Wild Things: YA Grown-Up discussion
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Need to RANT??
message 51:
by
Sara ♥
(new)
May 04, 2009 09:40AM
I can't stop coughing! I think I might have whooping cough again. It's not very easy to diagnose, and even if a doctor DID confirm it, there's no treatment. Lovely, eh?
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Okay, I usually don't have something to Rant about, but I have jury duty tomorrow!! *ugh, double ugh* I HATE jury duty!! The only good thing about going is that I will be able to read during the waiting time...
April wrote: "Oh, no, not like that Kathryn, I meant, let's say I am in a group, I make the Powerpoint, on my sheet I would then say this is what I specifically contributed as well as attended and participated i..."Ahh, see there is the difference... I attend a small Christian school. When you do something like that, it isn't like you don't get invited to the frat party (don't have the greek system here) but everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, knows that you're a "tattler" and no one will want to work with you on anything anymore. In a school where there are only about 2000 people, and my major is only 40 people, you can't afford to austricize yourself like that. The few extra points isn't worth the risk of what you stand to lose because you will definitely be seeing them in another class or two, and if not them, then one of their buddies.
Okay, rant... I was over at TNBBC and just read the another challenge thread... I felt a little bit attacked, and I wasn't a main participant until I just posted a comment at the end. I don't understand why people have to attack other people who like YA. Why should it be not allowed in a challenge. We say that we don't agree with book banning, but when you say you're not allowed to read a certain book for a GROUP challenge, you are essentally banning a whole set of books. God, reading that thread was soooo annoying. I really should have stopped reading it after the first several comments, but I couldn't.
Kathryn wrote: "Okay, rant... I was over at TNBBC and just read the another challenge thread... I felt a little bit attacked, and I wasn't a main participant until I just posted a comment at the end. I don't under..."I completely agree with you, Kathryn. I was there in the beginning of that annoying argument and it was hard to hold my tongue as it got more heated. It's unbelievable that people would make such a big deal about reading YA. I thought that the challenges really were for challenging yourself on a personal level - so what if points are involved? I'm SO glad this group has been started - it's my new favorite. It's so nice and calm here!
Jamie wrote: "Kathryn wrote: "Okay, rant... I was over at TNBBC and just read the another challenge thread... I felt a little bit attacked, and I wasn't a main participant until I just posted a comment at the en..."I know, right? The other thing I find interesting about this whole debate is that if we read YA because it is "easy" then why aren't the ones who are leading right now the ones who read YA? I mean, i am at 140, but then you have people like Kristen who only has two tasks left? I did end up posting part of my opinon and I hope it didn't come across as bitchy... but COME ON.
I think everyone has done a great job supporting the case for YA books. Some of the thread's participants just don't seem to be open to other opinions, no matter how many times/how well those on our side of the argument explain it. You make a good point, that those at the top of the leaderboard aren't YA readers, and I wonder if it's because we generally don't feel as competitive? I know that I'm reading for the fun of it, but there are some who seem to take it a bit too seriously (meaning those who would like to exclude certain books/people). Like you, the challenge has helped me to read a lot more and I have branched out a lot, too. For that, I'm very happy to have been able to participate in the challenges there. I just wish we didn't need to argue about it!
Kathryn wrote: "Okay, rant... I was over at TNBBC and just read the another challenge thread... I felt a little bit attacked, and I wasn't a main participant until I just posted a comment at the end. I don't under..."I saw your response over there and agreed with every word, I would have added a response but I didn't want to make super mod any more cranky, ha ha. I mean, I am towards the top of the leaderboard, but am reading way more than YA. Also, what if you are a high school kid, isn't YA at your level? On the whole level playing field, might as well ask everyone to conform to the same reading schedule, seeing as how oh no I carry more responsibilities per day, that's not fair, I can't win imaginary points...ha ha ha.
April - My daughter (a middle-schooler) has been participating in the challenge, so if YA books didn't count, she wouldn't be able to join us. I know there are a few other young participants over there who would be affected, too. If the challenges are getting people, both younger and older, to read, we shouldn't need to level the playing field. That's the beauty of the challenges anyway - there's enough freedom to include the types of books we enjoy, while still challenging ourselves with books we'd otherwise not read. It's such a great way to whittle down the TBR list too.
