Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Vampires magazine I found on the newsstand at CVS

I found a one shot magazine on the newsstand @ CVS called Vampires. I bought it mainly for Eric from True Blood . I would've liked to have seen a great big poster of Damon from The Vampire Diaries too, but they didn't do it. I loved that they included William Marshall (Blacula). That made me so happy. I liked the first movie way better than Scream, Blacula, Scream though. One thing that ticked me off though, was in the female vamp section there was no pic of Julie Benz (Darla on BtVS and Angel). The only thing I can think of, is that she asked to be excluded (I think she's still on Dexter now.). If not, though I can't understand how in the world they managed to forget her. She was awesome as Darla and in that second season of Angel, she played her so multi-faceted...I loved that...

The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty...

For the most part...I think I'll keep watching...

Jermaine...His music is alright, but I was never a huge fan...Even when my mother played the Jackson 5 Christmas album, I always enjoyed Michael's cut's more. Not just because I thought he was cute. I liked his voice better...I don't think I could even put it into words, there was(and still is...), just something about it. I also don't like the way he feels like he's got to be center stage. It the other brothers want to sing and can, I say let them. I'd enjoy that so much more. Each brother doing his own thing and/or contributing his own bit to the mix, that's what I've always wanted to see. That is a show I'd go see. Not the Jackson 4 (as they're calling it now), with Jermaine in front.

Jackie...He's seems really quiet and sensitive. I can't remember if that's his son with the mohawk? But he trips me out too. And the son is right, family tensions do shape/affect the children/kids.

Tito...I think he's actually a bit handsomer than Joseph (not cracking, just saying), but he does favor his dad a lot. I don't know enough to say how much his personality is or isn't like his dad's.


Marlon...the way he keeps strangers at arms length reminds me of my dad. It's also is a very smart way to be if you're in showbiz. He did get to be a very good dancer...I remember he had a video to a song he did called "Baby Tonight".

Randy...Did anyone ever explain why he didn't want to participate?

Katherine...With as much pain as she's in...I was glad to see her...Some people think she's weak or call her weak...I don't think so at all...It tickled me how she convinced some of the brothers to go back to Gary too...Eventually I'd like to go...but the thing with travelling on my budget is that it's getting increasingly difficult to do. I also like to hit destinations where I can see more than one tourist attraction. If I went to Gary, Indiana, I'd basically just be going to see 2300 Jackson Street. Not that that by itself isn't enough, but as I keep saying, the end has to justify the means, especially when you're on a budget.


Janet...It was nice to hear them call her on her birthday. : D I never saw them as anything but human beings with quirks...this just kind of reinforced that.


Can't think of too much else to comment on...I'll be curious to see if they can get beyond the bickering. But somehow, I think bickering is just a part of being a sib period. You just have to determine how bad you're going to let it get and what you're going to do about it.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

As The World Turns...

Wow! First The Guiding Light and now ATWT...Seems like they've been on the air forever...I can remember watching them with Mom when I got home from school. I remember when Meg Ryan and Marisa Tomei were on (although they weren't on it at the same time I don't think. Meg Ryan's character's name was Betsy and I think that Marisa Tomei's character's name was Marcy...). I remember evil twins, husbands coming back from the dead (again, not at the same time...), the whole nine...I'll miss it. I don't even like reality TV all that much, I think this is a real shame...I wonder if the soap network will show old/classic episodes that would be cool. I think it would also be nice if both TGL and ATWT were available online somewhere or on DVD...

The Christmas tree, decorations, etc.

I'm still procrastinating about Christmas decorating, etc. To be honest...I'm just not feeling all that festive this year...

I thought about a wreath for my door until, my sis wisely pointed out that a wreath would obstruct the view from my peephole...I definitely don't want that, so I gave that idea up.

I thought about lights on my balcony, but the weather's been so crappy lately...

I saw someone's door this morning, that had that old school Christmas foil door covering on it...(Do y'all remember? It used to come in gold, silver, red, blue, or green? I haven't seen that in a long time. That cheered me up some...)

I want to get my dad's Christmas tree up, but he hasn't been into Christmas for the longest time...My mother was the one that was into Christmas...somehow, by not having the energy and/or wherewithal, I feel like I'm not living up to her example...Like I'm letting her down...

As for a tree and/or stockings at my apartment...I don't have kids...I'm not really set up for visitors yet...so nothing would really be under the tree. I don't want to do through the trouble of decorating if no one besides me is going to see it. To me, that's not only a waste of time and money it's pretty pointless. Maybe next year I'll feel better about Christmas, but right now, I just don't...I think mostly I'm down because of stuff that I won't get into here. Not to mention the fm and the weather (cold weather and/or rain bother my joints something terrible. I didn't think it'd start up this "early", but because of the fm, it has...) are kicking me in my butt right now. I've also been pretty swamped at work (being "the dependable one" at work most assuredly has its drawbacks, I'm finding out the hard way. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful to have a job right now, but no one likes to feel like they're being taken advantage of, and that's how I feel right now.). By the time I get home in the evening and get settled, I've got chores to do and once I've done them, it's time to go to bed. I feel like I don't even have my eyes shut for five minutes and then it's time to go to work. Burnt out is an understatement at this point. Hopefully, if all goes well, I'm thinking of taking some time in the Spring. I'm praying to be able to hold out that long patiencewise...

EW's Top Movies of the Decade List...

I was glad to see The Dark Knight on the list (I loved that. I think it is the best Batman film I've ever seen.). I also enjoyed Almost Famous. I feel like Dreamgirls should have been on the list. I'll have to think of some more...I also loved Cadillac Records. I'm glad my sis brought my attention to it. I was very familiar with Muddy Waters music and Etta James's music before I saw the movie... I knew/know who Chuck Berry is, but I wasn't as much into his stuff. I think the only person the film mentions who I'd never heard of before is Little Walter. I'd heard of Willie Dixon before...I definitely don't feel the same way about Led Zeppelin now...I think it took that and the paper I did on Memphis Minnie back in college for me to wise up...I'll beef up my list once I've had some time to go through my stuff and think...to be honest depending on how my mood is/was and how my money flowed/flows. I didn't/don't go to the movies a whole lot. Maybe like 5 times a year or something like that, if that often.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Entertainment Weekly's Best of the Decade

I'll be blogging about this issue of EW in different segments...The photo of Justin Timberlake...I'm sorry, but no...I'm not going to deny that FutureSex/LoveSounds had my foot tapping. I'm not even going to deny that Justin Timberlake can be entertaining (The SNL appearances, concert footage, etc.). Personality wise, I just feel that he falls short (The way he allowed Janet Jackson to take most of the heat for the Superbowl thing, and just the way I've seen him handle different situations...). Everyone's entitled to their opinion, and I just don't see Justin Timberlake as the heir to the King of Pop throne [if their even is/should be one] (and don't even get me started on Usher or Chris Brown. I do like Ne-Yo, but he's not as much of a dancer as a producer/writer/singer.).

Friday, December 4, 2009

My Top Ten Favorite Christmas Songs

I came up with this list and I wanted to post it early enough in the season that it's still fun and not sickening.

Here goes:

10. "Please Come Home for Christmas" - I like Charles Brown's version and I like the Eagles version. (I told you I wasn't kidding when I said I liked all types of music.)

9. "Merry Christmas, Baby"--Chuck Brown, I also like Bonnie Raitt and Charles Brown's version.

8. "This Christmas"--Donny Hathaway

7. "What Do the Lonely Do at Christmas?"--The Emotions

6. "Lonely Christmas" --Prince (My mother hated that I loved this. We used to laugh about it.)

5. "Baby, It's Cold Outside" --Ray Charles and Betty Carter

4. "Sleigh Ride" --TLC / "Let it Snow"--Boyz II Men

3. "Feliz Navidad" --Jose Feliciano /"Happy Xmas (War is Over)"--John Lennon and Yoko Ono

2. "Santa Baby"--Eartha Kitt. I like Madonna's too, but she sounds like Betty Boop.

1. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas/We Wish You a Little Merry Christmas"--The Jackson 5 (I love that whole album! Thank you, Mom! I love you!)


Honorable Mentions:

Even though I will hear it 50 times and then some, I don't think it'd truly feel like Christmas without hearing Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song" at least once. I also like Alexander O' Neal's version because of how he vocalizes on it.

"Silent Night" --The Temptations

"This Christmas"--The Whispers

"Last Christmas"--George Michael

"The Twelve Pains of Christmas"--by Bob Rivers (It just sets me rolling every time. lol)

"Jingle Bell Rock"--that scene from Mean Girls. I'm sorry, but it just cracks me up every time I see it.

"Christmas in Hollis"--Run DMC. I love the music. I could groove off that alone.

Well, what do y'all think? Feel free to comment with your own. I know my list is pretty old school. (I guess I'm officially an oldhead now, huh?) Also if someone new has come out with a cover I should hear. Point that out to me too, by all means.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Robin Thicke

They had an article on Robin Thicke in the Express Wednesday. I didn't know he was on his fourth album. I only have the second. I'm so far behind on my cd purchasing that it's not even funny (but other things are taking precedence right now.), and I love his music. I also didn't know that he did hip-hop collaborations too (I listen to more R&B, so I guess that's why.). Very interesting article. I love the video to Sex Therapy too (If I may respectfully say so, Ms. Patton is a very lucky woman. I hear that they are expecting their first child as well.). I also just saw the the video to "Lay back" and 106 and Park on 12/14/2009. I want this and Alicia Keys new one...I hemmed and hawed about putting this photo up, and decided why not...




