Hotel Tuesday

Bloody Laundry

2011-08-19T20:23:00.005-04:00

Growing up, I read some books over and over. I don't even know how many times I read Hop on Pop or Me First or some of my favorite Goosebumps thrillers.

Another book I read repeatedly was called Scary Stories for Stormy Nights. As the title indicates, it's a collection of scary stories that I would read not only on stormy nights, but any time of day in any weather. While I enjoyed many of the stories, one was always the scariest for me... and that was "Bloody Laundry."

So the other day, I was bored and decided to make a movie. And when going through my books randomly, I happened to stumble upon Scary Stories for Stormy Nights. So I present to you my movie version of "Bloody Laundry"! I directed it and begrudgingly played a minor role (I hate acting!). Watch it 10 times (to increase the view count) and let me know what you think!

7 Things: Summer

2011-07-10T10:20:00.007-04:00

Y'all remember Miley Cyrus? Well, I was listening to one of MileyBird's amazing singles the other day and it inspired me.

You know how in "7 Things," Ms. Cyrus lists the seven things she hates in her beau, then, in the final chorus, lists the seven things she likes? Well I've decided to copy that format and list seven things I like and hate about different subjects! Up first, summer.

The 7 Things I Hate About Summer

1. Heat
This one doesn't need much explanation, right? Especially after last week! I was so hot in my house (with no a/c) that I spent much of the heatwave weekend hiding in the library. Being hot is so uncomfortable and I just keep looking out the window hoping for snow.

2. Fleas
Living with ~~six~~ five cats can be great at times. But all the cats are outdoor cats so they bring fleas in with them. Fleas are tiny, annoying, and extremely elusive, and apparently they only come out in the summer. At one point, I had to vacuum my room every day to make sure they weren't in my floorboards. Everything's under control now, but I can't let the cats in my room, and that's sad.

3. Weeds
I spent a few days earlier this summer planting a garden with my roommate Shawn. Now, the garden is filled with tomatoes, cucumbers, kale, peppers, zucchini, beans, chard, basil, lettuce and weeds. The weeds came out of nowhere and tried to strangle all our vegetables. It's tough work weeding the garden (in the heat!), making weeds one of the seven things I hate about summer.

4. Other People's Vacations
I'm poor! Other people keep going on vacation, making me sad that I can't take off work and can't afford to travel.

5. The Air Conditioning In My Office
OK, I know I just talked about hating heat, but the a/c in my office is O.O.C. I have to wear a hoodie AND wrap a blanket around myself at work because it's freezing in the office! It's true that I'd rather freeze than be hot, but I don't know why someone in the office can't just adjust the temperature so I could remove my blanket. It's so awkward going into the bathroom and using a urinal with a blanket wrapped around me...

6. Not Getting New Syllabi
Call me a nerd if you want, but I usually like the end of summer because I begin to get new syllabi for the upcoming fall semester of college. But I graduated in May, so now I don't get any new syllabi :(

7. Dress Codes
This mostly applies to work, but when it's unbearable outside, I just want to wear shorts and a white t-shirt. But since I work all week, I have to leave the house each morning with long pants since I can't wear shorts at work. Today, it was so hot that I actually wore shorts there and changed in the car!

The 7 Things I Like About Summer

1. Prolonged Daylight
I sometimes don't get out of work until 7 or later, and it's so nice to leave and see that it's still light outside. Not only does that mean I get to drive home in daylight (I don't drive in the dark), but I get to read outside for a bit when I get home.

2. True Blood
I didn't much like seasons 2 or 3 of True Blood, but the new season is so good! I love the storylines (especially the way they ended the boring ones I didn't like from last season), the writing is funny ("Shut up or make up a new chant already!"), and I think they are doing a much better job at pacing. I don't mind when shows move a little slower and calm down with the drama.

3. Concerts
My summer concert schedule began with Katy Perry (amazing!) and is really picking up steam next week, as I'm seeing Ellie Goulding, Lykke Li, and Britney Spears all within a week!

4. Pool Olympics
Invented a few years ago, Pool Olympics is an amazing competition where teams battle in various events in order to win the competition. I'm the creator of the PO and this summer I've already played twice, bringing new games into the mix (recreate a famous movie scene involving water, dive for change) to make this summer a great summer for Pool Olympics!

5. Summer Reading
Since I usually spend most of the fall/winter/spring reading books for school, summer is always a great opportunity to read for fun! This summer I've read a bunch of great books, like Kafka on the Shore, Wide Sargasso Sea, Freedom, all three books in The Hunger Games trilogy, and I'm almost done with The Magus. I guess that's not that many books, but three of them were over 500 pages, so I've done a lot of reading!

6. Summer Driving
Barefoot, windows down, screaming Adele.

7. Fridays
The day that Rebecca Black and Katy Perry celebrate in song is really a great day for me this summer. Not only do I get to participate in JET Fridays with my good friends (Jenna, Enrico, Todd), but I also don't have to work on Fridays! It's the best!

Catch Me While I'm Sleeping

2011-07-03T15:30:00.003-04:00

Many of you know that on my list of least favorite things, cops and paying for things are near the top of the list. Unfortunately, I was in the city recently and had a terrible moment where both of these things came together.... Yes, I got a ticket! BOO!!

Here's the story.

I was dancing in the city with some of my BFFs, Delisa and Josh. We were having fun, looking like these people, just less blurry.

We left around 2:30 and took the subway back to Brooklyn. When we were one stop away from Jay Street, I decided to take a nap, so I leaned by head against the metal bars at the end of the seat (I know, not the ideal pillow), scrunched up into a little ball, and fell asleep.

Well, my nap was interrupted at the next stop when I heard a banging near my head. I open my eyes to see a cop banging her stick against the metal bars and she's like, "Step off the subway." So I followed her (and the three male cops accompanying her...) off the subway and she asked me for my license. I gave it to her and she ran it and said, "If you have any warrants out, we'll have to take you in." And I was like,

Alright, so at this point I was sure that the cops were just trying to find a drunk person so they could give them a ticket for public intoxication. Since I'm a teetotaller, I figured I'd be fine; they would see ~~it was six months and~~ I was ~~still~~ sober and let me go. However, after the approx. 4 hours it took to run my license, the female cop handed my license to one of the male cops who started writing me a ticket!

When I got the ticket, I read it and saw that the official reason for the ticket was "obstruction of seating." In the note section, the cop wrote, "Observed resp lying down across bench aboard a s/b F train occupying more than one seat."

LYING ACROSS?! No. I was not like this guy:

Or even this woman:

Y'all know how I can squeeze myself into a little ball. Was I taking up more than one seat? Probably. Two at the most. But it was 3am and no one needed the seat!! Plus, while there are signs saying you can't smoke, listen to music, litter, eat, block the conductor's station, or walk between cars while the train is moving, there are no signs about taking up more than one seat!

So I just was like

and got back on the subway and we went home.

Now I'm wondering whether I should try to fight the ticket. What do y'all think? Has this ridiculous ticket ever been fought successfully?! Should I just pay the ridiculously costly ticket ($50)?!

Overdrive

2011-06-23T21:23:00.002-04:00

In sharing life stories on this blog, I've often delved into the darkest moments of my life. I've posted about almost being attacked by a creep, the biggest upset in history, some car trouble, and even the passing of my beloved pet. This following story is one of the darkest moments of all, capturing a day of my life that I will never forget. I have rarely known such terror as I did on this day... The day of...

My driving test.

I should have anticipated the horror that awaited me. As some of my older friends began getting their licenses, they would warn me, "When you go to take the road test, make sure you don't get the mean lady!" Everyone who took the test told me this, even people who didn't actually have to perform for "the mean lady." Whether they had a personal experience with her or not, everyone knew her and knew she was awful, kind of like "Born This Way."

So I go in for my test, pull up to the little station, and out comes the mean lady. I knew it was her immediately by the way she scowled as she climbed into the passenger seat. At first, she didn't seem that mean, so I was temporarily optimistic.

The start of the test wasn't bad. I just drove around in circles while she barked questions at me: "How long have you been driving?!" "When's the last time you practiced?!" "Do you know where the center of the road is?!?!" She wasn't super pleasant, but she didn't make me cry yet, so I was sure everything would be fine.

Then I got to parallel parking.

Now, living in Lambertville for a year has made me a pretty great parallel parker. But back in the day, I wasn't so great at is (who is at 16 years old?). I didn't hit the cone, but I did brush the curb. I heard that that's not a huge deal, so I asked the mean lady if I could go again. Finally, some of her nastiness came out.

I successfully completed my second attempt at parallel parking and then did my k-turn. (Seriously, why is a k-turn on the test? Who can't do a k-turn?!) I started going toward the exit, hoping that I would pass despite my brief contact with the curb. But this is where things got really bad.

To leave the little driving test track, you have to turn left at the end of the track. You can also go right, but that just leads to more random test track, and I was done with my test! So I put on my blinker to go left, began to make the turn, and then...

The mean lady started screaming at me to turn so loud, that I assumed I was going the wrong way and made a very sharp right turn, back onto the test track. Only I was now going against traffic.

Luckily, there was no one else on the track. Still, the mean lady was not happy with this latest development. Unfortunately, I decided this would be a good moment to talk back to her.

I remember her words exactly. Jerky? How was I the jerk?! She was the one yelling at me and made me go the wrong way! She was not pleased at all that I talked back to her, and I didn't want to make her even angrier, so I just shut my mouth and sped around the track to get back to the exit. I approached the practice STOP sign and decided to stop a little too late, after I had already passed the white line. This made her pretty livid.

Again, I spoke back to her, but this time, I think it helped me. I said, "I didn't stop because I thought the test was over! Now I'm just gonna drive back to the station!!" She didn't say anything at all, so I drove back to the station and she got out.

I looked back at Mike, who brought me to the test and let me use his car, and made a grim face. I had friends who failed their first road test and I went into the test determined to not follow in their footsteps. Now I had blown it.

The mean lady came over to my window and glowered at me until I rolled the window down. She didn't even bend down when she spoke, but she said, "I don't know... It must be your lucky day. Take this and show it to the people inside to get your license." Somehow, I'd passed! I got away from her as fast as possible and got my license, on my first try!

So what's the moral of this story? I guess to never give up, even when you're sure you've already lost. Or maybe it has an even simpler moral: when you go to take the road test, make sure you don't get the mean lady!

Ghosts in the Attic: Happy Birthday Mom?

2011-06-14T23:39:00.003-04:00

Happy Birthday Mother!!!

My mom's birthday was this past Monday. I went down to the shore over the weekend to celebrate. We had lunch, I saw my siblings, I watched Bridezillas with TJ (amazing!), I saw my friend Shanique in a play, I almost got robbed in the hood, I went to the beach with Cvalda (E>), and I got scratched up by a big dog. So it was a pretty successful weekend!

Anyway, while I was celebrating my mother's big day, I remembered that I once wrote a journal entry about my mom's birthday! Here it is.

Mr. Nicky And
the lovely
present
My Mother's birthday
is in June. It is
June 14, 1996. I'm
gonna give her
my fruit basket.

I bouth a
card for her.
I'm gonna buy
her a ring With
my money. I can
buy her something
else. She likes

When she gets
alot of presents
from me
because she loves
me a lot.

A few comments:
- I had money in 1996 to buy a card, a ring and something else?! What did I do with it?!
- My mother likes getting presents from me because... she loves me. I'm going to use that line this Christmas with my family. I want more presents for me because I love you all!
- I'm gonna give her my fruit basket? LOL!
- My mother's birthday is June 13th, not 14th.

Malaria Spreads

2011-03-11T12:56:00.005-05:00

As the model paired with the winning designer of Project Runway: TCNJ edition, Chloe graced the pages of Elle magazine for a fashion shoot with a famous photographer!

Well we all remember how last season on Project Runway: JNCT edition, winning designer Michelle M. not only designed flawless, creative outfits, but did so with her controversial model, Malaria. Since Malaria was paired with Michelle M., she too was guaranteed a spread in a fashion magazine. So we've all been wondering, where is Malaria's spread??

Well I got word from her personal designer/~~servant~~/manager Michelle M. and we finally get to see what Malaria's been up to... That is, if you haven't been to any newsstands lately. Michelle writes:

"As you can see from the National Enquirer, Malaria went off the deep end (probably because she couldn't deal with the fact that she didn't officially win PR:JNCT). So she was shipped off to rehab until she got her act together. But now SHE'S BACK. And forget the crummy magazine spread prize. Malaria only does COVERS."

So here they are: Malaria's covers!
(All of Malaria's cover outfits designed by the fabulous Michelle M. Guys, how talented is she?!)

So glad to see Malaria is still relevant a year after winning the competition! I can't wait to see where she pops up next...

Come Clean

2011-01-15T22:02:00.004-05:00

Alright readers.... Gather around for the most interesting post ever! I'm gonna get my girls and give you time to get your boys... it's time to get dirrty on Hotel Tuesday!!! ..... or clean?

Let's talk about our shower habits!!!

First topic up for discussion... how do you wash your body?

I read in a magazine once that since humans are creatures of habit, we wash our body in the exact same order every time we shower. Since then, I almost always consider this fact while taking a shower. And for me at least, it's true!

I start with my arms, since it seems like an easy transition from the soap being all over my hands. I then go to my chest, then my back, then move down to my curvaceous hips, then legs, then feet. I don't wash my hair/face until after I'm done washing my body, although I think most people do it the other way around. Anyway, pay attention during your next shower - is your washing cycle always the same?

Know what's the worst thing about washing your hair in the shower? When you rinse your hair/face, you have to take a break from my favorite shower activity...

I love singing in the shower! I love singing everywhere, but singing in the shower is especially fun because:

1. You're naked
2. You sound better with bathroom acoustics!
3. You can pretend you're in a music video where it's raining
4. The loudness of the shower makes you think you can scream as loud as you want

So do you sing in the shower? If so, what songs are your favorite shower songs? I've been singing "Teenage Dream" and "Rolling In The Deep" lately.

Then again, I haven't really been showering all that much lately.... lol....

How often do you shower?! I did a lot of really complicated math to figure out a rough estimate of how many times I showered in 2010... And apparently I'm really dirty! But what you might call dirty and gross, others might call saving water! I'm just helping the environment y'all!

And for real, who needs to shower every day in the winter? I don't leave the house, don't exercise, don't sweat, don't move, etc. And I've been told by about a dozen doctors that showering every day washes away all the natural oils that your body produces to keep your skin/hair protected! Remember guys, Jesus didn't shower every day and he did some great stuff.

Plus, every now and then I get caught in a rainstorm and then I don't even need to shower!

NOW GO SPILL YOUR SHOWER SECRETS IN THE COMMENTS!

12 of 12: Only Your Shadow

2011-01-12T23:31:00.004-05:00

I woke up pretty late on January 12th. While I usually try to be up by 10am if I don't have work/school, I got up today after noon. Oops! I guess that's what happens when I'm up until 4am chatting online!

So I woke up and Christie wanted to get ~~breakfast~~ lunch. Before we left, I snapped a pic of this nasty creature 'cause I thought y'all might like to see him.

Christie y yo went next door to City Market for lunch. I got a sandwich called The Mo, feat. chicken, bacon, and cheese.

I got back to the apartment and did nothing for a while. Ross got home from work and came up to my loft. He played guitar.

I spent a few hours in my loft in this position.

I listened to music, cried, looked at some websites, then repeated the process over and over.

While I listened to a lot of different music, I did spent a great deal of time listening to British songstress Adele. Her song "Rolling In The Deep" is my most played song of all-time even though it just came out two months ago. I'm obsessed! She's amazing live, so I spent some time today watching her recent live performances. Here's a poster hanging in my loft that Josh stole for me.

At one point, I took a break to read. There are a lot of classics that I haven't read yet and I'm reading one of them now.

Can anyone impress me and identify this book?! The main character's name is in the passage, so it shouldn't be that hard.

I was going to head to Princeton around 6 to get some school books, but when Ross and I went outside to leave, we found my car covered in snow. Ross helped clear it off.

But we decided it wasn't a good time to drive so we ended up not going anyway. I played Anna Nalick's "Wreck of the Day" on guitar instead.

Christie got home from work and brought some groceries home, so we made dinner of some fake chicken stuff, peas, rice, peppers, and some kind of sauce or something.

And the rest of the night was just spent relaxing. Ross and Christie lit some candles in their room which looked pretty cool.

Here are Ross' legs.

And look! The candlelight created cool sHaDoW eFfEcTz on the wall!

So basically, I did nothing all day! Yay!

School starts next Monday and these days will be gone...

Ghosts in the Attic: Happiness

2011-01-05T15:35:00.002-05:00

I've been kind of down lately. Don't worry readers! I'm not looking for a hole under my house to crawl into or anything. I've just been a little sad lately and Joni Mitchell's Blue has been getting a lot of spins.

