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Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Homos Remain Unpopular, and Kelly Clarkson Sings My Soul
11/04/2009 12:12:00 PM   Maine voted to strike down gay marriage last night with 53% voting Yes on Question 1, which is depressing. The rights of the minority should never be decided by a majority vote. My favorite response on this: So, what’s going on? America has become its own worst enemy! Our Founding Fathers had ideas about freedom of speech and religion. The idea, as rocky as it was in a far more segregated society than we have now, was to protect people from inequity and oppression. Citizens would be free and equal, secure in their independent and ineffable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Now those very freedoms created to protect the little people have been co-opted by the Wrong People With Power and that theft has turned America into a refuge and breeding ground for extremist religious socially conservative twatwaffles.- Riese/aka Marie Lyn Bernard On a somewhat unrelated topic--somewhat un-related meaning, though Kelly Clarkson's not gay, the sound of her name alone is enough to make any self-respecting gay start dancing; unless you're one of my friends. Meaning, when I wanted to see the KC and was still living in St. Louis, I was shocked that no one wanted to go with me (then again, her STL show fell on Halloween night). So of course, when I moved to Kearney, and was without the gays, but surrounded by a bunch of young mainstream straight girls I thought, "Second chance! Someone here will go with me!" Wrong, again. Apparently I'd forgotten that the mainstream straight girl thing to do in Nebraska is fangirl out over Husker games, not pop singers. So my friends already had tickets to other events. Leaving me on my own, which was not gonna stop me from going to the show, mind you. So, Thursday night I headed out on the drive to Lincoln. I've been to concerts by myself before, and some of them have been my favorite experiences. One of the bonuses of flying solo is actually getting to be present for the show, and get into the performance sans distractions of friends, and in the past I've actually met some cool people that I chatted with sitting around me. Little did I know that night was gonna be the most fun I've ever had with a bunch of strangers. I told Kristina beforehand that aside from my expected norm of sitting alone, but enjoying the show, things could go two additional ways seeing as this was a Kelly Clarkson concert: 1) I would find some gays (where else in Nebraska than at a KC show, I mean, right?) and a dance party in the aisles would commence 2) I would be seated near some dad who brought his teenage daughter and all their friends to the show for her birthday. Which came with the risk of me punching a tween in their neck. Anyways, I got to the show and as I suspected I saw both groups dotted throughout the crowd waiting to get in. There were a few gay/lez couples here and there, and a few groups of women with their token gay male friend breaking into choruses of 'Since U Been Gone' as they waited. And then there was group #2, standing right behind me. Sidenote: Seriously, this woman is 27 years old. I really wish they would stop marketing her to the tween audience. Don't Miley and Taylor Swift have that covered already? All the tweens that fell in love with Kelly during Idol are all in college now. Stop attracting new ones!! Moving on. While the birthday girl behind me was whining about how stupid her dad was for not getting her VIP tickets to the backstage pre-show concert, or a Meet-n-Greet, a few other people started asking what the difference in the classes of tickets were. Another girl who was there alone started to explain as much as she'd understood, and we found out we were both in the same section. Then they opened the doors and we parted with a "have fun!" only to end up seated right next to each other, haha. Well, Tasha was in the 2nd row, and I was in 3rd row, the seat directly behind her. Introductions were made, including to two other new pals sitting to my left, Kayla and her friend Andy. Andy I and I bonded instantly somehow getting into a discussion about Celine Dion--which he also couldn't believe none of my friends would go to with me, claiming either I was lying or my friends aren't "real homosexuals" (like Sarah Plain's "real americans"?). Not long after a cute male couple joined us. They were adorable and had each brought a bouquet of roses for Kelly. Unfortunately, as we found out not long after, they were also already a bit tipsy when they arrived, because after another round of drinks during the opening act they were spilling their drinks all over the women in front of them. Also during the opening act, I invited a dude to my right who looked like he was along to come sit next to us (to be closer to center stage) since there were a few empty seats between us that no one had yet filled. Soon enough we were all chatting, swapping facebook info, making signs from the backs of our posters, and planning how we could get the cute little girl in front of us on stage, hahaha. Unfortunately as soon as the lights went down, everyone charged to the front of the stage, including us, so we were no longer near the girl during the actual show. But our crew managed to get the 2 Kelly virgins of the bunch right up against the barricade, front and center, so they had an awesome view for their first KC show. Very cool. These people were awesome. I'm aware that pop may not be the most cerebral genre, but it sure can improve a long car ride, instantly pack a dance floor, or form fast friends out of a bunch of crazies who just wanted to jump around and have a good time. Speaking of the jumping...throughout the whole show everyone was crammed up at the front and bouncing around and off eachother, but it wasn't until 'Since U Been Gone' came on that things actually felt like a mosh pit. This is the song where it