The (hypothetical) SITUATION

Do you ever have a day where you have an early morning doctor appointment so you'll be late to work? But you're committed to bringing your lunch so you pack your salad, yogurt (greek!), grapes, and avocados (so they don't get mushy in the salad!) in 2 small coolers (because the "large" one is only slightly medium). Then you get to work and your lunch is cold, but you've forgotten the salad dressing????!!!!!!

Spring Songs

Now that the weather is warmer, I want to hear different music than when it was cold and dreary. Here's what itunes sez are my big hits lately:

The Ramones: I Want You Around. Rob and I watched Rock 'n' Roll High School a few weeks ago and this one really stuck with me. Watch the video: it is so cute and weird!

Nite Jewel: Want You Back. The early-80s-science-reel sound that made me love Neon Indian so is also here with Nite Jewel. This song is so catchy and dark, but not in a Knife way (not that there's anything wrong with that...I am a Knife mega-fan).

Dum Dum Girls: Jail La La. Honestly, this whole album has been topping my charts lately. More lo-fi female vocals, which apparently I just love!

Four Tet: Circling. This one puts me in a trance while I jog. Crazy but true: I listen to it on repeat while I jog!

LL Cool J: Paradise. Don't know how to sell this to you, I just like it! LL saying "Paradise is very nice" is usually stuck in my head,

just like most LL Cool J songs I love because of the way he says something (almost all of "I'm That Type of Guy" being another great example). This is the kind of song where you uncover something new with each listen--just this morning, I figured out what LL means by "touch it why don't ya/touch it why don't ya"...but I'll let you discover these things for yourself.

What springy music are you really into these days?

Not to detract from Haiti relief, but I gotta talk about Twitter.

Let me level with you folks. I joined Twitter maybe a week ago and it's been rough going. That stuff is great for making fun of celebrities and being the "first" to know about viral videos, but as far as real-people go, it's horrible. Probably because none (1% ?) of the real people in my life are on it, so it's nowhere near as compelling/entertaining/wtf-ing as facebook. So this is me saying: are you on Twitter? Should I even bother?

The reason I think I should bother is because it's a big deal in my department. Twitter this, crowdsourcing that...honestly people, I think it's here to stay. If not in this version, then the next, but it's coming for us. If you're a heretofore anonymous reader and you follow me, I won't reveal your identity. And it won't be weird! Twitter isn't weird, right?!???

So what do you say? Surf into the future on the Twitter wave with me?

This is a Good Organization

Hey dudes, we all know what's been happening this week in Haiti. Here is a reputable and trustworthy organization--and I have firsthand props from a friend who worked with them--if you feel like you want to donate.

And it's not affiliated with a religious or political group. Sorta like Doctors Without Borders, another excellent organization!

Partners in Health

Safety first!

Here is a public service announcement (PSA for short) from me to you: look out for bikes and scooters on the road!!

This morning, I was scootin' along, obeying all the safety rules, when a stoplight turned green--nobody had a left turn arrow--and I scooted across the intersection and 2 separate cars tried to turn left onto me. The first one was an over-hasty minivan (I thought), and after I yelled at her I continued on my path...but the car behind her was already turning left, too! And he slammed on his brakes, stopping short about 3 feet from my left thigh. I yelled at him a little bit and he kept looking up at the light behind me, hoping for a green arrow to magically appear. I'd actually hoped I was in the wrong, so that this situation would be easily avoided next time (that I was in control and could fix it), but no. I was right. Which is scary.

WHAT THE HECK PEOPLE. Look ahead for smaller vehicles. Don't accidentally kill someone just because it's too much trouble to look around!

Things that Make You Go Hmmmm

Why do the best NPR stories come on right as I'm about to get out of my car?

How can Jay Leno suck so much? 1 minute of his "new" "late night" "talk show" last night was way too much for me. Also, I'm going to say it - he's gained a lot of weight. As if his chin couldn't get any bigger! I know it's mean, but srsly - how much of an ego does the guy have to have to come back to television after a 3 month absence with the exact same show and think we will like it?




Juan Martin del Potro is continuing the tradition of the hot tennis player...but check out his old Dan Cortese-y style locks!

Philadelphia is closing its public libraries!