When I'm sad, I try to think of the things that make me happy, and then ~~stay away from them and wallow~~ surround myself with those things. So what makes me happy? Let's look at my 1st grade journal to find out!

My friend's
make me happy
Because they
treat me rite.

1. Friends! Who isn't instantly cheered by a phone call/text/visit from a good friend?! Even in 1st grade I appreciated how my friends made me happy by treating me right - i.e. sharing their snacks with me, letting me be line leader, talking to me on the bus, etc.

The best thing is that my friends don't even need arms to make me happy. An extra long neck will do!

I pet cats
make me happy
becuse they love
me to and I love
them

2. Pet cats! Doesn't it just warm your heart to see your cats approaching you in the middle of the night to ~~devour you with their leech-like mouths~~ cuddle with you?

Well my cat only comes in my room to break my things, knock down plants, attack my dreamcatcher, or rip up the posters under my bed. But this page makes sense because it absolutely makes me happy when I stay over Josh's house and Hermanita, Mowgli, or Baberz come up to me looking for some love. AWW.

My family makes
me happy because
I love me

3. Family! Because... I love myself!

LOL!

So guys, what makes you happy when you feel like crying a million storms?!

You Need To Hear Me Out

2011-01-01T21:07:00.003-05:00

I know. It's not cool to talk about the New Year like it's something really special. And I understand. After all, it really is just another day. But humans are always looking for chances to start over, so what's the harm in looking to the first of January as a good time to refresh??

So here's that post about what I think I'm going to do this year.

FIRST UP. My new year's resolution!

As I mentioned in a previous entry, my new year's resolution is inspired by one of my favorite musicians, Taylor Swift. Taylor's latest album Speak Now is all about being honest and straightforward. Although I don't plan on writing a country-pop gem about each person I want to say something to, I do want to be more vocal. Although I can be an extrovert at times, I do often keep my opinion to myself and feel like it's much easier to just let others have it their way. So now, I want to speak out.

However, there is an element of class in this - I'm not going to tell someone they look bad or complain that someone's homemade meal tastes nasty. This is about speaking the truth at times when I'm too afraid or shy, not about being rude and aggressive.

This year I also want to:
- Graduate college
- Get a job
- Write another section of my long short story (currently 100 pages)
- Do well on the GRE Literature exam (LOL)
- Eat more fruit (I did this in 2010 and did a good job! I want to continue this one)
- Get Britney's new album the day it comes out
- Write more poetry
- Survive

Oh, and did I mention that New Year's Eve 2010 was much better than previous years?

Happy New Year y'all!

2010 Favorites

2010-12-30T23:38:00.002-05:00

2010 is almost over! Which means it's time for my favorite blog entry (even if no one else cares).

It's time to review my favorites things of 2010! This year was pretty great when it came to my entertainment options, so some of these choices were hard! But I made decisions. So here we go.

Please note: my favorites are based on when I experienced them, not the year of their release. I may have a favorite CD in 2010 that came out in the 1970s, but the year I discovered it is the year that matters to me!

Favorite Book of the Year:

2nd Place:

Runners-Up:

Favorite Video Games of the Year:

Favorite Albums of the Year:

Favorite Song of the Year:

Favorite Concert of the Year:

Favorite TV Show of the Year:

Favorite Movies of the Year:

Favorite Drink of the Year:

Favorite Ginger of the Year:

Runner-Up:

Favorite Cat of the Year:

1st Runner-Up:

2nd Runner-Up:

3rd Runner-Up:

4th Runner-Up:

5th Runner-Up:

6th Runner-Up:

7th Runner-Up:

Favorite Monday Muse of the Year:

Favorite Holiday of the Year:

Favorite Party of the Year:

Favorite Person of the Year:

Favorite Celebrity of the Year:

Did we enjoy any of the same stuff in 2010?!

New Year's Fleeve

2010-12-26T09:54:00.000-05:00

New Year's Eve is consistently the worst holiday of the year for me. Even though I'm a pretty upbeat guy with tons of ~~online~~ friends, I somehow always end up spending New Year's Eve alone. Here's a rundown of how my past few NYEs went.

New Year's Eve 2005

I think 2005 started the trend of bad New Year's Eves. According to my LiveJournal (lol), 2005 was "the worst year of my life." And New Year's Eve didn't make the year any better. I sat at home watching the ball drop on the living room TV while my brother and his friend Alex played video games upstairs. I technically wasn't alone but I was sad and lonely and reflecting on how stupid I was in 2005 (and really, I was pretty stupid in 2005).

New Year's Eve 2006

After being in a relationship since January 2006, I broke up with my significant other in December of 2006. Therefore, I was freshly broken up and of course SAD ALL THE TIME. Of course this sadness was magnified on New Year's Eve, which I spent alone. Not sure why I didn't hang out with friends, but according to my LiveJournal I was home alone, I finished reading Catcher in the Rye (which I think is overrated), and I thought I wasn't going to get in to TCNJ.

New Year's Eve 2007

New Year's Eve '07 was pretty forgettable. I wasn't as sad as I was in '05 and '06, but I was home alone. I made plans this year to hang out with a friend (who won't be named), but they canceled last minute so I ended up home alone again.

New Year's Eve 2008

Maybe this takes the cake for the worst New Year's Eve, but only because there was so much promise! When I found out I would be in Mexico for NYE '08, I was sure this was going to be the best New Year's Eve ever! However, I went on the trip with complete strangers and since they knew that I didn't drink/party, they went out to celebrate around 11pm... and didn't even invite me. I found this out when I started looking around the hotel around 11:30pm and no one was around. So I asked at the front desk and the man said that a large group of teens just left, clearly my group. I went to my hotel room, turned on the TV, and watched The Little Mermaid in Spanish (or La pequeña sirena) as the clock struck midnight.

I knew it was midnight when I heard fireworks going off. I thought it would at least be cool to see the fireworks, right?! So I went on the balcony to my room but my view was obstructed by the building in front of the hotel. I went to the general hotel balcony and still couldn't see. Finally, I went outside so I could see down the street that led to the center of town. However, the last firework went off just as I reached the street, so I only got to see a few falling sparks...

New Year's Eve 2009

I made plans this year to hang out with a friend (who won't be named), but they canceled last minute so I ended up home alone again. Sound familiar?!

I ended up alone at my sister TJ's house while TJ was at a Mariah Carey concert (JEALOUS!). I also watched my first ever episode of Jersey Shore. BUT, there was ONE good thing about that night... I finished a puzzle I had been working on over winter break! Or maybe that's not that cool... since a certain Hotel Tuesday reader called me "grandpa" when I posted the picture on Twitter.

So what will this New Year's Eve bring?! I don't know yet. I probably won't know my plans until that day. But I mean, the night has to be an improvement over the last five New Year's Eves, right? RIGHT?!

22

2010-12-15T14:14:00.005-05:00

Yesterday was my birthday. I'm 22! Here's what happened.

I didn't do much in the morning/afternoon besides from go online, watch Ugly Betty, and do some schoolwork. But at 7 I went to Chili's with my friends.

Of course I had a Chocolate Chip Paradise Pie!!! MMMMMMMMM!!!

Left side of the table - Katrina, Todd, some girl, Eric:

Right side of the table - Kevin, Dana, me, Delisa (not pictured, as she took the picture):

See that sweet shirt I'm wearing? That was my first gift of the day, given to me by my friend Yarisma. Don't I look great in it?!

I went back to campus and had cake.

It was yellow cake with strawberries adentro. ¡Me gusta mucho fresas!

I blew out the candle and made a very special wish, which obviously I can't share!

Here I am doing what I do best - arguing with someone!

Then I got more presents, like Wonderfalls on DVD from Delisa! (Best picture of me ever?)

I loooove this series and was so sad when it was canceled after only 4 episodes aired. Can't wait to watch it over winter break!

Delisa also got me this cute sweater from H&M to go with my new shirt!

And then another flannel shirt (yay!) from Dana to go with my green eyes.

This morning, I had to run to the art building and on the way back to the dorms I picked up my final birthday gift that was waiting in my car. Mi mejor amigo Josh gave it to me the other day but I didn't want to open it until my birthday. I opened it this morning to find...

YES, JONI MITCHELL'S Blue ALBUM IN VINYL.

And with that gift, my life is complete.

Thanks to everyone who sent birthday wishes/gifts!!! E>E>E>

Happy Birthday T!

2010-12-13T14:29:00.004-05:00

Know what tomorrow is?

MY BIRTHDAY!!!

Which means that today is also a very special day...

THE DAY BEFORE MY BIRTHDAY!!!

But it's also the birthday of a very special lady. This lady has impacted me more than most people. She is always there when I need to vent my feelings and she always give such good advice and I really feel like she understands me. I don't know where I'd be without her!

So without any further ado...

Today is Taylor Swift's birthday! It's been an amazing year for T. Swift and I hope she has an amazing 21st birthday and year!

Taylor started the year by winning prox. a million well-deserved GRAMMYs, including Album of the Year for her CD Fearless.

Of course all the haters were annoyed and probably wanted Ms. Swift to fade into obscurity or something, but she released her third studio album Speak Now just a few months ago and the CD is not only as good as Fearless, but I actually think it's even better.

Taylor is important to me because in the music industry, we constantly see celebrities who are selfish, rude, egotistical, divatastic, and oversexed. Swifty is none of these things, and the fact that people find ways to ridicule her is completely ridiculous. If you're offended by Taylor, please look at everyone else in the business. Your worry should be placed elsewhere.

Taylor is also important because she promotes the message of speaking out. As she's said in interviews, her new album Speak Now is all about that message. However, class act that she is, Taylor is also professional and doesn't go blabbing to the press just for publicity like some artists do. Her album and her interviews show real maturity, which I really admire in a young popstar.
Still, her message personally resonates with me. Whether it's speaking up for some injustice or just because you want to get your feelings out, Taylor reminds me to speak my mind, even when I know my opinion isn't what everyone wants to hear. With her message in mind, I've recently spoken out about a few things and I'm glad I did.

So everyone join me in wishing Ms. Swift a happy birthday!

Oh, and happy birthday to my sister too.

Glee Season Wrap-Up

2010-12-10T11:45:00.001-05:00

Can you believe it? I think Glee is getting good again! Or at least better. The "Sectionals" episode was funny, plot-heavy, and avoided being overdramatic... until the final few minutes. But overall, it was definitely one of the better episodes of the season.

(Note that I am ignoring the existence of the Christmas episode - I consider it a 'special' episode and therefore am not using it to evaluate the quality of the season as a whole.)

So now we have the second half of the season to look forward to. I've asked a few of my friends what they think the show should do when it returns next year and here are some responses I got.

ADAM

Make Kurt likable, calm down with all the dating storylines, meet some more of the parents, do a Beatles episode, use Sue in every episode, and get rid of John Stamos.

MICHELLE M.

1) Unskeez Shue
2) More Mercedes - sassy Mercedes, not church Mercedes
3) Bring Kurt back to school, and bring Blain (I hate that name) with him.
4) Explore the characters and their home lives a little more (why haven't Rachel's gay dads met up with Kurt?). What's up with Santana?
5) Britney being dumb is fun, but sometimes it's ridiculous.
6) Fewer mashups
7) Bring in some freshmen so the older kids can eventually graduate

JERE

I think something bad is going to happen with Rachel. Really bad. I'm a little worried that she may attempt suicide as a result of how mean everyone in glee club is to her. Also her big "when I'm dead they'll realize how great I was" speech to Kurt in the last episode.

But what do I think they should do? Well, obviously this show isn't gay enough, so I think they should perform songs by Rufus Wainwright, the Scissor Sisters, Elton John and Mika. Mercedes and Santana should sing "It's Raining Men" - the boys can cover The Village People's "Macho Man" - Kurt and Blaine duet to "They Can't Take That Away from Me" - and Rachel can kill it on Kylie's "All the Lovers."

Oh, and four words: Dolly Parton Tribute Episode.

And I think they need to add a few more chorus members. The "we barely have enough people to qualify" storyline is getting dumb and when all the current characters graduate, who are we going to care about?

CRAIG

I want to see Glee go back to it's true comedic roots! Not just one liners from Sue and Brittany either! I'm talking true comedy gold! Remember when Rachel dressed up as a pink lady from Grease and Finn later referred to it as "some strange catwoman costume"? Or the beauty pageant judge at Sectionals who accused the deaf choir of "honking" at her? Genius! I need more clever comedy from Glee, not forced drama! I still really enjoy it, but it needs a bit more comedic oomph!

ENRICO

More Rachel! More Rachel! MoreRachelmoreRachelmoreRachelmoreRachelmoreRachelmoreRachel
moreRachelmoreRachelmoreRachelmoreRachelmoreRachelmoreRachel
moreRachelmoreRachelmoreRachelmoreRachelmoreRachelmoreRachel
moreRachelmoreRachelmoreRachelmoreRachelmoreRachelmoreRachel
moreRachelmoreRachelmoreRachelmoreRachelmoreRachelmoreRachel.

So what do y'all think? What should Glee do in the 2nd half of the season?!

Jo$hr!co Double Feature!!

2010-12-04T14:49:00.005-05:00

The best things come in pairs: socks, turtledoves, celebutantes (Paris Hilton & Nicole Ritchie), pants, Josh and Enrico, headphones....

So Josh y yo have a special treat for our readers! A double feature edition of Jo$hr!co acoustic covers!

First, check out this video of us covering the ~~Fountains of Wayne~~ Katy Perry classic, "Hackensack"!!

Then, head over to Josh is Trashy for some more acoustic tunage that will help you continue the process of going deaf!

No Boundariez: Two of a Kind

2010-12-02T00:36:00.003-05:00

While Enrico and Josh planned the next step in their rise to the top, they were given some help from their superstar manager, Michelle. She sent the boys the following e-mail:

Hello boys,

So I was thinking - one way for you two to be famous is to have your own television show. Like those b*tches on Disney and Nickelodeon. From there it's just a hop, skip and a jump to movies, a recording deal, a clothing line at Wal-Mart and world domination. I've come up with a theme song (based on the old Patty Duke Show theme song, which you are too young to know [me too, for that matter. Thank God]).

Now go make me money!

-Michelle M.

Enrico is tender and demure,

His spirit's bright, his heart is pure.

But Josh walks on the wild side,

His life is just one big joyride.

What a crazy pair.

But they're bloggers,

Identical bloggers all the way.

One pair of matching bookends,

Different as night and day.

Enrico might be the one for me,

He's oh-so-sweet, and has R.P.

But maybe Josh should be the one,

He talks with Z's, he's so much fun.

What a quandary.

Still they're bloggers,

Identical bloggers and you'll find,

They laugh alike, they walk alike,

At times they even talk alike.

You can lose your mind.

When bloggers are two of a kind.

With a catchy theme song, would the boys be able to get their own reality show, even better than The Simple Life?!

Glee Review: Furt

2010-11-24T11:52:00.005-05:00

Can you believe it?! I gotta say, this week's Glee was a lot less silly than previous episodes! While not groundbreaking by any means, it was one of the more consistent episodes this season. Anyway, let's get to the review!

Most Unnecessary Song

Glee did a pretty good job this week of focusing on the story rather than including unnecessary songs. Then again, did Sue's mom need to book the auditorium for an hour just to run through her song choice? And did anyone else find it terribly awkward as Finn sang "Girl, you're amazing" to Kurt? Still, I'm gonna give this one to "Marry You" for a few reasons.
1. No one knows it.
2. It was cheesy. No one wants to walk down the aisle like that. NO ONE.
3. It was inappropriate. Did you hear the lyrics? The song is about a shotgun wedding fueled by alcohol and wanting to do something dumb.
4. Kurt's dad looks SO AWKWARD dancing down the aisle.
5. They could have used Train's "Marry Me," which fits much better.
The fact that the show featured two Bruno Mars songs this week makes me think that his record label paid them to use his songs to boost album sales or something.

Biggest Waste of Money That Should Have Been Used to Get the Kids Transportation to NYC

As the club approaches sectionals (next week!) it seems they're trying to save money! No extravagant dance numbers with amazing special effects this week! But I did have to wonder... How did they afford to get their matching costumes (tuxes for the guys, red dresses for the girls) for the wedding? They didn't charge as a favor to the newlyweds, so they didn't get the money that way... Maybe they already had them? Either way, they seem to be saving money a little bit. Good job guys!

Most Overly Dramatic Scene

Once again, the most overly dramatic scene involves the bullying storyline. Isn't this dude afraid of being outed? Does he really think it's a good idea to find Kurt in a crowded hallway and put his finger on his chest for way longer than necessary, all while staring into his eyes? Stealing the wedding cake topper was ridiculous. Why did Kurt have a wedding cake topper in his locker anyway?

