By an amazing turn of events, we ran out of toothpaste in my house, so we resorted to using the free toothpaste that Boogie-Down Nicole gave me from her Colgate shareholders' meeting recently. I should mention that it's a Dora the Explorer tube of toothpaste. The toothpaste itself is quite marvelous, even more so than the packaging. It's clear pink.
WITH SPARKLES!!!
My dental hygiene experience is the best it has been in a while.
In other news, Rrrachel has a facebook group dedicated to her.
30 May 2006
26 May 2006
In Defense of Nelly Furtado, Sort of.
So I live in the ghetto, right? Once upon a time, I realized that there was a public access channel on tv that would show music videos from The Box. The idea of The Box was that people called in and requested what they wanted to see, and in my neighborhood, people wanted to see 3LW, Ja Rule, Lil' Kim. Oh! And Ludacris. Who'd have thought this last guy was gonna appear on SVU and on an Oscar-winning movie?!
One day, they added this video by Nelly Furtado. "I'm Like a Bird". I thought the video concept was stupid. I also thought the lyrics were kinda dumb. I know griping about pop song lyrics is like saying that the subway is dirty. But still.
"I'm Like a Bird" has never been my favorite song, but I heard other positive things about this girl, so I bought her album. I really love Whoa, Nelly! But I thought people were gonna forget about her. But about 6 months, maybe a year later, I can't remember, people took notice of the same stupid song that I didn't dig. It always seems to work out that way, doesn't it? Anyway, somehow she got really famous. I don't get it, to be honest, why some people get to be famous and others don't.
I'm really shocked by how much buzz this album is making! It seems like every blog I've read in the past couple of months has been going all "OMAGAWDNELLYRULES!" It's not a bad thing, it's just that blogs and the rest of the world tend to have dissenting opinions but on this occasion... they share this same love. I didn't know it was cool to love Nelly Furtado. I thought we all thought she had an annoying voice. I guess that's what happens when Canada is supposed to be the "it" thing. Is Celine Dion next?
But I'm still wondering about all this buzz. First, are the rest of the kids acting like Nelly's the coolest pop star since Kelly Clarkson to prove they're not being ironic and well-rounded music fans? Second, did Nelly's people get smart with their marketing of Nelly the product and send out links of mp3s for them to post on their blogs? I'm in a handful of mailing lists and they write these emails specifically for bloggers. They go, "HEY! Here's a sexy new track by _____. Post it up on your blog and send us back the link as proof! It'll make YOU that much sexier!" I've been worrying a lot lately about how everything seems to be a product that's being marketed to me, and how I need to get away from this trap. Sigh.
Ugh, this was supposed to be a review of Nelly's new album, Loose. It helped that I had low expectations of it, because I ended up liking it and going, "Hey, it wasn't that bad." I mean Steve said it's awful, and I can't believe he'd say something like that after the release of The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living. Or maybe I can. Steve has been open in expressing his disdain for dance music. In turn, I may be digging this album a lot because I'm on this dance music trip. Like I've been trying to download the DJ-Kicks that Tiga did; I only recently looked at the tracklist and, in theory, it sounds like it's gonna be AMAZING. But I've having trouble finding a victim from whom to download.
BACK TO LOOSE. It's sort of a stupid album to listen to at home while doing your homework. It's more of an album you'd listen to when no one's home and you get to shout and dance all by yourself. Or it's good for what I did, which is to listen to the album you take the train and feel like you all that. I'm glad this album is all flashy and shit because I can tell the lyrics aren't amazing. I actually think that's the weakest part of the album. I mean, what the hell is that "Promiscuous" business? I can't believe this is the first single in the US.
This album is not like the first and greatest of her albums, but it's pretty good. We'll see how well it ages. I guess I shouldn't talk about the Chris Martin duet cos it's getting pulled off the album. Supposedly, his label got pissy about it. That's retarded because he's done plenty of things with pop people. Actually, I can think of him writing a song for Jamelia, that's pretty much it. I don't know, I just think it's very inconsiderate of the label if the rumors about this are true. I mean, all that money down the drain. And imagine all the money they might NOT get! I think. I'm not entirely sure how things happen in the music industry happen in a monetary sense, other than the fact that music labels don't know how to run themselves. Then again, it's pocket change for them.
Honestly, I can't really remember how this Chris Martin track goes. It's called "All Good Things (Come to an End)". It wasn't anything amazing. BUT! The Juanes track, "Te busqué", is pretty good! Especially considering that every single he's done between "Mala gente" and "La camisa negra" has been pretty icky. The latter had so-so parts, too, it was a weird single to put out. And I may or may not have liked some of the singles released in between those two, but by the way I'm blocking all memory of it, probably not. So "Te busqué" might be the strongest Juanes track we've had in a whiiiiile. I still think it's a dumb habit of Latino artists to do their songs in both English and Spanish. I think Fijación oral has shown that an album completely in Spanish can be plenty popular. Think about it. If I was like this 14-year-old girl, I'd feel cheated that I paid $14.99 for this album and got what, 10 real tracks instead of 11 like I originally thought.
I think it's interesting that Nelly's performing in Spanish, too. I can name a number of Italian people who perform in Spanish to widen their appeal, and I guess Nelly is doing the same. Yes, I know she's Portuguese, but it's the same idea, I guess: make the kids "happy" and cash in on their joy. Do I sound too cynical? Let's not lie to ourselves, with their track records, major labels wanna make as much money at once as possible.
I think this album is great in theory and only good in execution. A lot of the tracks, although they might feel awesome in the clubs, have a same-y feel when you've just got the CD on at home. I did liked the little R&B bit that Nelly does on "Showtime". It's a nice break in the album after all that THUMP THUMP THUMP. Is it baby-makin' music? It's pretty chill. Hope they release this as a single.
My favorite song in the entire album is "No hay igual". It's got one of those choruses that's not even very musical, but it gets into your head to the point you want to bash it into a wall if you can't hear the song again and shout along to the words. The beat is really cool, too.
