Sunnydale Morgue

Cassel's Luxury

2011-07-21T12:15:00.000-07:00

Vincent Cassel, seemingly a man of character, blessed with a face that can never be categorized in simple terms, has had a fruitful career. Last appreciated in Black Swan, he has the talent to be both disgustingly creepy and sensitively charming. His latest work in the advertisement biz now proves that he really got that duality down.

"Luxury is a right" the Lancia Ypsilon 5x1,5m advert will have you believe. People all over the world are being bombarded with this message, so I suppose I wasn't the only one looking at an almost grim looking Cassel and wondering, "Are you kidding me?"

After a Chandlerian phase of wh-why-whying, I tried to decipher the subtext of the advert. Are you telling me luxury should be a basic human right while there are still people who can't afford food or clean water? Who could possibly look at that sentence and be, "Well, finally, someone's on the same page as me!", except for some jackass escapist who models his/her life after hotel chain heiresses? The advert is almost punk in its fuck-you-I'm-admitting-I'm-a-superficial-ass-and-admit-it-so-are-you kind of way.

Turns out, it's more of a let-them-eat-cake kinda thing. The televised advert is the key to understanding the message: Cassel rants about neverending greed, about measuring success only by the worth and mass of one's possessions, trying to define the meaning of luxury and coming to the conclusion that the greatest luxury are the simple things. Like an affordable car, apparently.

So, obviously the dude is all in on anti-capitalist rethoric, telling the world that even those who have nothing - or rather at 12'500 Euro - can and should be able to afford the luxury of a five door car.

Honestly, though, I don't reaaally buy it. I'm all for spending my last money on overprices coffee or a really nice pair of shoes, but the message that is at the heart of this campaign - about luxury being a right, not a priviledge and whatnot - just don't sound right. I wonder to whom it does...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYAY7Fmgahs

This World We Share

2011-04-13T01:42:00.000-07:00

Worrying and ranting is all I seem to be doing these days. The rants usually start with "*ç%&/+! Can't these morons see that..." and are usually directed at decision makers and voters and the uncritical media whom I deem to be co-responsible for this world going down the drain. What's up with CEOs, presidents and ministers taking risks - like sanctioning unsafe deep sea drilling projects or building badly run nuclear power plants in unsafe areas - that affect us all and then claiming that they will take responsibility in case something goes wrong. Can we use their bodies to stuff the hole in case a fail safe fails and we need to make sure than the ocean is not too poisoned (again) or that the radiation doesn't kill us all?

We're aware that we can't expect to suddenly act intelligently when warned that their actions have or could have negative consequences for all. If people believe that they need an off-roader they will continue to believe they do and if people want to believe that the industrial breeding and slaughter of animals has no negative influence on the environment, the economy and humanity, a little left-wing activism will hardly convince them of the contrary.

But when one catastrophe follows the other and we have pretty conclusive evidence that taking certain risks can have devastating effects, wouldn't that be the point where the CEOs and ministers are told to shut up and stop pretending they don't have to share the blame? Wouldn't that be the point where we all cry out, especially us gals, and say:

"Hey, you want me to reproduce and create little human beings to live in this world? Then why don't you see that they'll have air to breath, water to drink and not more than the usual amount of fingers and heads? I'm thrilled you get a big bonus at the end of the year because your lobbying efforts have caused the government to bend over once again for the wishes of stockholders, but this is my world as much as it is yours, and I'd appreciate if you didn't crap all over it."

You can do that by voting and seeing that economic interests - which translates into the interests of a few people at the top who live by the motto "get rich and kill trying" and their shareholders - do not govern us by cutting back on regulations. The interests of the few, fostered by right-wing republicanism, will finally amount to the end of us all. And I am really not fine with that.

P.S. I think women should strike and stop reproducing -and by that I mean giving birth, not sex - until we are promised that our kids are gonna be alright. And it really doesn't look it at the moment. Could be effective...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/

My Deep Appreciation

2011-04-03T04:11:00.000-07:00

So little can say so much, especially when you've got a good sense of humor. Enjoy...

Umberto Eco: Regretfully, we are returning your manuscript
( Anonymous, "The Bible")

I must say that the first few hundred pages of this manuscript really hooked me. Action-packed, they have everything today’s reader wants in a good story. Sex (lots of it, including adultery, sodomy, incest), also murder, war, massacres, and so on.
The Sodom and Gomorrah chapter, with the tranvestites putting the make on the angels, is worthy of Rabelais; the Noah stories are pure Jules Verne; the escape from Egypt cries out to be turned into a major motion picture . . . In other words, a real blockbuster, very well structured, with plenty of twists, full of invention, with just the right amount of piety, and never lapsing into tragedy.
But as I kept on reading, I realized that this is actually an anthology, involving several writers, with many–too many–stretches of poetry, and passages that are downright mawkish and boring, and jeremiads that make no sense.
The end result is a monster omnibus. It seems to have something for everybody, but ends up appealing to nobody. And acquiring the rights from all these different authors will mean big headaches, unless the editor takes care of that himself. The editor’s name, by the way, doesn’t appear anywhere on the manuscript, not even in the table of contents. Is there some reason for keeping his identity a secret?
I’d suggest trying to get the rights only to the first five chapters. We’re on sure ground there. Also come up with a better title. How about The Red Sea Desperadoes?

Taken from Misreadings (Mariner Books, 1993) by U. Eco and William Weaver (Translator)

Semantics of Faith

2011-03-17T06:27:00.000-07:00

The belief that one must respect faith prevails almost universally in Western circles. You might not be forced to adopt a clear religious line - no, we're much too liberated and enlightned for that - but saying anything negative about relgion in general is already considered unseemly. Except maybe if you're talking about Islam, then people will not mind so much, because it's been generally accepted that they must obviously be backward and weird considering the state of affairs in "their" part of the world. Atheists are of course also not worth respecting - I mean, hey, they're going to hell so why bother with them.

If you, however, should dare to point out that Catholocism as an institution, and not only the myriad of perverted priests that abuse children, is harmful and is directly responsible for a lot of the evil that they themselves are less than appreciative of, it's all "Whoa, hey, don't insult a religion, it's just not right, man!"

Where does this mellowness come from? Who said that religion, that might have been co-responsible from civilizatory accomplishments but that today, should play no role at all in public affairs, has earned my respect? Religion has proven itself to be the greatest and most fabulous alibi for people to destroy lives.

You want my respect? Earn it. And I think that it's pretty clear that most religious institutions will never do so because they are based on what some old dudes wrote a long time ago about the worthlessness of women and homosexuals, the validity of rape as punishment and so on an so forth.

However, that has nothing to do with the individual. While I don't believe that I have to respect any religion, I have to respect the person and that person's beliefs. If a priest is a regular good guy who does a lot of good, I don't see why I should no admire his efforts and deeds. Many people, as religion itself prescribes, do it the other way around - they dismiss a whole culture or group based on their personal beliefs because of the disdain for their religion as a whole. All I got to say about that is two way street, man.

Good Glass of Whine

2011-01-19T10:50:00.001-08:00

I remember the good old days, when a glass of milk and maybe a cookie seemed like heaven after a straining day of trig and French grammar. Now, after a day of sitting in an office or standing behind a counter, all I really want when I come home are two things: a glass of red wine and someone to bitch about my day to.

I don't think that there is anything as satisfying (well, okay, maybe not anything...) like being able to vent all the negative little things you just have to swallow at work by explaining how stupid things/people/public tranportation really is when you get right down to it to someone considerate and patient enough to just listen and nod vigorously. And yes, the thereby emerging rants often constist of very long and not always complete sentences.

What shouldn't be forgotten though is the many thanks and possible kisses the person on the receiving end of the oh so necessary venting deserves. And that the positions can easily be inverted. So have a bottle of red ready at any times: you never know who's about to start bitching.

Writer's Guilt

2011-01-16T05:21:00.000-08:00

There are many different writing projects that I should be attending to right now but I don't seem to be able to get myself in the right kind of mood to do so. It's not like writer's block, it's just this emotional thing where I go "Jeez, do I really have to?". It's the "have to" part that bothers me, I think. Even though I (mostly) work well under pressure, until the deadline that's been creeping up on me for a while is jumping me right in the face I don't feel compelled to even start thinking about what I want to write. You can't even call it a bad attitude, it's more of a lack of attitude.

But I should get to it, right? I'd feel so much better, I know I would. The curse would not be lifted but at least the guilt of not doing what I should be doing would fade. Ugh. I wish my evil twin could write as fast as me, then I could just order her to do it all at the last second and then feel smug about it. What is she up to these days, anyway? She's probably stealing nuclear warheads or something. Although, we usually don't think that big. Maybe she's just stealing maple syrup out of an unsuspecting family's fridge. Imagine, just as the pan-savvy dad sets down the very full plate of deliciously smelling pancakes in front of the children, the mom shrieks as she realizes that "Oh no! Someone stole the maple syrup!". The kids cry, mom and dad initially start to panic but then realizes that they'll have to pull through, because no matter what, those pancakes have to be eaten. Standing outside and listening to the moving scene, my evil twin giggles as she takes a sip from the syrup bottle, defying everything dentists and dieticians have ever taught us.

A Discovery Most Foul

2011-01-11T09:46:00.000-08:00

The stench of my own betrayal is clogging up my nostrils (as well as all the muckus that I've been producing thanks to that lovely flu I caught) as I have discovered that in the last three years combined I have written less than half of what I wrote in 2008 alone. And I believe that it is less of an issue of quality vs. quantity and more of a sign that my authorial sloth has reached it's peak. I am sabotaging myself, and it must end.

So, no more, I say! Hereby I swear that I shall write more in this glorious year of 2011 than I've ever written in a year! Ha, if that isn't a formidable expression of a young woman's resolve invoked by the beginning of a new year, then I do not know what is.

Resolve of the Regular Wonder Woman

2011-01-09T13:59:00.000-08:00

I didn't bother with the ritual of formulating new year resolutions that "I'm really going to stick to this time!", like a new diet. No, I'm still a sucker for the heavenly sins that are pizza, red curry and fried hofan noodles with vegies. However, I figure that life is getting more interesting with the opening of every new chapter that passing into a new year represents. I'm just assuming that we're getting wiser along the way and are therefore more capable of embracing change in ourselves and the world.

But who am I, Oprah? I'm all about personal growth but in the end the things that got on my nerves in 2010 are probably still going to bug me in 2011. And that doesn't really bother me. But I am starting to wonder whether there's something I can do about these factors of annoyance and outrage, beyond blogging about them of course.

I feel moved, nay, entitled to be a shaker and breaker and start working on the things that seem less than okay to me like animal rights or rudeness or my own laziness when it comes to...well, a lot of things actually. So I'll haul out my golden lasso and try to achieve something I can be proud of 'til the end of the year.

Ha, well there you go, the natural revolve that rests in all of us, but that only really emerges around that time of the year, has lifted my spirits and will hopefully guide me in these coming twelve months. I really wonder how that's going to work out.

The Big Boo-Hoos

2010-12-03T07:47:00.000-08:00

So you're not allowed to smoke in public places. So you’re not allowed to cover me in the ridiculously disgusting stink of your cigarettes. So can't openly disrespect everyone around you anymore and get away with it. So friggin what?

The world has improved thanks to the laws about smoking, which is something you cannot say very often about the world. What has not improved though are people's attitudes. Do these people who bitch and moan about the fact that they’re not allowed to indulge in their addiction while I'm trying to eat and breathe anymore seriously believe that they are right? Can you say delusional? Something doesn't have to be acceptable just because it's been the norm for a long time. Stoning used to be a pretty common practice (and still is in few places) as well as pedophilia, but people decided that it wasn't an acceptable social practice anymore.*

What about bringing dogs to restaurants? I've actually heard several people saying that it's unfair for dogs to be allowed when smoking isn't. The dogs in their vicinity were actually non-smelly and very quiet, but even if they very less like stuffed animals, how is that a valid comparison? A dog would probably not ruin your dinner by clogging your nostrils with smoke and inhibiting your other senses. Most dog people actually have the decency not to go to public places when their dog's a bit on the smelly side.

But let's say a lot of dog owners are not that considerate and that dogs should not be allowed in restaurants. Then I would ask people with small children to stay at home as well. Babies and toddlers are loud, they don't listen to commands, they are sticky and smelly and asking them to keep it down is neither socially acceptable nor very effective. Why bring your baby and the huge, super dynamic, jogging-mom friendly buggy it comes in to a restaurant down town at noon? Are you privileged to be less respectful because you're a parent? (Although at this point I should say that people who ignore women who are need help to get into a public transportation vehicle with a buggy should be punished with electroshock or something. We’d want there to be a learning effect, no?)

Also, there should be a perfume police. While I accept that tastes and apparently olfactory acuteness may vary, I don't see why I have to suffer every day because some broad had to bathe in her cheap or pseudo high-class brand perfume. It's rude and it's just as bad as stinking up the place where I'm having a meal with a cigarette. You might be entitled to your scent, but not to make me nauseous.

So, as you’ve cleverly deduced by now: There seems to be a need for some kind of regulatory force that makes sure that people make use of the common decency and respect they should have been taught as children, be it the law, rudeness police or random people. In any case: boo-friggin-hoo.

* (And please, anonymous guy living in your parents' basement, you're probably not even a smoker but still feel like you have to comment on the fact that comparing smoking to pedophilia is outrageous. I'm asking you: don't. Your throttled intellectual capacity can be relieved in more creative way than leaving anonymous and irrelevant comments on random blogs and forums.)

The Evil Plot

2010-10-23T16:46:00.000-07:00

I've just spent two precious hours trying to get the 2010 Microsoft Office Suite to work. I think everybody knows what the result of such tedious dealings can be: a piece of crazy pie with a side of insanity.

