Athena714
Saturday, January 31, 2004
Broaden your horizons...
create your own visited states map
The red ones are the states I've been to. Wow, I've barely been anywhere in the U.S. That's kind of embarassing. [link via snarkcake]
Friday, January 30, 2004
The Littlest Groom
My problem with the latest insult to our intelligence by FOX is not the idea of a dating show involving little people. It's that they are making a big deal out of the fact that it includes little people, and that the name of the show is The Littlest Groom. Why do they have to make it a spectacle?
LPA (Little People of America) President Matt Roloff says, "Yes, the radio jocks will have a field day...(But) hiding us behind closed doors or in funny costumes will never give us the exposure needed to desensitize society to us." I agree that little people should get more exposure in the media, but a dating show on FOX isn't the way to do it. The goal of the show is not to broaden the horizons of Mr. and Mrs. Joe Schmoe, it's to draw ratings based on shock and novelty.
Jesus Juice
Apparently Michael Jackson drinks wine out of soda cans so no one knows he's drinking wine. Ookkkaaaaaaaaaaayyyy...
Bush poops his pants
Great piece by Michael Moore on all the brouhaha surrounding his use of the word "deserter" to describe Bush.
Go Dean!
I totally didn't know this - "Dean currently leads the Democratic delegate count with 113". Sweet! I don't know if that really means anything, but it sounds good!
And has anybody noticed that Kerry looks like Frankenstein? He really does!
Thursday, January 29, 2004
Are all rich people this dumb?
Newlyweds last night? So irritating. I'd like to think that if I was as rich as Nick and Jessica, I wouldn't spend $55K on a watch as fugly as the one she gave him for his 30th birthday. She did look pretty good in her corset-thingy singing him "happy birthday" though. But are huge boobs and a tight ass enough to satisfy a guy? She's so vacant. Doesn't he ever get the urge to, I don't know, HAVE AN INTELLIGENT CONVERSATION??
Uhhh...
Lovely. Somebody over in the comments on freakgirl's site said, "no better way to prove to a court that you don't have a drug problem that showing up looking like that". Word.
If you owe someone $20 or less, you may pay them back in beer.
The rules of drinking. [link via snarkcake]
Beware of celebrities weilding SUVs
Robins Givens ran over some old lady, nearly severing her foot. [link via freakgirl]
Have I got a deal for you, Mr. Hilton...
How awesome is this? And how clueless is this guy? Rick Salomon has offered to settle his $10 million slander suit against the Hilton family in return for Paris' dad giving him permission to distribute the sex tape on a pay per view basis. Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight...
Weird and a little disturbing...
Turns out both Kerry and Dubya are in Skull and Bones, the "secret society" at Yale. I don't think I like the idea of John Kerry belonging to anything that George W. belongs to...
Wednesday, January 28, 2004
Poor Howie.
Looks like Kerry's going to be our man. I am still a Dean supporter, but I recognize the fact that another candidate may have a better chance of getting elected.
However, I think that's bullshit. I think that the "unelectability" of Dean is a creation of the media. But the media is a powerful force - the "YAARGGH!" wouldn't have been a big deal if the media hadn't made it a big deal. He's a fiscal conservative and social liberal (and not a flaming liberal the way the media has painted him either), and he's really pissed off. His anger against the Bush administration is what the media has had everyone focus on - they've made him out to be overly emotional, unstable and unpredictable.
I don't think he's any of those things. He's a guy who is angry over the way this country is being run, and he's not afraid to step on some toes to make himself heard. He's the kind of man I would have been proud to vote for.
That being said, I will wholeheartedly support whoever gets the Democratic nomination. Kerry seems like a good enough guy, but I hate the fact that he voted for the war resolution, no matter what he says his reasons were. But I will vote for him if he's the one who gets nominated.
And then I will move to Canada.
How much do I love Television Without Pity? So much. The recaps of Tru Calling are pure gold. Does anybody [besides my husband (I know, I know, what is WRONG with him?)] actually watch that show?
