1.29.2009

Good Start!

I'm so tied to my sleep it's ridiculous. I know everyone is but it's so obvious for me and I'm well aware of it. If I don't get the appropriate amount of sleep the day starts completely differently. I'm always ready to cut when I wake up without enough sleep but last night? 8 hours. I woke up refreshed 13 minutes before my alarm went off. It was SO fantastic. Then I made my self a sausage and egg sandwich on an english muffin, put on my cute new cardigan from Ann Taylor loft that was on sale (originally $49, I got it for $11; the same day an Express blazer originally $149 cost me $19!!) and my colorful rain boots and was out! In a few minutes I will go teach another lab, then put the finishing touches on an assignment due at 4 this afternoon, turn that in, then go watch Iron Man on Netflix. Tonight-- Grey's Anatomy, HOPEFULLY minus the love scenes with a dead guy aka the worst story line ever. WHEEE!!!

1.28.2009

Friday, Please

You know how some weeks start bad and get worse? That's what this week is for me. I'm so ready for Friday I can hardly breathe. Okay I can breathe and that's being melodramatic. I'm not curled up in a corner with a paper bag at my mouth or anything but Friday cannot come soon enough. None of it is big enough to mean anything after a few minutes, days or hours (which is why details are irrelevant except this one-- I just found out I've lost 37% of my 401k in the last year) but combined they make me want to throw things. Preferrably off of a very tall building (of which there are none in Gainesville). Maybe some of those rocket scientists in the buildings next to mine can send some crap to the moon for me. Yes?

1.26.2009

PUABBS

WE the undersigned hereby state we are taking a STAND against this abomination. We are NOT going to take it anymore. Your plotless, shucking and jiving, fried chicken-eating, neck rolling, big mama, never met my daddy, my momma's on crack and my brother's in jail movies. That's right. We are PUABBS. People United Against Bad Black Scripts. We shall stop you, T.ylerPerry, and your cohorts making movies like "M.adea'sClassReunion," "The C.ookout," "M.alibooty," "So.ulPlane," "B.aps," "W.oo," "K.ingdomCome," and just about everything on BET's B.lackStarPower and B.lackbusterMovies. We henceforth unite against black tomfoolery.

Jameil il Fabulosa
*fist in the air*

1.25.2009

Crazy Movie Lady

On my never-ending (well December 31st-ending) quest to watch 750 movies this year, here are the 20 movies I watched this week. That's right in the last 7 days. It's not a game, kids. I had to make up for the time I lost before this was my resolution.

