Category: the catch-all-egory

damn you itunes!!!

Yesterday, iTunes decided that it would delete ALL of my playlists.

ALL of them.

So, last night, I took a good 4 hours to back up over 16gb of music, and to remake every one of my playlists. It took forever. Sometimes, computer programs really have a mind of their own; I just hope that it doesn’t decide that it doesn’t want my playlists again, or I might find another program to use for managing my music.

Sort it out, iTunes!

eye lashes, mobile phones, and mood swings

Eye lashes. They are supposed to keep stuff OUT of your eye. So, why is it, that I am so often pulling out my eye lashes to keep THEM from going in my eye?? Seriously, I have been complimented numerous times on my lovely long eye lashes, and I am here to say, TAKE THEM! I don’t want them anymore. I have had to deal with eye lashes in my eyes for my whole life, and I am tired of it.

Mobile Phones. HANG UP AND DRIVE has become more than just a motto of mine lately; 9 out of every 10 times I am cut off, almost ran off of the road, almost rear-ended, or that I witness blatant fuckery of someone in a car, they are on a mobile phone. I think that it should be outlawed that you can talk and drive; because it is clear that these people actually CANNOT talk and drive. If you need to talk on your phone, pull over. Have a quick little, “let me call you back when I get home” conversation, and then focus on driving. I don’t want to have to deal with your stupid-bad-driving ass anymore, okay? I think they should make it legal to pull these people over ourselves and beat them up if they are caught driving under the influence of mobile phones. That would certainly “curb” the behavior, now wouldn’t it.

Mood swings. I have been having mood swings so weirdly, lately. Seriously, I know I am depressed, but Jesus, this up and down is nonsense. Take today, I am feeling pretty good today, despite having a shitty past 2 weeks. Some of those days were “okay”, but there were some pretty low ones in there too. Nothing was really “great”, but today is feeling pretty good. Maybe it’s because of the pending time off? Who knows, I just hope that this swing stays on the up and up; for a change.

pondering “thanks-giving”

So this week is Thanksgiving here in America; and simply, the third week in November everywhere else. This year, for probably the first time ever, we aren’t going anywhere for Thanksgiving. Originally, we were asked to go to a friend’s house for the “festivities”, but a new job has put them working on this fake holiday. So, we are without plans, other than the typical, “get drunk and think about X”. While a part of me is relieved that I don’t have to worry about all of that food, and the typical turkey-induced coma that comes post feast, another part of me is left pondering the very existence of this “holiday”.

What are we really giving thanks for? Things are pretty shitty right now for the economy, we aren’t doing well with international relations, and we, as a nation, continue to marginalize ourselves; both from the rest of the world, as well as our “unwashed masses”. I guess we could give thanks for being able to eat, breathe, live, etc… but it really makes me think about how far away from the sense of “survival”, and the meaning of Thanksgiving in the first place. Are we really thankful for what we have anymore?

I hope that everyone does have a great couple of days off, and that you all enjoy your T-day festivities. This is in no way, meant to be a downer post… it is more of a reflective/duane-thinking-too-much-about-everything-in-the-world post if anything.

In other news… I have been playing Super Mario Galaxy, and it may be the #1 reason to get a Wii… it’s fantastic. I also got my “Christmas” presents yesterday; a bright and shiny new Nintendo DS with a couple of games. I am sure that James will hook me up with a couple more “little” things closer to the actual “holiday”, but this is pretty much my big ticket item. I am going to get his stuff probably this week too… there’s no need to wait when he will be out of town on the actual day, now is there? Perhaps the fact that I am becoming a Nintendo fanboy is reason enough to be thankful this week, eh?

give yourself over to absolute pleasure

That’s exactly what we did last night…

Last night, in celebration of all things ghoulish and devilish for Halloween, we had our somewhat traditional viewing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. After immensely enjoying the film yet again, I have to say, I don’t know why I don’t watch that movie more often; it is brilliant! What a delightful campy classic, that not only takes you to the edge, it kicks you over! I also never realized how hyper-homosexual it is…

I have to say, though, without Tim Curry, the movie would be nothing; as Dr. Frank-N-Furter, he is completely amazing. He definitely has me shivering with antici…. pation. What I would give to have seen them perform it live… I bet that was a sight to behold.