I think that Gates, Jobbs and whoever else is in cahoots with those guys have worked out a secret but not really subtle plan to conquer the world. It's not what you think. It's not really about making us dependent on machines and connectivity. Oh no, that's just what they want you to think...

They are turning the world into Bedlam by making sure that any contact with a piece of their hard- or software (ooh, that sounds naughty, no?) will make people increasingly mad. And it's working!

I'm telling you people, try to hang on to you sanity! Counterbalance the excessive amounts of annoyance that will inevitably lead to the downfall of humanity with Zen Buddhism or Yoga. Anything that will block out the madness that your computer might be trying to invoke in you.

Be brave.

Diversity - Welcome to the Clone Wars

2010-09-26T04:09:00.000-07:00

University: a place where a plethora of types and personalities are supposed to gather to bathe in knowledge and try to indulge in their academic aspirations. Showing interest and participating is what counts. You can be yourself and people will respect it as long as your not annoying anyone too much, which means you can wear whatever you want and be a fan of whatever you want and not fear judgment by your peers. Shouldn't that be the perfect basis for people to grow out of the skins they wore in High School and transform into whatever they choose to be? I thought that meant I would experience more diversity in the way people chose to display themselves.

But starting my third year, I've started to realize that somehow, more and more people have joined the ranks of clones of the H&M- and Burberry-models. It's all a sea of beige and black and navy blue that seems to engulf personal traits and swallow any sign of individuality. I hardly see any Goths anymore or any pink haired pseudo-punks. Or any boring people who dare wear stuff that hasn't been in since 1993.

How the hell am I supposed to judge people by their exterior if they all look the same? Yeah, yeah, I'm aware I shoudn't do that, but come on, we all do it. We need some clues, though and when everyone is wearing blazers and ballerinas and fake army boots and charm bracelets and oversized glasses, how are we supposed to differentiate between the people who look stuck up or rich or nice or interesting? I need people to have freaky tatoos or wear funny hats and weird shoes or something. Otherwise I just have to assume that eyerone is boring. I'll have to start judging people by their eye color and I really wouldn't want to go there.

Perfect Morning

2010-07-04T13:27:00.001-07:00

What happened to just saying "screw you"?

2010-06-24T14:19:00.000-07:00

Aaaand we're back in business...I'd like to say I'm back with a vengeance but let's see whether I can keep this up first. I have been gone for over a year, during which I don't believe I have written one word about anything else but literature and superficial views on culture.

But now my blog's all pimped up and I got one year of beautiful and terrifying experiences that I can share with the wider public that is doing anything but reading my blog. But hey, I've immersed myself in the bright and shiny world of Hollywood often enough to allow the brainwashing to take effect. I'm going to believe that my sassiness and wit will be discovered by someone in power and that I'll get a column and than a book deal and so on and so forth. You gotta believe. (And if you, dear reader, are that someone, don't think I'm too arrogant, sometimes the faux confidence will just get you farther than humility, dontcha think?)

Anyway, this is supposed to be a short comment on strangers. Our behavior towards stranger is so bizarre sometimes. We have been taught to respect others' privacy, to mind others' wishes and to be polite; however, we (or I, if you prefer to take yourself out of the equation) are very quick to judge strangers and to dislike them for something small like walking to slowly when they're right in front of us or starting to count their change in front of the cashier when you've been waiting in line for fifteen minutes at the grocery store. I believe sometimes we are way passed that emotion and start to fantasize about thumping them. Hard. Especially when people are just being plain rude.

That is not very Zen. As a wise little green man said, anger leads to the dark side. Or high blood pressure. Whatever, it's not good for you. So I think there's two ways to handle this. When we are having a good day we should maybe allow ourselves - not to often, though - to tell these people to go screw themselves. I'm talking about the rude people here, not just the slow walkers, although they deserve to sometimes. Just vent your emotions and share the rudeness. I think it's relieving. On a bad day though, it might be better to choose the high road and be all Jesus like. Turn the other cheek or whatever. Give people a Buddha like smile and just think: "Hey, maybe they are just having a bad day, too." Or maybe they're idiots, but that just makes you the better person. And at the end of the day you can give yourself a pat on the shoulder for being so Jedi like.

White Pride: Are you kidding me?

2009-04-13T16:05:00.001-07:00

I stumbled over the Ku Klux Klan website tonight, and am still in a state of shock. Shock at the outrageous amount of stupidity (and I'm sorry, but there's just no other way to put this) which hits you in waves on that website. A bunch of so called good Christians has united to spread their moronic justifications for being bigoted and backward on the internet.

First thing I did was skimming over the "Requirements" section. What exactly do you need to do to be a member? Well, the "one requirement" is that you be a good Christian who lives his life as an "honorable, decent, dignified white [person]". When join the ranks of the Knights Party, you at first attain the rank of a page, then of a squire and finally of a knight, depending on your enthusiasm, support and action. Meaning: How many books can you sell, how many brochures (which are probably as eloquent as all the other texts on the website) can you distribute, and most importantly, how much fear and hate can you spread? How many equally idiotic SOBs can you convince that blacks are taking away you jobs and your women, or that gays secretly want to rape your skinny white ass? Give it your best shot, and I'm sure some dumb f… will buy your shit. (Pardon the language, but wow am I pissed! And not in the British way)

Then I listened to a couple of seriously disturbing women discuss important issues such as the Webster's definition of marriage (they are of course appalled that it includes same sex couples) or Family Guy. I got it when one of the women said that responsible parents shouldn't watch that show with their children, because most of the time it's really disturbing (horse sperm in the baby's cereals). On the other hand, if you have half a brain, you know that you're kid shouldn't be up at 8 p.m. watching TV or Family Guy (or Fox channel in general, for that matter!) anyway, so don't get upset at the creators of the program but at dimwits who thought they made good parents. One of them says that if such programs are prime time TV, then their children will sneak off to their rooms and watch it. HOW ABOUT NOT PUTTING A DAMN TV IN YOUR CHILDREN'S BEDROOM?

But of course, they do attack the creators (badly researched, by the way). "They like to have programs that mock Christians." Really, you think? Christian are a bunch of people who believe that some invisible guy is peeping at them all the time and counting the cookies in the forbidden cookie jar; and should Billie and Bobbie have eaten any of the forbidden cookies, they're going to fiery hell, while all the kids who behaved go to the magic place where unicorns make ice-cream magically appear and you can eat junk food all day without getting fat. Generally they all behave like animals, just as all humans, because they love sex and food and all that stuff just as much as the next guy. But every now and then, they can pretend to be better than the rest because they can cite a book written by old frustrated men a gazillion years ago. Criticizing Christian is absolutely justified nowadays, because we know better than to believe every crap laid in front of us. Rational thinking people have any right to criticize any religion, because they are what keeps the modern world from becoming a civilized world.

Then one of the women said, "if you ever saw old recordings of people in all parts of the world burning books, it wasn't because they were against free speech, but because it was garbage." You mean like the Nazis? Yeah sure, when they burned anti-nationalist manifests or Polish libraries it wasn't because they wanted to subjugate free thought, but because it was trashy reading material.

Then they go on criticizing TV for educating their children about sex. Either you don't let your kid hang out in front of the TV 24/7 and control what s/he's watching, or you accept that you kid will pick up stuff that belongs to the grown-up world.

The most preposterous statement was made about Teen Magazine, which features an "article" about crushes, illustrated by the teen romance in a movie between a white boy and a – wait for it – Mexican girl! Gosh, now ain't that just the darnest thing: an interracial relationship. In their eyes, this is of course ruining their children's spiritual and intellectual (?) welfare.

Any halfway decent, non-racist person just has to wince at the thought that these people procreated. At that point, you can't really blame the children for become little (and literal) spawns of evil.

I mean, apart from the fact that these women are not actually capable of seeing the irony and the (sometimes) intelligent criticism of modern society in shows such as Family Guy, they are telling people that everyone who has a different opinion wants to destroy their values and the values of American society in general. They are so far away from any humanist principle ever established, I think we would do them (and us) a great favor if they were shoved through a wormhole, right into the middle ages. At least their poor children won't be corrupted by evil TV producers there.

Why, I ask you, should anyone be proud of the white race? What is it exactly, as a race that makes us so much better than the rest? When I hear and see people like that, I lose hope. And I thank whatever forces are responsible, that my parents aren't mindless, intolerant, superstitious zombies.

Spawns of Evil

2009-03-02T06:07:00.000-08:00

Are children assholes because of their genes or their upbringing? In both cases the parents are to blame. Either they didn't listen to their bodies telling them that their propagation would result in an unfortunate genetic mix, or they are simply not able to teach their children how to behave like a decent human being. (Does this imply that they don't know how to be a decent person themselves? - Maybe.) Now, if you consider how many in-duh-viduals you meet everyday that you would categorize as "not really that decent", it kind of gets you thinking about people's general ability to pick a suitable partner for procreation or to convey the knowledge all of us need if we want to function in society without annoying the beejezus out of everybody.

Still, this doesn't really help you when you're faced with a child you can only classify as a spawn of the Dark Prince himself (although I'm pretty sure dear old Lucy's probaly got a greater sense of decency and child-raising skills than most humans!) . You want to blame the child, but belonging the "decent" category of people, how can you do possibly blame a child for its parent's mistakes? That's just wrong, right? One way out would be to resolve to a) hate the parents for unleashing this force of evil upon the creatures of this earth, b) forgive the child for its behavior and loving it as the innocent creature it really is (totally Buddha/Jesus like) and c) not degrade oneself to be petty by behaving like the/a child. OR you do exactly that, thus relieving yourself of the pain of being the adult and being a super-saint, which, if we are all honest with ourselves, is exactly what we want to do.

The only problem is that these little demons of the fiery dominion can be cunning little monsters. By lowering yourself to their level you are tempted to make childish remarks. Remember that they themselves may have certain powers of humilitation and provocation - so you shouldn't forget that you ARE and adult, and that you can use your knowledge to outsmart them. Your mantra: Have faith in yourself and you will be able to vanquish this unearthly evil.
Important: make sure that the parents can't catch you. The kid may tattle, but that is not enough evidence to get you nailed. Be swift, be cruel.

Should you choose to be the bigger person (which you probably are anyway), that's fine. You can always comfort yourself with the knowledge that YOU know that your smarter and faster and meaner than any little kid. But can you really sleep at night?

Buddha Tivisattwa

2009-01-20T15:03:00.000-08:00

I find myself to be in an odd mood. (Now there's a funny combination of words 'odd mood', just look at those letters, trying to confuse you and whatnot...Off topic, I know.) I feel neither very productive nor really lazy. I just am. Have I reached a higher plane of existence? Am I to return to this terrestial plane so as to help others find enlightenment? All you need is a big TV screen, in front of which you try not to fall asleep, while watching a Sandra Bullock comedy after having read two chapters on the relation between semantics and psycholinguistics. I'm going to be Tivisattwa, Buddha of TV Induced Wisdom and Peace. I bet I'll look just dashing in one of those shawly thingies.

100th Post: A List of Awesomeness

2009-01-02T08:21:00.000-08:00

So, here we go again. Good to know that humanity as such still pretty much just sucks. Freaking people and their oh so righteous wars. I suck too. Didn't squeeze in that 100th post in 2008. Booh me. But let's not dwell on things past - let's move on to brighter things. Such as...

MILK. Milk is such a wonderfully delicious thing. Soooo tasty. And it's a constant. We've always liked milk, we've always drunk milk and we always will. Milk makes the universe a better places. Everything can suck, but one glass of milk can make things just that tiny bit better. Helps if it's served with a cookie. (This is not to offend or ostracize lactose intolerant people. Soy milk rocks.)

OJ. Is there anything better than a good ol' glass of OJ with your breakfast. Even Dracula couldn't turn down a freshly squeezed glass of orangy goodness. Looks totally awesome if you put some blood in it too - like a sunset.

BEDS. Beds are great. You can sleep in them, which is like one of my favorite pass-times. You can do slightly more straining but also more fun stuff in them. You can just chill and read a book or write on your laptop in them. You can take a really good look at the ceiling. The possibilities seem endless.

ICE CREAM. I love McLachlan's song "Ice Cream"...Your love is better than ice cream, better than anything else that I've tried. (To that special person out there: so true...) But still, ice cream is like the greatest invention. You can never have enough. People who don't like ice cream are just downright weird. And not in a good way.

So that's my list. Okay, I forgot an important one...LOVE. Hands down the most amazing thing in the universe. (I know, it's cheesy, but hey, I'm just a sucker for love.)

They Broke Me

2008-12-05T14:45:00.001-08:00

Uhach...Woody Allen always makes me very pensive and moody and makes me worry about my existence. Like I have the time or the energy to stop and worry if anything even makes any sense. Damn you and your scripts, you clarinette playing devil!

Anywho...the Xmas consumerism craze has gotten a hold of me and all I can think about is the menu, the decorations and the goddamn tree. Everytime I'm in the city there are so many colorful glittery peppy things screaming at me through the windows "buy me! buy me!" and millions of christmasy smells, I fear that I'll have a sensory overload and just slip into a zombie-like state. That's what the time before Christmas really is, the "Nights of the Shopping Dead". Who cares that some guy (I think his name was Jason or Jessie or something like that) was born, only to get nailed to a cross some 30 years later to save our souls from eternal damnation? Pfff, what am I saying, actually, Christians totally stole that holiday from nice, innocent pagans, who just wanted to celebrate the rebirth of the Great God (or nature) who was going to bloom in Spring with a bit of honey wine, good food and a Yule log. But nooo, Christians just had to make it aaaall about themselves. Friggin' egomaniacs.