got really insane. People were SMASHED up against eachother, yet all still trying to move, and though I could feel one guy behind me pressed against my back, I didn't consider that he was probably holding his head right above mine. Unfortunately he soon found out what a terrible idea that was…I mean, when Kelly tells me to do something, for example "Jump!", I do it. Thus resulting in my skull crashing into his chin. I felt so terrible, knowing how bad my head hurt, thinking getting hit under the chin that hard is probably worse. After checking and making sure there was no blood, or biting of the tongue etc. we both returned to our jumping. Which slowed a great deal as I started feeling like I was gonna pass out. For reals. One of the unfortunate consequences of letting the newbies Trevor and Kayla in front of us was that Andy (who had been to 4 other KC shows) and I were both standing on the inclined portion of the floor that led up to the flat part the barricade was actually seated on. Therefore, causing our knees to feel like jello after an hour of standing and jumping on said incline. It was hilarious to watch us trying to walk to the parking lot after the show. Parting was such sweet sorrow, but we all had eachothers contact info, and promised to swap photos/videos online. I myself sat in the parking lot for a good half hour post-show, merely because I still felt woozy from my near-concussion. Or maybe I actually had one. It's definitely something that would happen to me. Especially somewhere as ridiculous as a Kelly Clarkson concert. When I no longer felt like I'd get pulled over for drunk driving, I headed to the nearest convenient store and picked up a couple tall red bulls to ensure I was awake and alert for the drive home. Which was successful. However, after getting home at 2:30 am, I was unable to fall asleep until about 6:30am (thanks, red bull!) and had to get up 2 hours later for work. Regardless, I had a blast, and much more fun than I'd expected. Probably my favorite KC show to date (which after counting, I think was my 7th, lol). media: Cover of "Lies" by the Black Keys (whose album 'Attack and Release' is amazing.) DJ Ricky Rick playin a little during the encore, into the White Stripes cover. I really like this arrangement, with the horns and spooky background vocals. 
Einar, the bass player is hilarious. So is his face in this photo. 
Leif almost killed me with his solo during their bluesy take on Patsy Cline's "Walkin After Midnight". 
 Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Alright, blog. Let's drop any false pretense.
10/13/2009 11:53:00 AM I know you know I know so what's the point of being slow. Let's get this show on the road. Today. What? Sometimes Kelly Clarkson says it best. Her (my) point being, yes, I've been avoiding me/you. I'm confusing myself. Moving on. Holy crap. It feels like an entire lifetime of "stuff" has happened since I last blogged. Enough that I don't much feel up to the task of beginning to summarize it. So, instead I say...I had an amazing summer, filled with asses on blankets and good friends (to whom most of the asses belonged). And then I moved to Nebraska. Hahahaha. I know I mentioned this possibility in a post not far below this, however, during the few weeks after that, I decided to not move to NE and instead stay in STL for the summer (which I did, subletting 3 different places, in a period of 4 months--I was quite the gypsy) while looking for jobs in Chicago and a few other places. As fate would have it, I ended up applying to a job here on a whim (aided by the coaxing of a facebook link/message from a friend) and whaddya know. I ended up here after all. Believe me, the first weekend I thought, "What have I done. I've made a terrible, terrible, mistake." But as soon as I started work on Monday, I remembered why I decided to move back. I'm really enjoying my job so far, and it didn't take long (really, only the first day) for me to remember how much more fulfillment I get from working with my fingertips at an edit station, as opposed to say on a malfunctioning Blackberry. I know that this job is going to push me and not only test, but improve my skills. Not just with editing, but also behind the camera, with running a website, graphic design, flash animation, etc. An added bonus is that I also get to work in a situation where I'm learning more about journalism, advertising, and audio production. Granted, I did take classes in these fields but never thought I'd be working much with them. Which is exactly why this job is great for me. It's giving me the experience to become a more rounded producer/developer/creator of media, in multiple forms (haha, get it, multimedia?), which has always been my goal. Plus, constantly learning new things? Psh, that's a dream for a kid whose teachers were both parents....wait that came out wrong. Tuesday, May 05, 2009
CINCO DE STEPH-O
5/05/2009 09:48:00 AM The 2009 Edition. So far, not a lot has happened. Unless you include riding a bull, spending $30 on fishbowl margaritas, dancing *slightly drunk* with a crazy elderly woman to "Proud Mary" in front of about 200 people, and discovering chicharrones with hot sauce. All of which are extremely dangerous, when I am involved. Seriously, I'm still sore. Partly from riding the bull, and partly from jumping through a chair. Yeah. Not sure how to explain that one. I mean, I'm sure I could--but right now I feel like it's best not to try. And those were only the festivities from the Cinco de Mayo celebration this weekend. I have yet to go out tonight on my actual birthday. Maybe you should be a little worried for me. Sunday, April 05, 2009
A year is up, and I still have no idea where I'm going next
