It's here! It's done! My zine, BE ABOUT IT!, is ready for you to take home!!!
Please leave me a comment or send me an email if you would like a copy for yourself. I only have 75 of these babies printed, so supplies are limited! The zine is only three dollars
This is the zine that I put together, and it features a selection of poems (including a handful by yours truly!), humor pieces, illustrations, and other odds and ends. The launch party is this Friday!!
This was going to be in my zine ( I have been working on the zine non-stop, hence the lack of blog posts recently, and am pleased to announce that it will be out by FRIDAY!!), but I cut it at the last moment. It felt too "bloggy" to me, so here is a piece of non-fiction especially reserved for the Tsaritsa sez...
It was always really easy for me to write poems whenever I felt sad or depressed. My year living in England and studying in a foreign school produced a treasure hoard of gloomy poetry-- I didn't really have any friends there besides the guy I was dating, and to make matters worse I was obsessed over some dumb boy back in the States. These perceived feelings of loneliness and longing, plus my self-induced isolation from my peers, created a prime environment for dipping into my goth side and getting my emotions onto paper. I didn't have anyone I could talk to, as far as I was concerned, so instead I wrote.
I wrote a lot of sappy and desperate poems about my homesickness and the fucked up situation I had created in my head. I'm not sure why I was so convinced that I was in love with this kid I barely knew-- a person I communicated with chiefly through letters and e-mails. It was a pathetic mess. To aggravate the already embarrassing ordeal, I was including my poems in the letters I sent to the boy, knowing that he would know the poems were about him. He even asked me in a letter he wrote in response if the poem was about him and all I could do was sheepishly tell him the truth. "I figured it was about me," he wrote back.
In Norwich's city center, looking gloomy
All this time, I was also involved with the University's poetry society, where I read my work aloud in meetings and at open mic nights, and was submitting my poems to the school newspaper and literary mags. Despite the lame source of my inspiration, I was actually getting a lot done in terms of putting my thoughts on paper and getting them published. It was a good time for me for writing and for feeling like a real writer.
Flash forward to present day: I'm in a happy and committed relationship and life is good, which means I've been going through a terrible writer's block and haven't been indentured to my craft (I realize how pompous that sounds). It's harder for me to feel poetic when I don't have anything soul-scorching to complain about. Is it wrong that negative feelings propel my creativity, that I have to feel tortured in order to make, what I deem, true art? I'm not sure, and I'm a little nervous about calling myself an "artist" back there.
Can poetry come from a happy place? I know a lot of people write happy poems about being in love and being in a good mood, but that's not really my style. I believe art-- any kind of art whether it be a poem, a rap, a painting, whatever-- should come from a real place and reflect the artist's experience. There's a reason why Oprah disowned that guy's fake autobiography-- no one wants to read, or look at, a completely false interpretation of something. Therefore I should not be afraid to embrace positivity if I'm so concerned about making a true portrayal of my life. Perhaps I'll learn something from focusing on the happy, but if I fail I will always have my memory to fall back on. My poor, tortured memory.
I drew a picture today! Drawing on the computer is kind of difficult, but it takes me back to the days when I'd spend hours creating masterpieces on KidPix, a kid-friendly software for drawing and painting on Macintosh.
So here it is, in anticipation of my zine, BE ABOUT IT, I drew a picture of a random redhead drinking coffee and reading a zine. What could be better on a Saturday? Thanks to the alabaster cow for letting me link up my drawing on her page.
I woke up this morning with my least favorite Lady Gaga song stuck in my head. It's the one that begins "Silicone, saline, poison, inject me baby I'm a free bitch..."
I have no idea why I get some songs stuck in my head, but I think it's related to recent Heidi Montag news.
My sister sent me a link yesterday about Heidi reversing her multiple plastic surgeries and wanting to go back to the way she used to look.
What a poor, silly thing. I don't understand why so many people resort to plastic surgery pure vanity-- seriously, why would ANYONE want to cut themselves up and stuff their body parts with foreign materials in order to look like another person or fit in with society's standards? It's bizarre to me.
Of course, there are people who have been in accidents or women who have lost their breasts to cancer, or women who suffer from back problems because of their breasts, and surgery is helpful and life-saving in that way, and I understand that. What I don't get is why a beautiful girl would undergo twelve separate surgeries to completely change her appearance.
Own who you are.
Apparently she was interviewed by the tabloid Life & Style (but you can read about the interview on Celebitchy for free) in case you want to hear her side of the story and why she thought it would be a good idea to cut up her chest, cheeks, eyebrows, ass, lips, ears, et cetera. Oh Heidi, you little famewhore. Are you happy now? Will you be happy once you get your boobs reduced? I sure hope so.
For Day 14 of my 30 day Twitter-inspired challenge (click here to see where it all began) I am to address someone I've drifted away from.