But seriously, they broke me. As soon as I get near a store I get the urge to shop. Why do I want to give my money away when I'm so happy everytime I get some? I think they just broke me with all their Christmas carols and their Gingerbread Lattes. Next year I'm going to Barbados and I'll just ignore Christmas.

Session 1

2008-11-26T13:53:00.000-08:00

A: Do you like losing control?
B: I don't know. It depends I guess.
A: On what?
B: On the situation. If I need to be in control or if I can give it up.
A: What do you mean?
B: Well, if I'm drunk and I really need to be able to walk because otherwise I'll just pass out and freeze to death on the street because I'm all alone - I always drink on my own - losing control isn't that convenient. But if I'm lying in bed with someone anda having fun I don't see why I need to be in control.
A: So, you can afford to lose control when you're around others?
B: Maybe. Yes. If I know they'll take care of things. That they'll take control.
A: Tell me about the drinking.
B: Tell you what?
A: Whatever you want. What's your favorite drink for example.
B: Scotch and soda.
A: Do you only drink in bars or at home?
B: Bars. Usually one near work. Sometimes I stop by before going home.
A: Why do you only drink when you're on your own?
B: I don't know. I don't like talking to people when I'm drinking. I feel like they're trying to see how much I can handle. I know my friends don't like to see me drink.
A: Who are these friends?
B: We went to college together. We kept in touch I guess. Jerry and Sue I've known since high school.
A: Did they always know about you're drinking problem?
B: We used to party a lot together. I guess they knew I liked my liquor, they kind of saw it happen to me. But they only realized how bad it was after the accident. Hell, that's when I realized I had a problem.
A: You're aware of your problem. That's very good. Do you feel that you have any control over your problem?
B: You mean if I could stop?
A: Yes.
B: I don't know.
A: Why do you think you drink?
B: I killed the love of my life in a car accident. I live in a tiny appartment on the wrong side of the tracks. My landlord is an abusive son of a bitch who enjoys torturing me by cutting off the hot water. My sister doesn't talk to me anymore. My parents hate me for what I am.
A: But these are all results of your addiction.
B: They are the reasons why I keep drinking. You wanna know how got there in the first place.
A: Yes.
B: I don't know. I just don't know. I was never happy. When I drink I get to feel a little bit less. Less sad, less screwed up, less hated, less wrong. I'm wrong. Maybe that's why.
A: Being an alcoholic doesn't make you feel more wrong?
B: Of course it does, but at this point, what difference does it make? (Pause.) You're not very bright are you? You ask a lot of very obviously stupid question that demand stupid answers. I think I'll be going now.
A: We still have fifteen minutes.
B: I don't care.
A: Maybe that's you're problem.
B: My problem, right now, is you.
A: Maybe we should resume our session some other time.
B: Oh, so now you're in control. You are ending the session? I just ended it. You can't end it again. It's like the boss saying "You're fired" and then the other one goes "You can't fire me, I quit!".
A: Don't get upset. I think it's best if we stop this now and pick this up next week.
B: If I come back next week.
A: That's up to you Mr. Baxter, but I'd recommend that you do come back. We haven't even scratched the surface.
B: I'll scratch your surface if you don't shut it soon.
A: There's no reason to be rude, Mr. Baxter.
B: There's lots of reasons to be rude, like you thinking that I'm a moron.
A: I don't think you're a moron.
B: Then why do you ask me these questions? Like you don't know the answer.
A: You need to say some things so that not only I hear them but so that you do too.
B: Hmm.
A: Well, Mr. Baxter, I'll be seeing you in a week then.
B: Sure.

Why...and Whatever Happened To That Band Of Mine?

2008-11-19T05:28:00.000-08:00

(So why am I all blogcrazy these days? Cuz I'm close to 100 posts! Yippee!)

Remember my band? (Well, imaginary bad, but who cares?) You know, there was the peroxideblond bass player Lou, the female drummer called Paco and June on the guitar...Well, we broke up this summer. The dynamics just weren't right anymore. Lou got a divorce and had a fling with a diplomat's daughter who turned out to be a sadistic evil bitch, but you know Lou, he had totally fallen for her and got all obsessed.

Then there's Paco; sheesh, does that girl know how to make a mess. She's tattooed all over, I mean, like a sailor or something. Then one night, she gets drunk at this dump of a bar and hooks up with a skank called Crystall or Chrissie or something. Anyway, she's so drunk she gets that cow's name tattooed on her left shoulder. Of course, when she gets home the next morning, she discovers it, totally freaks because her girlfriend is coming back from a business trip the next day and will no doubt get behind her love's indiscretion. So she flees to her parents, hoping that she can avoid seeing her girl until she can have the tattoo removed. Thing is, her parents don't know about her being gay, so she has to tell them this humongous lie. Of course, her girlfriend is really worried when she gets back (and slightly pissed, 'cause Paco had promissed to pick her up at the airport and had left her some half-assed message about her mother not being well) and goes to Paco's parents house. Paco gets mad at her, saying that she was trying to force her to come out of the closet to her parents and they get into this huge fight at her parents' house. It's at the point of getting violent when Paco's dad is like "Kid, chill, we know. What do we look like, morons?" (No one answered that question).
So after that everything was alright, Paco even told her about her tattoo and the story behind it. All was forgiven and forgotten. She and her girl were apparently having amazing sex, as Paco just couldn't keep telling us over and over again. But she was getting really distracted and kept missing rehearsals and stuff.

And of course, there's Lou...June is nice, even though she can be very moody sometimes. She just has these phases when she stops talking. She just stares, even if you ask her a direct question. You're afraid she's gonna go all Haley Joel Osment on your ass. So her brooding combined with Lou having a stalkery obsession and Paco's incesent yapping about the beauty of her relationship and her lack to attend band practice, just led to trouble.What did I do? Hey, I'm a self-declared loon, I don't need any other excuse to behave badly. Anywho...we decided that it might be good to put the whole band thing on ice 'till everybody gets a grip.

R.W. Genius

2008-11-18T14:38:00.000-08:00

Lots of people feel they have something to be envied for, and I guess in some cases they do, (I know I do...) like a hot car, a talent or an amazing BF.
But there are people who have something you can really envy them for because you can't just get it, not for money, not by getting them stoned or drunk; and that's smarts and a good sense of humor.

Robin Williams is without doubt one of the funniest individuals on this godforsaken rock called Earth. He's like on speed, never misses a beat, goes through eight different personalities in five seconds and, man, can he diss the French...I just don't think anyone should live without having experienced his genius.
Here's some quotes, just to prove that I'm friggin' right.

"Never pick a fight with an ugly person, they've got nothing to lose."

"We had gay burglars the other night. They broke in and rearranged the furniture."

"Do you think God gets stoned? I think so...look at the platypus." (or Cher)

"Having George W. Bush giving lecture in business ethics is like a leper giving you a facial, it just doesn't work out."

Just a taste...but not knowing him is like being deprived of Real Time With Bill Maher - it makes life so much less worth living.

Smile

2008-11-17T14:11:00.000-08:00

Things that make you sad. There are so many of them out there. People's homes are burning down in California. Little kids in Afghanistan are afraid they'll be killed if they visit a school built by the Americans. Movies like "Nights at Rodanthe" (f*** the moral, if the girl doesn't get the guy in the end, it's a sad bloody movie).
Yeah, so I get all moody when I listen to Robert Downey Jr.'s "Futurist" album (and when I watch the news or read the paper). Between "Falling in Love With A Broken Heart" and wondering about "Hannah"'s abusive relationship there are so many ups and downs you don't know whether you wanna hang yourself or dance. But then, finally in the end, there comes the song that's supposed to make everything right again: "Smile". If you smile through fear and sorrow, smile, and maybe tomorrow, you'll see the sun shining through, for you...Smile, what's the use of crying, You'll find that life is still worthwhile, if you just smile...
Honestly, right now, I don't have a reason in the world to be sad and I find myself smiling quite a lot lately. And guess what - it feels great.

Time Makes You Bolder

2008-11-13T00:19:00.001-08:00

Is it time? That makes you bolder, I mean. Or is it just experience, which the passing of time entails? There really are these moments when you realize that you've gotten older, that you've changed. The changes might have been subtle at first, but sooner or later you'll notice that you're not who you were a year ago. Mostly I hope that I'll change into a braver person. Maybe I've just been afraid of changing. Not anymore. Right?

Check It Out

2008-11-10T13:14:00.001-08:00

Loupine has new deviations for the world! Check it out on loupine.deviantart.com

Quotes: Life, Sin and Death

2008-11-09T10:41:00.000-08:00

When I get all thoughtful, I like to distract myself by reading about the smart stuff other, cleverer people thought of. Who really wants to hear what I got to say anyway? It's all been said and probably better.

"You grow up the day you have your first real laugh - at yourself." - Ethel Barrymore

"I know the world is unfair, but why isn't it ever unfair in my favor?" - Bill Watterson

"There are two tragedies in life. One is to lose you heart's desire. The other is to gaint it." - George Bernard Shaw

"Life is something everyone should try at least once." - Anonymous

"The world is a stage, but he play is badly cast." - Ocar Wilde

"I don't believe in an afterlife, so I don't have to spend my whole life fearing hell, or fearing heaven even more. For whatever the tortures of hell, I think the boredom of heaven would be even worse." - Isaac Asimov

"The worst sin toward our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them; it's the essence of inhumanity." - George Bernard Shaw

"Sin lies only in hurting other people unnecessarily. All other "sins" are invented nonsense. (Hurting yourself isn't sinful - just stupid.)" - Robert A. Heinlein

"Death is one of the few things that can easily be done lying down. The difference between death and sex is that with death you can do it alone and no one is going to make fun of you." - Woody Allen

"To love is to risk not being loved in return. To hope is to risk pain. To try is to risk failure, but risk must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing." - Anonymous

I Want You

2008-11-08T14:03:00.000-08:00

Isn't that one of the most ambiguous statements ever? Uncle Sam could totally be an old sex-crazed perv. Imagine him saying it in a very Gollum-like voice..."I waaaaant youuuu."
Or it could be all sexy Dracula-style, "I vaant you..." , a very desperate "I want you", a final choice after some hesitation "I want you" or an expression of possession "I want you".

Now to something completely different...
After listening to the Best of Meat Loaf for something like days, I have decided that "Took the Words Right Out Of My Mouth" is one of the greatest songs ever. There are different live recordings of the song, and depending which one you have, the beginning is totally different. Mine is the 1987, 6:51 (Rock'n'Roll Hero) version, and it's one of the sexiest things I've ever heard. Here's the lyrics...

Him: On a hot summer night.
Would you offer your throat to the wolf with the red roses?
Her: Will he offer me his mouth?
Him: Yes
Her: Will he offer me his teeth?
Him: Yes
Her: Will he offer me his jaws?
Him: Yes
Her: Will he offer me his hunger?
Him: Yes
Her: Again. Will he offer me his hunger?
Him: Yes
Her: And will he starve without me?
Him: Yes
Her: And does he love me?
Him :Yes
Her: Yes
Him: On a hot summer night.
Would you offer your throat to the wolf with the red roses?
Her: Yes
Him: I bet you say that to all the boys.

And then the brilliant guitar launches into the amazing melody...oh, what the hell, here's the rest of the lyrics.

It was a hot summer night and the beach was burning
There was a fog crawling over the sand
When I listen to your heart I hear the whole world turning
I see the shooting stars
Falling through your trembling hands
You were licking your lips and your lipstick shining
I was dying just to ask for a taste
We were lying together in a silver lining
By the light of the moon
You know there's not another moment
Not another moment
Not another moment to waste

You hold me so close that my knees grow weak
But my soul is flying high above the ground
I'm trying to speak but no matter what I do
I just can't seem to make any sound
And then you took the words right out of my mouth
Oh-it must have been while you were kissing me
You took the words right out of my mouth
And I swear it's true
I was just about to say I love you
And then you took the words right out of my mouth
Oh-it must have been while you were kissing me
You took the words right out of my mouth
And I swear it's true
I was just about to say I love you

Now my body is shaking like a wave on the water
And I guess that I'm beginning to grin
Oooh, we're finally alone and we can do what we want to
The night is young
And ain't no one gonna know where you
No one gonna know where you
No one's gonna know where you've been
You were licking your lips and your lipstick shining
I was dying just to ask for a taste
We were lying together in a silver lining
By the light of the moon
You know there's not another moment to waste

And then you took the words right out of my mouth
Oh-it must have been while you were kissing me
You took the words right out of my mouth
And I swear it's true
I was just about to say I love you
And then you took the words right out of my mouth
Oh-it must have been while you were kissing me
You took the words right out of my mouth
And I swear it's true
I was just about to say I love you
You took the words right out of my mouth
It must have been while you were kissing me
You took the words right out of my mouth
It must have been while you were kissing me
You took the words right out of my mouth
It must have been while you were kissing me
YOU TOOK THE WORDS RIGHT OUT OF MY MOUTH
IT MUST OF BEEN WHILE YOU WERE KISSING ME

Oh, what would the world be without rock'n'roll?

Human kind - who's idea was that anyway?

