Miscellany

I was just planning on checking up on bills...and now I have about 15 windows open. Nope, not my new favorite toy, StumbleUpon. I simply looked through the "hot stories" on att.net (the homepage on the desktop). And then things led me to other things and videos and such. I have so much I want to share with you!

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As much as I try to hate it, I can't help but fall for KE$HA's "Tik Tok." I am completely against the stupid computerized voice phenomenon and there's about 1 minute total of actual singing in the song, but I can't help but bob my head when I hear it. My only solace is the fact that it will likely be a one-hit wonder. (Or, alternatively, the rest of her album will showcase some actual talent.) I'm going to surf over to her myspace page and listen to some of her other stuff...and satisfy my curiosity. If you have a minute to waste, take a look at her "musical influences" and try to tell me it's not all bullshit. Wow.

"Blah Blah Blah": Just as produced as the first. Very fitting title. Very bad.

"Your Love is My Drug": Very trite "love" story with elementary rhymes. Ouch.

"Take It Off": Another guilty pleasure. Will likely be a dance club hit.

"Stephen": This song had potential, before the producers decided to mix pop effects with KE$HA's annoying talk-singing, not to mention the electronically-altered harmony. (Honestly guys, it's okay to use background singers that are NOT other tracks of the lead singer.) This song would be much improved with a slower tempo, REAL singing, and perhaps more traditional orchestration--strings, piano? The lyrics to this song are supposed to express pain and loss, but the music does not convey that.

"Backstabber": This is actually works really well. The husky, intimate voice shifts over to a defiant shout. I feel like there could have been more dynamics, but there are very few pop songs (even successful ones) that truly use volume to their advantage.

So, final verdict? I will not be pursuing this artist...but I will probably dance just like the rest of them when it comes on in the club.

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Before I made it to MySpace/ke$ha, I took a look at one of YouTube's "related" videos. Apparently Tay Zonday (Google it, if this name is unfamiliar) pulled a William Hung and "polished" his awesomely bad classic into "Cherry Chocolate Rain." Very very lame. Definitely proves to me (for the second time) that I have no further interest in Tay Zonday aside from than "Chocolate Rain" and its parodies...

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As KE$HA's music continues to play (until I gouge out my eardrums, anyway), I'm going to whittle down my Firefox tabs. First, Askmen.com's "Top 10 Video Games We'd Like to See in 3-D."
     10. Assassin's Creed II
      9. Bayonetta
      8. Final Fantasy XIII
      7. Super Mario Galaxy
      6. Gran Turisimo 5
      5. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty
      4. Heavy Rain [in development]
      3. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
      2. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
      1. Bioshock 2

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Halfway through the previous list, I checked out Grace Jones on MySpace. They call her the new dance queen or something similar. Now, I've never truly been to a dance club so I had no idea [until Independent told me on Jones' MySpace] that she's been around since the '80s. Let's see what all the fuss is about.

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Proof that I haven't been watching/listening to/reading E!/Entertainment Tonight/EW/People/Entertainment reports on the radio: I had no idea that Katy Perry & Russell Brand were dating, let alone engaged. Not that anyone really cares, but I just thought it strange to discover how dark it is under this rock I live beneath.

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Thank you, Yahoo, for giving this caption to a photo of Jay Leno:

"So Jay Leno got his old show back. Looks like we're going to be treated to more stale jokes from the past-his-prime comedian for the next millennium! In an attempt to salvage his tarnished image, Leno will be the featured entertainer at the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner on May 1."

Considering Obama is/was a Conan fan through everything (except, perhaps, his administration's choice--3 months ago--to hire Leno as the emcee of the aforementioned dinner), I predict Leno's reception at the White House will be just as cold as on NBC.

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While reading a blurb about Hayden Panatierre's "newsworthy" dye job -- she's now a redhead, which looks silly with her skin tone, a few words stuck out on side of the page:

Price PENS tune about Minnesota Vikings

Tents ERECTED around SEX clinic reportedly housing TIGER WOODS

That alone was enough to make me LI (laugh inside) quite furiously.

...Looking a bit closer at the right column which housed these "news" stories, I found a title that was legitimately inappropriate:

Reporter Tries to Grab David Beckham's Crotch in Bizarre Stunt

Oh, how deep in the gutter my brain is submerged...

That comment didn't help the situation.