Most Out-of-Character Moment

~~Adam~~ Everyone agrees: Sue's wedding was the weakest plotline this week. Can I see Sue marrying herself because she knows no one will ever be as awesome as she is? Yes. But her wedding this week was pathetic.

Don't say, "But we get to see another side of Sue!" We see another side of Sue when she deals with her sister, and even in this episode, when she resigns as principal so that she can keep an eye on Kurt. That was way more touching than seeing her rotate and place a ring on each hand. If you want to 'show another side of Sue' by highlighting how she wants to be in a relationship, it can be done in a way that is consistent with her character. We can see her in her office alone, making a dating website profile. But to embarrass herself in front of everyone is so unlike Sue.

Worst Use of a Guest Star

Isn't this woman a comedic legend? Her materials was repetitious, boring, and not that funny. When they get someone like Carol Burnett on the show, they should utilize her talent. Her role as 'the mother that made Sue who she is' was easy and didn't allow her the space to really work with the character. They should have just featured Eunice. Or Mrs. Wiggins!

As I said, this week's plot-driven episode was an improvement from the rest of the season. Do you agree????

Ghosts in the Attic: Books Report

2010-11-21T23:58:00.003-05:00

Can you believe it folks? The semester is almost over!! Well, most of my readers don't look at life in terms of semesters or school years, but the semester being over is a big deal for me. And considering that this will be my last year of school after being in school for as long as I can remember, this is a really big deal!!!

But I still have one semester left. Next semester, I hope to learn about Latin American writers, Shakespeare, US history in the 20th century, and poetry. Since I'm enrolled in all of those courses already, I'll probably accomplish these dreams. BUT, a more important questions begs to be asked...

When I was in 1st grade, what did I want to learn in 2nd grade? FIND OUT NOW. [click to enlarge]

In second grade

I wan't to
learn about
~~how~~ to do division
and ~~how~~ to
do times.

I have two major problems with this journal entry.
1. WHY DID I WANT TO LEARN MATH?!?!
2. Why did my teacher cross out my perfectly fine how TWICE (ok, I could have made the line longer) but she didn't correct the apostrophe in wan't or the phrase "how to do times"?? Mrs. Gural, what were you thinking??

I wan't to
learn about
science and
about books
report and
space and
earth.

Alright, this is more like it! Books report!!!

But again, Mrs. G crossed off the "s" in books but didn't add an "s" on report! Did this teach me anything?

Well somewhere along the way I learned how to correctly write "book reports" so it's OK. But isn't it funny that I wanted to learn about all that stuff that I don't care about at all anymore, like division, times, science, space, and earth? It make me wonder...

What was something you wanted to learn about that you don't care about anymore?

Glee Review: The Substitute

2010-11-16T23:23:00.005-05:00

In a recent post on one of my favorite blogs Cocky and Rude, bloggers Adam and Mike talked about how to fix Glee. I am a Glee fan with mixed emotions. I think the show has the potential to be good, but definitely think it needs to make some major changes in order to do that. While thinking about what makes the show bad, I realized that the same problems exist every week, including overly dramatic scenes, unnecessary song sequences, and ubiquitous instances of characters acting out-of-character.

So each week, I will review Glee with the same criteria and we'll see how faithful the show is to its impediments.

Most Unnecessary Song

No question about this one: "Make 'Em Laugh" performed by Mr. Schuester and Mike Chang. After a promising first ten minutes (with a great performance of "Forget You" by guest star Gwyneth Paltrow), we come back from commercial to watch Mr. Schuester and Mike Chang dance around on a stage and sing a song that has no relationship to anything ever, except that watching Singing In The Rain is like medicine for Mr. Schue. Yeah, exactly.
Turns out this scene is a dream sequence, and the show is redeemed since no one saw that coming and dream sequences are really innovative and fresh.

Biggest Waste of Money That Should Have Been Used to Get the Kids Transportation to NYC

At the end of the episode, Schue asks Ms. Holliday to help him prove that old music and new music can be blended together and the duo performs a mash-up of Rihanna's hit single "Umbrella" and the medicinal classic "Singing In the Rain." [Note that Schue needed Ms. Holliday to help him prove this to the kids, because they had never seen such a mash-up before... except when they did "Hair"/"Crazy In Love" or when they saw Aural Intensity do "You Lift Me Up"/"Magic" at regionals.]

During this innovative mash-up, the glee club dances on a stage flooded in water. Is it cute to watch them twirl umbrellas and kick up the water? Yes. But the money required to flood the stage (sprinkler system, receptacle to hold the water), then get the water removed (expensive pump or something? Maybe Puck can help since he is/was a pool boy?), could definitely be put to better use in renting a bus so the kids can get to NYC for sectionals.

Most Overly Dramatic Scene

The two worst moments of the episode happened in the same scene basically. After psychoanalyzing Mercedes' eating habits and making (unfounded and offensive) claims that Mercedes is downing tater-tots to fill the hole in her heart where love should be, Kurt is approached by that guy from last week. The closeted jock asks him if he told anyone about their kiss, Kurt says no, and the jock says, "If you do... I'LL KILL YOU" and walks away. Kurt stands in the hallway looking frightened as the camera zooms out and I PRAY that Ms. Holliday will burst out of a locker for a "Forget You" reprise.

Most Out-of-Character Moment

I We all fell in love with Rachel because of her over-the-top arrogance and prude behavior. For most of the first season, some viewers may have gotten annoyed with Rachel, but at least she was a consistent character.

One of my favorite scenes in last night's episode was when she took over for Schue and wrote "ME." on the board, then screamed as everyone got mad at her. Pure Rachel. But when Ms. Holliday tells Rachel that she "sucks" and her condescension is met with surprising complaisance and a musical collaboration, you have to wonder if the writers even know their own characters at this point. Rachel would never respond kindly to the accusation that she sucks.

Worst Use of the Guest Star

Gwyneth Paltrow helped make this week's episode one of the stronger episodes of the season. She was a surprising casting choice, but she did a great job and her version of "Forget You" was by far the most fun we've seen on the show in a long time. And while her character, the hip-teacher-who-understands-the-kids was cool at first, it was pushed into a caricature, just like most of the characters on the show.

By the time Gwyneth is supporting Mercedes' (out-of-character) decision to wreck Sue's car and handing the answers to the pop quiz to Puck, she has turned into an insipid flat character, and worst of all, just another Glee character with no relationship to reality. American education is obviously a social institution with a lot of problems, and the boundaries of teacher/student relationships is certainly a real issue. The show addressing this issue seemed smart and realistic at first. But rather than give Gwyneth a change to explore the line between being hip and relatable while still being a good teacher, she just became naive and silly. With the way Gwyneth rocked the beginning of the episode, she deserved better. And rather than have her moping in Shue's apartment and looking lost in Sue's office, she should have been having more fun, since that's clearly what the show needs.

So what did you guys think of Glee this week? Although I thought the episode was very problematic (and I found the Mercedes storyline highly offensive), I do think that this episode was funnier than the other episodes this season. I did laugh more than usual! And Cameo definitely stole the show.

We Could Have Had It All

2010-11-15T21:09:00.005-05:00

Yes, this deserves its own Monday Music Moment post.

ADELE HAS A NEW SONG!

I loved her last album 19 and was ecstatic when she won Best New Artist (and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance) at the 2009 GRAMMYs. I've been waiting for its follow-up for years now. And based on this song, I don't think I'll be disappointed with it.

Check out "Rolling In The Deep" below.

No Boundariez: The Movie Business Bites

2010-10-17T13:43:00.002-04:00

Last time on No Boundariez... The boys attempted to break into the movie business by attending a movie premiere, but failed to make connections. But right as the boys pulled out their copies of Anne Sexton's Wanting to Die and put on Katy Perry's "Thinking of You," their sobfest came to an end when Josh found a poster looking for actors to cast in an upcoming Hollywood film...

So Enrico and Josh decided that it was time to stop constantly daydreaming about winning an Oscar and actually put their plans into motion. They called their manager Michelle. After informing her about the audition notice Josh found and after crying rivers of anticipatory joy, Michelle decided that her two young starlets needed to be prepped properly for their upcoming roles. She sent our duo a spooktastic care package to ensure they’d look the part and get even more into character than thespian Paris Hilton did in her Oscar-snubbed debut in House Of Wax. She also drafted a press release and headshots [feat. Mariah’s/Kelly’s retoucher] to send to the casting directors.

Michelle made one final call to the production company. After listening to some boring lady blah blah blah about appointment times and scripts and the DiReCtoR’s ViSiOn, they got an audition time set up and she sent her two favo celebz-in-traning on their way to prepare. The snoozefest casting director told Michelle that they were putting together a full-action, romance-heavy, sci-fi-friendly dark drama aimed at teens [read as: yet another dumbo vampire flick] and that they were looking for some extras to suck blood, stare off broodingly and be pale in the background while the guaranteed A-list celebs make out and act well [aka look sexxxy] in the foreground.

The next day, Enrico y Josh received their Fed-EX packages and were primed and ready to take the audition room by STORM.

The casting director was well-known throughout ~~Ke$hawood~~ Hollywood and had worked with hot young talent like Dakota Fanning, Thora Birch and Rumer Willis while casting roles for modern day classics like “There Will Be Blood, “Capote” and “The Hottie and the Nottie.” Truth be told, Enrico and Josh were a touch nervous, but they crushed their fears and released their inhibitions, cuz seriously no one else can speak the words on their lips.

The casting director contemplated for prox. 17 seconds before realizing that Enrico and Josh were great for the parts she needed filled. She called the director, then called Michelle to let her know that the boys got the parts!! Michelle called her favorite boys with the great news.

Because the movie was so high quality, Enrico and Josh had to wait a whole two months for the movie to be released.

Michelle called them a month prior with the unfortunate news that, much like Bring It On: Fight to the Finish and Bring It On: In It To Win It, their movie was being released straight-to-DVD.

The boys were a little saddened by the news, but were in high spirits when they learned that their mugs found there way onto the cover of the DVD!!

When the budding stars were searching under their furniture for pennies so they would have enough money to buy the DVD, they got another call from their manager.

Since the studio couldn't afford a DVD printing, the movie was being released straight to VHS. Josh and Enrico tried to find some D.I.N.O.$.A.U.R. who still had a VCR so they could watch the flick, but when neither David nor Polt had one, they gave up, letting their dreams of starring in a hit film burn to the ground.

Feeling defeated, the boyz remembered what Leona Lewis told them on her ~~smash hit~~ single "Happy" - You gotta find your place. You gotta hear your sound.

Inspired, the duo began planning their next shortcut to the life of the rico y famoso.

Just Floating

2010-10-15T22:56:00.004-04:00

Wow! It's been over a month!!! I've had a No Boundariez post waiting to be published for a while, and I got my pictures for October 12th, and yet... I've been gone.
I shouldn't have kept you waiting. But I'm here now.

So this post is mostly just an update so my readers know that I am alive. Here's what's going on in my life.

My fall classes are going well!

I'm taking four classes: Literary Realism, Magazine Writing, Studies in Magical Realism, and Novel Writing. I like all of my classes, which for some reason are really reading-heavy. One semester I took four English classes... and I feel like I'm reading more this semester!

The good thing is that I'm really enjoying the reading (except for Robinson Crusoe). Still, I wish I had a little bit more free time. The other night, I was lying in bed and playing with my phone when Delisa asked, "What are you doing? Shouldn't you be reading?"

I'm the president of ink!

This semester I'm president of my school's creative writing organization. I was a little nervous that I would be a bad president since I can be pretty sassy/abrasive/mean, but I think I do a great job at pretending I'm nice and welcoming! Yay!

It's a lot of fun being president after being in the club since freshman year, and I hope I leave behind a positive legacy.

I'm applying to graduate school!

Definitely the scariest part of my senior year is prepping my grad school applications. I'm not applying anywhere near New Jersey, so if I get in, I'll be making a big move away from my home for the past 21 years! The moving is not the scary part; I'm fine with relocating and never have any anxiety about being somewhere new with no friends/family members around. The scary part is going to be waiting for acceptances/denials.

Grad programs are EXTREMELY hard to get into (some accept as few as 8 students a year, more generous ones accept about 20) and although I think I have a strong application, I have no idea how I compare to the rest of the world. And grad schools tend to accept students who have had time off after getting their undergraduate degree... which I'm not doing. On top of that, I'm applying for American Literature, which is the most competitive field in English.
Honestly, I'm not sure I'll get in and I'd be OK if I didn't. I'm determined to go, so I'd reapply every year until I got in and would work somewhere else in the meantime. But getting in would be nice.
So, in order to get into grad school....

I'm studying for the GRE!

The picture says it all.

Also, there's this, for now at least.

12 of 12: Something Stupid

2010-09-12T22:53:00.005-04:00

Hello followers. Sorry I haven't updated recently. For some reason, I thought being back in school would give me more free time... But applying to grad school and studying for the GRE takes a lot of time! While I don't blog every day, I do add a few more words to my vocabulary!

Anyway, today is the 12th, so here are 12 pictures I took! This month's theme: The VMAs! Adam ~~was forced to~~ invited me and Josh over to watch the VMAs with him!

Here's Adam on his couch:

And Josh on Adam's couch:

And Spring!!!!

Adam was the best host ever and successfully followed the Joshrico rider, getting me pineapple coconut juice and providing us with the most delicious vegan snacks possible.....

Oh, and there's my homework (see, I'm busy!).

So this year's VMAs were like every year's VMAs: kind of boring, predictable, but featuring a few good performances.

Here are some pics I took for my blog readers.

I'm not a big Bieber fan, but I was impressed with his performance. He's pretty good!

Here's one of my favorite artists Florence + the Machine performing on the VMAs for the first time!

Florence is a goddess and did a great job. I got her CD last year and have listened to it at least 7 billion times since I got it. AMAZING.

My gUrL Taylor Swift performed a song she wrote about Kanye West and looked so pretty and sophisticated.

And I loved the song, which made me excited for her new album!

My blog reader John introduced me to Robyn this year, who sings one of my favorite songs of the year, "Dancing On My Own." Robyn sort of performed it at the VMAs. That is, she started to perform but then it went to commercial.

OMG! Here's the star of Burlesque, ~~Christina Aguilera~~ Cher!!!

Katy Perry and Ke$ha sat next to each other. Future collabo (not feat. off-key Rihanna).

Here's another famous trio!

Did you watch the VMAs?? THOUGHTS??

K. Perry feat. Solomon

2010-08-25T23:52:00.001-04:00

Under the Covers

2010-08-23T11:09:00.011-04:00

EXERCISE TIME! Think of your favorite albums of all time. Now, think of the album cover of each one. Are these covers memorable? Can you remember colors, facial expressions, or other details of the cover?

Album covers are a very important part of the music world. Average ones are often overlooked, and some music labels certainly select an image based on its marketability. But covers serve a purpose beyond catching the music browser's attention. The cover can be an extension of the album, showcasing a feeling or message through the cover. Join me in my latest Monday Music Moment as we look at different album covers and analyze how they impact us as both music lovers and consumers.

Some Background

Album art wasn't prevalent in the music industry until the late 1930s, when graphic designer Alex Steinweiss was hired by Columbia records to design art for album covers. While Steinweiss was not the first artist to ever create an album cover, he is credited with spreading the concept and turning the art form into an industry standard.

As a young music fan who is somewhat in tune with older music, I think I can be a somewhat reliable caliper of what album art has 'passed the test of time.' Whether found on the internet, in magazines, or in another medium, some timeless album covers pop up frequently enough that they are even recognized by youngn's like myself. Whether you're 21 or 50, you've most likely come across some famous album covers from artists like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Joni Mitchell, and Fleetwood Mac.

While it's clear that exposure plays a huge part in memorable album covers (Dark Side of the Moon is the third best-selling album of all time, Rumours is the tenth), we see from this limited set of covers the various types of album covers, and how they can be successfully done.

Artist Portraits

One of the most common types of album covers, there are clearly marketing advantages to using the artist's likeness on the cover. Although I sometimes question the true effectiveness of this cover (will a straight man attracted to the naked Katy Perry on her Teenage Dream cover actually buy the album if he's not a fan of pop music?), using the artist's image does make the album easier to process for potential fans. Browsing old albums in record stores, a music fan may skip over more creative album covers while pausing to examine albums with recognizable faces on the cover.
While some covers certainly present the artist in an interesting way (such as the forlorn looking Joni on the Blue album cover), the problem with this cover is that it's been done so many times that covers can often become boring.

But while the artist portrait album covers can seem quite stale at times, other artists present their likenesses in interesting, creative ways.

While I might not pay much attention to Lauryn Hill's face staring at me from an album cover, I definitely take a second look when I realize it is scratched into the top of a desk (Miseducation... get it?). This is one example of an album's cover relating to the content of the record, which is filled with short conversations that sound as if they are recorded in a classroom, where the students discuss the concept of love. This direct tie to the music makes the cover more meaningful for listeners and in extension, more memorable.

