Last Night There Were Skinheads On My Lawn - TT #37

13 Random things about me.

1. I can do the Hustle. Yes, Bond, that Hustle. Someone alert Travolta I am coming for him!

2. My first ex husband (I liked ex's so much I got 2!) used to refer to my eye color as pond scum green. It is oddly accurate and I find it highly amusing.

3. I am incapable of cooking small portions. I am Greek, I cook for an army.

4. I am currently addicted to Subway's Italian BMT. It's all in the pepporcinis.

5. I am getting excited for our upcoming Charity Auction at work. This weekend we will be having a fund raiser with Baja Fresh. We get 15% of all proceeds for Friday Sat and Sun from all stores in Portland, Beaverton, Vancouver...basically the entire I-5 cooridor in Oregon. We are doing a department lunch Friday and I am buying food Sunday for the Super Bowl.

6. I think Hershey's Kisses are just about the most perfect chocolate.

7. I had a major craving for a Hot Brown sandwich last week when Kidlet was home sick so I made a huge platter. It was super yum.



8. I don't think Jessica Alba could act her way out of a paper bag. And yeah guys, I know, "who cares?" indeed. Color me smug cause Johnny Depp can act :P

9. Fred Meyer shoppers hate me. They are out to get me. I am not paranoid! Kidlet agrees.

10. Bond is in Hotlanta and I am jealous. And Bitter. I want to eat dinner here:



11. Evan Rachel Wood should not screw up Blackbird. She should also stop trying to be Dita Von Teese.

12. Speaking of Dita, she reminds me of Vivien Leigh. Thinking that makes me want watch Gone With The Wind.

13. Singing along to this song at the office will get you stared at.

I Know You Can't Work In Fast Food All Your Life - WW #44

Oh You Can Kiss Me On A Monday

Tonight Anthony Bourdain is in the Greek Islands of Crete and Ithaca. My people! So far he has slaughtered a sheep, cooked it with salt only over an open flame while drinking raki which he said was deadly. It is by the way, so is Ouzo. It will put you on your ass. Unless, like me, you are Greek. He has eaten fresh sea urchin, been schooled on the importance of being olive oil, and hunted quail and rabbit. With more raki and retsina.

He is exploring greens, aka any growing green edible "weed" that we like to eat. Growing up I used to wander around irrigation ditches in farmland Utah with my grandfather looking for wild asparagus and weeds.

Oh look, I can do that dance. Toss in a trip to Ithaca with tiny fresh fish cooked on a beach in what looks to me like a stifado type base. Yum.

Now it is Micahel Palin's New Europe. He is in Eastern Europe - Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia, Serbia, Albania, Herzegovina. Another childhood memory, Michael Palin's Great Railway Journeys which I credit with instilling in my the whole "Going Native" tendency. Particularly the India section. India has long been the pinnacle of travel wishes. That and Egypt, although I think the Middle East is out of the question for Americans for a long time.

Now we come to the freaky part of the Starr show. Kidlet and decided to throw caution to the wind and try a Neti Pot for nasal irrigation. Not to gross you all out with the details since I think it is self explanatory, I can say that wow did this work. Really really well. And our sinuses feel better. It has been so cold and so dry that when added to a sinus cold you can just imagine what that feels like. Kidlet was, and I quote, "scared shitless" of the whole concept but once she tried it she was hooked. If you have allergies or sinus congestion or a bad stuffy head cold I highly recommend investing in one. It ran me 17 bucks at New Seasons and whatever a quarter teaspoon of table salt costs. Freaky, yes, effective, yes.

Oh Shit. Guess what is stuck in my head?

When You Stop Seeing Beauty You Start Growing Old

Watching Classic 60 Minutes on VH1 Classic, this week it is the 2005 U2 interview. Did all ya all U2 fans hear the description from Bono of the new album? Moroccan chants that "won't clear a dance floor." What the fuck does that mean? More importantly, when guys? Huh? Cause this 4 years between albums crap is getting seriously frickin old. Gimme my electro-Moroccan dance, trance, dervish music already.

I swear they are the biggest cock teases in the music business. I want an album and a tour. Cause I will sell blood and travel as far as I can to see them every time I can until they drop or I do. Bet I go first.

Holy Shit, Larry Mullen is speaking. If he smiles it will be a minor miracle.

So far no snow. Everything around the Portland Metro area got hit but so far nothing. Hope it holds cause kidlet sounds like crap still and I want to get her tomorrow at some time. I gotta say this whole 40 hour a week, or less if kidlet is sick, is kinda nice. I feel better. 6 years of working between 400-500 hours of overtime will wear ya down.

Ok Mister The Edge is a smartass. Quite funny. To all my fellow U2 fans if you have not read U2 At the End Of The World I can not recommend it enough. I actually liked it more than U2 by U2.

Ok off to watch the SAG awards.

Update cause I have been meaning to do this and I suck am a slacker. The ever complimentary Vinny Bond over at The Couch recentley hand out the You Cheer Me Up Award and was kind enough to include me on his list. I thank you Oh King of Upholstery! As for my list, Bond and I have over lap as it stand but I gotta say, everyone who visits me regulary and takes the time to comment please considered yourself tagged. You all make blogging fun =)

Grr. Argh.

My cold is mercifully easing up on me. Just in time for the impending snow cluster fuck. See in PDX we get snow...real snow, MAYBE once a winter and some sad slushy shit about once a year. And these Native Oregonians and the Cali transplants lose their little fucking minds. They think that just cause the are driving a Subaru (EVERYONE drives a Outback here, including the Parentals) that somehow they are like nimble polar bears traversing the snowy tundra. When, in fact, they are lead footed asshats nimbly running their autos into one another.

