in a very long time. I think that Netflix should have talked to these guys before making the horrible turns they did with their customers. Apparently Picnik knows how to make their customers happy and keep their image good - REFUNDS!

Uncertainty Still Ahead...
Even with all of the niceties trying to ease the blow, the fact still remains that a very popular, easy, and powerful web based photo editing site is going away. It may be headed to Google+ but certainly isn't in its full form there. Also, if someone does not have a G+ account then it will seem that Picnik will be completely taken away from them. Sure, they are opening up their site with full access to all premium content until they close down in April, but after that, there will be a very large group of users that will be left waiting for the next easy-to-use, quality, inexpensive, photo editing software to pop up somewhere that is not attached to a social networking site.

I May Be Alone...
The comments at the Picnik Blog are overwhelmingly negative. The vast majority of Picnik users who have commented do not use Google+, think that Picnik sold out to Google, and are very upset that one of their favorite tools will be leaving them. I may be alone in thinking that this is the best possible alternative, but I think it is. If a business needs to do something to boost themselves in this economy, they need to find something big to ride the coat tails of. Now I don't believe that Google+ has grown or will grow to anything comparable to Facebook. However, I do believe that G+ is a very valuable and useful networking/socializing site. If they strengthen their photo editing and effects, then it will be that much more attractive to someone who has never used it. I think that this will be a win for Google+ as long as it works properly. Everyone on there is going to have fun with the effects they can apply through the technology that Picnik used so I may be alone in thinking this is a good idea but not in the G+ community.

What's YOUR Take?
I want to hear from you! Let me know what you think about this transition.

1. Had you ever used Picnik.com before?
2. Were you a premium member?
3. Are you a Google+ user?
4. Do you plan on joining Google+ because of this?
5. Do you think that Picnik sold out to Google?
6. If you used Picnik and don't plan on using Google+, do you have any other editing software or site in mind?

What's Not There When the Sun Goes Down.

Created using Google+ Creative Kit

I will miss my Picnik and am really hoping that it will not flop in Google+. I liked going to a specific site when I wanted to edit a photo or add effects to it. I didn't have to share it but I was able to share on multiple sites from that single point. Google+ gives me the ability to share to specific people, within my circles, or even to the whole public which isn't the same, but still allows control. However, the Creative Kit is still lacking in some of my favorite Picnik effects such as Selective Focus and the Frames including the vignetting and museum matting. So here we are at the end of the day. The sun has set and the car is all packed and ready for home, I just hope I don't get indigestion.

2012 - The Year of Loose Ends and iTrue Predictions

The New Year Has Come and people are scrambling everywhere to see family, hang out with friends, get after-holiday specials on consumer goods, make resolutions, etc. I am not doing any of that. In fact, the only thing that I did make sure that I did was to call my fiancée and bring in the new years at least being able to see her face. Skype is a wonderful thing but can never make up for the physical presence of those you love.

What can I say about last year? It was a very bad year for many. For me, it was one more year away from Chrissy and my family. It was one more year stuck in a place that I really have no love for (not my job or who I work with, just the area). It was one more year that I couldn't get myself motivated enough to sell my house so that I can move to be closer to my family and eventually be with Chrissy in Scotland. It was one more year where I worried about the welfare and health of my parents seeing my Step-Father go into the hospital twice and spend the holidays there. It was just one more year of negativity in our nation and politics.

Petty Officers Marissa Gaeta and Citlalic Snell become

the first same-sex couple to share the US Navy's

traditional first kiss. Photograph: Handout/Reuters

However, I have to talk about the good as well. It was a good year for LGBT rights when Don't Ask Don't Tell was dismantled and the first time that a female sailor won the First Off the Ship lottery and Kissed her Girlfriend for the whole world to see! It was a year that I still have a good job that pays my bills and allows me to live my life how I see fit. It was a year that brought new friendships and maintained old ones. It was a year I was able to fly to see Chrissy and her girls in Scotland as well as fly to see my family in Wisconsin. It was a year that my health waned but got better after a few doctors visits. It was a year that I am still here to talk about so that I am thankful for.