Mr. Reuben Jackson's Michael Jackson lecture

Yesterday evening, I got to attend a lecture at the New Carrollton Public Library, by one of the associate curators @ the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. His name is Reuben Jackson and his presentation was called "Michael Jackson, Balladeer". I was kind of surprised at the turnout last night, considering it was a cold, rainy Wednesday evening, then again I wasn't, considering the [almost magical] effect Michael Jackson has on some people. Reuben Jackson played three selections from Michael. I think if it hadn't been for the fact that the library closed at 9, he would have been able to fit in more. (For those that are curious, he played "Got to Be There", "Can't Help It", and "Butterflies". He skipped playing any selections from Thriller, because it's so well known.) He touched on one of the things that I see mentioned repeatedly @MJFC and on other Michael Jackson fan blogs, how Michael was able to convey such emotion with his voice from such a young age and had continued to do so. Reuben Jackson urged everyone who hadn't done so, to go see This is It (Preaching to the choir here I know). He talked about Michael's being a perfectionist and his showmanship and how TII reminded the viewer of these qualities that most people either took for granted, forgot about, or overlooked completely (Again, preaching to the choir.) He spoke about how Michael was a fan of all types of music and incorporated that in his music. He used quotes from Michael to illustrate different points in his lecture as well. Another thing that excited me about this lecture was what Reuben Jackson said about Michael Jackson's collaborations with Quincy Jones. He said they were like an actor's classic work with a good director...I guess like Scorsese and DeNiro, Capra and Stewart...I'm very into film history too, so I really loved that comparison. Mr. Jackson also touched on some of the gospel elements in Michael's music. Some of the obvious ones like shouts, etc. (Michael Jackson could've sang the alphabet or the phone book and I'd have bought it. He sang that soulfully in my opinion.) Reuben Jackson also touched on the fact that the short films deserved examination too. I asked Mr. Jackson if he would be pursuing that at any point, but he said he wanted to take a break on researching for a bit, because it was so emotional for him...which I could definitely understand (he said when he first did the presentation @ the Smithsonian in August people were actually tearing up in the back of the room and that effected him.). I would definitely go to a lecture on the short films. If he chose to do a book on Michael's music and/or the short films. I would get that as well.

Reuben Jackson also mentioned a YouTube clip of The Jackson 5 performing "Never Can Say Goodbye" on the Flip Wilson show that highlighted some of what he touched on in his lecture. I was jazzed that he mentioned YouTube, no doubt it's definitely a treasure trove (I have my own little archive on there and everything.) I definitely think his lecture had something in it for everybody. I loved how easygoing and accessible Reuben Jackson was too. I was definitely not sorry, I ignored the rain and wind and went.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

f.ye. going out of business @ Beltway Plaza

This really bummed me out. I love this store. If the one @ PG Plaza goes out of business, I'm screwed as far as not having any other alternative but mail order to purchase the kind of stuff I like to buy when I have the extra cash. I also went in there looking at the Twilight stuff, they show Jacob absolutely no love. I think that's a d#@* shame. Most of the women @ the salon I asked said they liked Edward, because he "played hard to get". This whole thing never ceases to amaze/amuse me. It's funny, usually I'm all about the vampire (I have TruBlood in my kitchen cabinet at home, I kid you not.), this time, not so much...Racialiscious has a very interesting blog post on Jacob, that's truly worth checking out. I'm wondering if movie Jacob differs slightly from book Jacob, I'm a bit wary though, because as I said, I didn't like the series, nor did I like how the author chose to handle Jacob's character. I could get into more detail (as I want to sound at least halfway coherent), but I would have to reread the books and give the movies a shot first...Unfortunately, the Twilight saga is not a series I would eagerly read and reread...So, that makes doing commentary a bit difficult for me...

Friday, November 20, 2009

TGIF Post #1

I flaked out and forgot my disc drive today (Seems like most of the time I either leave the house like Dagwood in the morning or like Shaun in Shaun of the Dead, half asleep, half awake. When I do one of those two things, I inevitably forget something.), so I can't do what I was trying to do as far as my forum stuff today...I guess if it waited this long, it can wait a few more days or weeks...

I figured out how to work my DVR last night, I'm giddy with delight. :)

I think that I'll go see Thriller Live if and when I do wind up going to London.

Last night I was watching The Vampire Diaries...if it weren't for Ian Somerhalder (he bored me on Lost as Boone, but here on this show...he's like dynamite.) , I swear that show would put me to sleep. It was nice seeing Jasmine Guy (Still working! Yes!) and Bianca Lawson (I'm still mad that they killed of Kendra on Buffy.) on last week though.

The Ian Somerhalder thing...some of my friends and relatives don't get my Baskin Robbins thing...I've been this way since I was 5 years old, and I doubt shock treatment could even get rid of it. I don't know where I got it from and at this point, I don't even really care. I think men of all colors can be fine (This guy on the train kept playing with my wings on Halloween night, it was bizarre...) Inside matters just as much to outside to me though, and that's why I'm such a slow mover...A lot of people who know me don't get that either, but I digress...

I saw this really nice area rug I'm trying to get for my living room and I want to get some other odds and ends from the Home Depot. Other than that, I think I'm going to take it slow this weekend. I thank God next week will be a short one.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

One of many WTF moments @ Madame Tussaud's

This past weekend, I was at the Madame Tussaud's in New York. I've been to the one in D.C., but it wasn't set up the same...The MT in NY had more floors for one, but I noticed something bizarre. I forget which floor it is, but you wind up walking through a candy store (Is this a metaphor of some sort? WTF???!!!). I can't remember if this is before or after you walk through the VIP party (The Lenny Kravitz wax figure's fro was uneven, so while I'm messing with that, I somehow forget to take a pic with him too. I can only blame myself, but then again I don't look like a model and couldn't really see myself with the real deal, although I think he's gorgeous, so maybe that's why I didn't bother.). Then, we got to a room where they were doing a movie screening and popcorn was offered amongst other things...At the entrance/exit, there was ice cream, with all these glorious toppings...I love Cinnamon Toast Crunch and they actually had that as a topping on ice cream...I love both ice cream and CTC a lot, but this was one instance where I had to pass on it. After looking @ Beyonce, Tyra, Angelina Jolie, and whoever else I'm supposed to want to stuff my face? They're kidding, right? I just came down from a size 10. Now, I'm something like 6/8. There's no way I want to go back to being a size 10 (not that there's anything wrong with being a size 10 +. Please don't get me wrong, but it's just not for me. That fact that I've got bad knees alone is enough to make me want to keep my weight manageable.). And they wonder why women have self-esteem issues in this country? Mixed messages abound...Maybe they trust people to have more self-control than they do...I haven't got a clue...I think it's another one of those things I'm never going to figure out in this lifetime.

Ms. Janet Jackson...

I did see the Robin Roberts interview last night. I was a bit too out of it to blog right after the broadcast or go to MJFC...Plus, I like to gather my thoughts before I type/write...

She reminded me of Michael so much, and in turn, both make/made me think of their mom. It's funny, even before his death, she just reminded me so much of him...They were kind of like fraternal twins to me (I know they weren't, but still in my mind...they were that connected...So to hear her say they were that close last night made a lot of sense to me...maybe that's what I was picking up on...)

I also got a kick out hearing that she called Michael "Mike"...I don't know why, but it just gives me the biggest tickle.

That imitation of Latoya...I don't even know her, and I just about died laughing...Janet was spot on.

On the revelation that Joseph Jackson told Janet she could make more money singing and switched her to that...I can't say I'm shocked, but certain things make more sense to me now, after hearing that.


I also want to make clear that although she does remind me of Michael, I never stopped seeing her as an artist in her own right...All those clips they showed last night, I was just giddy, because I remember seeing her on The Jacksons Variety Show, Good Times (Janet's Mae West imitations always tickled me too. That always struck me as so percocious though. She seems to shy to do that imitation now, which seems kind of odd now that she's old enough for the imitation to actually be appropriate. I've said it before, and I'll say it again...the American culture is just bizarre...I'm not knocking all of it, because that would make me a huge hypocrite, but no wonder so many people from foreign countries get here and go WTF???!!!!), Diff'rent Strokes, and Fame when those shows were first being aired. It brought back so many memories.

I'm glad to hear she's going to be pursuing acting more, I always thought she was good with the potential to get better.

I'm excited to hear that she's writing a book...I'd definitely buy it.

I'm not surprised that at certain points in the interview or at certain questions, she seemed to have a difficult time...No, if you've lost someone close to you, especially recently, it's not hard at all to understand...

It made me very sad to hear that she didn't know about the Propofol...That just seems to back up my belief that in all families members don't tell each other each and everything. Sometimes it can be really liberating and sometimes it can be really harmful, as with drug abuse and things of that nature.

I never saw Janet Jackson live either...I think maybe if she decides to tour...I'll add her to my list and go...

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Sorry

Hey all,

Sorry I'm not updating more often...I've got a co-worker out this week, and I'm her back up. Not to mention rushing here and rushing there has me completely worn out. Some of it is my own doing though, so I can only complain so much.

I'll have to try the Greenbelt Kinko's as some stuff isn't working at the 24 hour DC location. It's an excellent place to get extra picture prints though. : D They're even cheaper than CVS.

Zipped to New York last weekend. London's next, but I'm not sure when. I know I want to do it before the end of the year...As for my reasons, I don't really want to get into them. My dad won't be thrilled. How do you explain your love of travel to the very person who likely helped give it to you in the first place? I don't know where, when, or how he lost it, but I really wish he hadn't . I feel like he's really missing out on life because of it. He seems to enjoy shutting himself off from the world, he feels safer that way, so I guess there's nothing I can do but watch him do that...or get into a really draining discussion/argument that would make both of us feel lousy, which I definitely don't want to do.

I want to visit my aunt in Florida.

I want to go to some parts of Mexico and Egypt, but I'm a little too scared to venture out there right now. I've got my passport though, which is half the battle. I would also like to know a little more Spanish and Arabic before I go too. When I go to Egypt, I would also like to cover up, so that they can see that I'm not an arrogant American, I do have respect for the culture.

