Perfect romance in my mind is a combination of the song "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" and the birthday party at the end of Meet Joe Black.
Now, here's a question. What do you do with presents for people once your relationship has disintegrated for one reason or another? For example, let's say you buy a book for your boyfriend but he breaks up with you before you can give it to him. Or, you buy a toy for a high school friend who had a child while you were away in a foreign country, but then she says or affirms wounding and terrible things about your worth as a human being.
The way I see it there are three things you can do with the items.
1. You give them to the person anyway. This will probably inspire some guilt in the gift receiver, since it proves your good intentions while they were harboring or acting on plans to hurt you. But on the downside, they get a gift, and also, the act might insinuate you forgive whatever they did--hey, which you may. But you've got to be ready for and comfortable with that possible assumption.
2. You give the item to somebody else. But that just doesn't seem right. That's a present tainted by a dead relationship. Nobody wants that.
3. You keep it. If it's the book, you just read it and let it affect you and make it your own. That's easy. As for the toy, you keep it on a sill next to your bed and look at it and wonder what the fuck you're supposed to do with a handmade wooden dog on a wooden plank with wheels attached to a string, so that when you pull him, he plays the drums.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
The Perfect Running Mix
I signed up for the Pittsburgh Marathon's half-marathon a few weeks ago, and while my month's free membership at Achieve a Nu Yu is working out quite nicely for now, there will come a time when each week I will go on long ass runs between 5 and 13 miles three or four days a week. Music is essential in getting me through, keeping me going, setting my pace. This means I need at least one new running playlist. Anytime I talk to somebody who runs, I inevitably ask them what they listen to while they're running. I had a glorious forty-song mix on my ipod last fall, and it just disappeared off my itunes and ipod completely when my computer crashed and I lost my library. It was really sad, because some of the songs are gone forever and I can't remember what order the other songs were in. So, I'm rebuilding, starting from scratch and trying to work back up to a forty-song mix. I'm going to peruse my iTunes now and record my attempts. Here goes it.
1. Magic-Ladyhawke. But this song tends to annoy me sometimes. Good at maintaining a good pace, but not good for building to one. Use sparingly.
2. I'll Believe in Anything-Wolf Parade. I love this song so much, I could listen to it ALL DAY. I practically do. It breaks my heart and makes me forget that I'm running.
3.The Purple Bottle-Animal Collective. This song is over six minutes long, but I don't mind at all. It's so nice and happy and makes me want to run at a nice steady pace and then give an energetic little hop on the "Ahhh" high-pitched sigh parts.
4. Sex on Fire-Kings of Leon. As much as I love Kings of Leon and the lead singer's (the king of the kings of the leons) voice, I find that they're songs get old to run to real fast. "King of the Rodeo" and "The Bucket" did it for me for a few months and then wore out their sonic welcome. At this point though, the song is new enough to me that it just makes me want to run really really fast when he sings, " Yeeeaaahooooowww, your SEXXXX is on FIRRRRRREE!"
5. The Sporting Life-The Decemberists. This is quite simply, a wonderful song. I often think about the timelessness of this song and imagine myself hosting grown-up get-togethers ten years from now with my little kids running around out on the lawn, who hear this time and again coming out over the speakers as they play Flashlight Tag. And they would really love it and then in the future buy a Decemberists album and identify their youth with it, much like I did with anything by the Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, or Neil Young. It's about "the sporting life" and it has a fun drum beat and I genuinely enjoy running to it.
6. Young Folks-Peter Bjorn and John. I thought this would be so fun to run to. It's not. Too much whistling at the beginning--doesn't jive.
7.Hot Chip-Ready for the Floor. Fun. So far...
8. A Praise Chorus-Jimmy Eat World. Jimmy Eat World writes some damn good running songs. When i used to borrow Jen's ipod to run, it was always to Jimmy Eat World. 'The Sweetness," "The Middle," "Pain"....good stuff, guys. But "A Praise Chorus' is probably the best. It's a call to action, damnit. Th-th-th-th-things are never gonna be quite what you want.
9. With You-Chris Brown. Stop hating. This is a nice song. I think I truly love it and truly love Chris Brown for singing it, and it reminds me that there are hearts all over the world tonight loving. Which is nice to think about when it takes every ounce of inner strength you have left to even pick up your legs anymore.
10. Don Cab-Fire Back About Your New Baby's Sex. Said it before and I'll say it again. It makes me want to high five people.