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U.S. News & Report compiled a list of 21 Things We're Learning to Live Without. Check it out and let me know what you think:

1. Monthly Payments
2. Window Shopping
3. Bells and Whistles
4. Clutter
5. Cable TV
6. Home Phone
7. Privacy
8. Prepared Foods
9. Tupperware Parties
10. Packaged Cigarettes
11. Lattes
12. Guilt
13. Extra Calories
14. Newspapers and Magazines
15. Healthcare
16. New Gifts
17. New Cars
18. Comfort
19. Daily Commute
20. Fancy Dates
21. Debt

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Askmen.com's "Top 99 Women 2010 Edition"

99. Jamie-Lynn Sigler
98. Arianny Celeste (MMA Octagon Girl)
97. Sasha Grey (XXX)
96. Diora Baird (Wedding Crashers)
95. Erin Burnett (CNBC)
94. Alexa Chung (MTV)
93. Audrey Tautou (Amelie, DaVinci Code)
92. Carey Mulligan (An Education, Brothers, Pride & Prejudice--KITTY!)
91. Julia Allison (Nonsociety.com)
90. Carrie Underwood
89. Denise Milani (model)
88. Angelina Jolie
87. Maria Menounos
86. Kristen Wiig
85. Blake Lively
84. Cate Blanchett
83. Diane Kruger (Inglourious Basterds)
82. Jessica Simpson
81. Whitney Port (The Hills)
80. Selita Ebanks (Victoria's Secret)
79. Anna Paquin
78. Chelsea Handler
77. Joanna Krupa (model)
76. Kristen Bell
75. Leighton Meester
74. Eva Longoria
73. Alesha Dixon (singer/entertainer)
72.Ana Ivanovic (tennis player)
71. Sophie Monk (actress)
70. Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica)
69. Leona Lewis
68. Gina Carano (Female MMA)
67. Izabel Goulart (Victoria's Secret model)
66. Halle Berry
65. Maria Sharapova (tennis)
64. Jennifer Hawkins (Miss Universe 2004)
63. Aishwarya Rai (Bollywood actress, Miss World 2004)
62. Ivanka Trump
61. Anne Hathaway
60. Eliza Dushku (Dollhouse)
59. Coco Rocha (model)
58. Christina Hendricks (Mad Men)
57. Lucy Pinder (model)
56. Rihanna
55. Emma Watson (Harry Potter)
54. Marion Cotillard (Big Fish, La vie en rose)
53. Emily Blunt (actress)
52. Holly Weber (model/actress)
51. Taylor Swift
50. Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire)
49. Olivia Wilde (House)
48. Megan Gale (model)
47. Brooke Burke
46. Grace Park (Battlestar Galactica)
45. Lakshmi Menon (model)
44. Emily Scott (model)
43. Elisabetta Canalis (George Clooney's g/f)
42. Kim Kardashian
41. Ashley Greene (Alice in Twilight)
40. Zooey Deschanel
39. Emma Stone (Superbad)
38. Shakira
37. Giada De Laurentiis (Everyday Italian)
36. Katy Perry
35. Audrina Patridge (The Hills)
34. Salma Hayek
33. Zoe Saldana (J.J. Abram's Star Trek)
32. Mila Kunis
31. Brooklyn Decker (model/actress)
30. Olivia Munn (Attack of the Show)
29. Odette Yustman (model/actress)
28. Heidi Klum
27. Jessica Biel
26. Malin Akerman (Watchmen, The Proposal)
25. Layla Kayleigh (ex-host of "The Feed" on Attack of the Show)
24. Adriana Lima (Victoria's Secret model)
23. Scarlett Johannson
22. Keeley Hazell (model)
21. Kristen Stewart
20. Paz Vega (Spanglish, The Spirit)
19. Monica Bellucci (The Matrix Reloaded/Revolutions)
18. January Jones (Mad Men)
17. Natalie Portman
16. Kelly Brook (model, entertainer)
15. Padma Lakshmi (model, cook)
14. Erin Andrews (ESPN)
13. Bar Refaeli (model)
12. Gisele Bundchen
11. Megan Fox
10. Miranda Kerr (Victoria's Secret)
9. Eva Mendes
8. Cheryl Cole (singer, X-Factor judge)
7. Penelope Cruz
6. Beyonce
5. Jessica Alba
4. Alessandra Ambrosio (Victoria's Secret)
3. Kate Beckinsale
2. Marisa Miller (Victoria's Secret)
1. Emmanuelle Chriqui (Entourage)


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The Pulmanator was 100% right about FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE. And the Brit Awards was right to nominate PIXIE LOTT three times.

Fuck this shit

My stupid lazy thumbs brushed up against the mousepad and somehow navigated backwards, effectively deleting the awesomeness which was my original blog. I will start again.