4/05/2009 04:59:00 PM It’s amazing because throughout most of my life I’ve been very focused on going where I need to go, and doing what I need to do, to follow (or create, rather) my career path. One would think after being laid off and just having gone through the job-searching process again so recently, I’d still be stressing over it all, but in the past few weeks I’ve been unusually calm; especially considering a few other events that have been occurring. My roommate unexpectedly moved out last weekend, leaving my other roommate and I with a full 2 months on our lease—too little time to worry about finding a new roommate, yet too much to be financially comfortable with covering his share for the remainder. I’ve been contemplating moving back to Nebraska once my lease here is up. I don’t have much of a reason why, besides the fact that I feel like my time in St. Louis is done. At least, I was always expecting it to be by this time. I don’t really have any desire to remain here, besides gaining a few months experience with my new job as a videographer. It’s only a weekend gig, and nothing large enough to hold me here, so I really have no qualms with the idea of leaving it whenever need be. Besides that, my job with Technisource at the CitiBank warehouse is only guaranteed through May. Beyond that, I imagine myself searching out another job as soon as possible. Meaning, it would most likely be working front desk at a hotel, or something equally wasting of my degree. I never really understood my classmates who would talk about ‘just working’ for a while after graduating either high school or college. I guess in my own mind I was just always terrified that should I ever attempt the same thing, I would end up ‘just working’ for the rest of my life, never accomplishing the goals I’d had in mind. Only now, I’ve already accomplished my list of goals I’d set for myself since…who knows when…the age 8? It was always about graduating high school, graduating college, starting a career. What comes after that? Surprisingly I’ve never though about it in too much detail. Sure, I’d had short fantasies or flashes of dreams of where I’d like to be. But most of those also take place further (farther?) into the future. Like, adopting kids, where I’d raise them, traveling the world more, growing old, etc. etc. I’ve never sketched out my early/mid/late twenties. Which is precisely what I now need to be doing. The trouble is, when I sit down and try to think about my immediate future, and what I’d like to accomplish, I just can’t make up my mind. With the way things are in our world (more specifically, the American economy) right now, part of me thinks, “This is why you need to have a plan” and the other part of me thinks, “Look at where planning gets you, no one can plan for this. Just live your life, and be happy.” To be honest, thanks to the idealist and dreamer within myself, I’ve pretty much always subscribed to the latter belief. And though, it still holds ultimate truth and promise in my eyes, it doesn’t help me figure out where I’m gonna be living in 6 weeks. While I still ultimately wish to relocate to another city (Chicago? Austin? Denver? Seattle?), I feel like I need some time before I begin that next chapter in my life. Not out of fear of moving and starting from scratch, knowing no-one…maybe I’m searching for some sort of closure to this chapter? I guess unlike other times-of-change in my life, this one isn’t centered around a specific event. Maybe that’s why it feels so out of place. On another note. I’ve felt much happier with my personal life and friendships these past few weeks. Immediately following a depressing low of being laid off and unemployed for a full month, I accepted not only one but two-jobs the same weekend Hurricane Beca came to town. I can’t describe how things are when she’s around, nor do I really understand why. We are so very different, and there are definitely moments when I cannot fathom how in the world we became or remain friends, but there is most definitely a bond there that I’m positive Abby (and previously, Noel) would acknowledge as well. I still don’t know whether I credit London and the experience of living abroad for this, or if it’s something I would not have found, had I been there with any other group of girls. Speaking of Abby, I am so very thrilled that she has moved back to St. Louis, and with Alisha in tow. The week Beca was here (right after their move) was amazing, as if getting off work, and heading to their place to hang out, with all of us together was the normal routine. Obviously, the schedule was a little grueling, because she was only here for a week (there is no way I could handle that many late nights with getting up every morning at 6am on a regular basis). But it was well worth it, and I can’t wait to see her again. I can’t believe it had already been over a year since I’d seen her the last time. Then, following Beca Week, it was Kara Week! Which was equally exhausting, and amazing for the chance to reconnect with Kara. I’m glad she had the opportunity to come down, because I felt like I was slipping up in terms of keeping in touch with her. Something I will have to keep on my toes about. I guess the other thing that would be great about staying in St. Louis for a while longer would definitely be getting to spend more time around Abby and Alisha now that they’re here. It wouldn’t seem very fair for me to leave so soon after they arrived. Abby and have tentatively planned to learn how to ride motorcycles this summer, and I’ve accepted the challenge of teaching her how to drive. Her reasoning: Of anyone else, I’m the least likely to yell at her for nearly killing us, since I do it myself on a monthly, if not weekly basis. Of course, feeling fulfilled with reconnecting with various friends here is also a driving force behind my wanting to live in Kearney for a few months, to afford the same opportunities with friends back in NE. Well, after realizing it was getting cold, and therefore letting Sasha Fierce in, I’m confident my energies are going to be required elsewhere for the remainder of the evening. My brain has decided it’s had enough analyzing and deep thinking for the time being. Sunday, March 15, 2009
Stephyllis infected by Daytime at last.
