La Moretta

Are you an alpha?

Well, I'm back from the meeting in Conn. I'm REALLY glad I went. I met the account team and, praise Jebus, made a good impression.  (I knew my subject inside and out, and because my client contact had asked me to jump in, I felt obligated to be really focused and relevant to help him out.)  What a relief.

I went with my sister, who has been working with me on these projects. I did it in part because I wanted to have someone with me and in part because I wanted her to see the end product of our work. What was interesting was that even though I was clearly the expert and lead researcher, when two of the client brand managers (both very nice women, not at all status-focused types) introduced themselves, they directed a lot of their comments to Elaine, not me. Elaine didn't notice, and when I pointed it out to her she said it was probably because she is the tall one (with her 3.5" heels on she is about 6', as opposed to my 5'6" in 2-inch heels). She is also genuinely extroverted.

I've never been an alpha female, and in fact it's a role that I wouldn't be comfortable with. There are times that I think it might help, though, in a professional setting. However, it's not something you can fake -- trust me, I've tried. But I think Elaine might be one (it's hard to tell with your little sister). If so, this beta female is going to figure out a way to leverage this to her professional advantage.

Answer me honestly -- Are you an alpha male or female? If so, how do you know? Please don't feel like you are being immodest. Alpha doesn't mean superior -- it's just how much natural authority and leadership you convey.

Frightfully good...

This site appears to be dedicated to demented teddy bears. Why do I say that? Its name is TeddyScares. 

Terrifyingly cute, or cutely terrifying?

Then, the only Zombie endorsed by PETA, Tofu the Vegan Zombie. Humanely gory, with games and a zombie quiz. 

These two sites are the work of Applehead Factory, a company I'd invest in.

Neither of the sites make sense (you'll have to suspend disbelief), but I am nevertheless charmed.

Everyday monsters

A funny Onion headline(Typo In Proposition 8 Defines Marriage As Between 'One Man And One Wolfman') reminded me how far we need to go in becoming more tolerant, and how we have neglected the interests of so many.

I have been disappointed in this area. I recently received a poorly-typed notice telling me that I would be receiving a complimentary subscription to Working Mothra. Imagine my disappointment when the first copy arrived and I found absolutely nothing relevant. 

Fortunately I have been able to locate a few images from the real publication, which are below:

 

Above: Photo from article entitled "A Busy Mothra's Guide to Business Travel."

 

Above: Photo from "Apt Pupa: Homeschooling with a Full-Time Job"

 

Above: "Hedora-ble Fashion Looks for Pennies"

 

Above: "Faced with Mega-Laundry on the Weekend?  Ways to Make it a Family Affair."

Oof. It's probably Battra if I stop now.

Negotiating with zombies is not an option

One of the trends I've seen in monster/sci-fi films for a while is the presence of newfound shades of gray. In almost all of the major hits, we've seen that the bad guys aren't always so bad -- in fact, sometimes it's revealed that the humans are the ones who are lacking humanity. A few examples of this are:

• Battlestar Galactica -- In addition to being uniformly great-looking, many of the Cylons are morally conflicted and some of them are highly spiritual. They are also the real romantics in the show, although their definition of romance does not include monogamy. One Cylon is so madly in love with a human female that he kidnaps her and dedicates himself to winning her heart, even though it means that she will kill him repeatedly in the process. (He's my fave -- Leoben.)
• I am Legend -- The humanoid monsters have loyalty to each other, and it begins to become clear that whatever these former humans have become, they are not without feeling. In contrast, Will Smith's character has become emotionally flattened and odd due to his isolation from other humans.
• True Blood -- Campfest though it is, the vampires are a mixed bag of frosty-cold goodness and comic-book evil, just like the humans are driven by both their baser desires and their higher impulses. 
• Even in Land of the Dead, the zombies are beginning to have loyalty to other zombies and to organize. It is suggested at the end of the film that there might be a way to co-exist, although some people see that as unrealistic.

It's fitting that these more nuanced "bad guys" have emerged at the end of a time when so much of our public discourse has involved depicting issues in extremes, as good or evil.