The next year seems to be less certain. We have a Presidential Election that is gearing up for this November. The economy is still in a downturn and people are still struggling globally because of it. The politicians still don't want to play nice with each other and blame it all on the other party. The world is supposed to end on December 21 as the Mayan Calendar says it does so it must be so (insert head shake here). I still have to find a way to get my house up to par to be on the market and the guts to actually sell it, quit my job, and move back home. My car has over 165k miles on it and needs all new brakes and drums and maybe even a master cylinder. I have crazy student loan debt. And am still no closer to being with the woman I love than I was the year before.

The year of 2012 seems to be one of a lot of loose ends. Whether those ends will be completed and finally closed is something we can only speculate about. I do have hope though. I have hope that no matter what, love will still be there; love from my family, my Chrissy; love for my job and coworkers; love for myself and my life. Everything else is inconsequential and messy.

Here is my predictions for the coming year as it pertains to the rest of the world:

1. Obama will run against Mitt Romney for president and win but it will be a close race.
2. The economy will maintain its "roller coaster" strategy and not settle til 2013.
3. Politicians (Republicans) will stagnate and dig in their heels on important issues because of #1 and be the cause of the continuance of #2.
4. The world will NOT end this year or the next year just because of the Mayan Calendar (however there will be a few suicides and loonies out there that will freak out about the apocalypse).
5. There is a 50/50 chance of me getting my house on the market to sell since my neighbor just put hers up and because of my fears of uprooting my stability in my job.
6. My car will possibly make it through the year but I will get closer and closer to getting a scooter for the summer months to take the pressure off.
7. I will still have crazy student loan debt.
8. Unless something major happens, I don't see myself able to move to Scotland next year either. Something has to kick me in the ass to get me there. I would like to see Chrissy come here to visit and meet my family before the end of the year at least.

So that is it. That is my list and however flawed it may be, it is mine. I hope for the best but don't expect to get it. I know I must look at things as one small step at a time but my  fiancée said recently "Lots of small steps make for a very long walk." I am willing to keep walking, however long it is. I just need a little bit of help along the way.

Should I get This?

Or This?

Maybe I should get that scooter I have been wanting.

iPhone 4S and Siri At First Activation - Wireless Syncing and Conversations

Distractions Distractions! I just got my new iPhone 4S and have yet to put it down. Well, I have put it down, but not much. Right now I am sitting here typing this out on my iMac with my phone playing a mix of my shuffled music that I wirelessly synced last night as it was on my nightstand and I slept. Hold on a moment, I will ask siri to play next song because this one is a bit fast. There, Done :).

That is right, I have a wonderful relationship with my personal assistant, Siri. She is a wiz at figures and even pretty witty with some good comebacks when I ask her silly questions. She may be only in Beta, but I have a feeling she will become more interactive as people will want to have more and more conversations with her and forget to ask her to actually do anything for them. I feel bad for barking orders out to her without saying please or thank you, but that is just our nature to try and humanize machines.

I have rarely downloaded music in any of my phones in the past. I simply have not had the room to compete between having fun and cool apps or using my storage for music. Even with my Droid Eris, I had a few songs on my microSD card, but it was clunky to play and it was a pain to get the songs on the phone. With my new iPhone 4S it is insanely smooth - once I figured out where to set the settings in iTunes.

Plug in your iPhone and allow iTunes to bring it up.
Then go to the main Settings Tab and it should look just like this:

So, now that you have that, Sync Away!

Here are a few things Siri has said to me and follow this post to the bottom to see my YouTube iPhone 4S unboxing and what it looks like when you activate your Verizon Wireless iPhone 4s. I even talk to Siri a bit. Our first encounter is a fun one!

        

What an adorable personal assistant huh? For more crazy things people have asked Siri and what Siri has said back check out Shit that Siri Says. You will be surprised!

Amazon Kindle - Our Silk is on Fire!

