Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Good Luck Jen!
Jen deserves her own entry since she is birthing a baby as I type this! She's a surrogate for a gay couple. She's truly an awesome human being and I just wish her the very best. I'm sending her all the hugs I possibly can.
Snow Day!
That's right, an actual honest to god Snow Day! Supposedly, this school has only shut down twice since the "Days of May" student riots over the Kent State shootings. Today is one of them. Yesterday could've qualified as a quasi-snow day, because they cancelled night classes and I had one, but I was already there to work at the box office. The timing couldn't have been any better as I'm really sick and needed to stay home anyway.
I guess you know you've grown up when your Snow Day euphoria is tainted by the worry that the power will go out. Judging from the looks of the power lines it isn't out of the realm of possibility. My portable heater is in Chicago.
I can't open my front door and I don't own a shovel. But it's a Snow Day!
Update: I am stuck in my house, as in literally stuck. The front door won't open more than a few inches. I tried the hot water trick but it's going to take someone on the other side of the door to break the ice with a heavy duty shovel.
I guess you know you've grown up when your Snow Day euphoria is tainted by the worry that the power will go out. Judging from the looks of the power lines it isn't out of the realm of possibility. My portable heater is in Chicago.
I can't open my front door and I don't own a shovel. But it's a Snow Day!
Update: I am stuck in my house, as in literally stuck. The front door won't open more than a few inches. I tried the hot water trick but it's going to take someone on the other side of the door to break the ice with a heavy duty shovel.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Random Fact About Me
A few years ago I emailed a video request to VH1Classic and, not only did they play my video during the request hour, they said my name three times! Once was for admonishing me for not telling them what cable station I watched them on. I figured I paid Time Warner enough every month without pimping them for free so I purposely left that info out of my email.
They emailed me back to let me know what day it would play. It's also kind of funny because there are people on the VH1Classic message board that post every single day about how mad they are that their requests never go through. Seriously, there are people that keep spreadsheets of everything they play and you can ask them, "what was the playlist on January 31st 1998?" Or, how many times have they played "Puttin' on the Ritz" by Taco? "Have they ever played the German version of 99Luftballoons?" And they would have the answer. These are not VH1 employees. Now, to be fair, I must admit wouldn't have such a great 80's video collection (20 hours worth) if weren't for them posting the playlist everyday (every show is repeated at 12 hour intervals, so after it plays the first time it's posted and then I'd know what to look out for later that day). Oh, and did you know they've never played Soft Cell's "Tainted Love" video? There's some problem over it, but yep, that's the word on the board.
So, getting back to the request: I knew there was an art to it. It couldn't be too obscure, and of course, what's the sense in requesting something like Madonna gets a lot of airtime? I requested Paul Young's "Come Back and Stay" c. 1983. I'd only seen the video once, but I had the album back in the day (yes, as in vinyl) and hadn't heard the song since grade school. I knew they'd play it, it fit the "obscure enough without being too obscure category they sometimes try to fulfill. Two weeks later, I got an email from them! How cool is that? Then I thought of those poor schmucks on the message board who faithfully email requests every week and have for years, only to be turned down each and every week. They didn't like it much when I posted my good news.
Anyway, I just had my mp3 on shuffle and it came up, thus prompting this post. Aren't you glad you read this entire post?
They emailed me back to let me know what day it would play. It's also kind of funny because there are people on the VH1Classic message board that post every single day about how mad they are that their requests never go through. Seriously, there are people that keep spreadsheets of everything they play and you can ask them, "what was the playlist on January 31st 1998?" Or, how many times have they played "Puttin' on the Ritz" by Taco? "Have they ever played the German version of 99Luftballoons?" And they would have the answer. These are not VH1 employees. Now, to be fair, I must admit wouldn't have such a great 80's video collection (20 hours worth) if weren't for them posting the playlist everyday (every show is repeated at 12 hour intervals, so after it plays the first time it's posted and then I'd know what to look out for later that day). Oh, and did you know they've never played Soft Cell's "Tainted Love" video? There's some problem over it, but yep, that's the word on the board.