This is the most fucked up thing ever!

http://libwww.freelibrary.org/closing/

I don't know about you or the people of Philadelphia or the people of America in general, but I certainly wouldn't mind paying a little more in taxes!!!! This is what happens when you insist on tax cuts in tough years, fools. We all lose. Congratulations.

UPDATE:

This is from an interesting comment on Consumerist about it. A different side of the story and still fucked up! Let's get it together, people!

What's happening is that city leaders are making a highly-visible yet token "cut" that's designed to annoy people and convince them that higher taxes are acceptable. Once people accede to this manipulation — which is really no better than an extortion scheme — these conniving officials are relieved of the obligation to do what they ought to have done in the first place: make the serious and genuine kinds of budget cuts that would actually make a difference ... such as cutting waste and graft, and paring the size of government down to something which is both manageable and affordable. They squander money in ways you would not believe — and they do it all the time, under the illusion that it's the best way to operate.

Example 1: The Connecticut DOT could not be bothered actually managing a construction project, so they contracted out that task to a well-connected company. Only that company, which was paid millions to supervise it, did absolutely nothing. The work done was poor and had to be redone. In order to avoid paying to redo it, the construction company liquidated itself, its owners reconstituted as another firm, and proceeded to lobby for more state business. CT DOT officials — who obviously had no problem with this situation — were ready to award them more work, when the story was reported and the state A.G. had to step in. The re-work took another 2 years and a great deal more money, only some of which has been recovered.

Example 2: New York City public schools are famously home to what are called "rubber rooms." These are places in which tenured but incompetent teachers are allowed to sit and do nothing all day, yet earn their salaries for having done nothing. You see, they cannot be fired, no matter how bad they are; since they are by contract "entitled" to work, this is the only way to keep them from hurting kids' education or harming them.

Both of these examples, and more, are basically ways in which money is sucked out of the public coffers, for no good purpose ... and which are actually, actively defended by some officials, who consider these to be good ideas.

It's not just Philadelphia that uses this scheme of token, annoying, noticeable cuts to entice taxpayers into paying more ... governments at ALL levels (municipalities, counties, regional authorities, and states) across the country do it. It's an old trick, but curiously, it seems to work more often than not, and most people are blissfully unaware they're being "played." The cold hard fact is that government officials profit too much from bloated government and artificially-high budgets, for them to slice them down to size.

Coffee shop review!

I'm new in town and I don't know very much, and so on my walk home from class today I stopped in at Jessee's. This place never looks crowded, but I walk/ride by it often and I was curious. I also didn't want to go to Open Eye (I am increasingly not really into Open Eye).

This place is really nice and clean and well lit with a breezy feel, and most notably of all it has a 99 sanitation grade. Which is crazy for Chapel Hill/Carrboro! (side note: can anyone tell me what the deal is with all the ~90 grades around here?? it's UNCANNY and sort of weirds me out how pretty much every restaurant has an identical grade) The point is that they "get it," and they're eager to please. The staff was really friendly, as part of that; they were also competent. My mushroom-and-garlic quiche was delivered with a little green salad, which was nice, and the coffee is real good too.

I like this place and I want it to succeed, so I'll give it a 9.0!

Super Happy Today Because

1) it's the last Friday of work!

2) internship interview next week!

3) new computer arrived this morning!!!!!!!!!!!

Forever Your Girl

I read this article about Paula Abdul's attempt to get some money out of the American Idol cash cow. She would only stay if her salary $20 million a year, but then she dropped it down to $12 million. No word yet on a deal being made or if her asking price will drop even further.

Obviously both are ridiculous asking prices for today...BUT it's American Idol and I have a soft spot for Paula. She was the most lucid judge up there last season. INCREDIBLY this is true. Randy's too busy...well Randy was too busy not watching the stage that was 2 feet in front of him to give a decent comment or criticism of a performance, while Simon was too busy trying to sabotage Idol with a win for Danny Gokey. Why?? I have no idea! As argued on a Drugstore Diary message board, I was not a fan of Danny Gokey.

Which brings me to Paula. Yes, at different seasons she seems to be more "out of it" then usual, but last season she really shined as the voice of reason and one that was really aware of what the performers were going for. She may not be the most articulate judge out there (although that could also be argued in her favor - Randy has yet to drop "dawg", "for me, for you", and "that was hot!"), but I think they should give her what she wants. A season without Paula would mean that Simon & Seacrest win.

What?