     No, I didn't say that Amazon's sex is on fire. I said Silk. Amazon Silk is their latest and greatest in the Amazon innovation in cloud computing and it is coming soon on the Kindle Fire. Which, to me, looks pretty sexy!

     Amazon has pulled no punches with a letter to its customers boldly positioned on its home page today. They practically call out the high priced iPad and the like and have thrown down the gauntlet less than a week before Apple's latest news of their iPhone 5 Launch. Read it for yourself (the links won't work since it is a photo but I will post those in the caption area.

Kindle $75 - Kindle Touch $99 - Kindle Touch 3G $149 - Kindle Fire $199

     The video mentioned at the end is all about Amazon Silk and how it is going to revolutionize virtual products and features. The cloud has never seemed so close... I can almost touch it now!

     I would love to get my hands on one of these things. The hype over the iPad is killing me and I have yet to jump on that band wagon. I do love Apple products and even own a massive Beast Master of an iMac but I have to say, Apple cannot corner all technology and if there is one thing that Amazon has done right ever since its inception, is books. Now it is just offering yet another way to get that content to us knowing that we are now, and have been, in the Digital age.

     A few facts about the Kindle Fire (I keep wanting to type the Amazon Fire though):

• Display: 7" multi-touch display with IPS (in-plane switching) technology and anti-reflective treatment, 1024 x 600 pixel resolution at 169 ppi, 16 million colors. 
• Storage: 8GB internal. That's enough for 80 apps, plus either 10 movies or 800 songs or 6,000 books.
• Free cloud storage for all Amazon content 
• Battery Life: Up to 8 hours of continuous reading or 7.5 hours of video playback, with wireless off. Battery life will vary based on wireless usage, such as web browsing and downloading content 

     I have to say that all sounds quite impressive.They mention a Dual Core processor but do not actually give the specifics of the power it has. However, the battery life on a touch screen of this capacity and the anti-reflective treatment is something I would definitely like to see in action. I love the basic Kindle for its E Ink technology and the fact that I can read it in any bright light condition just like a book. However, I love snaz and snap of color. Getting to watch whole movies AND, get this, if you have an Amazon Prime account you have access to over 10,000 streaming movies for FREE. It isn't much right now, but it was something I didn't realize I would get when I signed up for it. BONUS!

     I am really thinking about preordering one of these babies, but I am not really a first adopter. I tend to stay on the sidelines and hear the Yays and Boos of the crowds as the new tech rolls out. If it is what they say it is though, I think that Amazon's Cloud technology might just boost the playing field for Apple to get their iCloud facility humpin' and pumpin' faster!

FFS Facebook, you are DRIVING me to Google+

     I logged into my Facebook today as many people did and found all these crazy changes. Firstly, I received no email explaining these changes (as this would be nice to in effect tour the new look). I found myself scrolling down the page with this strange window following me on the right. I thought it was a glitch in my browser. It creeps me out to have a window follow me down the page like that.. like OMG FRAMES. But still I digress...

     I can tell you what I have been reading from quite a few of my friends' statuses:

FFS Facebook...will you stop messing around with facebook layout...I cant find anything!!!

     And

wth???????? Facebook I don't like this, I see twitter becoming my new bff

     And more of this here. But really, what goes on behind the minds of the creators and layout specialists they go to? I see this strange window that scrolls down the page as I scroll down it, but it is the exact same news feed as what I am looking at. Really? What is that good for? I am not complaining, I just want to know!

     I recently joined Google+ and found quite a bit of potential but also one huge limitation... none of my friends had access unless I sent them an invitation. Yesterday the Google+ team finally fixed that issue and quite a few others and opened the enrollment YAY!

     So I say to all of you that are frustrated with the complexity that Facebook is now suffering from, and you liked the simplicity that it used to have, give Google+ a shot. Create some Circles... throw up some Sparks to peruse. Who knows, you may even be able to join a few really cool Huddles (a feature I haven't quite had a chance to view yet).

