How's life treating ya?

Have I been bought up wrong, or perhaps I just banged my head one day and everything I thought was madness is actually reality? Sure feels like it after seeing this.

'A US court has ordered the country's second largest cigarette company to pay $23.6 billion (£13.8bn) to the wife of a smoker who died of lung cancer.
During the four-week trial, lawyers for Ms Robinson argued that RJ Reynolds was negligent in informing consumers of the dangers of consuming tobacco.'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-28389273

So, to become a multi-billionaire without earning it, you just need to be ignorant and thick as shit and blame someone else for it? Awesome!

It's the american dream, yeehaww! pew pew pew!

Being in the legal industry, I will say there is probably a lot more to that case than the simple sentence you quoted (similar to the lady who sued McDonalds for hot coffee...there is always way more to the story than what the sensationalistic press puts out).

That being said, Aidan is right.

The question: How's life treating ya?

The answer: Like shit.

That is all.

Life has been pleasantly busy for a few reasons lately, none of them related to work but that is not really bothering me at the moment. Given my abundance of fruit, 12 acres not overly suitable to fields, and the strange skill I seem to have inherited from my Great Grandma... I've begun the process of opening up a winery. Have the name, the basic style of what I want, the first draft of the building ( timber frame, rough cut board & bat) and a rough estimate on what it's going to cost me (yikes!)
So now for the good stuff.... the first batches of wines for the Blind Pig Winery (oh and to explain the name... Blind Pig was another term for speakeasy during the prohibition, thought it was fitting for a more "homemade" style of winery)
Hoping to have full production, sales within 3 years. There will be 3 other wines to come, they just aren't in season yet.

Wayward Raspberry (raspberry chocolate port)

Spifflicated Sasks (saskatoon)

Giggle Water (apricot)

And in honour of my Great Gran... Grannies Hooch (eldeberry... which my Great Gran used to make all the time)

are you serious? awesome!!!


I wanna brew cider when I have spare time...


I don't have spare time.

That's pretty damn cool. I brewed whiskey for a time a few years back. Used a recipe my great grandmother called happy chicken corn whiskey, the recipe's been in the family for over a hundred years. It was called that because after my great grandfather finished with the brew she would feed the mash to the chickens causing them happiness, or so I use to be told by my grandmother. The version I made turned out okay and was around 140 proof. I've thought about getting back into it to hone my skills and make a better product. I break the law in real life too sometimes because I have never applied for whatever licenses one needs in my home state for the brewing of spirits, ha ha. I still brew my own beer though which is legal without permits and other such nonsense.

Roby Lambourne wrote:

Girls getting excited about the 50 shades of grey trailer. I love it when girls get excited and honest about wanting to watch porn films.  

The books sucked. The movie will suck just as much I suppose. Best spend my money on on-demand porn. Value for your money!

I refused to read those books. My suspicions to them being garbage was confirmed when my dad (who only reads "dear penthouse you'd never believe what happened") told me the books were amazing.

As Laci Green posted today

Quote :

omg i cant wait until Fifty Shades of Grey comes out & spreads wildly inaccurate info about BDSM to millions of teens!!!!!!!!!!!!

And Myst, if you're buying porn, you need to talk to Toasti...she has a great list of sites

Check this out, this woman is brilliant : https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/340987215

Some late-night ranting:

For some reason tonight, I got the urge to check on the status of some of my Fall courses online (how full they are, if any professors changed, etc.) I figured I would also check (and mourn ) a particular course that I've been dying to take since I heard the university offers it (so, since before my very first registration).

That course is Introduction to Creative Writing, and I've learned the hard way that pretty much all students of all majors try to take at some point because most get high grades in it. To make matters worse, it's almost impossible to find a spot when you're new to the university because the older you are, the earlier your registration becomes compared to newer students. So the course would always be closed by the time it was my turn to register.

Soooo for some happy, lucky miracle, I found that someone happened to have dropped his/her spot with THE professor that I was reaaaallyyy wanting to register with. I dropped some other course... looked for this one again... found my pretty seat still available... pressed 'Register' with all the delight in the world... and got "Prerequisite/Test score error."

Dear effing English department, I was exempted from the effing prerequisite course thanks to my effing SAT score which should effing allow me to take this effing course.

And now I have to wait until the Eid holidays are over so that your nice effing employees read my email and fix my effing problem.

Pretty sure someone would have snatched it up by then.

Bellz wrote:

I refused to read those books. My suspicions to them being garbage was confirmed when my dad (who only reads "dear penthouse you'd never believe what happened") told me the books were amazing.

As Laci Green posted today

Quote :

omg i cant wait until Fifty Shades of Grey comes out & spreads wildly inaccurate info about BDSM to millions of teens!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

And Myst, if you're buying porn, you need to talk to Toasti...she has a great list of sites

Couple things:

1. Before anyone picks up 50 Shades of Shit, I'd urge them to read the review Ritaa posted.  The review is a masterpiece. True story: I actually read it on occasion simply for a pick-me-up because it is so god damned funny.