This is such an awesome-ly awesome story. A new pitcher for the Cleveland Indian's minor league team admitted to his teammates that in college, he did a GAY PORN video. He swears he's not gay and he just did it for the money. Why did he say anything? Would they have found out otherwise?
You know, this is really fucking ridiculous. Why do we keep sending these things to Mars if we can't figure out a way to keep them functional? I'm all for space exploration, I think it's fascinating and important for our future. HOWEVER, I think that the engineers need to build a heartier rover. These last two cost $400 million each, and they go up there, live about a day, and then break. There are people in this country without health care, or enough money to buy food, and we just wasted $800 million in a week sending robots to Mars. Tax dollars well spent.
We went to see Big Fish last night. What a great movie! And my friend warned me, but, yes, I did bawl through the last 15 minutes or so.
Tuesday, January 27, 2004
I think I need to be watching this season of The Surreal Life. It sounds like an absolute trainwreck. You can find kick-ass recaps of the show on Television Without Pity.
The Oscar nominations are out. How pissed do you think Nicole Kidman is for not getting nominated for Cold Mountain?
Monday, January 26, 2004
Cool! Welcome to Click-Clack.net, a knitting blog! I am trying to learn to knit, and Megami, who also runs Unsided.com, started her own knitting blog to keep track of her projects/tips and stuff. Neat!
Didn't watch much of the Golden Globes last night. We watched some Alias Season 2 and Tivo'd the GG. That is totally the way to watch award shows, because you can just fast forward past all the crappy thank you speeches and just get to who won what. Glad that Charlize Theron won for Monster, I think she deserved it. And Bill Murray was so wonderful in Lost in Translation, it's great that he won. I loved both Lost in Translation and Lord of the Rings, so I'm glad those won too.
Wow, Peter Jackson really does look like a hobbit. And why was Fergie there, and how scary did she look? And I hated Nicole Kidman's dress. Ick.
Saturday, January 24, 2004
Whoops, spoke too soon. "Severe malfunction" are not words you want to hear when relating to a $400 million piece of equipment.
Friday, January 23, 2004
Thursday, January 22, 2004
Howard Dean, from an interview with Diane Sawyer -
"I am who I am," said Dean. "And, I am going to be who I am. I'm the outside-the-Beltway guy. I don't play by the same rules [as] the people inside the Beltway. I put my heart on my sleeve. I let people know who I am...I'm a human being" .
See, I like this. Dean is an emotional guy. That's what Monday night's "scream" was about. He was tired, he was disappointed, he was trying to keep up the spirits of the people who supported him. What's wrong with a guy being emotional? Is there a rule that says that the president needs to be some stoic pillar that never gets upset, never shows his anger or insecurities in a way that doesn't involve dropping bombs on Iraq?
So funny. Reminds me of the time freshman year of college that we filled Jeremy's room with balled up newspaper. And I mean FILLED. To the ceiling. [link via save the snow]
This is ridiculous. This woman in Texas was arrested for throwing "Pleasure Parties", kind of like tupperware parties but with sex toys. She was "arrested on charges that she broke a Texas obscenity law that bans the sale of items "designed or marketed as useful primarily for the stimulation of human genital organs." " What year is this? I'm sorry, but the Victorian age of women not being able to bare an ankle was over long long ago. Who the hell cares if a couple, or a woman by herself, wants to use a vibrator? Fucking Republicans.
Wednesday, January 21, 2004
OK, OK, I have to comment. Howard Dean's speech after the Iowa caucuses? Some FUNNY shit right there. I read somewhere else online that it was Dean "going all WWF", and that's totally what it seemed like - it reminded me of those "interviews" that wrestlers do before their matches to try to "psych out" the other guy, with all the growling and the sweating and the grunting? Funny. Whatever. I still like him.