I feel very odd about Timbaland's work on Loose. He's past his prime, isn't he? I don't know what work he's done recently other than Utada Hikaru's Exodus, and I have to say, at times, I got Exodus vibes on some of these Nelly tracks. And obviously I don't mean the vocals or whatever, but just the beats and the overall production. Utada also went through this whole sleek urban schtick to crossover into the American market, and even though I still listen to the album, I don't think it was amazing. I'd have to say that Loose is comparable, except for "Te busqué", which sounds more Juanes-y, haha.
One cool feature about the album is that it has a lot of Nelly's studio chatter before or after the songs. Considering how over-the-top some of the production can get, it's nice to hear this. It gives it more of a first-draft feel that works well against the club-ready music.
I don't know dudes. I think it's more of a fans-only album, except her fans like her pop schtuff and will probably be all like "Ew what the fuck", unless they "get" Nelly and then they're all like, "Oh em gee! I like edgy new Nelly!!!" How about this: it's best it stay in clubs, parties, and/or walks around the city where you can strut around looking all badass. Nelly's work, to date, has been a bit hit-or-miss for the more casual fans, but I don't doubt she's got the best intentions and really does want to keep things interesting. I find that honorable, and I welcome this change.
One day, they added this video by Nelly Furtado. "I'm Like a Bird". I thought the video concept was stupid. I also thought the lyrics were kinda dumb. I know griping about pop song lyrics is like saying that the subway is dirty. But still.
"I'm Like a Bird" has never been my favorite song, but I heard other positive things about this girl, so I bought her album. I really love Whoa, Nelly! But I thought people were gonna forget about her. But about 6 months, maybe a year later, I can't remember, people took notice of the same stupid song that I didn't dig. It always seems to work out that way, doesn't it? Anyway, somehow she got really famous. I don't get it, to be honest, why some people get to be famous and others don't.
I'm really shocked by how much buzz this album is making! It seems like every blog I've read in the past couple of months has been going all "OMAGAWDNELLYRULES!" It's not a bad thing, it's just that blogs and the rest of the world tend to have dissenting opinions but on this occasion... they share this same love. I didn't know it was cool to love Nelly Furtado. I thought we all thought she had an annoying voice. I guess that's what happens when Canada is supposed to be the "it" thing. Is Celine Dion next?
But I'm still wondering about all this buzz. First, are the rest of the kids acting like Nelly's the coolest pop star since Kelly Clarkson to prove they're not being ironic and well-rounded music fans? Second, did Nelly's people get smart with their marketing of Nelly the product and send out links of mp3s for them to post on their blogs? I'm in a handful of mailing lists and they write these emails specifically for bloggers. They go, "HEY! Here's a sexy new track by _____. Post it up on your blog and send us back the link as proof! It'll make YOU that much sexier!" I've been worrying a lot lately about how everything seems to be a product that's being marketed to me, and how I need to get away from this trap. Sigh.
Ugh, this was supposed to be a review of Nelly's new album, Loose. It helped that I had low expectations of it, because I ended up liking it and going, "Hey, it wasn't that bad." I mean Steve said it's awful, and I can't believe he'd say something like that after the release of The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living. Or maybe I can. Steve has been open in expressing his disdain for dance music. In turn, I may be digging this album a lot because I'm on this dance music trip. Like I've been trying to download the DJ-Kicks that Tiga did; I only recently looked at the tracklist and, in theory, it sounds like it's gonna be AMAZING. But I've having trouble finding a victim from whom to download.
BACK TO LOOSE. It's sort of a stupid album to listen to at home while doing your homework. It's more of an album you'd listen to when no one's home and you get to shout and dance all by yourself. Or it's good for what I did, which is to listen to the album you take the train and feel like you all that. I'm glad this album is all flashy and shit because I can tell the lyrics aren't amazing. I actually think that's the weakest part of the album. I mean, what the hell is that "Promiscuous" business? I can't believe this is the first single in the US.
This album is not like the first and greatest of her albums, but it's pretty good. We'll see how well it ages. I guess I shouldn't talk about the Chris Martin duet cos it's getting pulled off the album. Supposedly, his label got pissy about it. That's retarded because he's done plenty of things with pop people. Actually, I can think of him writing a song for Jamelia, that's pretty much it. I don't know, I just think it's very inconsiderate of the label if the rumors about this are true. I mean, all that money down the drain. And imagine all the money they might NOT get! I think. I'm not entirely sure how things happen in the music industry happen in a monetary sense, other than the fact that music labels don't know how to run themselves. Then again, it's pocket change for them.
Honestly, I can't really remember how this Chris Martin track goes. It's called "All Good Things (Come to an End)". It wasn't anything amazing. BUT! The Juanes track, "Te busqué", is pretty good! Especially considering that every single he's done between "Mala gente" and "La camisa negra" has been pretty icky. The latter had so-so parts, too, it was a weird single to put out. And I may or may not have liked some of the singles released in between those two, but by the way I'm blocking all memory of it, probably not. So "Te busqué" might be the strongest Juanes track we've had in a whiiiiile. I still think it's a dumb habit of Latino artists to do their songs in both English and Spanish. I think Fijación oral has shown that an album completely in Spanish can be plenty popular. Think about it. If I was like this 14-year-old girl, I'd feel cheated that I paid $14.99 for this album and got what, 10 real tracks instead of 11 like I originally thought.
I think it's interesting that Nelly's performing in Spanish, too. I can name a number of Italian people who perform in Spanish to widen their appeal, and I guess Nelly is doing the same. Yes, I know she's Portuguese, but it's the same idea, I guess: make the kids "happy" and cash in on their joy. Do I sound too cynical? Let's not lie to ourselves, with their track records, major labels wanna make as much money at once as possible.
