Obama Llama?

I rarely talk about politics because I usually have no idea what I'm talking about or I'm not informed enough to defend myself. All I know is, I hate George Bush and the current state of this country. We've been led into the wilderness with no weapons and there are wolves at our backs, and there have been far too many casualties. I question the mental capacity of this country for electing that monkey twice. Once was bad enough people. Not that Kerry would have been much better, but he wouldn't have been Bush. Who, may I add, has the lowest approval rating in modern history, has left this country in an economic shambles, and has proven that he is not the brightest crayon in the box.

I've been on the Obama train since the primaries. I thought of voting for Hilary Clinton for a short period of time. I admired the fact that she was a woman running for president, girl power, female solidarity, kicking ass and all that good stuff. Although I admired her for what she had accomplished, I found her personality to be abrasive and I questioned her ability to lead, even though I would have voted for her if she won the primary. So I voted for Obama. At first I thought he was a little green and inexperienced but as time went on I grew very fond of him and his desire to give this country a brighter future. He had the hope of America on his shoulders. He seemed to hold this shining white beacon to lead the country to something better. Sure I'm an idealistic dreamer, but dammit I think I have a right to be. This country is in shambles, wishing and dreaming for something better is natural.

Obama is promising quite a lot. Most politicians do make a lot of lofty promises in hopes that they will be elected. It's basically akin to a free gift when you enter a store. The whole point is to snag you and to get you to spend money. (Clinique is really good at this BTW. I have about 6 of their "spend $25 and you get a free makeup bag full of samples” bags. Oh Clinique, you tricky little whore you). All politicians are notorious for empty promises, and many people are quick to saying Obama is guilty of this also. However, there is something about him that makes me believe him. He may not accomplish all he says he will, but he seems sincere and genuine enough to try as hard as he can. I trust him more than any other politician; more than John Kerry, and CERTAINLY more than George Bush or John McCain.

Let's talk about McCain for a minute. I'm not going to bash him too much because he is a war hero who has been through terrible hardships. (Although I've read recently that he grew up a spoiled brat who did terribly in school but squeaked by because his daddy was a big time general. Hmm, getting somewhere only because of your famous father, that sounds very familiar. I'm sure he's a good man minus his political standing. However, I feel that I must voice my opinion on this because a very conservative friend of mine thinks I'm not only an idiot for having said opinion, but that I should be shot then drawn and quartered for even considering voting for Obama. Wow that was a long sentence. McCain has been criticized as being a George Bush clone. He voted with him 95% of the time and yet he claims he will bring change to this country. Not only that but (and even though he says he won't) he plans to raise taxes for most of the country and cut taxes for the wealthiest Americans. As if they need any financial help.

As far as I'm concerned, even though McCain is toting himself (and that weird Tina Fey Megan Mulally conglomeration anti-feminist he calls his running mate) as a maverick, it's still the same old republican bullshit we've seen for eight years. Some Republicans are voting for him anyway, despite the state this country is in. My dad likes to say they "drank the kool-aid." They either cannot think for themselves or are too stubborn and ignorant to accept a world view so radically different from theirs that they stick to antiquated and wrong ways of thinking.

Take my friend for example. He’s a devout catholic who doesn't believe in abortion. Wow, there's a shock. He also feels that women should be barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen. Now it's people like this that scare the living hell out of me. They are also the people that elected Bush.... twice. I don't understand why this country loves stupid people. It's probably the reason why Paris Hilton is so popular!

Oh yeah and that abortion thing. I do not support the destruction of human life in any capacity. However, if the situation presents it self, say if god-forbid I were raped or I knew that there would be horrible complications with the pregnancy and it needed to be terminated, I do think I should have the right to make that choice for myself. The government shouldn't have any say over what I do with my vagina.

And my general message to most Catholics is to shut the hell up. It is especially not your place (nor the place of anyone else) to judge another human being. While I know I've backed myself into a corner with that one, especially in regards to our judicial system, I believe that statement to be true. No person has the right to have power over another. Period. Jesus said love thy neighbor, not hate everyone who is different from you and judge them for what they believe. And "judge not lest ye be judged." I am not very religious but I believe that it is God's and God's (or whatever you want to call it) place alone to ultimately decide our fate. However, I also believe that despite how horrible you were in life, whatever all-powerful being you believe loves you regardless. I don't believe in hell and I was also raised a Christian Scientist. Oh yeah, I'm a hoot.

With about 2 weeks left until the election, I really hope that America makes the right decision. Although what I view as the right decision, and what some conservative think is the right decision is completely different. McCain is down in the polls now, but he claims that is where he does his best. I'm tired of the ads and the constant self-promotion and I want this election to be over. Thankfully that will happen very soon.