January 19- 24
27. Helvetica. An Independent Lens film. (That's an arm of PBS. The more controversial, modern documentary films.) I was definitely thinking of my sister the graphic designer while watching this. She has created fonts before and wants to use my handwriting to create a font. I've always wanted my handwriting to be a font so as long as we split the proceeds, I'm cool with that! :) When I see Helvetica I think of Crate and Barrel. Gorgeous, clean lines. Modern, efficient, unobtrusive. Some amazing photograph. Amusing to see people obsessed with a font. But it's EVERYWHERE!!! Target, AmericanAirlines, American Apparel, USPS, NY subway, the words United States on space shuttles, Sesame Street, Do Not Enter signs, Texaco. I could really go on and on and on. Loved the scene with an artist pointing out all the Helvetica with the whimsical music. Lol.
28. Spellbound. Alfred Hitchcock film about psychoanalysis and how a dream could be used to solve a murder. I liked it.
29. Through A Glass Darkly. A Swedish film which won an Academy Award. It's about a schizophrenic and the search for God.Interesting film. I don't really know what to say about it except it made me thoughtful. I can see why it won an Oscar. The main actress is EXCELLENT.
30. His Girl Friday. Another Cary Grant film. Cute.
31. The Eyes of Tammy Faye. Y'all already know I love Tammy Faye. She was such a sweet lady. Why was this film narrated by RuPaul??? Hilarity! I don't like the puppet transitions between scenes. Odd. This movie took me to church and reiterated why I liked Tammy Faye.
32. Cannonball: The Life and Legacy of Julian Adderly. I wanted to hear more from the film's topic but was captivated by the music. Student film from people in my program.
33. Dial M for Murder. I don't think it was supposed to, but it amused me! :-) Lol.
34. The Bicycle Thief. Another in class neorealist film from Italy. Not bad. I kind of like it.
35. The Forgetting: A Portrait of Alzheimer's. Awesome start to the story. Loved it. Then it got really technical and medical which felt almost like I was falsely lured into an emotional attachment to characters who won't be developed. Some of those characters were eventually developed but a couple were introduced, then ignored. It was odd. One story line was great and could've really been their main story line away from the medical stuff because of all the twists in it.
36. Medium Cool. It was ok. I didn't love it.
37. Saboteur. Another Hitchcock film. It's brought on a new goal. (Yes, I know this is getting ridiculous... much like Grey's Anatomy... SMH. Sigh. Shonda. Please get your show.) To watch all Hitchcock films by the end of the year. I picked up this one because I've already seen 5 since the beginning of the year. With a goal of 750, I know I can fit in the rest of his films. Lol. This wasn't one of his best. Incredibly unbelievable and not enough of his trademark amazing shots.
38. The Gleaners and I. Odd documentary about an old lady-- the filmmaker-- and her obsession with French trash collectors. They glean food and trash. It was amusing in some ways, appalling in others the amount of waste. She became obsessed with her hand and passing trucks which was odd. At times it seemed like she was just flitting about the country picking up trash and filming people picking up trash. Like she had assistants whose job it was to find the locations and she would pick one and say, "D'accord, journee ici au'jourdhui! Une voyage!" (Okay a journey here today! A trip!) Again, odd/amusing/perplexing. It took me months of passing over this movie to watch it and it was among the better films. Not among the best, but the better.
39. Ansel Adams. An American Experience documentary. I came into this with a preconceived dislike of sorts of the artist. I realized while watching it that this arises mostly out of my dislike with black and white landscapes. Black and white photographs of people? Love. Of landscapes? Not so much. I want to see the beauty of nature in color. I dated a guy once who loved Ansel and I thought we couldn't marry if it meant you would want to place these austere photographs throughout our home. As you can see, it didn't work out. I'm also not so much on the nature doc which this becomes in some ways by virtue of the artist's obsession with the Yosemite valley. I was pulled in early by one person describing it as religious. I absolutely see the God in that area. But then 45 minutes in with 52 minutes left I was ready to check out. But my goal must be met and I've already invested so much time. I'm learning something, though. About the difficulty of a documentary so heavy on photographs with so little video. It creates a sense of eye wash, no matter how beautiful because you don't have a choice to turn the page.
40. Reservoir Dogs. Can someone tell me why Quentin Tarantino is so obsessed with the word nigger and talking about black people like animals? Because that is the entire reason I can't get into his movies.
41. La Vie En Rose. French movie about the life of Edith Piaf. I liked it a lot. I didn't even mind the time jumping which might ordinarily annoy me.
42. I Confess. Another Hitchcock film. RIVETING. Loved it. The ending I couldn't tear my eyes away.
43. Through Deaf Eyes. I really liked it. I felt like I was already in on deaf culture a little bit because of "Sound and Fury," a documentary on cochlear implants I saw last year. I liked that one, too. This one was a little long (they seemed to get a bit lost in the history and some of the performances and film vignettes made little sense to me, possibly because I'm hearing rather than deaf) but still overall intriguing.
44. Marnie. Wow. Hitchcock is so funny. This movie amused me at first. Then it seemed to drag some. The end was a bit pat.
45. Broken Flowers. For real? That was the worst ending ever.
46. F.or the B.ible T.ells Me So. About deeply religious C.hristian families with gay children and their struggles to accept their children for who they are. Neither side fully convinced me but I did come away with the same aversion to extremists I've always had. I broke up this title because I don't feel like dealing with long conversations on my blog on the topic. WAY too controversial.

1.23.2009

Mindspacing Vol. 3 Ep. 1

It's been a while, hasn't it? Let's go!

We all know I love a good competition! The Oscars give a bunch of film students an opportunity to compete again. Yeah! We're doing an Oscar party and Oscar pool. Good times. We're each putting in $5. 2nd place gets their money back, 1st place gets the rest. There are only 9 people in the program so the winner only takes $40 but that's more than (I) had at the beginning of the night. February 22nd!

But here's the thing. I hate awards shows. Can't stand 'em. They're too long. My favorite complaint in case you were wondering. Too long. There is no reason for any show to be 3+ hours. And that's WITH cutting out certain awards? Gimme a break. I'm much happier with a synopsis. I'll take the sound bite and the online list of awards, thanks. My favorite part of any awards show? The clothes. That was so obvious. If you didn't guess that, subtract 50 points* from yourself.

112. AHHHHH!! LOVE their first cd which Rashan replaced for me for Christmas. I had forgotten how much I love this cd!!!!!!! I'm going nuts!

I start teaching labs next week. 12 hours a week. Wednesdays I'm on campus from 935 am until 910 pm. Insanity and not cute. (I did NOT pick my hours.) I know I'm crazy for doing it but luckily it's not for very long and the pay is nice. Starting next week we have at least one assignment due each week. 2 due next week, not including a presentation and a pitch for our thesis idea. I'm SO glad I got my partner. We're a good team. We work really well together.

