Thursday, March 26, 2009

Alone.

There are two things I’ve learned in life since graduating college and entering the real world...

1. As cliché as it sounds, slowly but surely, success will come with hard work and determination.
2. When that success does come, if you don’t have someone to share it with, it means almost nothing.

Maybe that sounds a little melodramatic and I should rephrase, but I don’t know any other way to say it. I do know that late Tuesday night just before midnight, one of the biggest moments in my career happened. At 11:55pm I was jumping up and down on my couch with my arms raised in the air like I just defeated Michael Phelps for the gold medal in the 100-meter butterfly. Then at 11:58pm, an unsettling calm came over me. In just 3 short minutes, I suddenly went from feeling deliriously happy to facing the harsh realization that I have no one to share this with. Sure, I have family and friends, but it’s not the same. It’s not that I need someone to cheer me on and support me, I can do those things for myself. And although the pats on the back, the kind words, and all those other accolades are nice...it’s just not the same as being able to share it, to celebrate it with someone who means the world to you.

I knew the very first day when I started my company that my life, as I once knew it, would forever change. Ask any entrepreneur and they will tell you that it’s not a 9-5, 40 hours a week gig. Your workdays often turn into worknights, then workweekends, and your social life soon becomes non-existent. You are a slave to your company and the vision you have for it. You obsess over it. You eat, drink, and sleep it. Or rather you don’t sleep because your mind is constantly running in high gear thinking of new ways you can innovate yourself and your company. Although I feel this may be my calling in life, it didn’t choose me. I choose this life so I can’t complain.

I hate to be one of those guys who says he doesn’t have the time or the energy to invest himself into any type of serious relationship. I always thought that guys who fed girls that line were simply copping out. Because if you want something bad enough, you’ll make it happen. And if anyone should understand that concept it’s an entrepreneur! We’re "make it happen" kind of people. It should be branded on our chest like a Superman S. So whenever I need to save the day, I can go from being a mild-mannered Clark Kent to ripping my shirt off in superhero fashion and be reminded of my calling - to make it happen.

Selfishness is the one human quality that I despise more than anything else. It is by far my biggest turnoff in the opposite sex. And I can only assume that a selfish man would be equally unattractive to a woman. So I refuse to be that "I’m too busy" kind of guy. He's the kind of guy that puts everything in his life above you in every way imaginable. A man that does this is either afraid of commitment or he’s simply saying you’re not important enough for him to put you even in a close second to his career. Now I ask you, are you ok settling for second place? I should hope not!

I'm not saying your world needs to revolve around a significant other, because that's rather unhealthy and just plain crazy! All this "joining two lives to become one person" is bullshit. It's mushy soap opera talk and if you buy into it, I think you will find yourself being greatly disappointed down the road. You need to have your own identity.

Life is all about finding balance. We all face the challenge of having to juggle a career and a relationship. It’s not easy, but I think it’s worth it. It’s work I’m willing to do. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. So I’ll find the time, no matter how limited my free time is. I’m a busy boy, but I’m not too busy to find happiness. There’s always plenty of time to be happy. And if not, you make the time, because life is too short not to be happy. And moments like the one late Tuesday night are too few not to be shared with someone I love, other than my Bulldog. No offense Diesel, but popping a bottle of the bubbly while you are snoring fast asleep just doesn't seem like a proper celebration.

Monday, March 23, 2009

Aspiring Back-To-Back "Top 10 Gen Y Blog" Champion

Ryan Stephens from RyanStephensMarketing.com is once again putting together a list of the Top 10 blogs from Gen Y bloggers. You may recall a similar list I was included on earlier this year. At that time, a total of 35 blogs were nominated for the "Top 10 Gen Y Blogs" list and I was thrilled that my blog was chosen to make the final Top 10 list! Read more here.

