Month: March 2007

all about me, blog on blog, concerts, flickr, listen up!, mixed media, music musings, photography

Lily Allen @ the Loft 3/19/07

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First of all, before I get to the frivolity of gushing over the pure pop deliciousness that is Lily Allen, and go on and on about how wonderful her concert last night was, I feel the need to address the petty drivel that continues to go on about the expressing of opinions, both by me, of me, and of others. AGAIN, for like the billionth time I have said this, I am going to say whatever I want, and if you want to disagree with me, cool! I welcome your opinions! If you want to blog about it on your blog, awesome!! I say go for it! But, if you are going to be sneaky, and blog about it on your blog, especially if you are going to do so by taking my words out of context and developing an opinion of me without addressing me, then you are going the coward’s route by talking about me behind my back. Just because the internet is a “public forum” doesn’t mean that talking shit about someone on your blog without their knowledge isn’t talking about them behind their back. If you want to do that, AGAIN, I am 100% fine with whatever you want to say or think about me, I have tough skin, and trust me, there is little you can do to hurt me. But just know that you are a ball-less coward, because if you really had the stones, you would just address me on here, where we could probably actually discuss it. But again, that’s your choice; just don’t accuse me of “preventing you from saying what you want”, because AGAIN, that is completely inaccurate. Jesus I am sick of talking about this shit, it is really frustrating talking to people who don’t listen.

Lily Allen 3/19/07 AtlantaAlright… Now on to Lily Allen!!! Last night, we went to the Loft (which I don’t know if they have changed the name to Center Stage again or not, it was actually a bit confusing) to see Lily Allen, and I have to say, she was bloody marvelous. I was a little nervous, mainly because I have never seen her live before, and I usually like to get an idea of what someone sings like live before I head out to a show, but Lily was fantastic. I absolutely loved her stage presence; she swears, she takes shots, she smokes, and she tells it like it is. I went into the show really liking her, and left loving her.

One of the things I love about concerts, is when the artist gives little quips about the songs that he/she/they are about to perform. Giving some story or some little anecdotal bits about the songs make them more meaningful, and sometimes, even clarify what the song actually means for me. Lily did that wonderfully, talking about the boyfriend who had a little penis and who didn’t know how to use it (“it’s the motion in the ocean, right ladies?” she asked, “not!” she quickly replied), and getting even with the girl that gave her shit in school (“this song’s about a girl that was like that bitch from Mean Girls.” she said, “I wonder what she is doing now… I’m playing to thousands of people in the ATL! HA!”). Overall, I loved Lily’s voice, and her singing is spot on. Add in the comedic quips, and you have a very entertaining show. I highly recommend that you pick up her CD if you are still living under a rock and haven’t heard of her. I also recommend that you kick yourself for not going last night, and try to catch her next time she is in town. This broad is great!

Something funny and weird happened at the show that was too interesting not to blog about. Basically, the Loft is standing room only, save for chairs that stadium up the back and sides of the main floor. Most of the people opted to stand, because being a small venue, you actually can get quite close. We were standing towards to side, and were by no means crowded or uncomfortable, but we still managed to get pushed enough to be annoyed. Finally, one girl aggressively pushes my friend Stu, and I was like, “Geez, why not just push him down! You could at least say, Excuse me.”, to her, loud enough that I knew she heard it. She immediately turns around, taps me on the shoulder, and seriously said, “Look, my father has cancer. We are going out tonight drinking because I am upset about it. I’m sorry, but I am being a bitch tonight.”, and then stormed off. Seriously. Her dad has cancer, so she gets to push her way around a concert like a bitch. Um, whatever sister. Dad + cancer does not = a free ride without manners in life. Think of some other excuse, or just be more polite in the future. Even her friend said, “Did you really just say that?”. Um, yeah. Other than miss prissy pants, the night went off without a hitch. The concert volume wasn’t too loud (which I HATE when it is), we met some friends at the show, and the concert ended early enough for me to get home and be in bed at a reasonable time. What a great night, eh!? I have put some pictures I took at the show up on my flickr page; be sure to check them out!

