jenstc2003

I like to have certain things planned out, but generally spontaneous is more fun. I like the flexibility to change plans if I want to. Probably the best thing about being single... no one to disagree if I decide to do that.

I'm very curious to see what happens now that Justice Souter has decided to retire. He has always been one of the more liberal members of the court, but he is not as firmly in that camp as some. He would not have been the first Justice that I would have expected to retire. I was fully expecting Ginsberg to retire first, and perhaps a couple of the others. I think that Obama will choose a candidate who will be very liberal in his leanings- probably much more so than Souter. How much this will change the precarious balance in the Court will be an interesting question to follow. Hopefully, we'll be in for a surprise like Souter was to Regan when he was appointed. Souter was believed to be more conservative in his beliefs than he ended up being in practice. Perhaps we will end up with something similar happening this time- a Justice who was believed liberal, but ended up being more conservative in practice. This would be my ideal scenario.

It's Easter weekend now, and I've been swamped with school work. Papers are slowly starting to formulate themselves in my mind at least, and the papers should be done on time. There is a ham baking now- I can hardly wait to taste it later! Yes, an early Easter celebration, but I know I will have an easier time working on school work tomorrow after Mass, so better to do it today. Wishing you all a great Easter!

Depends on the situation- usually, family or close friends work better, but there are some subjects which ONLY a stranger can understand.

I would have to say steak- one of my favorite treats.

Last week I got some great news! Last summer, one of my profs had our class create a scholarly edition of some short stories, self publishing it for us to each have a copy. He also submitted it to the Univ of Akron Press to see about getting it published by them. They sent the collection out for peer review- and the peer review came back this week, recommending publication! 

My first thing would be to pay off all my debts and pay rent for the rest of the year. After that, I'd go out and buy myself a car- probably a Honda Element- and start looking for homes for after graduation. Nothing outrageous- but a three BR two bath cottage somewhere near the ocean or Lake Erie. I'd buy once I graduated. After that and making sure that my family were taken care of, I'd look into my options.

Since I know that I'll need it someday, I have set up my own website- http://jenniferstclair.webs.com/ I hope some of you will drop by and say hi!

Apparently, the members of the SAG union- which represents actors of all levels in the film and television fields- has decided to ask its members to consider a strike. Here we go again- only this one has the potential to be even worse than the writer's strike last winter was, given the current economic crisis. I have to say that this is no time for another strike. That's not saying that the producers, etc, are necessarily asking the actors to make only reasonable concessions. They're not. But this is a time for negotiations- good faith, possibly long term negotiations- rather than drama like a strike. Taking away the income that those who are currently working as actors, as well as many of the behind the scenes employees who will be forced to honor the strike by their own unions, are making at this point in an attempt to gain a bit more on the other side seems more than a bit short sighted to me, especially in the current climate. If the union is to claim that it represents ALL of its members, rather than simply the A listers who could easily afford to not work, then it needs to consider the needs of all it's members, as well as the impact it's decision will have on others beyond it's membership. Right now, in my mind at least, that means making sure that they come to some sort of agreement so that they can keep the entire industry working so that the members can earn the money they need to survive. If that means giving up something the union would like for the time being in order to make the deal, why not? If the members find it such a bad deal, they can always turn it down anyway (and somehow, I suspect that most would not.) At that point, I could understand the desire for a strike, but not now.

Now, I absolutely think that more residuals would be well deserved, as would a cut of some of the new technology profits, and many of the other requests that are being made. I don't think that the actors union is being at all unreasonable in their requests. Unfortunately, I think that those issues are going to be difficult to overcome, and I have to think that shutting down an entire industry to the detriment of untold thousands of people in a time when the economy is bad to begin with is just not wise. To me, as an outsider, it only makes sense to make a deal at this point... however flawed it might be. These types of contracts are renegotiated from time to time, and clearly even the current deal isn't so horrible that they were unwilling to continue working under it for a while after it's terms expired. But these issues aren't going to iron themselves out in a day, and the producers do have some valid points which need to be taken into consideration. Hence, it's going to take time for these issues to be worked out. Right now, the actors union seems unwilling to give it that time. If they were to make a deal now, flaws and all, I suspect that the deepest of the sticking points can be worked out by the time the next contract needs to be made- and without question they should be ironed out by that point. At the least, one can hope that the economic climate will be better then, and perhaps some of the practical issues that the producers have brought up- such as deciding how best to figure out the new technology residuals, which could be difficult right now- could be clearer by that point. Also, after the producers have some time to look at the numbers, the deal might be a lot sweeter in a couple of years than what would be available right now anyway, IMHO. For now, though, it's not right to force people who are already mired in a financially difficult time lose what income they have on a gamble that might not pay off. Make a deal, and then iron out the issues on the next go- round.