Today's challenge could go in a number of ways, but I think I will approach it in a nice way. Everyone has friends that they've drifted away from. It's only natural that as we get older and our interests change that we lose touch with some people that we once considered close friends.
I don't feel bad about it-- sure, we could sit around and reminisce about the stuff we used to do together, but how fun is that when we could be making new memories?
@DriftedFriend: Yo! I hope you're well and life is good for you. I've been great, no complaints here. Let's get ice cream together sometime.
In other news, did you watch the Daily Show last night? Jon Stewart went on a ten minute long rant, albeit eloquent and humorous, about Glenn Beck and his brilliant idea to have a march to the Lincoln Memorial on the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King's Freedom March, where he gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech to an audience of hundreds of thousands in 1963. I highly doubt that the date and location of Beck's rally was a coincidence, but then again I don't really care.
I will not support the idiot or give him an even bigger platform than he already has, but I will say that Jon Stewart hit the nail on the head when he proved Beck's hypocritical nature. Beck talks about Democrats doing all this fear-mongering to scare people into believing their agenda.
Um, Mr. Beck, isn't that THE SOLE PURPOSE OF YOUR SHOW??? All you do is drum up fear and scare people into buying into the bullshit that spews from your mouth. And no, I do not think that the government is out to get me, and no I do not have to listen to anything you say. It saddens me that people take this schmuck seriously.
Here is the link to the video of Jon Stewart ripping Beck a proverbial new one.
I went to a San Francisco Giants game last night and it was awesome! Despite the fact that I overdosed on garlic fries (my stomach was not happy with me afterward) it was a blast-- we had great seats, it was an exciting game, and I was with cool peeps. My friend, Rebekah, is a diehard Giants fan and buys a slew of tickets every year, and she was nice enough to invite me to last night's game as her guest.
Rebekah on the right and Jaime on the left.
We had a lot of fun taunting the fielders from the Red Sox Cincinnati Reds (whatever, I'm a PHILLIES GIRL!!), cheering along with the crowd: "What's the matter with Stu-ubbs? HE'S A BUM!" haha
The guy in front of us asked if the three of us were sisters! We all do look a little ginger here.
We left during the seventh inning (I don't think I've ever stayed for the entire duration of a game), but not before the man sitting in front of us caught a homerun ball-- it was a Giants homerun ball, of course. Someone earlier in the game caught a ball hit by the other team, which was promptly thrown back onto the field. You gotta love sports fans!
Here I am posing with the homerun ball and the man who caught it, and the large bruise on his hand that formed after catching the ball. It sure traveled a long way!
For today's installation of 30 Tweets to 30 Peeps I'm supposed to address someone I wish would forgive me. Um? I don't think I know anyone like that... I don't want to skip Day 13 of the challenge, so I guess I'll either make something up or make a joke out of it. Here goes:
@PC4Lyfe: Listen, I'm sorry I offended you for whatever reason. You should learn how to laugh more. Forgive me when you're ready, I'm not in a rush.
Haha, that was a total mockery of the challenge, but it's funny and makes sense. It's not addressed to any real person, just people who take everything wayyy too seriously. Life is a lot of fun. Enjoy it!
And to cap off this ridiculous blog post (can you tell it's filler?), I would like you to listen to this song that I heard over the weekend. The lyrics are super stupid, but I love the beat. Reminds me of early 90s dance music-- it takes me back to the days when Q102 in Philly was obsessed with club music, and so was everyone else. Check this song out. It's by a group from the Bay Area called Far East Movement. I hope you like it.
UPDATE: I CANNOT, for the life of me, get this song out of my head! Sippin sizzurp in my ride, in my ride like 3-6 [Mafia], now I'm feelin so fly like a G-6... It's so addicting, and the only way I know to get a song out of my head is to listen to it a bunch of times until I'm sick of it. I guess I know what I'll be doing the rest of the day!
I wonder if the group would let me interview them. Now that would be something!
The weather outside is beautiful, which is why I am only taking a few minutes to update my blog today. This weather is highly unusual for San Francisco, but I'm loving it! Finally, for the second time this year, I can wear shorts! Not only that, but I can wear a tank top without the assistance of a hoodie. It's awesome! Living here, I really miss summer time.
Hooray for cutoff shorts! I love these things and rarely get a chance to wear them in the city. Also wearing a great pair of Sam Edelman flats that I found at Marshall's on sale. My mom also got the same pair.
Trying to take a photo outside without wearing sunglasses was nearly impossible, thus the squinting. What can I do? The sun is really bright!
Here I managed to keep my eyes open, which also caused a weird expression to form on my face. No, I'm not actually disgusted by anything, I just appear to be. I have no idea how models keep their eyes open in some of these photo shoots without sunglasses. The closing your eyes and opening them quickly for the shot is a hard maneuver to pull off.
I'm going to a baseball game tonight and I'm very excited! It should be an awesome time, especially with the weather so nice today.