hmm interesting, listen up!, mixed media

buried at sea: forgotten munitions

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James and I watched this very fascinating documentary this weekend called Buried At Sea (sorta half ass link), in which they went around looking for the sites where munitions were dumped in the world’s oceans after World War I and World War II. What they found, was little to no accountability in most cases, and surprisingly, many more sites than were expected; many of which are not very far off the shores of the US, the UK, and so on. Basically, what happened, was after the wars, in which everyone had stockpiled chemical weapons, like mustard gas, the massive stockpiles of those weapons were taken out to sea and simply dumped. And, which is even more interesting, is that they didn’t really keep track of where they were dumped, and they don’t even monitor them or anything.

Now, I know what you are thinking, “why should I care?”, but what I find fascinating about this, is that for one thing, the dumping was done with absolutely no regard for the future. Millions and millions of tons of deadly chemical weapons and bombs are, in many cases, just a mile or so off of the coastlines of almost every continent on the planet. When they dumped these weapons, they didn’t consider the fact that the shells containing the chemical weapons wouldn’t last forever. It is therefore, conceivable, that these chemicals are going to leech out into the environment. I checked a CDC fact sheet about mustard gas, just to get a clearer picture about it, and it doesn’t mention anything particular about mustard gas in the ocean. What I find even more interesting about these massive stockpiles of WMDs in the ocean, is that mustard gas was the very WMD that Bush claimed Saddam Hussein had, and was going to use in Iraq. It was the reason used to justify us going to war with Iraq, and low and behold, there are millions of tons of it just off the coast! Yikes!

I just hope that no one goes down there and gets these WMDs that we KNOW exist. I find it interesting that we went to war with someone because we THOUGHT someone had these very same WMDs, and here they are, all over the world under the water. Weird, huh? Also, it is interesting that often times, these weapons wash up on the shore, and still, nothing is being done about it. One of the sites was off the coast of Savannah, so if you are at the beach, be wary of WMDs being possibly too close for comfort.

A final side note: If you don’t agree with me, or want to discuss your opinion with me, then do it here, that’s why comments are enabled. Don’t be a coward and blab about it on your blog behind my back. It’s time to grow a pair; I can take criticism and differing opinions, and even welcome them. You can do or say whatever you want with your own blog, but it just makes you look like a coward if you constantly talk shit about people behind their backs.

civil rights, is it just me?, politics, venting

who decides what’s moral and what’s not?

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Well, first it was a general, and now, we have a presidential candidate throwing around his “moral clout” saying that homosexual acts are immoral. Basically, he feels being homosexual is fine, just not the acts that come along with it. (link)

What puzzles me is, who are these people that gives them the right or stature to be the deciders of what is immoral? Obviously, homosexuality is a polarizer in this country, but I don’t think that either of these men have the place, or frankly the right, to decide that homosexual acts are immoral. Immoral for themselves, fine I’ll give them that, but not immoral period, end of story. Sorry, that just doesn’t work, especially when you are basing your beliefs on religion, and this country is not supposed to be governed by religion. (I know you are going to play the free speech card, but that is baloney, especially when he is deciding a particular lifestyle is wrong, and will do his best to enact legislation to prevent it from happening, or to punish those that live that way.)

I also love how people attempt to use that “hate the sin but not the sinner” shit. Basically, if you say that you are fine with homosexuality, but are against homosexual “acts”, then I hate to break it to you, but you are against homosexuality, because without the “acts”, you aren’t much of a homosexual. If you don’t agree with it, that’s fine by me, but shut the fuck up about it already, and keep that to yourself, I’m tired of hearing it. I completely echo and applaud Barack Obama for what he said, because that is part of the point I am trying to make here:

Obama issued a statement on Thursday, saying, “I do not agree with General Pace that homosexuality is immoral. Attempts to divide people like this have consumed too much of our politics over the past six years.”

This issue is to often used to fuel people to vote one way or another, and it is just time to get over it. What we do in our bedrooms is none of your business, and it certainly shouldn’t be something that a presidential candidate is focused on. There are far too many other more important issues that need our time and focus. Now, this does not mean that I think that it is appropriate to parallel this suggestion (that we quit the finger pointing and deciding what is “right” or “wrong”) with ignoring the rights of gays and lesbians altogether, and preventing the same civil liberties that are granted to every other citizen of this country. The main reason being that gay marriage isn’t a gay or lesbian issue, it is an equal civil rights issue. Nothing less, nothing more.