No significance to Obama Llama other than the fact it rhymes, and I like Llamas. I mean, how can you not like a Llama?

web standards

Despite the fact that Blogger doesn't really pay attention to them (it's true, my blog failed the W3C validation), I've begun to really pay attention to web standards when putting my websites together. I depend on The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) which is the shadowy council of wizards who through archaic rituals and naked rain dancing decide the fate of web-design failures. No not really. According to them:"The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is an international consortium where Member organizations, a full-time staff, and the public work together to develop Web standards. W3C's mission is: To lead the World Wide Web to its full potential by developing protocols and guidelines that ensure long-term growth for the Web." w3.org Although, I like my definition a lot better.

These standards serve as guidelines for developers of Web applications and sites so they (the developers) can build their sites according to those standards. Usually this will ensure that any browser will see the site the way the developer had intended. So even though your site may look beautiful in Firefox, it could look like week old, regurgitated pizza in Internet Explorer (more on that later). But who cares? Why should paying attention to such things really matter? If you have a site, chances are you are providing something. Whether it's a portfolio, a store, a witty blog entry (ahem), or an insipid game, people are going to be viewing your site. So if they saunter on over to your "insert website here," and it looks like the Internet blew up, you are going to lose your audience.

I'm always surprised by the fact that web accessibility is ignored (purposefully or not). A lot of people are still unaware of how important these web standards are, or they assume more people are following them. If you are one of people that believe web standards are universally accepted and implemented and designers/developers strive to maintain the best possible quality in their work, well then you (and me unfortunately) are living on another planet.

Apparently here on Earth, the population of designers and developers who are standards-aware represent a very small percentage of those in the web business. I'm not going to raise my banner and throw a parade in celebration of the fact that I have mastered the web. Even though my code passed validation, there is still a lot more that I can do to make my sites truly accessible. There is a huge learning curve when it comes to the web and I will be a perpetual student. New technologies are sprouting like dandelions. Many developers are set in their ways for the most part. If they are smart and flexible, new technologies won't throw them. However, if they are like the many who remain stubborn, they will continue to churn out crap.

Then there is the other side of the coin - the people like me who look at web design as an art form. I may not do it the right way but I'm always trying to better my work. The problem now for me is finding a balance between my art and the skeletal structure of it all.

So, how do we ultimately find that balance? People need to take a step back and think about why they aren’t following the guidelines that have been in place for some time. Maybe they’re afraid because they know how guilty they are and are afraid of change and fear they may lose business if they do something too radical. Maybe they just don’t know what to do, or perhaps they are just lazy.


Adhering to web standards doesn't just mean making a site compliant. It is a way to provide the best quality possible and accessibility for all. When you make something, whatever it may be, you don’t want to use duct tape where nails should be used or glue where something needs to be welded. Implementing the right tools for a project is just common sense, especially if you want it done right. Usually, paying attention to them as best as you can fixes most problems for web projects. This not only ensures the longevity of a project but easy maintenance.

Now lets talk about Internet Explorer. I've already expressed my general hatred of Internet Explorer, so I won't really go into that much. It has only been recently, that I realized complying with the W3C's standards would make that much of a difference in IE. It wasn't until a site I was working on just flat out didn't work in IE. I knew about the validator but I only ever used it for CSS, which was always perfect. When I ran the site through the validator and had it fix all the errors, the site actually worked. Aside from a few things being a little off; it looked the way I had intended. Everything was where it should be. That doesn't mean I have a new love for IE, it just means I can barely tolerate it a little more than I used to.

In an article from Wired titled Why Internet Explorer 7 Will Break the Web (10/13/06), writer Michael Calore discusses Microsoft's backwards way of approaching the WC3's standards. Even though this article is two years old, the truth it spouts still holds true today. IE 7 is slightly better than it's older siblings, but it still does not match up to its cousins Firefox, Safari and Opera. Calore writes,

Microsoft's next generation browser is due to arrive in a week or two (October 18 is the word on the street), so you'd better prepare yourself for the inevitable meltdown. Much has been made about Microsoft's employment of a backward process for rolling out Internet Explorer 7. The IE7 team asked web developers to download the browser and test their sites against it. Here's the exact wording from a post on the Microsoft Developer's Network published yesterday, October 12: Prior to deployment of IE 7, we strongly recommend that you test your Web sites, extensions, and applications to make sure they are ready. Microsoft recommends that Web sites and applications are ready for the release of Internet Explorer 7 this month.