I also want at some point to go to Luray Caverns (for Mom. We asked her during those last few years, but she said "No". I never quite got over that. ).

I want to go to Bootsy Collins's restaurant in Ohio too. (I know that's a little thing, but still.)

I've seen George Clinton live. I want to see Chuck Brown too, at least once...


So much to do, so little time... I always feel like there just aren't enough hours in a day, I guess now y'all can kind of see why.

I also want to get back into painting, drawing, and photography again.

If my budget allows, I would also like to take a yoga class or two. Anything that will help me stave off my insomnia can do nothing but help at this point (and yes, I've tried chamomille tea).

I'll try and post some more pictures on here as well as facebook within the next few weeks.

I'll be curious to see what Janet Jackson says in her interview with Robin Roberts tonight, after Glee , I'm definitely watching that.

Heard they cancelled Eastwick, can't say I'm surprised.

I've been wanting to go see Precious, but I wanted to read Push first. Unfortunately, other people must have had the very same idea, because I can't find it anywhere. :( It's sold out every place I've been, which is both good and bad when you think about it. (Bad because as usual I'm moving to slow. Good because I love to see Black/African-American/People of Color reading.))

Well, that's all from me for now...

Thursday, November 12, 2009

TV news I can't believe...

Guess I'm not jaded enough yet.

Dollhouse has been cancelled. This I sort of saw coming. Plus, when something is moved to a Friday or Saturday night, they can just basically forget it. I've rarely seen an exception to this rule.

The Ladies No. 1 Detective Agency- I love this show! However, I found out it's still "up in the air", whether or not there will be a second season. }:( Hell of a cliffhanger to leave us with don't you think? They could have at least wrapped up the loose ends. Hopefully, if they don't decide to come back for a second season, they can at least have a special that ties up all the loose ends.
Bad enough Girlfriends was taken off the air without a resolution. It's not as if there's an abundance of good Black TV out there anyway, so I feel like we need all we can get, don't you?

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

There's my girl!


I was channel surfing last night, and I saw this familiar face.



My mother and sister used to tease me because back in the 90's when tuck's and French roll's were in style, I used to leave hair pins all over the place. So whenever Witch Hazel was on, I sprang to mind in more ways than one. :D

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

This so amazing!


I used to have an Etch-A-Sketch as a kid, but I never got good enough to be able to do this. Wonder how much time this took? A guy named George Vlosich did this.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

A new chapter...

Just went to Home Depot and picked up the paint for the accent wall at my new place. The saleswomen were laughing at the look on my face when I was watching them mix the colorant. (I guess I can't get rid of the little girl in me completely. Some people would say that's a good thing, others not so much...)

Friday, October 9, 2009

Marlon Wayans as Richard Pryor ?

I don't know if the casting is final yet, but I think Mike Epps would be/would have been a better choice. My mother and I always used to have the most wonderful debates about stuff like this. Maybe Mike Epps doesn't have enough dramatic roles under his belt to be considered in the same league as Marlon Wayans?... I wish I knew who else was in the running and how they were being chosen. Not to knock Marlon Wayans, he may do like Jamie Foxx did with Ray, who knows?

TruBlood

Just got my first shipment of TruBlood yesterday. I love it! I'll have to post a pic sometime next month. :) The taste of it reminds me of something else (in a good way) and I can't think if it's Jones Soda or what, but like I said, it's great! Even looking at the bottle gives me the biggest tickle. Speaking of True Blood, I saw a poll on a website where they were asking which is better the Twilight series or True Blood. I was like are they kidding? Some people like both, I'm sure, because they're both about vampires. Plus, I think you're talking about two different audiences here, those that like their romantic displays subtle and those that are a little more... flexible. Then, there are some who like neither...I think like pretty much everything boils down to, it's a matter of personal opinion.

Monday, October 5, 2009

Very interesting Tonner survey

I'd been hoping they'd do this, but I thought it was a long shot. It's like someone's reading my mind...or I'm putting out vibes or something. Anyhoo, Tonner sent me a survey...(I was a member of the doll club, and I bought a Captain Jack Sparrow from them.) One of the questions on the survey they sent was, who would you like to see a celebrity doll of next? They had Grace Kelly among others on the list. I was surprised to see Michael Jackson's name. I chose him, you don't have to ask why, if you've been reading my blog...Tonner does such beautiful work, I know it's a long shot, but I'd love to see what they do. I also put in the box where they ask you for comments, "Which look form which era, would you be choosing though?" They've definitely got a decision to make there. Would he have different outfits? The possibilities are endless...



I'll be curious to see how the survey goes. I think they're a little too conservative to do it, but we'll see...

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Am I missing something here?

On the morning commute, something bizarre happened, and I want to know if I woke up on BizarroWorld this morning or what...I got off at L'Enfant Plaza and transferred to the blue and orange lines downstairs. I'm doing the customary thing, right side of escalator stands still, left moves, I'm moving, only there's someone slowing up progress at the bottom of the escalator...I know it's not the most politically correct thing to say, but he was a wide gentleman, and I had to get fairly close before I saw that he was using a cane. The people in back of me, only knew that a train was at the platform and I was holding them up. The year before last, I had to use a cane, that's no fun. There wasn't enough space to go around this guy, at least not for me, because I had more than one bag on me. The dude with the cane glanced back at us, I wasn't trying to embarass him, but I just felt like the impatient people behind us had a lot of nerve and I was going to tell them about themselves. Everyone else, was fairly cool about the situation, but this one man and woman just start yelling at me. So, I yell back [and not once did I swear, ladies and gentleman, it is a very good day when that happens. :)]. The older woman says that I should keep moving, because she's not going to shove me. I don't know if that was a veiled threat or what. I yelled to them that the man in front of me had a cane, I wasn't going to just shove past him (I don't know about them, but I was early to work, nothing's that big a deal to me that you have to stop treating people like people.). Then the man has something else nasty and smart to say to me. I told him, he could have just gone around me, you know what he says? "No, you could have gone around me.", which made absolutely no sense if you saw our locations. I just went on and didn't even dignify that with a response...

It's stuff like this that makes me understand my father's attitude toward people, especially strangers...Still, it's not fair to let the bad apples ruin the whole bunch. That ticked me off so badly this morning though. I didn't/ and still don't feel like I was wrong...If I had to do it over, I still would have done the same thing.

Monday, September 28, 2009

Twilight zone occurrences...

I was rummaging threw my blankets this morning trying to find my cell phone and I glanced up and my little toy Kimba the White Lion (it came all the way from Japan) was sitting up on one of my pillows (dead center, not propped up or anything) as though I had placed him there or someone was holding him there. With as much activity as there was on that bed while I was looking for my cell phone, there was no way he should have remained upright and yet he did. If I hadn't been in such a hurry to catch my bus, I would have taken a picture of it. Curiouser and curiouser...

Disappearing clothes donation bins

I guess this must have happened over the weekend...When I got up this morning to toss some clothes in the big yellow clothes donation bin at the side of my apartment complex this morning, it wasn't there. This is a huge pain in the rear, because I'm not clothes to a Salvation Army or a Goodwill (I can't drive, nor do I have my own set of wheels yet.). I don't want to just throw perfectly good clothes away and I don't care if people do go through dumpsters, no one should have to be forced to do that. :( I wonder if anyone else besides me used those bins? I hope they put them back or at the very least have a clothing drive at the community center, otherwise I'm going to be down for quite a while about this.

Friday, September 25, 2009

Been sick...

Hey all,


Sorry for the long break between posts. I've been sick[er] and now I'm playing catch up both around the apartment and at work.

I'm loving it at the MJFC forum, makes me wish I'd plunged in sooner. I'm on other boards, but if I haven't forgotten the name, then I've forgotten my password. It's a crying shame.

Just walked down the street and found out the Wendy's that used to be near my job is gone [No baked potato for lunch for me today.] :(

Did pick up the October issue of Harper's Bazaar. Haven't had a chance to read it yet though.


I'm enjoying the season premieres and series premieres of the different shows. I laughed at Cougar Town. It's too soon for me to tell about Eastwick (although I am digging the guy that plays Darryl Van Horne, way better than I was Jack Nicholson). The Vampire Diaries I can take or leave, although I do enjoy ogling Ian Somerhalder.)

I missed Flash Forward, but at some point, I'd like to catch that from the beginning as well. (I was just too exhausted to stay up.)

I want to give Cleveland's show a try and I want to see who ends up with Mike on Desparate Housewives.

I'd also be lying if I didn't admit, I'm curious about what they're talking about on Dateline, don't know if the whole show will be devoted to Michael Jackson or what, but I'm going to find out.


This weekend, I'm mainly going to be focused on trying to finish up my ridiculously overdue library books, putting some stuff in the cleaners, doing laundry, and finding a cami to go under my blazer. I've thought about seeing the Fame movie, but I'm not sure I want to even if I can somehow manage to find the time.

Hopefully, somewhere in all this insanity I'll find time to snag a ticket to TII. If not, at least I'll have tried. Can't believe if it's not playing here I'm going to have to drag myself to New York. If that's the worse thing that happens to me the whole weekend though, I'll consider myself blessed. :D

MJJ Dateline

Ok, I'm going no holds barred here.

MJ and his relationship (or lack thereof) with his father-Anyone with two eyes and a heart already knew most of what was disclosed. The bit that Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, played reminds me of the portion of Oprah Winfrey's interview where she asks Michael Jackson about Joseph (I never understood why they called their dad by his first name either...). Oprah at least had a line that she wouldn't cross. I think the part that Oprah wouldn't air of the previously unreleased footage, was Michael telling her about what he and Janet said. Only, it appears that the Rabbi didn't stop to weigh how Janet or Joseph would have felt about Michael's confession.