Come here. I have a confession to divulge. It's kind of embarrassing, so you have to promise to tell no one.
Okay, so it's not that embarrassing at all, and I guess posting this on my blog is not going to keep the secret between just you and me, and I'm pretty much over being embarrassed about stupid stuff.
Here it is: I like Britney Spears.
Go ahead, judge me. Britney is fabulous, and even though her songs are silly, they are a whole lot of fun to dance and rock out (pop out?) to. Take this song, "If U Seek Amy," for example.
On the surface it's just a fun song about trying to find a girl named Amy in the club, but if you listen again it's also a cheeky double entendre:
"Love me, hate me, say what you want about me /
but all of the boys and all of the girls are begging to if you seek Amy"
is actually ...But all of the boys and all of the girls are begging to F-U-C-K me.
Haha! Britney, you're a bad girl! I didn't know you had it in you!
I was NOT a fan of Britney Spears when she first came out on the musical scene. I may have liked her when she was on the Mickey Mouse Club, but I'm not really sure-- my memories from those days are fuzzy, at best (though I can clearly remember fighting with my little sister, around that same time, about who got to hold the VHS box for The Little Mermaid while we watched the movie). I remember making a parody version of her first single "Baby One More Time" about kicking people's asses (I was really into Weird Al at the time and writing my own funny songs).
But I like her now. Her producers are amazing-- the beats are always hot and danceable-- and you gotta admit that the girl knows how to put on a show. I'm happy that I came around and grew to accept Britney. This blog is only a little bit ridiculous today, and I think I'm being silly because the weather is really beautiful today and I want to go back out.
Let's move on to my Daily Tweet... today is Day 12, and this one is addressed to the person I hate most/caused me a lot of pain. Fun! Who comes up with this stuff? I guess it must be said, though.
@MiserableShit: You're a terrible person. A sociopath. Hateful. Scary. A liar. A thief. I wish death on no one, except you. All you do is ruin lives, CREEP!
And that's all I'm gonna say about that person.
This weekend was so fun!! My DYL on Friday night was a huge success and a lot of fun, even though we did leave early (when you start partying at 4:30 PM it's hard to carry it on to the late evening). Good times. On Saturday I went to a birthday party for my friend Laura and had a blast-- first we went to a salon/spa and got pampered up. It was really relaxing to just chill out in a big comfy chair while getting my nails did. Getting a manicure was fun, even though the paint started chipping later that night.
We all later went out for a delicious feast at Andalu. Laura treated us to a tasting menu and we got a bunch of little American tapas plates. Sliders, onion rings, salads, fondue, the list went on... Man, did I pig out! My favorite dish I tried there was the deep fried macaroni and cheese-- lawd, that was divine!
On Sunday, Ben and I took a car ride over to the East Bay to check out his friend's plant sale and also get some sunshine. We ended up taking a hike up some hill on a trail called "Bear Creek Trail." Oh yeah, that name is really comforting.
The hike was all well and good and we were enjoying being out in the woods and away from people, until I heard a low-pitched roar and took off walking fast back down the trail. It was probably the sound of a tree about to fall, but it freaked me out, and I wasn't dressed properly. Next time we go off into the wilderness I'll remember to bring a big stick, and also wear some hiking boots.
What was funny, although you can't tell in this photo, is that we were both wearing shirts depicting big cats, totally unplanned. Mine had a tiger and Ben's had a black panther. It would have been dorky if we had coordinated a "couple's costume," but this wasn't the case. We just both really love cats.
This is going to be a lousy post because I'm running all over the place right now in preparation for my DYL (Destroy Your Liver) Happy Hour event tonight. Get psyched!
I'm currently trying to find an outfit to wear tonight. Concocting the perfect attire for an evening is always a fun challenge for me-- I'm one of those people who runs around in states of half-dress while dashing back and forth from the closet to the large mirror to see how it matches up.
And then tomorrow I'm going to a spa birthday party for one of my friends, which should also be cool, though I wish I had scheduled a massage for the party, but I can only afford to get a manicure. Oh well. I can't remember the last time I went to a salon to get my nails did, so it will be a treat for me. Hopefully they'll have champagne for us to drink while we get pampered. Ahhh, I love a spa day. I wish I wasn't so broke so I could get the full spa treatment, but this is what life is like on unemployment. [Okay, so that was kind of a joke, but I will mention that since childhood I've always been very frugal, so scrimping and saving during this period after being laid-off isn't really that bad-- I know how to budget.]
UPDATE!
I chose an outfit! Acid wash red jeggings (combination of jeans and leggings), over-sized black tunic, and red heels. I love how Sookie snuck into the photo-- she usually doesn't like having her picture taken. Now to fix my crazy hair.
