Conspiracy Theory

Actually, this post relates to In Rainbows, the new Radiohead album, as well. It was recently brought to my attention (actually, I found it on http://current.com - to which a coworker turned me on - independent sources [i.e. you, me, anyone] report on whatever news they want - pretty interesting) that In Rainbows may be a complementary piece to OK Computer.

See full Current article here which links to this more comprehensive article.

So, first off - does this sound weird? Sure. Is Radiohead one of the only bands creative and messed up enough to do this? Also, yes. Maybe the Flaming Lips could pull this off, but I'm not even sure about that. So I bit. I made the playlist. I listened to the crossfades.

Results: Seems legit. I like the blend of the two better than either album individually (esp. In Rainbows though - OK Computer was pretty solid on its own) and the songs do flow VERY nicely into one another. Does this mean it was intended? Not necessarily. It could be a very beautiful coincidence. But try it out, I'm very curious to see what others think.

NPR takes the work out of it

All Songs Considered is going to break my piggy bank, I swear. More songs/albums/artists to check out:

"The Only Night" Ian Love
The Handsome Family
"Eighteen Days" The Eighteenth Day of May
Django Reinhardt
Ok-Oyut System, Extra Golden
The Walkmen

In Rainbows review

First off, before I even talk about the music, let me say - because of the revolutionary new way they chose to distribute the album, I'm inclined to like it. Purely based on that, I want to like it quite badly. But unfortunately there are benchmarks - there's the music, the world's current situation and their past recordings to consider. Note - I didn't read any other reviews before writing this. I still haven't even finished the Pitchfork one.

I'll do the songs one-by-one, then the album as a whole.

15 Step - I like this as an opening track. Grabs the attention, v. pleasant to listen to, I like the rhythm a lot! And the children's cries were a real treat. As for the lyrics... I've had a bit of trouble deciphering them (it happens with Radiohead) but in general, I feel it's about the lack of control we feel in our lives - that we're being manipulated and even when we try to do right, we "end up where [we] started".
Bodysnatchers - I dig the music in this one a lot. The entire album is a lot more fast-paced than most previous releases, which adds a whole new body-shaking dimension to my experience. This track especially. Anyhow, the lyrics are pretty straightforward, in Radiohead terms anyway - and v. political.

"Has the light gone out for you?

Cause the light's gone for me

It is the 21st century

It is the 21st century

You can fight it like a dog

And they brought me to my knees

They got scared and they put me in

They got scared and they put me in

All the lies run around my face

All the lies run around my face

And for anyone else to see

And for anyone else to see."

More or less, this is our current administration's biggest trademark. I talked it over with Paul, and he says the U.S. and the U.K. are pretty equal in their use of the media to instill fear and apathy in the domestic population. I see this as a reaction to the over-presence of the media in today's life. And holy crap, it IS the 21st century. I keep forgetting.
Nude - Here's where it slows down to baby-making jams. Haha, just kidding of course. This uses lyrics from a unreleased track "Big Ideas (Don't Get Any)". Again, very political message. God, I love that about them. Extremely pleasant to listen to, the chill music flows perfectly with Thom's angelic voice. And again, it's just about the hopelessness we all feel. It really makes me want to cry.
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi - Not the most memorable track on the album, but I still like to listen to it. It just seems a little like... more of the same, you know? Musically and lyrically.
All I Need - I really like the music in this one - sounds so dark, ethereal. I interpret as a person who willingly subjugates their own personal needs/interests in favor of another's. I tried to interpret this optimistically, but like most Radiohead songs, I realized it cannot be done. Everybody's looking for a leader, some meaning, something. It can even be about the fans - when you think about it, we are like moths circling Yorke's flame. Waiting to absorb their message, putting ourselves, our own thoughts, in second place. In our own minds, we're the next act.
Faust Arp - Beautiful opening and altogether a gorgeous composition. I'm a little confused on the lyrics still, but I sense a lot of disappointment. I just don't know with whom yet.
Reckoner - This may be my favorite track on the album. It feels more powerful than the others (even has a more powerful title) and a succinct message.

"You can't take it with you

Disavow the pleasure."

I think this is full-on use of guilt tactics. We've put righteousness after material gain and our selfish individuality above global justice. We're bastards.
House of Cards - I dig this track as well, especially the two opening lines: "I don't want to be your friend, I just want to be your lover." To me, this is almost the opposite of "All I Need" - the speaker of the song is going to take what he wants from you, no matter what you want. Does that sound familiar (politically)? The music is very pretty.
Jigsaw Falling Into Place - Haha, when I read the lyrics, I was like, "damn, been there." Again, I think it has bigger implications, but I'm prone to believe it about all Radiohead songs. This is what we do with our time - we drink until we forget what life is like because we want to escape (also mentioned in "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi"). I'm always surprised by how dark Radiohead really is, and I think that's one of the reasons I like them so much. No other band is so consistently and strikingly dark. This song is a great example of that.
Videotape - From the onset, this song makes me sad. And mad props to Yorke for putting "Mephistopheles" into a song. I think this is a personal song, about his child / the future he will have to grow up in. But I like that they left the album with a little bit of hope: "No matter what happens now, You shouldn't be afraid, Because I know today has been the most perfect day I've ever seen."

Ok, album as a whole? I like it, but I have to say a lot of the songs sound very similar. I wish they had experimented and diverged more in the final arrangement of this album. There are messages, but they are incredibly subtle. Not that I think meanings should be shouted or explained outright, but In Rainbows seemed almost too muted. Compared to most of the albums released nowadays - it's phenomenal, of course. But compared to prior Radiohead releases, it disappoints a bit. Plus, after a politically powerful album like Hail to the Thief, I was a little sad there wasn't more outrage. It's like they've almost given up as well. So, in summary, good, not great and could be more substantial - but still excellent, musically and lyrically, and growing on me by the minute.

Note - I'm probably way off-base with most of my interpretations. I've been consumed with political thoughts etc. lately and I'm sure I've filtered it all through that. If anyone has any thoughts, I greatly welcome them.

Podcasts

I love them. I can't believe I just got into them. Why didn't you people force me into it earlier? ;-) Currently, I am enthralled with NPR's All Songs Considered. Here's a few songs it particularly turned me on to (note to self: acquire these later or get the album):


"12/26" Kimya Dawson
"Collecting Rocks" Super XX Man
"Rapture Riders" (mash-up between Blondie and The Doors)
"Thanksgiving Waves" Eef Barzelay
"I Want You So Hard" Eagles of Death Metal
"Better Way" Ben Harper
More to come...




**Note - All Songs Considered also does great full concerts - Josh Ritter and Animal Collective are my favorite so far (JRitter does an amazing cover of The River - quality!).





Other podcasts I listen to (keep in mind, I just started so I'm wide open for recommendations):

A Prairie Home Companion's News from Lake Wobegon

Great Speeches in History

KEXP Song of the Day

NPR: Intelligence Squared

The Philosophy Podcast

This American Life

Starting the conversation

Alright, so it all began with a Friedman column....

Generation Q
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
Published: October 10, 2007

I just spent the past week visiting several colleges — Auburn, the University of Mississippi, Lake Forest and Williams — and I can report that the more I am around this generation of college students, the more I am both baffled and impressed.

I am impressed because they are so much more optimistic and idealistic than they should be. I am baffled because they are so much less radical and politically engaged than they need to be.

One of the things I feared most after 9/11 — that my daughters would not be able to travel the world with the same carefree attitude my wife and I did at their age — has not come to pass.

Whether it was at Ole Miss or Williams or my alma mater, Brandeis, college students today are not only going abroad to study in record numbers, but they are also going abroad to build homes for the poor in El Salvador in record numbers or volunteering at AIDS clinics in record numbers. Not only has terrorism not deterred them from traveling, they are rolling up their sleeves and diving in deeper than ever.

The Iraq war may be a mess, but I noticed at Auburn and Ole Miss more than a few young men and women proudly wearing their R.O.T.C. uniforms. Many of those not going abroad have channeled their national service impulses into increasingly popular programs at home like “Teach for America,” which has become to this generation what the Peace Corps was to mine.