Misogynist?...No...at least not your "typical" misogynist...Not when I think about how he felt about his mom. Not when I think about his relationships with Latoya and Janet (although the dynamics of each are different. I'm not sure how close he was or wasn't with Maureen/Rebbie.).
Then, there's the other more subversive stuff...he mentions wanting to have slumber parties when he was a kid...Did/do little boys have slumber parties? I always associated them more with little girls...There's his thoughts on women's perfume versus men's cologne...The way he used hair pins to keep his hair the way he wanted it (Check out the behind the scenes footage of the Thriller cover shoot.)...No, there was a little too much going on with him to simply label him as a misogynist or a womanizer.


Aging... I could relate to this fear...I'm sure a lot of people can...The bizarre thing is I couldn't see him as an old man any more than he could see himself as an old man...I'm not saying I'm happy he's gone, not by a long shot...It's a double-edged sword...

His self-awareness...I love that he was hip to the fact that both men and women found him attractive. It's odd that he could have such low self-esteem at the same time, but still, I think that's wild...I didn't think it was possible for him to be as oblivious as he appeared at times, and I was right...

I'm wondering how much of it was conscious...I remember watching some rock documentary on Vh-1 and this dude in a glam band was talking about how men in makeup draw chicks for some reason...I can only speak for myself, but there's definitely some truth to that. Were someone to ask me why I was drawn to that, I couldn't give a straight answer though...Again, there's much food for thought here...

What he said about "they" not liking for White women to scream and cry over a Black man...This reminds me of a number of things. It reminds me of Michael telling Oprah that he's proud to be a Black man. As colorblind as Michael was, he couldn't be a Black man in America, and completely forget about race, there was just no way... He also couldn't be a Black man where he was in the entertainment industry and not know he was breaking taboos. So, I definitely don't think he had his head in the clouds as much as people might have believed or as much as there were some things that he definitely wanted to block out or escape...

The lizard and frog thing...I wish I knew where this came from...What was this thing with amphibians and reptiles anyway? Did someone tease him like/about this too? Or was this something that came from Michael's own perception of himself? I wish he hadn't felt that way about himself...There are times when you'd never know he felt that way and then there are others where he may as well be screaming it. To be deadly honest, I never saw him that way...the closest he came to me, to how he saw himself, was the way he looked at the MSG 30th. I thought those little LJN Michael Jackson dolls didn't do him justice (and yet, I still had to have one, because I couldn't imagine being without one.), to me, they looked more like a lizard than he ever did to me.

The "froggy voice"...I can't remember where I read/heard it, but I heard that Michael referred to the voice that he sang the song "You Can't Win" in the Wiz in as his "froggy voice". I liked how he sang the song...


Madonna...For some reason this portion of the program made me laugh a little. As powerful as their personalities were and as in control as they both liked to be, no one could have thought there would be no clashing there. They could never have been a real, healthy couple, because everything would have been a power play. That's unhealthy enough with no cameras, but to have it played out in the public eye? No, they were better off either just as "friends" or apart.

I could also hear her saying that about Disneyland in just that way too.

He seemed both hurt and ticked off.

The suggestion about the S&M books...I wonder if she misinterpreted his belts and braces and whatnot and it ticked him off/hurt him. He seemed so fragile about certain things...

He was quite adamant about not wanting to go see strippers with her...I can't remember if it's in Moonwalk, but I remember Michael mentioning seeing strippers in between acts when they'd be performing in clubs when they were little kids...I hope there's not a story there, because I think enough damage was done to him without that being added to it.

The mannequins...I remember these from back in Michael's Thriller days. I didn't think he was weird for that then, and I certainly don't now. I collect dolls, one of my favorites that I have is an 18-inch animatronic Edward Scissorhands. My favorite episode of the TV series Amazing Stories, was an episode that Richard Matheson wrote called "The Doll". I love all the little doll themed Twilight Zone episodes. A doll is a hop, skip, and a jump from a mannequin. Do I understand that type of loneliness? Yeah, I do...I think that's why I began to retreat from him, some of Michael's pain, I understood a little too well. I guess that's why his death hit me way harder than I thought it would...

Cleveland

Last night's episode was wild. I laughed at some of it. Other times, I didn't know whether to laugh or be offended. My question is this, if there's truth to it, than it's not wrong to laugh at it, is it? I am Black, African-American, whatever the terminology is for it now, so to laugh at it doesn't make me racist, but it definitely raises some issues...I was curious to see if they were going to blog about this on Racialiscious, but I guess not...or maybe I'm just a bit early...that tends to happen to me too. My insomnia's back, so I can't shut my brain off, which means the wheels/gears are constantly turning up there.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

New Moon...

I saw the previews to New Moon, while I was watching Access Hollywood last night (for the VMA and Jackson coverage), the werewolf transformation was just like I saw it in my head...that rarely happens...wild. I still don't want any parts of this movie series, but if anything were to tempt me, that would be it.

Patrick Swayze

I was really sorry to see/hear about this, but with the way I saw him looking, I can't say I'm surprised. I'm sad to see him go. I enjoyed him in Dirty Dancing, Ghost and Point Break (Just went to Imdb, and I don't know how I forgot he was in The Outsiders too. I loved that movie. I guess I was paying so much attention to Rob Lowe and Ralph Macchio, that I overlooked him. I'm not proud of the fact, but it happens...) I wasn't really a diehard fan, so I'm afraid I haven't seen much else of his work. I do remember that he had that song "She's Like the Wind" on the Dirty Dancing soundtrack and being amazed that he could actually sing (Renaissance men/multi-talented men are the best!). I never saw all of To Wong Foo, what I did see I enjoyed though. I think there's something to be said for an actor that can take on both "macho" roles and a role like Vida. There's not many out there that can do that (and don't think I'm forgetting Ving Rhames or Wesley Snipes. I love them, I respect them, I appreciate them. I've seen their work too...Just because I don't always speak/write on a thing doesn't mean I'm walking around clueless...)

My condolences go out to Patrick Swayze's family. He will definitely be missed.

Monday, September 14, 2009

The Vienna concert has moved to London and is moved to June 2010 and I'm glad...

For those of you pissed about the post title, please hear me out. I think that time and location would make so much more sense. I think more people will be able to perform and also (selfish as it sounds), I stand a better chance of being in the audience given that much time. I've also always wanted to go to London. I'm on the forums of at least two different MJJ sites. I'm thinking of arranging some type of meet up, but I want to go really slowly, as far as planning something like that out...because I've had horrific experiences on celeb boards/forums before. Cool people and crazies are everywhere though, so I guess I'll just learn from my mistakes and go on from there.

Janet's tribute to Michael at the VMA's

First off, I thought what Madonna had to say was both amusing and beautiful. (I'm sorry, it may sound dumb, but I don't think anyone understands a shy person, like another shy person. He seems like once, you broke him out of his shell, he was a fun person to hang out and talk with. Interesting too...All the places he's been and the unique perspective he'd have on them...You know that question of you could have how ever many people living or dead to be your dinner guest and conversate with them. I have a handful in mind and he's definitely one. My paternal grandmother, My Gran Lee, and my maternal great-grandmother are some of the other ones. I like Alicia Keyes too. She seems like she's cool people and Beyonce too. More men...I'll get back to you on that one...I'm also getting off track. Ahem...)

The second part...I would've put together a different medley. Did they just not want to start with J5 stuff or things from Michael's solo albums on Motown? (I would've included something from them, and had some dancers who were children. Unless labor laws or rehearsal schedules prevented me from doing so.) I can't remember what the other songs were beyond Thriller and Bad. I just felt like the medley should have covered more of a span, but I know how tight the timing is with award shows, so I can only b*@# so much about that aspect of the performance without sounding like I'm nitpicking. The dancer's in different costumes of Michael dancing to Thriller (For some reason, that just gave me the heebie jeebies. The same way Return of the Living Dead Part II will from now on I guess.).

One of the dancer's didn't seem steady when they were doing that anti-gravity illusion from Smooth Criminal. That nagged at me a bit.

Janet Jackson's performance...I thought she did a wonderful job. I was reading what the person covering the VMA's for USA Today said, and they said she seemed almost angry...I don't know if it was anger so much as defiance...Like she was saying, "I'm still here and I'm going to make it through this. " I haven't heard her new single yet, but I plan to. I found out yesterday that Janet Jackson is on Twitter, I didn't know that before. Elizabeth Taylor is also on Twitter, I didn't know that either. I think that's so cool. A lot of older people don't like to fool with new things, so it's nice to find some that do. I got an e-mail from Eartha Kitt once. That blew my mind. : D

Which kind of brings me back to what I was saying in another post/entry, you have to let people know what they mean to you while they're still here.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Promo for Janet Jackson's performance @ the VMA's tomorrow

I'm looking forward to this so much, that I'm putting off seeing True Blood tomorrow. (This is saying a lot if you know what a True Blood fanatic I am.) Something one of the people on the street being interviewed in one of the commercials on MTv promoting Janet's appearance on this year's VMA's disturbed me though. The person said they wanted to see her do, what Michael did. My thought on that, is didn't we already see that in the Scream video? (It's one of my favorites too.) Isn't the person doing her a disservice by saying that? I always loved (and still love) Janet in her own right. It's funny, I was going through some stuff yesterday that I had at my dad's apartment, and I found a box of old magazines. I had a lot of Essence and Ebony mags that featured Janet Jackson on the cover that I'd forgotten about. I was glad to see them again. (I'll be getting slip covers for them ASAP.) I've watched her as Penny on Good Times, as Charlene on Different Strokes, and as Cleo on the Fame TV series ( in our area, it used to come on after Soul Train back in the 80's). I enjoyed her in Poetic Justice and Why Did I Get Married? I enjoy her music (I know she can't see like Jennifer Hudson, but I appreciate what both have to offer.). I guess what bothered me enough to post about what I saw in the commercial, is that I feel like some people only see performer and not woman who recently lost her brother (I lost my mother 2 years ago, and I'm still so far from over it, that it's not even funny.) I feel as though fans, no matter who they're fans of, should always be mindful that the people we admire/enjoy watching (or both) are just that, people. I may have blogged about this a little before, and I'm sorry, but it's something I've really given quite a bit of thought to lately.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Twinkle, Twinkle Groovy Cat, How I Wonder Where You're At

I was looking around on eBay the other day and I spotted someone's auction for a hand-painted clock carriage that Michael Jackson once owned. He'd written something on the inside back wall of the clock carriage (I'm sorry, but he's got really distinctive handwriting. If that was a forgery, it was damn good.). Anyway, the verses go like this: I'm keeping his phrasing and everything:



What I've never had
I cannot lose

What I've got
I didn't choose


And what remains
is just the truth


That hides away
from me and you


2-5-99 MJ



The first two lines, obviously are self-explanatory. The second two, I'm not sure whether he means his fame, his illnesses or both...maybe something I'm missing altogether....