I had another wacky dream last night/this morning. I was at a party with some friends, my sister, and my boyfriend. My sister was sitting on a roof overlooking a dance floor, where my boyfriend was standing and chatting with some chick I know. She was flirting with him hard-core, and my sister pointed it out to me. I went down there, pushed Ben out of the way, and proceeded to knock that heifer down to the ground. Then I referred to my Muay Thai fighting skills to beat the crap out of her. I was furious, especially because I told her earlier in the dream to leave my man alone. After beating her to a bloody pulp, I left her there for dead, and dusted off my knuckles.
No one messes with me or my man, unless they wanna have a chat with Rita and Tootsie-- my right and left fists.
Sorry, I just had to get that out. I woke up this morning feeling very confused and it took me a while to realize that what happened in the dream did not, in fact, happen in real life. It was reassuring to know that I didn't just almost kill someone, but also a little frustrating. Wiling out on that betch was a great stress relief, at least in my dream.
You may find it funny to know that I've never actually been in a fight in real-life. I used to get picked on (all the goddamn time) in grade-school and some of the girls would pull my hair or push me around, but I never fought back. I don't know why, but it could be a reason why I'm so anxious to fight these days. Well, I don't really want to get into a fight with another person, unless it's in a ring and declared a "fair one." I don't need some idiot stabbing me in the gut just because I want to punch someone.
I'm not a super violent person, honestly! But I did study Muay Thai, and I do enjoy watching UFC matches. So what?
For Day 11 of my ongoing challenge, 30 Tweets to 30 Peeps, I am to address a deceased person who I wish I could talk to. When I was little, my dad would take our family to Manchester, England to visit my Granddad and Gran. I still have very vivid memories of playing in their house as a child, listening to my Granddad tell stories and jokes and play the fiddle, helping Gran in the kitchen and getting hollered at for watching "rubbish" ghost shows on television. I'm crying as I type this.
@Gran&Granddad: I wish you were still around and I miss you both. There is a lot I want to share with you, but I can't. I just hope that you are proud of me
Okay, to lighten the mood, I am going to share some hilarious headlines that my boyfriend e-mailed to me this morning, courtesy of The Chive (a shoot-off of The Onion, or a rip-off?). Enjoy!
So, I get the pun "Close Shave," "Close Save," but in this case it does not work. At all.
She's just really happy for her lonely dad. Wouldn't you be?
Hahaha, WHO wrote this headline?
What happens when the Male Jacks do well?
Meh, I don't feel sorry for him. He was asking for it.
I just got back from having lunch with one of my best friends, Shalimar. We had a delicious and highly nutritious Japanese lunch downtown before she had to leave for work. It's been a while since we last hung out, so it was really nice to catch up. I love my friends and I wish I could see them more, but I understand that we all have our own schedules and most of my friends are busier than I am. I take what I can get and I always appreciate it.
It was also a really beautiful day today-- the sun was out, there was a nice little breeze, and I was able to leave the house without a coat! Amazing!
Today is Day 10 of my 30 Tweets to 30 Peeps challenge (click here) and my assignment today is address someone you don’t talk to as much as you’d like to. That's easy. Ever since I moved out to the West coast I've really been missing my friends in Philly, and wish I could see them more than once a year. I wish they would move out here, actually. That would be awesome! I try to call my friends back home when I can, but I'm not really a phone person and neither are my friends, and chatting on the phone isn't the same as having a face to face conversation.
@PhillyFrenz: I miss you so much! I loved how I could call you any time to hang out. I wish you'd move here and we could all go out together like oldtimes
In other news, I received a Lovely Blog award from Amy at Life's Journey With a Smile! In order to receive this award I must first share seven things about myself, and then pass the award on to nine super bloggers. Here we go!
Seven Random Facts About Myself (really just the first things that came to mind):
1) My favorite Shakespeare play is Hamlet. It's hilarious, gloomy, and frightening, all at once.
2) My music taste ranges from blues to hard rock to bubble-gum pop to gangsta rap to R&B. This generally surprises a lot of people.
3) I love doodling.
4) I just finished reading Stephen King's On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, and highly recommend it to anyone who thinks novel-writing is in their future. Get some tips from the pro!
5) I have a scar on my left foot as a result of an accident on the pottery wheel when I was eight years old.
6) I don't own a blowdryer, I let my hair air-dry. I also don't use any styling products. I guess you can tell.
7) Sometimes I think I have a mild case of OCD. Little things can be really annoying to me.
And now to pass this award on to nine Lovely Bloggers!
On a completely different note, I decided that enough was enough and it was time to finally make a Youtube video addressing the haters I have accumulated on that site. I don't know why they even bother writing me nasty comments-- if you don't like my videos, don't watch them. Telling me that I'm retarded isn't going to stop me from posting videos of myself rapping. I'm aware I'm making a fool of myself, that doesn't bother me. Seriously, pick on someone who cares!
My boyfriend thought I said "ummm" too many times, but I'm not reading off a script, I'm doing this off the cuff. Gimme a break!