I'll take an energy refill, please

Over the course of last night, I came across a buff which has boosted my health regeneration. My mana gauge is still empty. Perhaps I should have chosen the mage over the rogue. Though my pitiful stamina and particularly vulnerable health over the last week or so suggests that I am clothed in a magician's robes rather than the garb of a glorified pickpocket. I can only hope that I soon regain all of my hit points...

1. 4M. L33T.

Anyways...

Woke up around 10. Took the dog out. Cuddled with Jason and played some Dr. Mario on my DS until 11 rolled around. Went downstairs to make lunches. When Jason left 30 minutes later, I made myself some breakfast. A couple scrambled eggs with some leftover pico de gallo and a few frozen pancakes which were a helluva lot better than you'd expect.

Sat down in front of the TV and channel surfed...watched a few minutes of Las Vegas, and the tail end of an "Adoption Stories" episode on TLC. That show always makes me teary-eyed.

Threw on some clothes, worked 1230-930. Ate a turkey sandwich, carrots, apple, pretzels, lavender tea. Tea wouldn't cool down quick enough so I ended up buying Pepsi. It was delicious...

Nothing too exciting at work. Didn't get out until about 10. But it was all good because Jason had decided to grill out so there were hot dogs and hamburgers. Add some potato salad and baked beans to the mix and that's some good eatin'!

Now Jason's playing COD:MW2 with some friends and I just had a Kroger-brand Nyquil tablet. My nose appears to be clearing so I will probably begin to feel a bit sleepy soon. Will probably play some Dr. Mario before dozing off. Must remember to set the alarm.

In other news, I am ready to boycott NBC over the Conan debacle. How DARE they pick Leno over O'Brien? It's pure insanity.

Breathing

...despite the fact that I cannot find a single interior space with an air temperature below that of hell. Sigh. Cannot figure out whether I'm feverish or if the KSU library and Social Sciences building are hella hot.

Enough about the underworld...

...and on to a few tastes of hell on earth. Or just a few examples of human banality:

1. Just walked by a guy wearing red skinny jeans and an Abercrombie shirt. One of these items alone on a guy would be enough to earn a scoff...but the two combined just make me wonder what statement he's trying to make with his clothes. PUNK + PREP = trying too hard. Not to mention the fact that both items of clothing were purchased at a knockoff store. HOT TOPIC is not punk, people. And Abercrombie is not Ralph Lauren or Nautica or Lacoste. I do not attempt to follow fashion--hell, I'm blending into the background with my KSU t-shirt, ratty blue jeans, and New Balance tennis shoes--but people just IRK me soo much sometimes with little things.

2. I am not against buying clothes from Aeropostale or Old Navy (though I have been unable to find anything with an attractive pattern, let alone made out of quality material in the last 5+ years at ON) or any of the "trendy" stores in the mall (though I have been harrassed for my frugality-at-all-costs philosophy). And I cannot sit here and tell you that I have never been caught up in the river of group-think or joined one of those "cults" with identical clothing/music taste/attitudes (grunge/Hanson/politics). BUT, whenever I find myself swimming against the river's current, I cannot help but harrass those who are pulled beneath the water's surface by the undertow. If you allow me this much, I allow you all the opportunity to harrass me when my convictions color me a fool. (As I am sure will happen time and again...)

3. Another clothing choice I find particularly engaging/amusing/ridiculous: an embarrassing/questionable high school t-shirt. (We all had them; don't hide from your torrid past, people! I'll pull mine out of the dirty laundry in the coming days and share the silly details with you all soon.) As I have spent a great amount of time harping on red-Abercrombie putz from before, the offender has evacuated the premises...but the back of the shirt in question showcased a "fun" phrase whose words traditionally begin with E-X. The "ingenious" creator of the shirt decided to omit the E's in the phrase which was something along the lines of "extremely exceptional." (For my own sake, let's say the shirt read "XTREMELY XCEPTIONAL.") I chuckled at the phrase, considering the contradiction inherent to the words. My inner devil jabbed the "stylish" individual in the eye, cackling, "XTREMELY XCEPTIONAL" XCEPT when it comes to spelling, you jackass!"

4. I don't care if you don't find #3 amusing. I do.

5. #4 should be read in a tone approaching that of a cheeky 4-year old: "I don't care if you don't agree with me, poopyhead!"

6. I must make the observation that my blog has shifted from an overabundance of ellipses to a preference for slash-constructions (with a sprinkling of sarcastic quotation marks throughout). What can I glean from this shift in punctuation...how shall I interpret these tendencies? All I know is I am a evil S.O.B. (that happens to be a D).

7. It occurs to me that during my last two visits to the building, I have been treated to doormen (and women). There are no uniforms, no movie-esque utopian Mr. Belvedere/Geoffrey hybrids (as I envision true doormen)...