What scares me with regards to people like general Pace spouting off his two cents, is that the gay people that do chose to serve in the military are not ones that can just ignore this as “just another person saying homosexuality is wrong”. In fact, when people like Pace take this stance on things like this, it puts every one of the 60,000 gay and lesbians serving in the military in danger. I personally have no problem saying fuck off to a government that doesn’t want me to serve, but those that do don’t deserve to be placed in additional danger because of who they are. Don’t ask don’t tell is just another way in which oppression is used to turn your head and look the other way when people are persecuted and harmed because of ignorance. It just isn’t right. And people like this just make it worse.

I am just sick and tired of having the fact that I like to fuck a man being used to justify what’s wrong with the world, and that there is something so different about me that I don’t deserve to be an equal citizen of the country. I say, that if you want to deny me because of who I am, then every single one of us that are gay/lesbian/transgendered/bi-sexual/etc should secede from this fucking country and get the hell out. If we are really that unwanted and that unsavory, perhaps that is what should happen, because there will always be fuckwits like these two that want us gone. I know that this isn’t realistic, and that I am not going anywhere, but it is something that definitely crosses my mind from time to time. I know that you can’t argue logic to someone who thinks illogically… and that is what these two, and those that are like them are doing, thinking and speaking without logic. As such, it makes me want to just pack up and move, but since that isn’t an option, and someone needs to speak on our behalf, here’s a big shut the fuck up from someone who does think logically, since me trying to convince you that you are wrong won’t work. You don’t have to place to decide whether homosexual acts are moral or immoral, so get off of this issue already. Focus on protecting our country, our civil rights, and our citizens. There are much more important things to focus on, and it makes me wonder why these men spend so much time focusing on homosexual acts in the first place. I don’t even think that much about man on man sex!

blog on blog, music musings, show the love, the catch-all-egory

beware the ides of march!

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Today is the day that Julius Caesar was famously murdered by his friends and fellow senate members way back in 44BC. Lesson? Pay attention when someone disagrees with you, they may stab you in the back to get their way. (But they got theirs in the end) Either way, I remember when I was in high school, our Latin teacher had us wear togas to school on this day; I never did, but always wanted to. Maybe I will wear one tonight in remembrance of Caesar…

Last night was the monthly APWBWGTTD meet up, and there were two new faces at the table: Richard (not Robert!), and Leah, both of which were nice to meet in person. Among other things, it the potential of moving the event to another night was discussed, perhaps Thursdays; mostly because there are SEVERAL groups that meet at Manuel’s on Wednesdays. Any other suggestions? I really like meeting at Manuel’s, so I think that one day later (Thursday’s) would be fine with me. Also, let it be known that the person that wanted the meetings on Wednesday has not been to a single one since we started having them on Wednesdays (where oh where are you?!). I’m just saying. Either way, last night was a lot of fun, and I managed to break a bottle of hot sauce on my way out of the restaurant. Classy. Thanks to Barry for making the napkin happen, and even more for posting it online. I am curious now though… I want to at least see what this cone is all about in person; without needing to “interact” with it. Also, it is agreed that Firefox is much better than IE, so stop using it if you are still holding out. I will send out an evite for next months meet up when I get your thoughts about the day, okay? (UPDATE: Leah provided me with a picture of the saucetastrophy (above), so I had to include it. Such sauce carnage… sigh)

Also, I turned on my ipod today, and put it on shuffle, only to hear a song that totally takes me back. I love when there are songs that can do that, put you right back where you were when you first heard it, or when you discovered it and started listening to it over and over. There aren’t many albums that do that to me anymore, but Siamese Dream by Smashing Pumpkins will always be one of those albums. Just in case you wanted to know, the song was Hummer. God I love that record. Anyways…

