Music Monday: So, I've Started That Again

The following is an open letter to a very specific part of my stubborn psyche.

Dear Mental Blockage,

Alright. You have to stop this. You need to apply for work to get work. Just because you've been rejected sight unseen by Best Buy, several local TV and radio stations, newspapers and libraries, WalMart and Blockbuster doesn't mean that you will never get work again. It only seems that way.

You did good today; applying for your first job in a month and a half. Nordstrom would be lucky to have you. And if they can't see that another company will. Also, if that's the case? Fuck them. Forever and a day.

Notice how relatively good and responsible you feel after the initial anger from job application idiocy subsides? Isn't that a good feeling? Don't you want more of that? OK! Keep applying for work! All we're asking is two job applications a day. That's not much! You can do it and still have time for lots of other things. Like playing with the cats and reading 900 page long fantasy novels.

I'm glad we had this talk, Psyche. I love you when you act like a rational human soul.

Now! Music!

Twitter Is Making Me Needy

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Remember almost a month ago when I joined Twitter? I cannot lie to you, I've found it much more addictive than I ever thought possible. But there's a problem.

It's making me really, super needy.

See, it feels like this direct line to your favorite people. Whether they be actors, writers, singers, comedians, scientists, what-have-you. And watching them respond to what appear to be regular old folk opened up this possibility that they'd respond to me, too. And while it's possible that someone will at some point, for a week or two there it was driving me slightly batty that I was being ignored.

Not just by the famous people, but, seemingly, by everyone.

Part of this is my natural tendency toward shyness and how I've always wished it were easier for me to just jump right in and communicate with others. Really, how upset can you get about going unnoticed when you don't do much to get noticed?

I am happy to report, though, that I've mostly gotten over it. I've been tweeting my twitters in a vacuum. Posting, re-tweeting, reading and mostly not replying to anyone at all. I figure I'll keep that up until I can get over my shy-girl-in-the-corner-at-the-party feeling enough to engage other twits (Is that what we're called? Well, it should be.) without holding on to a desired outcome.

And now that I've added another major social media thing to my repertoire, I also feel slightly overwhelmed by all the information coming at me.

For instance, when I realized you could favorite tweets you like, I started starring things like crazy. I'm using it mostly as a bookmarking system for tweets that link to articles I want to go back and read.

What this means, though, is that now I've got things starred in Twitter and my Google Reader. Bookmarks in Explorer and Firefox. Favorites on YouTube. Favorites in my Yahoo and Netscape email accounts. Notes written down in notebooks and on scraps of paper. And tons of stuff pinned to my Pinterest boards.

I frequently find myself saying, Hey, I should tell people about X! Only to realize I have no idea where the fuck I stashed the info.

I suppose it wouldn't be technology if it didn't simultaneously make our lives easier and more difficult at the same time, would it?

How do you consolidate all your favorite internet info?

A Little Bit Of Progress

You know what was nice about this weekend? What was nice about this weekend was that, for once, I didn't chicken out of a networking event. On Sunday night I went to a Girlfriend Circles meeting. There were two other women there and we had a good time talking about pets, parenting (even though none of us has kids), jobs and life in general. We even had to be kicked out of the cafe' where we met because we were still there a half hour after they'd closed.

It felt so freakin' good to talk to other women! In person! Even though we're basically strangers! We've already made plans to meetup again late next month. Isn't that cool? I might get some good friends out of this!

I think there was momentum left over from that meeting. I went to a screening for a movie I'm reviewing yesterday morning, and I talked to people! I even got a business card from one guy and sent him an email today.

EXPANSION and CONNECTION can be lovely things.

Possibly The Funniest M&M's Commercial...Ever

I laugh every time I watch it, and I've watched it quite often.

I Just Don't Get It

After hitting the post office today, I decided to spend some of my birthday cash four doors down at Starbucks. I got a 12 ounce Caramel Brulee Latte and, honestly, I was unimpressed.

This was only the second time in my entire life I've had a Starbucks coffee creation. What am I missing, people? The prices are outrageous (I spent $4.05 on something that wasn't anywhere near as good as the much cheaper cappuccino at Quik Trip) and it isn't what I'd call exceptionally tasty. Sure, it was hot, which is nice on a chilly day, but the flavor was only OK. It's got to be more of an atmosphere thing. Though that doesn't explain all the people who get expensive brew to go.

I have to confess: Starbucks holds no power over me. It's gas station cappuccino all the way for this girl.