So, getting back to the request: I knew there was an art to it. It couldn't be too obscure, and of course, what's the sense in requesting something like Madonna gets a lot of airtime? I requested Paul Young's "Come Back and Stay" c. 1983. I'd only seen the video once, but I had the album back in the day (yes, as in vinyl) and hadn't heard the song since grade school. I knew they'd play it, it fit the "obscure enough without being too obscure category they sometimes try to fulfill. Two weeks later, I got an email from them! How cool is that? Then I thought of those poor schmucks on the message board who faithfully email requests every week and have for years, only to be turned down each and every week. They didn't like it much when I posted my good news.
Anyway, I just had my mp3 on shuffle and it came up, thus prompting this post. Aren't you glad you read this entire post?
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Ramblings
So...finally the benefit of Jeff having taken this new job (although Chicago suburbs and "barf" still belong in the same sentence) has materialized because he was just here for a few days and was able to work from his laptop. There have been 2 break-ins at my trailer court (1 was right across me, mere feet away) and 2 more on my street. In addition to his company of course, it was nice to have him and his F-150 with Texas plates in my driveway while I was at school Friday.
Nothing about this move over the Xmas break was easy. Moving is never easy or fun of course, but everything that could go wrong did. The movers turned out to be scam artists, but we eventually got our stuff back. They basically couldn't/wouldn't tell us where our stuff was for over a month. Which really sucked because we'd already rented a place, so it was just sitting empty and yet we were paying. Jeff and I spent the break either in a hotel room or staying with his parents who live 2 hrs from where he works, so he was traveling 4 hours round trip during this whole saga. When they finally called and said they had our stuff, they said they needed $(Insert Insane Amount of Money Here) to deliver. And it had to be in cash. Had to be. No Cashier's Check accepted. Hmmm...wonder why that was? Probably because there would be a paper trail that we could use to turn around and sue them.
Then every other detail that could go wrong or be a horribly long and drawn out process has been, (banks, mail utilities, etc.). I've known Jeff for going on 13 years and I've never heard him say he missed a place or wanted to move back somewhere and he has lived a lot of places, but he is really missing Texas and wants to move back when I'm done with school. I feel bad for him, so I'm hoping he can start to adjust and with us getting to spend more time together, that it'll finally start to get better, because right now that's the only advantage Chicago offers as far as he/we are concerned.
Anyway, the weekend was nice. We went out and ran into people we knew from back in the day. Sometimes it's really weird seeing people you used to party with all the time ten years later. I'm sure they're thinking "I can't believe they're stiiilll together." Carbondale is a weird place sometimes. It's this vortex that keeps pulling people (like me) back in, yet there's still room for relative anonymity.
Oh yeah...so my roof is leaking like crazy. I'm calling the landlord on Monday. He's always very good about fixing things and is always here right away. I usually see him around the premesis just about every day, so that's good. One weird thing I'm worried about is that one of the leaks is right above a light fixture, a globe looking thingy. Well, a lot of water has collected inside that globe thingy. I'm thinking it's probably not a good idea to turn that light on right? Sometimes I lack common sense on stuff like this, so I'm just gonna take the safe route and not use that light.
So, I'm out of random crap to spew right now. I guess I'll stop here now.
Nothing about this move over the Xmas break was easy. Moving is never easy or fun of course, but everything that could go wrong did. The movers turned out to be scam artists, but we eventually got our stuff back. They basically couldn't/wouldn't tell us where our stuff was for over a month. Which really sucked because we'd already rented a place, so it was just sitting empty and yet we were paying. Jeff and I spent the break either in a hotel room or staying with his parents who live 2 hrs from where he works, so he was traveling 4 hours round trip during this whole saga. When they finally called and said they had our stuff, they said they needed $(Insert Insane Amount of Money Here) to deliver. And it had to be in cash. Had to be. No Cashier's Check accepted. Hmmm...wonder why that was? Probably because there would be a paper trail that we could use to turn around and sue them.