Last night around 11 I hear a crash. Now let me set the scene for you. I live in a foo foo development of "European village style town homes and condos." It's quite nice. And quite quiet. And I live on a dead end turnaround. So a crash right outside our little courtyard was not a usual sound. Apparently one of the sport-o, asshat, SUV driving yuppies underestimated the slippery street and overestimated their driving skills. And hit someones car. I am beyond grateful that I parked further down than I usually do. We have on street parking and when it is crappy weather I try to park at the edge of the alley/driveway so that I can just pull forward and not deal with getting out of parallel parking mode. Otherwise it could have been MY car. That would have sucked. Snow is supposed to start tonight and I am trying to figure out how to get my kid tomorrow night. I might go get her at lunch if the snow has not hit. We shall see.

Interesting Wal-Mart commercial. Apparently, as I have a vagina, I am supposed to be more concerned with Food supplies and party platters next weekend for the Bowl. Uh huh. We have a female front runner for president and the advertising world is still pimping ( and I use that specific word for a reason) the whole female in the kitchen and all clueless about sports routine. Yet another reason I'd rather eat dirt than shop there.

Speaking of protest, I never did hear from Fox News regarding John Gibson's fucked up comments. He did apologize as apparently the public outcry was huge. I did hear from several corporate sponsors I contacted from the link I posted. They all gave me the typical blah blah etc. Which is what I expected. The important part was that I was one more person whose ass they had to blow smoke up. The more the merrier, the more likely to dump Fox.

I'll Start This Off Without Any Words

Well once again I am reminded that I LOATHE winter weather. Tried to take off to moms to spend the day with Gramps and had to turn (skid) around due to freezing rain. I left the house just as it started raining and had to wait for the geriatric dude at the gas station to pump my gas. By the time I hit Cornell there was already an accident. By the time I drove past after having turned around there were three separate accidents involving a total of 8 cars. Not to mention some jackass attempting to do a U turn.

It is still not above freezing out here in the boonies. Just tried to go move my car and nearly fell on my ass. Tomorrow night they are saying snow. Which sucks cause I can take the Max trains to work but not to pick up kidlet. AND until it defrosts here I can't make it to the store. Which also sucks as I want my Giada Pasta with red pepper flakes, lemon zest, Italian parsley and parm. I have none of any of those =(

We now have water rain on top of a layer of ice. Sucky. So I am sitting here, eating toast and being annoyed BY my toast due to the pasta craving. Watching Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil. Kidlet and I both have colds. Hers gave her a monster headache on Thursday and Friday. Mine is just head and sinus and a super sore throat. She is at her dad's now, I kept her extra since she didn't feel up to moving back and forth, but he picked her up last night.

Who came up with the whole starve a cold feed a fever adage? What if you have both?! I always run warm (99 or so) but it went up with the cold. Does fever trump cold or vice versa?

Starr is pissed and wants you all pissed too.

Scroll down for Thursday Thirteen. I am much perkier there.


The peice of human shit know as John Gibson felt fit to mock Heath Ledger's on his radio talk show. And he did it a super special "god hates fags" kind of way.

Story here and this is a transcript of the segment in question.

"Playing an audio clip of the iconic quote, 'I wish I knew how to quit you' from Ledger’s gay romance movie Brokeback Mountain, Gibson disdainfully quipped, 'Well, he found out how to quit you.' Laughing, Gibson then played another clip from Brokeback Mountain in which Ledger said, 'We’re dead,' followed by his own, mocking 'We’re dead' before playing the clip again."

Gibson called Ledger a "weirdo" with a "serious drug problem" and suggested that Ledger killed himself because he had "a serious position in the (stock) market" or perhaps "watched the Clinton-Obama debate last night. I think he was an Edwards guy, cause he saw his Edwards guy was just completely irrelevant."

Please take a moment to email Mr. DickStain aka John Gibson at myword@foxnews.com and the network at yourcomments@foxnews.com. In addition feel free to include the CEO of Fox News, his info is roger.ailes@foxnews.com. The network owes Heath's family, friends and fans an apology for using his death to further promote their obvious bigotry.

Fox "News" my fat white ass.
Please contact:

Mr. Mitch Davis
Vice President
Fox News Radio Network
1211 Avenue Of The Americas
18th Floor
New York, NY 10036-8701
Direct Phone: *212-301-5800
Outlet Fax: *212-301-5455
Outlet Phone: 212-301-3000
Email: mitch.davis@foxnews.com

Mr. Robert Finnerty
Senior Vice President
Fox News Radio Network
1211 Avenue Of The Americas
18th Floor
New York, NY 10036-8701
Direct Phone: *212-301-5800
Outlet Fax: *212-301-5455
Outlet Phone: 212-301-3000
Email: robert.finnerty@foxnews.com

Ms. Irena Briganti
Vice President of Public Relations
FOX News Channel
1211 Avenue Of The Americas
Lowr C1
New York, NY 10036
Direct Phone : *212-301-3608
Outlet Fax : *212-382-1411
Outlet Phone : 212-301-3000
Email: irena.briganti@foxnews.com
Contact by: E-mail

Ms. Suzanne Scott
Vice President, Programming
FOX News Channel
1211 Avenue Of The Americas
Lowr C1
New York, NY 10036
Direct Phone : *212-301-8558
Outlet Fax : *212-382-1411
Outlet Phone : 212-301-3000
Email: suzanne.scott@foxnews.com

foxnewsradio@foxnews.com
gibsonradio@foxnews.com

JOHN GIBSON
john.gibson@foxnews.com
212-301-3000

UPDATE - Gibson is refusing to apologize and continues to make disgusting comments. Feel free to check out this list of Fox News Sponsers and let them know how you feel about them, their products and future purchases.