There's an episode of the Simpsons where, when referring to some strange behavior by President Clinton, Kent Brockman says, "In a strange move that aides attributed to an overly tight necktie..." That's it. I'm attributing Dean's little freak out as a) sleep deprivation, b) disappointment, and c) an overly tight necktie.
Morning! Had a lovely weekend up in S.F. with my parents. Mama gave me a knitting lesson, so I am starting on a scarf. I've got the knit-stitch down, but if I drop a stitch or something, I'm fucked, I don't know how to fix it. We went out to a great restaurant, called Left Bank, where my mom is an investor, and I got a cozy pair of not-Ugg boots. They're actually Qwaruba's, which are just like Uggs but $50 cheaper with a rubber sole and they are made in Santa Cruz. Perfect!
Friday, January 16, 2004
More Bush love from Mark Morford, this time about Dubya's brilliant $1.5 billion plan to promote marriage.
Thursday, January 15, 2004
This is fucking hysterical. This is a rant from the Houston craigslist postings from a woman whose BROTHER responded to her "casual encounters" personal ad. [link via reenhead]
Check out this organization, Alley Cat Allies. Nicole Sullivan, who won the Celebrity Poker Showdown on Bravo, had this as her charity.
OK, I"m sorry, but who in their right mind would actually wear these boots? Oh, I guess Pam Anderson would...
I wish I had Showtime so I could give this show a try. I hope it's good - I've heard a couple radio ads for it and the clips of dialogue they play are kind of cheesy.
Wednesday, January 14, 2004
Somebody find me a new job, pleeeeeeeeeease? 30 hours a week, near my house with nice people who want to pay me lots of money?? Pleeeeeeeeeeease???
Tuesday, January 13, 2004
Poor Orangutans. Sometimes I hate being a human, knowing my kind are responsible for the dessimation of other species with no thought or care as to what is really happening. And despite the efforts of some great groups, nothing is every really going to change - how could it? The human race is just spreading and spreading. Soon, there will be no space left for these amazing, beautiful animals that live on our earth. Just people. How fucking boring will that be?
Oh, Britney. You kill me...
"Britney Spears says she recently discovered hookahs. “I didn’t even know there was such a thing as hookah until two weeks ago,” the Oops I Did It Again singer told the new issue of Blender magazine. The star told the mag that her favorite thing to smoke is strawberry-flavored tobacco and asked, “Hookah’s not like weed, is it?”" [link via MSNBC]
Monday, January 12, 2004
"Britney Spears' record label reportedly postponed the release of her new single, so she could be counseled on her alcohol consumption...British tabloid the Daily Star claim Britney's record label Jive want her to talk to counselors before setting off to promote the track - so they've put back its release to March 1. The Star claims Britney reluctantly consented to counseling sessions after breaking down in tears during a trip back to her Kentwood, Louisiana home for a recent family reunion." HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA!!
Interesting article from the New Yorker about Howard Dean. It examines his biography, his style, his chances of winning.
A lot of people have been saying that he's not electable because he's too angry and impetuous. "But it’s worth asking what’s wrong with being reactive and improvisatory rather than implacably ideological. What one person might call policy flip-flops someone else might perceive as evidence of an open, educable mind. In a tumultuous time—one of real terror and brilliant fearmongering—such flexibility might ultimately be the wisest and most rational predisposition, as well as the most effective." I agree wholeheartedly.
I love this quote too: Dean - "I think the problem with the Democratic Party in general is that they’ve been so afraid to lose they’re willing to say whatever it takes it to win. And once you’re willing to say whatever it takes to win, you lose—because the American people are much smarter than folks in Washington think they are. Do I still believe it? I think you have to be ready to move forward and not just try to hold on to what you’ve got. I truly believe that if you’re not moving forward you’re moving backwards in life. There’s no such thing as neutral.” [link via reenhead]
Friday, January 09, 2004
"Welcome to the all-American fear of the Other". Word. It's stuff like this, when I read it, that really makes me think about how this country is going to hell in a hand basket. What the fuck is happening to us? Will it ever get better? Will there ever be a time again where our government isn't trying to keep us afraid of what "might" happen? 9-11 had the exact desired effect that the terrorists wanted. It instilled a permanent paranoia in the American people and the Bush administration the perfect opportunity to control us the way they want to. I'm moving to Canada.