Minimalist

Some very famous album covers, like The Beatles' The White Album and Pink Floyd's The Wall, present covers with little text or pictures. While such albums may be viewed by some as 'boring,' with the amount of flashy covers currently found in a record store, sometimes it is the minimalist album covers that capture our attention, like the following examples from The xx and Damien Rice.

'Artful'

Many artists/labels seemingly evade the task of creating album art by using someone else's art on their cover. Photographs and paintings have been used in the album art of acts such as Coldplay, The Velvet Underground, Joni Mitchell, and the following two examples (my personal favorites) from Brand New and Antony and the Johnsons respectively.

Both of these album covers are successful to me because the art is somehow reflected in the music. The cover to Antony's The Crying Light features one of the most striking images I've ever seen, at once twisted, sad, and even a little frightening. And the music on the album, and even Antony's unique voice, could match all of these adjectives as well. I always welcome a good 'artful' album cover when an artist can find an image that seems to perfectly capture the tone of the music.

Other

Some artwork that I love does not fall under the above categories. Some less narcissistic artists chose to use models or other people on their covers (perhaps because they are more-attractive, marketable, or endowed--as is the case with Sticky Fingers--than the artist). Here are three such examples, all from the Goo Goo Dolls.

All three covers are interesting and eye-catching while still seeming to have some relationship with the music (especially Dizzy Up The Girl). And honestly, I'm much happier to see these strangers on the cover than Johnny Rzeznik and co.

So...

What's next? Some claim that album art is dead while I think that album art will always have a place in the music industry. After all, you are forced to see the album cover when you download music from iTunes or Amazon, and are often given artwork when you import music into such music players. While the CD may die soon (though I hope not), I don't think that album art will die with it.

And of course, these are just my opinions of what makes good album art. Feel free to share your favorite album covers in the comments!

Ghosts in the Attic: Zero Hot Dogs

2010-08-20T22:10:00.005-04:00

Growing up, my father worked all day and night in his pizzeria. Me and my siblings would ~~starve and die~~ sometimes have to come up with some creative dinners when he wasn't there to cook for us.
But occasionally, he would have the day off and we would either have Burger King (whoppers for everyone!), or he would cook on the grill. Here's a journal entry in which I chronicle one such cookout.

Entry dated May 28, 1996

On the weekend
I wen't outsidide
and helped my
father with the
grill. He made
cheeseburgers
and hotdogs.
I aet both of
them they were good

Note that "helping my father with the grill" meant that I carried a few slices of cheese from the refrigerator to the grill. Although I am now a master chef, I didn't even know how to make mac 'n' cheese until last year.

AND HOT DOGS? I do not eat hot dogs. I can't believe that I ate a hot dog AND said it was good..... What was I thinking?

and some saled
I aet two and
1/2 cheeseburgers
and 0 hotdogs
On Sunday I
played a lot
and read James
and the giant

Oh wait, I ate zero hotdogs...

I'm not sure why I lied on page 1, if I was just going to tell the truth on page 2. Mrs. Gural was probably so disappointed in me.

This makes me think about how our tastes change over time. While I still eat 0 hot dogs, I do like some stuff that I hated as a child, and conversely, I don't eat some stuff that I did like as a child (like eggs!). Which leads me to question time!

What food did you used to hate that you now love? or
What food did you used to love that you now hate?

My Digs

2010-08-16T18:44:00.001-04:00

I moved! Well, I moved at the very end of May, so it's been a while. I've been meaning to blog about my new place, but I haven't been here very much. I live about an hour away from my job so I've been staying at my friend Megan's house (as you see in the 12 of 12) since she lives 10 minutes away from my job. I'm home this weekend, so I took pics of the digs.

I now live in the beautiful town of Lambertville. I live only blocks away from New Hope, PA, so I'm as far west in New Jersey as you can get. The town is only 1.3 square miles, so it's very similar in size to Ocean Grove (where I grew up).

Here's my apartment from the outside.

There's a little area in the back where you can sit and read, watch the squirrels play in the yard, or eat burgers feat. cancer and birth defects!

Then through the gate, you reach the backyard/garden.

So once you open the front door, you're facing the living room.

To the left of the living room is el cuarto de Ross y Christie.

And to the right of the living room is the kitchen.

That door in the kitchen leads to the bathroom.

You may have noticed the stairs to the left of the kitchen sink (feat. Britney Spears poster). They lead to my bedroom, the loft.

While the loft is kind of small, I still love it! I'm a small person and since I'm not afraid of being in the rest of the house (...) I can stretch out in the living room. I'm also thrilled to have all that space for books! I used to have books in boxes and desk drawers and under my bed. Now they all fit neatly on my bookshelves.

SO DO YOU LOVE MY APARTMENT OR WHAT?!?!

12 of 12 - August 2010

2010-08-12T23:56:00.000-04:00

Y'all ready to hear about the most boring day of all time?

I went into work at 8am. Here's my cube!

Do you love my Miley Cyrus picture???

For breakfast I had some Honey Nut Cheerios.

I'm totally stealing that cup whenever I leave the job. It's a pretty large mug that's perfect for small bowls of cereal. I also love the outside, which feats. the signatures of the greatest literary figures ever, like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jonathan Swift, ~~Catie Rosemurgy~~, and Melville.

Today, I had to make a very brief PowerPoint (5-6 slides) for the Texas state adoption. We are bidding our book Patterns for College Writing there.

It's actually hard to make such a short PP! I had to talk about why they should buy the book in basically 3-4 slides (first slide is just the title of the book and our company, and the last slide asks for audience questions). It's a good exercise in editing and being succinct.

For lunch I had Taco Bell and Skittles.

After a long day of work, I came home and got on the computer for hours.

How cute are my toys??

Then I read some more of my GRE study book.

How cute is my carpet??

I watched Project Runway at 9 and was VERY impressed with the runway show! Skip was clearly not as impressed.

After that, Katie started watching Jersey Shore so I bounced.

And got a shower.

I LOVE MY PAJAMAS (feat. Katrina's sweatshirt that I should probably give back to her eventually...)

How cute is my room?

I was almost ready for bed. I just had to brush my teeth.

How cute is my toothbrush holder?

I only had 11 pictures, so here's one with the 'negative' setting on my phone's camera.

Boring, huh?

I think my brand new phone takes decent pictures (in good lighting). YAY.

I Want You To Meet Me Somewhere Tonight In This Old Tourist Town

2010-08-07T20:07:00.003-04:00

Last Friday, Delisa and I went into Brooklyn for a $3 concert. We saw the band The Swell Season, whose members Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová are known as the stars in the indie movie Once.

They made most of the music for the Once soundtrack and luckily for the world, continued making music. They released their latest album Strict Joy last year (and Josh got it for me!) and it's wonderful. I love Once, love Strict Joy, and was super excited to see them.

So Delisa and I got to Prospect Park and waited in line for a little while. We got in and got pretty good seats (4th row from the barricade!)

I hadn't heard of the opening band The Low Anthem before, but I was very impressed by their set. The musicians all played multiple instruments and I loved their energy and their moody songs.

They played a pretty long set for an opening act, but I didn't mind because I really liked them. Eventually, Glen and Marketá came out!

Here's a short clip of the album's opening track, "Low Rising."

HOW GOOD DOES HE SOUND??

And here's a video of their performance of "Falling Slowly," the Grammy-winning song from Once.

They played for almost two hours and were fantastic. Glen sang with such passion. They did a bunch of songs from Strict Joy, a bunch from Once, and even a song from Glen's other band, The Frames. Several times the audience got involved and sang harmonies and it sounded fantastic. It was definitely one of the best shows I've been to.

After their set, The Swell Season did a four song encore and then invited The Low Anthem out for a final song together.

It was an amazing concert and if you don't have music from The Swell Season, go get it! And see them live.

I Think I'm Gonna Do That

2010-08-03T21:02:00.003-04:00

Last weekend, some pool party or something happened. But the weekend before that, I went to Cambridge and Boston!!

I went with Katrina and her mother to visit our friend Megan, who bribed the people at Harvard to let her study there this summer. So now she's doing the summer program there. Basically, she takes out a tiny brush and cleans off old manuscripts to see if Nostradamus predicted any big earthquakes.

It took a few hours to get to Cambridge, but we stopped at lots of sexy rest stops so it was cool. When we got to Cambridge, Megan got in the car to direct us around town....

But as you can see from this photo, she had no idea what she was talking about and we got lost for years.

We spent the night in Cambridge, where we saw Inception (good!) and Katrina's mom yelled at the Chinese food restaurant and demanded a refund (and got it!).

The next morning, we went into the subway and Megan and I took this sweet photo together.

Pretty!!

When we arrived in Boston, the first thing we passed was this market, which sold CHEAP fruit.

Plums, 5 for $1?!

Then we ate at some joint and there was a bird on the table next to us.

Street performer!

Megan and Katrina!

Such tourists...

Some important building?

Some statues:

Some friends:

This squirrel was sprawled like this for a while.

The last few photos were taken in Boston Common, this park with creepy performers and swan boats and stuff. There's a bridge there, so Megan and I went under it for a photo.

And on top of it for a photo.

Some church.

THEN I MET VAL.

Val is Josh's BFF from high school who I've talked to via text and Facebook, but hadn't met before this trip.

We walked down some CRAZY street with EXPENSIVE stores! But rather than buy anything at Marc Jacobs, Diane von Furstenberg, Valentino, Louis Vuitton, Armani, Chanel, Burberry, Banana Republic, Betsey Johnson, Guess, Ralph Lauren, DKNY, etc. etc., we went to H&M...

And right to the SALE section!

Val was awesome and pretty and funny and talented. We had to ask some 12 year old to take this photo of us, so you better like it!

Val had to go be a slave to her job, so I rejoined Megan, Katrina, and Maria Luz for dinner at Fire + Ice. Fire + Ice is a restaurant feat slabs of raw meat strewn around the room. You put the raw meat in a bowl, throw it at some stove slave, and watch them cook it. It's cool because you get to make your own meal! I made two.

It was delicious!

We came back to Cambridge to look at Harvard. Here's the freshman cafeteria.

We walked by some famous statue of the man who ~~forced immigrants to build~~ built Harvard. Apparently, if you rub his foot, you get good luck. I need a lot of luck, so I jumped up and joined him on his pedestal.

We went to the Harvard bookstore (where I got Sense and Sensibility) and listened to some crazy man talk about killing the president. And that's basically it. Boston and Cambridge were nice. I'd go back.

Summer Entertainment Extravaganza

2010-07-30T11:02:00.006-04:00

The summer is almost over!!!!!! This summer flew by so quickly and I'm kind of sad it'll be over next month, when I return to school and... have free time again??

Anyway, this ~~excuse for a~~ post will talk about all the things that keep me entertained during these harsh summer months.

Katy Perry

While I wasn't a big fan of Katy at first ("I Kissed A Girl" and "Hot N Cold" were throwaway pop songs in my book), I'm lovin' everything from her new CD. I was wondering how Katy would follow up her huge smash hit "California Gurls," and was delighted to find that I like the 2nd single even better! "Teenage Dream" is AMAZING.

This is a perfect summer song. I think of it like this: "California Gurls" is a song to listen to during the day, throwing a beach ball around on the beach while "Teenage Dream" is a song you listen to at night, cuddling with your ~~imaginary~~ loved one by the pool.
According to my Last.fm, after having the track for two days, it already became my most played track for the last three months...

Florence + The Machine

My favorite band of the year contributed a song to the latest Twilight movie soundtrack (NO! That's not selling out!) and I love it (duh).

Isn't this song perfect for the type of dramatic love story that Twilight is (I think?).

True Blood

The beginning of this season wasn't that good IMO. But then this happened:

I don't watch much TV, but I am excited for the new season of Project Runway (even though Lady Gaga is on it!)

Inception
Even though everyone loves this movie, I didn't want to see it since that brat Ellen Page is in it. But I finally gave in and watched. And it was really good. But I don't see why people are flipping out about the ending. It was good, but pretty predictable.

In other news, Tom Hardy was in this movie.

Jane Austen

I'm finally reading Sense and Sensibility and it's so good! Isn't Jane Austen the best?

Remember followers, it's too hot to be outside!! So stay inside and entertain yourselves, then leave a comment about how you're entertaining yourselves!

One Hour Photo: Take Me Out To The Ball Game

2010-07-18T18:48:00.003-04:00

A thousand years ago, I shared a story about an experience I had working in the Rite Aid photo lab. Here's another story!!

So one day, this lady comes in and starts to blah blah blah about how she had so much fun at the Yankees game, and she's so proud of her team, and they they scored so many goals, etc. etc. She hands me a roll of film and tells me to develop the photos from the game.

I started to develop the pictures and they were SO BORING. Basically, she took a bunch of pictures of people running around in the grass and throwing spheres at each other.

When I woke up from my nap, I started to go through the photos to make sure they were all OK. And that's when I found the interesting photos! The interesting set began with a photo of the girl's boyfriend jumping on a bed... naked!

The photos got progressively more inappropriate until eventually, I reached he photos of the couple going to home base...

While naked pictures aren't really surprising to see, there was something strange about these photos; they appeared between photos of the baseball game. I'm pretty sure they didn't see two games, so I think that at some point between the 4th and 10th innings, the lady and her boyfriend decided to go off somewhere and have some fun.

But the best thing of all? The lady must have forgotten about those pictures because she gave her mother the receipt to pick up the photos!

Of course the mother picks up the photos and just has to look at them in the store. I watch her open the envelope, flip through the photos, then suddenly stop.

She stuffed the photos in the envelope and was out!

So remember folks: if you take n00dz, don't let your mom pick them up from the photo lab! She might take a peek.

The Saturday Six

2010-07-10T15:31:00.005-04:00

Welcome to The Saturday Six! In this entry, I'll talk about my six favorite things from this past week!

1. Veronica Mars

Since my favorite show ever is Buffy the Vampire Slayer, peepz always tell me that I should watch Veronica Mars, which is (obviously) not quite as brillz as Buffy, but similar to the show in that it features mystery, snappy one-liners, a blonde lead, and boyfriend issues. Last Monday I decided to watch the first episode... which turned into a 12 episode marathon. This show is fantastic!

I finished the first season last night and thought it was amazing. Smart, funny writing, complex and endearing characters (I love Keith Mars the most!), interesting mysteries that continually surprise... Much like a Kelly Osbourne album, this show has it all! I seriously laughed prox a million times, got teary-eyed a few times, and had to pick my jaw up from off the floor (where Solomon was scratching it and hissing at it) a few times. The only bad thing about the show is that I HATE the theme song. Terrible theme song or not, I can't wait to watch the rest of the seasons!

P.S. I feel even more drawn to this show because I graduated from Neptune High School, which is the name of the fictional school V. Mars attends!!

2. "E.T. (Futuristic Lover)"

In what might be the next single from Katy's highly-anticipated second album Teenage Dream, Ms. Perry sings says about her alien BF. Throughout the course of the song, she says she wants to be stunned with lasers and to be walk on her lover's wavelength and be there when he vibrates. LOVE IT.

3. Chocolate Dirt Ice Cream

You know how when you get ice cream cake, you force your self to eat the vanilla and chocolate ice cream when all you really want are the delicious crunchies in the middle of the cake?!

Well, this radio station I listen to on the way home from work decided to start selling ice cream called Chocolate Dirt, which is chocolate ice cream with the crunchies inside! Unfortunately for most of you, this ice cream is sold exclusively in these locations.

4. Clearance Sales!

I LOVE CHEAP/FREE THINGS. This week, I went to Target to buy the cheapest shirt possible because I was staying with a friend for the week and packed one shirt too few. So I went to the clearance section (duh) and bought this red plaid shirt...

FOR $4!!!! YAY! (And I know it's hot outside, but the shirt isn't thick and my office is freezing anyway.)

5. Jesus Camp

I FINALLY watched Jesus Camp this week and it was hilarious. Here's my favorite girl in the movie. Her name is Tory and she is so0o0o0o0o0o smart because she doesn't "dance of the flesh" and she doesn't believe in guys or girls!

“My favorite kind of music is like, Christian heavy metal, rock ‘n’ roll. It focuses and the basis is towards Jesus. And some of the songs don’t actually say like, ‘Jesus’ or ‘our lord’ or, and stuff like that. But they do have a Christian basis and it is focused towards him. So that’s why I like Christian. And, but, really, Britney Spears and like, Lindsay Lohan and some people like that, I could definitely care less about them. Because their main, their songs are mainly based on either like, guys or girls and we as Christians, I do not, well I, do not believe in that.”

6. Taco Dinners

Well, I actually haven't made tacos for dinner yet... But I'm heading over to Josh's right now to make some! MMMM.