I think this album is great in theory and only good in execution. A lot of the tracks, although they might feel awesome in the clubs, have a same-y feel when you've just got the CD on at home. I did liked the little R&B bit that Nelly does on "Showtime". It's a nice break in the album after all that THUMP THUMP THUMP. Is it baby-makin' music? It's pretty chill. Hope they release this as a single.
My favorite song in the entire album is "No hay igual". It's got one of those choruses that's not even very musical, but it gets into your head to the point you want to bash it into a wall if you can't hear the song again and shout along to the words. The beat is really cool, too.
I feel very odd about Timbaland's work on Loose. He's past his prime, isn't he? I don't know what work he's done recently other than Utada Hikaru's Exodus, and I have to say, at times, I got Exodus vibes on some of these Nelly tracks. And obviously I don't mean the vocals or whatever, but just the beats and the overall production. Utada also went through this whole sleek urban schtick to crossover into the American market, and even though I still listen to the album, I don't think it was amazing. I'd have to say that Loose is comparable, except for "Te busqué", which sounds more Juanes-y, haha.
One cool feature about the album is that it has a lot of Nelly's studio chatter before or after the songs. Considering how over-the-top some of the production can get, it's nice to hear this. It gives it more of a first-draft feel that works well against the club-ready music.
I don't know dudes. I think it's more of a fans-only album, except her fans like her pop schtuff and will probably be all like "Ew what the fuck", unless they "get" Nelly and then they're all like, "Oh em gee! I like edgy new Nelly!!!" How about this: it's best it stay in clubs, parties, and/or walks around the city where you can strut around looking all badass. Nelly's work, to date, has been a bit hit-or-miss for the more casual fans, but I don't doubt she's got the best intentions and really does want to keep things interesting. I find that honorable, and I welcome this change.
23 May 2006
Discoveries.
Nothing much to report, honestly. Work has been great! The other interns are fabu!
Went to see Art Brut at Soundfix last night, and by "see", I mean we got there just at 8 and the closest we got to the entrance of the room was this tiny hall where we were cramped like sardines. Of course we had to stand next to the storage space with all the booze to quench those thirsty indie scum with PBR.
The set sounded really good, if, you know, virtually the same set as every other. I couldn't see anything, though I did get a glimpse of Eddie getting on top of something or someone and doing his shouty-singing thing. I felt pretty retarded just standing there feeling like a fire hazard, especially when I knew I'd get home late, so I just left early. The store was pretty nice.
Another unrelated important thing to note is that Lucy Liu and I have the same last name! I'm pretty sure. So says Wikipedia, and y'all know Wikipedia don't lie! It sorta makes sense though, because apparently my last name is like one of the top 5 most common in China. Huh.
Last thing:
Last week or so, Stylus's Stypod featured a new(?) Annie song, and I thought bloggers were gonna pick up on it and seriously go apeshit over it. But I haven't felt any reaction, and the Hype Machine says I didn't miss anything. Maybe people thought it was shitty? I think it's very cute, if not musically brilliant.
I guess I'll go first (or second, ha). Since Stypod only puts up songs for a few days, here's a yousendit of Annie's "The Crush". Enjoy, or not.
Went to see Art Brut at Soundfix last night, and by "see", I mean we got there just at 8 and the closest we got to the entrance of the room was this tiny hall where we were cramped like sardines. Of course we had to stand next to the storage space with all the booze to quench those thirsty indie scum with PBR.
The set sounded really good, if, you know, virtually the same set as every other. I couldn't see anything, though I did get a glimpse of Eddie getting on top of something or someone and doing his shouty-singing thing. I felt pretty retarded just standing there feeling like a fire hazard, especially when I knew I'd get home late, so I just left early. The store was pretty nice.
Another unrelated important thing to note is that Lucy Liu and I have the same last name! I'm pretty sure. So says Wikipedia, and y'all know Wikipedia don't lie! It sorta makes sense though, because apparently my last name is like one of the top 5 most common in China. Huh.
Last thing:
Last week or so, Stylus's Stypod featured a new(?) Annie song, and I thought bloggers were gonna pick up on it and seriously go apeshit over it. But I haven't felt any reaction, and the Hype Machine says I didn't miss anything. Maybe people thought it was shitty? I think it's very cute, if not musically brilliant.
I guess I'll go first (or second, ha). Since Stypod only puts up songs for a few days, here's a yousendit of Annie's "The Crush". Enjoy, or not.
21 May 2006
Comic Relief.
Yesterday I hung out with Doris, which was nice. We went into Forbidden Planet and they played "Blister in the Sun" and the kids working there clapped along and it was cute. And I felt so much better when I saw the guy ringing me up (for issues 1, 9, and 10 of Optic Nerve) was wearing a Distillers shirt, because in a battle between Guy Who Wears Distillers Shirts and Girl Who Buy Optic Nerve With the Student Discount, the Girl obviously wins.
Somehow every store we went into had comics in them. We went to Strand's and Shakespeare & Co. and St. Mark's Comics. I'd been too scared to go into that last one, so yesterday was the first time. The people there were shockingly nice. There were a lot of tin lunchboxes, and 50 cent comics. Please note I did not say 50 Cent.
We didn't really eat but we went into Walgreen's and got these big cans of Arizona ice tea for 67 cents. It was too much liquid and we had to use the bathroom at Barnes & Noble. Is this too boring for y'all? I'm sorry.
Well, after weeks and weeks I finally went back to Other Music and things... were different. There were names I didn't recognize on the board, and the categories were all fucking shifted around. I showed Doris the Yo La Tengo CD I want. That damn thing is $18.99. Too much! For bad covers!
Anyway, I just watched the video for "Heartbreaker" and I cannot believe people gave Mariah Carey so much shit about Glitter. Dude, the video was brilliant and I thought she was great in it.
Somehow every store we went into had comics in them. We went to Strand's and Shakespeare & Co. and St. Mark's Comics. I'd been too scared to go into that last one, so yesterday was the first time. The people there were shockingly nice. There were a lot of tin lunchboxes, and 50 cent comics. Please note I did not say 50 Cent.