For day 9 of my 30 Tweets to 30 Peeps challenge, I shall address someone I'd like to meet. Oh boy! The possibilities are seemingly endless. Should I pick someone who is no longer with us here on Earth, like the great John Lennon or perhaps some key figure from further back in history, like Cleopatra or Joan of Arc? Or perhaps I should I pick some respected author or scholar whom I admire?
This is tough! Luckily, this is only a blog and the decision I make really has no effect on anything, besides maybe the amount of comments I receive on this post. Ha!
I don't want to write another open letter because specificity is interesting and I've already done too many open-ended letters. This one is going to a person whom I will never meet, and if they were alive I still probably wouldn't ever get the chance to meet them. But that's okay, and this is what the Tweet is for.
@TheresaHakKyungCha: I never knew you, but I have a lot to ask. You were a great writer, tragic, gone so soon. Made an impact on me, in many ways you won't know.
For those who have never heard of Theresa Hak Kyung Cha, don't feel too bad. She was a writer, artist (an example of her art is depicted above), performer, only had one book published, an autobiography, before she was murdered by a stranger in New York City. I love the way she writes, so fluidly and poetic, and it's really sad to me that we'll never get to read any more of her work. I would love to pick her brain on language and story, but alas it will never happen.
And now to follow-up on my blog post from yesterday. I got a lot of feedback from readers regarding my completely biased critique of Eat Pray Love, which is cool and it's what I wanted. So thanks! Thanks to one of my readers for sharing this article "Eat, Pray, Spend" from Bitch Magazine about the anti-feminist message in the story, and the idea that we can buy our problems away. The authors really hit the nail on the head, for me at least, and said what I was thinking-- albeit a lot more eloquent and researched than my piece.
Today, I thought I'd do something a little different, but still on the same note. You don't need to spend money or take yoga classes to live a better life-- really!
Here are some FREE and fun ways to find inner-peace...
1) Take a walk and count how many friends who you love and who love you back. Feel thankful.
2) Take a long hot bath, light some incense, and listen to the sweet, sweet sounds of Sade while you relax.
3) Pet a kitty. Giving your pets affection is good for your soul and theirs.
4) Go outside and stand in the sunlight. Close your eyes and feel the sun warming your face. Soak up that vitamin D.
5) Sit in a park and do some people-watching. Nothing takes your mind off things like sitting in nature and observing other people.
6) Stressed to the max? Grab a pillow and scream as loud as you can into it. Feel better? I thought you would.
On another note, I lost a follower last night, most likely due to my blog about Julia Roberts. Damn, are people really that sensitive? It's just my opinion, gee whiz!
Happy Monday! Today is the eighth day of the 30 Tweets to 30 Peeps challenge and my task is to address a favorite "internet friend."
Sweet! When I first moved to San Francisco I knew literally no one, except my boyfriend and this horrible girl who I don't talk to anymore (long story short-- we were friends for a while, not close friends, but she was someone to party with. I realized she was completely self-absorbed and would do anything to get her way, but only after giving her too many chances and getting burnt by her ire, oh well), so I spent a lot of time wandering the city alone and looking online for jobs.
I eventually found solace and a sense of community once I joined the restaurant-reviewing site, Yelp. I made friends on the message boards and eventually met them in real-life through events and parties.
This may sound incredibly dorky, but I was really happy that I was finally meeting people.
I wouldn't call myself an introvert, really, but I can be shy and the idea of just going out and trying to make friends on the street didn't seem sensible to me. I really appreciate technology for helping me connect with peers with similar interests and equally sick senses of humor.
So this tweet isn't to anyone in particular, but more of an open letter to all the nice and crazy friends I've met, or am yet to meet, through the internet.
@FaveInternetFrenz: Thanks for being awesome and not psychotic. Seriously, you're fun and you rule and thanks for taking care of my drunk ass that one time haha
Making a wacky face and holding up a photobooth shot of me with some Yelp friends.
Okay, so this is absolutely prejudicial and I know it, but I'm going to say it anyway. I have no intention of wasting my time reading the book, nor will I watch the film with Julia Roberts (*gag*) and I'll tell you why. Feel free to call me out on this, I could be completely wrong in my assumptions, but I have formed an opinion on Eat, Pray, Love solely based on the commercials and all the crap I've been hearing about it from other people.
I dunno about you, but I reject the notion that one has to travel around the world in order to "find yourself." Sure, traveling is awesome and if you can afford to take a trip every once in a while, then you should do it. However, I do not want to read what some friggin super-rich financial planner privileged yuppie has to say about finding inner peace. I simply don't care to hear her opinion, and I can take a walk around the block if I'm seeking self-reflection, thank you very much.
Not everyone has the luxury to up and leave the country for several months of leisure time, which is my other problem with this book/film. A lot of us have jobs and responsibilities that prevent us from embarking on such a long vacation, and I highly doubt that the majority of people who love Eat, Pray, Love are Wall Street bankers with millions in their pockets to burn, or have publishing companies funding their extended vacations.
