I accidentally stumbled upon this article while doing some research at work. It is the most horrifying true story I have ever read. Stories like that make me reconsider my pacifist, anti-death-penalty attitude. Because yes, anyone capable of doing these things to a child totally deserves to die. I don't believe any amount of poverty or ignorance justifies it. If you can rape a seven year old, or torture her in imaginative ways because she refuses to cooperate, then you are not a human being, and I would have no qualms about blowing your brains out.

http://www.marieclaire.com/world-reports/news/international/diary-escaped-sex-slave?click=pp

Sorry. I just CAN'T STOMACH that kind of stuff. It fills me with such rage I just want to decimate the male population. *shakes uncontrollably*

No silly mundane blabber can be posted after that, I'm afraid. Also, read at your own risk. I don't suppose any biblical descriptions of hell and eternal torment compare to this. You may not have gotten the memo, dear religious fanatics, but hell is right here, on this earth, and we humans need no God to help us create it. And it's not always the sinners who go there. No, the sinners make money out of it. Where's the thunder and lightning when we need it?

The more I read about the 'real world', the less I like it. "Ignorance is bliss" takes on new meanings for me every day. And if just the KNOWLEDGE of such atrocities seems damaging, I can't even begin to imagine how damaging it must have been to live through them. It boggles the mind. Perhaps the fact that this girl - woman - is now still alive, and apparently sane, is the most unbelievable thing of all.

I did something unbelievably scatterbrained today. I went shopping with an empty wallet - no cash, no credit card, no nothing. And I didn't notice it until I had gone through checkout. ( Read more... )

Also, I finally heard from my real estate agent (the one I had contacted back in early September). It turns out she had been seriously ill, and that's why she didn't call me back for a month. She's fine now, however, and just sent me a ton of property listings. So I spent the past 2-3 hours looking at pics/descriptions of condos all over the northwest Chicago area. There's quite a lot to choose from, and some of them seem almost too good to be true - which probably means they are.:P But we shall see. ( Read more... )

And that's all my momentous news for today. Which had somehow treacherously turned into tomorrow while I wasn't looking. *yawns*

I made that delicious chicken salad again this weekend. You know, my own variation of a recipe that I basically 'stole' from a restaurant. I'll call it Mediterranean Chicken Salad, for lack of a better name. Originally it was just a side salad, but I added sauteed chicken breast slices (seasoned with garlic powder & oregano) to make it a full, balanced meal. Other ingredients include mixed salad greens, thinly sliced red onion & pears, chopped walnuts, crumbled feta cheese, black olives, garlic-flavored croutons and a handful of dried cranberries. For the dressing, I just used olive oil and white balsamic vinegar. It's absolutely YUMMY. Probably on my 'top ten' list.:)

Which makes me realize I could actually compile the 'top ten' list here, for my own reference as well as for the benefit of anyone interested in trying some of these recipes out. They come mostly from various cookbooks - though I do introduce my own modifications every now and then. Anyway, without further ado, here goes:

( my idea of YUMMY under the cut )

I'm sick and tired of this endless 'digital data collection' project we're doing at work. It was kinda interesting at the beginning, but after so many weeks, I feel like I'm going to barf if I have to look at another website in search of advertising info, lol. Especially since I've been doing some overtime on it this weekend. It was work-at-home overtime, which is a Very Good Thing compared to in-office overtime - but still. I had to look at military and motorcycling sites, for heaven's sake! That's almost worse than cheesy het porn.:P

Another thing I've been busy with over the past few days is of a much more pleasant nature, though. Namely, I've decided to organize my picture folders. Especially my Viggo picture folders. ( Read more... )

But speaking of Viggo... he looks extremely sexy on the cover of the October issue of Men's Journal. I couldn't help but notice it while grocery shopping last Friday... so of course I picked him up and took him home.;) (If only it were that easy, LOL!...) Anyway... I just discovered another favorite quote describing his fashion sense: the author of the article says he came to the interview dressed as if he's going to the hardware store to buy a nail gun. That's our Viggo, for sure. Another journalist had once seen him wearing no-nonsense gray pants that a plumber might wear to unclog a drain, or something to that effect.:) Gotta love such consistency in his blatant disregard for the Hollywood image.:D

Also, apparently some men really are color-blind, because the article describes him as 'hazel-eyed'. I mean, you'd think there have been enough close-ups in his recent films for anyone to notice the eye color - but perhaps it's only the women journalists who pay attention to such irrelevant details.:P

( No other news here, I'm afraid. )