11. No Action, Lipstick Vogue, Pump it Up. I could run to This Year's Model in its entirety, but these three stand out as particularly invigorating. "No Action" is a perfect "pick up the pace" song, cause it's only a little over two minutes long.
12. This Ain't a Scene...-Fallout Boy. I don't particulary like Fallout Boy, because I've said it before and I'll say it again; the lead singer sings like he has a distinct kind of speech impediment that would somehow make it possible for him to drool right through the speakers. But I saw this video drunk in college and it somehow hypnotized me into liking this song.
13. Harvey Danger-Flagpole Sitta. Um, remember Flagpole Sitta from the movie, Disturbing Behavior??!! Of course you do! A little sing-songy, but super catchy. "But if you're bored than you're boring" used to be my motto.
14. Love Will Tear Us Apart-Joy Division. Of course.
15. Clark Gable-The Postal Service. Remember when anything that Ben Gibbard was associated with was SOLID GOLD? And now he's all engaged to Zooey Deschanel. I still deeply love this song, because I used to actually listen to it while "waiting for a train in the London Underground." "Sound of Settling" is also an excellent running song.
16. NARC-Interpol. Anybody that has the misfortune of living with me knows I am unnaturally obsessed with this song and play it ALL THE TIME, although I think "I'll Believe in Anything" is my new NARC. And Jen and I used to change the lyrics to "You should be on MySpace," which is REALLY funny. Why is this song so good? Itunes erased all my other Interpol songs. :(
17. Don't Stop the Music-Rihanna. What an EXCELLENT song to run to!!! And the music video was filmed at Roxy, one of my favorite Prague brunch places that also happens to have a dance floor in the basement!! Seriously, puts me in the zone--hard.
18. See You Again-Miley Cyrus. Yeah, I was in the closet for a while on this one. But I KNOW there are legions of you out there who are just refusing to admit to yourself that this is a catchy song. Good "pick-up-the-pace-"er.
19. Ray of Light-Madonna. Before she was a velociraptor, Madonna was doing some really groundbreaking stuff with time-lapse photography.
20. Shadowboxer-Fiona Apple. Surprising, right? But this song puts me in the zone and usually somehow inexplicably picks me up from a slump and gets me in a nice, relaxed stride.
21. The Big Guns-Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins. This song is bitter, pessimistic, and full of vim. It's also another short one and makes for a good little sprint song.
22.Black Wave/Bad Vibrations-The Arcade Fire. "No Cars Go" and "Keep the Car Running" are the obvious choices off of Neon Bible, but for some reason, this does it for me, especially when it goes into the Black Wave half of the slash.
23. Race In, Atlas-Battles. One after the other. At that point you will have run for twelve minutes, probably at an awesome pace, and felt badass for every second of it. AND you get to imagine robots coming to life like the brooms in Fantasia. Brainstorming robot choreography=stellar running impetus.
24. On a Neck, On a Spit-Grizzly Bear. Starts off slow and hazy like swinging on somebody's front porch swing and then gets all thrumpy and reverby and cool. Use this one sparingly, though.
25. You Make My Dreams Come True-Hall and Oates. Reminds you this is supposed to be fun.
26. A New Stain, Call it Clear, Drowned, Warning Track-Halloween, Alaska. Oh, Halloween, Alaska, I can't choose just one of your atmospheric electronica pop songs. I don't know if, objectively, these are even particularly great running songs. I just love Halloween, Alaska, and "Warning Track" is suuuuuuch a good steady build song.
27. High & Dry-Jamie Cullum. What!?? Jamie who? No Thom Yorke? I tricked you! Not the Radiohead version, but the cover from the Michael Buble-like, Angry-Beaver-looking nouveau jazz singer with the Billy Joel voice. This is an incredibly awesome cover, arguably less-sad than the original. Arguably. A nice cool down song.
28. If I Was Your Girl-Janet Jackson. Remember this video? This video made me want to start dancing, which I never did, but still...
29. Genesis-Justice. Yeah, it's from a car commercial. My music collection would be a lot more sparse were it not for car commercials. And it makes me feel like a MACHINE.
30. Gone-Kanye West. You may choose "Gold Digger" from Late Registration, but I choose Gone. I like to run to violins.
31. The Perfect Drug, Nine Inch Nails. One of my favorite running songs, ever, ever, ever. Do you remember this video? Trent Rezner rising out of some kind of water and running through a hedge maze. Ahead of its time? I think so. And it was from the soundtrack to Lost Highway--bonus points. AND it was inspired from Edward Gorey's The Gashlycrumb Tinies. Apparently some people find it hilarious that I run to Nine Inch Nails. They don't understand. DO YOU??