Then every other detail that could go wrong or be a horribly long and drawn out process has been, (banks, mail utilities, etc.). I've known Jeff for going on 13 years and I've never heard him say he missed a place or wanted to move back somewhere and he has lived a lot of places, but he is really missing Texas and wants to move back when I'm done with school. I feel bad for him, so I'm hoping he can start to adjust and with us getting to spend more time together, that it'll finally start to get better, because right now that's the only advantage Chicago offers as far as he/we are concerned.
Anyway, the weekend was nice. We went out and ran into people we knew from back in the day. Sometimes it's really weird seeing people you used to party with all the time ten years later. I'm sure they're thinking "I can't believe they're stiiilll together." Carbondale is a weird place sometimes. It's this vortex that keeps pulling people (like me) back in, yet there's still room for relative anonymity.
Oh yeah...so my roof is leaking like crazy. I'm calling the landlord on Monday. He's always very good about fixing things and is always here right away. I usually see him around the premesis just about every day, so that's good. One weird thing I'm worried about is that one of the leaks is right above a light fixture, a globe looking thingy. Well, a lot of water has collected inside that globe thingy. I'm thinking it's probably not a good idea to turn that light on right? Sometimes I lack common sense on stuff like this, so I'm just gonna take the safe route and not use that light.
So, I'm out of random crap to spew right now. I guess I'll stop here now.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Celebrity Rehab, Random
Okay, who's as addicted to this show as I am? I tuned in because of Dr. Drew (I have a crush on him) but was afraid it might be exploitive and I couldn't imagine (or didn't want to) Dr. Drew being involved in something like that.
I know I'm an oldie, because I had no idea who Seth was. I've heard snippets of the Butterfly song, but couldn't have identified it by name or singer until now. I had to look up who he even was and youtube the song. I'd heard it plenty, but that was about it. Oh, and since I'm the only American I know that doesn't watch AI, I had no idea who Jessica Sierra was.
I'm not spoiling myself because I want to watch it without the prior knowledge of how they turn out. I'm really interested in seeing how they all turn out, especially the women. Daniel Baldwin, I could care less about, for some reason.
I'm also addicted to Scott Baio's 46 and pregnant. He might have some jerkish tendancies, but ultimately, I think all the kvetching he does is probably a good thing, or at least comes from the right place. At least it shows how seriously he takes it. Oh, and how great is the music? Pretty fecking great, seeing as I have most of the songs on my mp3.
As for school, my 101 class isn't very responsive, which makes me a sucky teacher (I have to have something to bounce off of; I can't just talk to the air) and makes it a chore to go there. It's odd too, because they seem to have the ability to think abstractly moreso than any other class I've had, but their verbal engagement vs their written engagement is really a stark contrast. My class isn't all about lecture, because it requires the student to actively participate, but they seem to want me to do all the work while they sit there and listen (or not).
I'd take it personally, but other classes have been far more interactive and, if I may say, really dug me. This bunch just sits there like bumps on a log. It's that "too cool for school" attitude---which should automatically disqualify you from college; let someone else in who really wants to be there and appreciates the opportunity. As for my homework, I have 800 pages (okay, really it was 799 to be exact) of reading this week. We won't talk about all the other crap, because reading is just one facet of the very long to-do homework list.
So there, I updated you and now you'll know why I don't mention school more than I do. Either I'd bitch or bore you.
I know I'm an oldie, because I had no idea who Seth was. I've heard snippets of the Butterfly song, but couldn't have identified it by name or singer until now. I had to look up who he even was and youtube the song. I'd heard it plenty, but that was about it. Oh, and since I'm the only American I know that doesn't watch AI, I had no idea who Jessica Sierra was.
I'm not spoiling myself because I want to watch it without the prior knowledge of how they turn out. I'm really interested in seeing how they all turn out, especially the women. Daniel Baldwin, I could care less about, for some reason.
I'm also addicted to Scott Baio's 46 and pregnant. He might have some jerkish tendancies, but ultimately, I think all the kvetching he does is probably a good thing, or at least comes from the right place. At least it shows how seriously he takes it. Oh, and how great is the music? Pretty fecking great, seeing as I have most of the songs on my mp3.