2008-11-08T12:44:00.000-08:00

When Lucifer told God to shove it, he was just saying out loud what everybody else was thinking. Mike and Gabe, although not exactly what you'd call pals, where just too chickenshit to speak up. The whole concept of humanity just seemed...well, stupid might be a bit of a strong word, but not really thought through. Fiddle with a monkey's DNA and what do you get? A moron who can build weapons to cause pain, be cruel and who has only three things on his mind: sex, power and food.
So Lucifer just said, "Hey, if they are allowed to do whatever they want and fuck (up), I think we all should." But you know, most of the others were like "Come on, man, the Big Guy knows what he's doing; he has a brilliant master plan." - "How do you know?", Luc asked, "Did he tell you?" - "Well, no, but you know, he's like totally almighty and stuff...he's gotta have a plan." Now Luc didn't really like to be a flunky or bimbo, so he and his buddies went ballistic on his co-angels, and there was a lot of fighting and you know how that turned out.

Well, some days I understand Luc. What the Hell, if you pardon the pun, was the Guy upstairs thinking? Are we just a really sick experiment? Research aim: "How abominable can a sentient being be?" Because sometimes human behavior baffles me to the point of disgust, even nausea. We are so caught up in selfishness and petty issues, we don't even consider that there's a world around us, that hurt is eating up everything and that we, as a race, are moving in a veeery bad direction. No, wrong, we've been going in that direction for thousands of years and we are nearing the horrible destination. We created social codes and a moral that are so far away from the true meaning of humanity that they've made us immobile; we cannot go beyond our own needs and thoughts, we are stuck in a bubble of emotional detachment and a lack of empathy. Most of us cannot and to not want to suffer with or for others, don't reach out to others out of the sheer kindness of our hearts. We are nothing like the great beings we like to think were God's greatest creation.

But that's just some days. Sometimes we prove that we are exceptional, in a good way. We do incredible things out of love, anger, fear, compassion and hate; we prove that we can go beyond all boundaries if the motivation is strong enough. We can create things like music and poetry. We can form bonds with others that can last as long as mortality lets us.

And then I gotta admit that I do not believe that we're an all-powerful kid's science project. I think we are existence, as far as we understand. I don't have to believe that it all makes sense, that there's a plan, do I? I just have to believe in me and you.

BTW: Did you know that Lucifer, which means "Bringer of Light" (lat. lux light and ferre bring), is not only the name commonly reffering to Satan, but also what the planet Venus was called when it rises in the morning or precedes the sun (in astronomical terms)? Pliny the Elder (Gaius Plinius Secundus) said, "The star called Venus … when it rises in the morning is given the name Lucifer … but when it shines at sunset it is called Vesper."

Escapist, moi?

2008-11-04T13:44:00.000-08:00

Auoch (or however you write that noise you make when you're something between tired, happy, but still annoyed)...I have so much stuff I should be doing, but I feel like I'd be giving in to my inner goody two-shoes if I did what's smart. I don't want to be smart. I want to curl up in my bed with a good book (I got THE GRAVEYARD BOOK, signed by the masters themselves!!!) and a hot cocoa or tea and relaaax...but life ain't fair, so instead of bitching around I should just get to it and do what must be done. (But what would life be if we didn't bitch every once in a while?) Now just think of the paradox; I'm sitting here, considering what a mistake it this to put things off, which in itself is the best way to delay things. I know, you're not stupid, you caught on to that. I'm going to hate myself for doing this tomorrow. I'll be tired and grumpy and there'll be no one else to blame but me...but I can live with that.

So...aren't yall glad that it's all over tomorrow? The guessing, the wishing, the hoping, the praying...Please, America, don't mess this up. Pretty please with a cherry on top.

Well, I guess this is the end of my rambling...which means I get to do my homework. Yipee!

Poof Goes That Dream - I'm Sorry Sidney

2008-10-29T13:50:00.001-07:00

I found out today that I will never be a spy or any other kind of supercool agent; for all kinds of reasons, one of them being that I can't reanimate myself after being poisoned (although it's not like a had the chance to try) OR shoot a mosquito from five miles away with only a pen and a pebble as tools.
I was quite shocked and rather disappointed. This is not something I usually tell people, but I always saw my future as a mix between a more dramatic episode of Alias and Commander in Chief (yes, I do believe I would also be an excellent President, thank you very much). I saw myself juggling a brilliant political career and my romantic life while being active as a field agent for a super-secret but thouroughly virtuous organization and saving the world from some unknown crisis every once in a while.
Now that dream's gone poof. All that's left is being a surgeon, writing the next Moby Dick, winning the Acadamy Award for Best Everything, fighting evil aliens in another galaxy, fighting evil monsters in another dimension, traveling in time to meet awesome people and designing the shoes for every occasion.

Halloween, Embarrassment and Why I'm a Sybil

2008-10-23T10:12:00.000-07:00

Halloween is around the corner and I have no costume. Now THAT's a horror. I was God last year, so I didn't really need a costume (hardy freaking har har; I know, I'm not at my best today, funnywise at least). Maybe I could go as Sarah Palin, that would be scary. Too obvious, I know. Maybe I'll go as a ghoul bride. I think I can pull off the undead thing. Little bit of white, little bit of blood smeared around my mouth...why not? Problem solved. Vonderfuuul...(<-that's my Dracula voice, in case you didn't know).

I found out today that people read this stuff here (although 'people' might be a bit of an overstatement) and now I'm all embarrassed. Now I feel pressured to be supersmart and original. Dear Reader, know that you are cause to self-doubt and fear of failure. It used to be so much fun, being sarcastic and cynical and slightly pathetic when I was having one of my moody why-is-life-so-cruel days. Now I have to wonder whether I can proficiently translate my sick and childish sense of humor into my writing and deep stuff like that. But, argh, what am I saying? Everybody loves an audience, right? Uh-hu. Anywho...I just (re)watched a great movie the other day, "My First Mister". Leelee Sobieski and Albert Brooks have this great dialogue:

Randall (Albert B.): Shut up, Sybil, shut up.
Jennifer (Leelee S.): Sybil?
Randall: Yeah, you know Sybil? The woman with the eight home phone numbers? It's not necessarily a bad thing. A plethora of personalities can be very enchanting.
Jennifer: Fuck you.
Randall: Fuck you.
Jennifer: Fuck you!
Randall: Fuck you, all eight of you.

Do you know Sybil Dorsett? Her real name was Shirley Mason and she got famous for having a very severe case of dissociative identity disorder, meaning she had 16 co-existing personalities. Someone wrote a book about it, then it was made into a movie and recently they made a remake fo the 70s flic for CBS. Google her; the story is so far out.
Don't you think we all have a plethora of personalities? The people we know all know a different side of us and we behave differently around each of them. It depends on how well they know you - or want to know you. I guess we just display different aspects of our personality. But sometimes I think the aspects of my personality are so far apart that it doesn't seem possible that they are all part of one person. And maybe I'm just really full of myself (I'm grinning right now, just so you know that I once again think I'm pretty funny when I'm not. I'm typsy, that's the problem.) Okay, shutting up now.

0209 Hours

2008-10-17T17:09:00.000-07:00

It's two in the morning and I can't sleep. I don't want to sleep. But I need to. Dyou know that feeling when you have a thousand thoughts drifting through your head and a million feelings twirling in your chest and you desperately try to make sense of some of them? Lying in the dark, staring at light reflected on your ceiling from outside and listening to the rain and the wind and the cars on the wet streets, wishing to fall asleep so that you may forget about the things you think you should have done differently or not done at all, turning every stone of regret, again and again. For once, I'd like to go to bed and not regret a thing. Right now, I wish I could just sleep and dream.

Romantic

2008-10-16T13:24:00.001-07:00

Today I discovered that I'm a Romantic in every sense of the word. I love English Lit.

I also discovered that walking in the rain might seem romantic in the freaking movies, but it ain't so in the real world. It messes up your hair, gives you wet feet and drops of water trickling down your spine...might sound sexy, but really it's just very unpleasant.

Still, I love Fall, it's the most beautiful season of the year. The smell of dead leaves, the rain, the gloomy skies, the autumn sun...magnificent.
I wish I had a Tardis. I'd go back to some age where they didn't have any cars in the cities. I bet that made Fall even more beautiful. Hmm...

The Indiana Jones of University

2008-10-15T09:14:00.000-07:00

First off: university is friggin' great. Even though they teach us to formulate these kind of statements a bit more elegantly, I think there's no other way to say this. Having said that, I must admit that I am not (yet) a shining example of a student. I got trouble keeping track of assignments, deadlines and all that fun stuff. When my fellow freshmen say things like "So, did you get the text on Semiotics?", I usually say something like "Hmm...interesting. For some reason, I don't have a clue what you're talking 'bout." It's like a mental rolling stone that just appears out of thin air because I had to start talking about tomorrow's seminar, I just had to push the stone statuette and activate the deadly trap.
Of course I always make it out alive somehow, but most of the time I am forced to check my e-mails, just to see whether there's anything else I might have forgotten - which feels like reaching into a snake-and-spider-ridden whole to turn the switch so that I can continue on my perilious venture; I know that some nasty beasty could bite you at any moment or that some prof might have some additional homework he'd like me to do for the next day.

Unfortunatly, I have not (yet...) hooked up with a racy blond, so that's how far my Indiana-ness (I'm sure you were wondering how far I can take the Inadiana analogy). But just imagine what a disaster it would be if I had to handle my studies and some fiery stunner; it would be my end...or would it?

NEXT WEEK: The Amazing M. will present THE JEDI METAPHOR...tatata!

Aye, Aye, Admiral

2008-09-24T14:02:00.000-07:00

The first time I had the pleasure to see Admiral James T. perform was five years ago, when I made the first step on the road of adolenscence. It just so happened that I stumbled into a bar with a few of my good friends where Admiral James T. and the Bell Garden Four were to perform some days ago. This was a few weeks after my birthday, when I officially crossed into the depths of adulthood. What a coicidence, I thought, that the Admiral was always there when my life took a new turn. He's like my personal Hermes, watching over me as I travel the roads of this complicated life...

But the point I would like to make has nothing to do with his possible status as semi-deity. (I know, I get distracted.) Actually, this is supposed to be a tribute to the Admiral. So here it goes...

As I take to a wide variety of musical genres, it was an absolute delight to get to hear mellow country tunes fade into harsher but still pleasant rock melodies. Sometimes I had to think of Bowie, sometimes of Cash. The three sets perfectly built up to a rapturous climax. I knew that Admiral James T. and the Bell Garden Four had the crowd wrapped around their musical finger when the cool nodds and the anonymous tapping shoes were replaced by swaying bodies and slightly uncontrolled limbs shooting rhythmically in different directions.
Of course, the Admiral is also a reasonably handsome fellow and charming enough to make sure that the females (and males, I guess) in the audience were mesmerized by his jest and style. So, please, do not mistake this for an unbiased comment.

Thus my praise ends, but take this with you: if you ever get the chance to see the Admiral, do not hesitate to do so. Be it only to experience his outrageously wonderful, loud persona.

2008-09-11T15:13:00.000-07:00

I think of all who suffered, of all who perished,
And know that you'll be with us always,
Nothing goes, it all stays,
Be it in hearts or spirits of humans and gods.

An Ode to Terry

2008-09-11T14:25:00.002-07:00

Terry Moore, thy pen be blessed,
For the disappointed soul,
And a mind depressed,
You can with it again make whole.

Terry Moore, blessed be thy marrow,
For it is the wellspring of your creations,
That are so real and never narrow,
And that prove your dedications.

Terry Moore, humbly shall we bow,
For thou hath given us tales of humanity and wonder,
That us not only to dream will allow,
But about choices, changes and paths will let us ponder.

Lesson of the Day

2008-09-11T14:25:00.001-07:00

Don't do your nails in the dark.

Review: Babylon A.D.

2008-09-08T11:53:00.000-07:00

Oh, Vin...Vin, Vin, Vin.

Vin first came to my attention as Riddick in Pitch Black. A really decent and thrilling scifi movie revolving around the super-tough Riddick who can see in the dark, which is helpful when you're stranded on a planet where it gets very, very dark at night. We all liked him because he was too cool no to be liked. And then they went and made The Riddick Chronicles. They butchered the whole concept of the though-as-nails-because-everything-is-so-simple-when-you-get-right-
down-to-it mutant-hero by turning sweet tomboy Jack into girly pseudo-sexy Kyra (oh how I hated that Davalos chick!) and bringing the whole thing down to the same girl-likes-boy-but-can-he-ever-like-her-? storyline. They threw in a few "scary" looking bad guys and something that should pass as a subplot and assumed that they had made a hit because, well, a) Vin Diesel is in it b) they played by the rules. I have therefore decided to ignore the so called "sequel". It was never mae in my world, because in my world, clowns are not only decidedly plotting to take over the world, but people also generally posses the decency not to ruin stories like that for us.
The point is, movies with Vin Diesel totally have the potential for coolness, but people sometimes make bad choices ("Pacifier"). I also think that it should be generally noted that I don't expect Oscar-worthy performances or anything. The guy's a typecast, which I'm guessing he must be happy with, so all I need him to be is a hypercool action hero.

So what about Babylon A.D.? First: the basic storyline. Some time in the near future. Toorop (Vin) is liked by his neighbours, says grace before eating and knows how to cook. He is also a mercenary who is rather violently asked to smuggle a girl over the borders of America by his ex-employer Gorsky (Depardieu). He complies and soon finds himself in the company of a mysterious young Aurora (Mélanie Thierry, very pretty, also starring in HB II) and her guardian, the Noeline Sister Rebecca (Yeoh). As they make their way across Russia to get to the New World, Toorop learns that something strange is happening to Aurora - she has an uncanny ability that makes her invaluable to certain people, a suspicion confirmed by the fact that they are being hunted. Of course they make it to America, where we are introduced to the fact that the Noelites seem to be a rather important religious group who are waiting for some miracle that will, as they say "change the world tomorrow". The plot thickens as the party arrives in New York and Toorop reveals that he always thought this was probably a suicide mission, especially when gunmen and other sleezy types on bikes arrive to make sure the girl is delivered. Now why anyone want to kill Aurora? Suddenly she reveals what makes her so special, which takes everyone totally off-guard. Then there's some fighting, some dying and more fighting. The Deus Ex Machina arrives of course and after some crass secrets surrounding Aurora are revealed, there must of course be more fighting. And suddenly, the movie's finished.