The meaning of the last four lines escapes me...It's wild to me that he would write this in silver paint pen in the back of a clock carriage...Is it some type of riddle that has to do with time? I'm probably reading way too much into it...I just keep stumbling across these little mysteries as far as he's concerned. I'd be lying if I said these things didn't make him all the more fascinating to me.
The seller was even wondering about the significance of the lines and date, because even she didn't know...
The title to this post comes from The Simpsons episode "'Round Springfield" (Episode 22, in the 6th season of The Simpsons, this is also the ep where Bleeding Gums Murphy dies and the dude at the record store marks the price up, when Lisa tells him.)

It's kind of funny, if it hadn't been for The Simpsons, I never would have found out who Pablo Neruda was. What is that poem that mentions a puma?...."I Crave Your Mouth"...
Before this starts to dissolve into stream of consciousness, I'll stop.





Melrose Place

The reboot of Melrose Place is coming on tonight.
Out of curiosity I'll give it a try. I also want to see how in the world Sydney could have faked her death. If it's not feasible and they do some Soapdish (In the movie Soapdish, one of the writers is asked to bring back a character that the viewers saw get decapitated. I think someone mentioned a head transplant and it just went downhill from there. That's what I mean by pulling some Soapdish garbage. I don't think a real audience would fall for that. At least I hope not, or else that's a sad commentary on our society.) garbage, I won't continue to watch.
Someone needs to tell the MSN Entertainment people they've got the wrong Vanessa Williams's picture up. (I tried looking for a place to comment, but couldn't find one.)

I did watch the original. I watched Models, Inc. too.

p.s. I was so tired, that I fell asleep during the first 15 minutes of the show. I know I was disappointed to see that the character who I was tuning in to watch might possibly be dead. :(
They never showed her face, that I saw. I'm hoping that means she isn't dead, but that'd be a bit much wouldn't it? I was very tickled to see Thomas Calabro back (Dr. Michael Mancini), he's held up well. :D I want to see who else comes back in the next few months. I hear Heather Locklear's in negotiations...I wonder if they'll list her as a special guest star for her whole run, the way they did before. (For some reason, I always found that amusing.)

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

P****d Off

This still isn't the post about this past weekend, but I saw something this morning that reminded me of something that ticked me off this past weekend.

During their Michael Jackson day of programming E! had this Forbes special on. When I saw what the title was I was p****d.

So today, I log onto MSN.com, because I've got a Hotmail addy under my real [or government name if you like ;)], and I see Michael Jackson's credit score posted. }:(

Is it me? Or is there something terribly and absolutely wrong about that?

Most of the white musicians that I remembered passing away last year were British (Mitch Mitchell, Richard Wright)...I don't know if they treat credit the same way there.

I would have to do a little homework to find someone comparable that was white and passed fairly recently that made an impact on the world even remotely close to Michael Jackson's that didn't get there credit score posted for the whole world to see. :( If anybody out there knows one, post it in the comments thread.

Race is definitely a factor here, but it isn't the only factor. Bo Diddley, Isaac Hayes, and Sean Levert passed last year were their credit scores posted? No. Maybe they didn't spend the same and they didn't earn the same, but still some stuff should remain private.

I thought maybe with Michael Jackson's passing, people would stop going after him in a negative way...I see now that they're not...they're relentless...and I just can't comprehend that...It's like these vultures wake up and think "Gee! How much more of this man's dignity can I try to strip away today?" As I get older (I'm pushing 40 now), it's becoming harder and harder to continue to see the good in people...sometimes stuff happens to give me hope, like seeing all those people watching the Michael Jackson Memorial in all those different countries and singing, and dancing and crying...or when I'm not doing well, and someone on the street stops to see after me, but it seems like those things come so few and far between... this world shouldn't be like that.

I also don't understand why some people decide to go after the people who least deserve it, just because they don't fit under some nice neat label/box/category...I don't think I'll ever understand that, if I live to be a 100.

I guess if I have to look for something "positive" in all this, at least people with similar scores can see it's not the end of the world and you can bounce back. Still,...I don't think that was the motive for Michael's score being posted though, and that's why I'm angry.

Monday, August 31, 2009

This n' that

Most of my observations about this past weekend are going to get their own separate post.
I tweeted for the first time in ages. I've also got some cool, suprising new followers @ Twitter. I don't think I'm worthy of the attention, but I definitely appreciate it. :D

I was swamped at work today, but that seems like every Monday. :D

On the down side, I was bummed I couldn't make it to the movie theater before Thirst left. Now, I guess I'll have to catch it on DVD. :( But this is a great excuse to buy some other J-horror movies on DVD, that have been recommended to me by a friend that I've been wanting to catch for the longest time. }:)

I've got most of my Halloween costume together, just in case I do wind up going to a party. Hopefully y'all will get as much of a kick out of it, as I think I'm going to.


Later,

Friday, August 28, 2009

They really do have all types of hobby and crafts magazines out there!

I was looking at last month's issue of Library Journal and I noticed a blurb about a magazine geared towards wood carvers (The artwork on the cover was excellent!). I've seen magazines geared toward people who paint and assemble model kits (I used to.). People who knit, do needlepoint, etc. I've seen magazines geared toward people who draw and/or paint. But woodcarving, wow! Who knew?

My poor lil' Cosbaby

I won one of those mini Cosbabies off eBay a few weeks back. (The one with the letter jacket like the one Michael Jackson has on at the beginning of Thriller.) So anyway, I have him on my desk at work. I picked him up to see what his range of movement was, and little bits of the sleeve of his jacket came off. :(

So I go to CVS and I get some crazy glue. I managed to fix him, and then I realized that I put right hand on facing the wrong way. :( So, I broke the wrist trying to reset it. (I didn't buy it to resell it, so I'm not to worried about the collectability aspect of it.) I actually think they're a bit overpriced for how small they are, so I wasn't even entertaining the thought of getting another one. Besides, I grew up on The Velveteen Rabbit, The Mouse and His Child, and Dean Koontz's Oddkins (Yeah, I know, sad isn't it?). If for the most part the doll is still fine, I'm not getting rid of it.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Acuvue Oasis

I'm back in contacts again. Hopefully, these will be the keepers. The real test will be tomorrow morning.

4:04pm Fri (I began this entry yesterday)- The contacts are working like a charm so far. And to think the problem was just that I had dry eyes. 1 doctor's visit and 2 different brand switches later. lol Better late than never. :)

Cover story on the September 2009 issue of GQ

Judging by what I've seen on the internet (articles, various celeb and nonceleb blogs, etc.), I'm not the only one ticked about this. I'm not just complaining about the title either. (You mean out of all the photos of Michael being Michael this guy couldn't find one where he doesn't look tired and slightly annoyed?) I don't get it...

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

TMZ polls, the homicide ruling, etc.

I think the TMZ polls are a bit contradictory or two entirely different sets of people visit that site.



I was glad to see that most people think that Dr. should be held at least partially responsible. What pissed me off however, was that people think Michael Jackson is responsible for his own addiction. That makes absolutely no sense to me.



From what I understand these problems with painkillers happened as a result of the burns he got filming one of the Pepsi commercials. Now true no one forced him to do the Pepsi commercial, but did he burn himself?



I'm not sure when he started having trouble sleeping, that I would have to research. I do have insomnia, so I know how difficult it can be. Maybe because people don't see it as a "serious" problem, they think it's an easy thing to take care of. It isn't. I've tried chamomile tea. Warm milk won't make me do anything but :P, so scratch that. For a period of time alcoholic beverages worked, but it got to the point where cocktails wouldn't do anything. I don't like the taste of really strong liquour and I hate feeling hungover. So using alcohol got old pretty quick. I also don't want or need to become an alcoholic, as I have quite enough on my plate. Then I started trying OTC sleeping aids, but after a while, 1 wouldn't work. It got to the point where I was quadrupling pills. I never went past that, because I wanted to wake up in the morning (There's just too much I haven't done yet that I want to do.). Now, I take a prescription sleeping aid, but it's getting to that point where one pill isn't doing it for me anymore.



Now, I'm an everyday person, but add on to that the pressures of celebrity (constantly wanting and needing to top yourself, etc.), illness, second (and third?) degree burns that left you permanently scarred and in pain, I'm not sure about the money problems or the accusations...Add on to that people ridiculing you, that's a lot of stress even for an every day person. And he's responsible for his own addiction? No, I'm sorry, I just don't think that's a fair judgment at all.

David Nordahl and his Michael Jackson art

I guess the first David Nordahl Michael Jackson piece that caught my eye was the Tryptich that was featured on the cover of last week's USA Today Life weekend section. I would love to be able to see some of that artwork in person. I'm one of those people that could wander a museum for hours. I mainly enjoy art/pop culture type museums, but I will visit museums that focus on natural history too. I've heard that there will be an exhibition of Michael Jackson art at some point, but I don't know where or what will be featured.