And now I'm back in the lab working on my latest production project. Wheeee!

*Point system determined at blog owner's discretion, not transferrable. There was this commercial on the other night and it had the LONGEST list of possible side effects. Just say your life WILL suck SOMEHOW if you take this product. Much quicker. I know they're usually long but this one had issues which took up a good 1/3 of the commercial. No mas.

1.22.2009

Eye Pain!

ACK!

I passed 2 hideous outfits today. Not bad. HIDEOUS.

There was a girl in high water camoflage flare-leg sweatpants with strappy black sandals, a brown sweatshirt, a black plastic jacket with a matted formerly white faux fur-trimmed collar and a betty boop bookbag.

And hers was not the worst.

There was a girl in a just past knee-length black and white polka dotted peasant skirt with a white flounce trim, black tights, furry white boots, a black coat with a rust and mustard plaid hood and a black bag with white trim and pink stars on it and a green and red plaid scarf.

YES!!

I did a triple take. No ma'am.

1.21.2009

Wanna Get Away?

Kids. (I LOVE calling people kids. No matter how old. Especially if they're clustered somewhere looking like they're keeping secrets from boring, nosy adults.)

I must disclose something.

You know how Facebookery is engagement anathema for Adei and regularly tortures her? It's marriage and baby anathema for me. It's not like I really want to get married and have babies right now. I mean come on. I like my figure and my independence right now. I absolutely would LOVE to have marriage and kids one day and I will. When I was in elementary school I'd decided I wanted to be a married mother by age 23. The closer I got to 23, the more I thought, "That child was crazy!" As long as I'm not a 35-year-old first time mother. Kudos to those of you who do it, that's not what I want my particular experience to be. Only God knows. He's preparing me regardless. Anyway that's not the point. I'm tired of reading about all these girls I went to high school with who are now married with children. First it was scary. Now it's like dude... ENOUGH!! Ugh. I didn't want to be the first to be married but I most certainly don't want to be the last. Of my friends, though, I'm certainly NOT in the back of the pack since I only have 2 married friends out of a gaggle of friends. And one more headed down the aisle Memorial Day. Yes, I know it's not a competition. I'm certainly not the one to rush down the aisle because divorce is not hot. I also don't want your offspring without a ring. AND to put a cherry on that cupcake, I'd rather not be the one at 40 wondering why I didn't spend more time with ME without a man when I was getting married at 22.

So kids that leaves me back where we started. Still annoyed with the 'book. But at least I'm not this girl.

1.20.2009

Inauguration Day!!

This is unreal. I've been composing this post in my head all morning. How 150 years ago we were still struggling to shake off the still fresh bonds of slavery with more than 90% illiteracy rate. And now we are about to have a black president who wrote 2 bestsellers. Now I'll just post realtime.

Did anyone else notice the new Attorney General Eric Holder is HAWT!? Lol. Heeeey Mr. A.G.!

Ahem. Excuse me. Off topic. There are some FLY hats out there. I feel so weird. Why does the first Bush look so much older than Jimmy Carter? Wow. I can't wait until they say soon to be former President Bush. It's 11:15 and I'm getting so weird. My mom is going crazy right now. It's so cute. Hillary's blue coat is fab. The color mostly. I wonder if Bush is gonna be booed. My mom thinks everyone is going to be gracious today. Oh Bill, why did you tarnish my image of you? I used to love him before his comments in SC and in other places on the campaign trail. Bah.

Sasha and Malia are so CUTE!!! AHHHHH!!! Aretha Franklin's hat... wow... Did you know MLK, Jr. would only be 80 today if he was alive? That's so bizarre. I always think of him as so many years past and not someone young enough to be my grandfather and in fact younger than my grandmother. Barack Obama's elementary school? So cute! Why are they there if it's all most midnight?

Michelle looks so fab! You rock, Shelly!! I started cheering when I saw Bush walking. You're leaving! Yay!! Enjoy your last "Hail to the Chief!!" Bill patting him on the back like, "Yeah man it sucks. But not really for you, huh? Because people hate you. Way more than hated me." People are losing their minds right now on the lawn out there! Lol. I LOVE IT!! My mom says she has a deck full of snow. Better you than me! It's almost 60 here. My mom said she was up all night last night. She couldn't sleep. Part worry something would happen, part excitement.

Sen Diane Feinstein said, "Welcome to the Inauguration of the 44th president of the United States of America" and I started crying. Lol. Pititufl. Did Rick give the longest invocation ever or what? Alright Aretha. I love her coat... the hat... yeah... not so much. Nice for an old lady. Not for me. What's Joe Biden's middle name??? We have a new vice president!!! PEACE OUT CHENEY!!! HELLLOOOO JOEY! Okay black male clarinetist. Never seen one of those before... lol. His outfit is fab. The kids are so cute. They're like yeah whatever. As long as I have people to talk to right now. That's right, Di, present John Roberts!! I'm standing!!