Now once again we have a new ballot of blogs up for the "Top 10 Gen Y Blogs" list, but this time around the competition is stiffer because a total of 50 blogs have been included! Only 10 will make the final cut and I'm hoping you will help my blog, The Rest Is Still Unwritten, be one of those 10 lucky blogs. And this would also make me a Back-To-Back "Top 10 Gen Y Blog" Champion! Cue the Rocky music.

This is similar to a People's Choice Award where you, the people, do the voting. There is some criteria you will be judging the blogs on, as well as a short list of rules you need to follow when casting your vote.

Judging Criteria:
1. CONTENT
2. Frequency of updates
3. Valuable and interesting links (embedded or in the blogroll)
4. Aesthetic (i.e navigation, functionality, and to some extent looks)
5. Ability to incite conversation, thought-provoking comments/discussion

The Rules:
1. The blogs must directly relate to Gen Y/Millennials*.
2. One ballot per person.
3. Your ballot must have at least 5 blogs listed to be included.
4. You -can- vote for your own blog.
5. If you feel compelled to include a great post that showcases why you chose a particular blog I won’t hate you.

Unlike some of the previous blog awards I’ve been up for, ANYONE can vote on this one. All you need to do is pick 5 blogs from the below nomination list that you think are the best "Top 10 Gen Y Blogs". Then e-mail that list to Ryan no later than March 27th, 2009. His e-mail is ryanstephensmarketing@gmail.com

Top 10 Gen Y Blogs Ballot
--------------------------------------

Personal Branding Blog
Employee Evolution
Millennial Leaders Y Blog
I Will Teach You To Be Rich
Hard Knox Life
College Mogul
PR Interactive
Hoehn’s Musings
Ben Casnocha
The Creative Career
The Rest is Still Unwritten
People Sales
Newly Corporate
Guru Gilbert
Young and Frugal
Driven Leaders
Young Go Getter
The Office Newb
Politicoholic
Modite
Work Love Life
Tiffany Monhollon
The Marketing Student
Keep Up With Me
Results Junkies
Fake Plastic Noodles
Honey and Lance
Be Deviant
Water Cooler
The Mad Grad
Pipe Dreams and Professions
The Schiff Report
Watercooler
Gen Pink
M-Cause
Life Before Noon
El Gaffney
Feverbee
Quarter Life Lady
Girl Meets Business
The Millennium Marketer
I Hate HR
Working Girl
Two Notes Ahead
Andy Drish
Quiet the Thunder
Twenty Set
Echodemic
Prevential
Millennial Marketing

Everyone got all that information? Pick the 5 blogs you would like to be included on the "Top 10 Gen Y Blogs" list and e-mail your vote to Ryan ryanstephensmarketing@gmail.com no later than March 27th, 2009.

Thanks and if you are voting for me, wish me luck!

Friday, March 20, 2009

Dream On

Ever have the same fantasy as me? Then you wake up and snap back to reality.

Notice the "I am" is missing. How appropriate.

And clicking "Publish Post" in Blogger just isn't quite the same as actually being published in the literary sense.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Man Turns His Prosthetic Finger Into A USB Stick

I’m torn between finding this really f-ing cool or just down right disturbing. I’ll let you be the judge. Read on...

A 29-year-old computer programmer who lost a finger in a motorbike accident had doctors insert a USB stick into the prosthetic finger they created for him. Finland native, Jerry Jalava, now carries Linux and a range of software in his artificial finger. The detachable device works like a regular PC memory stick and can store 2GB of photos, movies and other useful files. The connection is under his fingernail.

"I simply put my finger into the USB port of a computer and pull out the hand if I need it. Afterwards the finger goes back on," said Javala. He plans to build a new finger with wireless technology.

This reminds me of the guy who performed crude surgery on himself to insert an RFID chip into his arm. 5/16/06 - A Real Life Bionic Man

Also, we can’t forget the freak that had his thumbs surgically whittled so he could txt easier/faster on his BlackBerry. 8/10/07 - Thumb Surgically "Whittled" To Improve Txting

Just when you think you’ve seen it all, you ain’t seen nothing yet!