We didn't really eat but we went into Walgreen's and got these big cans of Arizona ice tea for 67 cents. It was too much liquid and we had to use the bathroom at Barnes & Noble. Is this too boring for y'all? I'm sorry.
Well, after weeks and weeks I finally went back to Other Music and things... were different. There were names I didn't recognize on the board, and the categories were all fucking shifted around. I showed Doris the Yo La Tengo CD I want. That damn thing is $18.99. Too much! For bad covers!
Anyway, I just watched the video for "Heartbreaker" and I cannot believe people gave Mariah Carey so much shit about Glitter. Dude, the video was brilliant and I thought she was great in it.
18 May 2006
Art Brut Pepsi Smash!
I kept making bitchy comments about bloggers last night at the Art Brut show, and then IT HIT ME: I HAVE A BLOG. Shut up, okay? I think of it as my journal... to soften the blow!
Anyway, here is my play-by-play of last night. Rachel, Boogie-Down Nicole, Claudia and I went to Nicole's dorm to watch the America's Next Top Model finale. It was an all right ending. I liked both of the top two, as much as I could in this season. I was so pissed off by the runway walks. They were both unimpressive in that aspect. Nice girls, though.
Let us move on to the concert.
The Chalets were so so adorable, and not in an annoying way. Strong pop sound, but I do think they needed a little oomph in stage presence. I mean their dance routines were cute but I do wish they'd had a little something extra. Also, I couldn't understand anything they were saying. I particularly liked the way they worked the vocals, I'm a fan of boy-girl vocal in general, like with X.
Robocop Kraus were sort of awesome! Definitely for an opening band. I didn't even know who the fuck they were and I couldn't even tell where they were from so I assumed, "I guess they're from the UK", but they're really German. The music just had a quirky we-could-have-been-an-emo/hardcore-band-but-our-singer-wasn't-whiny-enough-and-so-we-went-Kraftwerk-all-ova-yo'-face-with-crazy-keyboards quality to it. But the vocalist was so funny. Oh my god, y'all. It wasn't quite an Ian "I Love Life" Curtis Dance, but he had all these strange moves, like just moving his neck around, and like like like for some reason he would raise his hands, palms to the audience, sort of as if we were armed robbers, y'know what I mean? No? That's right, you had to be there. Anyway, really, I didn't care about the music as much as I just wanted to take the singer out dancing. I must add, they had a fantastic bassist, in the sense that he really seemed to be enjoying himself, and I dug that. I'm still undecided whether I liked them better than the High Speed Scene.
(At this point we were joined by Cameron, who was full of juicy gossip about all sorts of things, none of which I can really discuss, mostly cos it makes me feel all cool knowing info that you don't. Yeah, I'm a jackass...)
Art Brut 47 were okay. Their We Are Scientists covers suck. Especially the vocalist guy. What's going on, dude? I wonder who writes the lyrics--whoever it is, he needs to QUIT IT. The music was okay, though. To be honest, they were a bit too Brooklyn for me. Does that have any significance to you? You know, those kids who live in Brooklyn and play in bands. I don't know how to explain it, but a lot of them have the same vibe. It's like they're trying hard to look like they're genuine and not trying hard. Am I getting my point across? Anyway, I was so so mad at this band. I wished the dude would never open his mouth, because some of the songs had pretty bitchin' parts, and then those brief moments would just fall apart into bland old regular "indie" shit. It was so frustrating.
Art Brut! SO GREAT! METAL! RAWK! YARRGHHH! But yeah, it's weird that they're technically getting much better. For real. It's weird to see Freddy look confident and shit. Ian! What a fabu guitarist! Hm, the new songs are quite cute, quite catchy from what I can tell. I approve. I'm trying to decide whether to see them at Soundfix. I think people should go see Art Brut at least once in their lives. It's worth it.
Think About Life were catchier than We Are Scientists in my opinion, but I was too tired and my head hurt. We left during the second song. Maybe another time, because they had the potential to be hysterical. Also: props to lame lone dancer. You were pathetic, but quite graceful about it.
Overall, it was a fantastic show, I just would have rearranged the opening bands, but what the hey, right? Beggars can't be choosers.
Tonight, watching the teevee, there was a commercial using "So Here We Are" by Bloc Party. Remember them?! God, I can't stand them, except for that hottie drummer dude. Anyway, it was pretty exciting. The car commercial used the song well. It was about time they cashed in, because their music is perfect for commercials.
Question! The Futureheads:News & Tributes::Pink Flag:Chairs Missing?
Another question! Was Mischa Barton really killed in The OC tonight? If so, AWESOMETOWN!
Anyway, here is my play-by-play of last night. Rachel, Boogie-Down Nicole, Claudia and I went to Nicole's dorm to watch the America's Next Top Model finale. It was an all right ending. I liked both of the top two, as much as I could in this season. I was so pissed off by the runway walks. They were both unimpressive in that aspect. Nice girls, though.
Let us move on to the concert.
The Chalets were so so adorable, and not in an annoying way. Strong pop sound, but I do think they needed a little oomph in stage presence. I mean their dance routines were cute but I do wish they'd had a little something extra. Also, I couldn't understand anything they were saying. I particularly liked the way they worked the vocals, I'm a fan of boy-girl vocal in general, like with X.
Robocop Kraus were sort of awesome! Definitely for an opening band. I didn't even know who the fuck they were and I couldn't even tell where they were from so I assumed, "I guess they're from the UK", but they're really German. The music just had a quirky we-could-have-been-an-emo/hardcore-band-but-our-singer-wasn't-whiny-enough-and-so-we-went-Kraftwerk-all-ova-yo'-face-with-crazy-keyboards quality to it. But the vocalist was so funny. Oh my god, y'all. It wasn't quite an Ian "I Love Life" Curtis Dance, but he had all these strange moves, like just moving his neck around, and like like like for some reason he would raise his hands, palms to the audience, sort of as if we were armed robbers, y'know what I mean? No? That's right, you had to be there. Anyway, really, I didn't care about the music as much as I just wanted to take the singer out dancing. I must add, they had a fantastic bassist, in the sense that he really seemed to be enjoying himself, and I dug that. I'm still undecided whether I liked them better than the High Speed Scene.