MY PRESIDENT IS BLACK!!!

I first started screaming and jumping up and down, then burst into tears. My mom crying along with me. Then she told me to pull myself together so I could listen to his speech. "On this day we meet because we have chosen hope over fear." "Greatness is never a given, it must be earned." "We will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist." "Let us mark this day in remembrance of who we are and how far we have come."

Love Rev. Joseph Lowery, co-founder with MLK of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, reciting the Negro National Anthem in the benediction. I LOVE that song. "Yes we can work together to achieve a more perfect union." "To turn to each other and not on each other." "Inclusion, not exclusion, tolerance, not intolerance." Other than President Obama's (AHHHH!!!!) oath, this is the best part. AWESOME!

I've never been so happy to sing the National Anthem! And there's my first lady!! FIRST LADY SHELLY! AND PRESIDENT ROCKY!! YES!!!!!!! I LOVE MY PRESIDENT!!! The home page of the White House now says, Change Has Come for America."

Watching the Bushes leave is the first time I've ever waved so enthusiastically at them. Lol. BYE! Look at my new President and First Lady!!! My President is BLACK! I LOVE MY PRESIDENT!! I need a shirt that says that! I love my president!! The first president I ever elected after voting for Gore and Kerry and finally a win. For Barack Obama! (Apple is going to have to fix its spell check to include his name!)

Ok Donna Brazille is HILARIOUS. She said, "I got a picture of Clarence Thomas crying... or either he was yawning." Hilarious. And she took Barack Obama's blanket from the inauguration.

1.19.2009

Movies Thus Far

If you read the last post you know I have a new goal to watch 750 movies this year. I'm a little behind since I didn't choose this goal until 1/2way through the month of January but I'm slowly but surely catching up.

January 1-15
1. Before Night Falls. Good movie about a Cuban writer prosecuted after Castro gained power.
2. All the President's Men. I really liked this one about Woodward and Bernstein, the journalists who unearthed the Watergate saga.
3. Burden of the Dreams. A definite look at the crazy that is documentarian Werner H.erzog. WOW! Dreams really can be a burden, I'll tell you that. It was part amusing, part train wreck. I really wanted him to give it up.
4. Slumdog Millionaire. An Indian love story. It was cute. I didn't think it was necessarily Oscar-worthy though.
5. Red Nightmare. No. No, no, no.
6. I Am Legend. Interesting but creepy.
7. Right at Your Door. WAY too long to get to the inevitable. I liked the surprise ending. It just took too long to get there.
8. The Bucket List. Not as funny as I thought it would be but I enjoyed it.
9. Overnight. WOW cautionary tale. It made me want to think of everything that ever comes out of my mouth VERY carefully after a watching this man squander a 2 picture deal as an untrained filmmaker because of his big mouth. He didn't know how to shut up and lost EVERYTHING as a result. I wanted to turn it off but Rashan wouldn't let me. I'm kind of glad. :P No gloating, Rashan.
10. Lolita. I really don't remember this movie even though I know I saw the whole thing.
11. Holiday. Carey Grant and Katherine Hepburn. Amusing. I liked it.
12. Paris is Burning. Documentary about the 1980s ballroom scene of gay black men in NY. I really liked it.
13. Mayor of the Sunset Strip. Kind of sad. About a male groupie from the 1960s who became the it guy of L.A. but has now become largely irrelevant.
14. The Self-Made Man. Depressing and thought-provoking but yet still made me want to turn away. I was in class so it wasn't possible. The story of a man who had to make the decision of whether to commit suicide upon learning he had an operable brain aneurysm in addition to advanced prostate cancer and the impact of his decision on his family. The story was told my his family, including his daughter, the filmmaker. I definitely didn't love it. It definitely could've benefited from being shorter.
15. Rome: Open City. Another in-class film. This one from the Italian Neo-realism era. Too long. Meandered to get to the point.
16. The Cutting Edge. Good movie, again, too long. I did want to see many of the movies mentioned and started taking notes during the film. Lol.
17. Winged Migration. 4 years of migration of various bird flocks. I was done after 30 minutes despite the beautiful photography. I mean really. How long can I watch birds fly? Apparently an hour and a half.
18. The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill. I'm really, really not a nature person. There were some pointless interviews. I didn't like the font used for text though it may or may not have been appropriate for the film. I didn't like the narration. Professional narrators and/or actors really are so much better.
19. Gray Matter. Not a fan of the narration. I've come to realize I'm extraordinarily picky about filmmakers narrating and personal documentaries. Lots of talking heads, a minimum of video. The pictures of the handicapped children who were killed and used for research in Nazi Austria were moving. I would've used them at more regular intervals. His usage was seemingly haphazard.
20. Dare Not Walk Alone. St. Augustine's fight for Civil Rights. Heavy on Dr. King's involvement to the detriment of the inclusion of local leaders. Rough transition from the 1960s to the present. Odd mix of styles and too many story lines which jumped around too much. The first 1/4 of the film was amazing, particularly the use of archival footage, then it seemed to oddly become a completely different film about present day St. Augustine without connecting it to the past.
21. The Unbelievable Truth. Unbelievably bad. Quite odd. Not the worst movie I've ever seen but it made absolutely no sense to me. Rashan didn't mind it. But he loves being seen as odd so consider the source.... lol.
22. Big Mama. An 89 y.o. grandmother fighting to raise her 9 y.o. grandson who was born to a drug-addicted mother who disappeared, his father is dead. She gets sick, he begins lashing out. Oddly not depressing, though. I'm not sure why. I think because I still felt like at the end despite the issues, he is going to make it.
23. Bride Wars. Oddly I liked it a lot. There were one or 2 scenes that didn't work because they made me supremely uncomfortable and they didn't fit with the overall tone of the film but that was only 2 scenes. The rest of it was great. It got some pretty bad reviews but that's because you can't put Bride Wars and Amelie and Revolutionary Road (not that I've seen it) on the same rating scales. Come on.
24. Semi-Pro. As dumb as you thought it would be. I loves multiple brain cells. Rashan made me watch this.
25. To Catch A Thief. Amusing. I thought a different thief would've been more interesting. Saw Grace Kelly and thought, wow... she has a (multi-thousand dollar) handbag named after her and she was a princess. (More interested in the handbag lol.)
26. Huey Long. Really long. (Only 88 minutes but sometimes that seems extraordinarily long.) Amazing use of archival footage.