Things Change And Stay The Same

I was planning to do a final Fall TV roundup for you guys today, but I'm going to be totally honest here: I'm having a crappy moment right now.

I don't feel like thinking, talking, writing, seeing or doing much of anything. I will write about television shows for you tomorrow, I promise. Now, though, at least someone should be laughing:

Recent Obsessions: Kimbra

Photo

I pride myself on finding new music and rediscovering old musical favorites. This is one of the reasons I started doing Music Monday; to help some of the artists I enjoy find new fans and to keep a curated list of songs/bands/music I love. I'm confident that something we'll never run out of is new music to listen to!

I stumbled across Kimbra last week while goofing off on YouTube. She's either from Australia or New Zealand (I'm getting conflicting Google reports on that), but it really doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is her amazing voice and unbelievably cool songs.

Right now there's only an EP available in North America, but you can best believe I'll be keeping an eye out for when her CD goes on sale here. Take a look, listen, and be awed:

Ahh...The Muse

Inspiration is a tricky thing, isn't it? No matter what you're working on (article with a looming deadline, painting, photo essay, book proposal or business plan) that urge to create is essential. So when the muse isn't with you, what do you do?

In many things getting started is the hurdle that can help. At least, that's what everyone says. Begin, the logic says, and let things flow until you find something that resonates with you and gets the juices flowing. And this is what I often do. It does help, but sometimes it feels empty.

I've never been much of a "fake it 'til you make it" person. It's not that I don't believe it works; it just usually doesn't get me to a genuine place. Say I'm having a crappy day and someone smiles at me in the grocery store. I always smile back, but it doesn't make me any happier or ease my anxieties. I frequently feel like a poseur for doing it, like I'm not being myself in the moment. And I don't like that. I don't like doing things just because I'm supposed to. I want to want to do nice things, kind things, generous things.

Maybe it's childish, but I want to create because I've been struck by an idea and moved in some way that I want to share with others. I suppose it's incredibly naive, especially for someone who's been writing, painting, playing music and dreaming up fantastical inner worlds for almost 40 years to desire more frequent light bulb moments. But, there you go.

Do you get inspired to begin, or begin to get inspired?

A Nice Thought

Ah, so true...

Oh, Heavy D...RIP

I'm sure a lot of you have forgotten all about Heavy D & The Boyz, if you knew about them at all. But for fans of late '80s through mid '90s hip hop, Heavy D was the shit. I wish he hadn't passed away earlier this week at only 44 years old.

Want to get to know Heavy D and his ever present Boyz? Here you go...

Compadres

I've been chatting via email with another blogger about making and keeping friends, and how difficult it seems to be (for some of us, at least).

When I was a kid, I always had a couple of buddies I did things with: going roller skating or swimming, having sleep overs, heading to the movies, passing notes in class...But I was never one of those people with a gaggle of amigos surrounding me at all times. I was quiet, studious, lacking in confidence, overweight, well-mannered, four-eyed and frequently riddled with acne. Any one of those things could have knocked me out of cohort competition, but I suspect the combination was what really did me in.

I spent the occasional moment, as a young'n, wondering why more people didn't like me, but I was basically fine with having only one or two close friends. Now, of course, I've been without close friends who live nearby for several years.

It's odd. Even when I was young and thinking about friendship two things never occurred to me: completely changing who I was to fit in more and concern over my future ability to make friends. I guess it seemed like I'd always be able to run into someone somewhere who had things in common with me.

Creating and maintaining friendships is like money management, or brewing the perfect pot of coffee. No one teaches you that stuff. They all just assume you'll get it or that you'll ask the right questions and then they can help you. Clearly, it doesn't always work that way.

What have you learned about friendship since becoming an adult?

A Question For The Ladies

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Do any of you stare at your boobs forlornly and then pull or push them up higher with your hands as you imagine your faded youth and the even saggier boobs to come?

Alright, fine. Don't participate! But, you know what? I've been doing that after almost every bath or shower and sometimes when I'm just changing my clothes.

I think it's mostly because this new boob low was reached just a few months ago. Actually, I had just gotten used to the previous hang level when I looked down in the bath one day and thought Oh, OK...I guess this is where they like to be now...Oh, well...

This is going to sound extreme, but the aging process does appear to be a bit like a car wreck. There's no schedule to the atrocities and when you pass a new tangle of twisted metal and confused passengers you are absolutely horrified. And yet, you cannot look away.