32.. Seventeen Years-Ratatat. Good. Beat.
33.. Gobbledigook-Sigur Ros. Oh, it's so cute. Just have fun with these naked Swedes.
34. Motorcycle Driveby-Third Eye Blind. "And there's this burning like there's always been. I've never been so alone and I've never been so alive!" FIST PUMP.
35. Ai No Corrida-Uniting Nations featuring Laura More. I used to watch this video in London all the time and it involved a cute blonde girl in a white sports bra and spandex doing push ups and hitting a punching bag. While it turned on everybody else in the room, it inspired me to grab my ipod and run around the Serptentine. Thank you for the inspiration, Laura More.
36. Movies-AAF. Sigh. Alien Ant Farm. These are the same guys who did the cover of "Smooth Criminal." But...I really like this song. I hope the members of this band are leading happy lives now.
37. I'm a Slave For You-Britney Spears. Hearing panting while you're running is actually kind of cool. Oh, somebody else is experiencing this irregular breathing pattern? Excellent. I'm a slave for you, treadmill.
38. Head Over Heels-Tears for Fears. "I wanted to be with you alone and talk about the weather." That sounds really nice, Tears for Fears.
29. Night Ripper and Feed the Animals. All of it.
40. Go With the Flow-Queens of the Stone Age. Brandon Ankney tells me I'm his favorite person to sing this song on Rock Band. "Songs for the Dead" is also pretty great.
Songs I want to add to the mix:
1. What Makes You Think You're the One-Fleetwood Mac. I never heard this Fleetwood Mac gem until a week ago. How?
2. Helicopter-Bloc Party. At J-Robb's suggestion.
I am dying for more song suggestions. If you are a runner, or you can imagine what would pump you up if you were a runner, and you're reading this, please leave me a song or two!!
1. Magic-Ladyhawke. But this song tends to annoy me sometimes. Good at maintaining a good pace, but not good for building to one. Use sparingly.
2. I'll Believe in Anything-Wolf Parade. I love this song so much, I could listen to it ALL DAY. I practically do. It breaks my heart and makes me forget that I'm running.
3.The Purple Bottle-Animal Collective. This song is over six minutes long, but I don't mind at all. It's so nice and happy and makes me want to run at a nice steady pace and then give an energetic little hop on the "Ahhh" high-pitched sigh parts.
4. Sex on Fire-Kings of Leon. As much as I love Kings of Leon and the lead singer's (the king of the kings of the leons) voice, I find that they're songs get old to run to real fast. "King of the Rodeo" and "The Bucket" did it for me for a few months and then wore out their sonic welcome. At this point though, the song is new enough to me that it just makes me want to run really really fast when he sings, " Yeeeaaahooooowww, your SEXXXX is on FIRRRRRREE!"
5. The Sporting Life-The Decemberists. This is quite simply, a wonderful song. I often think about the timelessness of this song and imagine myself hosting grown-up get-togethers ten years from now with my little kids running around out on the lawn, who hear this time and again coming out over the speakers as they play Flashlight Tag. And they would really love it and then in the future buy a Decemberists album and identify their youth with it, much like I did with anything by the Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, or Neil Young. It's about "the sporting life" and it has a fun drum beat and I genuinely enjoy running to it.
6. Young Folks-Peter Bjorn and John. I thought this would be so fun to run to. It's not. Too much whistling at the beginning--doesn't jive.
7.Hot Chip-Ready for the Floor. Fun. So far...
8. A Praise Chorus-Jimmy Eat World. Jimmy Eat World writes some damn good running songs. When i used to borrow Jen's ipod to run, it was always to Jimmy Eat World. 'The Sweetness," "The Middle," "Pain"....good stuff, guys. But "A Praise Chorus' is probably the best. It's a call to action, damnit. Th-th-th-th-things are never gonna be quite what you want.
9. With You-Chris Brown. Stop hating. This is a nice song. I think I truly love it and truly love Chris Brown for singing it, and it reminds me that there are hearts all over the world tonight loving. Which is nice to think about when it takes every ounce of inner strength you have left to even pick up your legs anymore.