3/15/2009 02:46:00 PM I mean, most of you already know that I watch a handful of ridiculous daytime programming. There's no denying my love for Regis & Kelly (but mostly Reege) and the delicious drama of The View. I frequently catch Ellen's interviews on YouTube, and back in the 90s I would rush home from school to catch The Rosie O'Donnell show (remember when she was fun, played "How Bizzare" at the push of a button, and shot kooshballs into the crowd?). Little did I know things had yet to get even worse. During my 3-week stint of unemployment, I became addicted to...*awkward pregnant pause*...no not cocaine-or alcohol. The other dangerous fix I feel many unemployed/retired/or stay at home bodies succumb to at some point. *sigh* Soap Operas. Ok, let's be clear about this. It's only ONE soap in particular. (All My Kids) See, because of my ridiculous nature, I'm sure none of you are surprised in the least that I would be watching a soap (or that I would already have a nickname for it slash a couple of the actors..okay, and characters). It must seem like a natural thing that everyone already assumed I was into. But thus far in my life, I have never been drawn to this particular genre of drama/hilarity. (J2k falls into an entirely different category, trust). I guess there was that one summer where Kayla and I went to her grandpa's house every day during lunch break from Driver's Ed, where we watched General Hospital. But even then, that was her addiction not mine. So a few weeks ago, I was at home, bored, unemployed and trying to think of a way to waste the hour of time I had between The View and either Oprah or Ellen. A soap had come on, and I briefly considered leaving the channel where it was. I wasn't much feeling like watching the tv guide channel for an hour, and then La Lucci herself appeared on screen and I decided, yes, I would give this a try. I mean, of all soaps, this one must be one of the better shows, right? It had the legendary Susan Lucci whom everyone knows, regardless of whether they watch daytime or not. For the next three weeks I watched All My Children almost daily. This past week, having started two new jobs I felt grateful, hoping that now, with my days filled, I would be free of the hold Pine Valley had over me. I was wrong. After getting home at around 10 o'clock some nights, I was still drawn to find out what had happened to the characters I was most invested in, and (unfortunately) by magic of the internets (and crazed soap fans) I was always able to see the latest episode on YouTube. Only upon this discovery things got only worse. For I also found during my search, that not only were the most recent episodes up, but fans had episodes of this damn series from 5-10 years ago uploaded!!! I literally spent like 6 hours straight catching up with years of All My Children on Friday night. W. T. F. Where does one go from here? How do I move on? Or must I just embrace La Looch (and her merry band of crazy co-horts) and be that rascally old grandma in 40 years telling her grandkids to pipe down, cause Grannie Steph's "stories" are on. Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Sometimes I wish I had had a truck.
1/27/2009 03:15:00 PM This morning I woke up and thought I was in Nebraska. At least, that's what seeing actual inches of snow sitting on the ground felt like. For a split second driving to work I resented living in St. Louis, knowing that if I stayed in Nebraska I would probably own a vehicle with four wheel drive. I was the little girl who always claimed I'd have a pickup when I grew up. Of course, living in Nebraska I'd actually need four wheel drive much more often, so I suppose not having it nor the weather that requires it isn't so bad after all. Wednesday, December 17, 2008
12/17/2008 09:17:00 AM It's snowing. My mother's boots provide little to no traction on the ice. I woke up this morning at 8:20am and still made it to work by 9am. Only to find the doors of the office locked. Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Election 2008
11/05/2008 08:00:00 PM  Yeah. So. Last night was fantastic. Yesterday morning I got up at 6:30am, got in line at my polling place at 7:30am, and voted (not by absentee for the first time); obviously, for Barack Obama. Work has been insane and intense for the past couple weeks, and reached it's peak no doubt on Tuesday--it just so happened we two days of shooting in the office, at the same time I was making final rounds of edits on a few videos as feedback came in from the client, in addition to creating an entire website within these two days as well. My brain was fried, and I literally didn't even have time to stop and think about what was going on outside in the world around me. I'm pretty sure I sat down at my desk, and 10 hours later (no bathroom/lunch breaks)got up and left. I got home just before my roommates--oh yeah, speaking of which...I have a new roommate....did I mention Ray moved out? Anyways---we all sat down in the living room and watched calmly as the returns started coming in. Okay, maybe not in complete calm. I have to admit I shouted at Chris Matthews a few times for picking fights with Rachel Maddow, who was having a hard time getting a word in at all among the 5 male anchors. Gradually as the numbers kept rising higher and higher for Obama, I finally broke out of whatever protective "don'tget-your-hopes-up/prepare-for-the-worst" funk I was in and started to get excited that this might really happen (not to say that the whole time I wasn't also thinking, "It has to. There's no way we can afford to lose this one"). So I got a phone call from my mother, who wanted to hear about my morning voting experience (she and Marc didn't vote), and Marc kept yelling stuff at the phone for my mom to relay to me, which she refused, so he grabbed it from her to tell me himself. Ironically, disturbingly, and LITERALLY when I saw the screen flash that Obama had just cleared enough votes to have locked in the win, I was listening to racist fucking jokes from my dad. If you can call refusing to acknowledge what someone is saying "listening". Of course then I started talking over him and repeating, "Obama won. Obama won. They just called it, Obama won." I