(At this point we were joined by Cameron, who was full of juicy gossip about all sorts of things, none of which I can really discuss, mostly cos it makes me feel all cool knowing info that you don't. Yeah, I'm a jackass...)
Art Brut 47 were okay. Their We Are Scientists covers suck. Especially the vocalist guy. What's going on, dude? I wonder who writes the lyrics--whoever it is, he needs to QUIT IT. The music was okay, though. To be honest, they were a bit too Brooklyn for me. Does that have any significance to you? You know, those kids who live in Brooklyn and play in bands. I don't know how to explain it, but a lot of them have the same vibe. It's like they're trying hard to look like they're genuine and not trying hard. Am I getting my point across? Anyway, I was so so mad at this band. I wished the dude would never open his mouth, because some of the songs had pretty bitchin' parts, and then those brief moments would just fall apart into bland old regular "indie" shit. It was so frustrating.
Art Brut! SO GREAT! METAL! RAWK! YARRGHHH! But yeah, it's weird that they're technically getting much better. For real. It's weird to see Freddy look confident and shit. Ian! What a fabu guitarist! Hm, the new songs are quite cute, quite catchy from what I can tell. I approve. I'm trying to decide whether to see them at Soundfix. I think people should go see Art Brut at least once in their lives. It's worth it.
Think About Life were catchier than We Are Scientists in my opinion, but I was too tired and my head hurt. We left during the second song. Maybe another time, because they had the potential to be hysterical. Also: props to lame lone dancer. You were pathetic, but quite graceful about it.
Overall, it was a fantastic show, I just would have rearranged the opening bands, but what the hey, right? Beggars can't be choosers.
Tonight, watching the teevee, there was a commercial using "So Here We Are" by Bloc Party. Remember them?! God, I can't stand them, except for that hottie drummer dude. Anyway, it was pretty exciting. The car commercial used the song well. It was about time they cashed in, because their music is perfect for commercials.
Question! The Futureheads:News & Tributes::Pink Flag:Chairs Missing?
Another question! Was Mischa Barton really killed in The OC tonight? If so, AWESOMETOWN!
17 May 2006
Talk Talk.
I am still at home, waiting for the Art Brut show.
I went back to work yesterday! It was pretty great! It's a different building, and there's a Benny's Burritos nearby.
I forgot to mention, last what, Friday or something? Last week me and Claudia and Rachel bummed around and went to dinner and we went to Benny's (the one we usually go to) and the service was pretty bad and it was the first time I was disappointed with my dining experience there. Etherea Paul and his girlfriend were there too!
Keeping up with the bad service theme, the other interns took me to this awful Chinese place with good food but the worst service ever. Shit, if I could remember what street it was on, I'd tell you. This is the sort of place you want to keep in mind and make sure you DON'T end up there. The place was pretty deserted, probably since they're so damn awful.
Ugh I need to go.
I went back to work yesterday! It was pretty great! It's a different building, and there's a Benny's Burritos nearby.
I forgot to mention, last what, Friday or something? Last week me and Claudia and Rachel bummed around and went to dinner and we went to Benny's (the one we usually go to) and the service was pretty bad and it was the first time I was disappointed with my dining experience there. Etherea Paul and his girlfriend were there too!
Keeping up with the bad service theme, the other interns took me to this awful Chinese place with good food but the worst service ever. Shit, if I could remember what street it was on, I'd tell you. This is the sort of place you want to keep in mind and make sure you DON'T end up there. The place was pretty deserted, probably since they're so damn awful.
Ugh I need to go.
14 May 2006
Under Control.
I tried explaining to Boogie-Down Nicole and Claudia today why I think the Strokes are nightmare interviewees. Take Jules alone... he's a lot like his buddy Courtney Love. They can talk and talk and talk for hours without telling you anything substantial about themselves. But here's the thing. Courtney can be funny and interesting, if a bit loud. Jules, on the other hand, he mumbles. A lot. It would be so difficult to understand whatever bullshit he does decide to reveal.
I told them this reasoning while we ate chocolate in Boogie-Down Nicole's new dorm room. She is sharing the apartment with 5 other girls, and it's huge. It's got so much party potential, you know?
Anyway, then we walked Claudia to some store where she was meeting her friend, and we went all sorts of directions until we ended up at Mini Thai Cafe. Food was so good. We saw Claudia and her friend pass by. I sent her a text message.
I've been good. Been reading Sandman. I think Dream is hot. It's awesome, even though I've already read the whole thing twice. Got the Freaks & Geeks DVDs back, so I can keep on living.
My dad told me I should learn how to drink so people won't think I'm a retard for not drinking at parties. I think that's the stupidest reason to learn how to drink. I think I'd want to... I dunno. But drinking because other people might think I look dumb... For me, it's more of a control issue. I won't drink unless I choose to, not because people WANT me to. I want to be dominant in this situation. Drinking... it would affect my behavior in a way I might not like. I want to be aware of everything I'm doing, I want to will it. No , i'ts not the alochol, it's about control.
I told them this reasoning while we ate chocolate in Boogie-Down Nicole's new dorm room. She is sharing the apartment with 5 other girls, and it's huge. It's got so much party potential, you know?
Anyway, then we walked Claudia to some store where she was meeting her friend, and we went all sorts of directions until we ended up at Mini Thai Cafe. Food was so good. We saw Claudia and her friend pass by. I sent her a text message.
I've been good. Been reading Sandman. I think Dream is hot. It's awesome, even though I've already read the whole thing twice. Got the Freaks & Geeks DVDs back, so I can keep on living.