1.15.2009

Resolved: 2009

Better late than never. I couldn't come up with a list of resolutions until they just hit me today so here they are!

1) Run a 5k. I wanted to do this last year but the huge transitions made my life crazy! But earlier today I realized there probably really is no good time.

2) Get an internship. This will help me while working on my film AND post-graduation. I want to work with a black or female (or both) director/producer currently in production on a film. Or who will be in production during my internship.

3) Work on my film... a LOT. My thesis partner and I (I got my first choice!) will be presenting our first film next April. Of COURSE you're all invited! :) I can't wait. That requires a maximum of filming this year once we've locked in on an idea. As much as possible. The earlier we can be done shooting and begin post-production, the better.

4) Try new restaurants. This is a given but Rashan and I went CRAZY trying out restaurants in several Atlanta and Atlanta-area neighborhoods and Gainesville last year. I can't WAIT to keep the party going!

5) Give the ultimate gift. I want to give Rah something that will knock his socks off! Holes and all. Lol. I'm just kidding! You know I would throw holey socks away without a second thought.

6) Grow locks. As you know, I started in December. I keep getting comments like, "You can wash my hair." I know EVENTUALLY I can wash my hair but it's not going to lock in the beginning if I'm washing it. And the girl who started mine for me said it's going to take a long time to lock because my hair is soft. Sigh. At least this should help me with my patience... I hope. I'm so not used to washing my hair. Shaboogie gave me some of the concrete advice I had been looking for, FINALLY so that helped. If you still HAVE advice you have been holding onto. GIVE IT UP!

7) Watch more movies. Again, a given but I think I should set another goal like I did last year. (Watch 10 movies minimum per week.) I've decided to watch 750 nonfiction and fiction films this year. That's a little more than 2 each day. While we have class, that will help but only when we watch the entire film. Since I just made this goal today (and can't remember everything I've seen so far this year), I'm behind. I've seen the equivalent of one movie per day. (I saw 4 yesterday.) For a film student who hasn't seen nearly enough films this is not only a goal but a necessity. I have multiple sources to draw from: the school library, public library, my program's library, 2 of my classmates, and Rashan's getting me Netflix! He's so great. Some of the movies will be horrid, but some will be great. I will learn from all of them and keep a running list. Can't wait!

8) Workout more. I fell off the wagon hard last year after moving to Florida. I've started a plan with my mom, though, to get both of us walking. We'll call each other, then go walking. Can't wait! Yay!! We've already done it once and are supposed to go a 2nd time tonight then again tomorrow. Fab!

9) Procrastinate less. I did a good job with this last year when it comes to school work and I know I can do even better this year. My awesomeness astounds me.