El Cuatro de Julio

2010-07-04T20:15:00.005-04:00

Happy 4th of July!!!.......

I figured that since other blogs and sites are wishing people a Happy 4th of July and reminding them of what a great country we live in or whatever, I'd do something a little different.

First, I'd like to share with you this SPECTACULAR performance of The National Anthem, by "pop sensation" Kat DeLuna. (I highly advise you watch the whole thing, but if you are lazy, skip to 1:45 and listen 'til the end.)

Are the last few seconds not the funniest thing ever? I LOLed for a few minutes on that one.

And I'd also like to share a line from Angels in America, which I finally watched recently.

"The white cracker who wrote the National Anthem knew what he was doing. He set the word free to a note so high nobody could reach it."

Nobody but Kat DeLuna, obviously.

Happy 4th y'all!

My Summer Vacation

2010-06-30T20:24:00.003-04:00

Hello all. June is almost over, it's almost time to start being brave again, and I figured you might all be wondering what I'm doing this summer. Clearly, I'm not blogging.... So anyway, since I'm a busy bee, I thought I'd let everyone know what I'm doing.

I spend most of time working. I'm technically supposed to work 8-4:45, but I usually don't leave work until around 6:30pm or later. One night, I was even there till 9:30! While you may think that leaves me lots of free time, I live about 1.5 hours from work, so I usually don't get home until around 8ish, and then go to bed around 10:30... So that only leaves a few hours between work and bedtime.

I work at a super famoso publishing company. My job title is Workshop Coordinator (or Workshop Manager if I want to sound fancy). I'm in charge of sending complimentary textbooks to Advanced Placement* summer workshops that happen all over the country. This summer, I'm sending to almost 2,000 workshops, which is a much greater number than last year. I was told the job would be super stressful when I got hired, and it can be tedious. But I'm a pretty relaxed person and I haven't felt too overwhelmed yet. I like the job a lot, love my co-workers, and have gotten a lot of compliments on my job performance, which makes me happy. So I spend A LOT of time at work, but at least I like it!

I guess reading is how I spent most of my spare time. Since I'm an English major who needs to read every book ever, summer is my ideal time to read. But since I work during the week, I try to make time for reading on the weekends. So far, I've sucked at reading and have only read Official Book Club Selection, by Kathy Griffin, Sula by Toni Morrison, Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel García Márquez, The Collector by John Fowles, and my I'm halfway through my current book, Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton.

Luckily, I'm allowed to listen to music at work, so I haven't abandoned the music scene. This summer, I've discovered a new band I love and got new music from some of my long-time favorites.

Based on the suggestion of my friend Todd, I got the debut album from a band called The xx. According to allmusic, some of the album's moods include: Melancholy, Cathartic, Brooding, Wistful, Gloomy, Autumnal, Stylish, Elegant, Nocturnal, ~~Sexy, Different,~~ Reflective, and Bittersweet, so clearly, this is an album I love. If you like laid-back music, you should definitely check them out.

And of course, I got the new album from the MileyBird!!! Destiny Hope has unleashed her latest collection of pop songs on the world, and just like ~~Waynes Burger~~, McDonald's, I'm lovin' it. My favorite tracks include "Robot," the sequel to Bieber's "One Less Lonely Girl," called "Two More Lonely People," and the rumored next single, "Liberty Walk."

And thanks to the United Confederacy of Bloggers CD Exchange Extravaganza, my buddy John sent me a song with which I am obsessed! It's a song from Swedish pop star Robyn called "Dancing on my Own" and it's amazing. Listen to it and dance please.

Speaking of dancing, I guess I kind of have somewhat of a social life... if you consider a social life hanging out con mi mejor amigo y dancing con tears in my eyes!!!

This summer, for the first time ever, I went to a bar to watch people drink and make fun of their dancing. Since I don't drink, ~~I buy~~ Josh buys me a pineapple juice so that I don't feel left out. I didn't dance the first time we went out, but now I do sometimes and it's fun. But they better play "Girl From The Gutter" next time I go and not just stupid GaGa songs!

How is your summer vacation?

All Good Dreamers Pass This Way Some Day

2010-06-23T19:26:00.005-04:00

I know the timing of this entry sucks.

After not having blogged in almost a month, I'm back with probably the only sad entry on Hotel Tuesday. I didn't think it would make much sense to wait a bit, put up a normal, happy entry, then post this later.

Anyway, I got home from work today and after a brief phone call, I went to say hello to Richard Parker, who I hadn't seen in almost two days since I stayed at a friend's house the past two nights. I lifted his house and found him curled in a ball, like he always is when he sleeps. But he didn't stir when I lifted the house and I realized that he had passed away.

Since I've had Richard Parker since freshman year, I knew my time with him was nearing an end (Wikipedia says his type of hamster lives no more than two to three years). And, very strangely, I had a dream just last night that he died. He was very much on my mind today and I do feel like I was somewhat prepared. Still, I am obviously very upset about it.

The reason I wanted to post about it now was because I felt like Richard Parker was a part of not only my life, but the lives of my blog readers. Through Hotel Tuesday, Richard Parker achieved a level of fame his owner envied, and was able to show off his natural good looks, his skills with the ladies, and his amazing talent as a designer.

I hope that my longtime followers will take a minute to remember Richard Parker and his adventures on my blog. In lieu of flowers, go spend some time with your pets if you have any.

(Don't) Ring The Alarm

2010-05-28T20:00:00.005-04:00

Every weekday morning around 7:30am, I hop in my car and drive to work. After a long, hard day at work, I make the return trip home around 5pm. This is a story about what happened to me one day last week during my drive home.

As I manically swerved in and out of traffic on Rt. 1, I put on my favorite radio station, 102.1 to hear the Hot 5 at 5. Of course, some TERRIBLE song was on the radio that made me want to swerve into the other lane of oncoming traffic.

But after that song (the most horrible song of all-time btw), a song that I like came on.

Although I'm not a big Timbaland fan ("Carry Out"?!? UGH), his song "If We Ever Meet Again" has been growing on me lately. On my way home, I heard the song and found myself screaming along to all K. Perry's parts (the only parts I know right now). When I checked my mirrors, I saw that I could switch lanes, but I had to move quickly [read as: cut somebody off]. And right as I did it, I heard the sirens.

(Do alarms make a "woooo" sound?)

When I heard the death knell, my heart came up out of my chest and fell out of my mouth, plopping into my lap. My soul temporarily left my tortured body, blackened by my future jail sentence. I cried in agony and looked into my rearview mirror to see if I could pull over. And there were no cops there.

After my breathing calmed and my heartbeat returned to a semi-normal state, I heard the sirens again. WHAT WAS GOING ON?

Then I realized: the sirens were part of the song.

I know that earlier this year, I did an entry about my musical pet peeves. And I forgot to talk about this very serious one. Why would artists put sounds resembling police sirens in their music if they know the listener could very likely be listening to the song in a car?!?!

When I was in high school, I remember having a similar experience with Paris Hilton's "I Want You." And what about Beyonce's "Ring The Alarm"? Seriously guys, STOP. If pop stars could only see how I react when I hear police sirens, I'm sure they'd stop.

II: Not The Same Boy

2010-05-23T09:46:00.006-04:00

Hello everyone! First, an update on my life since I blog so rarely:
I'm working full-time all summer at a super famous publishing company. Although the job is an internship (necessary for grad school!), I don't do any 'intern-like' stuff (i.e. organize other people's stuff, get coffee, make copies). I'm actually the workshop coordinator at the company, which is a job that used to be done by a salaried employee. For some reason, the company decided to make it an internship instead and that's where I'm working.

Also, I'm moving next week! As soon as I'm done with this entry, I'm getting right back to packing (and then buying Super Mario Galaxy 2) ... (and then regretting it when it's time to move and I haven't finished packing). I have an apartment in the beautiful town of Lambertville (NOT named after Adam Lambert, but after Alex Lambert - I miss you Alex!) with Ross and Christie. I'll put up pics of the new place after I move in.

So now! Time for part 2 of my life photo album. See part 1 here.
[click to enlarge!]

Me

Where did we leave off?

Oh yeah! I was birthed, then sprinkled with some water so that I won't be dragged to hell... Obviously, I had no say in this.

I got a little older (about 2 or 3 according to TJ) and started rocking Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles pants and a tail.

To the right you can see my sister Gabi in that cute yellow dress with the yellow stockings. We were both so stylish at young ages.

Here's a school picture:

My dad made me and my brother dress up for school pictures. I remember being the ONLY one wearing a suit to picture day (embarrassing!). I think this was 1st or 2nd grade. Notice my big ears. I didn't grow into them until later. People used to call me Dumbo and throw stuff at me.

Here's another school photo (not feat. all my front teeth).

I feel like I look completely different in these two pictures, which were taken only 1 or 2 years apart (2nd or 3rd grade?). I feel like everyone has a picture of them with their front teeth missing. I have a picture with only one missing, and I think it's much less cute.

Here I am on December 10, 1995.

Based on the date (and the rest of the photos), this was probably one of those joint birthday parties I had throughout my life. TJ's birthday is only one day before mine, so we often had shared birthday parties.

Please note how disinterested I look in that card.

And in my gift. Also, please note how happy Gabi looks.

CAPTION TIME: What was I wishing for?

And speaking of apathy...

How much does Pasquale look like he doesn't care at all about Gabi's ring?

Here I am later in December of '95, the day after Christmas.

See that bear I'm holding? That was one of my first teddy bears and I loved that thing. I wish I knew where it was now.

OMG!! Am I... playing sports?!?!

Oh no, I'm just throwing that ball in the garbage 'cause sports are laaaaame.

Random photo:

Wearing a baseball cap?? Random.

Here's a picture of me next to what is still my favorite food:

Cereal!!

Oh look, here I am at my first Pride event! My mom used to go to Pride with her girlfriend and she brought us along sometimes.

Fake horseshoe set: $10
Gabi's billowy white shirt: $15
My cross-legged pose: priceless
(are those jokes too played out? oh well)

Back to Christmas! Here I am on Christmas 1997, looking absolutely thrilled to be alive.

And here are the Bruno kids with my grandfather for that Christmas.

Look at my hair! And TJ is just daydreaming... probably about all the Puerto Ricans.

In that last photo, you'll notice how I wore a button-down shirt open, revealing the white shirt beneath. And both were way too big on me. Well unfortunately, this was the way I dressed all the time in those years.

Ugh sick. That neckline is SO BIG. Nowadays, I would take that off immediately or die.

Here's a picture of the four Bruno kids.

Oh wait, that's just Gabi, Pasquale and me with Paula. This was taken in our apartment in Asbury Park. This couch was a popular place to take pictures.

Aww!

You know how everyone has 'awkward' years? I hope this was me at my most awkward!

Ai-ya! ¡Qué horror!

Here are some pics from my middle school yearbook. Please locate me, laugh out loud, then mock me in the comments.

My hair in the Scarlet Key and Student Council Exec Board photos...... I have no words.

Here I am with my dog Faith.

You wouldn't know it from this picture, but Faith was very loving and kind. What a great dog! Unfortunately, Paula decided it was better to kill her than to have a HUGE dog in a tiny apartment (terrible excuse!) and she was replaced by some nasty thang.

Then I got to high school, and y'all know how that went.

And here I am today (or, last Thursday).

I am certainly a product of the generations who came before me, who instilled in me a love for music, gossip, blogging... Ok, maybe not. Either way, I hope you enjoyed my family photo album.

Let the teasing begin!

12 of 12 - May 2010

2010-05-12T23:30:00.003-04:00

Before I start my 12 of 12, I must thank dpaste for reminding me with a text this morning!

So I woke up around 7:45am to get ready for work. When I opened my eyes, I saw my friend Megan, posing seductively for the camera.

Since Megan lives 15 mins away from my job and since I don't often see her too much during the summer, I'm staying with Megan this week!

I left for work at 8:15, then spent HOURS AND HOURS waiting at this light!

(Sorry car; I was gonna blur the plate but it's late and I have to go to bed. Maybe I'll fix it later.)

Here is my workspace.

Don't you love my photos (two of them feat. me!) and the random model tacked to the wall??

Megan and her sister Katie joined me for lunch. We went to some pizza joint.

And let me tell y'all how this place had NO TABLES. We had to sit in chairs with our food on our laps.

Work was very tiring. I got home and my shoulders and eyes hurt and I was super tired. I went to relax in "the red room" and was joined by Megan's dog, Skip.

Then Megan's familia tried to force Megan into an arranged marriage (I'm not joking). So they put out some food for the guy to enjoy before he whisked away their daughter.

They added crackers and cheese, a veggie platter, and pastries later.

While I waited for the guy to arrive, I took my Daily Mugshot (feat. Katie's mannequin heads in the background).

When the guy finally came over, we lured him into playing Scattergories and Things.

Just so you know, I won Scattergories with a score of 52. Second place score was 39.

After watching the passionate game playing (I get competitive at times...), Skip fell asleep.

Proving I could win more games, I went to the garage and threw some darts. Didn't I do a good job?? (I swear this is real! And it was my first attempt!)

Oh, here I am finishing Official Book Club Selection, the stellar debut book from Kathy Griffin. Hilarious!

Then I got ready to post so I could go to bed, but realized I only had 11 photos... So...

YAY! Friendship!

Fine, Fresh, Fierce

2010-05-10T19:54:00.005-04:00

It's summertime (kind of)!!!

Unless you're in high school (haha!), school is over and it's time to ~~relax, sunbathe, have fun~~ go to work every day and study for the GREs? Oh, that describes my summer. Hopefully y'all have better plans.

But even when summer doesn't sound all that exciting, know what you can always depend on? Summer music! And this year, we are already off to a great start... especially when it comes to the pop divas. So this Monday Muse is dedicated to the those pop starlets who are sexy, different, and a bit reflective, who are providing us with fun summer hits!

Miley Cyrus

After delivering the feel-good anthem of the decade with "Party in the U.S.A.", Ms. Cyrus is back with the first single off her new album, "Can't Be Tamed." The song is not an infectious pop song a la "Party", but it's pretty catchy and has some of the best lyrics EVER (see: "I go through guys like money flyin' out their hands")

Miley = creature so rare, peepz thought she was extinct??? Random, but I love it! And unlike the "Party in the U.S.A." video, Miley goes for the 'strange' look rather than the 'slutty' look. Only someone really really stupid would say that she's slutty in this video, so I'm glad she decided to wear that not-revealing black outfit (feat. long gloves) for most of the video.

Katy Perry

Exactly two years ago, Ms. Perry's single "I Kissed A Girl" was quickly becoming the summer hit of 2008 (and no, nobody cares that some d.i.n.o.s.a.u.r released a song with the same title prox. 40 years ago; think of how many people release songs with the same titles all the time. How about "I Love You"? Or Lindsay Lohan's new song "I Wanna Be Bad" matching Willa Ford's song of the same name?!). She's back now with a fun, summery single for 2010. "California Gurls" feats. synth, a catchy hook (nothing comes close to the golden coast!), a rap from Snoop Dogg, and fun lyrics that some people are sure to criticize, acting like Katy is interested in writing Pulitzer Prize winning poetry.

The video for the song hasn't come out yet, but considering that my favorite video ever is for a Katy Perry song, I hope I like this one.

Ke$ha

Have you guys been requesting Ke$ha's new single "Your Love Is My Drug" to your local radio stations?? Of Ke$ha's three singles off Animal, "Your Love Is My Drug" is my favorite; it's fun and silly, but not stoopid like that "Tik Tok" song and not feat. awkward rappers like "Blah Blah Blah." If you listen to this song and don't want to dance, then seek therapy.

14 hours ago, Ke$ha tweeted: "Videos a comin out! R u guyssss readdddyyy for a desert elephant snake light up body paint psychedelic party or what?"
WELL WE ARE. But the video's not out yet. When it is, prepare to be blown away!

What's your favorite song of the summer so far???????

Meet Me

2010-05-08T11:18:00.004-04:00

Hello all! I am alive and DONE with the semester! It was a fun semester, and I had lots of fun in two of my classes (Writer's Workshop and 'the Fairy Tale Class'). I could do without math and astronomy, but they weren't bad.

So now I'll get back to a promised entry...

I went to St. Louis!

My hotel (Hyatt) was right next to the Arch.

And the hotel was pretty sweet too.

And had a sweet view of the city.

The beds were so comfortable and there was this lounge that we got access to (for like $40 a night or something?) that had food out all day. MMMM. It was like free food basically (since the school funded the trip). The only thing more delicioso than good food is good FREE food!

Here's the obligatory photo of me with the Arch.

In case you forgot, I was in St. Louis to present a scholarly paper I wrote about The Bluest Eye. That went well. I was only asked a few questions from the audience and they were all easy to answer.

