This site has become a collection of odds and ends that may not fit together but may still hold just what you were looking for … much like a basket full of odd, lonely socks! I started this blog years ago while trying to create my own zine, for which I have still not settled on an appropriate title. The Lonely Sock was intended to be its home - a testing ground for the different kinds of articles, essays, and assorted content I intended to self-publish.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Halloween Pumpkin-Decorating Project
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
ExerBeat for Wii Fit by Namco Bandai
Though I haven’t had a chance to use all of my presents yet, I was able to test out the gift that I wanted the most – ExerBeat by Namco Bandai.

According to my Rheumatologist, the only proven treatment for Fibromyalgia is frequent aerobic exercise, and that I can start very slowly at 5 minutes aerobics per day. It was my 2011 New Year’s Resolution to make daily aerobics my top priority, and with my Wii Fit and Wii Fit Plus I became very close to reaching my goal. I felt that I was really improving, that my pain was more manageable, and that my energy had improved. Of course, I did incorporate other activities into my aerobics such as taking a trip to the mall as an opportunity to walk around some afternoon, or going on walks outside in the summer. However, Wii Fit made it possible for me to complete some aerobic exercise when stores were closed or when the weather was either too hot or too cold to go on walks. This is why I made it a priority when making my birthday list to ask for another exercise game for the Nintendo Wii.
Since I only had 2 opportunities since opening the gift to test out the game, I cannot give an in-depth review here today, but I can say that I am very happy with it. If I can write a better review at a later date, I certainly will.
Users of Wii Fit or Wii Fit Plus will probably find ExerBeat easy to adjust to, as there are many similarities. For example:
1. With Wii Fit’s instructions appear on the screen in a speech bubble spoken from an avatar of the Wii Balance Board. Similarly, ExerBeat’s instructions appear in a speech bubble spoken from a music note by the name of Rhythm. Rhythm recommends a short tutorial. I watched this the night I got it and would recommend it.
3. Both Wii Fit, Wii Fit Plus, and ExerBeat incorporate humourous and creative exercises into their menus. My favourite Wii Fit game is Penguin Slide, in which my avatar or Mii is dressed in a penguin costume, standing on an iceberg and surrounded by an audience of penguins who seem to be cheering me on as I try to catch as many fish as possible. Similarly, there are funny and creative games on ExerBeat that involve twirling pizzas and fending off pirates!
4. Both Wii Fit Plus and ExerBeat measure the approximate amount of calories burned and measure the intensity of the exercises in METS. They also both have charts or graphs to measure how much time users spend working out each day, the option to set personal goals, and a calendar that can be stamped so that users can keep track of their progress.
5. The Wii Fit and ExerBeat menus are very similarly organized. The Training menu of Wii Fit lists activities in the following categories:
Yoga -------------------------(15 activities)
Strength Training ----------(15 activities)
Aerobics ---------------------(9 activities)
Balance Games -------------(9 activities)
Wii Fit Plus provides 15 additional activities, as well as 3 additional Yoga activities and 3 additional Strength Training Activities.
Similarly, the Exercise menu of ExerBeat lists activities in the following categories:
. Dance Exercise

. Martial Arts
. Body Conditioning
. Party Fitness
Unlike Wii Fit however, the first 3 categories branch out into further, more specific categories from which you must choose:
. Dance Exercise ---------> Aerobics / Hip Hop / Latin Dance
. Martial Arts ------------> Boxercising / Karate / Karate Forms
. Body Conditioning ----> Stretching / Yoga and Pilates
This means that, while Wii Fit might provide 15 different activities each in Yoga and Strength Training, ExerBeat provides about 15 activities in all 8 sub-categories! So if I am correct, this is the breakdown of what Exerbeat offers:
. Dance Exercise
- Aerobics ----------> 20 activities
- Hip Hop ----------> 20 activities
- Latin Dance ------> 20 activities
. Martial Arts
- Boxercising ------> 20 activities
- Karate ------------> 20 activities
- Karate Forms ----> 10 activities
. Body Conditioning
- Yoga / Pilates ----> 10 yoga, 10 pilates = 20 activities
- Stretching --------> 10 activities
. Party Fitness ------> 5 activities
Now, I must stress that I am not criticising Wii Fit or Wii Fit Plus for lack of variety. I intend to use both Wii Fit Plus and ExerBeat together. I am simply praising ExerBeat for its variety for my particular needs, and for my Fibromyalgia, variety of aerobic exercise is a major need! I also think that my familiarity with Wii Fit and Wii Fit Plus has allowed me to begin using ExerBeat without much difficulty. For example, I am somewhat used to having to follow certain visual cues with the Wii Remote in order for the game to register the accuracy of my movements.