It’s for all these reasons that I’ve been calling them “Generation Q” — the Quiet Americans, in the best sense of that term, quietly pursuing their idealism, at home and abroad.

But Generation Q may be too quiet, too online, for its own good, and for the country’s own good. When I think of the huge budget deficit, Social Security deficit and ecological deficit that our generation is leaving this generation, if they are not spitting mad, well, then they’re just not paying attention. And we’ll just keep piling it on them.

There is a good chance that members of Generation Q will spend their entire adult lives digging out from the deficits that we — the “Greediest Generation,” epitomized by George W. Bush — are leaving them.

When I was visiting my daughter at her college, she asked me about a terrifying story that ran in this newspaper on Oct. 2, reporting that the Arctic ice cap was melting “to an extent unparalleled in a century or more” — and that the entire Arctic system appears to be “heading toward a new, more watery state” likely triggered by “human-caused global warming.”

“What happened to that Arctic story, Dad?” my daughter asked me. How could the news media just report one day that the Arctic ice was melting far faster than any models predicted “and then the story just disappeared?” Why weren’t any of the candidates talking about it? Didn’t they understand: this has become the big issue on campuses?

No, they don’t seem to understand. They seem to be too busy raising money or buying votes with subsidies for ethanol farmers in Iowa. The candidates could actually use a good kick in the pants on this point. But where is it going to come from?

Generation Q would be doing itself a favor, and America a favor, if it demanded from every candidate who comes on campus answers to three questions: What is your plan for mitigating climate change? What is your plan for reforming Social Security? What is your plan for dealing with the deficit — so we all won’t be working for China in 20 years?

America needs a jolt of the idealism, activism and outrage (it must be in there) of Generation Q. That’s what twentysomethings are for — to light a fire under the country. But they can’t e-mail it in, and an online petition or a mouse click for carbon neutrality won’t cut it. They have to get organized in a way that will force politicians to pay attention rather than just patronize them.

Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy didn’t change the world by asking people to join their Facebook crusades or to download their platforms. Activism can only be uploaded, the old-fashioned way — by young voters speaking truth to power, face to face, in big numbers, on campuses or the Washington Mall. Virtual politics is just that — virtual.

Maybe that’s why what impressed me most on my brief college swing was actually a statue — the life-size statue of James Meredith at the University of Mississippi. Meredith was the first African-American to be admitted to Ole Miss in 1962. The Meredith bronze is posed as if he is striding toward a tall limestone archway, re-enacting his fateful step onto the then-segregated campus — defying a violent, angry mob and protected by the National Guard.

Above the archway, carved into the stone, is the word “Courage.” That is what real activism looks like. There is no substitute.

Then I forwarded it along...

Let's keep this thing going. I'm pretty much always talking about a revolution, but this Friedman column really did a good job of summing it up. Pass it on and get people prepped - change is coming, I promise.
Love,
M.

The first response was not what anyone expected, but did spur a lot of debate...

I was extremely pissed at that article too, but I think for the opposite reason. I felt like Friedman was just nostalgic for his generation's ideas of "revolution" and forgot one thing: they didn't work! The hippie revolution in the 60s sure didn't bring an end to American wars; the feminist revolution didn't actually get me equal career opportunities with men; the marches for racial equality sure didn't end racism.

Personally, I feel like our generation is smarter than that, we know that you've got to quietly work the system and let capitalism do it's thing, not just march ourselves around our college campuses. It's like the way the market (ok, and Al Gore's Nobel prize) is quietly convincing people we need to be more environmentally friendly, and homosexuals are gradually being more welcomed by mainstream society.

My decidedly unrevolutionary two cents,
xxx

I disagreed...

First of all, there are many people who feel like xxx: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/12/opinion/l12friedman.html
and I'd like to thank her for responding. I've been thinking about these things for awhile as most of you know, and quite recently have solidified my own viewpoint. I'm not saying hers or anyone else's isn't valid, but these are my thoughts.

Secondly, while I agree that maybe it is nostalgia for the obvious revolutions of the past that caused Friedman to write the column, similar yet more rational sentiments have been expressed to me (and granted, by me) for much of my life. The answer, I feel, is in between the two viewpoints (in our case, Friedman and xxx). Going back to the 60s is not going to accomplish anything (though I hardly agree with xxx because I do think that they accomplished a lot - you have to remember that they were protesting many issues simultaneously back then - Vietnam was mixed with the Civil Rights Movement and throughout there was the fear caused by the Cold War - eventually we did get out of Vietnam when the administration was faced with how much of their constituency did not support their actions [granted, among other factors] - African-Americans got the right to vote and from this female's cubicle anyway, it looks like the feminist movement was a pretty big success --- moreover, without so much action behind it, think how long these changes could have been dragged out, and how this parallels what's going on now), mainly because it would be extremely contrived and phony. But the underlying theory to those movements should be salvaged. The thing that worries me about action in our digital age (Are you aware that there is an entire virtual world now? People spend money on virtual Prada bags, I wish I were joking.) is that it's faceless. The reason marches caused Washington to reexamine their efforts is that decision-makers could see how many (voting - clearly another aspect we need to work on) bodies were against them and participants could see how many others of their generation agreed and believed in the same principles they did. The baby boomers took control - they were the biggest demographic and didn't just decide to comfortably "work the system" but rather bond together as a group with similar upbringings and experiences. What bothers me about our generation, is that we are a deadly combination of fragmented and apathetic. Back then, at least there was a generational conscious and an on-going socio-political conversation, a sense of comradery.

Nowadays, it seems to me that we walk around scared to death of our neighbors. Think about it - how many strangers do you even say a polite "hello" to each day? We were going through one of the most important development phases of our life (change from high school to college) when 9/11 occurred and through the immediate aftermath, and since then, we've been dealing with a media inundation of the constant threat of terrorism. We see and intake nothing but fear, and thanks to technology/the internet, we also absorb higher quantities of information now then ever. So this fear is a foreseeable consequence of the times, but not one I see lending itself to our progressive development as human beings. That's where I see the need for grassroots style effort - I think our fellow "Millenials" need proof that they're not alone in the struggle to be a better person, a better generation of people. It's hard to try and pick up the slack for the rest of your generation, particularly when your perception of them incorporates mainly things like getting drunk, Girls Gone Wild, spending money on designer handbags, Paris Hilton/Britney Spears/Lindsay Lohan/etc., even just walking around oblivious on the streets with their iPods. And honestly, that's pretty much where I run into people my own age - bars, shops, and on the sidewalks - maybe it's a pattern confined to my own experiences, but I don't think so (note: I'm not still in college - I can see how those who are may have different perceptions). Granted, many will point out that I am a big hypocrite because I partake in these activities as well, which is true (except for the celebrity BS, GGW, and handbags), but I am actively trying to change and have devoted another part of my time to volunteering and intellectual pursuits, which, I am hoping anyway, many others are doing as well. But when you think about really going out on a limb for social change, it's hard not to become bitter: as in, why spend my time fighting climate change/the Iraq war/intolerance/etc.etc. if I'm not supported by those around me? It's hard to be an environmentalist and think of your generation as progressive in that sense, when you see kids climbing into Hummers etc. It's depressing, frankly. A return to grassroots would also infuse accountability into the equation - I think that seeing the effort that "revolutionary" leaders put into it would make others feel more accountable for their actions (aka the guilt factor - but in this case, used in a progressive manner). Thus, the revival of a generational conscious (because the echo boomers i.e. us and beyond will be the second largest demographic segment after the baby boomers - the opportunity for a mass shift of values hasn't been this apparent in a long time) is what I believe would be the most significant outcome of a return to these "outdated" forms of protest.

Thirdly, the notion that our generation is smarter. This may be true, but smarter does not equal more effective, and in a lot of ways, it seems to be pointing to more self-indulgent. As for working the system, I absolutely do not believe that a) people are "working it" to its full potential or b) that it's enough. Another one of the reasons, I feel anyhow (this is all Melinda's opinions), the hippie revolutions were ineffective, is that they incorporated a lot of socialist ideas. Ok, by now, we have realized that socialism isn't really a viable option. Beautiful concept, doesn't work in practice. Fine, fair enough. But what frustrates me is that the systems we do have in place aren't being utilized to their full extent, particularly by our generation.