10) Leave the country and/or go further west. I haven't been out of the country since 2000 and if we (whoever I go with) pick one of those places where the dollar is still strong (that means NOT Europe), we'll be able to have a great time and maybe it'll be cheaper than a domestic vacay! Also, I've never been further west than St. Louis. This year's as good a time as any to change that, right? Yes! :)

1.14.2009

Bus Crazies

I can't escape them. This semester I've twice garnered a seat near these 2 old white men on their way to the hospital. I don't know how or why they've suddenly found my bus. Maybe it's because MY schedule changed, not theirs. Either way, they are driving me nuts!

Guy 1: Hey everybody!
Everybody: *blank face*
Guy 1: Why did the chicken cross the road?
Everybody: *eye roll* *silence*
Guy 1: To get away from this guy.
Guy 1 and Guy 2: *guffawing*
Everybody: *sigh.*

Guy 1: Hey, what's your name?
Poor girl: Lisa.
Guy 1: Hey Lisa! I'm Gary, and this is Bill!
Poor girl: Hi.
He interrogates her about school and bores her and she is the most polite thing ever.

Guy 2: I have to have a sense of humor. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to shave in the morning.

He tells same joke this morning.

Here's my thing. Can you NOT bother people with your craziness and especially at 9 a.m.? Thanks. We love you for it. You have a friend with you for a reason. Bother him. And I know someone's gonna call me mean for talking about old people like this but old, young, whatever, I don't really have much to say to people who shout to entire buses.

Oh and the guy my age who engaged me in a 9 minute conversation (that felt like 40) at the bus stop yesterday, brought on by my SGRho umbrella. ("Are you being hazed right now or hazing people?" -- For real? What's up question you NEVER ask people. And certainly not as an opener. How YOU doin?) Can you not? Like ever again? Thanks.

1.13.2009

TV Go Bye Bye

I finally got a tv.... but I only have 4 channels. AND the government has run out of money for digital converters. But I'm on the list. Luckily Barack (LESS THAN ONE WEEK UNTIL HIS INAUGURATION!!!!!!!!! I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!) is trying to get the conversion pushed back. I'm not trying to spend $50 on a converter (I should've taken one of my mom's when she offered it... maybe she'll mail it to me.) and I'd like to be able to watch tv after February 19th without having to pay for cable. I really do miss cable though... Going to Rashan's doesn't help because he has digital cable and on demand. Sigh. That's like little cable torture right there coming back to 4 channels. But somebody's gotta do it! Too bad he didn't discover he had Style Network until TWO DAYS before I was about to leave. We had to have a pow wow over that. I questioned his love. I kid! Lol.

Anyway back to the 4 channels: ABC, Fox, My Network and PBS. That means I'm down to watching the news on the first 2 channels. Sigh. I hate local news in small markets. First of all, nothing happens. Stories like marking storm drains and some vote in the state house no one cares about, a hospital worker (allegedly) drunk driving to work. Turns out she was a computer person and not related to any patients. A story? Maybe but spending 1:00 on it? No. Give that woman :25 tops and let's move on. Anyway let's talk about Fox first. Because of Fox Charlotte being the joke that it is (search Fox Charlotte weather man and marvel at the videos-- not the current one, the former crazy one), I have a hard time watching the news on that station EVER, no matter the city. So I admit I haven't really given it a chance.

ABC? The morning girl has THE WORST delivery I have ever seen. Dry as I don't no what. No expression. SO BORING!!!!! It drives me insane. I want to write the station and everyone who knows her. No inflection AT ALL. Doesn't matter what the story is. So wack. Hate it. I don't even want to watch GMA in the a.m. for fear she'll be doing the local news cut-ins which she always is. And noon news? Forget it. UGH!! The. worst.

My Network doesn't work sometimes (signal error right in the middle of something good happening in whatever show I'm watching) and watching tv is almost more of a hassle than it's worth. I should go back to watching only movies. They have a tendency to make me mad, too, but they also make me understand why I'm in this business. We need more black directors to influence the images of us on television and in movies, fiction and non-fiction.

I have gotten introduced to the Bonnie Hunt Show, though. Hilarity.

1.12.2009

How Did You Say You Met?

*Averting eyes, nervous laughter*

About that... We didn't.

As Rashan and I meet more people in each others' lives, of course the inevitable question arises, "How did you guys meet?"

I don't really have an issue with this question, mostly because of the variety of responses. I say, "On the internet," *insert large smile and raised eyebrows as I await the response, "We both have blogs." Here is where people either say, "What's a blog?" or before I get to the fact that we both have blogs, people insert, "Eharmony?" "MySpace?" or my favorite, "Blackplanet?" For real? Blackplanet? That's so 2001! Lol.