Way to go Microsoft. Not only is it backwards, but it's just plain ludicrous. Calore agrees with me, "This is totally backwards!” he writes, “Isn't this exactly the scenario that web standards were put in place to prevent?" Microsoft is a member of the W3C, but typical Microsoft likes to dictate his or her own rules. They feel that since their browser is used by approximately 80% of the web surfing public, they can do whatever they feel like. Even issue silly hats with each new user if they wanted. "

(Can I just have the silly hat?)

“To be fair,” Calore continues, Internet Explorer 7 offers more support for web standards than previous versions.” Despite all of this, you still need to do a bit of tweaking to get sites to look identical in Firefox and IE. Apparently people have been complaining and Microsoft actually listened. According to another article from Wired.com, IE 8 will actually adhere to web standards. Scott Gilbertson writes,

Microsoft's Internet Explorer team has backed down and announced that the upcoming IE8 will support established web standards out of the box. The news reverses Microsoft's earlier decision that, while IE would bring improved support for web standards, those features would be disabled by default ... IE8 will still feature three rendering modes, a "super standards" mode, where pages are rendered according to web standards, an IE7 standards mode, which mimics the incomplete support in IE7, and what Microsoft charitably calls IE6's "standards mode" The key change is that by default IE8 will render pages using the "super standards" mode, which means that if you've been creating webpages based on the W3C's established guidelines, IE8 should handle your site without issue (assuming IE8's standards support is as good as the IE8 team is promising).

Excuse me while I laugh. I feel that it would be a cold day in hell if IE actually worked the way it is supposed to. It will also make my job as a designer a lot easier. However the chance that the general web surfing public will download the new IE is very slim. Some people are still stuck on using IE 6, and in some cases IE 5. So while IE 8 may eliminate many issues that its predecessors had, there’s no way of knowing that it will run perfectly. Look at what happened with Vista.

The moral of the story is if Microsoft adhered to the standards from the beginning (which coincidentally, they helped to develop) then we may not be in this situation today. Why is it that Firefox and Safari can work so perfectly and IE is like the retarded kid on the back of the web design bus? (Yeah I'm going to hell).

While I, and many other designers long for a design utopia where everything works, it may be a pipe dream. Microsoft always promises diamonds but we usually end up with rusty fake gold that turns your fingers green.

Anyway, I think I've said all I can about this topic. I'm going to get back to work now - which would involve tinkering with HTML code to make sure it works everywhere. Maybe I should hire those wizards.

Way to go America!

I was watching the news last night with my mom. Betwixt reports of a baby killed by a cult and something else just as gruesome, a story was presented about a gay marriage bill in Pennsylvania. I support gay marriage, or at least the rite to a civil union, so the story intrigued me. I was rather disgusted to find out it was yet another hateful bigot making a big stink and someone's words blown out of proportion.

Gilbert Coleman Jr., a black pastor from Freedom Christian Bible Fellowship in Philadelphia, recently attended an Appropriations Committee hearing on a bill that would outlaw and snuff out gay marriage in the state of Pennsylvania. Senator Vincent J. Fumo opposes this bill. During the heated debate in which Coleman said that gay marriage is wrong and should not be allowed, Fumo said , "What you are advocating here is that we take away the rights of a minority. And I don't think that's right. If we introduced a bill on slavery, it might pass. That doesn't make it right." ""I doubt that, sir," responded Coleman.

"Oh, don't bet on it in this General Assembly," Fumo fired back, "I know some people up here, especially on a secret ballot, it would be almost unanimous."

Coleman said Wednesday, the day after the debate that the comments "certainly came out of leftfield" and were misguided. However he was not angry "because of the source where it was coming from. They came from an angry man, angry over his own personal situation."

Also on Wednesday Fumo said that he was "obviously exaggerating to make a point. If a majority would vote to approve slavery -- as was done once in this country -- that wouldn't make it right," he continued. "I wanted people at the hearing to face the fact that denying human rights to any group, including homosexuals, at any point in our history, including in 2008, is wrong."

There was of course a backlash to these comments. People stating that Fumo went too far stating that renouncing gay marriage equates to legalizing slavery. Mr. Coleman certainly thinks so. I hate to say it, but it's exactly the same thing and I agree whole-heartedly with what Senator Fumo said. If this bill were to pass it would be denying a group of American people a basic human right. Gay people are no different from everybody else, save their sexual preference.

Granted, their choice of lifestyle is very different from the norm in this country. But we can't all be bible thumping football loving republicans now can we? It shouldn't matter who they love or have sex with. They were born in this country and therefore as American citizens should have the same opportunities and privileges as everyone else. The situation concerning black slaves and gay people is essentially the same - a minority is being oppressed and is viewed as less than human.