I’m just doing too much thinking today, and will save you from it, but just know that my brain is full. Difficult to concentrate pretty much sums it up. Hope that everyone else is having a great day; I’m also plagued with a crick in my neck because I apparently fell asleep (according to James) with my head hanging off of the couch. Sweet. I mean, OW!

all about me, hotness, listen up!, mixed media, music musings, near and dear, politics, the catch-all-egory, venting

the wednesday run-down

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Today, there are 5 distinct thoughts running through my head, so I thought I would give you a run down. In summation, here it is: 1) come on Dems!, 2) get this CD NOW, 3) examining relationships, 4) buying too much stuff?, and finally 5) comments on TV things. Let’s get started, but let’s keep it brief.

First of all, most people don’t think that I am critical (enough) of the Democrats actions. They are wrong. This is just great; now we can EXPECT an attack on Iran. Why were these guidelines abandoned? This just seems to keep getting worse and worse; if we don’t at least put caps and regulations on things, then things will continue to go in the same direction, and there will be NO changes. That can’t be allowed to happen! We need to send a message, that is LOUD and CLEAR to the president; no more occupation! No more war! Things just seem to be idling along, while real action needs to be taken. This is seriously disappointing, to say the least. UGH. We need some people that will take real action, fast.

In lighter fare, I am proud to announce the American release of a GREAT UK artist’s sophomore disc, entitled Back to Black. It is none other than the fantastical Amy Winehouse, and you must do yourself a favor and buy this CD today. It is only $8 at Target and Best Buy, and it is definitely $8 well spent. Let’s show our appreciation for bringing great artists to our shores, rather than leaving them as imports. Amy’s voice is an old classic voice, much like Billy Holiday, and it has power, class, soul, and life. The music is fantastic, like a hip hop jazz, and you will enjoy this if you enjoy great music. Do yourself a favor and pick it up today!

Relationships. UGH. Sometimes they are great. Sometimes they suck. Sometimes you realize that certain relationships in your life are not worth fighting for, but for whatever reason, they go on, because you let them. You don’t want yourself to be like them, so you do your part; even when they don’t do theirs. All that leads to is frustration, and the occasional cryptic portion of a blog post. I am just wondering what I will do next time they take it upon themselves to call. Perhaps I will just let it go for months on end, as it seems they prefer to do themselves; or maybe I will do what I did this time, and just suck it up, and sit through another fake attempt to maintain something that isn’t really there in the first place. Oh well… we’ll see. Relationships can really take it out of you. Thank God for the good ones.

I spent a lot of money yesterday and goodies that made me feel better. Sometimes, you just gotta pull out that card and swipe it. I am glad that I did, but I need to calm down. This is kind of a suggestion and a reminder of that need. Retail therapy! WOO!

Finally, I just want to say this, if you watch 24, were you not extremely excited that Martha came back this week? Even more than that, can you BELIEVE what she did to Logan?!?!? I LOVE YOU JEAN SMART!!!! YAY! Also, if that Sanjaya Malakar makes it through, I will be PISSED. Melinda, girl, you are my favorite, and I hope you win. Lastly, I wouldn’t mind having a three-way (or a four way if James wants in) with Chris Richardson and Blake Lewis. Those boys are hot AND they can sing!

Hope everyone is having a great hump day! That’s the run-down! I’m out!

flickr, funnies

be wary of trusting little dogs…

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sniff!So last night, James was a sweetie and made us meatloaf for dinner. While we were waiting for it to cook in the oven, James was playing Rome on his PC (which he does a lot these days), and I was editing new banners for my site. Once the meatloaf was done, James fixed us plates, and set them aside to cool, while we went about our computer distractions.

What I didn’t know, was the he took one of the plates into the TV room, and put it on the ottoman, which is just low enough for little Sydney to reach his little mouth up over.

After about 5 or 6 minutes of being totally distracted, James decided that the meatloaf was cool enough to eat, so he set off into the kitchen to get his plate, while I remained diligently editing at my computer. Upon entering the kitchen, he realized and remembered that the other plate remained in the living room.

It was at that same moment, that he realized Sydney had been missing for the past 5 or 6 minutes as well. Suddenly, I hear, “Oh my God!”, come from the TV room.