Bet You Got It All Planned Right - Thursday Thirteen #36

I am on web quiz kick so I am bringing you 13 qeb quizzes that cover the burning question. Who is Starr??
Starr is a 85% tortured genious. "Ow, stop, you're hurting me!"

You Are 85% Tortured Genius

You totally fit the profile of a tortured genius. You're uniquely brilliant - and completely misunderstood. Not like you really want anyone to understand you anyway. You're pretty happy being an island.

Are You a Tortured Genius?

Starr is a Log Ride. Why do I feel vaguely insulted by this?

You Are a Log Ride

You prefer to live a fairly calm, relaxed life... with a few surprises thrown in. You don't tend to get yourself worked up easily. You can roll with what life throws at you. In relationships, you are steady and solid. You maintain a pretty broad perspective on what's going on. That's not to say you can't get swept away. You're emotions run as deep as anyone else's. Your life seems like it has been remarkably easy so far. But that's due to how you manage it. You never stretch yourself too thinly, and you think out your decisions carefully. Taking the time to enjoy each day is important to you, and you don't let your emotions rule you. You stay the course and do what's right... knowing it will all work out in the end. At your best, you are tolerant and understanding of other people's quirks. You take "go with the flow" to the extreme. Even if you don't like where you're going. At your worst, you repress your feelings and end up being a little tightly wound. You definitely have some explosive emotions that occasionally come to the surface!

What Carnival Ride Are You?

Starr gets told she should do stand up frequently.

Your Inner Muse is Thalia

You are most like this playful muse of comedy. Life is all about laughter to you, and you're a natural comic. You make people laugh until their sides split. And you're always up for some play time!

What Muse Are You?

Starr is a Geek. That is multifaceted Geek to you, bud.

Your Geek Profile:

Music Geekiness: Highest Academic Geekiness: High Geekiness in Love: Moderate Internet Geekiness: Moderate Movie Geekiness: Moderate Fashion Geekiness: Low Gamer Geekiness: Low General Geekiness: None SciFi Geekiness: None

How Geeky Are You?

Starr is as scary as bunny slippers - 26%. And Perfect. Almost.

You Are 26% Scary

You scare men off ocassionaly, but only very weak men. You're a normal woman. You're not perfect, but you're pretty darn close.

Do You Scare Off Men?

Starr wants a White Russian now.

The Movie Of Your Life Is A Cult Classic

Quirky, offbeat, and even a little campy - your life appeals to a select few. But if someone's obsessed with you, look out! Your fans are downright freaky. Your best movie matches: Office Space, Showgirls, The Big Lebowski

If Your Life Was a Movie, What Genre Would It Be?

Starr is a slice of dry white toast. Starr actually likes Waffle House bestest for breakfast. Preferably at midnight.

You Are Toast

Old fashioned and a bit of a homebody, you totally go for comfort food. You're the type who loves to cook for friends, and they love you for it. You truly know what tastes good, and you can often pick out the best dish at a restaurant. You don't fall for food trends. You stick with what's been food for a long time!

What Kind of Breakfast Are You?

Starr is a mouth breather.

Star Wars Horoscope for Aquarius

You can be cruel and torment people who disagree with you. Deep down, there is a peace-loving, friendly side to you. You have a knack for inflicting pain on people and use your intellect during battle. Star wars character you are most like: Darth Vader

What Is Your Star Wars Horoscope?

Starr is vindicated.

You Are Very Happy Being Single

You're not anti-relationship. You just don't need one to be content. You find plenty of happiness from your life as it is. And if you find someone you love, then that's just icing on an already decadent cake!

Are You Happy Being Single?

Hanging Man? Yikes, Starr is dizzy =(

You Are The Hanging Man

You represent the seeking of enlightenment and spiritual clarity. You tend to confuse others, but your oddities seem deeply satisfying. Self sacrifice is easy for you, especially if it makes you a better person in the end. You are the type of person who is very in touch with your soul and inner spirit. Your fortune: Right now is a good time for reflection and meditation. You should stop resisting the problems in your life, and let yourself be vulnerable to them. You may need to sacrifice something important to you to move ahead in your life. Accept your destiny with courage, and learn to let go of what you think you need.

What Tarot Card Are You?

Starr only drinks coffee at Midnight. Starr approves the following message.

You Are Midnight

You are more than a little eccentric, and you're apt to keep very unusual habits. Whether you're a nightowl, living in a commune, or taking a vow of silence - you like to experiment with your lifestyle. Expressing your individuality is important to you, and you often lie awake in bed thinking about the world and your place in it. You enjoy staying home, but that doesn't mean you're a hermit. You also appreciate quality time with family and close friends.

What Time Of Day Are You?

Starr is surprised by this one. How appropriate is that?

Your Inner Child Is Surprised

You see many things through the eyes of a child. Meaning, you're rarely cynical or jaded. You cherish all of the details in life. Easily fascinated, you enjoy experiencing new things.

How Is Your Inner Child?

Starr needs Dramamine. Don't rock the boat baby!

Your Hidden Talent

You have the natural talent of rocking the boat, thwarting the system. And while this may not seem big, it can be. It's people like you who serve as the catalysts to major cultural changes. You're just a bit behind the scenes, so no one really notices.

What's Your Hidden Talent?

