Far too late, but better late than never (I guess)

The good news for this Friday afternoon is that the Nettleton School District, of the race-specific guidelines for student government elections, has decided that its criteria were outdated and unnecessary. Henceforce, the selection of class representatives will not start with picking people of a certain race. I hope that the students are able to look beyond race when they elect their classmates to various student government positions, and that they’ve all learned something (maybe just about the power of the internets) from this whole thing.

I’m never going to be able to move and/or have children

I really love living in the New York metro area, but it’s so expensive here. I have lived in much cheaper places and loved it (Montreal, how I miss thee!), but this is always going to be my home. I would love to be able to live somewhere else for a while, not only to give my wallet a bit of a break, but also because I like to experience new people and places. The South seems like a worthwhile region to consider, since it’s cheap and I have a lot of relatives there, but it’s stories like this one that make me believe that maybe I’m better off staying here and paying the Northeast Premium.

Why would a middle school arrange the student elections so that only students of certain races can hold office? What student government positions are available to those children who are neither white nor black? How could anybody think that this would be okay? This is why people still find it okay to make jokes about Mississippi.

As somebody on Gawker pointed out, it’s good to see that the school practices what it preaches (scroll down)…

This is not what people mean when they talk about “family togetherness”

It’s not a good idea for parents to get arrested at the same police checkpoint that ensnared their teenaged child. I’m pretty sure that this will never be included in one of those “family fun times” brochure.

Busy busy busy

The remainder of August is going to be pretty hectic for me, what with traveling and having friends visit and stuff, so I’m not sure how often I’m going to be able to post. Don’t miss me too much, Internets.

Like something out of a movie, but worse

Not one of the bats in question, but still creepy

Rabid vampire bats bite hundreds, spread rabies, kill several children!!! It’s all the more horrific for being true.

Do not, under any circumstances, marinate your cat in your trunk

That’s why God invented back porches. Just kidding. Planning to kill and cook your cat for being “possessive, greedy and wasteful” (aka, a cat) seems more than a little bit insane. Just take it back to the ASPCA, dude. Also, marinating an animal before removing its fur? Just plain nasty. Jeez.

I love a happy ending

I know, I know, their story isn’t over yet, but I think it’s amazing how many adverse situations this couple went through to be together AND achieve their professional goals. I wish them all the best.

How to be alone

Here’s a great short film about how to be on your own. I love my own company, and I can’t always stand to be around other people. A lot of people I know can’t do anything on their own, which I think is sad, but the next time somebody asks me why I like to go off on my own, I’m going to show him or her this video.

Let’s take a moment to reminisce

Today’s subject is The Oregon Trail series of computer games, which were supposed to educate us (…how?) but mostly just provided us with a way to slowly kill fictional characters. A friend and I ALWAYS named the father of the family Abuser Joe, and then gave the families hardly any food and set them on a grueling pace. The rest of the family dropped like flies. I guess I did learn some things from Oregon Trail: if it wasn’t for that game, I wouldn’t know much about fording rivers, or know how damaging cholera and dysentery are to already underweight children. The best part of the game, aside from slowly picking off family members one by one, was going hunting. Sadly enough, Oregon Trail is probably still the video game where I’m most likely to hit what I’m aiming for. Shooting games just aren’t for me.

Some people made a fake trailer for the game. If you’re in the late 20s/early 30s demographic and ever played this game, you should definitely watch.

Dr. Kiko to the rescue

Kiko is actually a dog, and not a doctor at all, but when he noticed that his owner’s big toe was infected, he did what any reasonable pet would: waited for the man to pass out in a drunken stupor, and then ate the infected toe. That part’s gross. Still, his actions were probably motivated by his greater sense of smell and intelligence (who walks around for a month with an infected toe???), and he saved the dude’s life, which is awesome. Still…

This story has been turning my stomach since I first read about it, but I thought that I shouldn’t have to suffer alone. You’re welcome.