When the credits appeared on the screen, I could feel how everyone in the room frowned simultaneously. We were all like "What? Where...but...I don't...huh?", then the lights went on and that was that.
I have very mixed feelings about the whole thing. On one hand, the characters have enough depth for me to have believed that they were people; more than half an hour passed before the first action scene; the scenery was interesting and had enough realness to it for me to buy the whole the-future-sucks vibe and showed a vision of a cruel world that is very possible. On the other hand, there's the sudden ending that was way to brutal and just didn't give anybody time to digest the change that came upon the protagonists in the end and there's some truly horrible dialogue.
And then there's the plot. The thing is, that very little was explained in the course of the movie. The basic plot-twists were more or less clear, but the viewer learns neither the true motives nor what the connection between the different antagonists really is. In general, nothing is really explained; there's no narrator that tells us why the world is how it is or what the rules are. The big scheme of things is never revealed, nor are the little things like. Why is that freaky priestess woman's faced being lifted?
The fact that nothing is ever explicitly said works for the movie - up to a certain point. By leaving us in the dark, we just have to figure stuff out by ourselves. We are just shown a movie about people, what goes on beyond that isn't really pivotal.
But the lack of information entails a lack of atmosphere. So much is left unsaid at the cost of credibility. I want the movie to show what the problem is exactly, not to leave me confused and on my own.

All in all, I enjoyed the movie. The action scene were not the central part of the movie and the characters develop enough for me to have been interested and entertained for one and a half hour. Apparently, the French version is ten minutes longer. I wonder a) which version I saw b) if I saw the shorter one, if the longer one might have been better.

Mathieu Kassovitz (who also directed the movie) based is screenplay on novel by French writer Maurice G. Dantec.

Starring Vin Diesel, Michelle Yeoh, Mélanie Thierry, Mark Strong, Charlotte Rampling, Gérard Depardieu...
Also see http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0364970/

Duh - blin

2008-09-08T08:20:00.000-07:00

Great expectations...what did Dickens say about those again?

O-kay, I'm not gonna start bitching about what a hellhole this is or anything, because it's not. But it is veeery different from what I imagined it would be. I know: duh. Not in a bad way really, although I could do without the funky smells, the weird-ass chicks that wear like TONS of make-up (I'm not kidding, if you thought the ladies ZH are super-styled, than seeing what "styled" means here will really be an eye-opener!), the rude waiters (You thought Paris was bad? Think again, mate!) and the stupid people (they're everywhere, so I really should have expected to come across some of 'em here as well).

But there have also been a lot of pleasant surprises, like the Abbey Theater, where I saw a brilliant rendition of Oscar Wilde's "An Ideal Husband" or the street musicians around Temple Bar, and, above all, the kick-ass second hand and shoe stores. Shopping has been sooo much fun here.

Now I'm off to an Omniplex (cinema) on Parnell Street (Vin Diesel, "Babylon A.D."). I figured I can't sit in pubs and drink beer e-v-e-r-y evening...

I'm thinking about getting a new haircut here. We'll see...

HIGH SCHOOL IS OOOOOVER

2008-08-20T11:28:00.000-07:00

So...I'm done. It's over. What they call the worst time of your life (if you're not a well-adjusted, blond, skinny somebody) in the good ol' U.S. of A., is now OVER.

I have passed the MATURA. Soon, meaning in about three weeks, I'll start my career as a student at the UZH. But before I do that, I'm going off to Ireland. (On my own). I'm really looking foreward to not being here and walking around in Dublin.

Well, that's it. Have a good life. I'll try.

C7

2008-05-20T13:47:00.000-07:00

I've never had any reason to doubt my individuality or my uniqueness - until yesterday. They have taken my name from me, the one thing that designates me as the person that can only be me; they have given me a number. As of yesterday, I am C7. The one after C6 and before C8. What is it with the world and reducing singular beings to numbers and letters? How can I explore the depths of my human nature, knowing that to the state, the insurance company, my bank, my PC, hell, even to my parents (K1: Kid one), I am no more than a number?
I feel like I've been robbed of my soul. Must stop now. Have to meet friends. ID C3-Po and R2-D2. At least they understand.

WebStreaming and Commitment

2008-04-28T07:25:00.000-07:00

So, it's been a while...but hey, I have a life, you know...Sue me.
Well, one of many reasons for my neglect to my non-existent readership is the temptation we like to call streaming. I have been watching so many series and movies on the web, I can't keep up with life. Okay, so that's a bit of an overstatement, but it's true, there's just so much to see and so little time...
I'm taking a different approach now. You see, at first, I watched all the movies and series on the web, no matter how bad the quality was (not screenies though, I have an inkling of pride left thank you very much). Thing is, torturing yourself like that is just wrong. The whole point is to cherish the pleasures of free entertainment, right? So you shouldn't stream all nine seasons of every series you've ever heard of, because that would be a lot like a long-distance relationship - or a relationship you're simply not ready to commit to.
No, you have to just catch a glimpse of one or two episodes, let's say the first and the seventh. See if there's chemistry, if it's going anywhere...If it isn't, just let it be. But if it is, you either get yourself what you need on the web, but in good quality OR you buy the goddamn thing and commit to it. Cause if you're ready to do that, you know it might just be the right one. And if it turns out, that it isn't a thing for life, you can end things (i.o.w., return it). Doesn't mean you can't still be friends, right?

My Spider Sense Is Tingling

2008-01-30T08:28:00.000-08:00

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Test

2008-01-03T13:22:00.000-08:00

Happy new year, everyone!

Cold Feet

2007-11-26T13:40:00.000-08:00

The cold is driving me nuts...It's no fun when there's no snow. It's five weeks 'till X-Mas, isn't is crazy.
I feel like it was yesterday...Oh my God, I'm getting old!
Anywho, I'm sooo hooked on Heroes. Can't get enough. I love the twisted plots, the mystery, the weird characters...blessed be the writers and producers and the cast of Heroes.( Now that folks, is method acting. I play Brother Lorenzo in 'Romeo&Juliette' you see, so I kind of have to live the part!)

Post Halloween Recitation

2007-11-05T11:24:00.000-08:00

Well, long time no read, eh?
Hope everyone had the bestest Halloween,
but I doubt anyone had better pumpkin pie
than I did.
The Facebook craze has taken a hold of me,
which is bad. I think a have to go cold turkey,
I need to prove to myself that I can live without it.
Just kiddin', coz I actually aren't as addicted as certain
other persons I could mention but won't...
Does anyone of yous guys know Nikka Costa?
I like her, she's funky...
And who here can't get enough of Supernatural and Heroes?
Today I got screwed over by fate like five times.
It sucked. But I guess it happens to everyone every once in a while.

Prague: Pics of the Haunted City

2007-10-22T11:30:00.000-07:00

No, it's not haunted by ghost. No that I know of, anyway. It's tourists, as far as the eye can see. Every Czech speaks German or English. Apart from that, the city is really pretty. Lots of architectural beauties. Cool bookshops, although very expensive. The food was awful, but I guess we just had bad luck. The booze is cheap though...
At night the city felt very alive, like no one ever really goes to sleep there.

Well, pictures say more than a thousand words or something like that...There ya go.

Prague

2007-09-26T11:00:00.000-07:00

I am going to Prague next week! Prague, home of Kafka, Rabbi Loew's Golem and Dalibor...
Yeeha is all I can say...No, of course I can say a lot more, like, I can't wait. I've seen it in so many movies, and now I'm going to the paradise of horror-movie directors. The beer is supposed to be real cheap there too...
Well, I'll post photos as soon as am back.

Does Life Suck Periodically?

2007-09-20T11:17:00.000-07:00

Does life suck periodically? Does the suckiness of life come in waves? Or does it suck perpetually, and sometimes the small things that do not suck cover up the crapiness of everything? Are these just words of a cynical person, even a bitter one? Maybe. Not really. It's more that sometimes things tend to be unfair and bad and it's all I can see. Or am I deluding myself? Why do I ask so many questions? These would be good song lyrics.

Peppermint

2007-09-17T11:20:00.000-07:00

I feel like peppermint today. I feel Pulp-Foction-y. I feel totally cranked up. It's like someone turned up the volume inside my head. Overflow of emotions, not really happy ones, but intense ones. Ever feel like that? I felt like the pure essence of my being was on display today. Problem, though, cause do you want people to know who you really are? (Actually, all this emotional high-rolling, kind of leads you to the experience of so called Golden Moments. Know what I mean? No, not those, the others, the intellectual ones!) Well, not everyone, right? Lovers, friends, confidantes, but random people who are part of the stream of conscious beings that pass by you but whom you don't know? Do I want to reveal my true nature to them? Where would the mystery go? The essence of femininity IS mystery, that we all know...
Well, please don't mind my mindless rambling, only the result of to much vine with dinner...But those who read this, and know that I mean them in only an instant: I love you. Have a wonderful week, be a bit emotional, it's fun (mostly).

Super Hero Dating Quiz

2007-09-11T09:48:00.001-07:00

Have you ever wondered who your Super Hero Would-Be Lover is? Find out!
I have...

Programmable Soda

2007-09-04T13:10:00.000-07:00

I am very much like programmable soda sometimes. But one constant in my life is Tori Amos. I've been listening her latest album (American Doll Posse) like all the time the last week (got it for ma b-day). It's amazing. She does this Sibyll thing where she has like five different personalities: Tori, Pip, Isabel, Clyde and Santa. They all have their quirks and ways, and their songs always have a certain groove. You can feel the personalities of the women through their songs, which of course is the whole point. What truly amazes me is that she uses the weirdest and most fitting metaphors to express her feelings about everyday questions and problems. Of course, every singer slash songwriter who goes beyond the "I love you/ You don't love me/God, I'm so very sad" routine, is refreshing, but the woman can paint a picture with words and melodies that are sometimes more alive than the real world outside. I've seen that woman live on stage twice now, and both times I've felt more alive and more like myself than before. I think everyone who has an interest in music that is not restricted to the radio or mainstream "otherworldly special" trash like those hundreds of thousands of Indie bands, takes some interest in the opus magnus of Tori Amos.

Jesus Ranch

2007-08-30T08:59:00.000-07:00

I'm questioning my sanity again these days. I almost booked two flights two Edinburgh. The urge to leave had taken control at 11A.M. I was one click away from green, funny accented, red haired freedom...

Anyway, life is absolutely boring. I wrote the most moronic test today. A hundred and twenty words to explain how a human being can change. Max Frisch *ç%" turned in his grave. I heard him scratching at the lid of his coffin. Bloody academic need to turn every expression of human emotion into a goddamn questionnaire. I met a guy today who looked like Igor from "Frankenstein Junior".
I also felt the urge to hit someone, no idea why? Devils and Gods, eh...?

Apropos: I officially own the new Tori Amos album! I am a happy soul (well, the musical part that is). That woman is a genius and basta.

Has anyone seen the last E.R. episode? No one seems to watch that show anymore. Poor Neela, poor Ray.

Fall

2007-08-22T10:41:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess the summer's over, eh? It was a pretty unspectacular summer. Although there was snow in Chile. That's global warming for ya...(If anyone reading this is shaking their head muttering "Global warming my ass", go watch "The Uncomfortable Truth", buddy, educate yourself a bit and shame on you!).

Two things I looking forward to this autumn: the fashion and the movies. We here, behind the Alps, we get all the good-stuff much later than the rest of the world. But, after a while they legally make their way to us. Flicks such as "Hairspray", "Because You Said So", "Planet Terror", "Knocked Up" and many more.

Well I'm sure "Hairspray" is gonna be cute, and Diane Keaton is the deal when speaking of cheesy but good woman flicks, so "Because I Said So" will be okay. We all know "Knocked Up"-Star Heigl from Grey's Anatomy where she embodies Izzy Stevens, the beautiful doctor. I'm not sure whether this is a comedy doomed to be just a silly yawn, or if it will actually try to find an approach to the topic that is neither to cheesy nor to serious. "Planet Terror"...do we need to repeat mistakes of the past? I mean, in a way I get the fascination with the 70s world of B-Zombie movies that are to gory to like but too disgusting and silly to miss. So, I guess it can be fun if you're in a group and just want to enjoy some general funny violence. And, I admit that the cast looks pretty fun. Lost Sahid-actor Naveen Andrews, gotta love him, Freddy Rodriguez who plays Freddy in Six Feet Under and some small-timers we know from shows like Arrested Development. I just hope Tarantino will find 'imself a new corner to play with like, I don't know, Western or Science Fiction, something non-repetitive would be great.

Well, I hope y'all have fun at the movies, and with that,

'NOUGH SAID!

Somwhere something's happening

2007-08-07T13:53:00.000-07:00

If it's raining, and I hold my press my fingers against my ears (on the pinna), it sounds as is if it was raining inside my ears. It's amazing how much useless information one can gather by doing absolutely nothing.
Well' actually there's always something happening in the world, even if we don't know it, see it or hear it: that doesn't mean nothing's going on. It's like the business with the tree in the forest, you know, if a tree falls in the forest, and there is nobody around, does it make a sound? We are so fixated on our sphere of perception, that we rarely think about things that happen in the rest of the world, do we? The news don't count, 'cause even though we see what happened at the same time we might have been drinking coffee or taking a walk with our dog, it's already in the past. Plus, the average consumer of media information blocks out most threads to reality so he can distance himself from whatever horrible thing happened. What I'm talking about is the awareness that somewhere else, in the exact same time, something is happening to someone else. Someone is doing something, like pouring coffee or dying. Why don't you give the whole awareness thing a try? Do this:

1. As soon as you have finished reading this, stop what you are doing.
2. Then, you have to think about what you've just been doing, where you are and who you are.
3. Now try to imagine a random person on a random continent doing something completely random. Example: A woman in Taiwan giving birth to twins in a crappy hospital.
4.Try to imagine what she's feeling.
5. Do this a few times a day.
6. Congratulations, you are now an aware human being.