You’ll want to view Jerry Jalava’s Flickr set of 13 glorious (or rather grotesque depending on how you see it) photos.

***UPDATE***
If you aren't grossed out yet, let me push you over the edge by linking you to a post from my Archive about a man who ran a website by hosting it via USB stick INSIDE HIS ASS! No joke. 4/6/05 - Run A Website Out Of Your Ass, Literally

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Ode To Diesel

I’m sorry. I promised I would never write really bad poetry, but...

I think I love you more and more each and every day.
No, really, it’s true!
I just can’t get enough of you.

(Like his 80's style Glamour Shots pose? He's bringing sexy back.)

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Blogging And Masturbating Go Hand-In-Hand

The way I see it...

Blogging is like masturbating. I only do it when I’m in the mood.

I’ll post something relatively interesting to read soon enough.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Barbie Idealism

With her 39-21-33-inch curves, Barbie no doubt sets an impossible ideal for young girls to role model their body after. There’s just no reasonable comparison. Not even Victoria’s Secret supermodel Gisele Bundchen and her slinky 36-24-35-inch stats could compete. If Barbie was real with those types of measurements, the laws of gravity would actually make her topple over. But if Barbie is No Woman she's also Every Woman - cheerleader, rock star, teacher, President, Olympic skier, bikini beach babe, fearless astronaut, the list goes on and on. She’s a mover-and-shaker who's cycled through more incarnations than Madonna, Lindsay and Britney combined. The one constant, Barbie has remained the ultimate poster child for idealism. From childhood thru to adulthood, Barbie has evilly set the standard for the ideal woman. Girls want to be a Barbie and guys want to date a Barbie.

This month, Barbie turns the big Five-O! But unlike many other Baby Boomers, she shows no signs of losing her bod or her face. Ahh, hello, she’s made of plastic! Over the years Barbie has evolved from plaything to Miss Thang...and a hot thang too I might add. I know she’s 50 years old, plastic and stands less than 12 inches tall, but I would still tap that Mattel ass. Wouldn’t you? Ok, maybe that is physically impossible. But if she were real, she would be a GILF (G is for Grandma and you know the rest). If Samantha Jones can be "50 and fabulous", why can’t Barbie? Sure Samantha may be a fictional character, but she’s still a real human being. Barbie is a doll! And because Barbie is a doll, she has never gained weight, never sagged, never wrinkled and never aged. Jealous? No? Well give it time, one day you will be.

While Barbie was busy capturing the hearts of a whole generation of little girls, she was revving up the hormones of a bunch of pre-pubescent adolescent boys! Growing up with two older sisters, I saw my fair share of naked Barbies. Our living room was a sea of Barbie boobs! I literally stepped on multiple sets of plastic boobies as I made my way to the kitchen for my double stuff Oreo cookie (and no I wasn’t a fatty as a kid). Perhaps today that is why I’m not a breast man and girls with giant implants scare me a little. It brings up horrific childhood memories. It also brings up fond memories of how I would torment my sisters by taking Pink 'N Pretty Barbie and placing her in a gangbang with Malibu Ken and Rock & Roll Ken. Once in awhile He-Man and Skeletor would jump into the action with Skipper by getting a little doggy-style action over the hood of Barbie's pink Corvette. Needless to say, my Mom didn't find this as humorous as I did. With hopes of not encouraging me, it did get my sister's to clean up their naked Barbie mess in the living room.

Silliness aside, Barbie is a good metaphor for the idealism of how we live and see ourselves today. It is that Barbie idealism that often keeps us from enjoying the simple pleasures of life. The ordinary, the average, and the everyday is viewed with contempt. We miss an awful lot of life when our senses are primarily attuned to the biggest, or the brightest, or the best. The real irony, missing life is exactly what we fear most! As you can now see, Barbie idealism can leave one awful unhappy! So ask yourself, are you Barbie-like in your expectations? The following are some questions to consider...