2. What Bella says is true.

Ritaa a trick I have learned from the past. I just showed up to the first day of class wait till the end and then explain that you were waitlist but very interested in being in this course with this professor. Do a little research on the professor don't butter them up but if the opportunity presents itself pay them a complaint about where they went to school or something that you have learned about them. Make sure to dress a little better than the average college attire and be professional that first time. I almost guarantee you will get into the class. I tried this three times as a freshmen and it worked all three time. Usually professors have a few spots of discretion which they will grant to ambitious students. Hope this helps from a long time student and RA of campus life.

Because life is all about beating the system. ;)

I know that I have been rather quiet recently and here is the reason why.  

For some reason, I am utterly exhausted all the time.  I go to bed tired and wake just as tired.  So I go to the doctor, they order blood tests, looking for the usual suspects, how is my blood glucose, iron, vitamin D?  All fine so yay for that, but what is the cause of my tiredness?  

Doctor says "I noticed last time you were here you seemed depressed, could that be the cause?"  I smile and patiently explain to her that I have been feeling this way for a long time, and no, the tiredness definitely preceded the depression, but when you are battling an illness for weeks on end, it gets a person down.  So plan B comes into effect, they want to monitor my liver enzymes which are 'elevated' (yes sunshine and have been since I had hepatitis in 1998, but fine, this is clearly something 'new') and order more blood tests.  

They are now testing to see if I have an autoimmune problem.  This is where my forced cheery smile gets even more forced.  I silently wonder if she means an autoimmune disease like ME/CFS which I have been struggling with since I was diagnosed with it in 2008?  I say nothing, however, and let her continue.  If they get nothing from the next lot of blood tests then they will refer me to a specialist.  

This is my 'aha!' moment.  This is Doctor speak for "I don't have a fucking clue".  

So yes, I am back on the hamster wheel of tests and specialists, etc., etc. and no closer to feeling any better.  The worst of it is, I am even losing the will to fight my depression any more, which I have been doing - making myself go out for walks, engaging with people, chalking up a list of daily 'achievements' - everything I have been taught to do to help ride out and overcome depression (all part and parcel of my bi-polar roller-coaster life).  Lately, I just don't feel it is worth it any more.  I mean it's hard enough fighting one illness, but I feel recently that things are knocking me down and then giving me a good kicking while I am still trying to get back up again.  

Anyway, life is treating me fine, it's my health that is knocking the stuffing out of me, so if I am quiet, I hope you guys can understand.

We do understand. And we love you, I don't care if that sounds weird.

Hang in there, sweets. A lot of us around here get on that damned roller coaster and now how it feels when it goes down in the trenches. Its fucking rough. Nothing we can say to make it better or make it stop. Just know we are rooting for you and to please not give up.

This:

Toasti Jen wrote:

We do understand. And we love you, I don't care if that sounds weird.

Hang in there, sweets. A lot of us around here get on that damned roller coaster and now how it feels when it goes down in the trenches. Its fucking rough. Nothing we can say to make it better or make it stop. Just know we are rooting for you and to please not give up.

Love you Bekah, very much and I do understand. Keep your chin up and ride it out, know that I am thinking of you and sending lot's n lot's of positivity your way. <3 Have to go get a bunch of needles stuck into me today too (my neck of all places also), just the thought of that itself put me in a seriously bummed out mood :/ you take care of yourself and again I'll be thinking of you.

Katniss Locksley wrote:

Ritaa a trick I have learned from the past. I just showed up to the first day of class wait till the end and then explain that you were waitlist but very interested in being in this course with this professor. Do a little research on the professor don't butter them up but if the opportunity presents itself pay them a complaint about where they went to school or something that you have learned about them. Make sure to dress a little better than the average college attire and be professional that first time. I almost guarantee you will get into the class. I tried this three times as a freshmen and it worked all three time. Usually professors have a few spots of discretion which they will grant to ambitious students. Hope this helps from a long time student and RA of campus life.

Because life is all about beating the system.

Haha that's hilarious! ^^ The English department doesn't increase capacity for non-English majors, unfortunately. I'll keep this in mind ifever there's an interesting engineering course, thanks! (see how well I pretended those exist? )

As for Bekah, +1 to what they all said. We're all sending you good thoughts from all over the globe <3 To you as well Trin! I really hope all goes well for both of you. Doctors can suck and I hope all these tests/needles pay off and then disappear forever. Love you both!

I one of the 20 somethings that's in the job that you detest. I would agree with you get out there and have some fun don't grow up to fast.

^

Had one of the best days of my life yesterday (my time in Africa last year excluded, of course.) The best part was a six-hour open-air concert where six local bands performed. I had no idea my country had any talent, but I know I did not sit for a moment during the whole thing. It was super entertaining.

The even better part? I drove from home (Damour) to the South of Lebanon (or almost south - Saida) with GPS getting me to make two very long unnecessary loops... and then I drove to a town near the Northern part of Lebanon (Zouk Mikael) and then back home... without any gas light going off. I love my car!!!

Bondage is so much easier now we're older. I used to have to blindfold her. Now I just hide her glasses.

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Not sure If i'm watching the purge 2 or GTA online.