Morbid Romantic

bringing you quality randomness since 1981

Does anyone know a good converter for .vob files to turn them into .avi or .mpeg (etc, etc)? I have some rips from personal DVDs on my computer that I would love to put into .avi or some other format to distribute to others to watch. I did a GOOGLE search, of course, but a lot of the results that I came up with were pay programs or programs that I couldn’t find any reviews of to ascertain if they are what I need. Surely there has to be something free, safe and high quality. … I know, nothing good is free. But, this is the internet, right!? If you want it, it exists. It’s like a sub-part of rule 34.

Okay, maybe that’s not a good connection to make. I don’t think attaching it in any way to rule 34 will benefit it.

I also got something in the mail today from my ODU’s Alumni Association. It’s really nothing more than a, “thanks for graduating, would you like to donate money” letter, but I read the whole thing and appreciate the Alumni sticker that they sent me for the car that I don’t have. I’m not interested in any Alumni gatherings, lunches or events. I don’t have any friends who are alumni. There’s no one who graduating with me whom I’m going to miss at all. I also lack feelings of brotherhood/sisterhood when it comes to that sort of thing. I don’t need OR want to bond with anyone over something so meaningless… at least, meaningless to me.

But I am sort of interested in their mentor program. Call it the teacher in me, but I think I’d like to be involved in it. I have experience in large quantity. I know that I could help some current college students with what I’ve been through personally. It doesn’t seem too much work or too arduous to pass along some advice now and then, not if it makes the college experience that much easier for someone. I want to play a part in the success of others, of giving them whatever piece of strength that I can so that they’ll stick with it and not give up.

I suppose I’m too idealistic. In the long run, I doubt I will be any help at all. And like I said a few posts down… I’m lazy.

Popularity: 8% [?]

According to an article just published in CNNMoney:

Taking Control: Future Therapies for a Host of Serious Diseases May Be Found in Women’s Menstrual Blood

July 07, 2008: 01:28 PM EST

OLDSMAR, Fla., July 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — With today’s hectic lifestyle, where most women are juggling careers, family, relationships, and a host of activities, the idea of possibly facing a serious illness in the future is not something that readily comes to mind — especially when a woman is in the prime of her life. But what most women don’t know, is that the key to treating a number of possibly life-threatening diseases that she, a parent, a sibling or even her children may face in later years, such as osteoporosis, heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, may be found within her own body — in vital stem cells, which can now be harvested from her own menstrual blood.

Now, thanks to the revolutionary research and technology of C’elle, a service dedicated to providing women with a safe and easy method of collecting and preserving stem cells found in her menstrual fluid each month, even the busiest woman can take control of her future, right in the privacy of her own home. With C’elle’s non-invasive collection process, menstrual cells are processed and cryo-preserved (stored at a very low temperature) for potential cellular therapies that may be used in the future. These self-renewing cells one day may even be used for sports medicine or cosmeceutical treatments, such as anti-aging therapies.

“C’elle enables and empowers a woman to take control of her future health, and possibly of those genetically closest to her, in a fast, painless and stress free way,” said Michelle Kay, Marketing and Sales Manager for C’elle. “We live in exciting times, as science and technology are discovering how extremely valuable menstrual blood stem cells really are, and the enormous treatment potential they represent for future therapies. C’elle’s ongoing research is supporting these promising findings.”

For more information about C’elle, please call 1-877-892-3553 or visit www.celle.com.

Popularity: 4% [?]

I am trying to spend as much time with my mother as possible. We got some packing done and did another third of the carpet (one third to go!) with the pre-clean before we shampoo the thing. It was a fairly productive day as far as days go, at least the way mine go. I admit that I am definitely not the most hard working person in the world. I can own up to my laziness. I can think of a few excuses to give for this, all of which would be valid, but I prefer to not even walk that line. I’ll just say, “yeah, I’m lazy” and stick to it, illnesses and issues aside.

Anyway…

My mother and I went to see Wall-E. I’m not a Pixar fan. I’m not a Disney fan. Yes, there are some Disney movies that I adore (like Dumbo), but you’re not going to excite me or rouse my curiosity with a trailer for a new Disney movie no matter the subject or the voice actors involved. However, my mother does get worked up about those sorts of things. Since these next few weeks are all about spending time with her, I figure that I can suffer through a Pixar/Disney movie for her. Besides, I have been hearing good things about Wall-E by people I trust the opinions of. So, while I highly doubt that I’ll leave the movie declaring the awesomeness of Wall-E, I neither think that I am going to be disappointed and on the brink of sleep the entire time.

But really, it is a good movie. Adorable, certainly, which I hate admitting because ‘adorable’ is not my thing unless we’re talking baby animals or my nephew. As for Wall-E, there’s not a lot of talking through the movie, not until you get to the part with actual humans. But there is enough action and movement in the movie to keep kids from squirming in their seats with boredom. It’s a fine line to walk, really.

I laughed, though, at all the fat people in the movie buzzing around in their space chairs, helpless to take care of themself, talking to their friends on their little communication screens. The gross junk food way of eating, the laziness of the fat people, the inability of people to get up and move or communicate with others in an actual face to face way so reflects the way our society is heading. Because that’s what you see everywhere in real life when you leave the house: fat people talking loudly on cell phones without a thought or any consideration to the other people around them, sipping on McDonald’s cups or Starbuck’s. It’s gross.

Though, for the record, I LOVE Starbuck’s. And I AM anti-social. As anti-social as they come. At least I don’t talk loudly and rudely on a cell phone. I just fine some dark isolated corner to sit in. I spare the rest of the world rather than force it on them like so many others.

I think that this message probably went over the head of a lot of the people who’ve seen the movie so far. I also think the message of ‘get off your apathetic, lazy, selfish fat ass and do SOMETHING for this earth’ also went over more than a few heads.

A shame. A true shame.

Popularity: 9% [?]