Other than that, we just relaxed, played some GHIII and Super Smash Bros. Melee, and handed out candy to the very few that ventured out. Out of the handful of groups that we got, only one group of kids were actually dressed up. One group were even well over the age that one should be for trick or treating, however, they still got candy. James and I have learned that it is paramount to be at home and to be giving on this night, as we have had our cars egged in years past because our lights were off. Luckily, this year, we were not a target.

Another Halloween on the books without incident. Now that’s a good thing. I have never been a big fan of the “holiday”, so I doubt you will hear about me dressing up and having a great Halloween, but more power to those that enjoy that sort of thing. I hope everyone had a great night; I know I did!

How did you celebrate your Halloween?

(image of the delicious Frank-N-Furter is not mine… it’s from the internets)

it’s that time of year…

…Where the weather starts to FINALLY cool off. It’s also that time of year where there tends to be a surge of music releases, usually from the heavy hitters; which I always look forward to.

Just recently, we have had great releases from Melissa Etheridge, Annie Lennox, The Pipettes, the Sugababes, Radiohead, among others. I am also certain that there are tons of other great releases out there that I am still waiting to discover; whether they were recent releases or not.

I am also riding high, because just this week, one of my favorite artists from the other side of the world (Australia) released her amazing 3rd album: Delta. I seriously don’t know how Delta Goodrem isn’t huge here, because she is amazing, and given her new album, it is a shame that more people don’t know about this talented singer. I am just glad that I was introduced to her a while back by my buddy Stu… Her new CD is on steady repeat for me right now. Seriously, it is wonderful. She will be featured this week on five song friday, so stay tuned for an introduction to the amazing Delta Goodrem!

There is also so much to look forward to as the rest of year marches on… Not surprisingly, the next release most on the “radar” for me, is Britney’s new CD, which drops Tuesday. While I know there are plenty of people wanting this CD to fail miserably, I have to say, I have heard most of the tracks from the new CD, and, well, I am completely blown away. Britney has done what she needed to do with her music; regardless of what is going on with her life. I for one will be getting it right away, because from what I have heard, it is one of the best pop CDs of the year; and definitely of her career. This new release blows her last CD out of the water. If you like pop music as much as I do, I highly suggest you give it a whirl. If she isn’t your style, then you probably won’t become a fan because of her new stuff… but if she is, you will probably really like what you hear.

Other than that, there are new releases coming from Westlife, Shayne Ward, potentially Girls Aloud, Alicia Keyes, and many others I am sure that I don’t know about yet… But what are you most looking forward to? There have been some amazing releases this year, as evidenced by the growing list of favorites I have, which you can see on my ongoing favorites list page here. I swear, I fell so far out of music just a year or so ago, and coming back in and discovering so much great music to listen to has been amazing. I love exploring new music and new artists, and look forward to the next few months on that life long journey. There really isn’t much in life like experiencing an amazing song, or album. It really is a feeling that can’t be described.

Also, I didn’t really say anything on the main blog, but I have “sort of” gotten into last.fm. I added a link to my profile on the “more than just a blog” link list, so feel free to go and add me as a friend (or just click here). I have to say, that currently, it doesn’t really represent what I really listen to, so I hope that with time, and with some more “scrobbling”, it will eventually get more in tune with what I am listening to. Either way, another neat web app to play around with, right?

Let me know what you are listening to, and what I should be checking out…. I am always looking for the next music selection!!!

Finally, I am also SUPER EXCITED about the release of Guitar Hero III on Monday. I think that I am going to take the day off and shred all afternoon… I LOVE Guitar Hero, and I can’t wait to get my hands on these new songs. I am also excited to get to play it on the Wii! If you are into GH, we should totally get together and jam!

end of days?

Seriously though… with fire taking it’s toll on the west coast, and drought taking it’s toll here; things are getting eerily like the end of days…

My thoughts are with all those in the west that are being affected by these fires; I hope that the situation is under control soon. Just looking at this map makes me scared. I hope that everyone gets to safety, and that their homes are okay.

As for our drought situation here, it is really good that it is finally raining. We went up to the lake this weekend, and the last public boat dock for Lake Lanier even had two out of the three lanes shut down. I have to say, I wonder why there isn’t more planning and action taken into account when things like water are threatened for a major area, like Atlanta. I mean, it isn’t like we can actually do without water; and I am not talking about watering lawns and stuff. It really makes you realize how lucky we have it to live in a country that takes things like water for granted… that is, until the real threat of it going away is on the horizon!