Wordless Wednesday #43 - A Treasure You Can Not Frame

Sad

Apparently, Heath Ledger has been found dead in his NY appartment. What a shock and what a bummer. Speculation is that it was an accidental overdose. Any way you slice it, it was a tragic death. It will make it difficult to enjoy the new Batman movie as light hearted summer entertainment.

I'm Coming Up Only To Hold You Under

*To my Republican friends - Look away! I am talking Democratic politics. I don't want to bore y'all!*

Ok here is my beef with Obama. Voting present cause something is not perfect. Not taking a stand on making people have health care cause it is not perfect. I have a nasty little feeling that the man will be unable to shit or get off the pot if something is NOT perfect. I hesitate to use the whole black and white thing since apparently the whole race issue has stupidly arise (mostly cause folks are looking it) but Dude...fucking grey exists. There are going to be times where you are going to have to make the best of a two less than perfect choices. NOT making a decision is not a choice it is a cop out. I feel like I have been sold a vision of America that is lovely but fuzzy.

I hate to say it but damn, this is a fairy tale. A beautiful, kumbayah, love the one you're with fairy tale. Change sounds great. Now FUCKING DEFINE IT. Grr.

Sorry. My people are frustrating me.

I still like Edwards. I have always liked Edwards. He is the only thing that made Kerry palatable to me in 04 and that was tall order. His pot shot at Hillary for the tearing up pissed me off, but unlike Obama I am capable of looking at the bigger picture. I gotta say I like Hillary more now than I did 6 months ago. And I like Obama too, but I have concerns that he may not be able to walk the walk and the damage that could cause to equality is huge.

On the other hand, like Bill Clinton said, we are currently having a campaign with a woman, a black man, a Mormon, and minister. That is pretty damn diverse and I do think King would have been proud. Even if the Mo and Min scare the shit out of me :P

Now then. I have burned the hell out of my mouth on my mini quiche. I need some form of dessert to comfort me.

Wolf Blitzer annoys me. "So poor, So black" Oy.

Ok..."Abilify" as the name of a bipolar drug? Who is naming drugs these day? It makes you more able to... That be stupid.

Sorry, that was a mental lane change :P

It is bitterly cold here and looks to be that way the rest of the week. And yet, I want ice cream. What's up with that?

One Man Came In The Name Of Love

**Note- I am keeping this post at the top through Monday. Scroll down for weekend posts**


Please check out Sparky Duck's Poetry Train today as he is featuring the "I have been to the mountaintop" speech. This was the last speech Martin gave.

We received the following email on Dr. King from our CEO here at work and I thought what he wrote was very well put and wanted to share a part of it that caught my attention.

"... like many of you, I find it very hard to find inspiration from our public leaders today. It seems that the caliber of our leaders and their intentions are not what I remember growing up in the sixties and seventies. But much of that hopelessness is admittedly a product of my own shortcomings and frailties. Dr. King often said that the arc of the universe bends toward justice - and it does, but not by itself. It bends toward justice because of caring people like all of you, who collectively seek to make the world a better place. Martin Luther King gave up his life for this cause. What I learned from his words was to believe in the righteousness of human beings and to have faith."

Well said and something to keep in mind.

How Many Lives Are Living Strange?

I am going to the mall for the second day in a row. Yesterday went with Mom who kindly bought me so decent bossy person clothes versus the worker bee clothes I live in. Those don't fly well at interviews. Today I am taking to her Mecca aka Sephora. The Dior Siren is calling her name.

And now...WEB QUIZZIES!

This one works pretty well. I am fairly open minded but I do have a strong set of inner beliefs and seeing that I am less that 3 weeks from by 39, I think I am old enough now to feel comfortable with them.

You Are 68% Open Minded

You are a very open minded person, but you're also well grounded. Tolerant and flexible, you appreciate most lifestyles and viewpoints. But you also know where you stand firm, and you can draw that line. You're open to considering every possibility - but in the end, you stand true to yourself.

How Open Minded Are You?

Found this one at Sparky Duck's. Name changed to protect the innocent. Or not so innocent. Interesting. Somewhat true, but also pretty damn contradictory. I have a tendency to be labeled flighty (chime in here, fellow Aquarians) but really I'm not. Hell I claimed to be not so organized yesterday and had that strongly shot down by Kidlet who informed me I am "freakishly organized." And from reading Sparky's and Deserts...apparently NO ONE finishes what they start. Eh. My comments in Blue.

What Starchild Means

You are the total package - suave, sexy, smart, and strong. You have the whole world under your spell, and you can influence almost everyone you know. You don't always resist your urges to crush the weak. Just remember, they don't have as much going for them as you do. I will take your word for it on this one. And I don't crush the weak, just the stupid. You are a seeker. You often find yourself restless - and you have a lot of questions about life. You tend to travel often, to fairly random locations. You're most comfortable when you're far away from home. You are quite passionate and easily tempted. Your impulses sometimes get you into trouble. Somewhat true as far as travel but I am not easily tempted. The opposite in fact. You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. Well I used to. But then I wisely got over my perfection complex and settled for happy with myself, the peanut gallery can go fuck themselves. Much more peaceful. You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something. You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense. Duh. You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun. Puh Lease. Like I have the time or the energy for trouble. Or am stupid enough to get caught :P You are very open. You communicate well, and you connect with other people easily. You are a naturally creative person. Ideas just flow from your mind. A true chameleon, you are many things at different points in your life. You are very adaptable. This is the most correct so far. I can accept this. You are truly an original person. You have amazing ideas, and the power to carry them out. Success comes rather easily for you... especially in business and academia. Some people find you to be selfish and a bit overbearing. You're a strong person. Actually most people find me to be cold and aloof but whatever. You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing. Um, no. My personal motto is "fuck it." You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long. HAHAHAHA You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start. Again no. You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow. You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily. Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is. Is this not totally contradicting what it said above? I am pretty go with the flow. Ambitious is so not a word to describe me. You are balanced, orderly, and organized. You like your ducks in a row. You are powerful and competent, especially in the workplace. People can see you as stubborn and headstrong. You definitely have a dominant personality. Lick the boot!