As for school, my 101 class isn't very responsive, which makes me a sucky teacher (I have to have something to bounce off of; I can't just talk to the air) and makes it a chore to go there. It's odd too, because they seem to have the ability to think abstractly moreso than any other class I've had, but their verbal engagement vs their written engagement is really a stark contrast. My class isn't all about lecture, because it requires the student to actively participate, but they seem to want me to do all the work while they sit there and listen (or not).
I'd take it personally, but other classes have been far more interactive and, if I may say, really dug me. This bunch just sits there like bumps on a log. It's that "too cool for school" attitude---which should automatically disqualify you from college; let someone else in who really wants to be there and appreciates the opportunity. As for my homework, I have 800 pages (okay, really it was 799 to be exact) of reading this week. We won't talk about all the other crap, because reading is just one facet of the very long to-do homework list.
So there, I updated you and now you'll know why I don't mention school more than I do. Either I'd bitch or bore you.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Another Heath Blog
WARNING: The following is highly rhetorical...and, even worse, I only feel part of it is...um...highly rhetorical...the rest of it, I totally fucking mean, dude. Anyway, you can't say I didn't warn you!
Oh...so I'm really stupid and American (what a loaded term) when I care that a celeb I've never met has died. Apparently, my intellect and morality are at stake according to whom I care about that has died.
Yeah...so, if one feels any remorse or grief over the death of Heath Ledger or some celebrity they didn't know, that feeling is equivocated with a lack of caring about troops in Iraq or with basically, being uninformed and caring about "hard" and "real" news issues. Hey, I'm right there with you...I have not watched a single day of the Today morning news show since they reported on Brad and Jennifer's marriage. I decided that was it for me, that was my line in the sand. I just hate that caring about a random celebrity's death is equivocated with being uninformed. It is quite possible to listen to NPR and mourn Heath. And, it's quite possible that listening to NPR doesn't mean anything, but you'd never know it from some of the responses I've read elsewhere from people up in arms about those of who are saddened over Heath's death. I just can't see the connection between watching the BBC and listening to NPR and how that makes you a better person, or a more intellectual person. Pluck me from my pedastal the moment I think I'm better for it or because of it. Is being informed and listening to/watching NPR/BBC so mutually exclusive from being a little shocked and saddened by Heath Ledger's death and wanting to talk about it?
Oy, the kvetching from some people who are so appalled and offended that some of us might actually be saddened by the death of Heath Ledger when there is Real Stuff To Be Concerned About. You know what...Fuck you. If I wanna react to and feel shocked about Heath fucking Ledger I will. The rest of my week is spent being so fucking intellectual and informed that I reserve the right to feel whatever I feel for whatever reason I feel it.
So, I'm going to repeat a stupid and long comment that I made from someone else's blog that felt really cathartic.
Oh, and yes, I've had a couple of vodka martinis. Why do you ask?
Now...for the commentary that I'm sure you were breathlessly awaiting (from the blog of Mighty Mighty Monk Seal).
------------------------
Couldn’t agree more with everything you said. Absolutely couldn’t agree more. I didn’t realize Brad Renfro was the kid in The Client, so I didn’t “mourn” him, and thusly had next to nothing to say about him other than how much I enjoyed that performance and had no idea he had a career and a following outside of that.
About Heath, I’m grunting and straining here from the high horse that I’m climbing onto, but yeah, I’m in shock and I’m sad. And I’m not apologizing. But then again, I always reserve the right to mourn celebrities (and be pissed at those that would castigate me for doing so). With Heath, I realized part of my reaction is wrapped up with triggers about sudden death after having lost my Mom so suddenly. And yet, I wonder if that’s not just a really good excuse to give myself a “pass” for mourning him. Hell, I still miss River Phoenix. And I even publish that fact on my “about me” section in my blog…which…for the record, is the kind of thing I refuse to fill out on Myspace and Facebook ( and yeah, I’m ashamed that I succumbed to them and for this digression).
