Frog. Toad. Lobster.

Omg, I can't remember the last time I was THIS excited (ok, maybe yesterday when the nice waitress set this choco-peanut-butter-caramel saucy monstrosity before me, but whatever) BUT I THINK IT'S GOING TO RAIN!

First of all the high is supposed to be a mere 96 (break out the coats!) and it just might STORM! TIL 2 PM!

If it were a Saturday, everyone on my little cul-de-sac would probably be sitting in their front yards, as if to watch the alien invasion.

UPDATE: YES, IT IS! IT'S RAINING! IT'S ACTUALLY FUCKING RAINING!!

Mmm... fine... I took an "antihistamine" before and it makes for a nice little buzz.

Ok, two things. Both make my jaw drop.

First of all, the husband just got back from the grocery store...and they have the Halloween candy out.

Yes. They do.

That's disgusting.

But far more importantly, my dad sent me this movie clip with the subject line omg.

OMG indeed! HOLY BALLS! I thought this was a FAKE MOVIE at first.



Does this mean I have to start respecting Oliver Stone now?

Whatever, I'll be there with bells on.

I have to either lay down or cut myself.

And yes, that's from the show last night.

SO FUCKING HYSTERICAL. Worth every penny.



I tried so hard to remember all the good bits to write about them here, but there was a ton of material and it was hopeless.

My only complaint, for a lack of a better word, was that he didn't really go into politics much. Wtf? Talk about a plethora of material. Maybe that's just it--maybe it's too easy by now. Though about halfway through he did start going off on the economy, and that was priceless, of course.

He only got really upset a couple times, which is harder to see in all its red-faced glory from THAT HIGH UP. Oh well, at least we were only in the second rather than third tier. I think we were in the exact same seats where we saw Paula Poundstone, actually...Though unlike Paula, this seemed to be really sold out.

So yes, good times for sure. A+, and if you get the chance to see him, I highly recommend it.

Hey, Fellatio! Got a match? Well, I do! Your face and my ass! Your breath's made of buffalo farts!

I am really liking Ex Libis: Confessions of a Common Reader. It's basically a book of essays for people who love books and love reading. There are essays involving grammar, proofreading (the one, I'm sure, that made my dad recommend it...), how book lovers differ on how to treat a book...

The first essay, Marrying Libraries, had me at one particular point. In merging two collections, hers had structure and the husband's was more, as she says, "democratic." Frankly, that's how my books are, since my bookcases' sizes tend to dictate which books live where. But her structure won, and specifically, English literature should be arranged chronologically but American alphabetically. (As the latter was predominantly twentieth century). And then, while arranging the English literature chronologically, she calls out to her husband to "keep the Shakespeare plays chronological" as well--meaning she also wants them arranged within each author). That's awesome. Hell, it's how my music is arranged.

From the second essay, The Joy of Sesquipedalians, I want to know how many of the 22 words my dad knew. I was able to guess at three. I should have paid more attention in Latin, clearly.

As for the essay on proofreading (Insert a Carrot), I laughed out loud as I read the author recollecting how she had spread out the clippings from the local newspaper her mother had collected that were all full of errors. "There were 394. (What kind of person would count them? The daughter of the person who would clip them, of course.)"

But there are some other great essays--like the one about how reading is great enough but reading about FOOD is somehow even better. It's a great read and I'm about 3 essays away from polishing it off, which I may do before tonight.

What's tonight?



LEWIS BLACK, BABY!!!!!!!!

That's when you know you've found somebody really special. When you can just shut the fuck up for a minute and comfortably enjoy silence.

Making my way through The Stand. I don't mean to sound uneducated, but DAMN that thar's a big fuckin' book! It's not very drag-around-on-errands friendly, you know? It's hardback and like, twenty pounds. It's hardly a difficult read, and I'm surprised I never have read it, considering it's supposedly a fan favorite (not that I'm really a fan, but you get my point).

Also picking up two books from the library this afternoon, Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman, which my dad recommend to me both for its length (or lack thereof) and the fact it will probably remind me of my own family. Reading the summary write-up, it already does.

Also finally getting around to Last Night at the Lobster, by Stewart O'Nan, which I heard blurbed about on NPR the same weekend my dad was talking about having read it, which I take to mean I should read it.

I wish I could read outside, and while the temperatures were oh-so-mild yesterday, hitting a high of 93, from here on out the week's highs look to be about 103. Someone please kill me.

AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOMMY!

I started to post Blue Savannah Song, but as we all recall, that is one of the worst Erasure videos of all time. And boy, do they have some awful ones.

Two artists I really associate with my childhood (that I recall mom listening to) are Paul Simon and Abba. And I've never really sought out old Abba videos til now...omg.

While Knowing Me, Knowing You is one of my favorite Abba songs, holy jesus. Get ready for PAIN. But I'm kinda drawn to Frida's 'do...she's got a kind of Bree-from-Desperate-Housewives thing happening...



And not as painful production value wise, here is another favorite, Waterloo. Don't worry, the outfits bring their own special pain. As does the dancing. I have not been this lost for words in ages.

Bitch took my ride.

Weekend looks promising--lots of TV ahead of me! And a trip to Denton, for mommy's birthday!

I may have misunderstood the message, but I swear to god my voice teacher left a message that his aunt is dying and the funeral is on Saturday so we need to reschedule. He must have said "died." But who knows. So I scheduled a chiropractor appointment instead, which seems to be working.

Also hit Massage Envy a few days ago for my monthly massage...and omg. I told her to do "deep" on the shoulders and neck...this woman used her elbows. Like, on me. I got schooled. It was painful but in a productive way. Next time I'll opt for relaxing, I think. You know, alternate...

Oooh, a bunch of Cylons just boarded Galactica and it's gettin' bloody! Later!

You wanna be the Lone Ranger or the Cisco Kid?

Veloute was telling me I should totally sing Lubbock Or Leave It, and inasmuch as I would love to, I think I might totally suck! And really, that's ok.

It is a great song about hypocrisy, and for anyone who doesn't know, Natalie Maines is from Lubbock, Texas--hey, just like Buddy Holly. The lyrics say...

International airport
A quarter after nine
Paris Texas, Athens Georgia's
Not what I had in mind
As I'm getting out I laugh to myself
Cause this is the only place
Where as you're getting on the plane
You see Buddy Holly's face

I hear they hate me now
Just like they hated you
Maybe when I'm dead and gone
I'm gonna get a statue too

which Maines explains...

"It's not just about Lubbock, but about any small, hypocritical town. Mike was asking me for all the details - the stores, streets and I came up with this long list of names. We talked about the irony of having a big painting of Buddy Holly at the airport - that his face is the last thing you see before getting on a plane! I do feel bad for my family who's still there and has to defend me - after everything they already went through, to have to do it again."

On a complete different note, I am enjoying The Stand...on chapter 6, but that's a little bit like sneezing into the ocean. And I did order Vel a copy of The Post-Birthday World because the book meant a lot to me and I was quite fond of it. Though there was no right "choice" in the end, I certainly have my opinion about which was the right choice. So there.

Also just polished off Wil Wheaton's Dancing Barefoot, which was really enjoyable. The first few stories are cute (sorry if that's lame, I did appreciate them!) memoirs, followed by a Star Trek memoir laced with a miniature William-Shatner-sucks-donkey-balls rant, which I totally loved. Good stuff. Would really only recommend if you're a Wil Wheaton fan, tbh, which I totally am.

So what are you, Jacob? A faithless preacher? Or a mean motherfuckin' servant of God?

I'm pretty sure you have decent co-workers when one of them says, "FUCK IT!" in such a tone and manner you know they're doing Cheech Marin from From Dusk Til Dawn, and you can comfortably turn around and retort, "If you can find cheaper pussy somewhere else...fuck it!"

Strangely enough, I just saw Up In Smoke for the first time ever. Inasmuch as I loathe today's idiot humor, I did think it was pretty funny...

It's quite long and I'd like you to be comfortable. It's quite modern what I do...

I sometimes question the Arlington Public Library's online system. A friend of mine has been bugging me to read Stephen King's The Stand. I'm typically not a King fan, with a few exceptions like Carrie, IT and Christine. (Well, and The Body, but that's from Four Seasons and it's not horror). Honestly, I think On Writing is by far his best. Anyhoo, the point, Charlie, is that I was trying to request it online. I searched for "The Stand," and it kept trying to push "The 10 Best Kentucky Derbies" on me.

WTF? I mean, it's STEPHEN KING.

I finally found it, though.