Now, I am as big a fan of capitalism as you can probably get, but right now, in lieu of making real social change, both companies and consumers are putting in the minimal effort/capital needed to appear "green", when actually their resources could allow for a lot more. Honestly, I think using the market as a Stephen Colbert style excuse for political action is both indicative of our generation's laziness ( i.e. no real extra effort involved in buying things that you need), and just another way to get out of performing our real civic duties (and basically screwing both ourselves and the generations that follow) without guilt. Here are my thoughts on the subject - the two "bad guys" in most pseudo-revolutionary heads are a) corporations and b) the government, right? Well, coincidentally, in America - those are the two products of what are supposed to be the most popularly representative forms of economic and political structures currently available. Corporations are a product of capitalism - the system set up to fulfill the consumers' needs. The government is a product of democracy - the system set up to fulfill the citizens' needs. Either way you look at it, the ultimate culprit here is us. People have blamed these organizations and forgotten all about the reason they were founded / structured the way they are. If you want to change them, buy different things (environmentally-friendly, corporations that practice social responsibility, etc.) and vote. Doing the former was xxx's argument, and I agree with her - it's helping. But slowly and not nearly on the scale needed for negating climate change - plus, we as a country are addicted to cheap goods, coming from, oh wait now the biggest polluter in the world, China ( http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/jun/19/china.usnews - and don't get too alarmed about our global competitiveness, we're a close second). And until we tackle social problems like poverty and lack of healthcare, poor American families (a much bigger demographic group than yuppies who shop at Whole Foods) won't have the financial freedom to break their Wal-Mart shackles. Which brings us to democracy and this total f-up of a war we're in.

I believe that this is the area in which we've displayed ourselves lacking the most. We have a system in which the individual in supposed to be accorded the greatest amount of power (note: keep in mind that democracy is also one of America's most high-profile exports) and every single person I've talked to in the past 7 years has felt misrepresented by our government. This is not a coincidence. We've also let the president expand his executive power, get us into wars we clearly don't support, torture people, spy on us, the list goes on. Now, while it would be easy to blame this on the south and forget about it - we should all feel accountable for the injustice our country is doing the world, and its citizens, because in structure, we're the source of this action - either directly or indirectly. Directly in that we elected certain members of the adminstration for the efforts they said they'd undertake, and indirectly in that we haven't stood up to other members (namely Bush/Cheney) who do things we don't approve of. And considering how easy voting is, writing/calling your congressman is, signing an online petition is, there is no excuse. I know because I've done all of those things relatively recently and it's NOT HARD. Not to mention with the proliferation of the internet, it's THAT much easier to spread the word to others (thus why you're getting this e-mail - sorry for those of you who wanted to cruise through life in blissful ignorance/apathy).

Regarding the war, I've talked with a lot of people, both who have participated in "traditional" and/or alternative forms of protest and those who haven't yet merely hold opinions, and the vast majority are wholly disappointed with the reaction of the American population and our administration to the non-support of the efforts in Iraq. It's been compared with Vietnam more times than anyone likes, I believe, and many have asked, "where's the protest?" I see a key distinction, and it follows human nature - I'm sure many of you have also made this connection. During Vietnam, there was the draft, so anyone (well, most anyone - if you or your parents were rich and/or famous, I'm pretty sure that got you a pass) could get called and shipped overseas and fight and die and kill for our country. Now, it's on a volunteer basis, and the outcry of protest is muted - makes sense, people are mainly self-interested. But the notion that this war is not hurting those of us who are fighting is ridiculous and short-sighted. This is where I question the concept of our generation as the smartest. I've attached graphs of both the trade deficit with China (product of capitalism) and the budget deficit (product of democracy) and I don't know if I need to tell you how much this is going to hurt us, financially, as well as geopolitically, in the future. By allowing an unjust war to go on for this long, us non-soldiers lost not only fellow human beings (yep that's right people, even if they're not you, are dying), but the prospect of a brighter, more comfortable future. In fact, our personal fiscal behavior currently is a mirror of the government - debt is at record-levels and there is a national negative savings rate. Someday, all of that is going to have to get paid back, and considering how fast the rest of the world is catching up to our productivity, it's only going to get harder. So no, I don't think our generation is smarter at all - but rather lazy, apathetic and short-sighted, not to mention selfish.

In conclusion, I'm more or less primarily scared for us and for the future. I see people walking around in self-important, self-indulgent bubbles of ignorance, happy to enjoy today's pleasantries and leave thinking about the future to others (remember that the baby boomers were the "wealthiest generation" and since our generation is their kids - basically we're the spoiled brats belonging to the wealthiest generation). Yes, we're making small changes in our behavior, but I think that if we don't change faster, more dramatically and always for the better, we have a good chance of being looked back upon by the eyes of history as the turning point generation - where, in the tradition of ancient Rome and Greece, excess overtook societal progress and America started the downward spiral toward global inconsequence.

And considering Greg's recent encounter in NYC, I don't know if even we're making enough progress there. Jena 6 and racism. School shootings and mental health. Kids are going through life scared to death: http://www.youngvoterstrategies.org/index.php?tg=fileman&idx=get&id=1&gr=Y&path=Research&file=Youth+Monitor+Part+III.pdf . I think we have a lot to work on, and buying the right kind of lightbulb isn't going to cut it.

In conclusion, I don't think we need to completely overthrow the government, or march through every college campus. But I do really believe in everything I said and I believe that we as a people, and particularly as a generation, can accomplish so much more than we are on track to right now. I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts on this.

M.

Chris weighed in...

First off, tell Friedman to fuck off with his Generation Q. I've never approved of the whole naming-generations-by-letters trend, and Generation Q is clearly the most retarded denomination yet.

Second of all, To Friedman: don't tell me about my generation, because you have no idea. Honestly, how can anyone with that mustache expect to understand us?

So let me tell you about my generation.

We are smart enough to recognize the injustices of the world and but we are too insecure to do anything about it. Given the option to attend a political protest, we will almost always prefer to go to the gym.

This is largely capitalism's fault. Most of the developed world is capitalist, but few countries are as extreme in their capitalism as the United States. The individual is heightened to godliness and hedonism is the greatest value of our society. This is why people like Paris Hilton have become the poster children of our country--they live this ideal to the fullest and we love them for it.

Melinda said that capitalism is a system that fulfills consumers' needs, but this is patently untrue. The greatest fallacy of modern economics is that the market responds to demand. That ceased to be the case decades ago when advertising became a normal part of our everyday lives. Never in history has there been a generation that is so constantly bombarded by advertising, and never has the science of advertising been so perfected.

And one of the most effective techniques in advertising is to make the potential consumer feel as though something is missing from their life, or that they themselves are somehow lacking. This--as it turns out--is incredibly easy.

Our parents' generation contributed in their own way. While the sexual revolution brought a lot of positive changes (and lord knows we all owe a fair amount of orgasms to the movement) the move towards a 'sexual free market' has not been an easy one. Obviously, it contributes to the hedonism ideal mentioned above. But in addition, the new sense of sexual competition combined with the perceived norms fed to us by Madison Avenue has led to surges in phenomenon like anorexia in girls and swagger-culture in boys. Overall, we are an incredibly insecure generation.

We are also very accustomed to instant satisfaction. The internet makes so many things so easy, that we forget how to operate outside of it. If we can talk to our friends, read the newspaper, do our shopping and even get our sexual gratification all from the comfort of our computer chair, why shouldn't we get our dose of political indignation the same way? Even if that angry post on your blog doesn't have the same impact as a political rally, it sure is a quicker fix.