     What is there to lose? Not much for me because Facebook has already stolen it. So sit back with me. Read a few articles. Make sure you +1 what you like and comment where you want! It is a roller coaster on Facebook, so lets hit the lazy river and enjoy ourselves and keep a bit of our sanity!

Knock Castle - Stag's View Restaurant Review

It was a beautiful, crisp, August afternoon. There was a bright sky in Scotland the day me and my fiance had lunch at the Stag's View Restaurant at the Knock Castle. This wee place is snuggled in the hills of the town Crieff in Perthshire, Scotland. We were both excited to be able to experience the majestic views from the outdoor seating and have a lovely lunch in one of the finer establishments in the town.

We were greeted by the front desk agent who walked us upstairs to the Stag's View and the barman there seated us outside after he took our drink orders. Chrissy chose an alcoholic ginger beer called Crabby's and I had a Bacardi and Diet. We sat and took a few photos of the view while we sipped and pondered over the menu.

We were getting the 2 course meal with a certificate that Chrissy had gotten through her work. The local taxi service Crieff Taxi, had received some free meals to allow for their employees to experience the Knock restaurant and in turn be able to promote it to their passengers. So we made our selections from the menu.

The starters all sounded lovely, but we were in the mood for a good desert. We decided on the Rib-eye steak both cooked Medium with the Potato Fondant and braised red cabbage. There was also some delightful small carrots and zucchini. Our pudding was the classic Sticky Toffee Pudding with Toffee Sauce and a side of home made ice cream.

The server/barman was very attentive and made us feel very comfortable when our food was ready to be served as he led us inside to our table. The service was splendid through out. However, the steaks really failed to impress.

The presentation of the food was almost off-putting. It looked like they just piled everything on top of itself.. which they actually did. Mind you, the food looked delicious, I just had to move everything around on my plate so that I could get to the potatoes and veggies underneath.

Expecting a nice juicy pink middle on our steaks, we cut into our meat. Brown, yes done all the way through. The steaks were not even near Medium anything on the scales. We would have sent them back if we were paying for the meal and if we weren't so hungry from waiting and anticipating the meal. They were juicy but not very tender. Large lines of gristle ran through mine and not marbling like a rib-eye should have.

The potatoes were cooked in a cylinder/puck shape. I am not fussy about the shape but they were very dry and had very little flavor to them. I have never had Potato Fondant before, so I have nothing to compare them to. I normally love potatoes but this was not one of those times.

The red cabbage along with the zucchini and baby carrots were seriously tasty! There was a vinaigrette sweetness to the cabbage and a real light almond or macadamia nut flavor to the carrots. The two flavors were a nice balance to each other. The zucchini was small but sliced down the center with a lovely buttery flavor. Chrissy had never really tried it before and for someone who is not up for things she THINKS she dislikes (or is anaphylactic as she puts it lol) the zucchini won her over. She was a fan of all the veggies as was I.

On to the dessert, or the pudding as they say in Scotland. Sticky Toffee Pudding is a dark spongy cake with a toffee glaze and sauce poured over it. It is served warm and usually with a side of ice cream. Their Sticky Toffee Pudding, although maybe a wee bit dry on the cake, did not disappoint in the flavor. The ice cream was a bit bland and was really drowned out by the sweet toffee of the sauce. I might have enjoyed that more with some nice fresh berries and a bit of meringue by itself, but not with a heavy Sticky Toffee Pudding. A full flavored vanilla would have been better than the light cream of the home made ice cream.

Our lunch would have normally cost us £25 and if we were paying for this meal, we would have definitely sent the steaks back. Well, I say that but again, we were very hungry and not that fussy of eaters. But, we know a good steak from a so-so steak.

All in all, the views were gorgeous, the staff was superb, the decor was cozy, the castle was amazing, the food ... not worth the price.

For a more interesting meal with amazing atmosphere and not too tight on your pocketbook, try out The Lounge located on the High Street near the town center in Crieff. All the feel of a French Cafe, nuzzled into a cozy little corner in Scotland. Bon Appétit!