  • When you entertain, does your home or apartment have to be immaculate? Or can you close off some areas by tossing all your junk in a spare room or closet and enjoy your guests anyway?
  • If you are single and dating, do you have an idealized picture of Mr. or Ms. Right? Do unrealistic expectations keep you from imperfect, but true love?
  • Are you always waiting for just the right time and place to begin new projects, a new job, a big move, or other life altering decision? Do you spend inordinate amounts of time waiting?
  • Have you ever skipped a class reunion, going to a party, or bailed on any other prior engagement because you didn't lose the 10 pounds you hoped to? When you look in the mirror, are you rarely satisfied with what you see?
  • Are you consistently frustrated and let down by people? Does your family, friends and significant other complain that they rarely can please you?
  • Have you completely given up on the ideal? Because you were unable to achieve the very best, have you settled for less that you deserve?


If you answered yes to many or most of these questions, you are reflecting a Barbie-like idealism and you are missing an awful lot of life! The good news is that it’s not entirely your fault. You were raised on Barbie idealism. It was crammed down your throat on your 5th birthday when you were given your very first Barbie doll. Then later the media fed it to you in heaping spoonfuls with beauty magazines, movies, TV commercials, etc. You ate every little bit of it up, despite the fact as you were swallowing it, you were seething thru your teeth. So what do you do now?

Do what I do. Relax and live a little. Learn to treat the ordinary and average as good gifts sent from above. Embrace the everyday. Drink deeply from life's little pleasures. Always do your best, but know that even the best is not perfect. Basically, cut yourself some slack. Idealism is good, but too much can be suffocating. Remember, Barbie at 50 has never aged, but she also has never lived.

***NOTE***
You can also see this post featured on the frontpage of BrazenCareerist.com

Monday, March 9, 2009

Bulldog Stolen! We Need Your Help In Finding Him

Take a deep breath, Diesel isn’t lost or stolen – thank God. However, a fellow English Bulldog buddy is! His name is Mugsey and he has been missing since 2/13/09. Needless to say, the family’s devastating story is breaking my heart and I’ve offered to help spread the word in hopes that Mugsey will be found and returned safely home to the people who love and miss him very much. And with your help, we may be able to do just that! So I’m asking that everyone please take a moment to look at the photo and read the description of Mugsey below.

click to enlarge

Name: Mugsey
Breed: English Bulldog
Sex: male, neutered
Age: 4 1/2
Markings: mostly brown with some white on his face
Missing Since: February 13, 2009 around 10:30am

Last Seen: Was taken from family’s fenced in backyard in Gaithersburg, MD (the area of Shady Spring Drive and Mid County Highway)

Other Important Facts: Mugsey was not wearing a collar/ID tag as he was (what was thought to be) in the safety of his own backyard. Also, Mugsey is ill and needs his meds.

Possible Leads: A woman who was driving down Mid County Highway on 2/13/09 around 10:30am saw a truck parked across the street from the middle school at the bus stop. It was a red or burgundy pickup truck with a cap on it. She reported seeing 2 light-skinned males pick up Mugsey and put him in the truck. In another lead, a different woman stated seeing Mugsey picked up on Mid County Highway by people in a black Suburban or Tahoe type vehicle. So the stories are similar, but the pickup or SUV seems to be dark red or black in color.

Reward: $1,000

Contact:
Phone: 240-997-1291
E-Mail: shanhay1@yahoo.com
Website: http://findmugsey.blogspot.com

If you have ANY information. You can call any time of day or night and you can remain anonymous if you wish. Or if you like, you can e-mail the family. Also, please visit the official Mugsey website for more photos and additional information as the search continues. Together, we can spread the word and help bring Mugsey home. So blog about this, link to my post, link to Mugsey’s website, Twitter it, Facebook it, Digg it, just tell as many people as you can about this. I would really, REALLY like for this story to have a happy ending.