And the quick fix is our generation's calling card. And I don't mean 'fix' as in 'a solution to a problem.' I mean 'fix' the way drug-addicts use it. We scratch our itch for political protest by screaming unheard into the vacuum of the internet. We get our fix of social contact and camaraderie by expanding our network on Facebook. We squash the guilt of our own hedonistic consumerism by buying organic, buying vegetarian, buying 'green,' without ever realizing that these are all just different products that are packaged and sold to us. The 'organic' or 'green' label is just another Prada bag, helping consumers overcome their insecurities. (To quote Cat and Girl: "Your ideals are a luxury!")

And here is the real tragedy and the greatest failing of my generation: We have pretty much bought the line that they've sold us. We generally believe that the systems in place are not only impossible to overthrow, but also that it is objectively better than any other possible option. The result is that instead of fighting for drastic change, we murmur about small change within the system. This is problematic for 2 reasons:

One- it's hard to get real passionate about small changes. You can't build a rallying cry around baby steps.

Two- almost never will any movement completely achieve all its goals. It is better to demand revolution and be rewarded with small change than to demand small change and get ignored.

So what is the prescription: For one, we need to utilize the tools we have, the internet being one of them. While the internet has an incredible power to isolate us from each other, and can be a dangerous surrogate for things like real interaction and true action, it is still a powerful tool. The important thing is to focus it for positive use. That means less signing up for the 'Support the Burmese monks' group on Facebook and more emails like this. It means taking the time to write a real message instead of simply posting a note on someone's Wall.

It also means remembering that their is no replacement for real contact. We need to see each others' eyes. We need to feel each others' breathing. To hear the pounding of marching feet around us. To sing shared songs--of protest, of joy, of sadness it doesn't matter. There is a true worth in all of that, and that camaraderie and real contact is what shows us the strength of our numbers, the conviction of our cause. It breaks down the fragmentation and the isolation of a sensory overload society and reminds us of something more real than the perfect people in the magazines and the televisions.

Finally, we must be uncompromising in our demands. Civil rights protesters didn't make waves by asking for improvements in segregated schools. Instead, they stared the injustices of the system in the face and demanded a completely new system. We would do well to follow in their footsteps.

Not trying to cause a big sensation,
Chris

There are more comments on the way (from what I heard, Brigit's preparing a whopper!) but I wanted to put everything down in chronological order, so I don't lose track of the on-going conversation or the way it has evolved. Anyone else who may have opinions - please PLEASE e-mail them to me at melinda.gilbert@gmail.com - I don't even care if I know you. If you're part of our generation especially, let your voice be heard. Thanks!

Relayed from Dagen

nougatmachine (12:09:07 PM): man I didn't even know you were a quaker much less one who is also a kitchen wizard
Melinda167 (12:10:04 PM): haha well i'm not ACTUALLY a quaker - upenn's mascot is the quaker (haha the fighting quakers - so ironic)
nougatmachine (12:10:21 PM): lol
nougatmachine (12:10:33 PM): we may be pacifisits but boy are we ever pissed!
Melinda167 (12:10:30 PM): hahaha
Melinda167 (12:10:33 PM): exactly!
nougatmachine (12:10:55 PM): actually
nougatmachine (12:11:32 PM): I told a guy I know from college, "You know Marc, for a pacifist, you seem to get in a lot of fights" and he just said "Welllll....see, but when I do it there's not an army involved so it's okay"

Brilliant.

Note to self

Buy this.

Dylan Project

I'm just starting and yet, it has already enriched my life so much. Read his autobiography! Listen to his albums! Help me help you!

Note to self, research/acquire later:
-More Woody Guthrie
-Pete Seeger
-New Lost City Ramblers
-Ramblin' Jack Elliott
-Daniel Lamois
-Dave van Ronk
-Arlo Guthrie

My favorite songs right now:
-Remember the Mountain Bed (Billy Bragg and Wilco, Mermaid Avenue Vol. 2)
-Atlantic City (Bruce Springsteen, Nebraska)
-Crips (Ratatat, self-titled - Chris Helies deserves credit for this one)
-Song to Woody (Bob Dylan, self-titled)
-I'm Slowly Turning Into You (White Stripes, Icky Thump)
-What is the Light? (Flaming Lips, The Soft Bulletin)

Mega-California Mix

So I've decided to do a mix of California songs, and first of all, can I say how much I love wikipedia? It has the ability to answer so many of my lingering questions to a reasonably accurate degree with just the click of a few keys. For example, awhile back, a few friends and I were discussing marathon movie nights in preparation for certain vacations, such as "Vegas Movie Night". Now typically, pre-wikipedia/the internet, we'd sit around, rack our brains, and come up with probably the most obvious ones: Fear and Loathing..., Leaving..., ... Vacation, etc. - basically anything with "Vegas" in the title. Nowaways - BOOM! Love it. Well, this feature came in handy with thinking about the California mix as well - BOOM! Note: I do not see this as laziness, but rather an incredibly economical and efficient use of time. After perusing the list, I realized that I had enough good stuff in my current music library to construct the entire mix, so here goes...

1. “California Stars" by Wilco(lyrics by Woody Guthrie)
2. "Fake Tales of San Francisco" by Arctic Monkeys
3. "California" by Rufus Wainwright
4. "Grace Cathedral Hill" by The Decemberists
5. "Do Re Mi" by Woody Guthrie
6. "Goodnight, Hollywood Blvd" by Ryan Adams
7. "Santa Cruz (You're Not That Far)" by The Thrills
8. "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding
9. "Going to California" by Led Zeppelin
10. "Piazza, New York Catcher" by Belle and Sebastian
11. "California" by Low
12. "Under the Bridge" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers
13. "California Dreaming" by Jose Feliciano
14. "405" by Death Cab for Cutie
15. "Folsom Prison Blues" by Johnny Cash
16. "California One/Youth and Beauty Brigade" by The Decemberists

Yeah, I dare someone to come up with a better California mix. Honestly, I dare you.

A few random things

1. Note to self: start downloading and listening to Podcasts to and from work. I've had several people mention their own penchants for doing this to me in the last week; I should at least look into it. Does anyone have any recommendations? If not, I'll probably just start with NPR and go from there.

2. Mark Morford's columns. I've already forwarded this recommendation to many of my lady friends, but the entire world should know about them. While they certainly are not going to appeal to everyone (warning: SUPER DUPER liberal - he writes for the San Francisco Chronicle, after all), they are funny and loaded with sarcasm. Best recent column: "Thank God You Are Not Karl Rove".

3. Cookblog with girlfriends. I've started one. Mainly I just post on it. Maybe other people don't blog (and actually, in glancing at my archives, I hardly qualify as a bonafide blogger either), but they always say they will. I'm hoping it's just a slow start and the other girls will come through. But who knows? Anyway, if you're interested in my thoughts/experiences with cooking (now that I'm all out in the "real world"), feel free to check it out here.

4. Talking shop with strangers. Do other people do this or just me? Is it interesting like I find it, or just obnoxious? So hopefully, you haven't been living under a rock recently and have noticed all of the subprime lending/housing/credit crises currently unfolding in our lovely little economy. Basically, we've screwed most of the world over by taking advantage of super low interest rates and easy credit, lent money to people who sometimes didn't even have to prove their income (low documentation loans - nice.), lent money to people who didn't even have to put up a down payment (100% loan-to-value - nice.), created all sorts of exotic loan structures (interest only, negative amortization, option ARMs - nice.), then built a whole crapload of houses because everyone was buying - some were buying second homes, first homes, investment properties, everyone was flipping properties, and in some areas, this caused HUGE home price appreciation (near 50% in one year in Phoenix). Now it's come back and bit us in the ass, just like everyone knew it would. And the funny thing is, while we certainly weren't the only ones doing this, we were definitely the biggest source of the problem, and now, the ENTIRE WORLD economy is being affected. So that's the problem, that's what my job entails knowing about. I've gotten into so many random conversations, with friends, lovers and strangers, about this that I'm wondering if they even care. It fascinates me, but do you think it fascinates them? It's a pretty dismal subject, and I tend to treat it with a little bit of sarcasm and contempt, despite the fact that foreclosure rates have skyrocketed (and I DO feel bad for homeowners who were suckered into these loans or fraudently treated - but not the ones who knowingly overextended themselves and certainly not for the sophisticated investors who took on so much risk - you knew what it was, and you're getting exactly what you deserve). I always wonder how much to keep to myself. Thoughts? Oh, and on a similar note, I hope you all have seen this.