I hope to use ExerBeat to complete some aerobic exercise a little bit every day, and hopefully build stamina little by little, and decrease pain and fatigue in the long run. I’ll write about any progress I make whether with the Wii game or without, and as usual I welcome any comments or recommendations for similar games.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
My Amazon.com Review of "Emotional Vampires"

Insulting, Ignorant, and Arrogant
The only way I was able to gain insight from this book is by taking it with a grain of salt. I started becoming sceptical of the claims in this book when I read the following statement on page 97:
“Histrionic vampires invented sexual harassment, both doing it and suing for it.”
This is unbelievably offensive to anyone who has ever been sexually harassed, which is considered a form of abuse. This claim is similar to the myth that victims of rape were “asking for it.”
Apart from making such offensive statements, the author also insults various professions. For example, in the chapter on Narcissism, he states on page 146-147:
“To begin with, the process is called ‘creativity’ only when it generates ideas that are useful, convenient, and cost-effective. The rest of the time it’s called ‘being weird’ or ‘having a bad attitude’ ... Creativity means seeing things differently than other people, and it means believing that your vision is better than what’s already there. Nothing could be more insensitive, irreverent, annoying, threatening, and well, Narcissistic.”
To the Albert J. Bernstein, everyone in the creative professions such as artists, inventors, and writers are narcissists. Not only is his definition of creativity full of errors – for example, lots of talented, creative people such as Agatha Christie and Vincent Van Gogh actually think their work isn’t any good – but the Narcissists I’ve known were the LEAST creative people in the world! They spent more time trying to project an image that society would accept and admire judging the quality of things by the standards of society, and criticizing anything unique and creative than actually doing or developing anything creative.
If I had to guess, I would say that this author is either jealous of people in the professions he criticises, or deeply misunderstands them and has no desire to truly understand them, and thus feels the need to “diagnose” them.

Other than the occasional advice on how to respond to “emotional vampires,” I think the best thing about this book is the illustrations – I would like to see more of the artist’s work, but oddly I cannot find the name of the illustrator anywhere in the book. Could this be due to Dr. Albert J. Bernstein’s obvious dislike of creative people?
Saturday, July 16, 2011
The Shocking Truth - What a 26-Year-Old Girl Really Wants For Her Birthday
Nevertheless, I have had a lot more time to think about what I want for my birthday in the last month, and feel that I should definitely list my desires somewhere. So here it is – for anybody curious about what a 26-year-old girl really wants for her birthday, keep reading for some shocking insight:
What A 26-Year-Old Girl Really Wants For Her Birthday
1. PEACE AND FUCKING QUIET!
For the last few days, this has been what I have wanted more than anything else in the world and the one person who constantly refuses to give me this gift is my mother. I love my mother very much and I know that she loves me too. But she is getting longer and longer-winded and, for some reason, louder and louder! I would give anything to not have to hear the conversations she has with my dad in the kitchen while I am in my bedroom with the door shut trying to sleep.
2. A Brain for My Dad
This is something I have wanted since the age of 9 or 10, the age where it really dawned on me just how ignorant and thoughtless my father actually is. After watching a documentary a few days ago, I told my dad about what I learned – apparently every atom in our bodies was once inside a star that exploded. This means that we are literally made of stardust! I thought this was amazing, so I informed my dad of this newly learned fact. I should have guessed that he wouldn’t believe it. He thinks that God created the world in 7 days, that we came from Adam and Eve, that evolution is untrue, that science is “a lotta bullshit,” and yet continues to take his medication, use light bulbs, surf the web, and drive an automobile. Yes ... science is a lotta bullshit ... it never gave us anything useful!
3. A Limit Placed On My Dad’s Sneezing
Everyday my dad has sneezing fits at least twice. And these fits contain 10 or more sneezes. If they were politely covered up or relatively quiet I would not have such a problem with this. But when my dad sneezes it sounds like he’s screaming! Is that really necessary? I realize people can’t control their sneezes, but couldn’t they control their voice to a certain degree when sneezing? Every time he sneezes, I want to loudly yell “SHUT UUUUUUUP!”