My dad told me I should learn how to drink so people won't think I'm a retard for not drinking at parties. I think that's the stupidest reason to learn how to drink. I think I'd want to... I dunno. But drinking because other people might think I look dumb... For me, it's more of a control issue. I won't drink unless I choose to, not because people WANT me to. I want to be dominant in this situation. Drinking... it would affect my behavior in a way I might not like. I want to be aware of everything I'm doing, I want to will it. No , i'ts not the alochol, it's about control.
11 May 2006
Fake French.
GASP! So I did see Sandra Oh on the street today!! OMG!!! She's so cute. I was on Cooper Square, walking West while she was coming my way, and she stopped right in the middle of the street because she saw someone she knew and they just started talking right there. (No worrying about traffic; there are never many cars passing.) Awww. I wasn't entirely sure if it was her because she was wearing orange-tinted shades and I was like, "Why would she be in NYC??" But I just went to her website and it says she's doing a play in June & July, so she must be preparing for it maintenant. My mom asked me why I didn't get an autograph. Pfft. Why bother her?
Had pizza avec Claudia et Steve.
Was fairly unproductive. Browsed through about 7 magazines at the bookstore. Got trapped in a ghastly sea of NYU grads and their families. Ick. I went to the library, twice.
I WENT TO THE LIBRARY, TWICE!
By the way, I'm glad Art Brut are playing Siren, yay! Too bad the rest of the lineup hasn't impressed me much, though I do wanna see Celebration.
I borrowed out three volumes of Sandman and 28 Up, even though I haven't seen 21 Up. (If you're not familiar with the Up Series, the reviews at the bottom of the IMDB pages should give you a fair idea.) Oh well.
Apparently they're showing films based on Ray Bradbury stories next week at the public library. I didn't know they made a movie for "All Summer in a Day"! That's one of my favorite short stories everrr. I'm gonna miss the screening, though, because I'm gonna be back at work.
Oh yeah, another thing. I finally realized why so many Manic Street Preachers fans are pretty much off their rockers. I had "Motown Junk" stuck all fucking day, to the point of writing on Doris's Facebook wall with a quote from the song. Sheesh. That song is too catchy for its own good. It kept going over and over and over in my head and I was exasperated all day.
Had pizza avec Claudia et Steve.
Was fairly unproductive. Browsed through about 7 magazines at the bookstore. Got trapped in a ghastly sea of NYU grads and their families. Ick. I went to the library, twice.
I WENT TO THE LIBRARY, TWICE!
By the way, I'm glad Art Brut are playing Siren, yay! Too bad the rest of the lineup hasn't impressed me much, though I do wanna see Celebration.
I borrowed out three volumes of Sandman and 28 Up, even though I haven't seen 21 Up. (If you're not familiar with the Up Series, the reviews at the bottom of the IMDB pages should give you a fair idea.) Oh well.
Apparently they're showing films based on Ray Bradbury stories next week at the public library. I didn't know they made a movie for "All Summer in a Day"! That's one of my favorite short stories everrr. I'm gonna miss the screening, though, because I'm gonna be back at work.
Oh yeah, another thing. I finally realized why so many Manic Street Preachers fans are pretty much off their rockers. I had "Motown Junk" stuck all fucking day, to the point of writing on Doris's Facebook wall with a quote from the song. Sheesh. That song is too catchy for its own good. It kept going over and over and over in my head and I was exasperated all day.
09 May 2006
Without Pity.
Wow, that episode sucked. What happened? How did it all go wrong? There was a point in my life when I anxiously awaited for Gilmore Girls to come on. No longer. No 16 minute Thurston-Kim-Coco-Lane jams? Well, my dearest SY certainly worked with what they could. Speaking of 16 minute jam sessions, Yo La Tengo tried their best to no avail, as well. The show did them no justice. I mean, I don't know why, but I thought maraca-shaking was involved in this SY schtuff. C'mon, yo! Where was all the hot action!?
I thought Sparks stole the show. C'est tout. No apologies.
Actually, that's not all, I have to say Rory Gilmore has the worst British accent this side of Madonna and should really just be quiet and look pretty. Unless she's talking to Lane about music or with Milo Twentymile about literature. UGH. While we're at it, let's just admit that not even Sparks worked their magic enough to save this mess...
Today I remembered how in love I am with Steve Buscemi. Giggles.
Sigh... we could have had it so much better.
By the way, somebody buy me the YLT WFMU Covers Disaster album, or whatever they called it. I heard a clip of them fucking up "Oh Bondage, Up Yours!" and it was amazing. Mmmkay, srsly, the end.
Edit: Oh, hey, forget that D- shit, I got a B in Reporting, yay!
I thought Sparks stole the show. C'est tout. No apologies.
Actually, that's not all, I have to say Rory Gilmore has the worst British accent this side of Madonna and should really just be quiet and look pretty. Unless she's talking to Lane about music or with Milo Twentymile about literature. UGH. While we're at it, let's just admit that not even Sparks worked their magic enough to save this mess...
Today I remembered how in love I am with Steve Buscemi. Giggles.
Sigh... we could have had it so much better.
By the way, somebody buy me the YLT WFMU Covers Disaster album, or whatever they called it. I heard a clip of them fucking up "Oh Bondage, Up Yours!" and it was amazing. Mmmkay, srsly, the end.
Edit: Oh, hey, forget that D- shit, I got a B in Reporting, yay!
08 May 2006
School's Out...
This is ridic, I had another "School is ruining my life" dream. This time I managed to get into my Theory of Drama class, which I am currently waitlisted for, but I also got a D- in Reporting I!!! Though I took this one a lot better. I mean, I was really sad about the D-, but it's like, figures.
Shh. I'm supposed to be out in the world frolicking today. But I think I'll stay in? Yeah!
Shh. I'm supposed to be out in the world frolicking today. But I think I'll stay in? Yeah!
Burden.