I'm not loosing sleep over these things: the increased ear wax, pendulous breasts, odd smells, gray facial hairs, memory loss or preponderance of whiskers. I'm just ready to feel less like I'm in free-fall. You know?

Me And Al Sharpton? We Are Done!

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Not that we were ever super-tight, but Sharpton said some ridiculous shit when he gave Tyler Perry an award from his National Action Network last week. What did he say? Al Sharpton said that Black people who diss Tyler Perry films are "proper Negroes."

What kind of idiocy is this? There's no Black Handbook, that lists appropriate likes, dislikes and opinions for African Americans. And you know what, Al? If there were, it would be WRONG.

We are just as free as White folks, Latinos, Koreans, Native Americans, and everyone else to dislike Tyler Perry movies if we want to. The idea that True Blackness = Loving Tyler Perry Movies is out-of-this-world foolish. I am a 100% positive that ALL Mexicans don't love Eva Longoria and that ALL Caucasians don't love Leonardo DiCaprio.

Life doesn't work like that, regardless of race or creed, and someone Sharpton's age should certainly know that. Will the asininity among Black people never cease?!

Recent Obsessions: Scott Naturals

I know it seems odd to become obsessed with a roll of paper towels, but dammit! These are awesome!

HUBS and I had been using generic paper towels after becoming addicted to Viva but giving them up to save some household supply dough. I was shopping at Walgreens and saw that they had a six pack of Scott Naturals for $4, so I figured trying them out wouldn't be a big deal.

I was wrong. It was a huge deal! I've found the perfect paper towels, people!

At first, I hated them. They are as hard as the day is long, my friends. But, it turns out that that's a feature instead of a bug. I'd advise against wiping your mouth with them unless absolutely necessary, but they are amazing for:

1) Hand washing dishes
2) Scrubbing the stove
3) Cleaning cat barf off the carpet
4) Wiping down dirty kitchen walls
5) De-grubbing baseboards
6) Carrying cat kibble

I'm sure there are more uses that I haven't thought of yet. The key thing you should know? You can wet them and scrub away for several minutes before the barest hint of a tear will appear.

I know. AWWWWESOOOOOOOMMMMMMME.

Music Monday: Why Waste Time?

I could write scores about our exciting weekend of sleeping, sleeping, sleeping, going to IHOP, sleeping, sleeping, taking PT to Bandana's for her birthday and then sleeping some more. But, you'd likely feel just as enthused about that as Miller looks in the above photo. I know you'd rather just get straight to the tunes. Here we go!


Does anyone else think Taraji P. Henson looks like her?

Well, I Won't Be Going Here Anytime Soon...

That's right, the whole state is now off limits until they get this shit under control. Ick!

Music Monday: Keep Your Husband Away From The Beard Trimmer!

See that man up there? That's HUBS. He'll be largely unrecognizable to most of you now, due to what he claims was an accident with his hair clippers. He walked into the bedroom late last night, took off his glasses and showed me this:



I don't know if you notice, but his eyebrows are basically just peach fuzz now. The damned fool ACCIDENTALLY SHAVED HIS FUCKING EYEBROWS OFF!! The lesson, ladies? Leave your husband alone with personal electrical appliances at your own embarrassing peril. Lucky for HUBS his glasses cover the area enough to make his mistake (fuck all) barely noticeable.

Now, as you contemplate the oddness of the situation, enjoy this video from Peter Bjorn and John:


This combination of song and images makes me feel like I'm living in an alternate universe. In a creepy yet fascinating way. Oh, yeah.

Because I Do My Best To Keep You Entertained

Menacing, yes. Though, not on a kitler level.

It would be fair to say, at this point, that cats and me? We're like this. And seeing as how I love me some funny cat pictures, I couldn't help but share my latest discoveries: kitlers and Ron Swansons.

You can thank me later.

No, Do Not Take Our Simple Pleasures Away From Us!

We know this is Calvin & Hobbes, right?

So, now I'm supposed to believe that good news is as dangerous as bad news? No. Fuck you, medicine.

Music Monday: Dammit Amy!

I don't know what kind of person Amy Winehouse was, but whether she was nice, flirty, bitchy, sad or a brawler it doesn't matter now. I really wish she had been able to get her shit (whatever the cause of that shit was) together. She had a great, original voice. Too bad she was ready to join the club.




Obviously not her in the video, but it is her singing.