Situations like this really make me ill. Leave the gays alone. They are just trying to live their lives like everyone else. I dream of a world in which prejudice is dead. A world where fundamental christians shut the hell up and leave people alone. Jesus never said "hate everyone who isn't like you," he said "love thy neighbor." How difficult is that to accomplish? Loving each other is easier than hating each other. It takes more energy to hate. I hope that Pennsylvania really pulls through on this vote. While it failed me in the primary election, allowing Hilary Clinton and not Barrak Obama to win ( don't even get me started on that), it voted for John Kerry for president four years ago. So I'm holding on to that little glimmer of hope that PA will make the right decision, as it did that day four years ago.

all quotes found here

Paper Cuts and Coffee Stains

Everyone who reads this blog, should be aware of my abhorrence of the Ugg boot and it's inbred family of equally ugly boots. Why I just said that is pretty pointless because it really has nothing do to with this entry. Frankly, this entry has nothing to do with anything. I'm suffering from a bit of writers block. Each topic that comes to my mind lacks originality and creativity. So I'm going to write about what is currently going on in my life. A trivial list, if you will, outlining in probably far too much detail my current outlook on things. These are in no particular order.


1. I went to the mall on Saturday. It was insanely crowded and there were far too many teenage girls in ugg boots (I could write yet another entry about why I hate ugg boots, but that's really not the point) for my liking. I was also with my sister which usually spells disaster for my fashion sense (we're not going to get into that now). I spent a grant total of 13 dollars on a tube of Clinique lip gloss. I don't think I have ever gone into a mall and spent less. Of course not counting spending nothing because that happens quite frequently. I had the intent to blow my paycheck on shoes and clothes, but it didn't happen. Possibly the crowds turned me off, or perhaps I really hate most of what is in the stores. The best thing I saw was a blue taffeta dress in Ann Taylor. It was beautiful, but if I wore it to work, people might think I'm crazy (not that they don't think that already).

2. I keep buying books. My book shelves cry under the weight of said books. I have a huge biography of Henry VIII's wives sitting on my side table right now, and I've only read 57 of 610 pages. Also, my "to be read" list is growing exponentially. Having a friend who works at Barnes and Noble who offers to buy me books with her 30% discount is proving to be quite bad for my wallet.

3. I turned 23 this past Monday. Presents are not mandatory but will be welcomed and appreciated.

4. I have 3 paper cuts on my hands. One paper cut is bad enough. Three paper cuts makes me wonder if I'm secretly a sadist. I have also managed to spill coffee on 40% of my clothes.

5. I am very behind on my netflix watching. I get movies in the mail that I just don't watch. I either don't have time, or I realize that I am just not interested. Hopefully when season 2 of Nip/Tuck comes, I will be more involved.

6. I love love love love my new Steve Madden boots!

7. I'm pretty sure I have a really awesome boyfriend :)

8. My job prospects look really good, but still a huge unknown.

9. The weather in PA has been abysmal. I blame my chronic stuffed up nose to said weather. Last week we had temps. into the 60's and 70's. This week has been snowy, cold, wet, slushy and awful. I wouldn't expect anything less from February, but I'm quite sick of winter. So, if March could not be crappy like it usually is, I will be one happy bunny.

10. I am not looking forward to paying taxes this year. I have quite a bit to write off but that still means I have to give the government some of my hard earned cash. I really hope I get a pretty nice rebate, which I intend to spend on clothes and clinique products.

Hey you know those things called books?

I'm as grumpy as the next tv fan when it comes to the writers strike. I've developed quite a few relationships with television shows as of late; Heroes, Ugly Betty, Gossip Girl, Medium, and CSI. Thankfully Medium just started it's new season so hopefully it will live a little longer. Heroes is essentially dead, and who knows how much Gossip Girl and CSI have. While I'm quite angry about these shows ending so suddenly, and while I feel like a jilted lover or it's my birthday and you just denied me cake, I've forced myself to deal with it. How did I do this you ask? PORN, LOTS AND LOTS OF PORN. No seriously, I've been reading a lot more. I'm actually reading the many blogs I subscribe to, I read the newspaper, and I'm starting to read the shelf of books I've bought over the years and haven't read. (my bookshelves cry!). Not only am I reading a Biography about the 6 wives of Henry VIII, I'm keeping with the theme and reading The Other Boleyn Girl which is about Henry VIII's affair with Mary Boleyn.

I'm also talking to more people and listening to more music. I have rediscovered a good 1/4 of my music collection and made about 6 mixed cds. I've also started a new painting! Started being the operative word. I painted the canvas black .... that's about it. But that's a start! I've also started to crochet a blanket.