I feel like I'm going to get a lot of hate mail about this post, but it's how I feel about it. The whole part about going to Italy and making a big deal about eating "carbs" is just so fucking stupid to me, and honestly I don't need this woman's watered-down take on spirituality-- if I want to hear white people blather about Eastern religions I'll read a Beat novel.
Again, I don't really know anything about the story, I'm just making wild assumptions, so don't hate me too much. I'm sure it's a nice beach book, I just don't think it deserves all the attention it's getting. As for the movie, the only reason to see it is because James Franco is in it, but then again I think he kisses Julia Roberts at some point which is too nasty for me. Ugh, Julia Roberts. I cannot stand your forehead vein.
Also, I'm aware that I have no soul. I am a ginger, duh :)
You don't need to tell me, I know I'm obsessed. Law & Order is one of those shows that never gets old, even though the formula is pretty much the same in every episode. So what makes it special? For one, it's been around since 1990 and still going strong. The casting is great, for main characters and guest stars, including notable actors and stars like Jeff Goldblum, Cynthia Nixon, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Jerry Orbach, Olivia d'Abo, Dennis Farina, Chris Noth, Mariska Hargitay, Ice T, the list goes on.
The main characters are so endearing and so well-written that we care what happens to them in each episode. That's an important point: if the writing is good and remains relevant over time, a show can last forever. Especially if that show decides to branch out with different series of the franchise, as Special Victims Unit and Criminal Intent did.
I like how episodes are inspired by true crime stories that are currently making headlines (the episode "Selfish" takes cues from the Casey Anthony case). I like how a lot of the humor is comprised of "clean jokes," even when the situation is grisly. I appreciate how the perps drink Pathmark brand sodas while getting interrogated. I enjoy the crossover episodes. And I really like how the show is self-referential to previous episodes in the series, and also to other L&O series. Cross-over episodes rule!
It was upsetting to me when I learned that the original Law & Order series is to be canceled and replaced by a version taking place in Los Angeles. Gross. As if there aren't enough shows already with LA as the backdrop. Every episode of L&O was filmed in New York City, and New York City was one of the main players of the show-- that was Dick Wolf's intention from the start. To just up and fire the longest-lasting cast member of the show after twenty years is sad to me. New York is one of those places that everyone loves. It's teeming with excitement and hustle and bustle, everything is always open, it's full of history, and it has character. I think you'd be hard pressed to say the same of Los Angeles.
Today is day 7 of my 30 Day Twitter challenge and today's assignment is to tweet an ex-boyfriend/girlfriend/love/crush. Yuck.
I know some people stay in touch with their exes, but I don't, unless we were already good friends and ended the relationship on a good note. There's no way that I want constant contact with my exes. Exes are usually exes for a reason, after all, and I have enough friends that I don't really need to keep around the dudes that I dump. Did that sound harsh? If you knew my last ex, you wouldn't think so.
I don't really want to dedicate too much time to this schmuck, so I'll keep it short.
@LoserEx: I hope I never see or hear from you again. Stay out of my life. I'm sure you found someone new to terrorize. Karma will get you in the end.
Ugh. Glad I got that over with.
In other news, I joined a blogging group called The Red Dress Club and once a week they post a challenge and ask all the readers to participate. This week's challenge was to construct a dialogue based around an argument. Here is one that my boyfriend and I commonly have, fictionalized.
Person 1: "Did you just see that?" Person 2: "What? I wasn't looking." Person 1: "This commercial, didn't you see the guy?" Person 2: "What guy?" Person 1: "The guy from that TV show... Ugh, what's his name? You know, we watched it last week." Person 2: "Baby, I have no idea what you're talking about." Person 1: "You know, the dude who got his leg cut off, but he still won the lottery anyway? We just saw it!" Person 2: "You mean the dude with the ugly beard?" Person 1: "No, he just has a mustache." Person 2: "No, you're thinking of someone else." Person 1: "I'm not! I swear! He has a 'stache and is always wearing sunglasses." Person 2: "I've never seen him wearing sunglasses, to be honest." Person 1: "We just watched it together! He was wearing shades for half of the show." Person 2: "Well, we must be thinking of different people, then." Person 1: "I guess so." Person 2: "You're really great at describing things, though."
Why am I addressing a stranger, you ask? Well, I'm doing it because that's what it says on the list. Normally I don't talk to strangers, unless they drop something on the street and I pick it up and give it back to them, so today's challenge is a bit strange for me. Should I write an open letter to all strangers, or perhaps a particular kind of stranger, such as people on the bus? Hmmm...
I think I will address the latter, just because I often find myself riding public transportation in San Francisco and it can be quite the hell-raising experience. One time I swore I was going to have an anxiety attack because the bus was so hot and cramped and I could feel people breathing all around me, and the bus had this lingering funk in the air. Stifling madness.