Since when did "Cheyenne" from Reba get promoted to Gossip Girl? And as Nate's love interest?

The People Have Spoken

...and they are not really into Roseanne!! This was a shocker to me, because I thought everyone was going to vote against Married With Children, but wow. So now it's down to two. What's going to happen next????

Found by someone in Spokane, WA

I just can't bring myself to link to Street Boners (sorry I'm just so ashamed of my like for Gavin McInnes and his post-Vice site is disgusting but I sort of like it ok I love it).

F you Lady Gaga

I heard a good song last night and was looking it up to hear at work. I found it here:

Boys - Sabrina

Search results also turned up "Boys Boys Boys," another piece of crap by Lady Gaga. I always knew I disliked her because of her obnoxious style, but I wanted to be sure, so I gave it a listen. BLECHH!

The only good part of "Boys Boys Boys" is the bridge, and even then I'm making a concession. Why does all music sound the same right now? If I didn't know this was Lady Gaga, I'd think it was Xtina or Pussycat Dolls or Bratz or whoever else is on the radio all the time. Maybe the horrible songwriting distinguishes it from those guys, because Lady Gaga is actually trying but still fails. "Let's go see the Killers and make out in the bleachers" is my favorite line from the song because it sums up so much about how she sucks. Who knew I'd be yearning for the days when Amy Winehouse was my biggest complaint?

Here's another thing, and maybe this explains my Winehouse problem too: I'm suspicious of any "musician" who needs to do something nutty with their appearance to gain fame. Obviously! KISS, Amy Winehouse, Lady Gaga: what do they all have in common besides their looks? Their lack of talent. Yes, I get that they are also performers, and yes, I get that they need to sell tickets. That doesn't mean they're talented musicians though, and it's just not for me personally. It is also very annoying how ubiquitous these people become, now and as they age into "legend" status.

Anyway, focus on Sabrina's song. The chorus is soooooo catchy.

More Heinous than the Oscars

Apparently, judges have been sending kids to detention centers in exchange for kickbacks.
This pisses me off bad. How completely morally bankrupt do you have to be to send kids to fucking detention centers and bootcamps just to make some money? I have a hard time believing that this is the only sick thing that people like that would do. I mean, how do you stop there? How many extra more or less fucked up shit could you do in a position of power like that? Shit, with an ever more privatized prison system, who's to say that judges don't do this with other people. Maybe this helps explain why the US has the largest prisoner population in the world.


It's not just the judges. Once you get put in jail, the sheriff will turn you empty stomach into his own personal cash cow.

Fuck the system and fuck the judges that profit off a teenager's childhood.

WInnie's boyfriend is a hipster (period.)

So I've always asserted that winnie's boyfriend is a hipster, but she and he are vehement in their denial. Alright, right, but so I'm on the phone with winnie just a second ago and she's talking about what she and her bf are doing for valentines day. And she says that he bought her "Tim and Eric show DVDs" And they're watching them on the couch together. Maybe they'll smoke a couple American Spirits between episodes and drink PBR. GAHH!

Also, has anyone seen my Lost DVDs?

¿Black History Month?

Why haven't I heard anything about Black History Month this year?

Is it because I'm not in elementary school anymore?

Or is it because racism is over now that Barack Obama is president?

It concerns me that maybe America got all its Black History out of its system last month, but maybe I'm speaking too soon; maybe I just don't have my finger on the pulse anymore.

The idea of [Minority Group] History Months really bothers me, anyway. Obviously the solution would be to integrate every person's history to the main school-taught version, and why haven't we done that? It's not revisionist to include Matthew Henson's North Pole exploration with (not even instead of! like I said, not revisionist) Robert Peary's, and maybe throw in the fact that technically Henson touched it first. For that matter, it also wouldn't be revisionist to include how rape wasn't even a crime until recently and women just had to deal with it (and raise the resulting babies). It's also messed up how I didn't learn about Japanese internment camps during the war until I read about it in a freaking novel in college. I felt similarly shortchanged when I had to take an African-American Studies course just to find out what the deal was with lynching and that it was so horrible it's shocking I didn't know anything about it until then.

Maybe I wasn't paying attention in middle/high school history classes (unlikely) or maybe textbook manufacturers aren't paying attention to what's important--and that maybe what's important could make some parents in focus groups uncomfortable. Should history make you uncomfortable? Yes. Should history also make you proud? Not until recently.