4. Laws Passed Regarding Annoying Commercials
I am starting to think that annoying commercials are dangerous to the sanity of the public, not to mention prejudiced against the elderly and people with health problems. Anyone unable to work or participate in certain kinds of activities might spend a great deal of time in front of the television. While the programs available may be annoying themselves, the commercials that interrupt them make me want to brutally destroy the television! They are loud (Gillette Fusion Proglide), repetitive (DejaView shows), sexist (Axe Hair Products), poorly acted and scripted (Bump It), mind-numbingly stupid (IntelliEAR), obnoxious (ShamWow and Slap Chop), and lastly, by using excerpts of popular songs they ultimately “promote” their product by ruining a song for the public forever (Swiffer). Some senior citizens like my mother and people with disabilities like me and my brother rely on television at times when we are too tired or physically unable to occupy our time otherwise. It’s bad enough that the shows available appeal to the lowest common denominator, but to subject us to these mindless commercials is unusual cruelty. I wouldn’t be surprised if long-term exposure to these ads actually kills more brain cells than dangerous drugs. I think there should be strict laws passed against mindless, meaningless, boring, loud, repetitive, ads and that if a commercial breaks a law no more commercials for that product can be aired. If anyone could pass such legislation as a birthday gift to me, I would be forever grateful.
5. Better Quality Programming
While I do not despise television shows as much as the commercials that molest them and their viewers, I do long for better quality programming. I want more documentaries about diverse topics aired all day every day: like I said, some people with health problems may rely on television to occupy their time so only airing complete garbage is insulting and cruel. Some people are smarter than to be satisfied with The Jerry Springer Show, which is really just the modern-day equivalent to the barbaric carnival freak shows of the past. Here are the following TV shows that I do enjoy – executive producers take note:
>;- Great Thinkers Of Our Time (The Mark Steel Lectures)
- History Bites
- Art Attack
- Twin Peaks
- LOST
- The Twilight Zone (1950s)
- True Blood
- Pushing Daisies
- Mad Men
- Doctor Who
- Daria
- The Big Bang Theory
- Alienated
6. Cameron Diaz and Julia Roberts to Stop Smiling On CameraOkay, I get that these two actresses are famous and attractive, and I get that they appear in chick-flicks. I also get that they have nice smiles and everything but, after a while, seeing their lovely smiles ALL THE TIME lowers their uniqueness. Every time I see a commercial for a dumb chick-flick featuring one of these women, I feel like the voice-over should really just say “See this guy make this girl this happy!” Alternatively, the voice-over could also say, “You probably identify with this girl so if you see this movie, this is how happy it will make you feel!” Even scenes not shown in the ads seem to show these actresses unnaturally happy at moments in the film that don’t seem to be that special! Am I the only one who’s noticed this?!
There are probably other actresses who could show their teeth a little less also.
7. Prohibition on Re-making Old Movies
Apparently some people are way too cool to like any entertainment that was not created this year. Anything old is just disgusting! Well, that attitude is really great for business because that means that the movie, fashion, music, and television industries can recycle anything and still make money off of it! Think about it: if the public is too cool to try and watch older movies such as Halloween, Clash of the Titans, and King Kong, then studios can re-make them employing famous actors of the day and using modern special effects and technology. Then the movie-goers will automatically assume that the hotter actors and better affects mean that the film will be worth seeing, that it would be like taking something old and crappy and making it better! Well ... it’s not. For those of us who can appreciate older movies and aren’t so easily distracted by special effects and beautiful people it feels like HARDLY ANY MOVIES ARE BEING MADE.
Think about it. Imagine for a moment that there was a portion of the public that did not want to see ANY re-made movies and ONLY preferred the originals ... think of how little a selection of movies at the theatres there would be for such an audience! People who are unafraid of entertainment from the past still deserve to have movies geared towards them. If a studio re-makes a film, I think they should have to re-interpret or add something to it so that those of us who enjoyed the original can still enjoy the re-make.
I think that’s all for now. If I can think of any more birthday list amendments I will certainly add them.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Dr. Keith Ablow and Fox News Smear Bill Maher
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53p0_ZlCCR4&feature=mh_lolz&list=WL79479D6CCED517CC
I don't actually watch Real Time With Bill Maher and I DEFINITELY do not watch Fox News, but I was stunned at the above clip that someone posted on the HBO website.
I would like to point out the following observations:
1) The news reporter couldn't even properly name Bill Maher's documentary! He called it "Religiosity," while it is actually called Religulous - it is a portmanteau of the words "religion" and "ridiculous."