Here are some of the fun things I experiences in St. Louis:

The City Park
Just a few blocks from the hotel was this park filled with sculptures and interactive stuff, like a set of panels that played different notes when you stepped on them. Here's some of the cool stuff found there.

Hooters
I went to Hooters for the first time! And it was pretty delicious.

St. Louis Zoo
YAY! I love the zoo! Here are some pics from the zoo.

City Museum
This was one of the coolest places I went to in St. Louis, and ever in my life. It was basically this huge building that was filled with games and tunnels and stuff for adults. It was amazing!!

Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my own camera (got those pics from friends) but trust me, there was A LOT to explore and I spent like a half hour just running through a set of tunnels on the first floor that seemed to never end. It was amazing and if you go to St. Louis, you must go.

I also went to the actual museum.

And to the Museum of Westward Expansion, which is located beneath the Arch.

Of course I rode up the Arch too! You have to ride up in this tight little pod. Here I am with my friend Todd as we rode up.

And the view from the arch:

I also took a nap in a very strange position:

And I played Scrabble. And yes, Todd and I won (duh!)

Here's a group shot of the juniors who went on the trip.

While I knew everybody from seeing them at school, I had fun getting to know them better.
But since I'm not that social, I mostly hung out with my good friends Rebecca and Todd.

Aww!

Here we are on the final night, eating at the banquet.

Our school won like 7 (thousand?) awards that night so we were very proud. GO TCNJ!!!

So in summary, I had a wonderful time there, loved the city, and would definitely go back.

Boys In The Trees

2010-04-21T21:11:00.003-04:00

So as you know from my last entry, I recently got a cat with my roommates Ross and Christie. We picked it up from the Trenton Animal Shelter, where they told us we would have to get her spayed and then continued to address our new kitty as female. So we brought home our new princess...

Or so we thought....

The day after we brought the cat home, my good redheaded friend Jenna came over and immediately said, "Oh, it's a boy?" As a future cat lady, Jenna knows lots about cats so we started researching.

Seriously, can you even tell the difference? Contrary to popular belief, male cats who are 7 weeks old do not have 'hanging things' or 'fuzzy dice' or any of that. Before their testes descend, it's hard to tell a male from a female.

But we got a few expert opinions and we have determined the sex of our kitten.

So no more Esther Greenwood! I really love that name and will have to find a female pet so I can still use it.

On the bright side, we all agreed very quickly on a name for a male cat. I just finished reading the fantastic novel Song of Solomon

And we all like that name for our cat. So, now you can officially welcome Solomon into our family!

Paper Kitten Dream

2010-04-13T19:42:00.007-04:00

Something pretty exciting happened to me today!

After I got home from work around 1pm, I hopped in my car with Ross and we drove through the rain and into Trenton.

Nope, I was not going to get drugs or a gun. Trenton is also home to an animal shelter, which was our destination. The shelter itself was kind of sketchy, but we made it there and picked up our new cat!

Isn't she adorable?!?!

We brought her home and she had a lot of fun in Ross and Christie's room, playing with plastic bags and cat toys, and running around the room exploring.

As we were documenting her first day home, she used the litter box for the first time! AWW!

That was her first visit, where she just peed. Her second visit was....... more interesting. It resulted in her first bath.

She is clearly not a fan of water, but as Ross pointed out, we need to get her accustomed to it for when she goes fishing!

After her bath, she licked her wet foot sadly.

And then continued to play. When Ross and I had to go to school, she tried to prevent Ross from tying his shoes

and then perched on his shoulder.

If you're wondering why I keep calling her "she," it's because we haven't agreed on a name yet. Ross and I want to call her either Esther Greenwood (after the main character in Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar) or Remedios the Beauty (from Gabriel Garcia Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude, one of my favorite characters ever), but Christie doesn't like those names, so we're still thinking.

But in the end, her name is not that important I guess. What's more important is that we are happy to have saved her from being murdered and we're excited to provide her with a nice home and train her how to do sweet tricks like doing the dishes and updating my blog when I'm too busy.

Now I just need to introduce her to Richard Parker.... or maybe not.

12 of 12 - April 2010

2010-04-12T20:48:00.004-04:00

Hello world! I'm alive! My St. Louis post will be up in the next couple of days. But today is the 12th, so first, here's my 12 of 12!

Once again, thanks to my dear friends Polt and David for reminding me!

My day started with Astronomy class. I know, ZzZzZzZzZz. Here is Professor Wickramsinghe writing on the board.

And since today is Monday, I had to do a lab after class.

After that snoozefest, I came home to find my housemate Yapenschteinen cooking me some lunch.

I headed back to school for my next class of the day, Writer's Workshop. Before heading to class, I had to read the stories and leave some comments so I sat in Bliss Lounge and scribbled some notes on the student stories, like "Try harder next time" and "This sucks more than J-Lo's Brave" and stuff.

I have this class in my favorite room in Bliss Hall cause I get to sit at a round table so I can better gaze into the eyes of the poor soul whose writing I am harshly criticizing. Here's where I sit.

And that chick in the chair next to mine is one of my favorite peepz and one of the best writers in my class, Colleen.

After that class, I came home and had a nosebleed. Blood dripped on my hoodie so I had to soak it in cold water to get the blood out.

My nose has bled like five times in the past three days! Annoying.
So then I FINALLY filed my taxes.

Since it was nice, I went outside and enjoyed three of my favorite things: cheese, iced tea, and Toni Morrison.

I read for a while, did some other junk, then got very excited at 7pm for Jeopardy! I've been following the three-day winner Morgan and he's pretty good. He won again today, guessing the correct answer to final Jeopardy.

The answer was "Quidditch" and I swear, I actually knew the right answer this time!

After that, I tried to cook these cookies that have been in the fridge since the day Joan Rivers was born but they came out like this:

So I guess they were too old to bake properly....

Then I ended the day with Christie as we watched one of my favorite shows, United States of Tara.

I had a pretty average day. WHAT ABOUT YOU?!

Off To The Gateway City

2010-03-16T21:03:00.000-04:00

I'm going to St. Louis tomorrow!

This will be my third time flying on an airplane (in just over a year -- lucky me!) and I am so excited to visit another state! I always talk about how much I want to travel around the country/world, and I'm finally getting the chance to do that now.

I'm definitely going to visit this big famous thing.

Apparently, this used to be a huge sculpture of the McDonald's golden arches but one fell down or something. But I'm still excited to see the other one.

And I am SO excited to visit the zoo!

I've only been to one zoo before and I love seeing animals. This zoo has lots of monkeys, naked mole rats, zebra, rhinos, giraffes, owls, puffins, snails, and even a tiger and an elephant!

Although I'm excited to travel in general, I'm also excited about the real reason I'm going. I'm actually going to a conference to present a paper I wrote about the 'cruel spring' motif and it's correlation to corruption of motherhood in Toni Morrison's novel The Bluest Eye.

I presented at the same conference last year and it was fun. At the conference, you read your paper to the audience and then they grill you. Some peepz are terrified of the grilling part but I actually like it. They say stuff like, "Why is your paper so terrible?" and "Did you do any research before forming those unfounded arguments?" and you cry and say that your professor gave you an A on the paper and run out of the room in tears. FUN!

So I'll be in St. Louis for the rest of the week and won't be online very often. I hope you all miss me!

I: The Way My Story Goes

2010-03-14T12:48:00.000-04:00

I love photographs. Anyone who was my friend in high school knows that as soon as I got my first digital camera, I started taking approx. 3 billion pictures a day. Unfortunately, someone broke my camera and wouldn't admit it, and I never got a new one. (Which is probably good, as it reduced the number of terrible pictures existing in the world by about 3 billion a day...)

So anyway, even more than taking photographs of ~~myself~~ my friends, I love looking at old photographs. From the big box of photographs in my mom's closet, I pulled out some of my favorites to share with the world. Since I found so many, I'm going to do two entries: one with photos of my great-grandparents, grandparents and parents, and one with me and my siblings.

Great-Grandparents

Unfortunately, I only found one photo of my family from three generations back, and it's only of my great-grandfather (sorry great-grandmother!)

This is actually the first and only photo I've seen of my great-grandfather. I asked my mother who was in the photo so I could do this blog entry and she told me who it was. This reminds me that after you die, only a few generations go by before someone in your family can look at a photo of you and not know who you are.

Anyway, here are lots of photos of my grandparents!

Grandparents

Here is a photograph of both of my grandparents.

What a cute couple! Although I don't know too much about their early lives together, there are many pictures of them in front of this house/apt, so I assume they lived here once.

Look! My grandma is playing the cello!

My mom says that this is more of a posed shot than a candid, but I pretend granny loved playing the cello and this somehow influenced me. Whether she really played cello or not, my grandfather's music genes must have been transferred to me! He played guitar (for real).

He was a really good guitar player and I remember seeing him when I was young and he would often play guitar and sing. He even ~~was a famous celebrity~~ played at a radio station.

Guess I'm not the first person in my family to strive for fame....

My favorite picture of my grandfather actually shows him holding a guitar:

When he wasn't playing guitar, he was fighting in wars.

There is a HUGE photo on my living room wall of my grandfather and his five brothers, all in uniform. They went to various wars and all came back safely.

While my grandfather was fighting in wars, my grandmother was getting ready to set sail on the Titanic.

Just kidding. (How awesome would it be to have a photo of my grandmother standing next to the Titanic?)

Well, eventually they started having kids. Here's a photo of my grandparents with one of my aunts.

And here is another, similar photo, except this one features Eric Mabius on the left (?!)

So before we move onto my parents, here is my favorite pictures of my grandparents.

Parents

One day, my mom was born.

Then she went to school (feat. her teacher, Ms. Hernandez)

When I saw this photo for the first time, I pointed out how there was only one black girl in the whole class. And my mom said, "That was my best friend!" Good job embracing all cultures Mom!

Here is my mom's senior picture.

I guess she didn't pass the "taking good senior portraits" gene on to me......

Here's another high school pic. She's about to go to a dance with some dude who apparently became my uncle or something?! Confusing.

The box of photographs I found mostly were very old so there aren't many pics of my parents. Luckily, the small number of pictures is made up with the sheer awesomeness of the one photo I did find, which shows my father is a most glamourous light.

Look at those short-shorts and that modelesque head-tilt! How glam.

So after many years of giving birth to a bunch of brats, my mother finally hit the jackpot and gave birth to me. Here I am during my baptism, being held by my godparents Aunt Susie and Uncle Jimmy.

PART II FORTHCOMING

12 of 12 - March 2010

2010-03-12T23:10:00.000-05:00

Thanks to the wonderful dpaste, I remembered to do a 12 of 12 for today!

So my day started with a push pin and a very close call.

I woke up around 9am when I felt this push pin pressing into my flesh! It was digging into my skin, kind of where Barbie's leg pops into her torso... Yeah, if it was a few centimeters over, I might be unable to have kids or something!!!!!

So hopefully there are no more surprise push pins in my covers.

After I survived that, I drove to Claudia's. It was raining.

We hung out all day!! I tried Arizona Cranberry Tea for the first time.

I played "The Chain" by Ingrid Michaelson on piano.

Then we looked at our middle school yearbooks (hilarious!)

While she did random things in my room, I unpacked my books from my first few years at college that were still in boxes. I have NO ROOM on my bookshelf.

Eventually, my sister Gabi picked us up and we went to Olive Garden.

Gabi wanted to see some Robert Pattinson movie because the Eclipse trailer was premiering during the previews. So we went to the movies. I completely forgot about R-Patz as soon as I saw this glorious poster of a movie I will be seeing later this month!

The R-Patz movie was decent. I'm upset that I saw the ending coming since it was supposed to be surprising. Boo.

So then I came home and wanted to get in the shower. But my brother was in there.

Instead of taking a pic of my brother in the shower, I got a shot of his glasses waiting to return to his clean head.

So then I took my 304th Daily Mugshot.

And I realized I only had 10 pics and needed two more.....

Hmm....

OH YEAH! GUESS WHAT!!!!!

I got a ticket last night to see my favorite singer in concert! OMG SO EXCITED!!!!!

I LOVE LEONA NAESS!!!!
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

Chatroulette = Fun

2010-03-06T12:33:00.002-05:00

Have you all been on Chatroulette yet? It's basically the most fascinating site ever and it's currently getting a lot of attention.

If you've been living under a rock or are over the hill and don't pay attention to hip modern things, the site is a way to video chat with strangers all over the world! You turn on your webcam, hit go, and are hooked up to someone around the world who is also signed into the site.

Christie and I have been on Chatroulette for the past few weeks and we've seen so many interesting things and met some cool people.

We've met people from foreign countries like Brazil, France, Australia, Venezuela, England, Turkey, Indiana and many from the UK.

Our first day on we met this dude and his girlfriend.

They were swingers (or so they said). Do you love my disguise??

We also met this dude, who said he was trying to get into a frat and needed to see Christie's boobs in order to pledge.

Yeah, sure.

We met this dude, who started the convo by playing us a song.

He played Miley Cyrus' "Party in the USA" on a trumpet! We were so impressed. Then he asked for boobs.

These guys didn't want boobs. Just a kiss.

We met this kid who was totally not lying when he said he was 18.

And we even met this one girl who I kept calling Miley Cyrus, asking her about her album, her boyfriend, and her latest movies.

So anyway, I start a lot of my convos with "Are you famous?" because obviously I want to meet someone famous and Chatroulette seems like an easy way to do that! If they aren't famous, I pretend they are (see above example). So last night, we talked to the coolest person we ever met on CR...

While I was on with Ross and Christie and we bumped into Snoop Dogg. Some jealous people (i.e. Cindy!) pretend that this was a wannabe Snoop, but I know it was him! Lots of celebrities use Chatroulette so there's no reason why Snoop wouldn't use it! And it wasn't just a picture or a Snoop music video. He moved around, smoked marijuana (!), and even blew smoke into the camera.

After chatting for prox. a minute, the camera froze (Chatroulette often has server problems since it just exploded in popularity) and we were disconnected. But our memories (and screenshots) will last forever!

So have you been on yet? If not, do it! I swear, it's fun.

No Boundariez: If We Were A Movie

2010-02-23T20:49:00.012-05:00

See part 1 here.

After ~~weeks~~ minutes of discussing Joshrico’s impending fame, manager Michelle contacted her favorite clients with a new research assignment.

So Enrico rolled out of bed and ate 15 bowls of Cinnamon Toast Crunch so he’d have energy for hob-knobbing with all the celebrities he would undoubtedly become good friends with. Then he hopped on a plane to NYC with a dream and his cardigan.   After hours of crying and harassing strangers, Enrico finally learned how to ride the subway and arrived at the movie premiere to rendezvous with Michelle’s movie industry insider, Senor F Dot.

Senor F Dot gave Enrico a ticket to see the Oscar-nominated movie event of the decade, ~~Drag Me To Hell~~, Precious. Enrico ran to the red carpet and got ready to meet his future BFFs, Gabourey Sidibe, MC, Mo'Nique and Joanne.

Meanwhile, Josh attended as many auditions as he could for bit roles. But after being rejected in bit roles in such scripted television shows as Grey's Anatomy, Gossip Girl, and The Hills, he walked home defeated. While he wallowed in sweet misery, contemplating summer twilights that took forevz to get rid of and the fact that in another country, peepz die, he thought about his life. But before he could make it back to his casa [read as: cardboard box on the street corner] and drown himself in tear-laced mac'n'cheese (feat. tuna), he saw something interesting....

Josh approached the bulletin board and amid the various fliers for dog walkers, ~~demon~~babysitters, and d.i.n.o.s.a.u.r eyelids (?!), he saw his big chance.

Meanwhile, Enrico eagerly awaited the arrival of the limousine that would spew forth his new friends who would get him casted in a role he'd have to 'go ugly for' [aka don't wear make-up a la Mariah or get fat(ter) a la J-Hud], immediately launching him into superstardom. There, he would impress the world with his ability to collect awards despite being under-qualified (see Sandra ~~Butthole~~ Bullock).

Finally, a limo pulled up and out came....

GABOUREY SIDIBE (NOT feat. buckets o' chicken)! Enrico was only a few feet away from one of Hollywood's greatest new actresses! He knew it was his chance to start networking! He started barfing out quotes from the film, hoping to impress Ms. Sidibe. When that didn't work, he began promising her that he'd get her a spot in "one of dem B.E.T. videos."

Unfortunately, the security guards were not as keen on the idea of Gabby and Enrico being BFFs and he was escorted from the red carpet before he could slip Gabby his number....

But he still got to watch the movie. During the screening, he tried to get the attention of the star-studded cast sitting only rows in front of him by throwing his shoes at their heads and barking at them, but when the security guards gave him unfriendly death stares, he quieted down.

After the movie, the cast came onstage to ~~feign gratitude~~ graciously thank everyone...