don't know if I was still in a state of shock or if the low I was at listening to this crap on the other end of the phone brought me down so much I couldn't properly establish my level of excitement, but the tone of my voice was completely level. I wasn't shouting, or yelling, or cheering. I can't recall Alyssa's reaction...she was probably freaking out, but Drew was sitting next to me and in disbelief at the side of the conversation he'd been hearing (my cell is broke, so speakerphone let out the 'jokes' that were being relayed) and then was simply stunned into silence at the news. As I tried to hurry my parents off the line with the excuse that I wasn't listening to them anyway, and I needed to go watch the tv, Marc thought it was appropriate to tell me that I took part in making history, and that this day would be one of the biggest moments of its kind to occur in my lifetime. I agreed. However he followed with, "When he gets shot, it'll probably even be bigger than Dr. Martin Luther King getting killed." Now, I am aware that my parents are very conservative. Perhaps I delude myself into thinking they aren't as bad as they seem....and I do know for a fact that Marc was saying what he was half in sarcasm and to get a rise out of me, and half in what he honestly believed--whether he supported those jokes and predictions or not. Still, I could not get over the fact that they could even be behaving in such a way in a time, literally the same moment, when our country had come far enough to finally elect a person of color to the most trusted office to lead, govern, and protect us. To me, his winning wasn't the most exciting part of the evening. Seeing Ohio turn blue, and realizing that he won before Florida's votes had even come in was amazing. Watching the number of electoral votes reach higher and higher, well into the 300s, was unbelievable. The fact that voter turnout increased by over 14 million people was beyond inspiring. Knowing definitively that more Americans than ever, and the majority of this country was pushing us into the future, and recognizing the opportunity this candidate offers us to change for the better restored much of the faith I had lost in our country during the last few weeks of disgusting campaigning/rallies/reports coming out in the news. I feel like the America of tomorrow might once again be the America I believed in as a child; and what's even better than hoping for that day to come is knowing that the America of today is consciously striving to BE that America of tomorrow. Obviously nothing is better right now. I can't help but be reminded of that when I see that on the same day we dealt a blow to the civil rights issues of old, in this same election three states wrote discrimination into their constitutions, eliminating rights from another group of our citizens. American gay rights were set back as propositions and amendments that deny or prevent the legalization of same-sex marriage were approved in Arizona, and Florida, and marriage rights were actually taken away in California. Arkansas also made it illegal for non-married couples to adopt (targeted towards gay/lesbian couples, as made clear by it's proponents/supporters). However, that last one would actually remove my rights to adopt should I ever reside in Arkansa considering I don't plan on using the institution of marriage to validate any future relationship. Further more, the wording of the Florida initiative also seems to insinuate that were I to live within their state borders I would also be denied the right to a "civil union" (something more appealing to me than marriage) by declaring to "protect marriage as the legal union of only one man and one woman as husband and wife," while providing that "no other legal union that is treated as marriage or the substantial equivalent thereof shall be valid or recognized." Despite the truths we hold self evident, equality is hardly ever handed to us. We keep fighting because we must. And we keep fighting because we know we can win. It will take time – it always takes time. Granted, talk about fighting for equality may sound like b.s. coming from my position of privilege as young white middle class citizen who has only recently begun to know the fear of losing rights I already posses (with respect to my sex, and the threats against Roe v. Wade) but this is extremely disappointing to me. I think it's fairly obvious that I would never encourage similar laws should they not have the chance to directly affect my own life or those I care about. However all of this voting to REMOVE rights from American citizens when our country is founded on the ideals of "life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness" is absurd. Placing a BAN preventing certain people from certain rights is in no way granting them a right to pursue happiness and freedom in their own life. I am SO incredibly thankful that residents of South Dakota and Colorado were wiser than to put through laws removing women's rights to decide if/when/how they would like to have children; laws that would that would dare suggest it's not up to a teen and her parents to decide whether to carry a pregnancy initiated through rape to term, but rather the government's decision, or that would allow a court to order a woman to undergo major surgery and have her baby via c-section without her consent (granting the hospital custody of the infant BEFORE, DURING, and AFTER delivery), relying on the argument that fetuses are legal persons with rights seperate from the mother--and in some cases rights to life outweighing those of the mother. Worse yet, these same propositions would have required criminal punishment of women who violated these orders. There was a lot at stake with this election, and for the most part I feel overwhelmingly relieved for things to have gone the way they did. For those issues that didn't result favorably, or that remain vulnerable to threats in the future, I take comfort in the hope and trust I have in our newly elected democratic senate, house, and presidential administrations. The hard work of real change still lies ahead. But now at least we have a chance. Can we create that more perfect union? Yes, you're damn right we can.