You can also do it with famous people. Are Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis drinking wine in front of their fireplace, talking about what school Jack should go to? Is John Cusack looking for one of his socks? Is Jennifer Garner feeding her baby and wondering how Ben can forget his phone every goddamn time he goes out of the house? Maybe right now, someone is thinking about you.

Sadistic Statistic

Every 15 minutes, someone dies from an alcohol related collision. (3, 2, 1...now)
Every 35 seconds, someone dies from cardiovascular disease.
Every 17 minutes, someone kills himself.
Every 6.5 seconds, someone dies.
And every second, 3 children are born.

Dead Like Me

2007-07-31T02:07:00.000-07:00

All fans of Mandy Patinkin, Piers Anthony and the morbid: now there you have a show that you will enjoy!
George (Ellen Muth) is killed by a toilet seat from space (not an alien toilet seat, nitwit) that detached itself from the crashing Mir. She finds herself looking at her own dead self (or what's left of it) and has to come to terms with the fact that she's a ghost. But not for long. Rube (Mandy Patinkin) and Bettie, the friendly neighborhood grim reapers, come to her rescue and explain to her that she is to join the ranks of the reapers. Her job is simple: she gets a post-it from Rube at Der Waffle House which gives her the name, the place and the E.T. (estimated time) of someone death. Often these people are headed for really nasty accidents, so George has to extract their souls by touching them before they die. So, George goes tumblin' into the world of freak accidents and stupid universal rules, that tend to make her pissed at the the world, the cosmos and Rube. In time we learn more about her fellow reapers Rube, Roxy, Mason and Bettie (who will be replaced by Daisy Adaire) and about what reaping entails. At the same time the family she left behind has to deal with all sorts of troubles, like Reggie's (George's sister) new obsession with toilet seats and Clancy's (George's father) cold ways...

Brilliant characters, a perfect balance between the fantastic and the grey everyday life of a dead girl and interesting ideas. No doubt that over time you will become very fond of George and her manhandling, illegal substance abusive, gourmet friends as well as of her family. One problem you might have is the constant rumbling of your belly, because everytime they are at Der Waffle House, they eat the most delicious things. Which reminds me: I hadn't had breakfast yet.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: A review

2007-07-27T03:39:00.000-07:00

Harry leaps into action at the very beginning, as he finally leaves the Dursleys and the Privet Drive behind. Everything happens at such an incredible speed, that one is overwhelmed with the amount of cursing and spellbinding our heroes have to do in the first fifty pages. Even the first tragic death occurs. Harry, Ron and Hermine take off to look for the Horcruxes, only to face perplexity and despair and mood swings, which are totally comprehensible. They learn of the lore of the Deathly Hallow,which sends them on a new journey and adds more pieces to the puzzle Dumbledore wanted Harry to complete. But the voyage of the (sometimes) three friends isn't fun and games at all, I think this is by far the most frustrating and difficult final adventure the three had to face. Because once their journey leads them to their final destination, the battle between the Voldemort's creatures and Dumbledore's Army is inevitable. There's a lot of dying and a lot just seems so unfair...but the pieces of the puzzle finally gather and everything starts to clear up. We learn Snape's story and of Dumbledore's plans for Harry. Finally, there is a the confontation between Harry and Voldemort, the last one. I'm not giving you the details, but it's very...intricate. Be sure that you are fully awake when you read the end. Don't rush it. It's a lot to take it. But it's very cool, especially the end. You'll see what I mean.

I admit, I had a bit of a head start, but anyway, I finished the book after a mind numbing marathon. I read till five in the morning on Saturday and got up early on Sunday to finish it. And it was awsome. I devoured every page, craving to learn what was to come next and wanting to get some answers to questions that popped up at the end of the Half Blood Prince. Instead there are even more mysteries, more riddles and more lies. But Harry does uncover the truth eventually, and when he does, your're in for a really grand finale. The great thing is, that when you're finished, you want to read all the books again, beause now that you know everything, certain details in the past become clear. Snape's motive's are revealed (I was so right!) and you get to see a whole new side of Albus Dumbledore. What I wondered though, is how they plan to make it into a movie. The story is filled woth crucial details. I can't think of anything that can just be left out, like in the previous movies. I doubt that there is going to be a double feauture, but honestly I'm really curious about how else they are going to do it. But I hope you enjoy. My tip: buy a lot of cookies, prepare tea for about one and a half days, get a blanket, some cushions, make sure you're not disturbed, and Potter away!

McLame

2007-07-14T14:01:00.000-07:00

God, there are so many people out there who don't seem to possess more than an ounce of brain mass. These kids in front of my house had the brilliant idea to balance a beer bottle on their heads while the others tried to shoot it down with stones. One of 'em got hit in the face, and then, someone actually managed not to miss and the jerk was covered in shards. Like big fucking du-uh...

Shrek the Third was fun. More slapstick, less plot for kiddies, but otherwise rather funny. I think Dreamworks Studios have like a G.D. department (Gag Development). Actually, it's just a room, filled with comedians, thinking up lines and funny alliterations. There are different kinds of comedians. There are the ones in G.R. (Gag Research), those in G.F. (Gag Fitting; they need to find the fitting moment for every joke) and then there are the G.D. (Gag Developers), who are the kings of the humorous posse. They are so smart and witty, that they come up with super funny jokes nobody ever thought of before.

What a load of crap...don't blame me. Blame the time, the heat, the Nazis...those guys did everything wrong and it's their fault anyway. Again with the bull...ay.Sorry.

Berlin, Berlin

2007-07-04T12:18:00.001-07:00

Free Willy

2007-07-04T12:14:00.000-07:00

I am officially free! No exams for seven weeks! I never have to hear about electrodes or protons or orbitals ever again if I don't wish to (I'm raising my eyebrows, just so you know). Our Physics teacher actually tried to make us do something in class today. It was pretty ridiculous.

Times of Goody

2007-07-02T13:21:00.000-07:00

Real life is getting closer and closer...two weeks till summer holidays start. Three exams to go. Never ever again chem or physics. Really looking forward to working on my Final Paper.

I was at another wonderful Tori Amos concert. I don't think that there is any musical artist who can radiate that much brilliance...I love her. She's a genius. Ans she's sooo pretty. Her outfits are usually very cool too...

After the concert at was at a party. I have never ever heard a worse DJ in my life. I mean, there's still some time to, but...ay. Remember the DJ from Actually Love at Keira's wedding? Same thing, just with Drum and Base. If I ever see that guy again, I'll kick his butt.

No context whatsoever (words, words, words)

2007-06-28T07:50:00.001-07:00

To achieve greatness, means to go to the grocer and ask for help with tackling problems involving the waxworks that are recycled into candles which are sold to Members of Parliament but not to the Lord Mayor of Liverpool and never ever to the seargent in the lower borough of Livley, because his deals in gunpowder, periscopes and briefcases.

This is what happens when you're trying to get 2000 English words into your brain which have zero context.

Blogthings

2007-06-26T14:54:00.000-07:00

Here are a few funny blogthings, check the website out if you're interested in learning a few things about yourself and share...

What goddess are you?

You Are Artemis!

Brave, and a natural born leader.
You're willing to fight for what you believe in...
And willing to make tough decisions.
Don't forget - the people around you have ideas too!

What Goddess Are You?

How sarcastic are you?

You Have Your Sarcastic Moments

While you're not sarcastic at all times, you definitely have a cynical edge.
In your opinion, not all people are annoying. Some are dead!
And although you do have your genuine moments, you can't help getting your zingers in.
Some people might be a little hurt by your sarcasm, but it's more likely they think you're hilarious.

How Sarcastic Are You?

Could you pass 8th grade science?

You Passed 8th Grade Science

Congratulations, you got 7/8 correct!

Could You Pass 8th Grade Science?

What superhero would you be?

You Are Elektra

There's really no superhero with more style than you.
Because who could beat being sexy assasin ninja?

What Superhero Are You?

How does your Intrapersonal Intelligence rate?

Your Intrapersonal Intelligence Score: 77%

Your Intrapersonal Intelligence is High

You have a great understanding of who you are, and your place in the world.
You know what path you're on. And you are excited about your future.
You're always deepening your inner knowledge and introspection. And enjoying it every step of the way.

How Does Your Intrapersonal Intelligence Rate?

What animal were you in your previous life?

You Were a Cougar

You are a great leader who has dominance without ego.
You are wickedly cunning and off the scale confident.

What Animal Were You In a Past Life?

Anita says...

2007-06-13T12:26:00.000-07:00

I have been on the wrong side of a lot of locked doors. Not a one of them had just opened for me, but there was always a first time. Yeah, I should live so long. Scratch that; bad phrase. - Anita

"My god, you mean you've only had two hours of sleep. Do you want to shoot me, or what?" I didn't answer the question. I'm not that rude. - Monica, Anita

People are supposed to fear the unknown, but ignorance is bliss when knowledge is so damn frightening. - Anita

Had to see. Had to look. Might find a clue. Sure, and pigs could fucking fly. But still, maybe, maybe there would be a clue. Maybe. Hope is a lying bitch. - Anita

If you think you know someone, think again

2007-06-11T11:03:00.000-07:00

I've got a cold and it's like 200°C outside...IT'S JUST WRONG! If I have to go through life with that nasal voice much longer, my friends will leave me. Today I'm gonna share my infinitely small wisdom with you: prejudice sucks. You think you know someone, but really you don't, especially, if you've never really had the chance to talk to someone. I'm not talking about mind-numbing smalltalk, but a real, solid conversation. About the world and feelings and stuff...Anyway, I think everyone of us should just pick a person he "knows" from work or school or whatever and really get know him/her. Maybe you'll be surprised...Oh, and just so you know: colds in summer SUCK.

Storm

2007-06-07T15:17:00.000-07:00

There's a storm outside. I stood on the street earlier and waited for the rain. Now it's here, but it's bad timing. It's like fate peeeeping messing with my perfect night. Sometimes I wonder if Zeus is sitting up there, sharing a beer with Hephaestus and just going "Hey, there's that kid again, let's piss her off by sending a storm with crappy timing." But what the hell, right, as if the gods care what I'm doing...What is important though, is that I was at a Justin Timberlake concert (even though I don't even own a friggin' album) and stood like three meters away from him. Boy that guy is cute. Wanna have...Hooters has come to our beautiful little town. The temptation of the wanton men without taste of this desolate world. I heard that the food sucks there. Actually, Hooters got me thinking (sounds weird, ey?) and now I wonder? Do lesbians go to Hooters to see the chicks there? And if they do are the boobs the attraction? Do lesbian women care for boobs? It's sounds like a thing a deranged person would ask him- or herself, and maybe I am, but it just crossed my mind...I found something out about the local culture that quite surprised me. Did you know that the preference of a football team is dependent of his or her financial status? Is that a common thing? I don't watch sports, except for old college league basketball reruns, so I have like zero (that coke sucks so much) idea what a fan's criteria is or whatever you call that...Well, I hope you enjoy the start of the end of the week. I'll be playing volleyball all day long tomorrow. I wonder what Zeus will be doing...

Fracture (40)

2007-05-26T05:46:00.000-07:00

I like movies. I like going to the cinema. I like popcorn. So, naturally, I open the paper every Thrusday and look and all the new flics that come out that day and go "I wanna see this, oh, and this, and that one yadda yadda yadda". But I never see any of those movies. I just never have the bucks or the right company or whatever.

But last Wednesday I watched a thriller. I never go to the movies to see thrillers. I just don´t. But I did. Me, myself and two friends went to see Anthony Hopkins (and Ryan Gosling) being reeeeeally smart. Being the horrible person I am, I expected general shallowness which a touch of good acting. So there I am, wondering where Anthony Hopkins is from (Scottland? Wales?) and realize: hey, this is actually a good movie! There was a plot, good actors, a cute guy, good dialogues and even subtlety! I was positively surprised. I might even review it.

Now to something completely different: Did you know that there s gonna be a Beowulf movie? AGAIN? Gerard Butler did a great job being the norse superhero, he really did, and now Hollywood decided "Hey, someone not us made a good movie! Let´s do the same one again just with more budget and celebs and WORSE!". Anthony Hopkins, Angelina Jolie blablabla...Just pisses me off.

It's like, uh, a quote, ya know.

2007-05-10T14:22:00.000-07:00

I'm going Lebowski on your ass, man...

Walter Sobchak: Smokey, this is not 'Nam. This is bowling. There are rules.

The Dude: Let me explain something to you; I am not Mr. Lebowski. You're Mr. Lebowski. I'm the Dude. So that's what you call me. You know, that or uh, His Dudeness, or uh, Duder, or El Duderino if you're not into the whole brevity thing.

Maude Lebowski: What do you do for recreation?
The Dude: Oh, the usual. I bowl. Drive around. The occasional acid flashback.

The Dude: Hey careful man there's a beverage here.

Walter: Am I wrong?
The Dude: No, you're not wrong.
Walter: Am I wrong?
The Dude: You're not wrong Walter, you're just an asshole.
Walter: Okay then.