So yes, I'm angry that my tv is overrun with nothing but reality shows (no thanks to you vh1, although Celebrity Rehab is pretty awesome), and now if I want to watch anything new I flip over to The History Channel or other educational programing (which gives me a giddy little thrill, not gonna lie). I'm trying to force myself to make the best of this situation. Maybe everyone should go do the same. Instead of rotting your brain with reality tv shows about fat people, go to the book store! Go to the gym! Maybe you can have a conversation with your family! (Insane concept I know).

I'm sure there are plenty of things to occupy ones time now that television has gone to hell (not like it wasn't there already). Let us all hope and pray that the strike ends and we can all drool in front of the tv again.

I'm sorry blogger

So, to the 3 people that actually read this blog (myself not included), I apologize for my lack of things to talk about. Not many topics force me to rant like the ugg boot or the amount of money I give to apple (add another 180 bucks onto that kay?). I am going to place all the blame on the holidays. Buying presents, eating food (and getting fat btw), arguing with my sister and seeing my friends. (speaking of Christmas presents, remember my wish list? Well I got one of the gifts. Not the Juicy Couture shoes, but the laptop tote bag. Not important, I know, but I'm just updating those 3 people that read this.)

I've begun to realize that the Christmas holiday does not hold the magic it did before. Winter break was the light at the end of the tunnel for so long. Even in elementary and high school, granted the light being much less bright and shorter. In college, winter break was something we were all working towards. After a month of finals, papers and projects, the month of rest was much deserved and wanted. However, not being in school makes December another month. Okay so we have a tree, my sister is home, being especially mean to me, there's drama with my dad's side of the family, I picked out most of my presents this year. Not too different from every other year. I guess now, since I've been home since May and there was no distraction from that, I feel as if Christmas came and went without any blip on my radar. Maybe if my family was one of those with traditions and were really close (not that we aren't, but it's a different kind of closeness) and if my sister and I didn't like to argue, maybe Christmas would hold more power.

I wish we all still believed in Santa.

So now it's 2008. What do I do now? I have no real resolutions aside from looking for a more permanent job and finally learn to drive and buy a car. I guess I could also work out more. I'd like my ass to not look like it does now.

A designer's lament

I live in a dream world apparently. A world where everybody is a mac user and everybody uses Firefox or Safari. Everyone adheres to WC3 standards, everyone who designs a website understands the concepts of form, function and color theory. I have far too much faith in people. I had an interview yesterday at a health management company and I met with their design team; all of three people. I walk in with my Macbook pro and I see an ugly Sony Vaio sitting on the table. Apparently their Internet will only work on their computers. Not only was this a PC, it was using Internet Explorer 5 or 6. My website was rendered ugly and useless. So okay, this fraction of the company is designing for the various number of affiliates and subsidiaries that the company serves. Even before I jumped onto the PC, I had a sinking feeling that the company did really awful, template looking design. By all means, please go to the company’s website phmc.org".

With a website like that, one would wonder what their design department does for other clients. So let us take a step back and see why I’m annoyed. #1: These designers are using PC’s. Now I know that photoshop on the PC does the same thing that it does on the mac, however, for years the designer’s platform has been mac. It’s what we used in school, and we little fledgling designers were told that a serious design studio will use macs. Go to any design school in the country; if they use PC’s, run far far away. #2: The particular computer I used was using, Internet Explorer. IE is the BANE of my existence. Microsoft helped to develop the W3C standards, yet their programs do not support them. My website has valid css according to the W3C, so why doesn’t IE realize that? The reason why it’s not even on my computer is because Microsoft stopped making it for Mac quite some time ago. #3: Look at their website.

Even if this job was offered to me, I doubt I would accept. Working on a PC makes me feel dirty. Designers that use a PC are few and far between. Often they scare me a little. If you want to use a system with dark, dull colors, and a plethora of viruses and security flaws, please go ahead. We can’t be friends.

If you’re going to use a PC, for the love of god, use Firefox or Safari! Or at least, UPGRADE YOUR VERSION OF IE!!! IE 7 improves upon it’s crappy older siblings somewhat. Think of it this way. Say you have the choice of two cars to buy. Any version of IE is a run down, rusty, near exploding, clunky, gas guzzling mini van that might fall apart at any moment (most PC’s match this description too). Firefox and Safari are brand new, shiny, beautifully made BMW’s (Macs are like that too!) Both are free. Which would you rather drive?

PC loyalists would give me a laundry list of reasons why I’m wrong, but I don’t care. I hate what Microsoft stands for and why they think they can create products that are so far below the quality of other comparable products.