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Actually I HAVE a hippy chick name courtesy of being raised by an actual hippy chick and not one of those poseur ass, granola eating, wannabe Olsen Twin types I see floating around town. It's not like I pulled Starr out of my ass. It's a derivative of Starchild which I was referred to as a child. Cause my natal chart was so trippy, don't ya know ;)

Your Hippie Chick Name Is:

Tempest

Hippie Chick Name Generator

How's this one for a coincidence?

You Are Best Described By...

The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh

What Famous Work of Art Are You?

Space?! Are you out of your friggin mind? You could not PAY me enough money to go to space. No fucking way am I gonna end up all Major Tom'd. Not to mention every place on this list is cold. Just cause I am an aquarian does not mean I don't see the joy of a nice Hawaiian vacation. Are there drinks off the beaten path? Cause if not, I am not goin :P

Travel Horoscope for Aquarius

When you travel, you want to go someplace very few people have been. You want a vacation that's a very unique experience - and off the beaten path. You should travel to: New Zealand (especially the South Island) -Fine Russia - Only cold place that I'd do. Alaska - Yeah cause I like moose and the outdoors and shit. Iceland - Only if I can meet Damon Alburn. Space - Hal No.

What's Your Travel Horoscope?

This one makes me want to read Gatsby again.

Your 1920's Name is:

Zelda Philomena

What's Your 1920's Name?

And with that, I am off to drag Kidlet from bed so I can get this mall shit over and done with. Plus I am starving.

All Dressed Up Like A Switchblade Knife

Ok this sleeping in is messing with me. I get more sleep and I forget more things. What is up with that? Left Kidlets guitar leaning against the wall in my hallway. Now poor Kidlet and my Mom have to rush to get it and deal with the alarm. Doh.

But I do seem to notice that the extra sleep and the lack of working 50+ hour weeks has left me feeling more...present. Hard to describe, as rested or awake is not quite what I am looking for. More like, "oh wow look at the world!" Which is pretty frickin sad. 6 years of working over 2300 hours a year will wear ya down. At this rate, by July I will be working on May - if we are really f'in lucky- and I will be in school. The fact that I had to cancel my summer trip bites, but in the end the trade off of school now and quit sooner makes it worth it. Life moves fast, as the commercial likes to say and kidlet is already half way through 7th grade. Graduation will be here sooner than it appears and then, oh happy days, I can move. Hopefully Atlanta won't be out of water by then :P

This weekend, Kidlet is going with my mom to a pearl show while I hang with Gramps and then Kidlet and my dad are reviewing for her math final. Then we hit the mall (eek) for a wee bit of slacks and shirts shopping. Other than that, I think my weekend looks like one thing...laundry. Oh JOY!

And now, I present Foxboro Hot Tubs - Mother Mary for your listening pleasure. There is no video, cause if there was it would give away their super secret squirrel identity...Green Day. C'mon guys, give us an album already!

Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - Thursday Thirteen #35

Today's Thursday Thirteen will be a review of the funky things folks search that land them here in my virtual world. Some of them are just out there!

1. "first time kicked in the balls story blog directory" - WTF. Well first off, sorry your balls got banged in a bad way. That little search brought him here. The post title is from the song That's Entertainment by The Jam and the post is a wrap up of our summer trip to Ashland for the Shakespeare Festival. Something tells me that is not what they were looking for!

2. "king ding dong thermos" - Huh?! I can see me talking about Kings, Dings and Dongs...but a thermos? That search landed them here. The title is of course from The Wizard of Oz and the post is my rambles on the subject of Wicked the novel, good hair days, whiny alt rock, and Dim Sum.

3. "why I am a slut" - Hey Now! YOU may be a slut, but numerically speaking I am no where even close! Here we have the post that this poor slutty soul landed on. The post title is from the song Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash of course (with a lovely remake by Social Distortion) and the post is the results of my Dante Ring of Hell test. Second circle of hell, baby!

4. "auto erotic-exfixiation" - PERVERTS!! There are about 5 versions of that search term combo and they all landed here where I discuss 13 men who could light my fire any day. The commonality of the list is they are all older than me including the late great Michael Hutchence. I had a previous TT on 13 cradles I would rob. Links available and the back story on the whole sordid thing. The post title is of course The Doors.

5. "budda and armageddon" - Now this one spelling error aside might actually have landed them on what they were looking for. This post is nothing more than the lyrics to The The's song Armageddon Days Are Here Again. A song that proves Matt Johnson is a lyrical god and given that the song was written in the very early 80's a damn good guesser on the state of the world.

6. "and the beat goes on aids" - I can only assume that they were looking for references to the book and movie And The Band Played On. I sure hope so cause that search landed them here on myWorld AIDS Day post. The post title is from the song Ball Of Confusion - the Love & Rockets version and the post is a look at the impact of AIDS.

7. "kharmic chi" - This one tickled me. The post title is from the song Scooby Snacks by Fun Loving Criminals and that line just kills me. The post is my acceptance of the Blog Schmooze award and my passing the loves on.