WEnt to Dan's party and it seemed like it was gonna be funner than parties where they serve alkyhol. I'm not sure what happened, I only stayed 15 minutes and when I said by he was like, "Did you have ice cream" and I didn't have the heart to say no, so I was just like, "THE M&M'S WERE GREAT!!" which was an absolute truth, though not the one he was looking to hear. I feel really sad because Dan seemed so genuinely glad that we were there, even after we handed over the candy toppings me and Boogie-Down Nicole bought for the party.
Before that I watched the second season of Australia's Next Top Model on YouTube and it was really fun. It's really different. Like I don't think they used the word "fierce" once. But the girls were really interesting and really pretty.
I haven't been doing so good to be honest. My dad got two tickets today. He didn't do anything bad, the police officers were just trying to fill their quotas, and they took advantage of my parents because they don't know English. For some reason that made me break down a bit and worry that my dad might be deported, or something. Not that he's an illegal. It's just that the system has a way to make you miserable like that is all.
I haven't been doing much but watching a lot of TV and YouTube. (I actually re-signed up for YouTube, though I'll handle myself differently this time, promise.) Me and Boogie-Down Nicole went to the public library, Donnell, and we geeked out. A lot. I actually haven't listened to the Asha Bhosle album I borrowed just yet, but I did watch A Mighty Wind. I cried a lot during "A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow". I don't know why. That song just has that effect on me. I also watched Texas Ranch House because I like those dumb "reality shows" that PBS puts on.
I took a 30-minutes-turned-to-2-hours nap that involved a horrible dream that it was February of Spring semester and even though I'd been working hard, the projects were piling up. I think I had something for like Spanish. I actually had a paper due for Calculus coming up. I haven't taken math since high school, so I don't know where that came from. I'd gotten my midterm grades and I'd gotten B's in the rest of my classes, but in Calculus I got a fucking C and I was feeling really awful. Pure worry in my dream. At the same time I was only half asleep and I was trying to pull myself awake, but I was so so exhausted I didn't have the power to do that, even. It was sad. I just kept feeling this intense worry. When I finally woke up, I just felt ashamed and sad and confused. I just couldn't believe I'd let go and fallen asleep for two hours when I'd only planned for 30 dumb minutes. Wonder if this dream is a sign. If I'm going to fail my classes.
I wasn't gonna link no more of these dumb videos, but this one's actually pretty good. And really 80s.
Before that I watched the second season of Australia's Next Top Model on YouTube and it was really fun. It's really different. Like I don't think they used the word "fierce" once. But the girls were really interesting and really pretty.
I haven't been doing so good to be honest. My dad got two tickets today. He didn't do anything bad, the police officers were just trying to fill their quotas, and they took advantage of my parents because they don't know English. For some reason that made me break down a bit and worry that my dad might be deported, or something. Not that he's an illegal. It's just that the system has a way to make you miserable like that is all.
I haven't been doing much but watching a lot of TV and YouTube. (I actually re-signed up for YouTube, though I'll handle myself differently this time, promise.) Me and Boogie-Down Nicole went to the public library, Donnell, and we geeked out. A lot. I actually haven't listened to the Asha Bhosle album I borrowed just yet, but I did watch A Mighty Wind. I cried a lot during "A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow". I don't know why. That song just has that effect on me. I also watched Texas Ranch House because I like those dumb "reality shows" that PBS puts on.
I took a 30-minutes-turned-to-2-hours nap that involved a horrible dream that it was February of Spring semester and even though I'd been working hard, the projects were piling up. I think I had something for like Spanish. I actually had a paper due for Calculus coming up. I haven't taken math since high school, so I don't know where that came from. I'd gotten my midterm grades and I'd gotten B's in the rest of my classes, but in Calculus I got a fucking C and I was feeling really awful. Pure worry in my dream. At the same time I was only half asleep and I was trying to pull myself awake, but I was so so exhausted I didn't have the power to do that, even. It was sad. I just kept feeling this intense worry. When I finally woke up, I just felt ashamed and sad and confused. I just couldn't believe I'd let go and fallen asleep for two hours when I'd only planned for 30 dumb minutes. Wonder if this dream is a sign. If I'm going to fail my classes.
I wasn't gonna link no more of these dumb videos, but this one's actually pretty good. And really 80s.
04 May 2006
Jaula de Oro.
My dad asked me to make him a mix cd this morning, and when he came home, I was still working on it. He asked me why I was taking so long, shouldn't I be able to do this within an hour? Yes, but I don't. I sort of can't, either. I felt really shitty about it, and then my dad's like, "Listen, if you don't want to do it, just tell me, don't be all like, 'I'm working on it.'" Fuck that. That hurt my feelings. I do want to make this mix, it's just that listening to my first draft has been excruciating and I feel that he's just gonna chuck the thing about of the boombox after listening to one track. He probably will.
I was pretty bored today. I watched Dr. Phil yell at this overbearing alcoholic heavily accented old woman. I also rearranged my CDs (the ones that I'm not entirely ashamed of) in alphabetical album title. It was pretty interesting.
I've also been getting into problems with my compulsiveness. Every time I think about my grades, my train of thought goes like this: "Who gives a shit about grades," "I wonder when they'll be posted online," "Well, it doesn't matter, I'd rather not find out," "Oh, but I have nothing to do, why don't I check just now." So even though I don't really want to know which letter I got, I'm constantly checking whether I've received any grades yet. Yes, I just checked again. It's really just something for me to do.
I wish Art Brut tickets would sell out so I would have one less thing to worry about. That way, it would be like, "Hey, it's sold out, didn't get my ticket, guess I can't go!" I don't know if I should go to the !!! either. Maybe I should just stay put and behave and save my money to go to England, which probably won't happen either. I do want to see the Futureheads, though.
Maybe I shouldn't go to that one either. It's all a burden, a big burden. I don't want to be a bad kid you know?