One thing I neglected to mention among recent turmoil is the annual A/L Ficathon over at legolasaragorn (and the corresponding Yahoo Group, Legolas_Aragorn_Slash). Which went on mostly while my laptop was officially dead back in August. But I did manage to catch up on reading most of the fics (all the good ones, anyway ;), and even participated in the guessing game. You know, matching up authors with fics/fanvids/fanart etc. And guess what? I won again. Just like last year. I only had three correct guesses this time (it wasn't as easy, since some of my fave authors from last year didn't participate this time around) - but still I won. Almost makes me feel like I'm the only one who still reads A/L.:P All the more reason to be thankful that there are some people who still write it. *clings to the few scarred veterans of a dying fandom, lol*

In other news, I did something incredibly stupid at work. ( Read more... )

Several things happened over the past few days. 1) I talked to a loan officer. 2) I discussed my situation with a friend. 3) I confided via email in another friend, who lives across the big pond and has known me for over 20 years - and she promptly wrote me back. And, as a result of all these conversations, I understood the following:

1) My negative feelings associated with the whole 'buy an apartment' project had nothing to do with the practical or financial side of the matter. They had everything to do with, a) my fear of change, b) my fear of stress and responsibility, c) my strong allergic reaction to my mother and her aggressive 'methods of persuasion', so to speak.

2) It IS, indeed, within my means - with very little help from my parents, if any - to take a loan for a one-bedroom apartment (let alone a studio); if I'm lucky, the monthly fees MIGHT even be lower than my current rent.

3) Once I've had some time to mull this over, I'm not so terribly scared and overwhelmed by it any more. Just a little nervous, frankly. Or very nervous, but in a sort of almost-excited way, lol. I STILL would have preferred to do it at my own pace - but I do realize that the housing prices might not oblige by staying ridiculously low for as long as it takes for me to feel 'ready'.

4) If my mother hadn't been the first/only person who tried to talked me into this, my emotional attitude would have been totally different and I probably would have done it by now.:P

4) I know I'm rationalizing to some extent, now that I've pretty much decided to go on with the plan - but I no longer feel like I'm doing this 'just because my mother said so', and it makes all the difference in the world. Funny that. *sarcastic smirk*


That's it for now. Feel free to sigh and shake your head, dear reader, as you see fit.;P

I went to see my parents last weekend, and was informed that they finally managed to pay off their house. Which is definitely good news. It didn't seem likely for a while that this would ever happen, so I am really happy for them. They love that house, and worked themselves silly for years just to keep it. However, now that this one big project is off the agenda, my mother decided that it is time for ME to buy an apartment. She has been trying to talk me into it for a while now, and I have been patienly repeating to her that, 1) I HAVE NO MONEY, 2) I do NOT want to change my job (and there isn't that much of a chance for finding a better-paying one right now anyway). I KNOW that housing is cheaper now than ever before - but that still doesn't mean it is cheap enough for someone who makes $22,500 a year. I just CAN'T afford to pay more than $600 a month - and the lowest monthly mortgage payment I have ever seen or heard of is somewhere between $700-800. Let alone that I don't have enough for a downpayment. These basic facts have not changed since the last time we had this conversation. However, last Sunday my mother happily announced that now she no longer has to pay the mortgage, she can start saving some money for my downpayment. And there is this wonderfully smart realtor lady, recommended by my aunt, whom she wants me to call for a consultation. And then, once I start looking at apartments, I should take notes, so I don't forget what I liked or disliked about each one etc.etc.etc.

Oh, and by the way, this should all happen within a year or so, because there is no telling when the prices might start going up again. So, considering the fact that the annual lease on my current place of residence expires at the end of February, it should probably happen within the next six months. Great. No problem. Thanks for the heads up. *grits teeth*

( Don't get me wrong, dear reader. )

Hi, everyone. I'm still here. Or rather, I'm back. For the benefit of the precious few who might possibly have been wondering about my atypically long silence, here's the story: my computer crashed on August 2nd. Yes, the day after I made my previous post. Remember my frantic Google search for a free download of a certain comic book?... Well, I suppose that's what proved to be the final straw for my poor old laptop: visiting some dubious download sites without up-to-date antivirus protection. The thing is, I'm so hopelessly clueless in the software department I wasn't even aware that my antivirus was out of date. ( Read more... )

By the way, if you have computer problems of any kind and are NOT an expert on the matter, check out this website: http://ask-leo.com. It's run by a guy who's a software engineer, giving advice to people on computer-related issues, answering questions etc. Sort of like a 'computers for dummies' kinda thing. I have spent an inordinate amount of time on this website over the past two weeks - during work hours, I might add (I had luckily stumbled upon it while doing this endless web research project). And I will keep checking it to stay on top of things. I followed this guy's recommendations on security software, btw. And I will probably ask him some questions of my own, since I'm still quite confused about certain aspects of the huge 'system analyzer report' the GeekSquad handed me after the repair, lol.