I quickly got up to run to James’ aid, only to find Sydney licking his lips, and licking the plate of meatloaf that was sitting on the ottoman.

He had eaten about half of the portion before he was discovered, and managed to drop enough of it on the floor to leave a lasting reminder of his little sneaky theft.

Next time we have meatloaf, or any meal for that matter, I will make sure to have James refrain from taking a plate of food into the TV room, and leaving it there unsupervised. Little Sydney might wander off and find it.

It will also be important to realize when he has wandered off, because he only disappears when he has gotten into something that he shouldn’t have. He’s done it before, you know.

Here’s a picture of the aftermath:
The aftermath
Silly little dog.

civil rights, is it just me?, listen up!, mixed media, music musings, podcast, politics, venting

POPcast episode 2, more soldier nonsense, and why Fox “news” is evil

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A few weeks ago, I recorded the second episode of the Atlanta POPcast; a podcast where I highlight music that I want to get the word out about. As of yesterday, that podcast is now up, and ready for you to download, listen to, and enjoy!! Make sure you check it out. In this episode, I expose you to the greatness that is Ashley Tisdale, Vanessa Hudgens, and Jamelia, as well as a few fantastic singles. If you are hankering for some new pop music, this will definitely wet your appetite! I hope you enjoy my podcast, and know that I am already getting materials ready for episode number 3! I never thought I would like doing this, but it totally encourages me to find new music, as well as lets me share music I love with all of you. I am having fun with this, ya’ll!

Alright, seriously, I read this today, and I really hope that it is an awful farce, or at best, an extreme exaggeration. If they are really sending troops that are deemed unfit for battle back to Iraq, that is unacceptable. I am disgusted and appalled that the soldiers that are risking their lives in this war are continually being treated so badly. I never thought that it was so dreadfully awful to be in the military (well, I definitely don’t want to be in it myself), but unfortunately, I am being shown more and more everyday what an awful position it must be for those that have no other choice but going into the military. Those that choose to serve our country deserve much more than respect, they deserve to receive our fucking support already. Shame on anyone that had anything to do with this, as well as the other injustices that continually come to light about the troops. I just can’t believe that serving your country seems to get you continually shit on. It doesn’t have to be that way, and it has got to change.

Finally, THIS is the reason why Fox “news” is not ever going to be right, unless you follow that “right” with “wing” and “propaganda”. Seriously, I have said it before, and I know that at least one person watches this program for his news, and I just don’t get it. This is an organization that “predicted” the election back in 2004, and as a result, threw a huge fuck up in the air, causing doubt, and an eventual turn of events. Making the false into something true is what Fox “news” is really good at. If you don’t want to be given false information, steer clear of Fox “news”, please. And if you do watch/read it, I hope that you are intelligent enough to question things that don’t seem to add up, especially when they are the opposite of what the rest of the media is saying. And get over this “the media is leftist liberal” bullshit. It isn’t.

flickr, is it just me?, mixed media, movie musings, photography

300, daylight savings time, flickr musings, and one BRIEF word about AI

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First of all, 300 opens today, and I want to start by saying that I have been waiting for this movie since I heard it was even being made. Needless to say (not to say how it happened, or when I have seen it… tee hee hee), I was completely blown away. The visuals are visceral and intense. The bodies of the men and women in this movie go beyond toned, and into the realm of sculpture. The acting is top notch, and the cinematography is at a minimum breath taking. This movie truly is an orgy for the eyes. The fighting and the special effects used in this movie put much of the other stuff I have seen to shame. I also find it completely fascinating that this is loosely based on a real battle, the Battle of Thermopylae, where king Leonidas, king of Sparta stood to protect his people. These men held an amazing level of courage and insane sense of loyalty, if you ask me, and it is eloquently portrayed in this film. As someone who loved Sin City, knowing that this was based on (as well as worked on by him as well) Frank Miller’s graphic novels of the same title, I was not only excited to see this, I was extremely pleased that the movie delivered, and I loved what I saw. Frank Miller is a force to be reckoned with, and if this is the type of thing we can expect from his projects in the future, I commit to have my eyes and ears peeled to whatever move he makes next. 300 is everything I hoped it could be, and more. The actors are beautiful (seriously, Gerard Butler is hot, but in 300? I mean, goddamn. And you lesbians… Uh, Lena Headey? WOW! She also wins the award for women’s lib in this movie). The fighting is epic. The special effects are unreal. The movie, is a beautiful triumph. Full 6 out of 6 stars (, folks; this one is NOT to be missed. You MUST see this in the theaters for yourself. This is what movies should be like. Wow.

