From: thebestboyfriendever@gmail.com
To: me@gmail.com
Date: Feb 13, 2006 2:42 PM
Subject: Something to blog about

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/02/10/netflix.renters.ap/index.html

–
Thanks,
Ben

From: me@CTU.com
To: whatthehellareyouthinkingdept@netflix.com
Date: Feb 13, 2006 3:15 PM
Subject: WWJBD

Dear Sirs,

I recently became aware of your policy to “throttle” DVD’s to those customers that you think are renting too many “unlimited video’s” per month. I implore you to flag my account as one of those in which throttling will not occure.

You see, my boyfriend and I have been watching and returning one 24 DVD per night. Which means, by mid March we will have watched four entire seasons of 24 which totals 48 DVD’s. It’s very important that we continue to receive these DVD’s in a timely fashion. The saftey of thousands of people are dependent upon this.

Since I have now watched over 15 hours of 24 in the last two weeks, I think it’s only fair to warn you that I have become very adept in the ways of counter terrorism. My hostile interrogation skills are now first rate. (SEE: I will totally cut out your eye if I don’t get the answers I want.) I have become an expert marksman. I can smuggle a gun, silencer, 2 clips, 2 pounds of C4 and a remote detonator into Secret Service secured convention… all in my left bra cup.

All that being said, I would hate to find out that my “training” is being thwarted by you. Think of the innocent men, women and children you would be endangering if I do not continue to receive my DVD’s as scheduled.

–
Best Regards,
Agent Antigone

*sigh* We watched the last episode tonight. I hate endings like that. I’ll just leave it at that.

It’s ridiculous how attached I get to characters in TV shows, movies, books, etc. When I get to the end of the next Harry Potter book I might have to kidnap J.K. Rowling and lock her in the basement and force her to continue the series.. You know, assuming I had a basement.

Anyway, Season 2 Disk 1 should be here tomorrow!!

We watched Season 1 Disk 5 last night. w00t! There are 4 shows per disk.  Each show is one hour “real time” but with commercials cut out it takes about 2.5 hours to watch.  It’s funny because every time an hour is up Ben’s like, “So do you wanna watch the next episode?”

Wednesday night after hour 1:
Ben: So, do you wanna keep going?:
Me: You know we’re watching the whole disk tonight so you might as well just start the next one, there’s no reason to ask.
Ben: *turns on hour 2*

After hour two:
*credits are rolling*
*Ben is not moving*
*looks at Ben, nods towards TV*
Ben: Is that how you signal for your next hit of crack?
Me: Just turn it on, sheesh!!

After hour three:
*credits are rolling*
*hands start shaking a little*
*looks at Ben*
*Ben starts to FUCK WITH MY HEAD*
Me: Just turn it on man!! What are you waiting for?!?! Can’t you see something really important is about to happen!!! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!!:
*whole body starts to shake*
*assumes fetal position*
*Ben starts hour four*

20 minutes later:
*shaking has started to subside, no longer sweating, able to speak coherently again*

Yes people, it’s THAT bad.  At the end of season three I might require some methodone and counseling.

Cassidy and I have been butting heads lately. It seems like when she turned 7 somebody pulled her aside and told her that lying to me was far better than getting in trouble for doing something she knows she shouldn’t have. It came to a head yesterday when, for the first time, she told me a calculated lie. Like, she intentionally thought it through and planned it and carried it out expecting me to fall for it…

When it happened I was so caught off guard and frustrated I told her she needed to sit on her bed and wait for me to calm down before we talked about it. We’ve grounded her in the past for lying. We take away Animal Crossing for a week, or limit her computer time to only educational software, etc. But this approach is not working and both Ben and I felt it was time to stop this FOR GOOD. And in order to do that we need to do something harsh and that will leave a lasting impression.

So. Today after school she came home, did her homework and spent the rest of the day in the guest room (where there are no toys) and was only allowed to read. Just sit in the room and read. This will continue till Sunday evening…

And it’s killing me. To know she’s up there in the room all by herself and I can’t hear her giggle echoing throughout the house, or her feet stomping across the hardwood floors, or her rummaging through her snack drawer trying to squash her near constant hunger lately. And we can’t play with her hair, and no knock-knock jokes, and no sneaking in her room to watch her made up dance routine to some current pop song.

I have to keep telling myself that this is for her own good. It’s because she NEEDS to learn this lesson. She CAN’T continue to think it’s okay to tell me little white lies to keep from facing consequences. And I need to start being better about positive reinforcement. When she DOES tell the truth, even though she will still get in trouble, I need to remind her that it’s not as bad as it would have been if she had lied. And I need to compliment her for telling me the truth and being “grown up” enough to do it.

*sigh* I miss the days of her little “oh oh’s” that were so easy to fix and clean up. This growing up stage is hard. And trying. I love how independent she is. And how she has her own taste in music (as bad as it may be), and her own off the wall style sense, and a growing sense of humor… but I’m not ready for her to be this old. She’s moving past the age of innocence. And I’m just not ready for that yet.

Ben being from Washington and my Mom’s whole family being from Pennsylvania with my grandpap having worked in the steel industry in Pittsburgh most of his life has made this Superbowl fun to watch! Ben and I are competing against each other. From the couch! While other people are doing all the work! HA!

To make it even BETTER!! I won $100 from the $5 Superbowl pool I bought into at work. My numbers were 1st quarter winners. And if nobody scores in the next quarter, I’ll win $100 more! w00t!!

And now I’m going to go and try to stop the bleeding in my ears that started when the Rolling Stones started singing…