Anyway, the point is…I don’t understand why some people care who or how or why other people mourn. I’m sure there are myriad reasons why Heath’s death has gotten to so many people and many of those reasons anecdotal (perhaps in my case) as well as largely shared, but at the end of the day…why does it matter to those that don’t care? I can’t imagine myself caring about why other people mourn Brad Renfro or Suzanne Pleshette and inserting my naysaying opinion about it. I think it’s just as valid to mourn or be freaked out about someone’s death who you didn’t even know. The thing is, Heath Ledger, whether in death or life, represents something to so many.
I remember when Johnny Cash, John Ritter, and Paul Simon (the bowtied politician who was so cool he was a guest on SNL and represented the district I am from) died in such close proximity. I had a class and I felt the need to express my sadness over these losses when the last of those 3 died. I figured everyone would just humor me, but to my surprise, they didn’t have to. It seemed I touched off something in the prof that she’d been feeling too. Anyway, it was a nice little ten minute moment and made me feel I could face the rest of that class and day with “authenticity" if you will.
Wow, fuck. That felt cathartic. Inarticulate, but cathartic nonetheless. I might just copy/paste this and post another blog. And I won’t apologize for doing so.
Oh...so I'm really stupid and American (what a loaded term) when I care that a celeb I've never met has died. Apparently, my intellect and morality are at stake according to whom I care about that has died.
Yeah...so, if one feels any remorse or grief over the death of Heath Ledger or some celebrity they didn't know, that feeling is equivocated with a lack of caring about troops in Iraq or with basically, being uninformed and caring about "hard" and "real" news issues. Hey, I'm right there with you...I have not watched a single day of the Today morning news show since they reported on Brad and Jennifer's marriage. I decided that was it for me, that was my line in the sand. I just hate that caring about a random celebrity's death is equivocated with being uninformed. It is quite possible to listen to NPR and mourn Heath. And, it's quite possible that listening to NPR doesn't mean anything, but you'd never know it from some of the responses I've read elsewhere from people up in arms about those of who are saddened over Heath's death. I just can't see the connection between watching the BBC and listening to NPR and how that makes you a better person, or a more intellectual person. Pluck me from my pedastal the moment I think I'm better for it or because of it. Is being informed and listening to/watching NPR/BBC so mutually exclusive from being a little shocked and saddened by Heath Ledger's death and wanting to talk about it?
Oy, the kvetching from some people who are so appalled and offended that some of us might actually be saddened by the death of Heath Ledger when there is Real Stuff To Be Concerned About. You know what...Fuck you. If I wanna react to and feel shocked about Heath fucking Ledger I will. The rest of my week is spent being so fucking intellectual and informed that I reserve the right to feel whatever I feel for whatever reason I feel it.
So, I'm going to repeat a stupid and long comment that I made from someone else's blog that felt really cathartic.
Oh, and yes, I've had a couple of vodka martinis. Why do you ask?
Now...for the commentary that I'm sure you were breathlessly awaiting (from the blog of Mighty Mighty Monk Seal).
------------------------
Couldn’t agree more with everything you said. Absolutely couldn’t agree more. I didn’t realize Brad Renfro was the kid in The Client, so I didn’t “mourn” him, and thusly had next to nothing to say about him other than how much I enjoyed that performance and had no idea he had a career and a following outside of that.
About Heath, I’m grunting and straining here from the high horse that I’m climbing onto, but yeah, I’m in shock and I’m sad. And I’m not apologizing. But then again, I always reserve the right to mourn celebrities (and be pissed at those that would castigate me for doing so). With Heath, I realized part of my reaction is wrapped up with triggers about sudden death after having lost my Mom so suddenly. And yet, I wonder if that’s not just a really good excuse to give myself a “pass” for mourning him. Hell, I still miss River Phoenix. And I even publish that fact on my “about me” section in my blog…which…for the record, is the kind of thing I refuse to fill out on Myspace and Facebook ( and yeah, I’m ashamed that I succumbed to them and for this digression).