I should polish off The Post-Birthday World today (that took me long enough! hey, there was a break in there) which I am really loving. It has a Sliding Doors kind of approach, where a woman (who has lived with the same man for ten years, though they are not married) makes out with another man and eventually leaves her beau for him. In another world, she does not give in to temptation and does not infact leave her beau, but considerable changes happen anyway. At first I was really curious which choice was the "right" one, but it has become pretty apparent that's not the point. It's very interesting and I'm really enjoying it--great writing, makes me jealous.

I also added some new TV shows to my queue, though I'm still working through BSG (on season 2 now). Finally going to see what Arrested Development and Curb Your Enthusiasm are all about. My friend J and I frequently recommend shows to each other, so I while I've added The Unit at his request, he is finally going to check out Twin Peaks. He, of all people, has not seen it. I get that he's not into Lynch, but jesus. I think my borderline hysteria, upon discovering he'd never seen it, was more than enough to prompt him to Netflix it. Luckily, Netfux's disc 1 has both the "international" and the regular pilot. The regular is the preferred choice--weird, I know.

Hey, I forgot there is a new theater in the area! I was bugging my friend to see Dark Knight at Studio, and he said he was going to Harkins in Southlake! I so need to go, I have been dying to check this place out...just forgot it ever opened is all! The hard part is deciding if I should see Dark Knight again or Wanted for the first time! I hope their audio is up to par...otherwise, what a crime.

You're free to leave me, but just don't deceive me, and please believe me when I say I love you!

Revisited a favorite over the weekend...



This was one of the last movies I saw in the theatre before moving to Japan, and I think I may have seen it three times (in the theatre, that is...don't ask me how many times I've seen it now)! Great stuff.

I watched it about six months ago, thinking I was in the mood, and that time it struck me that it didn't hold up very well and perhaps it wasn't working for me anymore.



But I can safely say, after watching it this weekend it's still a huge amount of fun and looks and sounds great on my system. (Though I still wish I had a subwoofer and center speak like we had in Austin!) Maybe I was feeling too cynical last time...it is certainly more than a little over the top, after all.

But with all that style, I think it can stay in my top ten.

Sang a new song in addition to Easy Silence at my lesson last week. Irritatingly, he loved the song itself...



(Apparently it was written for the live action Charlotte's Web?) Anyway, it totally sounds religious and I know that's why he ate it up. But I really like the song and it's easy for me to sing, so oh well.

There are Jesus pamphlets by the door, for fuck's sake.

I'm debating whether or not to sing Lubbock or Leave It, which has more than a few things to say about hypocrisy...plus it's hard not to identify with a song that starts out, "Dust bowl, Bible belt, Got more churches than trees..." If you have driven anywhere near my neighborhood, you know what an understatement that is. But it would be a hard one for me vocally, I think.



Anyhoo. I'd just like some more constructive criticism beyond, "Drop your jaw." But whatever.

They are TOTALLY Jesus-centric.

I got this off Boing Boing and fucking loved it, it was so deeply wrong and funny.



And my significant other wonders how and why I've come to loathe organized religion. I'm sure growing up here had nothing to do with it. This guy is totally brilliant, you just couldn't make this shit up. I love how it's smoking and leaking at the end--what does THAT mean?

And while we're doing hysterically offensive, let's take a look at this PETA ad I nicked off Skyler's Dad's site...

An actor. Another goddamn actor. "I happen to have a lawyer aquaintance?"

So as I mentioned, totally loved The Dark Knight.



Watched it at the Studio Movie Grill, which I cannot recommend enough. Their food sucks donkey balls (do NOT order the cheese fries...I don't even know how to describe the consistency of what was clearly not real cheese in any way, shape or form), but they treat their prints with respect and they actually know how their sound system works. And this is definitely a film to be appreciated visually...and personally, there's just nothing quite like good sound. I had to wipe the seat down afterwards!

Sadly, while I was watching that, my friend J was screening Mamma Mia!, which he and I had both been looking forward to. J actually really loves musicals and is even familiar with the actual musical of Mamma Mia! I called him in his auditorium as our credits were rolling (before you find that horrifying, I should claify he's the head projectionist there and was screening it alone), and told him how much I liked Batman.

J: "You know why you liked it?"

E: "Why?"

J: "Because it wasn't Mamma Mia!"