** Just wanted to interrupt to make a note on my brain's retarded idea of laptop functionality: I was trying to pluralize a word in the middle of the paragraph...so I moved my mouse to the desired point of insertion (Yahtzee!) and began typing S's...but nothing appeared. I was baffled for a few seconds before I noticed a case of snake onomatopoeia (which sounds quite uncomfortable) at the tail end of the text box. I pressed the S-key two or three more times before finally using the mouse button to actually move my cursor to its desired location. Apparently, some part of my psyche believes that I can control this laptop with the power of MY MIND!!!**

7. ...but there was a slight smile from each person at the door as I expressed my gratitude and passed by. My question is this: Are these people just doing a little "community service" between classes? Or are they slyly performing a social experiment (it is the SOCIAL SCIENCES building, after all)? The first seems hardly worth the energy/time and a little laughable, considering an equally minimal effort could be applied to a more laudable pursuit (i.e. donating a can of food for the Haitian food/supplies drive on campus, dropping an old pair of eyeglasses into a GLASSES FOR AFRICA dropbox, giving some old books to the less fortunate, etc.). In fact, such an act would almost earn them my ire rather than my appreciation, after some introspection. I don't need you to hold the door for me when there are people suffering from the natural disaster in Haiti!! Shouldn't you be studying?? But even this line of thinking leads me to feel a bit ashamed...why should I be butting into someone else's activities? Perhaps holding the door makes them feel important and earns them smiles from strangers on campus (which some people get off on, but I digress). Perhaps they are trying to cool down the hot interior of the building by creating some air flow? Perhaps it doesn't even fucking matter in the least?! And it is here that I have created my own experiment and analyzed my own reaction to a simple stimuli...whether or not it was intended.

8. I think that's all I can take. And my computer surely agrees.

I'm baaack!

It seems that the only way for me to get back to my roots--that is, blogging in a way that is both compelling and completely special-ed--is to avoid journaling my daily experiences and instead consider my surroundings. I NEED to give people a hard time for petty things and I NEED to be self-centered sometimes and I NEED to jump right into stupid issues that don't truly affect the world because that's what I am good at. Nitpicking.

I sure hope to see more blogs like the last one from myself in the future.

Though I will likely offer more that are more journalistic in nature in those cases that my surroundings are stagnant and uninspiring. I definitely need to keep up the consistency at all costs (despite the fact that I missed three days during my prolonged--and ongoing--sickness).

Thank you to Sara Elizabeth, my new stranger (for although we are MySpace "friends," I know nothing about you, aside from what your profile tells me) for inspiring this rein of thought with her profile and simple--albeit rambling--words. I echo you today.

I sure hope that doesn't come off the wrong way. It makes sense in my head.

TRULY, thank you.

Screw NBC

June 1, 2009 was a day I will remember for the rest of my life. On this day, Conan O'Brien assumed the throne of NBC's Tonight Show. I remember setting aside the time in my schedule to watch the episode LIVE, gasping as Conan walked onto his gorgeous set. I remember excitedly planning a trip to L.A. with Jason and Chris to see this witty, charismatic, hilarious, admirable man host a legendary show.

Conan is--and forever will be--a legend among men.

And this Friday, NBC is throwing it all away.

Turning back the clock to a man whose jokes could never match up, whose power of improvisation was severely lacking, whose interview style made it impossible NOT to change the channel mid-sentence.

Never will I forgive you, NBC.

You will pay for your mistakes. This isn't a threat on my part, though I vow to stop giving NBC any of my time or attention. You will see your ratings drop. You seem to think that Leno will give you back the ratings that you weren't seeing from Conan (due to your lack of support and advertising for his talent). But all you're doing is throwing away an audience that thanked you over and again during every single episode of Coco.

We're leaving. And we're never coming back.

Speed-blogging

I have class in 15 minutes and I'm pretty sure that even if I speed-blog, I will take at least 20 minutes to get to the end of this. So with no further delay...

I woke up to the alarm around 8:45. Pushed snooze but ended up waking up about 2 minutes into it because my throat was terribly sore and I knew that if I dilly-dallied any longer, I would not work out and that would end my streak before it had even started.

So I woke up, threw on some gym shorts and a tank top. Took the dog out, put on some huge socks and shoes. Tried "Core Synergistics," which Matt had built up as the "hardest workout in the entire series." Granted, I only completed half of the DVD due to time issues and the fact that my heavy breathing was making my sore throat even sorer and I am a baby when it comes to pain...but I feel like I could have made it all the way through with no problem. I may need to see about getting some weights, though...as the band doesn't seem to work very well with that workout. Should also get a mat, as I almost gave myself rug burn during the course of the exercise routine.