Anyway, the point is…I don’t understand why some people care who or how or why other people mourn. I’m sure there are myriad reasons why Heath’s death has gotten to so many people and many of those reasons anecdotal (perhaps in my case) as well as largely shared, but at the end of the day…why does it matter to those that don’t care? I can’t imagine myself caring about why other people mourn Brad Renfro or Suzanne Pleshette and inserting my naysaying opinion about it. I think it’s just as valid to mourn or be freaked out about someone’s death who you didn’t even know. The thing is, Heath Ledger, whether in death or life, represents something to so many.
I remember when Johnny Cash, John Ritter, and Paul Simon (the bowtied politician who was so cool he was a guest on SNL and represented the district I am from) died in such close proximity. I had a class and I felt the need to express my sadness over these losses when the last of those 3 died. I figured everyone would just humor me, but to my surprise, they didn’t have to. It seemed I touched off something in the prof that she’d been feeling too. Anyway, it was a nice little ten minute moment and made me feel I could face the rest of that class and day with “authenticity" if you will.
Wow, fuck. That felt cathartic. Inarticulate, but cathartic nonetheless. I might just copy/paste this and post another blog. And I won’t apologize for doing so.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
RIP Heath, You Will Be Missed
I can't believe the news about Heath Ledger. I was visiting a message board to keep up with the Britney saga, and noticed his thread was staying consistently at the top. I figured either he was dating someone new or something had happened, but I never thought about something like this. I just ignored it, because that board is rather vitriolic toward anyone who's a celeb for any reason. Also, I'm not that interested in clicking on photos or that much celeb news for that matter, so I just never gave it two thoughts.
I don't think a celeb death has been this shocking since River Phoenix. I still miss River. I find it hard to watch his films (I highly recommend Dogfight with Lily Taylor) and have never been able to enjoy My Own Private Idaho because that film looks like the beginning of the end for him. There was something missing from him in that one, compared to the others. Maybe it was a certain sparkle or naivete, but whatever it was, there was definitely something darker about River in that film.
Anyway, back to Heath. I never clicked on his thread, but found out hours later that night when I turned on my computer and it was on the MSN homepage. I kept saying "No, No, No" over and over again. I just want them to take it back. It doesn't seem real at all. When someone dies this suddenly, it just takes me aback. It's hard to process.
Yes, I realize I never knew him, but I reserve the right to be freaked out and sound stupid in my blog. His poor family. He was so young; he was someone's son, someone's brother as well as being someone's Dad and boyfriend.
I know it's selfish, but I hope I can still enjoy 10 Things I Hate About You. It's sorta been my "go to" movie when I want something light, but good to de-stress. I think I have watched that movie more than any other since I started school here. Anyway, I can't get that scene out of my head where he was seranading Julia Stiles.
RIP, Heath. You will be missed.
I don't think a celeb death has been this shocking since River Phoenix. I still miss River. I find it hard to watch his films (I highly recommend Dogfight with Lily Taylor) and have never been able to enjoy My Own Private Idaho because that film looks like the beginning of the end for him. There was something missing from him in that one, compared to the others. Maybe it was a certain sparkle or naivete, but whatever it was, there was definitely something darker about River in that film.
Anyway, back to Heath. I never clicked on his thread, but found out hours later that night when I turned on my computer and it was on the MSN homepage. I kept saying "No, No, No" over and over again. I just want them to take it back. It doesn't seem real at all. When someone dies this suddenly, it just takes me aback. It's hard to process.
Yes, I realize I never knew him, but I reserve the right to be freaked out and sound stupid in my blog. His poor family. He was so young; he was someone's son, someone's brother as well as being someone's Dad and boyfriend.
I know it's selfish, but I hope I can still enjoy 10 Things I Hate About You. It's sorta been my "go to" movie when I want something light, but good to de-stress. I think I have watched that movie more than any other since I started school here. Anyway, I can't get that scene out of my head where he was seranading Julia Stiles.
RIP, Heath. You will be missed.
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