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Monday, October 06, 2008
10/06/2008 11:46:00 AM Feeling more grown-up than ever, and yet more frustrated and dissatisfied than ever. I think packing lunch-meat sandwiches for lunch at work probably contributes to both of these. Sunday, September 07, 2008
This Weekend
9/07/2008 05:23:00 PM Went to the Hispanic Festival downtown. -Delicious Empanadas, Fun music Hung out at the Meatlocker -Delicious Margaritas, Fun conversations New Roomate Moved In -Delicious foods will be boughten, once he pays me back for his share of this month's rent. Talked to Beca and Noel as they make their way across the U.S. headed for SF. Continued the search for additional/alternate jobs. -Not delicious at all. Listened to some never-before-heard Kelka podcasts. -Finally get the keeping keys in bowls of limes, and "I Smell Gary Coleman on this Baby" (Ep. 401 is full of classic quotes). Cleaned the Bathroom. Played Mario Kart for the first time in about 8 years -(and set some record time trials). Checked out some Alice Walker from the library. Thursday, August 21, 2008
The Secret Life of Bees
8/21/2008 10:33:00 PM Okay, so this book (by author Sue Monk Kidd) has literally been on my "To Read" list for...let me count for a second....5 or 6 years. Somehow I've managed to read plenty of others from that list, and subsequently made new ones, moving that title over to the updated versions, yet I still have not boughten or checked it out. I better get a move on it, if I want to read it before the film adaptation hits the screens. The trailer already has me excited. The film follows Lily Owens (Dakota Fanning) who — along with her stand-in mother, Rosaleen (Jennifer Hudson) — escapes from her abusive father, and takes up with three beekeeping sisters (Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys and Sophie Okonedo) in a pink house in Tiburon, South Carolina. Plus, little Dakota Fanning is growing up!! How cute is she in this photo with J. Hudson?  Let me do that math for you: Queen Latifah, Oscar nominee; Sophie Okonedo, Oscar nominee; Jennifer Hudson, Oscar winner; Alicia Keys, rock-star/pure talent; Dakota Fanning, best child actress since Jodie Foster. I'm excited. Totes. (okay, I just can't use that expression seriously) 
Abbbuuuuhhhhh?
8/21/2008 03:02:00 PM Today I saw something that surprised me. Pregnancy Tests in the Dollar Store.... Potentially disturbing? Or something that is (as Martha Stewart might say) "a good thing"? I don't really know. Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Back to the old/new place?
8/20/2008 03:57:00 PM I am returned. As of 4:30 in the am, on Monday morning. Which I have to admit was slightly less annoying when I arrived home and found my autographed copy of "Common Reaction" waiting for me (along with a personalized signed photo! Love!) I went to work, and somehow managed not to fall asleep during the day, but was completely exhausted Tuesday and came home from work and passed out until this morning at 11:00am!! Luckily I was able to wake up early enough to still have time to do a bit of cleaning and unpacking before my 1:00 appointment to show the house to a potential roomate. Who is my favorite thus far (unless Kara moves gets a job here, and moves back). His name is Ray. He's a costume designer. Either he's a little hipster boy or a homo. Either or the combination of which I welcome with open arms. Alyssa is moving in tomorrow. It'll be wierd to finally have people living with me in the house after being here all summer by myself. Though, it's good to have the transistion after coming off of a little vacation where I was at home and able to be around friends and make social. If I had to return to my little world of lonely solitude it would suck. I don't really have a recap of the weddings, but I do happen to love this sequence of photos taken from Sarah's:     I had a blast and the memories (even those I can't recall due to my innebriated state, but told to me through others stories) will last a lifetime. It was great to see friends, and even embarass myself via karaoke (twice in one week), and leave random drunken voicemails while eating donuts in a gas station--only to have my granparents question me about it later (it's Loup City. Word gets around). Hmm, that reminds me...I owe Jodi a Thank You card for coming to get our asses. Monday, August 11, 2008
Uh Huh....they're getting real promotion.