And Enrico could swear he saw Gabby looking at him.....

Enrico left the theatre without making any connections. But at least he saw a great film and got to watch the movie with some of his favorite celebs in the same room!

He walked to Penn Station feeling only a little sad when all of a sudden boiz starting blowing up his phone (phone). Well actually, it was only one boy. After the excited screaming monster on the other end calmed down enough, he gave Enrico the good news...

TO BE CONTINUED

Special thanks to FDot for being our connection to the movie industry and getting me into the premiere!

Ghosts in the Attic: Polymorphism

2010-02-21T13:37:00.005-05:00

Even though there are many advantages to being a human, I sometimes wonder how life would be if I were a different animal.

If I were a monkey... my rain forest home would probably be knocked down and I'd die...
If I were a duck... my lake would probably be polluted and I'd die...
If I were a deer... my forest would probably become a highway and I'd get run down by a crazy motorist who beeps his horn at me like it's my fault he's speeding...

Luckily, first grader Enrico didn't want to be any of those animals. Instead, he opted to be an animal that could hide away from the horrors of the world...

Entry dated May 7th, 1996

What animal would I
like to be. I would
like to be a turtle
be cause it is little
ny favite color and
can hide very good.

Aww! I remember when my favo animal was a turtle (this coveted spot was later taken by monkeys--green is still my favorite color).
But the part I find most fascinating about this entry is how my young self wished to be little so he could hide away... I guess that related to the fact that I was very shy as a child and never talked... How things have changed!

Oh, and are you absolutely terrified by that picture I drew? That turtle's head creeps me out!

Question Time!
If you could be an animal, which animal would you be?

Let It Stop, Let It Stop, Let It Stop

2010-02-18T15:06:00.004-05:00

Hey y'all. Since I have nothing else to blog about, here's a story that will shock you: I actually ~~worked out~~ physically exerted myself!

As anyone living in the tri-state area knows, Demeter has been missing Persephone extra hard this year and turning my state/life into a winter wasteland. I live in a house with five strapping men, so when it snows, I lie in bed and pretend I'm busy while hoping the other peepz will shovel. But this past week we got prox. 41 feet of snow, so I had to help.

So I went outside with my housemate Eric Dane and we broke our backs shoveling snow and ice.

I let Mr. Dane do all the heavy lifting of course.

When it first started snowing, my housemates got excited and decided to build a snow structure in the backyard [read as: giant p33n].

Unfortunately, the snow turned to ice overnight and the structure was incredibly hard the next morning. In order to knock it down, I had to beat it with a shovel.

This took so many hours and my back still hurts! And then a few days ago, I crashed into this huge snowback and was SURE my car was smashed to pieces. But somehow my car is fine. BUT STILL, this snow needs to go away, fast.

12 of 12 - February 2010

2010-02-12T23:59:00.003-05:00

Are you guys SUPER EXCITED for the MOST INTERESTING 12 for 12 you've EVER SEEN!?
(Thanks to Polt and David for reminding me!)

So my day started with a nightmare. I woke up at 4am after having a terrifying dream that prevented me from falling back asleep for a mad long time (prox. 3 minutes). The weird thing is, I've been having nightmares for like a week now! Weird. Guess this ~~piece of crap~~ fine example of superior craftsmanship that I actually made myself doesn't work....

So after being scared to death, I went back to sleep and woke up and did my math homework. FUN!

Then, I worked on my paper for HOURS AND HOURS.

My paper was due at midnight so I basically worked on it all day when I wasn't doing something less important, like eating and sleeping. I wrote about the use of the carnivalesque and grotesque realism in the work of Giambattista Basile and you guys have no idea what I'm talking about! Yay! Here are the books I used....

Lit theory, Il Cunto de li Cunti and an MLA book. What a fun day!

I took a break from writing my paper to go to class. First I had my fairy tale class in Bliss Hall, where all the cool kids (Josh y yo) hang out.

Then I went to math class in the science complex, where boring, unfriendly nerds hang out.

I went back to my car to head home and discovered that someone poured water on my car while I was at class, then turned the water into icicles.

I then went home and worked on my paper for another three hours. Some of my BFs Delisa and Dana came over and we went to ShopRite to buy some groceries so we could make dinner. BREAKING NEWS: Cheez-Its and Ho-Hos are now considered vegetables.

We came home with some scared animal shivering in a cage. We let it loose then started attacking it with clubs. Once it was defeated, we threw it on the frying pan. YUM.

Animal cruelty tastes delicious!

We all sat on the sofa and watched the Olympics (feat. JONI MITCHELL!!!). My spot is empty cause I'm taking the (out of focus) picture.

Then we made dessert.

Then I worked on my paper for another four hours and sent it in, then I started blogging but got so tired that I

Sick Of All The Noise

2010-02-08T18:27:00.001-05:00

Although I pretty much never get angry, I do get annoyed easily. My list of pet peeves far exceeds the length V. Carlton would walk to just see/hold you. So since it’s Monday, I’ll discuss my musical pet peeves (in both songs and music videos)!

LAUGHING

I’ve gotten a little bit less annoyed at this, but I used to HATE when singers would laugh in their songs. I’m not even sure why it bothers me though… Lots of my favorite singers do it, like Michelle Branch, P!nk, Avril, Ke$ha, Kelly Clarkson, Taylor Swift, etc. But I guess one reason I don’t like it is because I prefer crying over laughing (or sad music over happy music). I also feel like it just comes across as corny. You’re supposed to believe (I think) that the artist naturally let out a laugh while recording in the studio, but it seems fake to me. 
[See: “Hey Stephen” by T. Swift, “You Get Me” by Michelle Branch]

TALKING

I only hate talking in some songs. I don't mind when P!nk quickly snaps "You're going home alone, aren't you?" before her chorus ONCE. But I get annoyed when a song is carried by talking and not in a clever way. For example, although I lurve me some Ke$ha lately, "Tik Tok" is one of my least favorite songs of hers because she talks too much (she sings on the rest of the record). I also always hated Shania Twain's "That Don't Impress Me Much" because of the part before the chorus when she says something that is supposed to be funny ("OK, so you're a rocket scientist"). ANNOYING.
[See: "Watching the Rain" by Katy Rose]

  RANDOM BACK-UP SINGER CHORUSES

I never understood this. A singer (usually who isn’t that good) sings the verse of the song, but when the chorus comes on, you hear some random women singing. I always assume that the volume levels were not done correctly since MAYBE the real singer is in there somewhere, but come on, these people often pay big $$$ for producers and mixers, etc., who should know how to make sure the singer is heard on his/her own chorus! If you aren’t aware of this strange phenomenom,
 [See: “Christmas Magic” by Ali Lohan, almost every song by J Lo]

PRETENTIOUS POP STARS 

As for music videos….

BREAKING TO TALK 

Yes, I’m looking at you, Lindsay Lohan! I hate when the music suddenly stops (or is decreased in volume) in music videos so that some peepz can have a convo I don’t care about. Unless it’s specifically being a long-form video (so that it has a better chance at winning a Grammy), find a creative way to tell a story without dimming the music.  (P.S. I couldn't find a pic that made sense for this topic, so I just used my favorite pic of the Lohan sisters!)
[See: “Confessions of a Broken Heart” by Lindsay Lohan]  

TOUR MONTAGE VIDEOS 

Did you ever get an e-mail notification that your favorite music artist uploaded a new video to YouTube? You eagerly click on the link hoping the video will feature guest appearances, sweet dancing, an exciting plot, NOT random talking, etc. But then the video is just a montage of live performances even though the CD version of the track is playing… annoying! I understand that maybe this is the cheaper route, but it’s also boring and played out.  
[See: “All at Once” by The Fray]  

What are some of your musical pet peeves??

No Boundariez: Let The Flames Begin

2010-02-05T20:33:00.004-05:00

There are some peeps who don’t deserve the fame that they revel in (Lady GaGa, Ne-Yo, Barbra Streisand) while others never see the fame that they deserve (Vanessa Carlton, Ali Lohan, Rhonetta). It’s been scientifically proven that Josh and Enrico fall into this second category. They have charisma, cutting wit, blindingly good looks, and talents that put Jordin Sparks to shame. Yet somehow, they’ve remained under the pop culture radar for 23/21 years. Well that is all about to change. They’re taking their destinies by the throat, eye, and knucklebone.

A few months ago, after watching their favorite horror movie, Josh and Enrico realized that if they didn’t get famous soon, their pathetic lives would be dragged to hell (not in a good way).

So the two soon-to-be starlets put on their thinking caps and made a list of the prerequisites of becoming a superstar.

As Enrico learned from Paris, you can never wear the same thing twice! Since the local Dolce & Gabbana, Prada and Gucci were closed, Enrico headed to the hub of the fashion world in Ewing, NJ.

They decided to learn the ways of fame and fortune from some experts, so they bought two critically-acclaimed books from Nobel Peace Prize finalists.

Josh practiced writing his autograph for his (at the moment) only adoring fans.

Enrico took some pointers from his favorite starlets and learned how to properly exit a vehicle.

And Josh learned how to go out in public and shield himself from the venomous lens of the stalkarazzi.

After a long day of hard work, Josh and Enrico checked TMZ.com to see if they were famous yet….

But when nary a shot of their gorgeous mugs blessed the world wide web, they realized what they had been missing all along.

 So they called their favorite person in el mundo to see if she would be willing to take on the glamorous, yet exhausting job of being manager to the world’s hottest rising stars.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Hey, Soul Sister In The Air With Tears In Your Eyes

2010-02-01T16:25:00.010-05:00

This week's Monday Music Moment will include various topics.

Of course, I gotta mention the GRAMMYs!

In case you missed the show, all you need to know is that GaGa lost Song of the Year, Record of the Year (I'm very surprised/pleased with Kings of Leon taking the category), and Album of the Year. She also performed a lackluster opening performance and forever ruined my favorite Elton John song.

You should also know that P!nk sang/flew/spun her way into the dumb brains of all those peepz around America who think her last single was "Get The Party Started." P!nk is so underrated in America and I love that all the music headlines are claiming that she had the best performance of the night, which is true. (It's hard to find a working link on YouTube, but P. Nasty posted the video here if you haven't seen it.)

Overall, I was pretty pleased with the award winners this year. The only award I was genuinely upset with was The Black Eyed Peas winning Best Pop Vocal Album for The E.N.D. (feat. 50% stolen music).

The Return of Train?

After getting awards and attention for their hit single "Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)" like 34 years ago, Train seems to be back with a decent single!

I love "Hey, Soul Sister" (even if it is kinda similar to "I'm Yours" in some ways). It's fun, catchy, and has some cute lyrics ("I'm so obsessed / my heart is bound to beat right out my untrimmed chest"). It's already peaked at #7 on the Hot 100 which is the highest they've been since "Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)" reached #5 all those years ago.

P.S. Doesn't the lead singer look like he's aged 50 years since "Drops"?!

Rolling Stone Reviews

I actually used to read Rolling Stone reviews and think that they were kind of decent. But I think nowadays they're pretty bad. Here's the review they gave Ke$ha's CD, Animal.

Not long ago, frat-boy antics were for, well, boys. But 22-year-old Ke$ha, the electro-upstart behind the hit "TiK ToK," is here to let the world know that loutish drunkenness and sexual harassment aren't just for fellas anymore. On her debut, she calls herself a pimp, brags about a "Party at a Rich Dude's House" and tells one hapless love toy, "Don't be a little bitch with your chit-chat/Just show me where your dick's at." It's repulsive, obnoxious and ridiculously catchy — thanks to songwriter-producers Dr. Luke and Max Martin, who envelop Ke$ha's bratty raps in percolating beats and buzzing bass lines. Fear for the future of civilization, and dance.

Does anyone else think this review is just.... not helpful and bland?! Sure, they quote one of the funniest lines on the album, but what have I learned about the music? Just that it feats "percolating beats and buzzing bass lines." How descriptive.

But they also annoy me because they seem to give ratings with scientific regularity. U2 or Springsteen release a new record? 5 stars. American Idol alum release a record? 2 stars. And surprise, surprise.... Ke$ha got 3/5 stars, just like recent releases from P!nk, Kelly Clarkson, Adam Lambert, Paramore, Cobra Starship, Demi Lovato and The Jonas Brothers. RS needs to learn that, just like men, all pop CDs are not created equal!

Not Betty!

2010-01-31T11:14:00.003-05:00

LOL!
That's exactly how I felt when I found out
:(

Ghosts in the Attic: Take It Off

2010-01-29T16:30:00.007-05:00

When I was younger, I actually used to see my extended family. Now, I see my siblings and my mother for a few months out of the year and never, ever see my extended family. I have cousins and aunts/uncles who I used to see all the time that I haven't seen in years.
Anyway, in this entry of Ghosts in the Attic, I discuss hanging out with some cousins and the VERY interesting games we played....

On Saturday and Sunday I wen't
to my cusin's house. I
played nintendo.
I played Aladin
and zombys ate
my nabor's.

See, I was in 1st grade and already loyal to Nintendo! Since my days playing Aladdin and Zombies Ate My Neighbors (the best SNES game ever!) I've managed to collect just about every Nintendo console and handheld system and am somewhat of a Nintendo fanboy. But my childhood days were not only spent playing video games. Apparently I got some exercise as well?!?

I watched T.V.
and played soccer.
I had fun at
my cusin's house.

Although I don't watch much TV now, I can see myself watching Are You Afraid of the Dark when I was in first grade. But playing soccer/exercising on my own free will?! I don't remember this. And now readers, get ready for the MOST AWESOME game I ever played at my cusin's house:

I played games
on a pole in the
dark and in the
geroge.

Is a comment even necessary here?

Get A Bit Classy

2010-01-24T20:50:00.007-05:00

I’m alive! I know I haven’t posted in almost a week, but the Spring 2010 semester has officially begun, and so has my new internship (yay!). So being a full-time student with two jobs will undoubtedly result in less frequent posting.

So since my classes will be taking up most of my time, I figured I’d talk about my classes a little so that y’all know what I’m spending my time doing and can then behave with an appropriate amount of jealousy or something.

M/Th at 8:30am – Astronomy

All I know about this class is that it involves studying stars. So this will probably be my favorite class! And on Mondays from 10-12, we get to do a lab. I’m assuming this will involve Botox, lipo, lectures from Mariah’s retouchers, etc.

M/Th at 2pm – Writer’s Workshop

At the end of my freshman year, I decided to add a creative writing minor. Writer’s Workshop is the final course in the minor. This course is geared toward creating one long piece rather than many short ones (like the other creative writing courses). Students are encouraged to write either a novel or novella, or a cohesive book of poems or short stories. I started a story in my Fiction Workshop class last spring and think that I will be working mostly on expanding that story. I have twenty pages of it so far, but the page requirement for fiction is 75-100, so I have a lot more to add. I wish I was brave enough to try to write a cohesive book of poetry, but my poems usually aren’t related thematically or even stylistically at times.

This is the FOURTH class I’ve taken with the same professor. I think that’s cool because he saw the work I submitted in Intro to Creative Writing and Fiction Workshop, so he’s seen the progress I hope I’ve been making.

T/F at 2pm – From the Renaissance to the Postmodern: The Fairy Tale Tradition

Often referred to as “my fairy tale” class, this course is the capstone to my major. (Yay! Two capstones in one semester!) I actually signed up to take a different capstone but that one was canceled and my class was dropped into this one. When I found out, I shed a flood of hot tears, but now that I’ve had a few homework assignments from this class, I am so glad I got switched into it.

In this class, we read and analyze fairy tales, starting with the Father of the Fairy Tale (Straparola, 1550s) and ending with contemporary retellings of the tales. On the first day of class, my professor told us to ignore what we thought we knew about fairy tales—they are not for children, do not need to have a moral (that’s a fable), do not always have happy endings, and are not primarily an oral tradition but a literary one. She then called Disney, “the D word” and encouraged us to use it only sparingly in class.

So I’ve started reading the fairy tales and they are HILARIOUS. I love:
- the extremely dramatic way characters deal with grief (“[The nurses] found them both lying dead. Immediately they began to scream and to shed a flood of tears. They tore their hair and their garments and laid their breasts bare.”)
- the terrible displays of ‘pity’ or ‘compassion,’ (“But when they saw how lovely and gracious she was, they were moved to pity and decided not to murder her. But they cut off both her hands from her body and tore her eyes out of her head.”)
- the scolding of angry mothers (“Stop it, and get out of my sight! Go break your neck somewhere! Take off. You’ve ripped apart my guts, and I can’t stand you anymore. My hernia swells up, and my goiter grows each time you appear. Stop coming here. From now on this house is like fire for you. I wash my hands of you and consider that I never spewed you forth into this world.”)
- the general funny descriptions (“He rubbed his eyes with his hands and stretched his arms for half an hour with sixty yawns and farts in the form of a dialogue.”)