I wish Mugsey's family the best of luck and I'm so very sorry you have to go thru this. If there is anything else I can do, don't hesitate to ask.

Friday, March 6, 2009

How's Your Date Going? Just Ask The Table

Computers have already relieved their human creators of plenty of mental chores, such as doing their taxes and keeping track of their appointments. But what about reading a date’s signals at dinner? We all know body language says far more than words ever can. However, sometimes we miss the little signs or completely misread the message being conveyed all together! Does he like me, like me? Or is he just not that into me? He’s leaning in. He’s nodding his head. That means he’s interested in me and what I have to say, right? Or is he just trying to get closer to his dinner plate to stuff his face, while politely nodding his head as if he were listening, but instead just trying to block out every word I say so he can enjoy his 12oz steak in peace? Girls overanalyze. They obsess! Well to be fair, we guys sometimes do it too. So wouldn’t it be nice to get an outsider’s opinion on the situation, without having to excuse yourself to the bathroom so you can call your roommate up? If you ever wanted to know how your date was going without having to leave the dinner table, then you’re in luck! Introducing the EyeTable.

Three undergraduates at Carnegie Mellon University have applied computer technology to the science of romance with their EyeTable, an artificially intelligent dinner table that reads physical gestures and speech patterns that lets the participants know how the date is going - in real time! Here’s how it works...

EyeTable’s centerpiece is a pair of motion sensors that communicate with sensors attached to a headset worn by each participant. (I know, not sexy and a total mood killer, but just overlook that part for now.) The table analyzes the movements and orientation of the participants’ heads. It senses whether they are making eye contact or glancing restlessly around the room, whether they’re drifting into more intimate proximity with one another or leaning apart. The headsets are also equipped with microphones that register levels of enthusiasm in the couple’s dialogue, as well as the frequency and length of awkward silences. I’m not sure if it measures comfortable silences, but it should! A comfortable silence is the BEST sign you can get on a date! Well, other than her just jumping your bones. That kind of says a lot too.

The EyeTable isn’t just an armchair analysis, it’s also a wingman. If it senses a date is going well, it might suggest an index of post-dinner activities, or tip off the waiter that the table might enjoy another bottle of wine. If it senses the date is doomed, it conveniently lists the numbers for local cab companies.

Amusing as it is in concept, the practical applications of the EyeTable prototype are limited. After all, live feedback could easily have the effect of making a bad date worse. Or if could derail a potentially good one, especially since subjects behave differently when they know they are being studied. Also, headsets with motion sensors and microphones? As I stated earlier, unless you are James Bond or a pilot flying a Boeing 787, not sexy and a total mood killer. Although I suppose an exception could be made if the two of you have some type of role playing geek fetish you want to act out. Personally, that scares me, but to each their own.

Regardless, revolutionizing the dating scene wasn’t the three CMU students’ goal. It’s just a proof-of-concept that they hope will inspire others to think about how computers can understand human emotions. Now if we can only get the table to do the dirty breakup work for you. If it could deliver that dreaded speech, I would buy two and keep one as a backup...in case the girl gets really pissed, goes all psycho on you and smashes the first table to bits.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Want To Meet, IRL?

Have a favorite blog you read? Have a favorite blogger you feel like you can relate to? Ever want to get to know the blogger behind the blog, not just virtually thru e-mails or blog comments, but in real life? If so, then you may be interested in the 20SB Ultimate Meetup! It’s coming to Chicago this summer and if you’re a member of the 20SB network, you’re welcome to come out for a drink.

20SB is a place for all twenty something bloggers to get discovered or find other bloggers they relate to. We're all approaching, in the middle, or just past our quarter life crisis and we've got a lot to say about it! The point of this group is not so much to get discovered as it is to discover other bloggers. It's a community, not a blog listing service. And just shy of 5,000 members, the group has grown tremendously since I signed up some time ago.