Another time I had the pleasure of sitting in the back of the bus across the aisle from an insane man holding a boombox on his shoulder and listening to the radio at maximum volume on an out of tune station, so it was essentially just playing static. LOUD static. There were other people on the bus, but no one seemed to notice or care, which completely dumbfounded me. Why the bus driver was being so blahzay (I know I didn't spell that correctly, it's a French word and I took Spanish in school, so I'm just going to spell it like the hip-hop group did) about the situation was odd to me, too, but I guess there are so many wackos here that people here have learned how to ignore them. It's sad, in a way.
So here's my message to all of the strange strangers on the bus:
@FellowBusPassengers Hi. I'm the person next to you on the bus. Give me my space, I'll give you yours. I don't really wanna chat, and please don't stab me. Thnx.
For those of you who don't know, last year a dude in the Bay Area stabbed two people while riding on public transit. These people, including an 11 year old child, who were assaulted were just minding their own business and did not provoke the man. How creepy is that? You're riding the bus home from work, reading a book, and suddenly someone runs up and stabs you with a knife. Horrible.
On a lighter note, I decided to make a drawing based on something my boyfriend told me. I don't know if it's true, but he said that makeup manufacturers use bat guano as an ingredient in mascara. Gross, right? I love bats and as cute as they are, I do not want their doo-doo on my eyelashes. Good thing I hardly ever wear makeup.
On Day 5 of my 30 Day Challenge I'm supposed to address my dreams. I could address the dreams and nightmares I have while I sleep, that would be fun-- finally, I can tell my subconscious what I really think of the "movies" it's been putting out recently. Ha! I can imagine it now...
"Dear dreams, why are you so weird? Please stop freaking me out. K thanx."
I do have a story I want to tell you about a funny dream I had a few nights ago, but I'll save that for later. Right now, I would like to address my hopes and dreams, the things that I wish for in life, and the things that I would like to accomplish during my time on Earth.
@LifelongDreams: How do I make you come true, besides working hard and trying, even when no one cares? I have a fear of failure. I just want to do "okay."
I used to have really outlandish goals, but I think as we get older we become more and more realistic about how things in life work. If you work really, really hard, you can do all right for yourself and lead a comfortable life. Some people will make their dreams of becoming famous come true, while most others will fail and lay by the wayside with their crushed hopes.
Becoming famous helps if you're already incredibly rich, or if you're related to, or dating somebody, who is famous. For the rest of us, it's just a bunch of noses to the grind and hours of sweat and determination, and then maybe we can afford to pay car insurance one day. Just maybe.
I still dream of being a world-renown writer, but I won't kick myself if it doesn't happen. So long as I have a roof over my head, a kitty at my feet, and my man by my side, I will be happy.
So, I told you before that I would tell you about the weird dream I had a few nights ago. It was not an ordinary dream for me to have: the dreams I usually remember are nonsensical and winding, like walking through an endless and empty corridor of a large building, confused and wandering aimlessly. This was a funny dream. It was humorous to me when I woke up and remembered it-- it felt like a scene from a movie. Here's how it played out (dream written in purple):
I was at a bar with my boyfriend where we were drinking either red wine or some dark-colored juice. I was wearing a white dress. Just as I was thinking "I better not spill anything on this dress," I accidentally dripped some of my drink right on the front of the dress. It was a noticeable stain and I was pissed, but I quickly went over to the bar and asked the bartender for a glass of soda water. The bartender looked at me and said "What else?"
I was in a frantic state and explained to the bartender that I need to soda water to help remove the stain from my dress. "Yes," he said, "You need the soda water, but you need something else. Just think."
Perplexed by his reply and getting angrier that he wasn't helping me, I said "I don't know what else I need. Can you please just give me the soda water?" But this guy was insistent.
"Think. Just think," he said. "What else do you need to get the stain out? Think." My mind raced furiously as I went over a mental list of household items that could help remove my purple stain. Then I had it, I knew what else I needed. "Salt!" I cired out, and then the bartender disappeared.
Weird, right? I don't believe that dreams hold some deeper meaning or any of that other Freudian crap (Freud was a drug-addict and I think he just made up a lot of his theories to make himself feel better). It was just a weird dream, but a memorable one!
To end this blog, I would like to share with you a video from last night's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. It's a ballad of the Jet Blue flight attendant who freaked out the other day, took two beers from the refreshment cart, and then jumped down the escape slide. I'm sure you've heard the story by now, but here is Jimmy Fallon's hilarious song about what to do when life sticks its tongue at you.
Hello all, and welcome back! I apologize for being out of commission the past week, but I really have not been feeling top notch and it's difficult to type on a computer when my head is screaming at me to lay back down and my lungs feels like I have a thick layer of hardening cement in there. Being sick really sucks.