Yesterday I posted that from what I have seen, Howard Dean is a man with strong convictions and he stands by them. I started thinking about this more, because I keep seeing so many news stories about him backpedaling on stuff that he has said in the past. What do you think about this? I have to admit I don't know much about his past. I am disturbed by the fact that I keep reading/hearing about stuff that he has changed his mind/flip-flopped on. I mean, everyone has the right to change their opinion, but it makes me nervous that this comes up again and again. Does it mean he isn't trustworthy?
This is a really thought-provoking opinion piece on the role religion plays in the presidential election.[via freakgirl]
What a way to start a Friday. I fucked up big time here at work. My boss isn't mad, but I feel dumb. Crappy crap.
Thursday, January 08, 2004
Doing some "market research" here - just ordered some Votivo jar candles. Holy crap! are these things expensive, but they sound yummy. I got the Black Ginger, Vanilla Grapefruit, Sumatra Lemongrass and Gingered Currant. Does it make me a weirdo if I am buying other people's candles even though I make my own?
My friend and I really want to take a cooking class this year, and who would have thought that in Los Angeles we can't find one that works? Most of them are like one three hour session on a Saturday, and we're looking for something like a six week course that meets once a week, that starts you off by covering the basics and then helps you put together meals and stuff.
I saw Monster last night, starring Charlize Theron as executed Florida serial killer Aileen Wuornos. Wow. Theron was AMAZING. She transformed herself into this woman, a prostitute who starts murdering her johns. Theron is such an amazingly beautiful woman, so refined and elegant, that to see her morphed into this hooker, chewed up and spit out, swaggering white trash was unbelieveable. The movie's goal isn't to make you feel bad for Wuornos, I think, but to give some insight into how she became a killer.
I hate Arianna Huffington, but I love this article. There are a lot of angry, fed-up Americans (not just democrats) out there who are looking for someone to lead the way to change. From what I have seen so far, Howard Dean has strong convictions and stands by them. I admire that. [link via freakgirl]
Wednesday, January 07, 2004
I just ordered a bunch of new scents to try out for Spring and Summer. I'm bored with all the ones I've been using for two years. I"m looking for new spicy scents, also a good Orange (really juicy and fresh smelling). I'm also trying a couple different Pink Grapefruit scents, a Mediterranean Fig scent, Vetiver and Lemon Verbena.
So I'm trying to come up with what my late winter line of candles should be. I'm thinking they should be spicy, romantic scents, because Jan.-March is still cold and wet, plus you have Valentine's Day in there too. How about Cinnamon, Vanilla, Sandalwood, Pomegranate, maybe Rose Petal (for Valentine's Day?), and Rosemary Mint?
Why is this such big news? How many people EVERY DAY get drunk and then get married in Vegas? I bet it's a daily occurence. Dennis Rodman and Carmen Electra, for example. I think my uncle did it once, too.
What is with all the remakes of old movies? Now they are going to redo The Producers? That movie was perfect the first time, it does NOT need to be remade. Same with Willy Wonka, although I do love me some Tim Burton and Johnny Depp.
Among my New Year's resolutions for 2004:
Quit smoking (7 days into January and I haven't cheated yet! Keep your fingers crossed for me!)
Exercise (I used my elliptical machine last night for the first time in 2004. I managed 12 minutes before I felt like I was going to die. Not a bad start.)
Develop a business plan for my candle biz and create more flexibility at my day job so I have more time to spend on candles. Get more serious about the business.
Learn to knit. So I got this and this. Plus I asked my mommy to teach me.
I'm excited to go see this movie tonight. I hear Charlize Theron gives the performance of a lifetime.