Went to vote this morning around 10A. It wasn't too crowded at my precinct- I might have waited in line for 10 minutes, at most, and things were relatively smooth. Akron was using scantron style paper ballots, so no hanging chads to worry about here. They were handing out stickers, and I wore mine proudly all day. I'm sickened by the results as they are coming in tonight, though.

I'd have to say that my car is the one thing I really could do without, but wouldn't. I can't imagine not having the freedom to go out at 2AM to have breakfast at Denny's if the desire struck me to do so. Not that I would, but I would not be happy if I didn't know that I could.

I have always dreamed of something along the line of Star Trek's transporter system- instantaneous transportation from one place to the next. The idea of being taken apart at the molecular level is unnerving, but when I'm stuck in traffic on my way home at the end of a long day, I think it sounds wonderful

I have a red wool jacket that I basically wear only at Christmas. I wear it to Mass on Christmas Eve and to whatever family Christmas get togethers we're having, usually paired with a Santa hat for the Christmas parties.

Right now, I am not doing much leisure reading because I'm in school. Reading is, for me, a way to escape from the real world, and also a means of learning the skills I need as a writer. My favorite books are those which can do both- such as the Vampire Chronicles series by Anne Rice. I recommend those to anyone who wants to simply get lost in a story. A fabulous book which not everyone has read is Virginia Woolf's "Mrs. Dalloway". Read it this summer for my British Fiction class and loved it. I also love the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich, and I recommend that series for anyone who wants a good belly laugh. And of course anything by Shakespeare.

OK. I'm watching CNN right now- and I can't believe that the candidates can't even agree that they are needed in DC to deal with this economic situation instead of being at a campaign debate if a deal is not yet arranged by tomorrow. Of COURSE they are needed in DC right now more than on the campaign trail. Yes, don't get me wrong, the debate is important in helping people to make up their minds and describing the candidates points of view on the issues, however, I think that we need to keep perspective. These men are two of the 100 votes in the Senate who will help to determine whether this economic situation is resolved, and in what way- a vote which will affect the country for many years. This is considerably more important than any debate. While I'm not suggesting removing ads, etc in the meantime, I think it is important that these men focus on the more important things at this juncture.

Personally, I think that she was a brilliant choice. Yes, it does seem that she has only minimal experience for the job she might be asked to do IF something happens to Mr. McCain- but Obama has even less administrative experience, and he would be forced into that role from day one, whereas she would presumably have time to learn more about the international scene "on the job". I think Mrs. Palin has enough to offer to offset that.

Overall, she seems like a very intelligent woman of high moral character who is not afraid to stick up for what she believes. All of those are things we desperately need in our leaders. That she has experience in completing- not just talking about-  reforms in her own state makes her a good candidate as well. I also am happy to see her living up to her pro- life beliefs. I was surprised- and very proud- that my party had the foresight to nominate a truly conservative woman to balance out the McCain ticket. A man with the same experience and principles could have been found, but the choice of a woman is particularly gratifying.

I want to voice my support for those in the Gulf Coast who are being threatened yet again by a major hurricane. Prayers and thoughts will definitely be going up for you.

There are a few possibilities. For most of us, the simplest- though also the most expensive- option is to buy a more fuel efficient vehicle if it is at all possible. You can also car pool, ride a bike if you can, make fewer short trips, and take public transportation if it's available in your area.

I think I would climb the 7 Summits- the highest point on each continent. There's no way I would or could do it without that success guarantee, LOL, but I admire those who have the ability and stamina to fulfill that dream. The pay off at the top of Everest would be priceless! Of course, since I'm dreaming, I'd also climb K2.

I don't think this will come as a shock to anyone who knows me or has read my LJ- Moonlight. Absolutely. One of  few shows that I've been completely dedicated to through it's entire run, and the first one in which I got very involved in the online fandom. It's got everything I want in a show- great story telling, a beautiful romantic storyline, smart comedy, stunningly excellent acting, and decent procedural stories... and Oh, yeah... two VERY handsome vampires. I have to find out what happened behind that closed door, too. The ending worked for me in a way, but there is SO much left unsaid. And we never even scratched the surface of Josef's past, or Coraline's, or even Micks, really. The story has so much more to give in all of those areas- and I absolutely MUST see Beth as a vampire before I'd be completely satisfied.

If it has to be an older series... hmmm. I loved Star Trek: Voyager- but they did tie most of the loose ends together on that one in the last few episodes. I'd still like to see how Tom and B'Elanna react to being back home- they adjusted rather well to life in the Delta Quadrant, and had both left a lot of "stuff" at home that will need to be sorted out. I also am DYING to see Janeway and Chakotay's relationship develop. I LOVED those two together. J/C'er all the way!

Another older series would be JAG- they rushed the ending SO badly, and we never even got to the best parts! I want to see the Harm and Mac wedding.