I hope we can get this situation under control soon… and that gregarious misuse is punished appropriately!!! Thomas hooks us up with the numbers to call if you see water misuse; we need to save in every way we can, right?

Here’s hoping that we can get all of these crazy “end of days” type situations under control soon!

omigod, omigod you guys…

This weekend, we were lucky enough to get the chance to see one of the currently playing Broadway shows; Legally Blonde: The Musical… and we didn’t even have to go to New York to see it! MTV aired the entire show on Saturday, and I have to say, it was awesome.

Not only was the musical totally cheesy, campy, silly, and fun, but it was awesome to have the opportunity to see a show that one might not otherwise be able to see (i.e., lack of access to NYC, lack of funds to pay for expensive tickets, etc). I am a big fan of musicals (of the ones that I have seen, that is), and having seen a couple on Broadway, trust me, I get the importance of the quality and presence of the show. However, I always leave the show wishing that it were a movie, or wishing that there was a recording of the show (not just the cast recording), because, of the ones I’ve seen, I enjoyed them so much that I would like to be able to see them again. I have never understood how a show that has such a high budget for production, and rakes in so much money ($100 a seat per night for most new shows), wouldn’t want to to capitalize even more, and bring the show to the masses… especially considering that some Broadway shows barely make back the upfront costs of production!

Sure, they do tours, and have touring casts for certain shows, but those just aren’t the same (trust me, I saw Wicked on Broadway, and I saw it again when it came to Atlanta… TOTALLY different show). Also, you have to be in one of those select cities to get to see the show, which again, plays into that whole concept of access. I just wish that some of the great shows could be recorded like Legally Blonde was this weekend; I can bet that it would make the show way more popular in the long run. I am, however, really glad that a lot of musicals have been adapted into feature length films recently; and super happy that the trend doesn’t seem to be slowing. There have been some EXCELLENT films come out over the past few years, and I hope upon hope that some of my favorites (ahem, Wicked), will follow the same path.

Overall, I loved the concept that MTV had, and I really enjoyed the show. James and I are talking about going to NYC over Christmas (James has family in NJ), and I know that I would REALLY like to see Legally Blonde now that I know what to expect. I personally hope that MTV decides to put the show that they aired on DVD, because I would totally be in line to buy my copy (hint hint, MTV!!).

Other than watching the show with friends, the weekend was pretty relaxing and nice. As I mentioned yesterday, James and I celebrated four years and one month last night, by ordering in some pizza, and just enjoying each other’s company. I am not big on flashy plans and expensive restaurants, personally… I am all about the simple things. (Like musicals on DVD!) I hope that everyone is at least adjusting to the start of a new week… I am personally avoiding the fact that I have an anatomy test this week… grrrr.

spring cleaning and thrifting

Today I went through my closet, and pulled out what amounted to be two huge stacks of clothing that I can’t wear anymore. I am debating on selling some of it on ebay, because most of it is in practically new condition; and a lot of it cost me quite a pretty penny. I haven’t ever sold anything on ebay before, but I think that this would be a good place to get started. Too many designer jeans to just drop them off in a goodwill bin, you know?

Also, after cleaning out my drawers of the clothes that no longer fit, I decided it was way past time to go and get some more “lounge around” shirts. I don’t have many that fit anymore, because I outgrew all of my old thrift store finds, so I thought I would head down to the Value Village for a rummaging.

What’s funny, is that James has never been thrifting. I couldn’t believe that, because practically ALL of my clothes in high school came from thrift stores; I was one of those kids that wore the corduroy jeans and old school velor tops. I had so much vintage clothing; which is crazy, because I don’t have any of it now. I just found it strange that James had never been to a thrift store, when they had been such a staple of past wardrobe procurement processes.

I also realized that I hadn’t been thrifting in YEARS. I have missed it. I had a great time looking through the shirts, and I ended up getting about 12 of them… the best and worst thing about the thrift store, is that there is a bunch of good stuff, but there is twice as much shit that you have to rummage through. Either way, I got some new shirts to lounge around in, and I am happy about that…

Other than that, we are just trying to relax this afternoon… there is a lot more spring cleaning to be done, but I think that I have done enough for one day.