"Field of Dreams"-I'm going to have to look at that one again, because I missed Janet. Is she adult Janet or child Janet? (That might be how I missed her, because I was looking for another adult.)

The portrait where the cherubs are putting flowers in Michael's hair...-I'm not sure I'm getting what that paintings saying...It's kind of jarring to see a clearly male body and then the face is very androgynous. More so than some of Nordahl's other works.

I like Nordahl's attention to detail. He's got Michael's profile spot on in the detail on the throne.

I enjoyed getting further insight into the kind of person Michael was. (I never knew about the Chevy Blazer. I'd heard about him being a practical joker though. I didn't know about the chicken wings either. That tickles me for some odd reason.)

And to think all this came from Michael wanting this guy to give him art lessons...I think that's wild. I've seen some of Michael's drawings too, he could draw in a couple of different styles. You could see he could have done something with his artwork too...

This I think is another one of those things about Michael Jackson that I guess is always going to fascinate me.

I'm afraid to post pictures with this blog entry, because I'm so not looking to get sued.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Michael Jackson's death ruled a homicide...

I just found this out today. I'm angry and sad at the same time about so much right now, I don't think one more thing would tip the scales.

Friday, August 21, 2009

Bryton James

I used to watch Y&R with my mom, and I had no idea Bryton James was Little Richie on Family Matters. All I knew was that he looked familiar. Picking up the August 25, 2009 issue of Soap Opera Digest (which I used to buy for my mom), now I realize why.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

This seasons cast of Dancing With the Stars

I was a bit disappointed that they didn't pick Lou Ferrigno. I'd have watched this season to see him. I'm not a Donny Osmond fan. I notice there seem to be a lot of women this season. Is it always this imbalanced or are they trying to go after a new demographic or something? Then they've also got to many people from similiar areas to me. They have Mya and Macy Gray, Melissa Joan Hart and Debi Mazar (I actually like some of Debi Mazar's work. I might watch for her, Maya, and Macy Gray, but I'm still not as motivated as I would've been had they picked Lou Ferrigno) . Aaron Carter and Donny Osmond (they're from different eras yeah, but you get my point). I remember who Kathy Ireland is. Most of the others, I hadn't really heard of before. Reality shows don't really hold my interest for very long, because to me, they're too repetitive/redundant.

Lovely Bones is going to be a movie...

I don't think I can watch this, considering I barely got through the first chapter of the book. I don't know whether it's got to do with surviving an attempting sexual assault (this guy was supposed to be my friend. That somehow made it worse to me than having a stranger pull that.), or the drama with stalker dude, or a combination of both, but right now, I just really can't handle it.

This messes with my head big time...

I was checking my e-mail accounts at Yahoo! when I came across this:


http://www.thedailynewsegypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=23694


I don't have any immediate plans to visit Chicago, but I would love to check this display/exhibit (Depending on how long it's in Chicago for, I just may...) out in person. I want to know if this resemblance is photoshopped or it's really this ...uncanny. (Is it mass hypnosis/hallucination or do some of us out there just really, really, miss him this badly? I think part of the answer to my question is answered by how quickly that Hamilton Collection figurine sold out and album chart sales/records.) It's unsettling...I wish the statue wasn't of a princess though (There's too much negativity about Michael Jackson's sexuality as it is)...I wish the statue had been of someone kind of like Akhenaton, but an "undiscovered" pharoh(My imagination...and the things that come from it...). Maybe that's just me being narrow-minded though...Maybe it's possible to have been another sex in your past life (if there are such things) and it may or may not have anything to do with one's sexuality...I've always been curious about that kind of thing, but never really had a set belief in reincarnation one way or the other. I think it's stupid and arrogant to rule stuff out, just because it's hard to conceive of it though. There's too much out there in nature to marvel at, for me not to think that way...

I wonder if Michael Jackson ever saw this statue...I don't think he was trying to look like it/her...If he did...I wonder how much our subconcious mind affects the decisions we make conciously...

I don't think I'll be able to look at the Remember the Time video in exactly quite the same way now...It's not really a good or a bad thing...just kind of odd. I didn't even plan to keep writing about Michael Jackson this long or quite this often, but he just keeps popping up in the places I least expect...I know I definitely didn't expect to be greeted this morning by the image The Field Museum in Chicago released.

You know what's funny? I came thisclose to putting on my silver winged Isis pendant (I have boxes of Ancient Egyptian themed items. My jewelry is only part of the collection. For the longest time, I've been fascinated by that time and place [At least until the Greek and Roman influence starts to take over...Can't remember the time period...].... this morning, but decided against it at the last minute...bizarre...What a long, strange, trip life is...

Friday, August 14, 2009

Wolverine 2?

I hear this one takes place in Japan...if it's done right it should be very interesting...I hope it's better than the last one...Speaking of Wolverine, the version Hot Toys put out is...he takes my breath away...if I was a billionaire or if I hit the lottery for billions...I would so be getting him...(Unfortunately, for me, I'm not a billionaire, which means, that with the economy and HT's prices, I can only really afford to go gaga over and buy one of their figures per year, if I'm lucky. This year...my pick is HT's Thriller Michael Jackson...However, I will make an exception if they do letter jacket werelynx-cat beastie Thriller Michael too.)

Maxi dresses are from Hell

Ok, remember how I was saying that I wasn't really into this maxi dress trend?

I finally found one I could live with at Fashion Bug. I tried it on, the colors flattered my skin tone, and I didn't look hideous, so I bought it. I wore it exactly one day and going up stairs, I kept tripping over my hem, so I had to lift my skirt every time, I was climbing stairs, not an easy task if your hands aren't free, which some of the time mine weren't. Going up the stairs to my apartment, I stepped on my hem, and fell onto one of my knees. I now have a purple bruise and a scrape on my left knee. (Cute when you're six, not so much when you're 36.) : /

Charlaine Harris's Dead and Gone

For the most part, the book moved pretty quickly. I liked it, but at this point, I'm just as confused as Sookie about Bill and Eric...I'd like to hear Eric's reason for why he didn't come to her aid instead of Bill, before I make up my mind, and then, depending on the reason, I might not be able to do it even then...lol Just when I thought I had it all figured out...

Bubba...I was glad to see him. I was over on Vampire Wire, and someone in the comments thread for the True Blood TV series said that they missed the fact that his character isn't on the show. I sort of do too..., but he'd be kind of a distraction...I'd give an example, but I don't like where my thoughts are headed...It's a sad, creepy, scary place filled with longing and regret and I'll leave it at that.

Can't say I was sorry to see Crystal go, although I was sorry for how it happened.

Faeries...I knew about iron, but I'd never heard about lemon juice before...interesting.

To have Dermot resemble Jason...I thought that was an odd choice, but it worked. Kind of hoky, but I grew up on 60's, 70's and 80's sitcoms, so it's nothing I haven't seen before.

I thought it was very cool the different reactions to the weres and shifters "coming out". I thought it was done very realistically as well. Just about any group considered a minority could probably plug themselves in the plot there and it would still fit. I don't mean that to be flippant either. The "Other" in literature, TV, and other media is almost always a reflection of some type of phobia society exhibits towards [insert group of choice here.]. I think that's part of the reason of why I never completely left my love of paranormal literature behind in my teens. I can still identify with the outcast, and I don't think I'll ever stop...

Bumpit(s)...

I've seen this product, I do want a change from just wearing my hair "flat", but I can't say running around looking like a chocolate version of the Progressive girl or Elvira is going to be a step up for me. If you want to check out what I'm talking about, if you haven't already seen the ads on TV, go here:


https://www.bumpits.com/

They're remaking Poltergeist????!!!!

WTF????!!!! What was wrong with the first one?

That is one of the few horror movies involving a TV that has scared the s*#! out of me. The Ring, of course is the other.

What is with the unnecessary Hollywood movie remakes?

I've just seen the previews for Rob Zombie's Halloween II. I hope he has a completely different idea from the original Halloween III, because that ish sucked!

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Shoutout

Shoutout to the Cashier at CVS at the intersection of L Street and ? around the corner from Au Bon Pain. I don't remember if she had a nametag on. I was in a hurry and it didn't occur to me that I should have read it, if she had one, until I'd left. They didn't have large bags and I'd bought the huge 12 pack of Scott's that was on sale. She made me a bag with sturdy handles out of smaller bags. How often do you get service like that in retail? She had a very pleasant attitude too. : D Again, I don't know who this woman is, but she rocks! Thank you!

The Jacksons Variety Show

It's funny the things you remember...I think my earliest memories start around the age of three...I can remember the first and the last time that I ever saw my great grandparents. Recently, I won a DVD of the Jacksons variety show off eBay. I received it a few days ago in the mail. The quality wasn't crappy at all, it was wonderful, it was so wonderful in fact, that it jogged my memory. I can remember that opening sequence to the show. I remember the track/jogging/running suits. I thought those glass bulbs were balloons, but I did remember them...

Gooey Decimal System...

There's a group on Facebook that's trying to get Ben and Jerry's to come out with a library-themed ice cream (which considering all the flavors they do/did have, I'm kind of suprised that they don't have a library themed flavor.). I did join it. I think I'm in favor of the Gooey Decimal System-I like the name and the idea of dark fudge alphabet letters, with caramel swirls, in hazelnut ice cream definitely sounds appetizing. This is another one of those developments that I think will be interesting to see play out.

Les Paul is gone...

Just saw this on msn.com. I doubt I would know who this guy was if it hadn't been for Slash. (When I'm into a musician, an entertainer, an actor or whoever, and they cite influences, etc. I'm inquisitive enough that I do research...9 times out of ten, it opens up whole new worlds for me.) So many trailblazers...gone, but definitely not forgotten.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

The international trailer for the Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

I am so excited to see this movie! I talked about Heath Ledger's footage, but I hadn't seen Johnny Depp's until now...Wow!