Apparently it was horrendously acted, they pulled important songs, stuck new ones in, made different characters sing other people's songs, you name it. I think you can get away with toying with the original material to some extent...after all, he liked Evita and they obviously put in new material for that and had Madonna sing Another Suitcase, Another Town (which makes NO SENSE...honey, just because it's a good song doesn't mean your character should get to sing it). I liked Evita, too, so I completely trust J on this one. If he says don't waste my time on it, I probably won't. Well, I'll Netflix it. Surely I've seen way worse for Meryl and Colin.

So I'm glad I loved Dark Knight because it meant going to bed at 3:30am and getting up at 6:30am for my chiropractor. My neck was feeling as badly as it did in the first place, so I was glad to get adjusted this morning. I also got "the roll bed" today, which is this bizarre bed with a rectangle cut out of the middle for your back to sink into and a big rolling pin rolls over your back, pushing you up and down. It wasn't really good or bad, and I'm not sure if it really did much. But whatever.

I would make margaritas tonight to aid in its recovery, but given the amount of sleep I've had, I'd probably pass out right on my coffee table and drool til my face stuck to the surface.

So maybe just water tonight...

The night is darkest just before the dawn. And I promise you, the dawn is coming!

Dear The Dark Knight,



Thank you so much for not sucking and for kicking so much ass. I love you and would like to have your babies.

love,

Ellen Aim



No spoilers ahead....

So seriously, that was a ton of fun. I have minor beefs (convoluted ending, glossing over technobabble, Christian Bale's "Batman voice"--the audience was giggling, dude), but I am willing to set them all aside. The acting was incredible, it looked gorgeous, it had some jumps, some intense moments, good laughs and great big explosions. Fun, fun, fun. Could easily see it again.

But above all.



They really aren't shitting about his performance.

I choose Vodka. And Chaka Khan.

12 HOURS TO GO!! *madly salivates*



Had my second chiropractor appointment this morning--nice and brief, though I was subjected to another five-minute video presentation I could have done without. It was explaining to me how she was going to explain my X-rays. Okaaaaay... And it went majorly overkill on the similies as it tried to paint a desperate picture.

"Like when kids play tug of war..."
"Like a melting ice cream sandwich..."
"Like a gaggle of mating geese..."

Ok, maybe not the last one. But they would pick the weirdest comparisons to drive their visual home. It was different.

She explained again how the curve is starting to curve the wrong way, blah blah. It actually almost creeps me out to look at my X-rays too long. Don't ask.

She cracked my back again, but in a different way. And she wrenched my neck to each side again--jesus that's jarring. But in a good way. The sound it makes reminds me of this multi-colored slinky toy I had as a child. It was made of plastic squares you could break apart and rearrange. The clackity-clack sound it made when it slinkied is what I hear when she cracks my neck to the side. Charming, I know.

I have to go three times a week for two weeks to crack things back into place, and then I can start to go less frequently. The hard part is not leaning forward when I type or read.



But anyhoo. Since I'm seeing Dark Knight tonight maybe I can go see Mamma Mia! tomorrow night. It looks totally fun...may be going on my own, though, rather than dragging an unwilling boy. I keep forgetting Colin Firth is in it. Delicious!

This is where we make the medicine. Perhaps you should have some.

TWO DAYS!!!! Or even, "tomorrow night", if you will.



Maggie's looking quite sexy, I hope she has more than six minutes of screen time.

On a completely different note, I found out the name of the girl we saw at The Elephant Room.



Her name is Kat Edmonson and her myspace page has four tracks (the one that automatically starts is the only single you can actually buy) but I really recommend her rendition of The Very Thought Of You--she has the perfect voice for it. Too bad you can't hear her sing Over the Rainbow, which really caught my attention (even amongst all those White Russians). But we picked a great night to go...as someone else pointed out, she has a vague Billie Holiday thing going on.



(Upstage at The Elephant Room.)

I've been terrible about working out lately, but I'll be better. Going to swing by tonight on my way home. Maybe. Thought about it briefly last night, but it was raining. Like, storming. And somehow that was enough of an excuse for me!

I want to get high off this, not sprinkle it on my fucking Oaties.

My voice teacher was out of town last weekend, so I had a makeup lesson this morning. It went very nicely, though I'm still trying to get over loathing the sound of my own voice. (Is that a problem?) He said something that sort of terrified me, though. Apparently they have bi-annual concerts and there is one in October; he mentioned that Easy Silence is coming along very nicely and I should sing it. Is he fucking insane? Has he HEARD me sing?? I gave a shrill laugh and told him that would be a cold day in hell. Only, you know, more politely.