Never has my homework made me LOL like these fairy tales do. I am definitely reading these stories to my kids! [Oh, and btw, my BFFL Josh took this class when he was in school!)

T/F at 4pm – Applied Liberal Arts Mathematics

Ugh, sick! This class is called “Applied Liberal Arts Math” which means “Math for Dummies.” It’s required that I take one math course, so I chose this easy one. So far, we’ve learned two methods of splitting your assets when you get divorced or separated (unlike Brangelina, who are staying together! LIARS!) or want to fight over inheritance. ZzZzZzZz….

So what classes are y’all taking this semester?!?!

Every Morning, Every Evening

2010-01-18T12:32:00.008-05:00

Now that we've gone though colors and names, let's get to days of the week!

In this week's Monday Music Moment, I will discuss some of my favorite songs that feat. days of the week in the song title!

Monday
"Monday Morning" by Fleetwood Mac
"Monday Morning" kicks off Fleetwood Mac's (second) self-titled album. And the song gets right to the point: "Monday morning you sure look fine / Friday I got traveling on my mind." Besides my Monday Music Moment and Josh's Monday Muse, what do people like about Monday?! Oh yeah, nothing. So this song kicks off my list because it is honest and a little bit reflective. Even though it turns into a love song a few lines in, the first few lines always stick out to me and I can almost relate to them. And I say "almost" because I got traveling on my mind on Tuesday, not Friday.

Other Monday Songs: "Monday Morning" by Maria Mena, "Monday, Monday" by The Mamas & the Papas

Tuesday
"Tuesday Morning" by Michelle Branch
Anyone who was friends with me in 8th grade will not be surprised by my Tuesday song choice, "Tuesday Morning" by ~~V. Carlton~~ Michelle Branch. This track is featured on Michelle's third CD, Hotel Paper. And in case you forgot, it's the song that inspired my blog's name! In this track, Mrs. Branch sings about all the stuff I like: stormy weather, being alone, darkness, etc. The song is sung to a loved one (or a one-night-stand) after a night of romance and passion. This song features some of my favorite lyrics, like: "I took your picture while you were sleeping / and then I paced around the room. / If I had known then that these things happen / Would they have happened with you?" So nice! Not only do I find this song to be mad heartfelt and beautifully written, but I love the way M. Branch sings her. Her "oh, oh, oh, ohs" at the end are my favorite!

Other Tuesday Songs: Umm.... none?

(Where are the Wednesday and Thursday tracks?!)

Friday
"Friday I'll Be Over U" by Allison Iraheta
Everyone needs to stop hating on Allison Iraheta! She may have been a ~~lot~~ little boring when she was on American Idol, but personality isn't everything!! Know what's more important than personality? Max Martin producing your first single and sounding like P!nk. And Allison managed both these feats with her first single, "Friday I'll Be Over U." In this song, Allison screams about some dude that made her forget herself by cheating on her or something, so she's gonna forget about him by Friday, which is interesting since the narrative present of the song is in fact Thursday. But if Allie can forget someone in less than one day, than more power to her! The song is catchy, the video is sorta cute, and I wish Allison got more fame cause her CD is pretty decent!

Other Friday Songs: "Friday" by Daniel Bedingfield (which I always hear playing in T.G.I. Friday's)

Sunday
"Sunday Drive" by The Early November
I've been a fan of The Early November for years now and have seen the lead singer Ace Enders live prox. 7 times. Since "Sunday Drive" is the first TEN song I ever heard, it holds a special place in my black heart. "Sunday Drive" is slow and sad, so obviously I love it! The song is about a drive (presumably on Sunday) that appears to signal the end of a relationship. As the two ex-lovers are driving about, the speaker says sad things like, "You know it's not so easy when you're all alone" and my favorite line, "What could you be doing that is so much fun / without me by your side?" After I heard this wonderfully depressing song, I found more TEN CDs and got obsessed and started ~~stalking the lead singer~~ seeing the lead singer in concert... a lot!

Other Sunday Songs: "Heavy Like Sunday" by Leona Naess, "Sunday Morning" by Maroon 5

So did I miss any?!? And why are so many songs called "(Day of the Week) Morning"?!

PRJNCT: Final Runway Show Results

2010-01-15T19:20:00.001-05:00

The moment you have all been waiting for (since August 2009) is finally here! It's time to unveil the winner of Project Runway: JNCT! This time, I tried to make the post spoiler-free so that you can't just scroll down and see the winner. So make sure you click on the picture links!

In the thrilling finale, the final three designers Adam, Enrico and Michelle M. sent their final collections down the runway, where prox 1,000 years later, the judges finally sent in their votes. In order to hear the results, the (1, 2) 3 finalists joined together in a conference call with the producers.

Well, Michelle was supposed to be on the phone, but for some reason Malaria answered and said that Michelle was "not available"....

Anyway, here is what the judges had to say.

Collection #1 - Judges thought that collection 1 was fun and flirty. The looks were very marketable and could easily be found in (the clearance rack of) Target. And some judges applauded the bravery of the designer in sending a bathing suit down the runway. However, some judges had a problem with how accessible the line was; they thought the collection looked cheap and homemade, not like pieces of high fashion. While the construction wasn't poor, the pieces did look somewhat sloppy and unfinished compared to the other collections. And while few judged complained about the bathing suit, one judge thought the other two designs didn't hold up the standards expected in the final collection: "The pattern on the fabric used for the skirt in the first look should never be used for anything but the inside of something, if ever. Plus the top is boring. And the third look uses the same dumb fabric and a similarly boring top." Angry judge called this collection "gross."
Mom says:
1st piece: I like it
2nd piece: I don't like it
3rd piece: I don't like it.

Collection #2 - Judges thought that Malaria's designer continued to make flawlessly constructed looks in their final collection. The outfits were impeccably made and fit the model perfectly, accentuating her curves while masking her troubling life off the runway and making Malaria look presentable. The first look received mostly positive reviews and was called colorful and fun, though some judges thought it was too simple. The second look was seen as the weakest of the collection, as it was called matronly and unflattering for the young model. One judge said questioned the appearance of white pants while one judge called the look "MAD PLAIN" and thought it was something that only "a sixteen year old trying to get into The Roxxy would wear." The third dress garnered the most comments. Some judges loved the flamenco-inspired dress, calling it the standout piece in the entire runway show. Judges loved the color, the fit, and the hair accessory on this fun and attention-grabbing design. However, one opposed judge thought the dress would only be worn by a woman going through a midlife crisis.
Mom says:
1st piece: Se parece como un chorizo mal amarado. (It looks like a badly-tied sausage.)
2nd piece: I don't like it.
3rd piece: I don't like it. It looks like a banana peel. The naked men look better. I like their butts.

Collection #3 - The designs that Clifford wore down the runway were called clean, fresh and chic. The color scheme was soothing and appealing; the third dress being black and white made the look stand out even more and prevented the collection from being one-note in terms of color, unlike the other collections. Judges seemed unsure of the first look, which was called "a little weird" by one judge. While the look was nice for going to the office, some judges questioned whether it fit the theme or the other designs in the collection. The second look was called simple, elegant and marketable. The cut was interesting and accentuated the model nicely. However, some judges thought the construction could have been a little cleaner. Like collection 2, the third look was seen as the strongest look. The dress was chic and the carefully cut out pattern looked great at the top of the dress. The designer took a risk with this busy pattern, but it paid off thanks to the construction and shape.
Mom says:
1st piece: I don't like it. It looks unfinished, sloppy. I don't like what's wrapped around her neck; it looks like a piece of scrap wrapped around her neck.
2nd piece: Pretty
3rd piece: Pretty on top but not on the bottom. Not even.

The contestants nervously awaited their fate....

And the first eliminated contestant... coming in at THIRD place, was...

THIS PERSON!

Congrats on your long run contestant! You sent some decent looks down the runway and will receive your 3rd place prize shortly: sympathetic comments from Hotel Tuesday readers!

The final two contestants prepared themselves for the big news.

Malaria braced herself in case she was declared the loser....

Finally, after MONTHS of competition, the winner was declared as...

THIS PERSON!

And then!

AND SO....

The winner was sent their amazing 1st place prizes:
- a ~~used~~ BRAND NEW car
- money to start their own fashion line (aka a gift card to Jo-Ann Fabric & Crafts)

The winner, bathed in a celebratory glow, immediately enjoyed their prizes and drove off into their promising future.

And so the season is over! Congrats winner!!

Thanks so much to:
- My judges
- My readers who shared in the pain and joy (and patiently waited for me to finish the Fall '09 semester)
- Polt for being the mentor!
- And of course, my participants! You were all wonderful and far exceeded my expectations! I am so glad that each and every one of you decided to participate. The season wouldn't be the same without you!

Ink On A Pin

2010-01-14T11:31:00.002-05:00

I come from a pretty tattooed family. My mother has prox. a dozen tattoos and both of my sisters have like four or something.

And now my friends are starting to get tattooed as well. Stevenson, Steph, and Delisa were all tattooed prior to 2010.

And just a few days ago, Christie went to get her first tattoo.

All this tattoo talk makes me think, "Should I get one?" Of course, I can't do anything without getting approval from my readers! So, help me pick one out.

Obviously, my tattoo would be related to something I'm passionate about.

How about a tattoo that resembles my favorite singer?!?! Y'all know I love Britney and Mariah. How about one of these?

Or maybe James Brown?

Although I don't often discuss religion, I am a practicing Smuthzian so maybe I'll get a tat of Jesus Christ!

I also love video games. So maybe I'll get a tattoo of a classic video game character, like Ryu from Street Fighter, the Duck Hunt dog, or Mario and Luigi!

In order to make the tattoo look like the actual person, you have to find an amazing tattoo artist.

..............
So maybe I'll just stick with something easy and CLASSY, like simple writing!

That last dude had the right idea! He quoted the wonderful Goo Goo Dolls song, "Iris." If I do get a tattoo, I think I would get some lyrics scribbled somewhere on my emaciated frame.

I'd probably get something that Stevie Nicks wrote. How about?

Never have I been a blue calm sea / I have always been a storm

While I do love that quote (it's depressing, beautiful, and written by Stevie!), it is a little long. I was also thinking about the Leona Naess lyric:

So long, big love
It's short, simple, and depressing! Perfect. I would want the tattoo hidden kind of, so that only the one I marry will ever see it. I was thinking about maybe the thighish area. How's this look?

Even if I do get one, it won't be until I'm at least 30 years old or something, so I have a while. What do you say? Should I get one?! What kind? Do you have some?!?!

Gone, I Say

2010-01-10T19:05:00.002-05:00

Although I don't plan on ascending to heaven anytime soon, I am interested in the subject of death (meaning I love depressing poetry about death and am extremely scared of it!) and I do pay close attention to detail. So although I'm only 21, I've planned how I want my funeral to go.

I know, this entry might seem kind of morbid. But I asked my followers on Twitter whether I should blog about my funeral and got responses like "Yes! Please do!" and "I can't wait to attend!" So here it is.

First of all, and very importantly, I do NOT want a viewing.

I've had a lot of conversations about this with my friends, and some of them say, "But your family members won't be able to say goodbye unless they physically SEE your decomposing corpse!" And I'm not against open casket in general (as long as I look good!), so I can have an open casket funeral, but NO viewing! I don't need a bunch of people sitting in a room with my cold body for the whole night, just so they can pay attention to who is crying the hardest. Please, if you wanna see my body then look at the funeral, not at a special death party the night before!

Also, I don't need flowers. Sure they look nice, but what use are they really? They just shrivel up and die. So please save your money! Instead, you can purchase an approved CD (the list of approved CDs will be with Josh) and enjoy my favorite music in my memory!

So, my whole funeral is going to be outdoors. And I don't care if it's winter; suck it up! You think you're cold?! At least you can still feel!!

Now that we've taken care of those details, here's how the funeral service will go down.
It will start with Josh reading my favorite poem, "The Truth The Dead Know."

(And if Josh happens to die before I do, I'll read it as his funeral!)

This will be followed by the concert section of my funeral.

Katy Perry will perform "Thinking of You"

Then Kelly Clarkson will sing "Sober"

Then Stevie Nicks (who will already be dressed in black probably) will grab Lindsay and they will come and sing two songs, "Storms" and "Beautiful Child."

As an encore, all four of the performers will come out and sing a medley of Joni Mitchell's "Blue," Regina Spektor's "Samson," and "Didn't We Almost Have It All" by Whitney Houston.

Following the concert, the feature film Precious will be screened, in its entirety.

I know, this seems kind of long. But if you leave AT ANY POINT IN THE FUNERAL you will be considered really rude and everyone will throw stuff at you!

After Precious, attendees can finally leave. As they walk away, an orchestra (with a lot of strings!) will play sad music (occasionally mixing in some Britney or Ke$ha). The end!

Alright, so now whenever I die I have this record. My funeral better go exactly like this or I will haunt all of you!!

Entertain Me

2010-01-08T11:55:00.005-05:00

I feel bad doing entries that feature a random assortment of things rather than one, cohesive thought, but oh well.

So here's my life in entertainment at the moment:

Book: Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

I'm about 200 pages into Jeffrey Eugenides' Middlesex and loving it more and more each day! Eugenides is the writer of The Virgin Suicides, a book that I read in December '09. From reading TVS I knew that Eugenides is a fantastic writer, but like Mr. Keys, I thought the plot wasn't the strongest point in the book. It was good enough and I liked many of the plot elements (the overall plot of five sisters committing suicide within a year is interesting in itself), but I thought it was kind of thin. Well Middlesex contains the same great writing while having a much more fleshed-out storyline.

Like many of my favorite books, Middlesex takes place over a very long period of time. It tells the story of Calliope Stephanides, a hermaphrodite living in 1980s Michigan. In order to understand why Cal got those two recessive genes, she narrates the novel by sharing her family history, starting with her grandparents who lived in Greece in 1922. The novel then proceeds through three generations of the Stephanides family until we end with Cal's own story.

Plotwise, this book is completely different from TVS and I'm glad that Eugenides is talented enough to write such disparate novels that, for their own reasons, are both excellent.

Music: Animal by Ke$ha

Alright, I know... Ke$ha looks like she's going to vomit all the time or something, but her CD is ridiculously catchy! I still think "Tik Tok" features the stupidest lyrics of all time and I hate the way she talks on the track rather than sings, but the rest of the CD isn't like that.

Are the lyrics profound? No, but they're fun and often humorous. I've already started tweeting them and making them my Facebook statuses! Ke$ha refers to herself as a "lovesick crackhead," says she wants to "dance with no pants on (holla!)," and after telling some hombre that she loves him she asks him if he wants to have a slumber party in her basement. After a night of partying (at a rich dude's house) she wakes up in the front yard and can't find her coat; but she don't care cause she's young and broke. And after driving her friend's broke a*# around, that girl only ended up telling everyone the details of Ke$ha's sex life. Juicy!

Check out some of my favorite songs, like the fun opening track "Your Love Is My Drug" And if you're mad at one of your backstabbing friends, send "Backstabber" their way! Or, if some old man keeps hitting on you who is too old for you, you can text him some of the funny lyrics to Dinosaur." If you want to hear some of her more 'serious' songs, then check out "Hungover," "Blind" and "Dancing With Tears In My Eyes."

TV: Six Feet Under

Since I don't watch live television, I have to catch up on shows after they've gone off air. I'm currently watching Six Feet Under, a show I've been meaning to watch for a long time. I'm done with season 1 which I thought was pretty great!

The show follows the Fisher family after the death of family patriarch, Nathaniel Fisher Sr. The rest of the family manages the family funeral business, etc. The show won 9 Emmys and stuff, was called "one of the greatest television series of all time" (by 13 different sources!) and trust me, it's good.

But the best part is Ruth!!!!!

The show mainly follows siblings Nate, David and Claire. But their mother Ruth (played brilliantly by Frances Conroy) is by far my favorite character! She needs better taste in men, but otherwise she is perfect. I find her scenes to usually be the funniest and the most endearing. Ruth makes me laugh and breaks my heart all at once! I only got teary-eyed twice in season 1, and one time was because of Ruth (the other was for a minor character).

And I don't watch Jersey Shore but I thought this video was pretty funny.

"You look like my Mommy--uhh, my sister!" "An umbrella? Why, thank you!" Love it!

Video Games: Final Fantasy IV: The After Years

Final Fantasy IV: The After Years is a direct sequel to Final Fantasy IV, one of my favorite games in the series. It follows Ceodore.... wait.

You guys have no idea what I'm talking about.

Enjoy your weekend!

AND P.S.!!!! I hate spoilers, so if you ruin Middlesex or Six Feet Under for me I will never talk to you ever again and will lock my memories of you in an iron chest that I will drop into the deepest darkest depths of the ocean!!!! Thanks.