Isn't that what the challenge is all about... challenging ourselves? And I happen to use it to read more... and branch out a bit more. Ahh, the sweet sight of seeing your points get higher and higher and higher (I just wanted to get into the triple digits and now that I am at 140, I pushed my goal to 150 before school ends end of next week and over 200 by the end. Maybe if I am lucky, I will get to push my goal back to a higher number!!!)
I agree that it should be about challenging yourself. I had such a hard time keeping my tongue yesterday. I thought you guys made some great points.
Another rant... I hate it when people cut you off! Especially, going with Fiona's #2, when they don't actually have a point to make!!! It's just for the sake of cutting you off! *deep breath*
Oh gosh--apparently I missed that argument, but I can guess who the antagonist was. I thought goodreads was a place for people who love to read to get together and talk. Apparently, if you read *certain* books, you don't count... *rolls her eyes and mutters "book snobs"*
Sara TX wrote: "Oh gosh--apparently I missed that argument, but I can guess who the antagonist was. I thought goodreads was a place for people who love to read to get together and talk. Apparently, if you read *..."HAHAHHAHA I love that, I am literally laughing out loud.
Sara you are so funny!!!Fiona, now that you formed this group maybe you will read more YA... or not! Whatever!!!
New rant: Because of this darn group I keep going and adding more YA books to my reading list... or worse, actually buying them. I must not spend any more money!
I hate to bring up such a horrible topic and I know some of you are the age of this teenager I'm about to tell you about. I as a mom of 2 teenagers and 1 young adult am having the hard time wrapping my head around why teenagers commit suicide. This kid that my family does not know but is in our paper and my kids have friends who knew him decided to shoot himself on Saturday. I have no idea his homelife. I do know he was the star on the football team, and wrestling team. He had many many friends. He was going to college next year with his best friend and they were going to share a dorm. According to the newspaper and facebook no one knew this was coming. He left a goodbye message on his facebook page, when his friends saw it went to his house to try and stop him and it was to late. I just don't understand. My heart truly goes out to the family and his friends.
WOW. That is so, so sad. I don't know why or how a person could commit suicide... But it is further evidence to me that no matter how "perfect" a person's life seems, you don't REALLY know what they are going through--their personal struggles... I would hope that in most cases, there would be signs that a person's family or close friends would notice... depression or hopelessness... Something. Something before the facebook message.
I'm so sorry that things like this happen. I guess it gives all of us greater reason to watch the people in our lives, to look for red flags, to make sure they know that they can come to us if they are having problems...
That is really sad and makes me feel a bit petty for what I'm going to rant about in a second here.I think teenagers get caught up with their emotions and when they convince themselves something is a good idea, they throw themselves in headlong... it's sad but true. It's sad that people feel they have literally nothing to live for.
Now... my rant...
I'm sick of my grandmother trying to take over my wedding planning. I want things to be simple, but she wants to help and then complicates the things I already have decided. It is driving me bonkers. Also, my friend of so many years is trying to act like the matron of honor when I gave that position to my sister. In fact, we're only having a matron of honor and best man and a backyard wedding.. and yeah. I'm trying not to spend too much money on this event.
Also, I don't want a bachelorette party, so my friend was trying to coerce me into an alternative, non alcohol involved party (I don't drink for health and other reasons) and well, I'm just going to say no no no. Oi! I'm trying to keep most of this from my fiance, because he said the moment I get frustrated he's launching me off to the courthouse and giving my family the metaphoric finger. So yeah.
Just as homework should do itself, weddings should be free and stress-less to plan.
Hummm well one of my good friends didnt want a bachlorette party so we all did a spa trip and had messages. Relaxed her and ummmm it sure felt good
My sister early on decided she was just going to take me to a musical and dinner in Chicago during the summer instead. So, that'll be fun. :)
I like that spa trip idea, Renee.
We did the spa thing for my sister's "bachlorette party" and then in June we're doing the same thing for my sister-in-law (her and my brother are getting married again, since they did the Vegas thing 6 years ago)
Lisa Julianna wrote: "I as a mom of 2 teenagers and 1 young adult am having the hard time wrapping my head around why teenagers commit suicide."Sara TX wrote: "But it is further evidence to me that no matter how "perfect" a person's life seems, you don't REALLY know what they are going through--their personal struggles... I would hope that in most cases, there would be signs that a person's family or close friends would notice... depression or hopelessness... Something."
I think being a teenager in the current cultural climate is really hard. I think it's hard anytime, but the way technology has advanced has changed the dynamics rather quickly. I spent a lot of time on the computer through high school, but I am SO glad that was before the Facebook revolution. Everything is online, everything is available, nothing is private. Kids and teens have phones and digital cameras and the like, and everyone is a little braver on the computer. But that's another topic.