So I did actually re-watch American Beauty this weekend. It got the Oscar for Best Picture nearly ten years ago and I've seen it a few times since, but not in recent years. (From the Oscars, I mostly just remember Kevin Spacey picking up Best Actor and thanking his mom for driving him to acting lessons all the time. It was cute.)

I have to admit, I've gone back and forth with how I feel about that movie. Initially I loved it, then one day it struck me as forced and trite ("You want to see the most beautiful thing I ever filmed?"); but having said that, it certainly has its moments. I easily tire of the whole Kevin Spacey/Mena Suvari lust fest, though I realize it's also the impetus for all the changes he makes in his life. (Seriously, am I the only one who thinks she looks vaguely troll-like?)

Ultimately, it's well written (for the most part) and well acted and a very enjoyable watch. Especially if I just sort of sit back and turn off my brain, I don't get hyper-critical. It's just a little too in love with itself at times, but I suppose we can let a few things slide.

I'm really getting in to Battlestar Galactica, good times. Still just on season 1 but I'm ripping through at a good pace. Next two discs are on the way, along with something my mom recommended called Jindabyne (starring one of my favorite underrated ladies, Laura Linney) and because I'm a sucker who just doesn't learn, Kenneth Branagh's remake of Sleuth. Yeah, yeah, I'm sure the original is better, but you know what? It's not on DVD. So there. And Michael Caine is in both, anyway.

THREE DAYS TIL DARK KNIGHT!! *drooooooooooools*

You're taller than you look in the tabloids, Mr. Wayne.

Oh, it's ON, baby. Who's got tickets for Thursday night? MEMEMEMEMEMEME, that's who!!! 4 days and counting.



PLEASE BE THE MOVIE THAT ACTUALLY DIDN'T DISAPPOINT ME!!! Sex & the City and Wall-E have already successfully been accepted for those positions, and we're really needing someone to fill the Holy-Shit-That-Impressed Me slot. Okay? Thanks.

Finished season 3 of Weeds finally (seem to have been having a Netflix lull for a while there, but I'm over it). Great show. Though it occurred to me as I watched the cliffhanger, I wasn't sure which would be harder and more stressful--being a drug dealer or a parent. She has a lot on her plate.

Dinner was Bangkok Chicken last night, which I prepared as I made the icing for the carrot cake. One should probably not make cream cheese icing while making dinner, as one tends to, at that point, consume what could almost be a cream cheese icing dinner. I decided Fiona and Sophia would have done the same thing and that made me feel better. The fact that they are 6 and 3 (nearly 4!) is really quite irrelevant.

Flashback your flavor!

I love Japanese lyrics...just finished watching Nana, which was quite cute. Good soundtrack, too. Thanks, Alex! I might have bibbled a little bit near the end, but don't tell anyone.



They actually had decent purple roses at the store! Too bad I shake.



Successfully did almost nothing this weekend. Well, I did make carrot cake, which is cooling off as I write.



I have a feeling it didn't quite rise as much as it should have, but as long as it's edible...



And it was still a little too hot this weekend to spend much time in here...



But at least I took pictures!



It is very nice inside. Still need to put down paving stones...you know, someplace to set my wine glass...

How did you even generate enough pee for three pregnancy tests?

What a week. I haven't gotten much sleep, between helping someone move and staying out late to play in Dallas...infact there was sort of a night in there where I may not have really slept at all. So forgive me for any egregious typos or nonsensical writing...

Got up at 6am for my 730am chiropractor appointment. I have never been to one before, but I am aware of the quack reputation the entire profession seems to have. I was even treated to a five minute video presentation before my appointment. It was not as crudely produced as you might think, though it did include one title card during a montage that read, "Chiropractors Are Well Educated!" That's a little bit like when people have to tell you that they're smart. But I let it slide. After all, I was already there at that ungodly hour.

So based on my problem, she took a few X-rays. While they developed, I got "therapy," which involved my laying down and her attaching two small pads (which are hooked up to a machine) to my shoulders. It used electricity and it was alternating between tingling and tapping as it relaxed my muscles. Neat-weird. I liked. (Though I admit all I could think of at first was Peter Venkman administering electric shocks at the beginning of Ghostbusters, don't ask me why.)