8. "vietnamese sounding words" - Um. Ok. This search landed them on a post entitled Famous Sound Words Make Your Head Feel Light which is from last week. The lyric is from the Spoon song Don't You Evah (which I frickin adore) and the post was general bitching. Oh and whinging. And none of if was in Vietnamese. There are also numerous searches for those lines, which leads me to think that others out there must be diggin that song as well. Good taste people!

9. "you came on your own" - Hands down the most popular search with over 40 versions of it. DAMN good song people. The post title is from the song An End Has Start by The Editors which is another song I am addicted to and the search landed them on a post where I chose to rant whilst sick. Oh dear!


10. "a wee bit of the creature" - This one cracked me waay up. No lyrics on the post title merely a shout out to Bono on his birthday and Desert Songbird's opinion Bono wears the glasses all the time to do the Tipple Monster ;) Check out the post here.

11. "thirteen is my lucky number" - Now providing this person did mean the Social Distortion song that the post is titled after they are alright in my book. The post is the rambles the day before we left for the Social D concert this summer.

12. "pretty english girl" - Kate Winslet! Talk about an open ended search! That puppy was pretty darn vague and possibly pornographic. I am shocked! Or not. The search landed there here on a post titled with lyrics from Ryan Adams English Girls Are Pretty When They Play Guitar. Your basic blah post where in I share the excitement that is my life on my couch.

13. "how to put out fire" - Seriously? Your house is burning and you log on to search for how to put it out??! What?! That search landed them on my post introducing my newest kitty, Gabriel.

Whew!

Jane Says I've Never Been In Love - Wordless Wednesday 42

Philadelphia Freedom, I Love You

Ah...American Idol (or the show who's name we do not speak if you are Bond) time has arrived. This year they PROMISE to spend more time on the contestants and less on the foo foo guests. Last year was just...bleh. I didn't care much about anyone and I thought Jordan and Blake borderline. Last contestant I felt it with was Chris Daughtry. Got that one right, if I do say. Let's hope it has more oomph than last year.

Wow...Band of Horse - The Funeral is in the Ford Edge commercial. Featured them in my top 13 songs of 07 but I used Is There A Ghost. It was a toss up.

Simon and Randy are offering up Paula to Borat. Who is singing "Mr. The Bee Gees." How appropriate is it that we start off immigrant bashing in the City of Brotherly Love.

Ouch. I can not quite tell if that guy was really having that many ESL issues or if he is doing the Borat thing on purpose. Ok now they just laughed at some kid I am pretty sure has some sort of jaw or palate defect or repair. That was uncomfortable. I sure hope they try to be less mean cause last year it was played just a bit too much for "kick the cripple" laughs if you know what I mean. To be fair, it was Paula and Randy laughing while Simon just looked uncomfortable.

I have no problem with them mocking the fuck out of the delusional narcissist or the ones that obviously are doing it for 15 minutes of fame or those that think they are all that and a bag of chips, but laughing at immigrants and folks with birth defects is just not fun. We have a presidential election coming up for those kinds of cheap mean laughs :P

Alright off to enjoy the spectacle. Anyone who watches Idol can not make comments about the Romans and their Colosseum.

I Rode The Bus With 27 Jennifers

Someone slap me please. HOW could I have left this off my list of Thirteen of my faves from 2007. Sigh...I am getting old :P

Muse - Supermassive Black Hole. Why am I a sucker for falsetto? Falsetto and funky grove will get me every time.




Now this next song is gonna be on next years list, I can just tell.

27 Jennifers - Brand new from Mike Doughty of Soul Coughing fame. I like this song. It's upbeat yet very laid back at the same time.



That is all. I am off to watch Anthony Bourdain in Berlin (Nipple Clamps, Enemas and Assless Chaps, Oh My!) on No Reservation and then we are watching Clerks II. There is on scene in that movie, a sort of Ode to Silence of The Lambs that very nearly killed me when I watched it last week and tonight I have kidlet. We are gonna hang with Dante and Randal.

Update: Since folks are landing here looking for the hotel Bourdain stayed at, allow me!

City Lodge Hotel

Just Keep Me Where The Light Is

I was pondering my earlier post this week on my Thursday Thirteen and Bond's post on Huddie Ledbetter Leadbelly and RWA's post on Clapton and the song Layla and I have guitarists on the brain.

There are a lot of technically proficient guitarists out there but it is a rare breed that plays with that obvious love of the guitar and particularly Blues guitar. Perhaps that is why I have such an affection for John Mayer.



And seeing as how he hangs with BB and Eric and John Lee Hooker, I suppose I am not the only one. He's in an odd position in that I think most folks think of him as a "pop singer" and while it may be true that his can craft one hell of a pop song, it's his blues influenced work that really sets him apart. Hell, he can even make Timberlake sound like he's got soul. This, my friends, is talent. Yes, the above 2 minute clip is the interlude portion of Justin Timberlake's Love Stoned/I Think She Knows. John is so frickin talented it hurts. If you are one of those trapped in the Your Body Is A Wonderland mindset, give this one a listen.

Gravity - John Mayer at Abbey Road Studio

In The Jealous Games People Play

I was officially tagged by Mimi for a musical meme that I also saw over at Bond's. Here are the rules:

The Band Meme
Here's how it goes. You are about to have your own band's CD cover. Follow these directions to the letter. My tagee list whoever wants to play. Let me know if you do!

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random


The first article title on the page is the name of your band.


2. http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3


The last four words of the very last quote is the title of your album.


3. http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days/


The third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4. Use your graphics program of choice to throw them together, and post the result as a comment in this post. Also, pass it along in your own journal because it’s more amusing that way.