8/11/2008 01:16:00 PM Uh Huh Her Video Premier & Album Leak! Ahh! The video is here! MTV is giving an exclusive premiere of 'Not A Love Song,'. (omg, LOVE the unicorn) Then, additionally MTVu, Logo, and other MTV web properties are giving an exclusive album leak of Common Reaction. The website has even gotten a makeover (they totally took my polaroid top banner...only much cooler). It's All Very Exciting! The only thing more exciting will be when I get back to STL next week and find my autographed copy of the the cd in my mailbox. Wait....that is of course assuming it's still there and no one has stolen it. I better call Will and have him check my mail for me.... Tuesday, August 05, 2008
My house key is gay.
8/05/2008 02:08:00 PM It's true. Today over my lunch break I had to go get some copies of my house key made since A) I'm the only one who has one, and Alyssa will need one to get in, when she moves up here in a couple weeks and I'm in Nebraska. B) Will needs a copy as he's showing the house to potential roomates while I'm gone, and C) Whoever our 3rd roomate ends up being will need a copy. So I get to this tiny little True Value in Oak Hill (packed literally from floor to ceiling with all their tools). This store was way too tiny to be a hardware store--however they did duplicate keys. Only all they had left of the blank housekeys were one gold and one silver, so the dude let me pick one of the special "painted" keys for the 3rd copy and only charged me the regular-key price. I had a choice of animale print, plant print, or rainbows. And I most definitely went for the rainbow. Hence....my key is gay. Wait---you don't think my whole house is gay now too, do you? Monday, August 04, 2008
My Weekend
8/04/2008 11:41:00 AM So this weekend I traveled to Gibson City, IL to visit my parents. Who are just as insane as ever, and loving every minute of it. No joke...we spent Saturday drinking for 13 straight hours. We showed up to some of their friends for a barbecue at 11am, ate some kabobs, and the booze started flowing and didn't stop till we left the bar around midnight. Ridiculous. Thursday, July 31, 2008
Oh No.
7/31/2008 11:02:00 PM Hollywood has sent up yet another signal that Armageddon is nigh! MTV is currently working on a bastardized version of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Variety reports that the network is planning a remake, replete with new music. It's a sacrilege against camp and queers everywhere to touch Rocky Horror. Folks have widely speculated on the casting but I like Tracy Gilchrist's suggestion for an all L Word remake of Rocky Horror, if we must have one, hahaha. "Here’s my casting agent expertise at work. Shane as Riff Raff, Alice as Colombia, Kit as Magenta, Tina as Janet, Max as Brad, Jenny as Dr. Scott and we’d have to bring back Dana as Rocky. I gotta say...Crazy Jenny as Dr. Scott would be hilarious. Hell, Jenny Schechter as any character with a Ph.D. would be comedy gold.
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Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Lovely Ladies of SNL
7/30/2008 05:47:00 PM Good News! Even though tv was really suck this past year (aided by the writer's strike of course), this coming season NBC's line-up looks promising. And mainly because their standard Thursday night "Must See TV" will be filled with these gals:  Molly Shannon, Anna Gastayer, and Cheri Oteri were my all-time favorite females of Saturday Night Live for a good period of time, and when they left (along with Will Ferrell and Chris Cattan...rounding out my fav overall cast) there was a void. Luckily, two other chicks stepped up and brought the funny and the fabulous comedy-chemistry back to the show. I've never loved Weekend Update, but I did when Amy Pohler and Tina Fey co-hosted it. Now, Poehler, Fey, and Shannon are lined up side-by-side with their own comedies. Tina Fey will, of course, be back as Liz Lemon for the third season of "30 Rock"  Molly Shannon will be staring alongside Selma Blair the remake of the popular Australian comedy "Kath and Kim" about a dysfunctional mother-daughter team.  and finally, Amy Poehler has signed on to headline a sitcom from Office-creator Greg Daniels (originally it was reported that Poehler would star in the rumored Office spin-off).  I'm excited! And I'm willing to bet there will be cameos from Oteri and Gastayer, and perhaps even Megan Mullally (just cause she's also a good friend of Shannon's) on Molly's show. Monday, July 28, 2008
Really Papi...really?
7/28/2008 02:24:00 PM Native American child banned from kindergarten Since when do schools dictate hair length? And for 5 year olds? Racialicious (original post at Shameless) 5 year old Adriel Arocha is being banned from his Houston-area kindergarten class. Why, you ask?