Songs of Inspiration

Now, those who know me will know that I'm not talking spiritual inspiration, or at least not the kind of spiritual inspiration as most of the U.S. defines it. It's a bit of artistic inspiration, but not quite that either. It's an emotion with an elusive definition. What I'm talking about are songs that inspire you to action. Not even necessarily the type of action being described in the song, but action. The urge to go out and do something, be somebody, change the world in some positive manner. I have songs like this. I like to think that others do as well.

Some of mine (I'm sure there are many more, but I'll have to scan my full library at home to remember most of them):

Rebellion (Lies) - The Arcade Fire
Revolution - The Beatles
Holland, 1945 - Neutral Milk Hotel
Banquet - Bloc Party
Ramble On - Led Zeppelin

I know there are a lot more, but I'd like to hear some of yours. Do they even exist? Is it just me? If not, please comment with yours. I'd love some extra inspiration.

Haha random printing mishap

So I e-mailed this story to some girlfriends, but decided that since I've been so lax about blogging, I should post it on here as well.

Ok, just an amusing story; this also is a great illustration of just the way things have been going for me as of late.

I needed to print out some fairly hefty documents and didn't want to waste ink. I discovered this "printing shortcuts" tab for my printer and one of the options was "fast/economical" - sounds great, I thought and eagerly checked the box. I hit "print" and resumed my work. Boy, was I unprepared for the speed this printer was going to shoot out grayscale pieces of paper at me. To illustrate, I have attached a photo (it's also essential to the story to know where my printer is located, in relation to the rest of me).

So, picture this... I'm typing briskly, expecting a slightly faster printout, getting lightning speed paper chucked right at my face, screaming in shock, then running around my apartment trying to grab all the pieces of paper, when it's clear that I am no match for my printer's speed. I hope you're laughing, because that's what I did for about five minutes while/after the 50-page document printed. Ridiculous.




Note the printer's deadly aim, illustrated above. At normal speeds, on ordinary days, the paper just rests up there, but this was no ordinary day. Gah! My life is boring. =)

They're alive!!!

Haha so I managed to NOT kill something. These flowers, when I planted them, had no buds or anything - now they're blossoming like crazy. I just had to celebrate. =)

Flight of the Conchords

I know it's gotten mixed reviews, but I love it. I don't see how anyone (especially if you're anything like me... most of you will know what that means) cannot like it.

Today's the day...

...the best hour of television (every week, by far) comes to an end. Also, happy birthday Leslie! =)

Actually I am definitely dreading the end of this series, whose characters now feel like real people in my life. There are very, very few tv shows I actually get that into, and I feel like The Sopranos is probably it for me, for my lifetime. I cannot even imagine what would surpass it. I mean, I hope something does, don't get me wrong - but given the extraordinary interplay between excellent writing, acting and directing - not to mention the seductive subject matter - I'm not sure if the roulette wheel of today's entertainment world will allow such a superb combination ever again - are we really that lucky?

Which brings me to the point of this post. I'm approximately t-minus 3 hours to the East Coast airing of the show, and I said I'd put some of my predictions up, in writing, just in case. So here goes - Melinda's thoughts to add to the hundreds (or more) of others up on the net (honestly, every single publication in this country - including both the reputable and trashy ones - have written about the end of this show):

First off, I think Tony will live - he'll end up on top and Phil Leotardo will sleep with the fishes. Given last week's precarious situation for our (anti)hero, this is most definitely a risky bet; however, given past trends in writing, in addition to public sentiment (not that that alone would be able to stop the writers), I don't really know how they'd get away with offing Tony.

Secondly, I think Sil won't wake up - I think he's done for, which is completely heartbreaking to me as he was definitely one of my favorites. I think Paulie lives. I think Junior dies. I think Carmela lives. I think there's potential for one of the kids to die (most likely AJ).

I think if there's a Judas - it's Patsy. I think there's potential for a conflict with family to bring both players out of hiding (I'm still not sure how they're going to swing that - if I were the head of either family, I wouldn't show my face anywhere!). Also, I think there will be something relevant to the fact that Patrick Paresi and Meadow are dating - that plotline has been of absolutely no consequence thus far, and they made such a stink about it the second half of this season, that I feel it'll become important.

Melfi is gone, and I don't think she'll return, at least not significantly (I think her rejection of Tony was a way to get her out of the picture so the NY-NJ war could go on without having to revisit the whole "Melfi has to go into hiding" thing from the first season. Although I (and I think all the other Sopranos fans) would LOVE if her and Tony finally got to make something out of that lingering mutual sexual attraction - but I doubt it'll happen.

Like I said, I think Carm lives, Tom and I did speculate on the reasons for her demise, should it become an HBO reality. Here are some possibilities:

NY gets ahold of one of her kids - she turns on Tony in order to save either Meadow/AJ/both - retributive strike by a Tony alliance or a nasty double-cross by New York puts Carm out of commission. Why this is unlikely: "families don't get touched, you know that" - Let's hope Phil holds it down old school - I have faith that he'll at least do that. He's a mean cocksucker, for sure (to borrow from Paulie Walnuts), but I think he respects the traditional mafia values.

Second Carmela possibility is far more likely - she gets terrified (rightly!) and goes to the Feds - I don't see Tony ever turning, so he has to take her out, Adriana La Cerva style - sends Paulie to get the job done, final scene - "Wings" wiping fresh blood of that brand new cappuchino machine.

Oh man, what were some of the other, more original ideas? I feel like I've talked to so many people about this (the show really was a cultural phenomenon) that I've at one point or another envisioned almost every possible ending (which I don't actually think is the case - my safest bet at this point is to put all my money on the writers doing something nobody expects!).

Here's one of my ideas from a google conversation with Tom:

"what if junior gets out and somehow finds phil (or phil seeks jr. out for an alliance - remember his talk about how tony fucked over his "father's brother") and then junior manages to off phil to pay back tony for all the wrong he did to him
then junior dies of old age
and tony can begin his real tenure as boss... fine\(italian for "the end" and not fine, as in "i'm fine") =)"

But there's a good chance the Junior plotline is over. Where are they hiding out currently? I never did find out - is it Junior's house? I don't know.

So I think I'm going to end it here. I could go on forever, as I'm sure the show could as well, but I think it's a bit better to stop when you're ahead and leave some issues unresolved. Here's food for thought though, lifted from a San Francisco Chronicle column:

"After every possible theory about what will bring Tony down -- some cheap mistake, unknowable moment of familial retribution or even sharp detective work by the Feds -- will it really be something so pedestrian as a turf war that does him in? It seems so ... predictably mob-like. And "The Sopranos," though often misunderstood as a whack-of-the-week mob drama, has never been about predictability."

Happy watching.

Wow.

So I did a Google Images search for "Lou Seal", the Giants mascot, to send to a friend (who also loves Arrested Development) in order to make a connection between the two, and found this, which I believe may be the most disturbing picture I've ever seen:

I don't even know what to think.

Here's the real Lou Seal (Le Seal, Lucille...):

So I'm going to go on a bit of a rave here - I love this show. I think I may be addicted. I have never seen anything this consistently funny and clever. I wish I would have watched it while it was still on the air (however that was during one of the busier times of my life). I just purchased the second season, and the number of foreshadows (can I say that?) regarding the loss of Buster's hand is ridiculous, but so subtle I definitely didn't notice the first time I watched it. Going back now makes it even funnier. Just a small sample:

Buster: I'd never thought I'd miss a hand so much.

In regard to this -

George Sr.: If I never get to touch that hand of his again...

In regard to this -

There are so many more. Brilliant!

*More substantial post later. For now, it's gloomy and I'm going to go relax with a good book.