Daylight savings time (DST)… seriously… Why do we do that anymore? I know, I know, gain an hour of daylight in the evening, shift it in the morning later in the year; but based on the headache that it is causing a lot of people this year, I ask, what is the point? There has been a criticism of the importance of this practice since its inception, and I just wonder if this criticism deserves more investigation. I for one don’t think that it serves much of a purpose, because it is really only one hour. Eventually, the day grows longer or shorter, regardless if time jumps forward or backward that one hour. So why worry about it?

Also, I wanted to put the word out, that I created a flickr group called Holy Cow!!!, and hope that you will join me. Now, I usually don’t get that excited about flickr groups and whatnot, but I am excited about this, because I came up with idea, basically, because of the lack of such a group. I think that it is cool to have a flickr group where we can put photos that we find astonishing, and even post those of our own that make us go “holy cow!” when we see them! Isn’t that fun? If you aren’t a member of the group, now’s your chance, go here and join up! I want to see how many people and how many awesome photos we can get involved.

Finally, and I promise this will be brief; HOW IN THE FUCK did Sanjaya Malakar make it into the top 12??!?!?!? I am serious people, I am not trying to be mean to the kid, but he can’t hold a candle to anyone on the show. If you don’t care about American Idol, please disregard this vent, and go on with your day. Thank you.

Well, that’s about it for me. Have a good weekend everyone! I am going to see 300 again tomorrow! You should too!

all about me, near and dear

where oh where did my willpower go?

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I used to be Mr. No when it came to bad foods.

French Fries? None for me, thanks.

Cheeseburger? No thanks, I’ll have the salad.

Pizza? Are you joking? I’ll just skip it, I’m not even hungry anyway.

But lately, and over the past year or so, my willpower has all but disappeared. We eat pretty much whatever comes up as a craving, or whatever is easiest to prepare, and more often than not, that includes foods that I would normally have been able to pass on for a healthier option. Now, we don’t really go crazy, and like eat fried chicken and pizzas every night, but more often than not, I seem to find myself unable to say no to things, and I end up eating even if I am not hungry. Kind of like when you go to a Mexican place, and you tell yourself you won’t eat any chips, and the next thing you know, your hand is in the basket like everyone else’s.

I have started to notice, much more than before, that my clothes don’t fit anymore. Stuff that I bought 6 months ago doesn’t fit anymore. I put on a shirt that I hadn’t worn in a while the other morning, and it was like putting on a little kid’s shirt. I almost freaked out. I am not saying that I think that I am fat, because even though I have gained a staggering 50-60 lbs from when I was at my target weight (several years ago), I have been told more than once that I carry it well. But I am getting tired of carrying it around.

Yes, I know that my willpower is to blame here. Not just with food, but definitely with booze. I am going to lay off of the beer for a little while, and try to stop drinking as often. Hey, drinking every day is fun, but we need to scale back (I guess). If there was only a calorie free alcohol option… *googles it*… oh well. At least there’s only 55 calories in a shot of Vodka… and if you have it with a diet drink, you are actually doing a good thing, right? No? Oh well, we will work on Mr. Willpower coming back onto the scene, so that we can say no to the booze (baby steps), as well as to the bad foods.

I have decided that it is time to get serious, and perhaps even drastic here. I am going to UP my workout schedule significantly, and I am starting on one of those fancy-schmancy diet supplements (from what I can tell by the ingredients, it is mostly green tea). Let’s see if we can find the old duane somewhere inside of the new, more plump duane. He wants to come out and where those clothes that fill most of our closet.

Anyone else experiencing a period of fatness? What are you doing to rid your body of the extra you?