2) The psychiatrist, Dr. Keith Ablow, states that Bill Maher is "not affiliated with life at all." How can a living person NOT be "affiliated" with life? He has life, he works with living people, he lives in a society of living people ... am I missing something?
3) Keith Ablow claims that Bill Maher hates or "has it in for" women. If Bill Maher is in favour of abortion, how does he HATE women ... it sounds like someone pro-abortion is in favour of women being able to make their own choices. It also sounds like he would very strongly care about women, as women who live in areas where abortion is not legal still seek abortion from people who are unqualified to perform them. This means that 20 million unsafe abortions are performed every year in places where it is illegal, and each year 67 000 women die due to complications from these procedures. With these statistics in mind, I'd say that anyone in favour of legalizing abortion is actually "pro-women" and"pro-life" for that matter, in the sense that legalized abortion performed by qualified doctors could prevent many deaths.
http://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/publications/unsafe_abortion/9789241596121/en/index.html
4) Maher didn't call Bristol Palin a "slut" for being "horny." It doesn't seem like he is implying that there is anything wrong with being "horny." But this supposed psychiatrist is! Ablow practically said that if any women have sex because they are horny then they are sluts! It's obvious to me that Bill Maher is just trying to point out the fear and shame people have of sexuality and sexual feelings. I doubt he would be making fun of this if the young woman simply acknowledged that it's not practical for everyone to wait to have sex until they are married -- after all, not everyone ends up getting married!
Bill Maher didn't actually criticize or make fun of Palin for being "horny." It seems he was doing kind of the opposite - criticizing her for feeling the need to hide the natural urges every human being has.
To Dr. Ablow on the other hand, use of the word "horny" implies that she is a slut ... therefore implying that only sluts get horny. A slut is supposed to be someone who sleeps with MANY people, not just one, but this doctor is implying that a girl doesn't even have to sleep with a man to be a slut ... she just has to have the desire to sleep with a man to be a slut.
I hope no young girls saw this, because obviously Keith Ablow is the one who is ANTI-WOMEN.
I also thought the alternative Ablow suggested was hilarious - he pointed out that Bill Maher could have phrased her not as being horny, but as HAVING FEELINGS for the boy. Let's get serious for a minute: if people only had sex WHEN they wanted to express their love for someone, they wouldn't do it that often. Married people would stop having sex after the first year of marriage! When one partner would try to initiate something the other would say, "It's okay honey, you don't have to prove to me that you love me ... I believed you the first time." Even married people sleep together often because they are horny!
It's because of people like Keith Ablow that this young girl felt the need to cover up consciously consenting to sex before marriage. As a comedian, Bill Maher was pointing out the silliness of this kind of attitude, and as conservatives the news station and doctor had to re-validate and re-inforce this attitude.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Spectacular SOCKS - LittleMissMatched
Once upon a time when I was in high school, I was getting ready to leave for class when I noticed that my only 2 pairs of socks clean each had one sock with a hole in the bottom. It just so happened that both pairs were of the same brand, so it occurred to me that I could literally wear the mismatched socks - one sock from each pair - and my feet wouldn’t know the difference. Ever the nonconformist, I did just that – I chose the intact sock from each pair and wore them to school, not caring whether anyone noticed I was wearing two different socks. In fact, I was actually proud of this fashion innovation and pointed it out to my friend Sarah while changing for gym class. Ever the tightly-wound conformist, Sarah scoffed at me for making what she considered an uncool fashion faux pas. Well, in this segment of Spectacular SOCKS, I would like to point out that my supposed fashion faux pas had made mainstream fashion with LittleMissMached!
I discovered LittleMissMached while browsing the children’s section in Chapters at Devonshire Mall. Being a sock enthusiast, I was immediately drawn to a spinning rack displaying packages of socks. To my amazement, the packages did not contain pairs of identical socks, but a trio of unique socks! Talk about lonely socks! I bought the following 2 pairs for $10.00 each:
At first I thought $10.00 was a bit pricy for 3 unmatched socks, but then I considered that with each package the buyer receives 3 different options for combining the socks, and thus with each package really contains 3 pairs of socks! Observe:
3 socks in a package: Sock A, Sock B, and Sock C
The following combinations are optional:
Sock A + Sock B = 1st mismatched pair
Sock A + Sock C = 2nd mismatched pair
Sock B + Sock C = 3rd mismatched pair
Three combinations of mismatched pairs of socks can be made – and if you choose to alternate which sock you wear on which foot, you can even argue there are six possible combinations per package!