10. Don Cab-Fire Back About Your New Baby's Sex. Said it before and I'll say it again. It makes me want to high five people.
11. No Action, Lipstick Vogue, Pump it Up. I could run to This Year's Model in its entirety, but these three stand out as particularly invigorating. "No Action" is a perfect "pick up the pace" song, cause it's only a little over two minutes long.
12. This Ain't a Scene...-Fallout Boy. I don't particulary like Fallout Boy, because I've said it before and I'll say it again; the lead singer sings like he has a distinct kind of speech impediment that would somehow make it possible for him to drool right through the speakers. But I saw this video drunk in college and it somehow hypnotized me into liking this song.
13. Harvey Danger-Flagpole Sitta. Um, remember Flagpole Sitta from the movie, Disturbing Behavior??!! Of course you do! A little sing-songy, but super catchy. "But if you're bored than you're boring" used to be my motto.
14. Love Will Tear Us Apart-Joy Division. Of course.
15. Clark Gable-The Postal Service. Remember when anything that Ben Gibbard was associated with was SOLID GOLD? And now he's all engaged to Zooey Deschanel. I still deeply love this song, because I used to actually listen to it while "waiting for a train in the London Underground." "Sound of Settling" is also an excellent running song.
16. NARC-Interpol. Anybody that has the misfortune of living with me knows I am unnaturally obsessed with this song and play it ALL THE TIME, although I think "I'll Believe in Anything" is my new NARC. And Jen and I used to change the lyrics to "You should be on MySpace," which is REALLY funny. Why is this song so good? Itunes erased all my other Interpol songs. :(
17. Don't Stop the Music-Rihanna. What an EXCELLENT song to run to!!! And the music video was filmed at Roxy, one of my favorite Prague brunch places that also happens to have a dance floor in the basement!! Seriously, puts me in the zone--hard.
18. See You Again-Miley Cyrus. Yeah, I was in the closet for a while on this one. But I KNOW there are legions of you out there who are just refusing to admit to yourself that this is a catchy song. Good "pick-up-the-pace-"er.
19. Ray of Light-Madonna. Before she was a velociraptor, Madonna was doing some really groundbreaking stuff with time-lapse photography.
20. Shadowboxer-Fiona Apple. Surprising, right? But this song puts me in the zone and usually somehow inexplicably picks me up from a slump and gets me in a nice, relaxed stride.
21. The Big Guns-Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins. This song is bitter, pessimistic, and full of vim. It's also another short one and makes for a good little sprint song.
22.Black Wave/Bad Vibrations-The Arcade Fire. "No Cars Go" and "Keep the Car Running" are the obvious choices off of Neon Bible, but for some reason, this does it for me, especially when it goes into the Black Wave half of the slash.
23. Race In, Atlas-Battles. One after the other. At that point you will have run for twelve minutes, probably at an awesome pace, and felt badass for every second of it. AND you get to imagine robots coming to life like the brooms in Fantasia. Brainstorming robot choreography=stellar running impetus.
24. On a Neck, On a Spit-Grizzly Bear. Starts off slow and hazy like swinging on somebody's front porch swing and then gets all thrumpy and reverby and cool. Use this one sparingly, though.
25. You Make My Dreams Come True-Hall and Oates. Reminds you this is supposed to be fun.
26. A New Stain, Call it Clear, Drowned, Warning Track-Halloween, Alaska. Oh, Halloween, Alaska, I can't choose just one of your atmospheric electronica pop songs. I don't know if, objectively, these are even particularly great running songs. I just love Halloween, Alaska, and "Warning Track" is suuuuuuch a good steady build song.
27. High & Dry-Jamie Cullum. What!?? Jamie who? No Thom Yorke? I tricked you! Not the Radiohead version, but the cover from the Michael Buble-like, Angry-Beaver-looking nouveau jazz singer with the Billy Joel voice. This is an incredibly awesome cover, arguably less-sad than the original. Arguably. A nice cool down song.
28. If I Was Your Girl-Janet Jackson. Remember this video? This video made me want to start dancing, which I never did, but still...
29. Genesis-Justice. Yeah, it's from a car commercial. My music collection would be a lot more sparse were it not for car commercials. And it makes me feel like a MACHINE.