Took a shower and had enough time to either eat breakfast or blow dry my hair. I chose the latter, and ended up getting a bagel sandwich (egg & cheese) and medium caramel iced coffee at Dunkin. Need to go grocery shopping to buy some bread, multi-grain bagels, brown sugar, fruit...for future breakfasts.

Made it to school before the teacher arrived, which was cool. Watched Doll's House (Masterpiece Theatre version) and chatted a bit more about Henrik Ibsen. Looking forward to watching the other halves of his plays (as we've gotten through the first acts of both Doll's House and Hedda Gabler).
Went to HPS (P.E.) class, talked about some basic health and nutrition facts and rehashed some stuff from the syllabus. Took 4-5 pages of notes before he announced that the powerpoints would be available online. Oh well...it's probably more conducive to my knowledge acquisition to write this stuff down as he's discussing it.

Ate the other half of my bagel sandwich on the walk from the Convocation Center to the English building.

Then headed off to Jazz in American Culture. Listened to some Ragtime and took waaay too long taking attendance (he tried to ask questions about the material to every single person during roll call...very few people had answers for him, lol). Need to get the book.

Then I was off to Women's Ensemble, where we received the rest of the music. There's a song in Hebrew/Yiddish (which will require some phlegmmy phenomes) and another in Spanish. The newbies did mock-auditions which basically just consisted of scales to determine your range. Despite the sore throat and chest congestion, I got a nod of assent and was sent on my way.

Headed to the Dining Hall...I will exhaust my meal credits halfway through the semester if I keep going everyday. Might end up adding some meals, as I find myself eating more veggies and fruit there than I would otherwise. We'll see. Ate half of a burrito (pork, pinto beans, cheese, pico de gallo, guacamole, lettuce, sour cream), a bowl of seafood stir fry and lo mein, a plate full of fruit salad, and a small piece of carrot cake. Tried drinking some hot tea but could not handle the flavor (Tazo "Passion" tea) so I ended up drinking a carbonated beverage (BAD EMILY!), whose carbonation actually ended up soothing my throat a bit.

Now I'm 3 minutes away from my Shakespeare class and I suppose I'll be going. Love ya!

Getting fuzzy...

Note to readers: any time you see a post made at 11:59 PM, it means the entry was made day(s) later, relying on memory to list off the day's happenings. Right now, I'm attempting to do this because I want to have a blog for 2010 without any breaks...so I'm cheating, I suppose. But this is my blog and I can do what I damn well please!

Sunday.

Worked 7:30-4:30. Came home to find Jason already there--having returned from USMC Reserves weekend drill early. After a little piddling around the house, we (and Nacho, the chihuahua) headed over to his parents' house in Marietta. We ended up watching a football game (Cowboys V. can't remember and too lazy to Google it) and eating some supreme pizza from Pizza Hut. Debbie was playing a little Harvest Moon and Chloe was busy with something on her XBOX upstairs. The boys and I watched a little TV, and I fell asleep on Jason's lap while he nagged his sister to come downstairs and play COD with her siblings.

We ended up going home about 9:30, and fell asleep around 10:15. Pretty boring day, I suppose you might say...but it was great to see the family.

It's Saturday!

I don't remember squat about this day. I worked 9-6 or something along those lines. I think I stayed late to help cover lunches at service desk and for Jenell (closing head cashier; my boss). I hate this about laptops...I always end up dragging my thumbs across the mouse pad and deleting everything I wrote. UGH. Entertained myself in the evening by going through Cathy's wordsearch book and circling all of the dirty-sounding words. Have to indulge your middle school self every once and a while. This morning, Megan called out because her car slid on an icy patch and into a ditch off the side of the road. Luckily all is well with both car and driver, but Megan didn't sort things out until later in the afternoon. I guess if I can get a day off (Friday) due to ice, she can too. It's only fair.

Went with Jason to La Parilla, where he had a #17 (burrito, enchilada, rice) and I had a seafood burrito (shrimp, fish, awesome). He indulged in some Dos Equis (TWO 32-oz mugs) and I had a couple glasses of cherry coke. We made it to the movie theater as the previews were starting...and watched the SPECTACULAR Sherlock Holmes (or "Iron Man Holmes," as Jason calls it). RDJ did not disappoint, nor did Guy Ritchie, or Jude Law. Or Rachel McAdams, for that matter. Can't wait to see it again...or own it. ON BLURAY!! (Should have the new TV in another couple weeks!)

Went home and fell asleep. I don't think there is much else to say.