I visited the website LittleMissMatched which you can reach at the following link:
http://www.littlemissmatched.com/
Apart from socks, the website offers apparel for girls and women. You can shop according to which clothing items you are looking for such as T-shirts or Pajamas, or browse the various Collections like the Zany collection. Zany boasts that it includes every colour: “You’ll never have to choose one colour over another!” while Kooky includes complimentary colours: “Opposite colors attract when it comes to our Kooky stuff!” Another collection called Preppy Zoo is “a colourful zany twist on bold animal patterns!”
I love the other socks they have available, not to mention the accessories such as Duffel Bags, Tote Bags, Flip Flops, and Water Bottles. What I love the most besides the patterns and designs themselves, is that the patterns on the accessories actually correspond to the patterns or designs on the socks! This means that if there is a particular pattern or set of designs you like in the set of 3 socks, you can buy other items with these same designs! The Zany Black Backpack, for example, matches all three patterns of stripes, polka dots, and stars in my black set of socks. So while your socks may not match each other, they can certainly match your purse and flip flops!
There is also a Bed and Bath section on this website that offers fun and “zany” items for girl, baby, and toddler bedrooms.
While I love the products available on this site, I have a few very large complaints and I greatly hope this store will work on changing them:
Complaint # 1
This store ships within the U.S. only. It ships to all 50 states and to Puerto Rico, but does not ship to Canada – which means that I cannot order anything from this website, no matter how much I love the products. This is a shame, as I am obviously a big sock enthusiast.
Complaint # 2
This store only gears its products to girls and women. Perhaps it is apparent in the name of the store, LittleMissMatched, but I was a little bit disappointed that they have no products geared towards boys and men. Some products in the Bed and Bath section that for toddlers and babies seem to be targeted at boy children, but I am merely assuming this because the colour blue is featured. This seems a little bit disappointing, as the products for girls have such a variety of colour. Even if the products for boys have a slightly different colour palette, I think they should be just as bright and colourful. I would love to see more products on this website marketed to boys and men – from socks and apparel to accessories and bedding.
Complaint # 3
This store does not carry plus-sizes. Even though products are labelled as being for “Girls and Women” the largest size available in clothing is a size 16, which is meant for a woman with a 27 inch waist, 32-33 inch chest, and an overall weight of 101-110 pounds. If this store was only targeting children or girls, I would not necessarily have as big a problem with this. The labels on the website, however, specifically say that the apparel is for "girls and women". Furthermore, even if the products were geared to children and teens only, I would still like to see plus sizes available for them.
In conclusion, I love the idea of selling mismatched socks. I also love the fun colour combinations, patterns, and designs available. The variety is great, and I love the different collections. I also love that, while the socks may not match each other, they can match other accessories available. Still, I would love this store so much more if I was able to order the products from their website and have them shipped to my home in Canada. And of course I would prefer to be able to wear ALL of the products, including the clothing, which is not available in my size. If anyone from LittleMissMatched is reading this, I love the products from your website, and if you can make your products available to Canadians you can be sure that I will be your first Canadian customer. If you can broaden your apparel to include plus size clothing, I will most likely spend even more money buying the clothes from your website. I am willing to bet that other Canadians and plus size women will do the same, and if you make a line of products aimed at boys and men, you will probably gain even more customers!
That's all for this segment of Spectacular SOCKS. If anyone has any comments, please feel free to share them, and if you have any suggestions for more Spectacular SOCKS blogposts and reviews, please let me know.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Easter Crafts
Above are four wooden hanging decorations that I bought unfinished from Dollarama. Unfortunately I do not have "before" pictures to show what they looked like before I painted them. I found them last year in the seasonal section of the store which usually includes craft decoration supplies partaining to the holliday or season. I painted them using Acrylic craft paints, some of which can be found at Dollarama as well in the craft section.
Baby Chicks
I chose to use colours typically associated with Easter and Spring such as pale pinks, purples and yellows, Lime Green, and Turquoise Blue. Though pale shades are often used in Easter decorations, I also included darker shades of pink, purple, yellow, and green because all shades are usually found in nature. Easter is closely associated with the beginning of Spring and end of Winder, new life, and thus with nature itself, so I thought it was important to include other shades typical of flowers, grass, the sky, etc ... I also outlined or drew features such as eyes using a dark, inky pen after the paint was dry.
Close-Up Images
Easter Bunnies