Coffee With Two Sugars and A Soul Please

2007-05-03T04:45:00.000-07:00

So, don't call me Bree. I've spent my week being boring and not doing any of the things I told myself I had to do two weeks ago. So I'm back to normal, meaning I read and watch TV instead of cherishing the gruesomely sunny weather. The balance of the Universe is restored.

Question: Why are they only two kinds of Starbucks baristas? There are the super friendly ones who are made of like 40% water and 60% coffee, and then there are the really grumpy ones. If you don't tell them what you want exactly 0.3 seconds after they've greeted you in that morons-like-you-bore-me tone, they just give you that icy glare. I mean, why can't there be like medium nice baristas, and extra nice baristas. That way, my chances of not feeling guilty after needing like 1.2 seconds to decide what I'll take, would be a lot slimmer. And I'd be more inclined to tip. I wonder if being a Starbucks barista is a crappy job. I totally dig the fact that you spend like eight hours a day around coffee. (You see, I like coffee, I wanna marry coffee...). How much does a barista earn? I'd be like the greatest Starbucks barista ever. I could be so phony the fake friendliness would be oozing out of my ears. Just kidding. I would, of course, be friendly out of the pure goodness of my heart (for which I am known...). Maybe you lose you soul if you've worked at Starbucks long enough.

Call Me Bree

2007-04-24T11:49:00.000-07:00

I've mutated into a housewife. I get up at eight sharp, eat breakfast, fix my hair, tidy up my room, get dressed, pack my things, go get coffee, get groceries, tidy up some more at other peoples places for different reasons, get home, make dinner, wash the dishes, get in my pj, tidy up my room, make "To Do" lists for the next day, worry about school, read five chapters and fall asleep reading at midnight. Emily Brontë turned me into a 2007 Nelly, who does things because she ought to. I forgot how to not do things I'm supposed to do. I've got plans for every day this week. And not one of them involves being with friends or doing something generally regarded as fun. No: I'm friggin' Bree. Which reminds me that I have to recolor my hair, the red is fading into mahagony nothingness. And I need to dust my jewelry box. And I want to buy seedlings. And a straw hat like Johnny Depp. Spending the whole day vacuum cleaning and shopping for groceries makes me feel totally Amish cause I'm spending so little time with my PC.

Personality Disorder I

2007-04-24T11:44:00.000-07:00

Found this great link on some random blogg I clicked. I'm not sure this is really true, but hey, I've heard worse about me.

***You May Be a Bit Borderline...***

Your mood swings make a roller coaster look tame!
When you're up, you're a little bit crazy...
And when you're down, your whole world is crashing
Scary thing is, these moods can change by the minute!

What Personality Disorder Are You?
http://www.blogthings.com/whatpersonalitydisorderareyouquiz/

Mrs. Fantastico

2007-03-29T11:46:00.000-07:00

I'm not a cat person. I like cats, but I'm not a cat person. I like dogs, too. But we have cats. And I tend to talk about my cats kinda often. But that's because my cats are reeeealy weird.

Kitty (short for Mrs. Kitty Fantastico), for instance, is a very strange cat. Since our other cat Miou-Miou suddenly jumped her and tried to kill her, she lives in my room. She's a good roomie, you know, never leaves a mess, I never find any empty beer cans lying around and she's quiet most of the time. But the other day, I woke up in the middle of the night and there she was, sitting next to me, just staring at me. She didn't move. Her yellow eyes were fixed on me and I felt like she had something to say. I have no idea what, though, coz I don't speak cat, but I think she was trying to scare me. She's probably trying to get rid of me. She also does this thing, where she gets up and leaves as soon as I get near her. Or when I'm in the shower, she starts meowing, like she needs to get in the bathroom right that moment or she'll pee in my shoes. But I'm not budging. I even thought about some payback for all those times I got out of the shower with shampooed hair just to open the frigging bathroom door for her: I'm going to get up in the middle of the night, when she's sleeping and I'm just going to stare at her. I'll make some noise so she wakes up and sees me, staring. Vengeance will be mine.

"You can't help that. We're all mad here." - The Cheshire Cat

Song of the Week

2007-03-27T13:27:00.001-07:00

"Landslides"

First performed by Fleetwood Mac, this song has been covered over and over by numerous bands
from the Smashing Pumpkins to the Dixie Chicks. It was featured on the album Fleetwood Mac.

This is one of my favorite songs ever. I love the version by Fleetwood Mac, but I also like Tori Amos' and the Dixie Chicks' versions. Even though it's the same song, the interpretations very different. The Tori Amos version makes is so quiet and peaceful that I feel like I'm standing on a snowy hill, contemplating my life. The Dixie Chicks version is very warm and, well, they just have amazing voices. I think this song was/is very personal for Stevie Nicks. Getting older and realising that life goes on are things we deal with on a daily basis. This song reflects this.

Other songs by Stevie Nicks or Fleetwood Mac which I like a lot are "Crystal", "Little Lies" and "Gypsy".

Check it out:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=CX6WHvxTYHs

My Band

2007-03-27T12:39:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking for some time now about starting to play the piano. I want to be able to play like Diana Krall or Rufus Wainwright. And I want to sing, even though I'm no good at singing. I figured that there are a lot of singers who can't sing, so who cares. As soon as get a hang of the whole piano thing, I wanna have my own band.
I'll have a drummer chick called Paco, a bass player called Lou and who has peroxide blond hair, a guitarist called June who's obsessed with Samuel L. Jackson. (Lou can also play the saxophone). Of course they can all sing. I'm not sure what the hell we'll be playing, but we'll think of something. Some jazz I guess, some punk, lil' bit of everything...I'll see you at our first gig.

Song of the Week

2007-03-12T12:21:00.000-07:00

"Wuthering Heights"

This song was released 1978 and was a total hit. Kate Bush was soon established as one of the top music artists

Kate Bush is special, and so is her music. That, and because I love Emily Brontë's masterpiece "Wuthering Heights", I chose this song. Kate Bush can do so much with her voice. First time I heard this song, her voice kinda scared me. But actually it's amazing what she can do with it and at the latest when she goes "Heathcliff, it's me, Cathy..." I get carried away.

Other songs I really love from her are "Babooshka" and "Moving". Not only are the lyrics moving, but the melodies just get me. She's not conventional and nothing short off brilliant. She reminds me a lot of Tori Amos, which might not be a coincidence.

Check the clips out:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=gfGc4wcil2g

Don't You Tell Me

2007-03-12T11:08:00.000-07:00

I've finally gone with the flow and got myself an iPod. It's a mini, which nowadays is already totally retro. So today I walked around with my headphones on all day, listening to the Best of Me, which means everything from 80s hits like "Oh Mickey" to Neil Young's "Down by the River" and the Clash's "Come on Eileen".

I don't think listening to music is anti-social. While the Bangles were singing just for me, I watched the world around me go on and on. Not only did I feel like I was in a musical, but I noticed how people are different when you aren't really listening to them. Either they just ignore the fact that you're not hearing a word they're saying, or they give you that look that's supposed to tell you that they want to tell you something and that you should take those wretched headphones off. I just smiled back derisively and nodded my head rhythmically (or so I hope) to Tenacious D's "Tribute". Just so you know: they don't like it. But hey, do I care? Do you?

Music also changes the listener. While listening to the Jam's "A Town Called Malice" I felt like dancing on the table. Alisson Krauss singing "That Kind of Love" made me want to curl up in a corner and cry. That all happened within five minutes.

Do you know how some people say that listening to the wrong kind of music can make you commit suicide? Usually they mean stuff like Death Metal and so on. I must agree, that there is music that makes me feel suicidal. But that's stuff like Britney Spears or Paris Hilton. Listening to that kind of music feels like a hand groping around in my bowels. I just want it to stop, so a bullet would be appreciated in a moment like that. But really, statistics showed that Country fans have the highest suicide rate. Is Willie Nelson the Devil? Marilyn, you're off the hook.

Song of the Week

2007-03-06T11:22:00.000-08:00

"Stand and Deliver"

This song from Adam and the Ants was released in 1981 and is a typicall New Romance song. New Romance was pretty in between 1979 and 1982. Adam and the Ants started out as a New Wave/punk/post-punk group, but evolved into a pop band. I can't say that I like everything by the Ants, some of their songs are downright awful. I suppose it depends on what you are looking for in the music.

The reason I chose "Stand and Deliver" is a) Adam Ant (alias Stuart Leslie Goddard) is one amazing looking man (or was) in those leather pants and with those tons of make-up on, b) the whole neo-romantic style is kinda cool and c) the song really gets you going. Adam Ant uses his voice in that deliberate off-key way, which gives him a "Do I care?"-attitude. Plus: I can't help it, but the 80s...hmm

Watch the video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPgHbt0ODr4

16 Going On 35

2007-03-03T06:17:00.000-08:00

The educated teenage girl has seen "Sex and the City" and knows what expects a woman in the world of relationships in her mid-thirties - thanks to Carrie Bradshaw and co. Now, even though our thirties lye way ahead of us, we wouldn't have expected to be faced with the same dilemma than the four fabulous women: When the hell are we supposed to have children? Do we want to get married one day? Are our parents' values worth anything in the world of tomorrow?

Regarding question number one: Let's say I want to go to a university and then have a job I actually like. I will probably want to get somewhere with what I do and have a better than reasonable salary. Someday I'll want to travel the world. Am I going to have Junior between studying and my great job? Will I be a working mum? Or do I want to have my baby after I got the Oscar for Best Director? Wait, I'd have to win it before I'm forty, because that biological clock doesn't stop ticking my friend. And hey, when am I going to find the partner who will play the other major role in the process of procreation? Timing...

Problem number two is, that we don't really know what marriage is supposed to do for us anyway. For some marrying might just be a sign of true commitment from their men. But what's that worth when divorce is man's emergency brake? Or is marriage what you do when you want to have kids? That's not really a problem nowadays, except maybe in places where the no-pre-marital-sex thing is still very in. I guess every person has to find the meaning of matrimony by/for himself...

Do you see where I am going with all this? I'm sixteen, and I'm already worrying about the tick-tick-ticking of my biological clock. Times sure have changed...

Smile...

2007-02-08T11:21:00.000-08:00

That's a great song...do you know it? Smile, when your heart is aching, smile, even though it's breaking, when there are clouds in the sky, you'll get by...you'll see that life is still worth while, if you just smile...
Right know I hope I can make you smile...

"A little sincerity is a dangerous thing, and a great deal of it is absolutely fatal."
- Oscar Wilde

"If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they'll kill you."
- Oscar Wilde

"If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at the people he gave it to."
- Dorothy Parker

"Women need a reason to have sex. Men just need a place."
- Billy Cristall

"I know nothing about sex because was always married"
- Zsa Zsa Gabor

"Well, evil just compounds evil, doesn't it? First, I'm sentenced to a computer tutorial on Saturday. Now I have to read some computer book. There are books on computers? Isn't the point of computers to replace books?"
- Cordelia

Tissue Schmissue Issue

2007-02-07T04:18:00.000-08:00

I think science is wonderful. It means that man is trying to understand the world around him. Sometimes I even ask myself how a human being can survive without knowing how everything around him works. We live in this world - shouldn't it be our priority in life to understand it?

This week all the 10th and 11th graders have to work in groups on scientific/medical topics. MY group has the to work on the topic "Tissue Engineering". It's a method with which you can make organs grow artificially. It sounds very sci-fi-ish, but believe you me, it ain't. Because we don't look at mice with ears on their back or people whose kidney has been grown outside of their body. No. We get to read boring papers and ask boring questions about boring things.

The only entertaining thing is the bickering of my co-pseudo-scienteers(who are all women). I hate group projects. I really really do. I always end up doing all the work. This time, I kinda sat back and enjoyed the show. Everybody wants to take charge. So I don't have to. Yey!

Lame Rocks

2007-02-04T13:00:00.000-08:00

Well, I don't have to tell anyone that nerds and freaks are the new cool. Actually, it's always been that way, but to keep it cool, the other side has to pretend it isn't, yadda yadda yadda, excrutiatingly tiresome topic... Anyway, making the "losers" heroes has always been the storytellers smartest move. All the other "losers" and "freaks" can relate and stuff. Here are few really great stories that I've read/seen lately and that I really enjoyed.

Heroes (TV show)

Random (or maybe not) people are discovering newly gained powers. They do not know each other, but soon their paths cross. Their destinies are linked. But how? That's just what they want to find out...

Just amazing. Makes you want super powers like the ability to fly, or walk through walls etc...The storyline(s) is intriguing and the actors are just perfect. The development of the whole thing and of the characters is actually believable. Believe me when I say that it is very much worth watching!

Rome (TV show)

The who’s who of Rome: A soap that evolves around the lives of the antique Rome’s celebrities like Julius Caesar and his family and two losers whose lives are shaken by the intrigues and political games that reign Rome.

A lot of sex and violence, which conveys the watcher the ambiance of the time and place. It’s thrilling and works you over.

Spartan (novel)

The story unfolds around two brothers, two sons of a Spartan family. One has a lame foot and is abandoned by his father who is forced to do so by Spartan law. He is found by a shepherd who belongs to the race of the Helots, once proud people who have been enslaved by the Spartans. He grows up to be a warrior himself, even though he is never told of his true provenience. The other becomes a proud warrior of Sparta. One day their paths meet and from then on their lives change…

This tale takes you on a historical and emotional journey. Not only does the author create scenery that sends you back time, but he lets room for interpretation and keeps enthralling you with an epic plot. Plus, this story incites one’s interest history. You might even learn something…

The Covenant

2007-01-07T06:05:00.000-08:00

Four really hot guys have powers. Or rather, THE POWER. They're warlocks, witches, whatever and are the descendents of the founding fathers of Ipswich, therefore called the Sons of Ipswich. Problem N°1: The Power is addicitv and wears your body down, so they have to be careful. Problemo N°2: The 5th Son of Ipswich has returned, to avenge his ancestors who were kicked out of the Covenant for...I don't know why. Of course there is a chick. A nice one, too. So the battle begins...