Things to write about

I promise I'm going to update this soon. Here's a sample of what's to come:

-my 23rd birthday (mostly this should be pictures - ridiculous!)
-going back to Philly / life changes
-The Sopranos (oh how I will miss you, but I'm loving it right now)
-various visitors
-perhaps some sports talk, I haven't really decided
-potential summer vacations
-music music music

There are some other, loftier ideas floating around in my head, but I'm too afraid to commit to writing them here, in case I lose my ambition later.

Big shout out to Natasha, Laura and Chris for coming to see me in the last couple of weeks! Like I've said before, I love visitors, so the rest of you are welcome anytime. Another big shout out to Amber and Andrea for throwing me the best 23rd birthday in the history of mankind. =) And Amber, I said I'd eventually update. ;-)

Note to self

Look into more stuff by The Earlies and Built to Spill.

Concert, visit, looking forward.

So, activity in the post-move era of Melinda's life has been both ceaseless and fantastic. I'm pretty worn out, but a lot has been going on. Everything is so much easier, closer, more accessible now that I live in the city, therefore, I do not quite have the same lame excuses (JLee) as I did when I lived in Berkeley. A few things of note:



Josh Ritter concert - amazing! So utterly refreshing and full of goodness. It's hard to explain how or why, but it was. First off, get his last two albums (Hello Starling and The Animal Years) pronto, then go see him in concert, thirdly, feel great about life. Honestly, that's how it works.



Some of you will remember Jon McSparran, who recently came to visit (actually he just left) and check out West Coast law schools. It was really great seeing him again (so all of you that are worried about imposing on me, don't! I love visitors) plus we got to see and do a lot in a short time. Visitors are actually great, in that they really force me to go out and see the city, which is what I needed, being such an SF newbie. The visit included 5 straight nights of drinking (surprise surprise) and lots of sightseeing, including two days of 15 miles+ gigantic walks around the city (including up some massive hills, which my legs are currently thanking me for). I think I may plot out our routes (they were really good ones) and figure out exactly how long it was. Jon doesn't like to take pictures, but Amber did get this one at a bar:

Looking forward, my life is going to get even more hectic, I believe. Today I'm supposed to meet up with my mother's best friend for dinner. Then I'm going to Vegas next weekend with coworkers (degenerate gamblers all!). After that, I think the lovely Susannah Grossman will be in town, so I will have to make sure to bump into her at a coffee shop or watering hole or someplace. Then my sister Katie is coming to visit for 10 days, which is going to be AWESOME. She is the coolest kid on the planet, I do believe. Then I'm going back to Philly for conferences and seeing friends and family (and Ben Folds). I may include a couple days in New York City during that trip as well, so let me know if you want to meet up! After that, I haven't made any plans, but I'm sure something will come up. Actually just making this list was exhausting, so I think I may take a lie-down. Last thoughts: if you haven't watched HBO's Extras yet, do so immediately (especially season two) and Evan, I finally got out and bought Post-War - LOVING IT! I hope that you are all doing as well as I am on the beautiful day. Hugs and kisses for all!

Movin' to the cit-tay

So, my dear friend Cassandra and I found an apartment in San Francisco today. It's super fabulous and located in wonderful Pacific Heights. So, it's time to start bidding farewell to my lovely Berkeley apartment - we shared so many good times. As a tribute, I'm posting pictures of my final, finished apartment.The living room, with new properly-colored couch!

Living room #2

Kitchen - with new island.

Kitchen part 2 - complete with sunset.

Bedroom with new bookshelves. Sigh, I will miss you, Berkeley apartment.

New haircut!

These are self taken photos, obviously, but for those of you who I don't see very often - this is what my hair looks like now. I've gotten "pat benetar" a lot, but I think it's pretty darn cute. The left one is with all of my hair down and the right is with it pulled up. Comments?

Good story from PB

http://www.pgatour.com/2007/tournaments/r005/02/10/maginnes021007/index.html

p.s. Congrats to John Dagen for being the first one to name the quote from previous entry. =) Here's the gold star I promised:

"Bill Groundhog Day Ghostbustin' Ass Murray"

*If anyone can name the film that quote came from, I will offer a prize of one gold star + eternal respect

Ok, so I'm going to start this story off with a little clarification. I'm not a celebrity person - meaning, I'm not obsessed with them, I don't model my life after theirs, I'm well aware they're just people in a certain line of work with fame as a perk. However, just as there are certain business leaders or musicians or writers etc. I'm excited to meet, because they're so talented, so are there actors/actresses. Bill Murray would be one of them. I love his films; I think he's hilarious; he's just a very talented and fortunate man. He's definitely one of my favorite actors (let's do just a quick naming: The Life Aquatic, Caddyshack, Lost in Translation, What About Bob?, Stripes, Rushmore, etc. etc.).

Now, I got tickets to the AT&T Pro Am Tournament through work, as my boss plays every year, and therefore gets free tickets. I decided to go with a coworker, Amber, and her husband, Tim, and the plan was to leave San Francisco around 5:30 in order to get there for tee-offs. We left a little late, but definitely arrived pretty early in Pebble Beach. I slept the entire way though, so when we did arrive on the golf course, I looked terrible. No real makeup, disheveled hair, the works. So we start walking, look to the left, Kevin James and Ray Romano were playing, and we set off to find Bill Murray. Coincidentally, right in our path, there he was, surrounded by a group of fans seeking autographs and perhaps playful banter. He seemed in good spirits as he made casual comments about fans' choices of what he signed etc. but as soon as I walked over and stood to his right, he started mentioning that he probably should go and play golf. I was disappointed, but I'm not into harassing people in general, so bowed my head and moved to the side so he could get through. The next thing I know, I hear this "Oh my god look at you!" Bill Murray had noticed the intense shade of red comprising my hair currently and apparently was shocked (my friends said he did a double take when he saw me). Now, my hair is red, to be sure, but not that red - I think it was the juxtapositioning against the brilliant green of the golf course that added the extra shock value. Anyway, back to the story. So Bill Murray puts his hands in my hair and starts rubbing my head and tousling my hair saying, "This is fantastic! My goodness... I just want to take a clipping... I could graft it to the back of my neck..." At this point, I'm pretty much paralyzed as one of my movie idols has his hands in my hair and I'm fairly certain all I did was giggle. Eventually I get up the courage to say something, but it turned out to be the stupidest thing I could have thought of... after the skin grafting comment I meekly responded "You can have it, if you want it." He laughed and then left to go golf but I was pretty much stunned for the next few minutes. Then later, we were walking by another hole and he started coming up from behind us and I just heard, "Hey girly! Keep moving!" I turned around and saw who it was, smiled and he smiled back. It was quite the moment. So, needless to say, that pretty much made my week. I wish I could've looked a little more together though! =)

Oh, and the other cool thing about that day (besides getting to see Tom Brady, Emmitt Smith, Don Cheadle, Peter Gallagher, Andy Garcia, etc. up close) was that both Amber and I were able to get an interaction with the star of our choice. Amber is a big Kevin Costner fan (early works - say Dances with Wolves era, and of course, Field of Dreams!) so we waited for him by the 10th hole green as we watched those ahead of him play through. He's supposed to be a fairly good golfer, but he hit a woman at the 10th hole (he made it up to her by going over and giving her a hug). After the teams were finished putting, there was a walkway to the next hole, on which fans wait in order to get autographs. Amber said she was going over to get him to sign her ticket. While over there, she later reported, people were just handing him whatever to sign and not talking at all (with the exception of a few murmured "thanks"). So when KC got to her, she made sure to say that she really was a big fan. He said thanks and signed her ticket and she turned to leave, shortly hearing "Hey, wait a minute!" She turned back around to see Costner retrieving a golf ball from his pocket, initialed, and he handed it to her. She was, needless to say, thrilled.

The concensus was then that Saturday = good day! Sunday was a lot less exciting, but I did get a snazzy new haircut (I think I'll post a picture soon), give my first Penn interview (alumni volunteers interview potential candidates for admission into the university), and catch up with a GREAT old friend - the original lovely redhead, Katie Timbers. In general, things are going well. There's several other things I want to post about (including Inland Empire, David Lynch's newest, which I saw last Thursday) but I'll have to save it for another time. Hope everyone else is doing just as well! M. xoxox

Happy Groundhog Day!