30. Gone-Kanye West. You may choose "Gold Digger" from Late Registration, but I choose Gone. I like to run to violins.
31. The Perfect Drug, Nine Inch Nails. One of my favorite running songs, ever, ever, ever. Do you remember this video? Trent Rezner rising out of some kind of water and running through a hedge maze. Ahead of its time? I think so. And it was from the soundtrack to Lost Highway--bonus points. AND it was inspired from Edward Gorey's The Gashlycrumb Tinies. Apparently some people find it hilarious that I run to Nine Inch Nails. They don't understand. DO YOU??
32.. Seventeen Years-Ratatat. Good. Beat.
33.. Gobbledigook-Sigur Ros. Oh, it's so cute. Just have fun with these naked Swedes.
34. Motorcycle Driveby-Third Eye Blind. "And there's this burning like there's always been. I've never been so alone and I've never been so alive!" FIST PUMP.
35. Ai No Corrida-Uniting Nations featuring Laura More. I used to watch this video in London all the time and it involved a cute blonde girl in a white sports bra and spandex doing push ups and hitting a punching bag. While it turned on everybody else in the room, it inspired me to grab my ipod and run around the Serptentine. Thank you for the inspiration, Laura More.
36. Movies-AAF. Sigh. Alien Ant Farm. These are the same guys who did the cover of "Smooth Criminal." But...I really like this song. I hope the members of this band are leading happy lives now.
37. I'm a Slave For You-Britney Spears. Hearing panting while you're running is actually kind of cool. Oh, somebody else is experiencing this irregular breathing pattern? Excellent. I'm a slave for you, treadmill.
38. Head Over Heels-Tears for Fears. "I wanted to be with you alone and talk about the weather." That sounds really nice, Tears for Fears.
29. Night Ripper and Feed the Animals. All of it.
40. Go With the Flow-Queens of the Stone Age. Brandon Ankney tells me I'm his favorite person to sing this song on Rock Band. "Songs for the Dead" is also pretty great.
Songs I want to add to the mix:
1. What Makes You Think You're the One-Fleetwood Mac. I never heard this Fleetwood Mac gem until a week ago. How?
2. Helicopter-Bloc Party. At J-Robb's suggestion.
I am dying for more song suggestions. If you are a runner, or you can imagine what would pump you up if you were a runner, and you're reading this, please leave me a song or two!!
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Work Parties Make You Drunk
Geez. It is 10:13 p.m. and I still have a headache. As I don't have it in me to write a lengthy post at this point, I will share with you the most and least contaminated fruits and vegetables. Because of the amount of pesticides used on the most contaminted, it is preferable to buy organic with these particular fruits and vegetables.
Most Contaminated Fruits and Vegetables:
Apples
Cherries
Imported Grapes
Nectarines
Rapberries
Bell Peppers
Pears
Potatoes
Spinach
Celery
Strawberries
Peaches
Least Contaminated Fruits and Vegetables
Asparagus
Broccoli
Kiwi
Papaya
Avocado
Pineapple
Onions
Cauliflower
Bananas
Sweet Corn
Mangoes
Sweet Peas
Most Contaminated Fruits and Vegetables:
Apples
Cherries
Imported Grapes
Nectarines
Rapberries
Bell Peppers
Pears
Potatoes
Spinach
Celery
Strawberries
Peaches
Least Contaminated Fruits and Vegetables
Asparagus
Broccoli
Kiwi
Papaya
Avocado
Pineapple
Onions
Cauliflower
Bananas
Sweet Corn
Mangoes
Sweet Peas
Friday, January 2, 2009
2008 in Review and Maybe the Revival of this Sorry Excuse for a Blog
I've been looking for a chance to sit with myself for a few hours and think about the last year and how I want to shape my next one. So I'm cuddled under my pistachio-colored sheets with a cup of tea and I am prepared to do that.
Things That Happened in 2008:
- I (almost) chased a burglar, and with Jen's help developed a burglar-proof home defense system using a large baseball-mitt-shaped chair and many empty Staropromen bottles.
- I made a big decision (coming home).
- I drank the best wine in my life from an ampitheatre-shaped town in southern France that was sparsely inhabited by townies who gave us the stink eye because we were clattering our luggage down the cobblestone streets and not speaking French in a place that obviously does not get a lot of non-French.
- (The next day) I woke up smiling in a Monaco hotel room overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.
- I got a job at an exciting and wonderful place with artistic and talented and nice people. I like it.
- I almost became a vegan, but realized I like cheese too much to ever commit to giving it up.
- I climbed into and out of the deepest gorge I've ever climbed into and out of--Divoka Sarka.