I think Sara's hit the nail on the head. It's true, everything can seem totally perfect on the outside, but it's impossible to know what a person, a teen, is really thinking and feeling inside. With boys, especially, outward displays of emotion or expression of feeling aren't always encouraged, by society, parents, friends, whatever. There aren't always signs. And at that age you've got all kinds of stuff going on, socially, physiologically, biologically, mentally. The teenage years are totally confusing and conflicting, and hard. We just have to remember that, remember what it was like, and try to be understanding and helpful while also guiding them through it.
It's late and I'm tired and I got injured a few times while babysitting today, so I'm not sure I'm completely coherent. But I'm really sorry to hear about that happening in your town.
Not really a rant, but has anyone else had the bookshelves labels disappear on your profile page's update feed? Not the entire list of shelves, but for the individual books in the feed my shelf tags are no longer showing up. Just me?
Rant: I like it. This is exactly what I need right now. I hate how some people on goodreads make you feel stupid because you don't know how things work yet. I'm new and I am learning things just like everyone else once did so stop getting pushy with me. I am new to book challenges and if you really want to point it in my face that I think you're being unfair then do it privately. Instead of telling me to message you if I have a problem in private - who do you think you are? I don't know... one of the groups on this site sort of broke a piece of my heart today!
Thanks Fiona... I'm just trying to learn and I didn't mean to make anyone upset with me. It just still hurts... it's sort of like the cyber bullying.
Thanks Fiona... I'm just trying to learn and I didn't mean to make anyone upset with me. It just still hurts... it's sort of like the cyber bullying.
People also say things on the internet that they might never say in real life when they are face to face with someone. Still not an excuse for being rude or mean.
Sarah, I'm sorry to hear that :( I do have to say that I've come across some really great people on this website--some I'd consider friends of mine. But then again, I've also come across some just plain mean people. Some people on this website can get all hoity-toity--especially with new people who haven't quite figured out all of the ins and outs and rules of the website. And it does hurt--I agree with you there. But like I said, there are some really great people out there on this site, so just keep your chin up and remember that when the not-so-great ones are getting you down :)
Sarah, Sorry to hear you had a bad experience. Hopefully you will have more good then bad.
Sorry about what happened to you Sarah, that really does stink!I hope you'll join us in our Challenge - you can count everything you've read from May 1.
(Even your av is cute, how could anyone even be mean to her av Fiona?)
Fiona has the perfect personality for a mod. She is fair-minded and protective. And not afraid to tell someone where they can go!
:)
Thank you everyone for your support. It has become easier to let my feelings go to rest. I think I'll be sticking around here a lot more often. Thank you everyone you've really put a smile to my face.
I'm glad this group brought a smile to your face...everyone is sweet here...yay Wild Things!!!
Victoria's has a nice cotton line, and you can get them very thin, almost too thin, but they fit well and NO padding! And breathable, etc.! It might be called VS Cotton, I'm not sure.Here in the US, it's easy to find the smaller sizes in the womens' shops, as not as many people can fit those sizes. So they get marked down, clearance prices lots of times. (I was very briefly a 4 several years ago. Too briefly!)
There should be a lot of bras available that don't have tons of padding. Do you have the Gap? I think they're known for T-shirt bras and thin material ones. We have a lot of those here. I'm trying to think of other stores that you might have. H&M? My problem is a lot of stores here don't go above a C or D so I pay through the nose at places like Victoria's Secret or specialty shops. It makes it hard to find button-down shirts that don't strain in the buttons or swim around the rest of my torso. I finally bought a bunch at H&M but at least one needs to be taken in. I watch What Not To Wear (American) religiously and they always say that if you have problems with fit you have to resign yourself to getting things altered. Make sure it fits the largest part of you and take in the rest. But leave the tags on until the tailor confirms they can fix it.
Speaking of bras.. I have a rant as well. Last week, two days in a row, I had my black and tan bra snap wires. Now, I have big boobs.. not to brag, but I have really only one place that I buy my bras - Lane Bryant... who has just closed down their store closest to me. So I'm stuck with red and white all week (and I like wearing lots of black, browns, etc...). I now will have to go to a town 30 - 40 minutes away to get bras and they're expensive as heck. *sigh* Also, I plan on dropping 30 pounds this summer (I am a bigger gal) for my wedding and wanted to wait to buy new bras! UGH. Not only that but I'm starting to hate every shirt in my wardrobe. Of course the place I buy shirts is totally different from bras and so I'm going to have to do two separate shopping trips. I do not like clothes shopping at all either, it poops me out and does not excite me much at all.