Band Name: Mademoiselle Charlotte Album : All The Wrong Reasons

The picture actually changed as the original one would not play nice on being saved. I like this one better anyhow :P

So, watching "I Still Know What Jennifer Love Hewitt's Tits Did Last Summer" and pondering food. And the grocery store. It's been a less than stellar week. Kidlet had migraines x2. I had one yesterday although I suspect the stupidity at the office has much to do with mine. Not that I will go into detail as Starr ain't dumb enough to blabber about work in detail on the net. Especially when it would be less that flattering. Suffice it to say, my overtime is done. One way or the other at this point. In it's place I have decided it's time to move up the master plan and my ass is going back to school. Oh and my vacation to NOLA is more NO-GO. To quote Forrest Gump, that's all I have to say about that. If you are curious, email me and I will happily rant for you.

Deep Breath.

Anyhow, yes I am moving up the game plan on school. I had intended to do it when kidlet was a bit older so I could be done around the time kidlet graduated and I could have school done before I moved to Atlanta. But hey since I am gonna have free time on my hands I guess I do it now. As my ex (husband variety) pointed out to me of all the people on the planet to not have a bachelors degree, I am about the most ridiculous. So I am going to do a BS Health Care Administration. I can do it primarily online which is handy.

Tomorrow I am taking care of Gramps. Today I am pondering Subway and Albertson's. We shall see.

Our Ideas Held No Water But We Used Them Like A Dam - Thursday Thirteen 34

Eddie Vedder - Hard Sun - From the Into The Wild Soundtrack. Still have not seen the movie, but the book was amazing. Christopher was an Aquarian. I get him. Crazy as a fucking bed bug. But I get it.




Mute Math - Typical. Now, for the record, the song is from 2006. Some of you may remember Chris Sligh singing it on Idol in 06. But it made airplay in 07 so we are going with it. Great band with albums released on a Christian artists label. But trust me, Creed they are not. They have a soaring sound to their music and this song in particular that remind me of another grandiose band with Christian leanings :P The are located in New Orleans. Maybe we will get lucky.



Editors- An End Has A Start. With influences such as U2, Joy Division, and Echo this was a band I was destined to love. They are like Franz Ferdinand if I actually could like Franz Ferdinand. Vocally they sound very Ian Curtis but sonically they have that sweeping HUGE sound that Echo and U2 have. Great song and since I used the quote for it last week I have had over 100 hits from folks searching for the lyrics. This is a fan video with the official available on YouTube or their official site is linked above. Check them out.






Great Northern - Home. Imagine if Eastmountainsouth went techno. Or Belle and Sebastian were not so annoying. Hard band to classify and somehow California Indie Pop seems so inadequate. The combination of vocals is really damn near hypnotic.



Snow Patrol - Shut Your Eyes. It's official. I LOVE Snow Patrol. Even the media hype with the usage of Chasing Cars and Grey Anatomy didn't ruin them for me. This is a lovely song. It totally gets stuck in my head and Gary Lightbody's voice is gorgeous. Best and most restrained use of synths I have heard in a looong time.




Spoon - Don't You Evah - Original and The Diplo Charity Mix - Ok first off, Spoon is the shiz and nitz. They never sound the same, but in a good way. Austin Texas should be proud. If you live in a world where there is no Spoon you MUST fix it. I defy anyone not to find themselves groovin to this. It has an awesome retro hipster vibe. Best use of tambourine in a looong time and bass line that is infectious. If you click on only *ONE* video, make it this one.



Amy Winehouse - You Know I'm No Good. Amy, Amy, Amy. I weep for you I truly do. There is more talent in this girl's coke'd up left nostril than pretty much all other female "recording artists" out there. I read a review that commented on how believable her lyrics were. This girl has The Blues. She lives inside these lyrics. Like they said in the Rolling Stone article, when Amy says she'd rather stay at home with Ray, you know just who she means and you know she really means it. I say little prayer for this girl daily. Screw Britney, save Amy.




Mika - Grace Kelly. Freddy Mercury is smiling in heaven on this kid. This song drove me nuts the first, oh say 20, times I heard it. Then like a bolt of falsetto lightning, it got me. It is not so much a song as an experience. Please, Mika, tour the USA!



Band of Horses - Is There A Ghost. In a year when so many of the songs on my list are from new and indie bands, it seem so appropriate to have at least one Seattle born Sub Pop label band. Band of Horse fits the bill. Another band that is not afraid of over the top music. I got so damn tired of bands that felt that someone spare meant deep. It just means sleepy, people. Show me you wanna be up on stage singing your guts out to the world. With this song, BoH do just that.



Modest Mouse - Missed The Boat. What can I say. I liked MM when they first hit the scene but then they went and added The Patron Saint of Glorious Pop Guitar Hooks aka Johnny Marr. So much love for ya, Johnny. At first I was like WTF?!!? Johnny Marr and Modest Mouse?!?!?! HUH! Then I was pissed about the lack of a Smith's Reunion. Then this song came out and I caved. "Pass the cheese, I am now a Modest Mouseketeer.




Kanye West -Stronger. Daft Punk and Kanye West. Let me repeat that, Daft Punk and Kanye West. This song KILLS. Just KILLS. Kanye can talk all the smack he wants. The man is a genius. I wanna be his black Kate Moss. The fact that I am neither black nor Kate Moss might pose a problem. And on a serious note, I sure hope he is doing ok and his mom was a class act.



Kaiser Chiefs - Ruby. What an awesome song! This song is a total arena sing along and they just confirmed that KC will headline a night of the Isle Of Wight Festival. Oh my to be there...Sigh. I dig the Kaiser Chiefs even if Liam Gallagher calls them "a bad Blur." Which by default, Liam, means there is a GOOD Blur. Ahem :) Give Bad Blur here a listen.