Today is day four of my 30 Tweets to 30 Peeps Challenge (click here if you have no idea what I'm talking about) and the person I'm addressing today is my sibling. I only have one sibling, my sister Bridget, and I love her with all of my heart. I remember the day she was born and picking out a stuffed animal for her at Toys R Us with my dad. I decided on a big tiger stuffed animal "To be her protector," I told my dad. I was four years old at the time.
@LilSis2Cool4Twitter: I miss you, sis! You're the best best friend I could ever ask for. You rule, and I hope I've been a mostly positive role model for you. xox
Sisters!
The best thing about having a sister who is close to you in age-- but not so close that it's annoying and there's tons of rivalry-- is having a friend who is always there. When we were growing up, we always had each other to play with and we could always count on each other for entertainment. Whether it was riding our bikes around the block, racing home from school to sing and dance along with our CATS video, or trying to keep each other sane during "No TV" week-- "You have a call from Ralph, on the big white phone..." "Water. Water. Water. Water. Water. Cooooooke."
I can't recall how many fights we've had over the years, but we always make up and forgive each other. We are sisters! It's silly, but watching an episode of Real Housewives of New Jersey really made me miss my sister. Danielle's youngest daughter performed a song that she wrote herself for her sister's Sweet 16 party. It made me a little sad listening to it "I was always there for you, and you are always there for me, you're more than a friend you're part of my familyyyyyyyyy..." It's corny, but it's endearing.
I've been sick for the past few days, which is why I haven't updated in a hot minute and why I missed day four of my 30 Tweets to 30 Peeps challenge. I will resume the challenge as soon as I'm feeling better, but it's not easy for me to sit at a computer when every three minutes I'm dashing up to clear my lungs of large quantities of phlegm. Nice, huh? I'll spare you any more details, but basically I've been feeling awful and popping Mucinex like it's going out of style. I'm really sick of being sick.
Maybe I'll feel better later today, but right now all I want to do is go back to bed.
@Ma&Pa I love you both very much. Thanks for raising me the way you did & continuing to help me be a better person & thanks for giving me a sister!
My parents are pretty cool. I can talk to them about most anything without worrying about getting yelled at, though my Ma doesn't like to hear swear words so I try to curb my affinity for cursing when I'm around or on the phone with her. My Pa is an artist and I must have gotten my creativity from him. My mom is a lovely host and wholeheartedly enjoys entertaining company. I got my love of cleaning, cooking and hosting parties from my mom. It's a pretty good mix, I'd say.
In other news, the unconstitutional Proposition 8 has been overturned by a California judge. Kron 4 News was covering the story and had cameras outside the courthouse where people with signs picketed the decision. Their signs announced hateful messages about gay people and "warnings" from god.
One of the buffoons was even interviewed. His thoughts? "Now gay people can get married, decided by some judge who wasn't even elected!" Uh... hello? Judges aren't elected for a reason, dumbass! They're appointed so that impartiality is instilled and to protect against corruption. Can you imagine what the world would be like if any shyster politician could buy a judge's seat?
It makes me angry that people are so insensitive and stupid. If two people love each other and want to get married, then they should be allowed to do so. Using religion as an excuse doesn't work. First of all, we live in the United States, a country where there is a separation of church and state. Your religion shouldn't have a say in the law-making process. Secondly, Jesus taught tolerance, compassion, equality, inclusion, love and forgiveness. If Jesus were around today I think he would be flat-out disappointed in all these "Christians" spewing hatred in his name.Not cool.
To the intolerant nutballs: if you want to live in a totalitarian society where religion dictates how you live your life, then why don't you move to Iran? There you can take all your cues from the Supreme Leader. Not only are they taking active measures to set women back 600 years, but also they hate homosexuals as much as you do. It's the perfect place. Let me get you a burka...
If you read all the way down to here, I congratulate you! I want to cap off this morning post with a hilarious video I found yesterday while scanning the internetz. This is the best viral video I've seen in a very long time. Please watch and be amazed!
Today, the target of my Tweet is your crush. Oh lord, I can't remember the last time I had a serious, unrequited crush. I guess it was in high-school, but my memories of that time are kind of fuzzy.
I can't think of any crushes of significance, and even if I did I don't think I would be able to pinpoint what quality I found in that person that made them worthy of me having a crush on them.
Do movie stars count? I think they should! I can name all of the movie stars and television celebrity crushes I've had all the way back to when I thought Bart Simpson was handsome-- I think I was seven then and didn't know that the actor that did Bart's voice was a woman, nor did I take into account that he was a cartoon. I later moved on to Bela Lugosi when I was eight years old. I loved his suit and necklace, and of course his dark side. Eight years old with a morbid curiosity, tsk tsk.
Anyway, I'm going to dedicate this blog to a crush that has lasted over the years, the one and only Leo Dio!
@LeoDiCaprio I really like your movies and had a crush on you since I was little. Is that weird? Whatever, I'm taken now and we will probably never meet.
The runners up. I have a thing for bad boys, I guess...