- I voted in a pretty important election.
- I caught Live Aid '85 at Wembley Stadium on VH1 Classic on Boxing Day and it was INCREDIBLE, reaffirming that Freddie Mercury is my soulmate and quite possibly the greatest vocalist/performer that EVER LIVED.
- Finally, and most importantly, I saw the movie Christmas Evil, starring Fiona Apple's dad.
As for this year, I'm thinking it will be a quiet one compared to 2008--hopefully, a year where I stay in one place and regroup and plan and write and become a "healthier" person. And by healthy, I mean eliminating the things in my life that makes me feel bad so I have more energy for the things that make me feel good, like running and watching FearNet. And maybe I'll try to wake up, "to experience a crowded, hot, slow, consumer-hell type situation as not only meaningful, but sacred, on fire with the same force that made the stars: love, fellowship, the mystical oneness of all things deep down." And I guess I should start flossing.
Bon Iver is scoring the first week of my new year. (I just realized I accidentally posted this playlist on my boyfriend's house blog. Sorry!) The songs from this album, For Emma, Forever Ago were written in a cabin in Wisconsin by Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) over the course of three months. The fact that this man secluded himself in the woods like some modern-day Thoreau and made art from the always-winning combo of self-imposed isolation and deep sadness, plus the fact that his moniker came from a Northern Exposure episode makes me swoon. These songs feel like where I want to be now. If only I could go to a secluded Wisconsin cabin to have a good think about my life, not really expecting much to come from my sojourn, but then surprised by what does come from inside --the final surprising result of that experience...but, well, that was last year.
Mixtape from http://favtape.com/pghgirl/New
WATCH FREDDIE CHANT.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
check these out
A few days ago my sister sent me a link to "36 Hours in Pittsburgh," an article in this Sunday's New York Times travel section.
THEN I happened upon this great magazine about food in Western Pennsylvania, Table Magazine, and it had a feature on Volant, which is a quaint little village that's known for selling homemade crafts and is about five minutes from my house. I checked their website to see if the article was online, and while that one was not up yet, there was an article on New Castle!
They covered all the classics: May's Donuts, Augustine's Pizza (which I always hated, actually) and Coney Island (chili dog and chili fry deliciousness)! I'm glad that New Castle got some good press. The people who are doing good things here deserve recognition. I was truly surprised when I got back from Prague at how nice downtown New Castle has become. There's some nice little parks and fountains on some of the squares, and although I've yet to see anyone sit there, it does look really good and very inviting. I'm also impressed with the growing variety of nice restaurants and bars in town; The Mill Street Grille, Lanigans, and The Basin I'm sure could succeed in any city.
It's not often I praise my hometown; maybe the fact that I'm leaving for good in a week ( i got a real person, grown-up job.) has made me so proud. I know we're different beasts, New Castle, but you got me back on my feet, and I might never have gone the places I have and seen the things that I've seen were it not for that need-to-explore that you certainly helped to foment in my youth. I wish you only the best.
I've had a lot of quiet time here the last couple months and that always requires good music. I've been listening a lot to this young lady.
I'm particularly smitten with these songs.
"Bridges and Balloons"
"Sprout and the Bean"
THEN I happened upon this great magazine about food in Western Pennsylvania, Table Magazine, and it had a feature on Volant, which is a quaint little village that's known for selling homemade crafts and is about five minutes from my house. I checked their website to see if the article was online, and while that one was not up yet, there was an article on New Castle!
They covered all the classics: May's Donuts, Augustine's Pizza (which I always hated, actually) and Coney Island (chili dog and chili fry deliciousness)! I'm glad that New Castle got some good press. The people who are doing good things here deserve recognition. I was truly surprised when I got back from Prague at how nice downtown New Castle has become. There's some nice little parks and fountains on some of the squares, and although I've yet to see anyone sit there, it does look really good and very inviting. I'm also impressed with the growing variety of nice restaurants and bars in town; The Mill Street Grille, Lanigans, and The Basin I'm sure could succeed in any city.
It's not often I praise my hometown; maybe the fact that I'm leaving for good in a week ( i got a real person, grown-up job.) has made me so proud. I know we're different beasts, New Castle, but you got me back on my feet, and I might never have gone the places I have and seen the things that I've seen were it not for that need-to-explore that you certainly helped to foment in my youth. I wish you only the best.
I've had a lot of quiet time here the last couple months and that always requires good music. I've been listening a lot to this young lady.