Green Day - Working Class Hero/U2 - Instant Karma. From the album for Darfur, so a tie of sorts. What can I say. U2 did Instant Karma during the Vertigo tour concert we saw them at. It was awesome. 20 thousand of your closest friends having a sing a long that left me happy to my toes. So I loved having it on the album for Darfur. That said, Billie Joe Armstrong captures Working Class Hero perfectly. The quiet rage is pretty palpable. Watch the video and get involved. Never again should mean just that.

Save Darfur



On a final side note please head over to The Couch and check out Vinny Bond's Tuneage Tutelage and the current featured article on Lead Belly. Well written write up a man who made all of the songs I listed above possible. Without the blues, we'd all be blue.

Little Fish Little Fish Swimmin' In The Water -WW #41

Famous Sounding Words Make Your Head Feel Light

Wanna know what is not pretty? Having a dream you are puking and then waking up and realizing you juuuuust might. Bleh. Was home yesterday with stomachus upsetus. I actually felt better by the afternoon after I ate something. My dad and grandfather had stomach issues and co workers have as well. Of course after the Norovirus week in August it takes a lot to phase me now. THAT was some sick. I once had true flu with a temp of over 106. Don't remember the drive home from work. Do remember calling my mom and saying, " I'm cold" and then hanging up. When she got there I had the heat jacked to 80, sweats on, and was cowering under a blanket. That is what a 106 plus temp will do for you. And I STILL felt better with that than I did with the Noro crap. That stuff....jebus. I will never ever ever take a cruise for fear of that happening again. Pass!

Saw Sweeney again on Saturday night with Mom and Kidlet. If you have not yet seen Sweeney, you need to. I totally intend to own it on DVD but really it needs to be seen at least once on the big screen. Mom loved it and Kidlet of course adores it. She is so a musical theater geek waiting to blossom.

Sunday, kidlet and I hung out with Gramps while Mom and Dad got out of the house for a walk and to get pizza. Then we watched Masterpeice Theater's latest adaptation of Jane Eyre. It was quite good. Managed to make it gothic without totally going overboard. The Bronte's can veer in the cheesetastic with lightening speed in the wrong hands.

Next Saturday I start my respite care days with Gramps for 6 hours at a time so mom can get out and not go bonkers. He's a cranky ole fart and stubbornness seems to run in our family, so it could be fun :P

At work, and swamped. Not that I am stressing about it this year. We have some state law changes that are HUGE and will effect us pretty heavily and as per usual, the impact on MY job was not really thought about. Fortunately I have folks who have my back and asked them about it. See...I can't do my job if I don't have the tools, and these changes will necessitate a major re-write and re-vamp of our already temperamental (read - bugged and band aid fixed for 5 years) proprietary software. Without this, I will be able to do nothing -not one tiny part- of my job. Not even my usual data entry and wait for generation of the templates plan when I am on hold for changes. I mean zippolla. Apparently when this was mentioned to the powers that be the collective reaction was something along the lines of, "Oh. We hadn't thought about that."

I be am invisible!

Shazaam!


On a funny cause I think they are twee and not cause I think domestic violence is groovy note, the keyboard player Marty Crandal was arrested for beating up his girlfriend Elyse Sewell from America's Next Top Model Season 1 fame.

Ahh The Shins. Changing lives via a "blitzkreig of violence" and sappy frickin songs in Zach Braff movies. Go, Portland Indie Hipsters, Go!

Hit Me Baby One More Time

It's hard to feel sad for this girl even if it is totally true that America's appetite for gossip has a part to play in it. But then again she would find an audience where ever she could. But given that the girl has a grandparent on both her mother and fathers side of the family tree, this really has an air of the pre-ordained.

What I want to know is who tied those soft restraints?! Seriously, I have tied up my fair share of nutjobs and that is a crap job. It looks like they have both of her feet together in one. Why not one each?! Paramedics are not supposed to be that lamorz.

So yesterday was a big day for Obama and the fucking nutjob Fuckabee. Any asshole who wanted to quaratine HIV patients can lick ballsweat in my book. Seriously the man makes me have warm fuzzies for Mr. Mo Mitt. Yeesh.

Gonna go to work tomorrow for the day and then hit Sweeney Todd again with Mom and the Kidlet. Kidlet LOVES her musicals. Starting with Rocky Horror and progressing right on up to the "Cats Era" we went through at about 7. More tomorrow as I will be working on Lord King FUXOR Group tomorrow. Seriously, their contract takes me around 8 hours to make. It blows.

What's The Deal With My Brain?

Bob Dylan with Starbucks, Vicky's Titties, and Cadillac. Ok fine, Bob gets a pass. He's paid his dues for decades. Still wigs me out but I will forgive and try to forget. But the trend continues in a most disturbing way.

Violent Femmes as a hamburger theme song (did they miss the lines "big hands I know you're the one) made me giggle almost as much as I did when The Great White Hope (Ronald Reagan) used the term "songs of hope" to describe Springsteen's Born In The USA. Born down in a dead man's town....

Higher still on the WTF scale is the odd use of Iggy's Lust For Life for a cruise ship. Who knew ear fucking was a water sport? I laughed with glee at the Oasis/BIG PHONE COMPANY All Around The World. Shot to shit Liam and Noel's holier than thou attitude.

But now...now Rivers has sold out. Island In The Sun for Beaches Resort?!!?

Imperfect Situation

And now Big Salad!