i was getting my weekly dose of Newsweek magazine when i came accross an interesting and perhaps unsettling article. it was titled "Flavas of the Week." "Flavas," i learned, are a new line of anti-Barbie dolls that Mattel has put on the shelves of toy stores everywhere. as Newsweek says, the "Flavas" are

"edgy - one might even call ghetto-fabulous - hip-hop-inspired dolls. their breasts are smaller, their hips are wider and - how to put this? - baby's got back. the dolls flaunt midriffs and bling-bling."

when i was reading this, i just burst out laughing on how simultaneously sad and hilarious toys have become nowadays. what ever happened to the innocence of our society's young girls? must they grow up following the scandalous footsteps of Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera? apparently, yes. Jerry Bossick, a Mattel senior vice president argues,

"Older girls want a doll that represents realistic aspirations."

that means these "Flavas" don't need no Barbie Dream House. each comes with her own cardboard cutout wall with graffiti. wee! "Pull out my street stand from the box, so I have a spot to hang out," the box instructs.

sigh. completely tasteless. we won't be able to blame poverty and drugs for vandalized public property anymore!

.::. on a separate note. how can i get my beloved archives for my blog back? anyone know?? blogger reformatted their site again... .::.

apparently, i'm a volvo-driving-soccer-mom. or so i was told by a number of different people during completely unrelated incidents. (thanks jerry, atsai, curtis, and iris) woot. lovely...i don't know how to react to this news. a volvo wagon is not my vehicle of choice (an M5 instead, would do nicely), but i guess some people i know wouldn't be surprised to see me driving my future kids to their soccer tournaments in a shiny box.

so, it all comes down to this... how can i avoid this unjust twist of fate?



ahh...the V70 i drive. the V is for VROOM! mind you.

I found this flier lying around in the workplace. It reads:

ARE YOU LONELY?
TIRED OF WORKING ON YOUR OWN?
DO YOU HATE MAKING DECISIONS?

HOLD A MEETING!!!

YOU CAN....
* SEE people
* DRAW charts
* FEEL important
* IMPRESS your colleagues
* EAT donuts

ALL ON COMPANY TIME
"MEETINGS"
...the practical alternative to work

Well, if I can eat donuts, be indecisive, and see people, then let me hold a
meeting now!!

Work's been pretty boring as of late. So boring that I started writing a journal at my work for the lack of internet access and other forms of "amusement." Here are 6 select entries that I wrote last week, enjoy. Maybe I'll post the rest up later.

So, I'm going to start writing entries right now for myself. Mainly, to help ease the boredom I'm experiencing as I file papers away. Yeah, I need to type something so I don't go insane. If this is going to be my way of entertainment so be it. My RyTull "journal" starts now. Ha. [06/25 :: 1:37pm]

When I'm working, all these thoughts just kind of flow through my head a mile a minute. I think about really strange things, which is not surprising because I don't really consider myself a "normal" person. One minute, I'm thinking about, "how many paper cuts am I going to get today?,"the current lyrics of the Jars of Clay song I'm listening to, or about how filing sucks. [06/25 :: 2:21pm]

Oh, I was thinking. I might want to post these little entries on my Xanga/Blog later on. It will be edited though. I really don’t want people to read into my really personal thoughts. That would just be awful and none of their business. I keep on asking myself, am I writing for an audience when I really don’t want to? I want to be true with my words, but I know other people are reading them. People will believe anything you tell them, right? They just have to trust you. So, yes. As shallow as it seems, I must be writing for an audience…I'm not addicted to checking for eProps or comments for nothing.[06/25 :: 2:25pm]

Haha. I just re-read the entries I just wrote and added/edited them. Is that a good thing? After reading them, there are just things that need to be added or taken away. I'll try my best not to since these entries are suppose to be spontaneous thought, but the urge to correct and change is so tempting! Must…restrain…temptation! Wow, I've already written four entries in the past hour. This is addicting! I love it and I'm a huge nerd! [06/25 :: 2:44pm]

I was just thinking about one of my friends, when suddenly, his name appeared on one of the folders I'm was trying to file. Of course this is just a mere coincidence, but I think it's interesting how things in life pop up like that out of nowhere. Then again, a lot of things aren't by chance. There's a reason why I've made friends with certain people, ended up at the college that I'm at, and deal with certain problems the way I do. But, I can't help wondering about the little, simple things like having a door opened for you right when you take out your key. Those things don't really matter, do they? Perhaps I'm thinking too much into this. Oh well, whatever's on my mind, right?[06/25 :: 3:35pm]

I'm just kinda sitting back and relaxing now since I don't really have anything to do. To be honest, I didn't think that I would finish all my filing today but I did. *gasp* Am I being too efficient again? I went out by the pond for a short break not too long ago. It was really hot outside, but I didn’t mind. I sat on one of the benches by the water’s edge, listening to my CD player as I looked out at my surroundings. I have to say the corporate world can be quite tranquil at times. [06/25 :: 4:37pm]