Then sometimes they are appalled that I met someone on the internet. I thought my favorite aunt would be appalled but she said, "I don't think anything's wrong with that. Just as good as meeting someone in the club. That's where I met my husband." Hilarious. My mom thinks it's romantic and my sister isn't appalled either. Neither is my dad. Though when we met each other for the first time, my dad offered to do a background check. Love it. One of my sister's friends was definitely appalled. Whatev. I'm just glad we did meet.

Rashan doesn't have to deal with this because he doesn't bother to tell people how we met. And tells me not to tell people either. He hasn't provided an alternative so I think I'll come up with a few.

"We were brought together by a psychic. We were both standing in line. He heard my voice and had to know where that arresting sound was coming from. When he saw me, he knew he had to put aside his anti-social tendencies and make a move."

"He picked me up via the phone at work. I called his job, not knowing him, and he happened to be the one who was helping me. We immediately hit it off."

"We're cousins."

Hahahaha. See? It could be so much worse.

1.10.2009

National Champs!

As you well know by now, WE WON! WHEEEE!! I watched it at the apartment of one of the other Doc Instituters with about 5 other people. Afterward the victory, we drove up to campus to walk around where they had the streets blocked off so we could all celebrate together!! Of course some people looked CRAZY! So I'm bringing you the best!

No need to get a room. Just lie on the ground.
And get some work done. We're still students you know.
Glad I have another year to grow out my beard Salma Hayek style.
I can't believe I forgot my festive cloth flip flops!
And my Gator hard hat. Never know when you need to build a National Championship team!
I also forgot to dye my hair! I'm the worst. So unprepared.
Thanks for bringing the bongos, guys!
Don't bother to bring more than one car, just pack it in.

1.08.2009

Picture Time!

Before we left.


Stace, Rashan and I went to the Georgia Aquarium last week and LOVED IT!! As promised, here are some pictures (there will be more but blogger is hatin right now) before I go get some *ahem* beverages before the start of the NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME! GO GATORS!!!!

1.06.2009

Dear RTS*

You suck. We have a problem. I can't blame you for the ACRs. Except maybe the ones you employ. But I'm sure you have to take who comes when searching for bus drivers. So I'll forgive you the surly ones who don't respond when I say hello or good morning when I get on the bus. Or the ones who grimace at me when all I'm doing is getting on the bus. I won't ask her (they're always women) who ate all the cereal but left a whole gallon of milk. But when they SKIP my stop even when I've requested it, at black o'clock at night, TWICE in one week, forcing me to walk in the dark... we've got a problem. Why is it so difficult to see that little blue and white sign that says bus stop? I know by the time I get on the bus at night this person has been driving for a couple of hours. The same route. Over and over. It's ridiculous. Fix it.

*Acronym for the bus system. This was written back in October after what you can see was a particularly bad week! Lol. Let's hope I get better service in '09!!

1.05.2009

Ikea-ed

Wow.

I had never been to Ikea before I dragged Rashan there yesterday. It was his first time as well. May I say that is a crazy store. Crazy.

I walked in agape. Any store that is so huge they let you buy food in a CAFETERIA and drop your kids off before you go lose yourself is an automatic problem. Of course this made me walk in and start wandering and wondering. Where do I go? Where do I start? Will I make it out alive? We follow the masses up the escalator to the second floor as Rah quandries, "Why are we starting on the second floor?" "Shhh. Just follow them. They look like they know where they're going." Follow them we do and o.m.g. This store is CRAZY!!! The top floor is all tables, chairs, beds, furniture, etc. The bottom floor is my fave except we've spent 45 minutes on the top floor and I can't take it. After 15 minutes in the kitchen section I decide the I canNOT take another half hour to an hour in this place no matter how low the prices and must leave IMMEDIATELY. I get like that. Once I'm done, I'm DONE. We leave empty-handed. I can attribute that SOLELY to me hemorrhaging money while in Charlotte and not wanting to spending another dime. But like da guvnah, I'll be back!! For now, I'm just happy to have made it out alive.

I'm watching Anthony Bourdain (I do feel like a traitor because he came at my beloved Rachael Ray) and feeling the need to get some yummy food in Seattle. A place I can honestly say I have never in my life had a desire to visit. Bah. Television and the internet are the devil. (Not Rach, Anthony!!) Tonight, for the 3rd time in a week: Mexican food. (Though technically I've had the Mexican version of food in places in between. Almost everything I've eaten in the last week has had salsa and/or guacamole. YUM-O.) Has anyone yet seen my HH (no. 17)?