Speaking of which, I'm really excited for the AT&T Pro Am Tournament in Pebble Beach next Saturday, where a friend and I will be stalking Bill Murray. =)

Not much to report, got a new computer, Vista is weird, been using my scooter, oh and do yourself a favor and get "The Animal Years" by Josh Ritter. Especially the song "Girl in the War" - amazing.

blogging

I need to work on doing it more often. If you look at the archive, 2006's total posts were about half of 2005's. If I don't work on changing that, they could continue to go down exponentially, and soon I may not have an internet presence at all! *gasp*

I'm kidding, but I am trying to do this more often, for myself mostly. I'm not even sure who still reads this (besides you lovely people who leave comments). I read some of my old blog (melindaupenn.livejournal.com) today and found it oddly reassuring (my style and way of thinking has changed dramatically from 2 years ago, or at least, more than I expected it to). I like having this written record, and although I've tried to keep a journal at least a dozen times, it always fails. For some reason, this whole internet online thing (it's just a fad, right?) makes it a lot easier.

Fun link

http://www.westegg.com/cliche/

The ten random cliches function is fun for writing e-mails - I like to do it and then try and use them all. Here's an example of the output:

beats the band
put on ice
take one for the team
on the Fritz
when shit hits the fan
he thinks she hung the moon
to come the raw prawn
I always complained because my work was being interupted - until I realised the interuptions were my work.
as interesting as two blind men having a conversation in sign language.
The is FUBAR (Fucked Up Beyond All Repair)

The continued demise of Hollywood...

Proof that we really are about two steps away from Awesom-O.

I knew I moved to California for a reason...

COACHELLA! I totally forgot about COACHELLA! Tickets go on sale Saturday and wild horses couldn't keep me away. Quite a few gems in the line-up:
http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=22218577&albumID=0&imageID=1804424764
In case that doesn’t work:
http://www.spin.com/features/news/2007/01/070122_coachella/

I forgot to bring my iPod to work today and rediscovered one of my favorite internet thingies - www.pandora.com - check it out!!

More fun on Craigslist

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/mis/261231285.html

Courtesy of Amber

Good news!

Well, a) I didn't actually lose my iPod like I thought I did and
b) I realized (after living here for over 5 months) that I have a view of the Golden Gate Bridge from my apartment - it's fantastic! Oh and I also realized that there are a few concerts I'm going to try and see in the Bay Area (hopefully I can find someone to join) - here are highlights:
M. Ward
Camera Obscura
Badly Drawn Boy
Josh Ritter
Of Montreal
The Cat Empire
Cold War Kids
The Books

Deceivingly hilarious

If you're thinking about going on a vacation, this article by The New York Times references a new site for hotel bookings and reviews. The best part, though, is this part of the site.

Jumping out of a plane....

Skydiving was so surreal! Here's a picture - although I'm not looking my greatest, it is still a fun shot. There should be several more coming, plus a dvd which I may put on YouTube for my family (my sisters are dying to see what it's like). First, I'd like to thank the random Australian dude in Florence for putting the idea of skydiving in my head, and secondly, Cassandra for taking the first step and finding the trip and then making me follow through by both purchasing the dive (for herself, not me) and offering to drive us there. We went through a group called the Outdoor Adventure Club and only one other member joined us, whose name was also Melinda and she was also a redhead - weird! That NEVER happens!

Anyway, my tandem instructor was named Neal and was super cool and very experienced (which made me feel a lot better) although Cass got the much cuter Alex. I was actually surprised at how rational I felt UNTIL I got to the edge of the plane's open door and looked down (although I did giggle a lot on the way up in the plane). Then all of a sudden my body was like, "THIS IS WRONG!!!!" even though my mind was really looking forward to jumping. It's a crazy experience - hard to describe. But anyhow I had a BLAST and would HIGHLY recommend it to anyone - I'm actually looking forward to going again in the near future. The other great part was talking with all of the skydiving junkies hanging around the "airport" - they all seemed really cool and were very into it.

Other fun parts of the day - waking up early in the morning with about 3 hours to think... "holy crap, I'm actually going to jump out of a plane today", writing my will on a post-it note (always classy), and the GREAT legal video they showed us where the guy had the most mesmirizing 80's ZZ-Top style beard I have ever seen. Here's the sight for the company who organizes the skydive: SkyDance - they may take some of me and Cassie's footage and put it up, but who knows?

New Year's Resolution?

To have more fun, of course! Actually I don't personally subscribe to New Year's resolutions - but I'd love to hear some of yours - post 'em!

The exclusive YouTube premiere

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jw74NTMHEWc

Felt like it was about time, just in case they shut down my Wharton page. I have graduated, after all.

Do not drink cough syrup while reading this post

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/pet/254137440.html

This is exactly why I shouldn't look at the pet section of Craigslist. I want a puppy so bad, but I can't have one in my current apartment. I'm moving next year, and definitely into a pet-friendly building, but in the meantime "they will most likely be euthanized". GRRRRRRR!!!!! Frustrating as hell!

P.S. I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!!

WSJ Time Waster

I can't believe that, even in this era of useless information overload, that a dignified publication such as the Wall Street Journal would actually have a section entitled 'Time Waster.' Who has time to waste anyway? Oh well, I decided to check it out today and was pretty impressed.

Check out the article:
http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB116581381680846327-4bXK_kaeVYG3SFKVhvmnhMtIw5M_20071211.html

And the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzqumbhfxRo

More later, get ready for the holidays!!!

Hehe - this is what happens when you let random people photograph you in clubs.

Scroll to the bottom of the page.

New political phrase

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2006/11/16/violetblue.DTL

This is the 200th post on this blog!

Also, flying to Australia tonight, will be back on the 28th of November. Try not to miss me too much.

Newsflash!

"It gives a whole new meaning to the word 'Whopper'."

Also, Olivia and I discussed googling oneself and I came up with some interesting results:
I was apparently an ugly child
I'm also a devote Christian
And I went to Penn...wait a second...

Quick notes - REMEMBER TO VOTE TODAY! The BBC has a poll, and over half of voters said that the War in Iraq would be the biggest issues at the midterm polls.

Bands I'm currently listening to:
TV on the Radio
Band of Horses
Andrew Bird
Old 97s
Guillemots
Silver Jews
The Decemberists
Edan
Built to Spill
Asobi Seksu

...plus probably a bunch more I can't remember right now. Laters!

Olivia's random wisdom

me: *note that when i talk about important relationships, i'm almost always referring to friends and not lovers
Olivia: well that's truth, ain't it? isn't it so much nicer that way?
me: yeah its true, at least at this point in my life
Olivia: loss of lovers as important relationships only really applies (i think? in general?) when lover doubles as dear friend

I love my girlfriend so much!

Anyhow, I know I haven't updated and so much has happened (Vegas, Halloween, poker night, lots of random shenanigans) and I'm leaving soon for Australia (I'll be gone Nov. 16-28) but at some point I promise I will. Lady talk ladies - cookbook has been started, but I'll need some time (it's more work than I thought) but you will have it (also means Brigit has more time to give me her mango pasta salad recipe!). I found out that my friend here is really good friends with Say Anything's drummer and lead singer, so the next time they're touring, I get to meet them, which is cool. Also, another friend has a movie producer friend who just cast Colin Firth in her new movie, so we'll be going to the SF premiere of that. And I'm just now starting to really spend a lot of time in the city and I'm loving it. I've actually decided to move properly into San Francisco when my Berkeley lease runs up (I like Berkeley and biking around and all that, but I neeeeeeeeed a city). In short, I'm doing fantastically, but I miss all of you East coast (and otherwise) people. More later, back to work for now. =) xoxoxoxoxoxoxo M.

Things to write about....later

God I'm such a hideous blogger. I'm inconsistent, shallow, self-involved, etc. But you all knew that, right?