My problem is bras that don't support enough - I'm just glad I'm down to a DD these days. The selection in that size is a great deal better than in the DDD. And they all seem to be white in DDD. I went a little crazy with the colored ones when I got down to DD - after twenty years of nothing but white, I think I earned it, though!
B or C would seem to be the ideal size cup over here; everything is available in those sizes.Oh, and my method of cup size reduction is not recommended: the stroke diet plan.
LOL - I'm doing Weight Watchers which has lots of healthy suggestions... :)
Fiona wrote: "I'm surprised you can't find clothes for the larger sizes there Alexis - considering the bad press you get for being the 'fattest nation on earth'!"Oh no, I'm not a larger size. My problem is that I'm small but I'm a 34DD. So when I find shirts that fit me around the torso I can't button them over my boobs, and when I can do it without looking like a button is going to fly off, the rest of the shirt is huge. I'm a 4-6 (US size) and those are the sizes that are usually gone from NYC stores. And like Kristen, I hate having to spend $50 and up for a bra. The bigger ones always cost more. More fabric I guess. Yeah, B and C cups seem to be more widely available here.
EDIT: And since we're ranting, I need to rant about H&M. They recently changed their sizes here. I've been shopping there since they came to New York when I was in high school, and I used to be a 2. I got older, gained a little weight (so now I'm average instead of underweight), and was about a 4-6. I went in a few months ago and flipped out because I couldn't even get into a size 6. I finally went in a couple weeks ago and spent 2 hours in the store, trying on tons of clothing and different sizes to figure out what I was now, according to them. I'm now a size 12 in shirts there. WTF, H&M? You think doubling the number of the shirt size I wear is going to endear yourself to me? And it's really confusing when I'm there looking in the 8-12 range and then I have to go back to 4-6 in other stores. You're messing with my head and body image, H&M!
Yeah, I love their prepackaged muffins.. they're so yummy and only 3 points. Mmm. I still have one double chocolate muffin at home. I have to shop at plus size stores for bras because I'm a 42 DDD - if the shipping costs weren't so bad, I'd order online at Lane Bryant because I know which bras and size fits me. I really still don't want to buy them until I drop some weight though... *sigh*
Fiona wrote: "Oh oh oh I see. You really should come to the UK - all bras cost the same here no matter what size. ;)"I tried buying bras in Barcelona but nobody had my size. If I ever go to the UK I'll make sure to look for bras. :)
Trust me, I'd take ANY excuse to visit.
Oh Fiona we're the same size and I'm pretty picky about my bras...I'm not big on the padding and I can't stand the wires. So I usually go for the VS IPEX wireless bra...they're pricey but they last for a long time and right now they're on sale so check it out!!!
What's particularly bad is when the plastic top on the underwire breaks and the metal tip stabs you. Ow!
Regarding bra troubles, I really hate when the straps slip off your shoulders. I like the bras with the built-in hook that clips the straps together in the back. These ones aren't ugly like that thing you can buy to add to the bras you already own (I forget what it's called).
well they also offer them with wires too : )
Jamie wrote: "These ones aren't ugly like that thing you can buy to add to the bras you already own (I forget what it's called)."I like how they're selling what is basically a glorified safety pin. I forget what it's called, too.
ugh...I have a pretty big chest, but I am allergic to nickle...which is in all underwires, so I have to buy big bras with no underwire..which are VERY hard to find (well, really good ones are anyway) except horrid grandmotherly ones :(so I buy cheapish ones, but they wear out sooo fast.
Allison wrote: "ugh...I have a pretty big chest, but I am allergic to nickle...which is in all underwires, so I have to buy big bras with no underwire..which are VERY hard to find (well, really good ones are anywa..."Doesn't Victoria's Secret make ones with more support now that don't have underwires? I like underwire so I don't buy those, but I'm sure I've tried some on. (The allergy is that bad that it bothers you through the fabric? That's rough.)
Have you tried Frederick's of Hollywood? I used to think they just sold stripper stuff but I was wrong. My cousin swears by them because they have larger sizes but aren't grandmotherly. (Just stay away from the super duper push ups.)