For women: These guys are really cute and very well-built. And you get to see (almost) everything of the sweetness.
For men: The chick has a shower scene! Plus, she lives in a dorm with her friend and they are mostly walking around in their really small pajamas.
For all: Nice fight scenes, a lot of eye candy (apart from the cuties) and a moderately intelligent storyline There are a lot of spiders, though. All in all really not bad, the only problem is that you could do the same in an average "Buffy" episode. But if you can, do watch it, just for the immense amount of half-nakedness.

To Cool For Winter

2007-01-07T05:39:00.000-08:00

Where the %&*ç is the snow? I don't ask for much, but a winter without snow, that's just friggin' depressing. You can't make any snowmen (which are kinda scary), you don't know why it has to be cold when there is no friggin' snow and everything is just so...not full of snow.

The grey days are cool, though. There's a breeze, which sometimes is even warm (is that good?). I feel like I'm back in England.
But mostly, I just freeze my not that small behind off. I was in the city, when I saw this chick wearing, like, nothing. She had a mini on with a really inefficient panty hose underneath and was wearing ballerinas. And the jacket she was wearing wouldn't keep you warm in summer. I was wearing a winter coat that probably keeps you warm in space and about three layers of T-shirts and sweaters.

Honestly, how do these chicks do that? Do they take some kind of arctic-fish-cold-resistance-powder pills? Or are they like yogis and just ignore the cold with their unbelievable mental powers? Or maybe they have some Russian ancestors?
It's just amazing what people do just to be cool. I mean, I'm a vain person, I don't deny it. And occasionally, I do make sacrifices for the sake of coolness or whatever. But with like -5°C outside, I budge. I don't give a damn about how fat I look in those eight sweaters. Girls just wanna be warm. Yeah, right.

New Year

2006-12-30T05:22:00.000-08:00

Now that I have survived the agonies of Christmas, I am looking forward to a totally boring New Year.

Happy New Year

Did You Know...

2006-12-08T03:04:00.000-08:00

...that the Brookly Bridge was the largest supsension bridge

in the world on it's completion?

The B.B. stretches 1825m over the East River,
connecting Manhattan and Brooklyn.
It cost $15.1 million to build and 27 people died building it. The characteristic pointed arches are typical for the Gothic style. There was a rumor that the bridge would collapse on May 30, 1883, three weeks after it's opening. In 2006 a cache was discovered, which was suspected to be a remnant from the Cold War.

Did You Know...

2006-11-09T05:26:00.000-08:00

(...that you're about to learn something?

I think that besides reading this really philosophical stuff here, you should also be learning something. That's why once in a while I'm gonna give you some (maybe not very helpful but) interesting information about this nice little place I like to call earth and those nasty creatures living in it called humans.
Maybe one day, it will help you. Sooo: whenever you see that title (up there, do you see it?), you know that something really interesting is about to be burned into your brain. )

Did yo know that every fifth person speaks Chinese?

Linguists aren't sure whether to describe the varieties of Chinese as "dialects" or "languages". The most populous is Mandarin (~800 million), followed by Wu (~80 million) and Cantonese (~90 million). Depending on the classification scheme, there are between six and twelve main regional groups of Chinese. Standard Mandarin, based on the Beijing dialect, is the official language of the Republic of China and one of four official languages of Singapore (together with Malay, Tamil and English). Standard Cantonese is one of the official languages of Hong Kong (together with English) and together with Portuguese the official language of Macau.

Line Rider

2006-11-07T05:25:00.000-08:00

Funny game: www.linerider.de

It's totally awsome and funny. Make the little man fly. Check it out.

Luv, moi

Halloween

2006-10-28T09:02:00.000-07:00

What do you know 'bout Halloween?

I can tell you this: Originally, Halloween was a Pagan holliday of the celts. Samhain (pronounciation: sowen) is the equal of New Year. It's about leaving bad habits and stuff behind and moving on to a better year (I could go all New Agy and Wiccan on you, but I'll be nice enough to spare you). It normally takes place between the 10/31 and the 11/1. The Christians have transformed it into All Hallows Eve which is on the 10/31 and All Saints Day and All Souls Day, which take place on the 11/1. Those are the days when we pray to the dead and remember them (compare: El Dia de los Muertos in Mexico on the 2nd of Nov.).

So, now you know.Let's never forget about the sweets, though. I think that's really important to.

I hope you'll have a really nice holliday, whatever you wanna call it.

Luv, moi

Riddler

2006-10-14T01:30:00.000-07:00

I can not say I really like math, but I like the challenge and the feeling of victory when I have succeeded at some nauseatingly dumb exercise. Same thing with riddles. Most people with average intelligence feel good when they solved a riddle - except if they are Buddha or some other really moderate wise man. So here a few for the bored brains of the readers.

I turn my head and you stand still,
I turn it again and you go forth,
With crooked teeth I smile at you.
What am I?

If you keep me you have me,
If you give me away, I cease to be.
What am I?

Cold or Furry

2006-10-10T14:22:00.000-07:00

I know, everyone of you must have asked him/herself this really important question: if you could choose, what would you rather be, a werewolf or a vamp? It's a really difficult question, I know...
Maybe I should list all the cons and pros, so you can make a really rational decision. So, here we go.

Werewolf:

pro: You get to be a really big wolf
con: You might try to eat your relatives
pro: Depending on what books you read, you might know that as a werewolf you get to be in a pack, which means that there is a lot of bonding going on and the relationships to your fellow werewolves are really deep (so you're very sociable)
con: You might be a little bit bad tempered sometimes, but hey, everyone had his moods...
pro: You are really hard to kill
con: For some reason people think that being a werewolf makes you a good target for major killing
pro: You can change from animal to human (again depending on the book or movie, your ability to change depends on moon cycles and stuff like that)

Vampire:

pro: You're really strong (like bench-press-a-car strong)
con: You need to drink blood (now, I'm not a great fan of the metallic taste, but I suppose that changes when one becomes a vamp)
pro: You get to b really cool
con/pro: You need to stay out of sunlight
pro: You're really hard to kill
con: Getting dinner is always connected to stalking and hunting
pro: You don't age
con: You can't eat chocolate ice cream anymore
pro: Somehow vampires always get to have a lot of sex
con: People try to kill you
pro: Easy to accessorize nowadays
con: Fetish fashion is so out
pro: Ever seen a fat vamp? Whatever they were before, they always turn into Calvin Klein underwear models

Now let’s compare: A vamp is a corpse walking around, whereas the werewolf is a hot headed person who changes into a wolf once in a while. While the vampire has to stay out of sunlight, he can control his urges a bit better than a werewolf. Werewolves have a pulse and can reproduce themselves. They are both able to do all that nifty telepathic stuff. There’s a lot more I could mention here, but I’m tired and…well, that’s all actually.

So there you go. If you ever need to make that decision, I hope this helps you.

So tired

2006-10-04T04:16:00.000-07:00

Today I had the feeling that everybody around me was sucking the energy right out of me.
Hundreds of people passed me by, entangled in their own thoughts, not minding anyone around them. After half an hour in the crowd, my eyes burned with tiredness. I could barely keep them open. I couldn't focus. (And now I have an exam.) Crowds are bad...so tireeeeeeedddd

With Fall I Rise

2006-09-30T03:00:00.000-07:00

It is beginning. Solemn faces look at me, people are aware of the coming changes and everybody is afraid...The fall. It is the bearer of awareness, the reminder of loneliness and you can´t get away from it.
But to me, it´s grey clouds, the days of rain and the dying leaves are a joy.
There is nothing I love more than walking under those darkening clouds, having a cold wind dancing around me and reminding me of past times.
Mostly smiling, I wander the city, thinking an wondering, what is to come. The passion for this season I try to share, although I rarely have success.
It is the time I cherish lonelyness and listen to the music of raindrops and falling leaves, the time death and silence are friends of my thoughts.
Do never let Gaia´s humors bother you, let the thoughts and feelings they awaken in your deepest sink in, and cherish...

Guns n Vamps

2006-09-30T01:51:00.000-07:00

I have this thing for vampire stories...I don´t know why exactly, maybe because they are so much simpler than normal human stuff (to bite or not to bite), or maybe because it´s even more complicated (It´s our wedding, did you have to eat the priest?)...

Anyway, some of the best stuff I´ve read is Laurell K. Hamilton´s Anita Blake novels.
Anity Blake is this petite lady who lives in a St.Louis where it´s normal that vampires have their own bars and who likes to shoot first and ask questions later (mostly). But the really cool part is that it is really about all the charming vampires and werewolves she meets, who - of course - are all in love with her. So, you have the blood splattering, zombie fighting, monster hunting part and the romantic, oh-we-can´t-cause-you´re-the-bad-guy part.

I really recommend it to all vamp-lovers. Here are a few quotes so you get the why...

"Paranoia is just another word for longevity."

"Jesus, are all vampiresover two hundred perverts?"
"I am over two hundred," Jean-Claude said.
"I rest my case."

"There are only two kinds of vampire hunters: good ones and dead ones."

"Polly isn't it? I have been on my feet for over thirteen hours. If you do not put Richard on the phone right now, I am going to come down there personally and bust your ass. Am I making myself clear?"
.... I spent the next fifteen minutes convincing a crying werewolf that I wasn't going to hurt her. My life was getting too strange even for me.

Being funny...again

2006-09-30T01:25:00.000-07:00

"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go."
- Oscar Wilde

"The Irish gave the bagpipes to the Scotts as a joke, but the Scotts haven't seen the joke yet."
- Oliver Herford

"A little sincerity is a dangerous thing, and a great deal of it is absolutely fatal."
- Oscar Wilde

"On the one hand, we'll never experience childbirth. On the other hand, we can open all our own jars."
- Bruce Willis

"Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes."
- Oscar Wilde

"A guy is a lump like a doughnut. So, first you gotta get rid of all the stuff his mom did to him. And then you gotta get rid of all that macho crap that they pick up from beer commercials. And then there's my personal favorite, the male ego."
- Roseanne Barr

You want more, you can have it...http://www.basicjokes.com/dquotes.php?cid=20

The Price of Beauty

2006-09-15T03:18:00.000-07:00

Is it normal to sit in front of a mirror and practice the movement of your lips? Or how you move your hands while talking? Sure, if your an actor, it is actually necessary. But, what if your just that average person, who goes to school or to work or whatever the heck you do? Are you playing a role? Does reality become a play to you?
Those question cross my mind when I talk to people who just seem be perfect - not as a person, but aesthetically. It's just beautiful to watch them. But I know for a fact, that some of those practice the art of talking.
So, if you are an actor of life, where does your personality go? You don't "act" naturally anymore, so it's not really your personality you are showing the rest of the world, but little moves that you copy from some person you saw on tv.
Maybe it's like selling your soul. You give up your personality and naturality, but, you get to be admired for your beatiful gestures and stuff.
Yeah, that's so cool...

Carnivalé

2006-09-02T09:10:00.000-07:00

If you're weird, have style and are totally into the awsome world of magic and wonders, you have to see the HBO series "Carnivalé". Google it, buy it, watch it and then cry when it's finished after the second season. For the guys: Adrienne Barbeau. I mean...and otherwise cool actors and a lot of sex.
Just check it out. (Now).

More Quotes of funnyness

2006-08-06T02:03:00.000-07:00

'Thank god. You scared me half to death... or more to death.'
Spike (for all the unknowing: Spike is a vamp)

'I have finesse! I have finesse coming out of my bottom! I can completely lie to the health inspector. I can, you know, distract him with coy smiles, and, and bribe him with money and goods.'
Anya

'Yeah, what I really need is emotional therapy from the evil dead.'
Buffy (sarcasme, my friends)

You are not, by any chance, betraying your secret identity just to impress cute boys, are you?'
Giles

'It's not a date, it's a caffeinated beverage. Okay, sure, it's hot and bitter like a relationship that way, but.' Willow

'Thank you guys so much. You're like my fairy godmother and Santa Claus and Q all wrapped up into one... Q from Bond, not Star Trek.'
Buffy

Beowulf and Grendel

2006-08-03T10:59:00.000-07:00

Beautiful landscapes, good actors, intense story and wonderful fantasy right out of the 10th century A.D.

The great warrior Beowulf is called to help the King of Daneland to defeat Grandel, the troll who kills his men. But Beowulf, being more than a mean killing machine, wants to find out want is behind Grendel's mission of revenge. With the help of the local witch, he uncovers the bloody past of the Dane's king and the troll...

Gerard Butler plays Beowulf, the Geat warrior, and you really buy it. He has shown his talent as the Phantom of the Opera as well as the traitor in Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life.
The whole thing seems very real. The dialogues make sense and seem possible, there are no ultimate bad guys, that are responsible for everything bad on earth anyway, and the costumes are good too. I'm no historian, but as long as not all the Norse folk have helmets with horns on them, I'm satisfied.

Death of Durham

2006-08-03T10:36:00.000-07:00

Buffy Quotes

2006-08-01T14:42:00.000-07:00

'When he is around... it's like the lights dim everywhere else. You know how it's like that with some guys?'

Buffy

'Don't make it sound like something you'd flip past on the Discovery Channel. Becoming a vampire is a profound and powerful experience.'

Spike

'I used to punish people like this when I was a demon. I made them double-check spreadsheets for all eternity.'

Anya