1.04.2009

Sunday Special

Today Rah and I went to West Egg Cafe. I had the black bean cakes with egg over hard topped with salsa and sour cream and a side of roasted garlic grits. DELISH! I also had a Milky Way latte. Latte with chocolate and caramel. Basically coffee ice cream. Lol. Actually, coffee ice cream would have been much better. I would've loved it. Latte and coffee? Not so much. I try. It doesn't work. And I'm glad. I just try because I love the way coffee smells. Rashan had the pimento cheese and bacon omelette. I never liked pimento cheese growing up. My mom used to make pimento cheese sandwiches. That's what I call dis.gus.ting. But his omelette? Yummy!

Brunch is SO our thing. This was breakfast, just served at brunch hours. Breakfast is fabulous. I think we might have breakfast for dinner tonight. Chicken apple sausages sauteed with onion and fresh garlic topped with baby spinach leaves wilted in olive oil, an egg and brie baked in the oven. My version of this recipe Stace, Rah and I saw on Ask Aida. Mildly interesting show, annoying sidekick. I'll let you know how things go!

1.03.2009

Maddy's Atlanta

I have a habit of choosing restaurants for myself and Rashan in Atlanta based on CitySearch. It gives me a list of the "best of" for multiple food categories and rarely has a misstep. It's how we found the Vortex-- DELISH burgers. I had a mushroom and swiss burger with a fried egg (I added the egg), Rah had the Spanish fly which had a chorizo chili on top. Soooo good. It's also how we found Pacific Kitchen for brunch, which is where we designed our own omelettes.

We've also found a couple of Mexican places like the one we ate at today, El Tesoro. The near-empty parking lot made me nervous. My dad told me I shouldn't eat at places with empty parking lots because 1) if their food is great, their parking lot would have more cars, 2) even if they DO have good food, it may have been sitting around all day because no one's been eating it. But we gave it a try. The limeade needed more sugar for my taste but Rah liked it. I had four tacos: pollo verde (chicken with tomatillo salsa), chorizo con papas (sausage and potatoes), pato y hongos (duck and mushrooms), and I gave the 4th, carne molida (ground beef and cheese) to Rashan. All were delish!! MMM! He also had a burrito and gave me his side of guac which was delicious!! I liked the chips but not the salsa. We didn't try the margaritas. (I know... bummer.) Overall a pretty good experience.

Now Maddy's on the other hand. On a Friday night this place had 2 people inside. They had answered the phone immediately to take our orders which I liked. But when we got there the guy at the cash register had no idea we had called our order in. I guess because they were so swamped... *face* We got a pint each of the rum baked beans and the mac and cheese. He had a 1/2 slab of ribs and I had a chopped pork sandwich. The chopped pork was good but I didn't like the vinegar-based sauce. I like a sweeter bbq sauce. The baked beans had too much mustard and were a bit over cooked. But the mac and cheese was by far the worst of the bunch. The "cheese" seemed like it came from a powder, was pale yellow and in no way resemebled actual cheese. The taste was similarly bland. NOT a fan of Maddy's. We won't be going back.

1.01.2009

Party On!

Kids.

Can I tell you how much fun I've had since I've been in Atlanta!?!?

First, Rashan is AWESOME! I have a great time every time we get together. AND Stace is here!!! And we have a GREAT time together!! Wheeee!! I'm having a blast! Tuesday night Rashan and I hosted Stace, Joy and some of Stace's friends. Wednesday night, New Year's Eve, Stace got ready over here and we went to Artistry for the NYE party. I'd prefer if women DIDN'T fight. Yeah... not cute. I also realized I'm not made for hood music anymore. I don't listen to it so going to the club in a southern state is what we call not the business. I'm gonna have to pass on that. I thought the day would never come. Wait. I knew the day would come but I hoped it wouldn't, at least not so soon, where I'm over clubs and solely on lounges. Always liked lounges, but in moderation. Now I'm pretty sure I can survive with lounges and nice restaurants. Le sigh. Le sigh. Le sigh!!

Today we hung out at the crib until about 3 watching Food Network and MTV. Stace made sausage and french toast. Yum! Then the 3 of us went to the Georgia Aquarium. AWESOME!! My computer is not getting a signal so you'll have to wait for some of the 147 pics I took but I LOVED the aquarium! SO worth the ridiculous amount of money it cost ($27 each). After we went to Strip at Atlantic Station for sushi and steak. DELISH! I had eel and a lobster burger. YUM!! Stace had a cornocopia of sushi and rah had a porterhouse. I wished I ate steak because the guy who delivered it said, "I know who this is for," and put the porterhouse wait it was a giant pork chop he put in front of Rashan. I said, "That's mine, actually." He said, "Oh really? Ooh. My bad." I was like, "Yeah. No not really." But keep your sexist comments to yourself. Our waitress was good, though. FINALLY, Atlanta! We have had some horrible service most of the time we've gone out here. Yay! And now we're just chillaxin at Rah's! :)

Oh yeah! Happy New Year!!!