I did watch that Theremin movie, though, and it was pretty wonderful! The tape was a bit busted and it gave it that homey, crap-from-the-library-sucks feel to it. Anyway, I have to say, for a mad scientist who used to work for the KGB, Leon Theremin was sorta hot! And he was so adorable as an old man. The movie was pretty funny, just because the whole story sounded so ridiculous. I have to say, however, Brian Wilson stole the show. Man is fucking nuts, that's all. He just went babbling on and on about the theremin and how "Good Vibrations" owns.
I've ordered so much crap from the library, it's exciting.
In Japan, there's sort of an epidemic with younger men where they're not willing to come out of their rooms for anything other than food and the bathroom. They'll do stupid shit like just play videogames or read and just pass the time, not being functional members of society. They don't learn social or work skills, and with the more time that passes with them inside (months, years, who knows), the less likely it is they'll come out and return to society. This lifestyle is becoming more and more attractive to me. No friends. It's fun to hang out with my friends for a few hours, but the closer the time gets to going home, the more depressed I get. "I don't wanna spoil the party so I'll go..." I might as well stay inside forever and not disappoint myself with all these distractions. No point in having friends because you'll just end up heartbroken.
I was pretty bored today. I watched Dr. Phil yell at this overbearing alcoholic heavily accented old woman. I also rearranged my CDs (the ones that I'm not entirely ashamed of) in alphabetical album title. It was pretty interesting.
I've also been getting into problems with my compulsiveness. Every time I think about my grades, my train of thought goes like this: "Who gives a shit about grades," "I wonder when they'll be posted online," "Well, it doesn't matter, I'd rather not find out," "Oh, but I have nothing to do, why don't I check just now." So even though I don't really want to know which letter I got, I'm constantly checking whether I've received any grades yet. Yes, I just checked again. It's really just something for me to do.
I wish Art Brut tickets would sell out so I would have one less thing to worry about. That way, it would be like, "Hey, it's sold out, didn't get my ticket, guess I can't go!" I don't know if I should go to the !!! either. Maybe I should just stay put and behave and save my money to go to England, which probably won't happen either. I do want to see the Futureheads, though.
Maybe I shouldn't go to that one either. It's all a burden, a big burden. I don't want to be a bad kid you know?
I did watch that Theremin movie, though, and it was pretty wonderful! The tape was a bit busted and it gave it that homey, crap-from-the-library-sucks feel to it. Anyway, I have to say, for a mad scientist who used to work for the KGB, Leon Theremin was sorta hot! And he was so adorable as an old man. The movie was pretty funny, just because the whole story sounded so ridiculous. I have to say, however, Brian Wilson stole the show. Man is fucking nuts, that's all. He just went babbling on and on about the theremin and how "Good Vibrations" owns.
I've ordered so much crap from the library, it's exciting.
In Japan, there's sort of an epidemic with younger men where they're not willing to come out of their rooms for anything other than food and the bathroom. They'll do stupid shit like just play videogames or read and just pass the time, not being functional members of society. They don't learn social or work skills, and with the more time that passes with them inside (months, years, who knows), the less likely it is they'll come out and return to society. This lifestyle is becoming more and more attractive to me. No friends. It's fun to hang out with my friends for a few hours, but the closer the time gets to going home, the more depressed I get. "I don't wanna spoil the party so I'll go..." I might as well stay inside forever and not disappoint myself with all these distractions. No point in having friends because you'll just end up heartbroken.
01 May 2006
12:51
So there's this Washington Post story on Ryan Schreiber, Pitchfork Wonder Boy, and it's pretty gentle on him, but I don't like how Schreiber is all like, "It's about the music, man! I'm a journalist, man!"
Dude, you don't gotta lie. If he'd said, "Yeah, it's been good business for me, suckas!" I'd have been a lot happier. More than his writing, I think what's notable is his business savvy. He's really built up this company to what it is today. So why downplay that? And how unimpressive is it that--gasp!--he likes Hall & Oates?
Also, I thought it was sad they interviewed Travis Morrison, even if I never listened to the Dismemberment Plan. They made him sound like Pitchfork destroyed him.
Today I had my Reporting I final, and I had to write a fake story about how three kids at Bronx Science stole AP exams in advance and sold them for mucho dinero to their classmates. I was like, "Holy shit! That sounds exactly like something Bronx Science kids would do!!"
HOLIER SHIT! ROBERT MOOG WENT TO BRONX SCIENCE! OMG!! Wow. I never knew that. Amazing! (Other notables: E.L. Doctorow and Bobby Darin, not to mention Duckie from Pretty in Pink!) God bless Wikipedia, eh?
Wow, I googled my school and I had no idea things had gotten SO out of control with our principal. (An example here, third item down.) That really sucks. I had her as a lab teacher, and she scared me.
I've got about 1700 words to write... nothing's happening. I borrowed out an anthology of stuff published in Esquire, as well as a documentary on theremins that I'm really excited about.
Dude, you don't gotta lie. If he'd said, "Yeah, it's been good business for me, suckas!" I'd have been a lot happier. More than his writing, I think what's notable is his business savvy. He's really built up this company to what it is today. So why downplay that? And how unimpressive is it that--gasp!--he likes Hall & Oates?
Also, I thought it was sad they interviewed Travis Morrison, even if I never listened to the Dismemberment Plan. They made him sound like Pitchfork destroyed him.
Today I had my Reporting I final, and I had to write a fake story about how three kids at Bronx Science stole AP exams in advance and sold them for mucho dinero to their classmates. I was like, "Holy shit! That sounds exactly like something Bronx Science kids would do!!"
HOLIER SHIT! ROBERT MOOG WENT TO BRONX SCIENCE! OMG!! Wow. I never knew that. Amazing! (Other notables: E.L. Doctorow and Bobby Darin, not to mention Duckie from Pretty in Pink!) God bless Wikipedia, eh?
Wow, I googled my school and I had no idea things had gotten SO out of control with our principal. (An example here, third item down.) That really sucks. I had her as a lab teacher, and she scared me.
I've got about 1700 words to write... nothing's happening. I borrowed out an anthology of stuff published in Esquire, as well as a documentary on theremins that I'm really excited about.
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