Things I will eventually write about:

SF Lovefest 2006 - amazing
Hiking
Work and how I love it
Plans for Vegas
Plans for Australia
How much I miss my friends and family
Things I love about northern California
Things I hate about California
The upcoming midterm elections
The tragedy in Lancaster County
Berkeley and living in it

I'm just peachy for those who were wondering, but busy and currently obsessed with catching up with Grey's Anatomy (I refuse to watch season 3 until I've seen season 2). Anxiously waiting for January and the return of the Sopranos, and was disappointed with the 10th season premiere of South Park although I think the World of Warcraft merited a commentary. Trying to be healthy, moderately succeeding. Loving the San Francisco nightlife. Hating BART's stupid early stopping time. Mostly, missing my girl friends. Brigit, Olivia, Tash - you make me wish I was in Philly. I can't watch an episode of Sex and the City without getting all sappy and nostalgic. Truly, it's pathetic. But that's the worst of it. Miss my mommy and sisters and dad, of course, but that's to be expected. I am, after all, 3000 miles away. But as bad as some of this probably seems, I'm really happy. It's hard not to be with the gorgeous weather around here. It actually gets annoying. =) So, make contact. I'd love to catch up with everyone and I promise to eventually take time to write. Hope you're all well, and please come and visit whenever you find the time. xoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxo M.

Special shoutout to Paul, who, I'm sure, is rocking Bilbao. I'm coming to Spain in the spring. Just tell all your straight friends to watch out! ;-)

California is a different world... taken from the San Francisco version of The Onion.

I walked out onto my balcony/fire escape tonight and found this little guy staring at me!

Bathroom. Pretty hideous tiling (peach and terra cotta - yuck!) but I did the best I could. My mom made the shower curtain that hangs in the back and it helps a lot.

Closet. Pretty standard.

Bedroom. This still needs A LOT of work.

Living room view #2. I actually want to paint that wall green to match/accent the couch, once I get it. All of the white is a bit too sterile.

Living room view #1. That couch will actually be green. They delivered the wrong color, so they're exchanging it on Tuesday.

The kitchen. Mom helped out a lot with this one, but it stills need a little work. Plus a kitchen island, I'm way short on counter space!

Yes, I'm alive.

I've just been busy adjusting to West coast working life. But I'm fantastic. I've been getting a lot of requests for pictures of my apartment, so even though it's nowhere near finished, I'm going to post some. Feel free to leave suggestions/comments. I miss all of you on the East coast [well, most of you anyway=) ] just in case you didn't know.

FYI

I found a job and I'm moving to Berkeley. I'll explain everything later, as I am currently apartment hunting like crazy. My start date is August 7, so it'll all happen fast. If you are on the east coast and would like to get together before I go, please let me know - I'd love to see my friends before embarking on this adventure.

Quick as possible update

Hola mi amigos!

I'm leaving tomorrow morning for San Francisco/Berkeley, partially for an interview, but also (and more excitingly) to see my best friend/wife Brigit! I'll be back Saturday morning, and I'll probably spend the day in Philly, so if you are there, please feel free to give me a call. In addition, tomorrow my beautiful sister Becky is leaving for study abroad in Perth, Australia, so that is quite exciting as well.

In other news, my best friend/girlfriend Olivia recently got engaged (4th of July), which makes me feel insanely grown up, but also very very happy for them. I actually watched a few World Cup games (I almost never watch sports) and was delighted to find out that Kate and Justine got to experience Italy winning the World Cup in ROME!

I've been soaking up my time at home, spending a lot of it with my wonderful family. My sisters and I saw Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest last Saturday, and while I certainly understand a lot of the negative reactions to the ending - I must say that I THOROUGHLY enjoyed myself. I especially enjoyed when Becky and I were discussing the actor playing Davy Jones and Katie chimed in with, "the Science guy?!" (it's Bill Nighy, not Bill Nye)

My days are leisurely for now, a lot of job searching, family time as I mentioned, as well as going out with old friends for drinks. Clearly I'll grow tired of this eventually, but for now, I'm really enjoying myself. I'm sure there's lots more that I'm forgetting which I would like to share (including my Grad Party, which was CRAZY), but for now, that'll have to do. Ciao!

Stolen from Susannah's Livejournal

1. YOUR SPY NAME: (middle name and current street)
Ann Long


2. YOUR MOVIE STAR NAME: (grandfather/grandmother on your dad's side, your favorite candy)
Johanna Skor


3. YOUR RAP NAME (first initial of first name, first two or three letters of your last name )
M-Gil


4. YOUR GAMER TAG: (a favorite colour, a favorite animal)
Green Pug


5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)
Ann Millville


6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (first 3 letters of your last name, last 3 letters of mother's maiden name, first 3 letters of your pet's name)
Gileenjes


7. JEDI NAME: (middle name spelled backwards, your mom's maiden name spelled backwards)
Nnaneek


8. PORN STAR NAME: (first pet's name, the street you grew up on)
Bear Eastview (this would prob be a better name for a guy...)


9. SUPERHERO NAME: ("The", your favorite color, the automobile your dad drives)
The Red Camry haha, really boring


10. YOUR ACTION HERO NAME: (First Name Of The Main Character In The Last Film You Saw, last food you ate)
Lux S'more (Virgin Suicides.... this would have been a better porn star name)


In other news, I do have stuff to write about, and I have plenty of time, but I just haven't been in the blogging mood. But please don't give up on me, I'll get there someday. =) And I'll bring pictures.

"We need British nipples!"

So, being that I'm unemployed, I've had a lot of time to catch up on my movies. Instead of writing about myself, this time I will write about them. We'll start with the movie quoted in this post title:

Mrs. Henderson Presents
Now, I have a special penchant for British films; however, I feel that any decent moviegoer would enjoy this film. It's quite funny, there's naked ladies, and I loved Dame Judi Dench's wit and poise.

Aeon Flux
This choice was my little sister's, yet I found it strangely enjoyable. I was completely prepared to detest it, but there was an interesting twist and lots of special effects to keep me visually intrigued. Not a fabulously well-made film, but enjoyable enough, particularly if you're a person whose family refers to her typical movie choices as either "weird" or "too artsy".

Capote
I've been wanting to see this for a very long time, and I wasn't disappointed. I didn't quite know what to expect, because I knew very little about Truman Capote to begin with, just that he wrote Breakfast at Tiffany's and was gay, so the examination of In Cold Blood was especially welcome. Phillip Seymour Hoffman was brilliant and the film was so good it caused me to go out immediately and buy a copy of the book.

X-Men 3
My sister and I arrived slightly late for this movie, so we had to sit in the third row, which was, needless to say, pretty intense. As with the previous two X-Men productions, I certainly enjoyed myself; however, I will admit it was a bit lessened. I had a huge conflict with the whole idea of a mutant cure, as I'm sure was the point, but particularly with the way it was used against Magneto. Magneto is actually probably my favorite of the comic book cast, due to the sheer complexity of his character. I don't know, I liked the movie quite a bit, but left feeling a little less than satisfied.

Anyhow, I think that's it for the past couple weeks anyway. I did get some Firefly dvds through Netflix, which were pretty good. Plus, I've been spending a lot of time reading. It's so nice to be out of college and have time to read for pleasure, an activity which I have sorely missed during the past four years.

Jesus Christ.

It's been a loooooong time since I've posted. I'm sure every one can imagine the reasons for it. And there's good news and bad news and everything in between, but I'd never have the time to catch you up. Here's the short version:

I'm an alum of an Ivy League university - yay! But I still haven't decided on a job, so I'm at home in Lancaster County for a bit, which is both good and bad. As for everything else, in some ways I'm very happy and in some ways I'm miserable. I suppose it's a product of this time in my life, as well as my personal decisions of the last month or so. Sigh. Kate had an away message up a few days ago that remarked that life needs fast forward and rewind buttons and I am inclined to agree with her.

I'm not really in the writing mood, but I was checking my e-mail and such and thought that I may as well take the chance to let everyone know that I am alive and will be returning to this blog shortly. I hope you are all doing well and wish all the '06 graduates a big congratulations.

M.