Then she explained the X-rays to me and I got an "adjustment." I could see the problem on the X-rays, where my spine is starting to curve and there is too much space where they should be lining up instead. She said it could be caused by something that happened years ago (a bad fall, whiplash from a car accident, etc) but is being exacerbated by me--how I hold my head or whatever it is I do to cause the inflammation. I'm also supposed to start paying more attention to how I hold my head. Yeah, that'll happen.

My mother also noted, before I went, that perhaps I should see a real doctor. That honestly didn't even occur to me, as I tend to think of "real doctors" as being for more eyes/ears/throat types of situations. Plus I haven't seen a "real doctor" in years. But that's what insurance is for, neat-o!

But back to the quack. (That's my little joke, she was fine). She gave me two adjustments. I had heard of this, but I have never, you know, been adjusted. It doesn't take long, but it's kind of jarring. Not in a bad way--nor does it hurt. I laid down and had a few borderline-kung fu movements done to my spine and then flipped over and done to my neck. Holy jesus that was interesting. It did feel pretty great, though.

I'm going back next Thursday, and we'll see. I don't want this to be something that just goes on indefinitely (it would get a little pricey, for one thing), but I also realize you probably can't just fix your neck in one go.

Otherwise, I plan on doing fuck-all this weekend. The world's best husband assembled the pain-in-the-ass gazebo I bought. Apparently whoever wrote the instructions was not well acquainted with the nuances of the English language. Like getting it to make sense. (Nor did the lack of pictures help any.) But it's all together and I must take a pic soon. It's not the traditional wood type you're thinking--it's four-posted and metal, with a tented top and mosquito netting.

Now that the fence has been repaired, I can sit in that part of the yard without having to banter with the annoying neighbors behind us. (Think of the stereotypical, "How 'bout them Cowboys?" type and that would be they. Also, these are the neighbors with whom Mouchette had the dog altercation. Good times.) Cannot wait til my lace elm obliterates them from view completely. (Ok, they are not so bad, I just want to have a very private backyard Triana-style).

But regardless, I'll be reading in my gazebo all weekend, polishing off The Post-Birthday World (which is quite good so far), Mystery Train: Images of America in Rock 'n' Roll, Dancing Barefoot (Wil Wheaton), and The Illustrated Atlas of Jewish Civilization. Add some white wine, maybe throw in a little Battlestar Galactica and that's my weekend-to-be!

I can't wait to get started doing nothing.

Well, he was probably a closet homosexual who did a lot of cocaine. That whole Yale thing.

Spent the last three days in Austin so a co-worker could pick up her new car...I did get to drag them out to the Elephant Room (where the band was even better than usual and the lead singer had a gorgeous jazz bandy voice with which she knocked out a memorable Somewhere Over the Rainbow) as well as County Line for a great view/bucket o' beer/turtles...

And weirdly, now that I'm finally home, I'm wired and wide awake.

And watching Only You!



It's really not a good movie. But as you know, I have a thing for Robert Downey, Jr. Over the years, though, two things really make that movie. Namely, Bonnie Hunt as her best friend. Secondly, the reaction she gets in the beginning when she tells the American gate agent, "The man I'm supposed to marry is on that flight!" versus the reaction at the end when she tells the exact same thing to the gate agent in Rome. Honestly, it's 14 years later, and I really think it would be exactly the same today.

My neck still hurts like a mind blowing motherfucker. I may look up chiropractors tomorrow. Massage just isn't cutting it.

Drugged-up wandering suicidal search of the self fuck-ups don't have families, David.

Disappointed.



I mean, it was good...but hardly best of the year material. It was decent and all, don't get me wrong, but it could have been soooooooo much better.

The social commentary was hardly subtle, and while I'm not taking points off for that, I do take points off for the plot taking a turn towards the generic and just riding it out for the last half. It actually sort of dragged for a while.

I do applaud the near absence of dialogue and infact found it unneccesary for the 'bots to start speaking nearly-dicipherable English at all. But whatever. The film did have some really nice touches in the first half or so...it's not a waste of time. The short that opens the film is by far the best part of Wall*E (which is a painful thing to say to someone sitting down to watch the whole thing for the first time).

Ok, seriously, people. JULY 18. I am not afraid to get my hopes up, I am not afraid of high expectations. Because it is going to FUCKING ROCK.

It's gonna be cold, it's gonna be grey, and it's gonna last you for the rest of your life.

Who's got Lewis Black tickets, baby??



