my piece...

over the past 13 years we have become a society steeped in fear; overshadowed by nebulous threat; and fed on hatred. we are told that there are those out to get us and that, because of that, it is okay to act with whatever malice we feel towards those who are different. we place blame and point fingers, being told it is okay to do so and to ignore our own contributions and faults. we are all guilty of some form of tacit acceptance of the way things are today, even if we are outspoken either to the good or the detriment - intelligently in our rhetoric, or blindly in our lashing out.

.:more after the jump:.

sometimes i write things

Strong, tanned fingers marched along pale cream curves to end their journey in a dark ebony forest. There they tangled and caught, pulling back the waves of silken hair to expose a soft expanse of porcelain neck. Lips brushed along that expanse and moved in a slow beat down to where neck met shoulder. There they leaped from the ledge of collarbone to tease pert nipples with tooth and tongue. The fingers trailed across salt white plains, edging ever closer to the lush jungle and its hidden spring of pleasure.

.:more after the jump:.

another year gone...

another year older...yay for yet another birthday. at least this year i have a job. it was rather uneventful and boring as per usual. people always seem surprised that my friends aren't taking me out and that i'm doing nothing for it. then i basically just say that it's valentine's day and everyone is busy doing other things and the look appears on their face as they realize that everyone is off doing other things.

add to this that the meet for this weekend was cancelled and i can't think of anywhere to have it instead since chinatown is out due to new year celebrations. *sigh* oh well, guess i don't need anything to really look forward to or do this weekend. i don't really need to see friends that i only get to see maybe once a month. u_u

oh well. off to bed i guess. another birthday down with only calls from my family and some platitudes from people at work who were told it was my birthday and the usual small round of notes on facebook. i know people mean it, but after all these years it just feels so empty. "happy birthday (i have better things to do)." >_>

i've not been very active here or anywhere really except for keeping up with my post a day on tumblr. there really hasn't been much going on in my life anyway. christmas was good, cons are coming up in march, work is work and has taken over my life. i'm slowly working on uncanny for this year as well. i had a three day weekend this weekend and didn't really accomplish anything. yeah, that's how awesome my life is. i've been accomplishing less in my life than when i was unemployed a year ago. such a cheery thought.

.:more after the jump:.

on opinions in the hobby...

there are some people in this hobby i wish i could slap with a salmon...and then a frying pan...seriously, you are not an expert nor is your opinion the be all, end all. i respect your opinion, but stop preaching it like it is the only opinion people can have. if someone asks a question and people give answers, don't outright discount them because they aren't what you agree with. or don't jump in and tell someone how wrong they are because you think something is some way. most of all, don't speak as if you are an authority on what a company should do because they owe it to their customers.

disagree with me all you like, but check your facts, admit when you are wrong, and don't act like a jerk to someone because they are not 100% in line with what you have to say. because of people like that, there are more and more lurkers, there are confessions that can be pretty nasty or express being afraid to get into the hobby. there are people who are scared to step into discussions or go to meets, people who have had a bad experience and see this behavior and then assume that the rest of the people in the hobby are the same.

yes, i have my own opinions on things, but i try to be open to other opinions. i have had my mind changed about things i felt strongly on because i didn't immediately attack someone for having a difference of opinion. i let them speak and heard their argument; i learned and reformed my own opinion with that new knowledge. yes, i have participated in discussions and had my facts slightly off, but i have admitted i was wrong or apologized as needed and corrected my knowledge. i have watched as so much opined misinformation gets spouted as fact and my cautions and corrections are attacked that i mostly bite my tongue and don't comment anymore because saying things has done no good. i only offer my opinion publicly on most things anymore when asked and do not volunteer it freely.

all of this being said, think before you speak. if you are posting something about a company as a fact, check your facts first instead of posting conjecture as truth. don't brush someone's opinion off as wrong just because it is different, maybe they have greater experience or more facts about something than you.

if any of my followers or anyone reading this would like to engage in a discussion or has questions about anything, please feel free to contact me. if i don't know about something and can't answer a question, i'll try to point you in the right direction. if you simply wish to discuss something, i'm open to it. i like to share what small knowledge i have, meet people in the hobby, and learn from others' knowledge about things.