Here are all the links to everything 20Something Bloggerish:


As you're probably aware, I put the "awe" into awesome. So I know you are just dying to meet and hangout with me! Right? Rrright? Nod your head yes, make a boy feel good...even if it's a lie. Now before you get all excited and sign up, let me answer some of your most FAQ.

Q. Will you fix my computer?
A. No! I am a Writer Wannabe and Tech Geek Extraordinaire, but on that weekend I will not be Mr. Fix-It. I am almost always willing to lend a hand to someone in need, but this is a social gathering and I am not being your free geek boy right now. Sorry.

Q. Can I stalk you before, during, or after the meetup?
A. No, no and NO! I attract enough crazy chicks as it is. I'm like a crazy chick magnet for some reason. So the fact that I'm even considering going to this event is a big step for me because to be honest, there are so many crazy chicks out there that it's come to the point that I'm almost scared of the female species all together! FYI, I will have my "cradar" (crazy radar) up and on full alert.

Q. I’m a 25-year-old smoking hot nympho chick. Will you have a threesome with me and my hot bi-sexual girlfriend back at our hotel?
A. YES! You had me at "25-year-old smoking hot nympho chick".

Now if you have any other questions or if you're going, drop me a line and let me know. We're hoping for a turnout of at least 100 people, of course the more the better. And Olga, if you're out there reading this, you are cordially invited to join in as well. I know you hate me and want to kick me repeatedly in the balls with your pointed witch shoes, but perhaps you'll get over that one day. Hell, I may even buy you a drink and let bygones be bygones. If you come, it will be your proof that I'm not a conglomeration of fifteen girls ghostwriting their fantasies, but rather a writer/blogger of one. So come see for yourself. Like Pinocchio, I too am a real live boy. I’ll save you of the wood jokes.

Monday, March 2, 2009

Love Me Some Hate Mail

They say to write well, you need to write with passion. And with passion comes love and hate. Two complete opposites of the spectrum, but yet both words are so closely tied together. Strong words will evoke strong emotions. Some will love what you write and some will hate it. While I’ve never written anything for the sole purpose of pleasing the reader, I do hope that people enjoy my blog. In short, I write for myself, but I do welcome feedback - both negative and positive, good and bad. If you’ve been blogging for some time now, you have surely received your fair share of hate mail. If not, then perhaps you aren’t writing with enough passion to stir up the souls of your readers. I may not always give off rosy advice dispensed in round, pear-shaped tones, but I hope my words contain some form of spark or energy. So the fact that I’ve received hate mail tells me not that I’m doing something wrong, but rather something right! When you write with passion, you touch upon something in people that in turn brings out the passion in them. Such is the case below. Over the weekend, I found this hateful e-mail in my inbox. It was in reference to my last post titled 2/26/09 - A Letter To My Future Girlfriend. I don’t normally publish e-mails I receive, especially without the sender’s consent. However, to protect her privacy, I am withholding her e-mail address. Since this is the ONLY negative feedback I received on my last post, I thought the rest of you may find it interesting to read the less than complimentary feedback. This is a glimpse of a different side, free of accolades. Her letter is unedited and in its entirety. My response is listed afterward.

From: Olga, AKA "Akasha"
Subject: A Letter To My Future Girlfriend


Oh honey. Who has hurt you so bad? Did she bruise your ego? Make you cry? Is she forever now known as "that bitch"?

Well, I for one, don't buy it. Although you probably won't care anyway since you've got about twenty girls and like two dudes wrapped up in your little magic show. After all. A boy has gotta play, right?

And coupled with that cute little profile pic? C'mon...we're supposed to believe you're really the whole package? A chivalrous knight? Straight out of the Middle Ages, eh playa?

Are you aware of a little Medieval era thing called droit de seigneur? The lord's right: wherein a lord of an estate may take the virginity of all new wives on their wedding nights.