I'm particularly smitten with these songs.
"Bridges and Balloons"
"Sprout and the Bean"
Jen, all I can say about your birthday gift is when I bought it the woman said
"I think this is Clay Walker."
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
one of my favorite songs is "everyday i write the book."
The ending of For Whom the Bell Tolls made tears roll down my face.
Favorite quote of the day (the last 30 pages of FWTBT):
"There's no one thing that's true. It's all true. The way the planes are beautiful whether they are ours or theirs. The hell they are, he thought."
I feel sometimes like Hemingway instructs me how to live, but then again I'm a little drunk, which proves my point exactly.
Dear Alicia,
You have not written a blog post in quite a while and your first one back is meaningless drivel? What's up with this, girl? Get me back
~your inner-critic (as voiced by Dennis Quaid)
Dear Dennis Quaid,
First of all, thank you for providing the voice for my inner-critic. Your voice is soothing; it makes me think of puppies asleep in baseball mitts.
A) Nobody reads this anyway.
B) You're right It is meaningless drivel, but it means something to me. I guess anything can be trite without context. I'll leave you with this parody I made to "Angel is a Centerfold" as popularized by the J. Geils Band.
"my blood runs cold,
my memory has just been sold,
my angel is a semaphore,
(angel is a semaphore)."
ALMOST funny.
Favorite quote of the day (the last 30 pages of FWTBT):
"There's no one thing that's true. It's all true. The way the planes are beautiful whether they are ours or theirs. The hell they are, he thought."
I feel sometimes like Hemingway instructs me how to live, but then again I'm a little drunk, which proves my point exactly.
Dear Alicia,
You have not written a blog post in quite a while and your first one back is meaningless drivel? What's up with this, girl? Get me back
~your inner-critic (as voiced by Dennis Quaid)
Dear Dennis Quaid,
First of all, thank you for providing the voice for my inner-critic. Your voice is soothing; it makes me think of puppies asleep in baseball mitts.
A) Nobody reads this anyway.
B) You're right It is meaningless drivel, but it means something to me. I guess anything can be trite without context. I'll leave you with this parody I made to "Angel is a Centerfold" as popularized by the J. Geils Band.
"my blood runs cold,
my memory has just been sold,
my angel is a semaphore,
(angel is a semaphore)."
ALMOST funny.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Instant Messenger, the Freddy Krueger of Technology
This afternoon, after taking full advantage of my parents' pool, I took a nice shower. I was alone in the house and as I was stepping out, I heard rap music blasting somewhere in the house. Even if someone had come home while I was in the shower, nobody in my house would be likely to be listening to Lil' Wayne at full volume, so I froze. Would an intruder immediately put on a cd of his favorite music before going about his criminal business? Unlikely, but the murderer in Funny Games does put on classical music before chasing a little boy through an empty, dark, neighbor's house: neighbors he has already killed with a shotgun. Maybe this was my particular home intuder's M.O. Or maybe he just forgot to turn his cell phone off and the ringer was now giving him away. These things were running through my head as I stood poised inside the bathroom door trying to listen for anything other than a smackin' bassline.
But eventually, I just "aww fuck it" shrugged and darted into my room, which is right next to the bathroom. And I run smack dab into the source: my laptop. Instant messenger is playing some promo for AOL Radio. I hate when they do this. The same thing used to happen in college. There was some ad for that ventriloquist movie, Dead Silence, and it would come on really late when I was trying to sleep and I forgot to turn my speakers off, and it would scare the shit out of me.
So, it's been doing this all day, Carrie Underwood, Miley Cyrus*, Finger Eleven. Startling me with terrible music. You've done it again, AIM Machine. Thank you.
*"See You Again" is not terrible music. It's got me hooked. Who am I kidding?
But eventually, I just "aww fuck it" shrugged and darted into my room, which is right next to the bathroom. And I run smack dab into the source: my laptop. Instant messenger is playing some promo for AOL Radio. I hate when they do this. The same thing used to happen in college. There was some ad for that ventriloquist movie, Dead Silence, and it would come on really late when I was trying to sleep and I forgot to turn my speakers off, and it would scare the shit out of me.
So, it's been doing this all day, Carrie Underwood, Miley Cyrus*, Finger Eleven. Startling me with terrible music. You've done it again, AIM Machine. Thank you.
*"See You Again" is not terrible music. It's got me hooked. Who am I kidding?
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