He's just so much fun to watch. I'm always terrified he's just going to have a goddamn heart attack on stage. We don't have the greatest seats...I have a feeling it's about to be sold out. But I'll take what I can get!

Been holing up in my computer room in the evenings this week to wrap up the wedding pictures (are you still fucking working on that, you ask?). And I say bite me. The files are huge, there are about 600 of them or so, and my computer is slow as fuck. (Especially when I listen to music at the same time). It's nearly out of memory, it's really a great computer. It's me.



I started to put this picture at the top, but it really didn't go with the subject line, you know?

Should start burning discs tonight...jesus, won't that take forever...but I have Battlestar Galatica on the laptop nearby hooked up to the turntable's speakers and it's awesome. I'm quite digging the show.

And this weekend? After my voice lesson on Saturday, going to accompany two girls from work to Austin for the weekend so one of them can pick up her new (ok, pre-owned) BMW X-3. (She has a better position than I, in case you're wondering). I don't usually like women, but these two are pretty okay. We'll see if I still feel the same way after a weekend out of town. (I'm going for the food and non-Dallasness of it, but don't tell anyone, ok?)

And someday, we'll make that hate work for you.

Holy fucking shit!! You know what I JUST REALIZED???



HARRIET HAYES from goddamn Studio 60 On the Sunset Strip is MERLYN from American Gothic!! And they are both Sarah Paulson. How the FUCK did that never OCCUR TO ME?

If this is my last day on Earth, I don't want it to be socially awkward.

So I actually have been pretty decent about keeping up with one of my (New Years) resolutions to listen to a new album a week. I didn't have to BUY a new album, but I mostly have been. It's fairly cheap--some of them are under five bucks. But rather than list them all at the end of the year, I thought I would break it up at the halfway mark.

Some of these are not necessarily proud purchases, or even new artists for me. So bite me. The date is the week's end date.



1/12: Weird Al, Straight Outta Lynnwood (we didn't own any Weird Al. How this was possible is beyond me).
1/19: Common Rotation, Isalie (a group Alex, D and my friend J saw open for They Might Be Giants; not their greatest album, this one, but decent)
1/26: Black Box Recorder, England Made Me (great album, heard one song on The Adventure Club, bought the whole thing)



2/2: Lily Allen, Alright Still (fucking wicked album, yes, the whole thing)
2/9: Sheryl Crow, Detours (I don't know if I have fully listened to it all the way through, it was so disappointing)
2/15: One Ring Zero, We Are One (it's ok...but I feel it's something I'm SUPPOSED to like for indie cred)
2/23: Dolly Parton, Just Because I'm a Woman (I'm all about diversity...at the time we were going to TN...I don't listen to this much, sue me)



3/1: Feist, The Reminder ("They're selling US through our music! I'm trend pimp!")
3/8: Once soundtrack, (great album, great movie)
3/15: Modeselektor, Hello Mom! (heard on All Songs Considered, great bass)
3/22: Carrie Underwood, Carnival (how many times do I have to admit to buying this?)
3/29: Dixie Chicks, Top of the World Tour (so I might like them a little these days)



4/5: oops.
4/12: Tilly & the Wall, Bottoms of Barrels (good stuff, nothing revolutionary)
4/19: Regina Spektor, Soviet Kitsch (I love Regina Spektor but this album has its annoying tracks for sure)
4/26: Chantal Kreviazuk, What If It All Means Something (suggested by one of those internet radio thingys...pretty good album, actually)



5/3: Death Cab For Cutie, Narrow Stairs (good album, no Plans)
5/10: Weezer, Deluxe Red Album (Weezer is always fun)
5/17: Dixie Chicks, Fly (one of two of theirs I didn't own)
5/24: Kris Delmhorst, Songs For a Hurricane (also suggested by internet radio based on my likes...this one is just good background)
5/31: Tara MacLean, Wake (known of her for years, even before she was in Lilith Fair. Great voice but albums tend to be somewhat mediocre...)



6/7: The Ting Tings, We Started Nothing (my dad sent me an article on them...very fun group)
6/14: Alanis Morissette, Flavors of Entanglement (I'm impressed...I like it!)
6/21: Sarah McLachlan, Rarities & B-Sides, Volume 2 (she can keep churning out leftovers and I'll keep right on buying it...siiiiiiiiiiigh)
6/28: REM, Accelerate (saw them perform on Jon Stewart...or Colbert, who knows...I was impressed. Decent album, way more rock for once).