Gosh, I hope chivalry IS dead!

Like I said, I don't buy it. This smacks of pap. I should know because I see it every day. And I'm not just being a jaded bitch here. I actually see it every day. I sell it. It's a product.

Oh and especially the clincher:

PS (will you go with me?) Kudos for writing a line that incites a person to picture your words. That's not easy. But seriously. This is worse than boy band lyrics.

Everytime I go back to reread what you've written...I fill up with a little bit more anger. This sounds like an excuse letter...the kind you write AFTER the break up. So then you can just tell your "future girlfriend" she need only to refer to section three paragraph two sentence one if she's got any problems with your behaviour.

Anyway, that is my feedback on this, your latest work of art. My name is Olga.

o

PS Do you actually exist or are you just a conglomeration of like fifteen girls ghostwriting their fantasies?

--------------------------------------------------

Subject: RE: A Letter To My Future Girlfriend

I’m noting all the obvious sarcasm in the opening paragraph of your letter. It’s awful sweet that you get a sick kick out of someone else’s pain. That’s mighty mature and quite telling of the kind of person you are. If you must know, I did not cry. But if I had, I see no shame in that. Grief is an expression that you loved well. If a man’s eyes well up on a rare occasion and a woman considers him a "pussy" for that, well then perhaps she feels that way because nobody has ever loved her enough to shed a tear over her.

20 girls and 2 dudes wrapped up in my little magic show? I don’t know what ANY of that even means. Unless you are trying to imply that in addition to me being a whiny little pussy, that I’m gay now too?

Cute little profile pic? I’m not even smiling in that photo, so hardly the best snapshot. I never said, nor will I ever say, that I think I’m all that and a bag of chips. If anything, right now I look at myself as sort of a Cheetoe as I try to dust myself off from the entire mess.

I am aware of what droit de seigneur is, but I’m not interested in stealing anyone’s virginity, nor having multiple wives! So how does that even apply here? It has nothing to do with today’s definition of chivalry. Chivalry refers to courteous behavior - being a gentleman and treating a girl with some respect on a date. How is that considered a bad thing? But hey, if you are one of those girls who hates having a door opened for her, I would gladly let it slam in your face.

I have no idea what the phrase "this smacks of pap" is supposed to mean. I also don’t know what you mean when you refer to selling it like a product. As far as you claiming you’re not just being a jaded bitch here. Well, that could be open for debate because this entire letter from you screams of it. I mean why else would you write this e-mail on Saturday night giving me (a virtual stranger) an earful? At least I own up to having a slight case a "Bitter Boy Syndrome" right now, but you seem to be in denial of an infections disease you have spreading rampant throughout your entire body - the massive "I Hate Men" chip on your shoulder. And apparently I’ve been chosen to be your hate outlet. To be your punching bag. Your whipping boy.

As far as the boy band lyrics comment..."Will you go with me?" was more or less a joke, in reference to how a 6th grader asks someone to be his girlfriend on the back of a bubble gum wrapper. It’s too bad you don’t have a sense of humor or weren’t intelligent enough to make the silly/playful connection in the words.

Sorry, but I have to laugh. If my post offended you so much when you read it the first time thru, why read it again and again and again? I can clearly see it got your panties in a bunch because you felt compelled to send me hate mail on it. But to keep obsessing over it and re-reading it, I just can’t wrap my head around that!

And to answer your final question...we are actually a team of 16 prepubescent teenage girls right now. I needed to hire on another teenie booper just to respond to the incoming hate mail. In closing, I find it rather ironic that your alias "Akasha" was the name given to an evil spirited vampire in a famous novel. How very fitting.

***UPDATE***
Brace yourself, Olga. You're going to get even more pissed! The very letter/post you hate is a 20SB February Blog Carnival Winner!
http://20sb.blogspot.com/2009/03/february-blog-carnival.html