Yee points out that growing your hair is a tradition in many Indigenous cultures: "Long hair carries our life experiences and reminds us about the teachings we've received along the way." But apparently that's not good enough for Superintendent Curtis Rhodes, who says, "I was trying to find out what recognized religion they are that discusses they cannot cut their hair and the information I received then was basically it's their choice." What the hell. I know plenty of mothers who would cut a bitch before cutting their son's hair...and those are kracker-white-ass folks without a reason as founded as cultural tradition (unless being a red-neck counts). This superintendent sounds like a real jack-ass. Sure "Native American" is used as more of an ethinic/racial identity than a religious one, but obviously they hold their own set of spiritual beliefs--that doesn't mean they have to have an organized church or label to prove so.
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Friday, July 25, 2008
Favorite Movie Musicals
7/25/2008 08:57:00 PM Following Mamma Mia last weekend--well, technically following the Dark Knight and Wall-E on Sunday (Janie and I pulled a double feature) I was still caught up in the ABBA musical madness so I also watched "Muriel's Wedding" which, though technically not a musical, was full of all ABBA tunes as well. Apparently "Cinemania" here in St. Louis has 4 weeks in the summer where they have a free outdoor film series, and this year it's musical themed. Unfortunately I only found out about it this week, so I've already missed An American in Paris, Funny Girl, and West Side Story, but tomorrow is Moulin Rouge so I'm planning to make it to that one. Anyway, all this musical business got me trying to think of my favorite. Which of course is near-impossible for me to decide. So I decided to list a few, in no particular order...cause even ranking those that made the list was too hard. Since it's up for review tomorrow night, we'll start with Moulin Rouge I absolutely love the look of the film, but moreso, I love that Baz Luhrman recycled old pop classics and gave them a truly musical feeling, and managed to thread them into the narrative, so they weren't completely out of place. "El Tango de Roxanne" Grease This movie does what every film/play/performance strives to do, and stands the test of time amazingly well. Generations have, and will continue to fall in love with this film for eternity. "You're the One that I Want" Chicago another gorgeous film, another favorite tango sequence of mine... "Cell Block Tango" Mary Poppins I love this movie so much, even searching for a clip to include was a major task. There are so many to choose from...Step in Time, Jolly Holiday, Chim-Chim-Cher-ee, Supercalifragilisticexpealidocious, Spoonful of Sugar...the list goes on. Regardless, I finally settled on one of my favorites (even though they're all favs) "Feed the Birds" Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory I'm noticing a pattern, I seem to fall for the big dramatic (tango) numbers, and the gentle soft ones. Like this one. "Pure Imagination" Sound of Music Though not my favorite Julie Andrews feature, no doubt her career-defining performance was as Von Trapp family's big voiced governess. Strangely enough, cause I again couldn't choose between songs like "So Long, Farwell", "Do-Re-Mi" or of course "the Sound of Music", I chose one that my beloved Dame Julie didn't sing at all. This song can be absolutely gorgeous if you've ever heard a real vocalist sing it. "Edelweiss" West Side Story Romeo and Juliet transposed onto the gangs of New York. What more could you want set to some singing and dancing? "Tonight (Ensemble Version)" Wizard of Oz My theme song at times, "If I Only Had A Brain" White Christmas I love Rosemary Clooney, but Bing Crosby in semi-drag singing to her? That's the clip that wins. "Sisters" and for the more unconventional modern musicals: Once I think we all know how much I love this movie, this soundtrack, these performers (seriously, if you get the chance to see the Swell Season on tour, do it!) "When Your Minds Made Up" Cry Baby Even Johnny Depp gets in on the cheesy-self-mocking-musical fun. And I love every bit of it. "King Cry Baby" Nightmare Before Christmas The fact that memorabilia from this film still fill teen mall shops like "Hot Topic" and rock/pop/punk bands continue to release their covers of "This is Halloween" prove how much even the kids who are too-cool-for-school aren't too cool for this musical. "What's This?" Rocky Horror Picture Show Epic. What else is there to say? "The Time Warp" Since I started with the movie I'm seeing next, I'll end with the most recent one I've seen. Hedwig and the Angry Inch ...and the tranny movie marathon continues. This weekend I finally saw it after watching a short documentary on the history of the play/show. They had a big viewing/sing-a-long party a few months ago at Webster, but it was during finals and I had too much going on to make it. The punk numbers were great fun (especially coming from a drag queen) and sounded like singles from a rock group, but I gotta say I really liked the softer touches like "Midnight Radio" and "Makeup (Wig in a Box)" even though they were the more typical "musical" sounding of the bunch.
In case you noticed a few particular movies you were expecting, allow me to explain. Even though they often make these lists frequently, I just can't put Disney films on here, when most of the songs in the films are actually quite racist, sexist, and ethnocentric. And then, I have yet to see Bette Midler's Gypsie or Barbara Streisand's Funny Girl, and I was never that into Annie or Rent, so most of these are just the ones that stick out most in memory. |
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