Needless to say, I am immensely behind on all things LJ, Yahoo!Group email and other online stuff. I will TRY to catch up as best as I can, because I AM anal-retentive enough to scroll back through ten pages of friends' list just to see what I missed - but there's no telling how long it might take me. So don't be surprised if you see me comment to something you posted three weeks ago.:)

Fortunately, today we had our annual company picnic at work and they let us go home early, so I am using this afternoon/evening to do as much catch-up as I can. But I'll probably still be behind for the next week or so.

I probably should also mention the fact that this sudden unplanned expense ($300 to fix the laptop) means no vacation trips for me this year. I was sort of considering going to the Columbus Retreat in October, since it would be relatively inexpensive as trips go - but now just the thought of spending ANY money on anything I CAN live without makes me cringe.:( Besides, work will be crazy busy in October and I'm sure I will be able to get plenty of overtime - so actually taking time OFF during that month is not an economically good idea (not to mention that my boss wouldn't be thrilled about it, LOL). Btw, they just told us at the company meeting today that we might not be getting any raises next year, either.:/ I don't even want to think about the practicalities of making ends meet in case that happens (or doesn't, as it were). *shudder* So, no Columbus trip this time. Sorry, taelyn_sass.:( HOWEVER, since I have plenty of vacation days available, I've taken the whole first week of September off (starting August 31st, up to and including the Labor Day weekend - so it will be TEN days altogether, yay). I'm still not sure what I'll do with it, other than chill out at home and maybe find some cheap ways of exploring the city - but I know it will be highly beneficial to my mental health and well-being.:)

That's it for now. Back to reading old posts.;)

Okay, first of all - HAPPY BIRTHDAY, stormatdusk!!! I hope it is today or thereabouts, since you did not put the date in your profile.:P

Second of all, hugs for dissonant_dream!!! Your Postcard No.3 (from Leamington Spa) has arrived.:D What a gorgeous place to chill out at during the summer... *longing sigh* I loved the quote too (Middlemarch was on my reading list at uni, but that was yeeears ago... so I don't remember much of the book, except that it was a sad and beautiful story). <333

Third of all, I am way too excited about catching up with my favorite comic (see previous post for details ;). I had thought I was basically over it, but apparently not. Maybe I'm experiencing a second adolescence or something.:P Anyway... just a few random covers, because I LOVE the artwork. ( fantasy art under the cut )

So, yesterday my teacher friend invited me and another friend of mine (the ex-receptionist, as it were) to her place for a proper Sunday bash. We had a vegetarian grill-fest (soy burgers on flatbread, baked potatoes, grilled bell peppers and mushrooms stuffed with pesto & sprinkled with parmesan), followed by delicious multi-flavored Italian ice-cream, and discussed everything from our own personal lives to art, psychology, politics and social issues (immigration, 'reverse racism' etc.). It was a blast. I brought a bottle of Chardonnay, and I confess I consumed at least half of it myself. *blush* I must have had about four glasses - which is more than I've had since... I don't know. Years, probably. So I was happily drunk, to my friends' obvious amusement.:D Fortunately, thanks to all the food I consumed, there wasn't much of an unpleasant after-effect this morning.:)

But what I'm really trying to say, I guess, is that no matter how much of a loner I have become, it still feels insanely good to interact with people who pick up the same brain-wave. I may be very reserved around strangers, but the carefully chosen few get the full benefit of my happily exuberant, tipsy eloquence.;D

Btw, I noticed that as soon as I feel myself becoming slightly inebriated, it is easier for me to speak English than Polish. Which is absolutely ridiculous, since I have only been living in an English-speaking country for 7 years. It would have made perfect sense if it was the other way around... but no. Of course, I switch back and forth between the two languages even when I'm sober - most immigrants do - and my two friends in question do too, since they both moved to the States in their early teens or thereabouts. But the funny thing is that when I'm drunk, I seem to just instinctively stick to English (not on purpose, since at that point I simply don't care anymore and don't make any conscious decisions as to which language I am using). And of the three of us, I seem to be the only one doing that - despite the fact that both my friends have more reason to be that way, so to speak. And the only explanation I could come up with was that English words/sentences are usually shorter and/or simpler than Polish ones and therefore easier to pronounce when you're tipsy. Which may be objectively true, but still... Can it take only seven years in a foreign country for your first language to start feeling like your second?... Anyone else with similar experiences willing to share?... Just curious, you know.