The joys of Twitter...

I wanted to tweet about baking chicken without burning the house down or poisoning anyone and I guess it was around 9@ night on Monday? I couldn't even get on, because so many other people got it in their heads to "tweet" at the same time. Is that like the peak time or something? I don't remember that ever happening to me on facebook...Maybe it's because I'm not on it enough...

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Eunice Kennedy Shriver

Even though this was not unexpected...I'm still sorry to hear this. My sister used to work for her. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family.

Friday, August 7, 2009

Danny Trejo in The Machete

I saw something about this at the bottom of the screen when Attack of the Show was on...Wasn't this one of those trailers that was shown during Grindhouse? I think it came on before DeathProof, but I'm not sure...I'd love to see it regardless...I've seen that dude in so many things...From Dusk 'Til Dawn...I like how eclectic the cast to this movie is...yeah, I definitely want to check this out when it's released.

John Hughes is gone...

Just heard this last night...Didn't feel like rushing to the computer, especially when almost everyone is saying the same thing. :(



Another big part of my life in the 80's gone... :( I know death is a part of life, but that doesn't make it easy...



My favorite John Hughes film, I'd have to say, is The Breakfast Club. I knew or knew of people that were like each of the kids in detention...I was probably most like the Ally Sheedy character minus all the lying. Coming in at a close second is Weird Science (who hasn't fantasized about doing what these guys do? I'd like to turn it around of course, but you get the picture. ;) ). I liked Pretty in Pink (Although, I did not like that final look for Annie Potts's character, even when it wasn't seriously dated. There's a way to have a woman dress her age without making her look dull or matronly. I wish more directors/writers/costumers, etc. realized this. I guess the older I get, the more this is going to be a pet peeve of mine.). I also liked Ferris Bueller's Day Off (Had I skipped class before? Hell yes! Our day wasn't nearly as much fun as theirs was though. We hung out at the mall. Ferris cut up at a parade. Absolutely no contest. I think John Hughes also did Some Kind of Wonderful. I never saw Sixteen Candles or Planes, Trains and Automobiles (a co-worker recommended the latter...I think I'll give them both a shot.). I remember paying to see Home Alone...I don't remember why, as it's not my usual type of thing...I'm thinking it was probably one of those rare occasions when we went to the movies as a family.

Msn.com has a really nice tribute to John Hughes up to the tune of the The Who's Baba O' Reily. I don't know who put it together, but I laughed in all the right places. I'm sure if I looked around at YouTube, a lot of other cool tributes would pop up too. That's one of the things I love about the internet. So many cool people from all over sharing their ideas in the blink of an eye...

Thursday, August 6, 2009

What's happening to Metro?

Didn't Metro stations used to be air conditioned? I was at McPherson Square Metro station yesterday and it felt like I was inside a sauna, and then to have to deal with a packed train? WTF!

What's the deal with the cats, Mr. Jackson?

I was messing around on Google and eBay trying to track down various Michael Jackson items (some that I'd lost...my copy of Mark Bego's Michael Jackson biography for example) and some completely new to me (The This is It merchandise. There is a T-shirt in particular, that I love, that has the cat/lynx beastie Michael changed into at the beginning of the Thriller video). While I was doing this, I noticed something kind of odd...In the Michael's Pets stuffed toy line...there is no cat, no tiger, no lion, nothing of that type...Why? I think it's because he associated cats with adult themed things...



Think about it, whenever you see anything like a cat or catlike with/about him, it's either associated with sex or violence or both. I think the first time you get an inkling of this is not so much inside the Thriller album foldout, but in the Billie Jean video. In the Thriller video, it's right in your face (I don't know who started calling this thing a werewolf, but it looks kind of like lynx to me, but the eyes are wrong for it to be a werelynx. Whatever it was howled too. I guess cats howl, but I don't think it sounds like a wolf's howl... (Been reading too much Anita Blake I guess.). Since it's coming from someone's (or maybe a lot of brainstorming someones in plural) creative imagination(s))...I can let my nitpicking slide. The changing from a panther and back again at the end of Black or White...The way Michael Jackson is depicted on the cover of the Ghosts programme and DVD. Then, while I was looking around eBay this weekend, I saw a sepia toned picture of Michael Jackson with his hair in a ponytail, and he's looking off to the side at something the viewer can't see, with a slight smile on his face. In the picture, he's wearing a leopard print button-down shirt.


I don't know that he would have given me a straight answer, but this is definitely something that I would've loved to have asked him about, if I'd ever gotten a chance.




Justin Moyer who reviewed J. Randy Taraborrelli's updated book on Michael Jackson complained that the book had tense errors (I think that was either laziness or carelessness, or both on Taraborrelli's part ), didn't tell us anything new about Michael, or offer much insight on him as a person. He also said that the book lacked imagination...If a reliable source, that was close to Michael could shed any light on my abovementioned musings...I'd by that book in a New York second (Yeah, I know what the original saying is, and I still mean second).

A lot going on...

I've let just about a week go by without blogging...sorry about that.
I've finally selected a moving company. I'm going to look at another place hopefully this weekend and then I'll make my decision. The living situation I'm in now, I'm really desperate to get out of and I've got the money, so I figure why not...The only thing I don't want to do at this point (despite how crappily I've been treated) is I don't want to leave my roommates in a bind as far as losing my share of payment on bills...Other than that, all I want is to move forward.

Work has been busy too.


I've also been spending a lot of time on eBay. I may have some stuff that I want to sell soon, but I'm going to need a scanner first...

I also noticed I got my first comment. :) The computer I'm using right now is acting up, so I'll see if I can't respond at home (I already tried refreshing the page, no dice.).

You win some, you lose some.

Friday, July 31, 2009

Being Human

I've watched the first couple of episodes of Being Human and I plan to tune in this Saturday too. I wouldn't say it's better than True Blood...except for the fact that they both feature supernatural creatures, I don't think the two shoes have a lot in common. John...I don't know why, but I don't find him sexy. I also found it odd that he appears to eat...most vampires don't (I remember in Lost Boys they did, or gave the illusion that they did. On BtVS, I think Spike did...) I'm wondering if at some point the writers will explain this, or chalk it up to made vampires versus born vampires, or something like that. The walking around in daylight thing, I've seen before too (in fact in Bram Stoker's Dracula. Dracula can move about in the daylight). The vampires on this show also don't cast reflections, can't be captured on film...

George...his story was very reminiscent of An American Werewolf in London, I couldn't figure out whether it was meant as an intentional homage or not. Annie...I like her, I can relate to her...a lot.

I was hoping this series had a soundtrack, but it doesn't. I really like the music they feature, both old and new.

The episode they showed about the misunderstanding about John, the DVD in the Laurel and Hardy case, and the little boy and his mom broke my heart. If you've been following my blog for the past few months, you probably have some idea as to why...

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

The Wolfman...

I heard they have pushed the release date to February 2010 this time...I would hate to think it's because the movie is lacking in some way. From what I've seen of the movie poster, footage, etc. I'm not sure... Hopefully it'll be worth the wait.

Johnny Depp vs. Robert Pattinson

I guess this debate came out because of this year's Comic-Con in San Diego... Also, it is dumb to ask a teenage girl this, because unless she's really percocious, there are some girls out there that do not want to mess with a man old enough to be their dad. As far as talent goes, ask me this question again in 10 years, when Robert Pattinson has done more films. Bet you dollars to donuts I still pick Johnny Depp.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

BET's odd sense of timing...

BET is showing a special on Michael Jackson Sunday evening...I think this supposedly kicks off a whole week celebrating/saluting him. Wouldn't it make more sense to wait until this has actual significgance and do it on the week of what would have been his 51st birthday? Like start it the week of August 23rd and wind up on the 29th...Something like that. That way people won't feel bombarded and the honor feels less like "let's strike while the iron's hot". I don't get how TV station's are run at all...I guess it's a good thing I'm not in that field. I shudder when I think about how close I came to getting into TV and radio...Not that I'm knocking people who are in that field, but I realized early, that I wasn't cut out for it and just chose another path. I guess as long as you maintain your integrity while you're doing what you love, no harm, no foul, right?

Ladysmith Black Mambazo...

Ladysmith Black Mambazo is in town for a benefit concert tomorrow night...I wonder if they'll do that "The Moon is Dancing" song...If they do,...I can't promise I won't cry, but it won't keep me from singing along. :) I've always loved LBM, my mother did too.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Walter Kronkite

I was sorry to hear about his passing...It's not like I didn't expect it though. I can't even remember him with dark hair...I guess because that was before my time...news broadcasts kept playing the footage of him announcing JFK's assasination...Again, that was something I couldn't really relate to...I barely remember Hinckley's assassination on Reagan...

40th Anniversary of Moon Landing

I wish I could comment more on this, but being that I'm only 36, I wouldn't have remembered it. I used to be more excited about space travel, until I started noticing and thinking about certain things I began to notice as I got older. Personally, I think we should take care of the earth first, before anyone even thinks about setting up colonies on the moon or anyplace else.

Friday, July 17, 2009

Hot Toys 1/6 Thriller figure

I love it! It definitely leaves that little LJN doll in the dust. I've pre-ordered mine from Big Bad Toy Store, but if they run short, I plan to use eBay as a backup (I did that with my Hot Toy and Medicom TDK Joker action figures and that worked out, so I'm hoping that I can do the same thing this time without it biting me in the a#$.). I think there's enough pictures of Hot Toys' Thriller action figure on other people's blogs, that I don't need to be redundant here.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Lost my bid...

I lost my bid on Michael Jackson's Moonwalk (I expected eBay to be like a madhouse, so I can't say I'm surprised. Remember the Simpsons episode "Round Midnight"? I feel like Lisa did when she was trying to get a hold of Sax on the Beach. Then, to add insult to injury, she made the mistake of telling the salesman/cashier/owner of the record store that Bleeding Gums Murphy was dead and so, he marked the price of the album up. I'm hoping at some point it's going to die down, but it doesn't look like it's going to happen soon. Also, the people selling memorabilia that isn't autographed for prices that have commas in them, really need a reality check (Yes, there's a reason why your s_ _ t isn't selling, guess what it is.) I read Moonwalk when it first came out, but I got it from the library...I can remember almost nothing of it now...but I want a copy of my own. Right now, my move and my medical expenses take priority...like I said, I can wait this out. If I'm meant to get one, I will.

The footage previously unreleased footage from Michael Jackson's Pepsi commercial accident

I saw this yesterday and it made me feel terrible. I was in elementary school, when this happened...I think I remember them (Pepsi executives?, handlers? the publicist?, family, possibly all?) saying the burnt section of his hair was no bigger than a dime or a quarter or something like that. From what I saw yesterday, that's way bigger than any dime or quarter I ever saw. Someone posted a comment at I forget what site that the incident was downplayed. I definitely agree. Maybe Michael wanted it that way...but still it makes me sad.

Butterflies...

When I get to where I'm going to move, I'd like to put plants on my balcony.


The Examiner this morning (I don't always look at it, but sometimes I find a few interesting things in it.) gave me another idea to play with. I found a tip about birdbaths and butterflies. As ridiculous as it sounds, I never considered the fact that butterflies drink at bird baths too. In the article, the writer suggests "creating a safe footing for the butterflies" by putting sand, small pebbles, or a sponge in the water. She also tells how you can make "homemade nectar", by making a four parts water to one part granulated sugar solution. I'd like to see if that works..., if it does, I'd like to take a picture of the butterflies that do land and post pictures of them here.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

First sand, now butter, what's next mashed potatoes?


Please don't let the tone of the title to this post fool you. I'm a beginning artist (I draw and paint...I find sculpting intimidating, so I have an immense respect for people who can do it and do it well.) and I was very impressed with this, which I saw over the weekend. If anyone knows if there are shots of this taken from other angles, please let me know.
Then, yesterday I find this news headline:
(Please let me know if the link doesn't work)
I did vote, and I'll be curious to see what the final vote winds up being. From what I can see, there's not a whole lot of middle ground, either people are sick of hearing about Michael Jackson or they love him and don't have a problem with the amount of attention he's been getting in the media so far...
I'm kind of torn...I'm going to do what feels best to me, and that is blog about him off and on until either I get tired of it or I'm done with the grieving process, whichever comes first.
If you don't want to read my posts, you don't have to, and I'll leave it at that.
p.s. The butter sculpture was not to be...Maybe if it had been someplace else besides Iowa. Oh well.



Note to self...

I really have got to remember to read all of someone's blog post before responding to it...

Monday, July 13, 2009

People magazine's 70's book

I was in the grocery store and I spotted this while I was in the checkout line. All sorts of memories came flooding back. I used to have a little Mork and Mindy T-shirt. I remember watching Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, Three's Company, The Muppet Show, Wonder Woman, The Bionic Woman, The Hardy Boys, I can't remember the names of them, but there were these little book review shows for kids and teens (I'm not talking about Reading Rainbow, these came before. I remember one time the read an excerpt of Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time...) ...Yeah, I was a little kid, but I remember a lot. My dad still has the Star Wars soundtrack album. I remember us going to the movies to see Thank God It's Friday.

Does anyone else out there remember Battle of the Network Stars?

Some seventies stuff I didn't get into until I was old enough to appreciate it, like Carrie, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, ...(Oddly enough I have my dad to thank for my love of Led Zeppelin...funny how stuff like that works.)

I didn't get into too many of the fads...rollerskating, pet rocks...

I do remember having a mood ring or two though. Some worked like they were supposed to, some didn't. I also think that after a certain length of time they stop working all together.

I also remember (and I refuse to believe I'm just imagining it.), honey buns, moon pies, etc. were larger.

I'm somewhat nostalgic about that time, but...I'm realistic enough to remember the good and the bad...Just like with the 80's and 90's...


Time flies doesn't it?....

Friday, July 10, 2009

Old vs. new

I'm actually getting to the point where I'm better about blogging than I am writing entries in my journals the old fashioned way. It's a shame isn't it? Both have their pros and cons, I must admit. I actually like doing both for different reasons. I'll elaborate when I get a spare moment...Work has me very busy. I'm monitoring eBay auctions and I've got family stuff to deal with.

The Great Debates on Vh-1

Some of these I actually liked...Others, I was like "What's wrong with y'all?"





The Muppets vs. Bogie and Bacall? C'mon now.





I've heard the Ginger vs. Mary Ann debate before...





They made me laugh with Webster vs. Arnold. I said Punky Brewster. :D (I have one male cousin and no brothers. I'd do way better with a little girl. )



Both sets of Charlie's Angels tying made me smile.



The worst sports injury decision I definitely agreed with. I felt like I broke my leg all over again just watching that.



Thundercats vs. He-Man ...That one made me laugh. I liked them both. I can also remember little kids at the bus stop using their umbrellas as swords, saying "By the power of Greyskull!"

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Insomnia, Cracking down on acetaminophen...

Ok, I'm going to sort of combine posts here, because I take medications that cause both of these subjects to be of great concern to me...

Michael Jackson's is the second recent celebrity death that I can think of where someone was having a problem with insomnia. At first, I thought that was something that just got worse with age, but Heath Ledger was like...what 28? Michael Jackson was 50. I just turned 36. I'm thinking a person's medical background has a lot to do with whether or not they turn into an insomniac and also their personalities or how they handle/cope with stress. I know because of the hours I work, I do not like to take my prescribed sleep aids, because not only is it difficult to wake up, but if you don't get in that full 8 hours of sleep, the medication makes you feel...weird. I just don't feel like myself at all and I don't like the feeling. No one has ever pulled me aside and said anything, but still. It's food for thought.

As far as the acetaminophen...I know it got my mother through for the longest time. She had rheumatoid arthritis. I have rheumatoid markers in my blood, but I only have fibromyalgia. I'm hoping if I stay active, it won't go very badly for me. My doctor has prescribed me Ultracet/Tramadol. The little tablets are 37.5mg. I need to tell my doctor that the regular dosage is still doing squat. He prescribed Lidocaine patches to see if they helped, they do nothing. If this proposed crackdown goes through...they're talking about lowering dosages...all that's going to do is cause more people to self medicate, which ultimately will cause more harm than good in the long run. At least that's the way I see it. I live it every day, so I know. I'm not just guessing. As far as the trial and error that goes along with trying to find a new medication...I lost $40 on the Lidocaine already. I have a move to plan, long-term care I'm trying to set up, not to mention my regular bills. I don't need this and I'm sure a lot of other people out there don't either. Plus, I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in the fact that once I take a medication for a long period of time, I build up a tolerance for it, sometimes it seems like within months...When that happens, it takes more pills to do the same thing. To crack down on acetaminophen at this point in time would really truly be a step backward...This is another news headline I will definitely be keeping an eye on.

Trying new things...

Yesterday, I used the little icon to add a link to a post. I was happy to see that my blog didn't explode or crash or anything, so hopefully, within the next few months I will try more stuff.
Not sure about adding video yet...That's a little much for me yet. I wonder if you pay extra, if they'll let you soup up your blog even more, you know, like Live Journal does...I'll have to look into that.

If my stalker finally leaves me alone, I will be posting pics, but not until. He found out where in the building I work this past Monday and to say I'm not happy is an understatement.

Saw something interesting on Yahoo! this morning...

A congresswoman ( I think her name is Sheila Jackson Lee) is trying to get a house resolution passed that will honor Michael Jackson...I'm not sure if she'll succeed, but I'll definitely be watching. Maybe if she doesn't succeed, someone else will pick it up at a later time...I want them to strike while the iron's hot if they're going to do it...I want so badly to suspend my disbelief...Give people the benefit of the doubt...I can't blame her for trying...

p.s. 7/9/2009 Well, Nancy Pelosi shut that down quickly. Never say never...

The Memorial Service for Michael Jackson yesterday...

I have don't ever remember seeing anything like that for anyone before...

What had me puzzled was just about every news broadcaster commented on how dignified and classy the service was. What were they expecting? Remarks like that speak volumes all by themselves. It'd be so nice, if people would actually think before they speak. :)

The speakers...Al Sharpton...Brooke Shields... I didn't get to catch the whole service, because I was at work, and I couldn't see the TV in the back from my desk. I had the service on the computer in another window while I was working, but it kept cutting off and on. I was thankful to see any pictures and audio though since I couldn't be there in person. Before I logged on, I was afraid so many people in different places would be trying to watch it at the same time, that the site would crash entirely, but it didn't. I was also pleasantly surprised to find out how many of my co-workers/cubicle neighbors had it on as well.

The performances...Usher, Jennifer Hudson, Stevie Wonder and when Jermaine Jackson took the stage...not only was I glad to see him sing, but I he struggled to hold it together, but he succeeded...I can only imagine how hard that was to do...

I was watching with my co-workers for a while, but I found it hard to hold it together after a bit, so I spent most of the service in my cubicle. (I can't be mad at Diana Ross or Elizabeth Taylor, not in the least bit. I'm not even still angry at my oldest cousin for not coming to my mother's funeral anymore. Everybody grieves differently...)

Another thing that blew my mind was the footage of so many people in so many different locations, not just in the U.S., but everywhere...I guess I'd temporarily forgotten how huge of an impact Michael Jackson made on the world. I don't know very many entertainers of color that you can say that about, let alone an entertainer period. I'm not talking about someone who's just known. I'm talking about someone that can elicit that type of an emotional outpouring from people. I've never seen that before...not ever, and I don't think I ever will...