|
||||
|
Sun, June 23, 2002 Attack of the Scorpion:
"Yeow! Hey, that's a scorpion!!!!" I scream. I scream louder while shaking my leg trying to get the blasted creature off my leg. I almost tumble over my chair and on to the floor. But I regain my balance and scream some more until I reach he upstairs. Shaking all over I proceed to take off my shoes, pants and socks just in case I didn't shake the critter off. My boyfriend looks at me like I'm insane, or really horny (though I usually don't shriek in fear when I'm peeling off my clothes). "There's a scorpion downstairs! It's about 6 inches long and it almost stung me!" I yell. He heads downstairs armed with a vacuum cleaner and we go in search of the monster. Of course, when we find him (perfectly blending in with the brown carpet) he's barely 3 inches long and not that dangerous-looking at all. We hoover him and I'm left standing in my office scanning the floor for more evil insects. I think I'll spend the rest of the day typing in the kitchen. I'm such a wuss. More not-so-fun info:
Hey! A Scorpion Bit Me! Scorpion info - Helpful hint: death by scorpion is extremely rare.
Sat, June 22, 2002 Guerilla Gardening Alert:
I'm writing an extensive article about the history and current popularity of the Guerilla Gardening movement. I'm really excited to finally get around to compiling the history of this movement, as well as getting stories from people who love to go on covert operations to plant flowers and herbs near vacant buildings, crack alleys and bus stops. Please email me if you're interested in being interviewed for the project and I'll send you some email questions!
Fri, June 21, 2002 Grrl Radio R.I.P.:
It's true. thanks to the ruling yesterday, Grrl Radio (among many many other indie online radio stations) is now off the air until further notice. Read more about this inane reading here. Basically, the major record labels got greedy and wanted every average Joe and Jane with a radio station to pay up for the songs we play. Apparently, major labels need even MORE money. Keep in mind, this doesn't mean that the bands will ever see a dime, but all those VPs and higher ups probably will. Trust me, after having many of my friends in bands screwed over by the corporate rock system, I know first hand that these labels involved in shutting down online music don't give a flying f*ck for the bands they represent. And if you think the greedy bastards at the record company will stop with online radio stations, you're wrong. They also want royalty money for used CDs. Egads, what a bunch of jerks. As for Congress, I think half of those old white guys still don't understand how to use email, let alone comprehend the possibilities of online broadcasting, aka Webcasting. It's sad really. Very sad. How so many stupid people get to make so many important decisions that affect us all. Online radio stations weren't another Napster. Most of us Webcasted our record collection in the form of a radio station for our own amusement. We didn't take requests like a normal station. I know that Grrl Radio never had commercials (gee, what a concept: commercial-free radio). Plus I would play local San Fran/Oakland bands like Glitter Mini 9, Luckie Strike and John Vanderslice -- which many of my listeners never had access to before. I received hundreds of emails a week from people wanting to know more about the unknown bands I played like Viva Voce, Airiel, Camaro, the Beans, Automatic Taxi Star and the Bran Flakes. These bands were grateful to get the airplay and would say so. I still have a pile of emails to read from other bands ASKING to be played on Grrl Radio. Now that's not going to happen. But I'm not giving up. My voice should matter and dammit I'm going to tell every politician around me to get off their butts and give us back our music!!!! You too can do something by contacting your local representative and tell him/her exactly how you feel about this ruling.
Find out who your representative is
here.
More info:
Wed, June 19, 2002 Buy Grrl Schwag:
Yeah, I know. As a country we consume way too much for our own good. But dammit, I need to pay the bills -- so buy some of my crap. I have Grrl.com clocks, aprons, shirts (long sleeve, golf and normal T-shirts - order med if you want a normal size...the larges are for sumo wrestlers), tile coasters, hats, bags, boxers and a velvet painting of me as a racoon. Okay, so there's no velvet painting of me as an animal, but the rest of the stuff is legit. Check out the Grrl Schwag-O-Rama Store!
Tues, June 18, 2002 I put the "pro" in Procrastination:
As a freelance writer, I find myself falling into the procrastination pit all too often. I tend to tinker in the garden or even do some laundry before I tackle a large writing project. I guess in some sense I'm nervous about the process. I know that once I start writing, I'll nitpick it until I deem the work perfect. I'll scrutinize every word, phrase and punctuation mark until I finally turn in the finished product. Let's face it, I'm a control freak. Just like Martha Stewart would never let a stray crumb fall from her perfect pie crusts, or would never allow a guest chef have the last word, I too find myself reluctant to send in final copy until everything has been spell checked, spell checked again, oh and one last time. I recall an esteemed English professor who refused to use the words "final copy" because he believed everything was in draft form. Maybe I should blame him for my writing neurosis?
I'm not sure why I decided to write this rant about my habit of procrastinating.
I suppose I needed another distraction from my growing pile of work.
Okay, no more excuses. Off I go to write. As soon as I fix myself a snack, and play with the
dog, and go get the mail.
Sat, June 15, 2002 I am so misunderstood:
Take The Johnny Depp Quiz!
Thurs, June 13, 2002 "Nobody fucks with the Jesus":
Here's the deal: The Los Angeles Unified School District wants to tear down the infamous Hollywood Star Lanes bowling alley to put a elementary school in its place. This seems pretty idiotic since everyone knows that area is a gang warzone. Plus the Star Lanes has been the setting for some of Hollywood's greatest movies about bowling, including Kingpin and my favorite The Big Lebowski. Personally this bowling alley hits a soft spot in my heart because a few months back as I was bowling my best, there was a drunken Drew Barrymore (with obscure wanna be '80s rocker date) hanging out in the lane next to mine. A few lanes down a chunky Leonardo Dicaprio was trying to bowl with some of his drunk homies. Plus I spied Kate Hudson (from Almost Famous) bowling with her Black Crowes hubby and a model gal pal. And that was all in one night! So why would I want to see a celeb dive go under? No way, man. I still have too many drunk celebs to see. Bowling is a disappearing pasttime. Just in a couple of years almost all the noteworthy bowling alleys were shut down in San Francisco. Haight's Rock-N-Bowl made way for a huge (yet addictive) record store. Japan Bowl (a glow-in-the-dark bowling alley hotspot in Japantown) was recently closed. Plus a few others that I'm too choked up to talk about right now. So I'll be damned if I'm going to let my favorite bowling alley in LA shut down because some annoying parents can't find another gang/drug zone to put their precious rugrat camp! Show your support for an historic pop culture landmark and sign this petition.
More fun: The Dude's House - The Big Lebowski fan site
Tues, June 11, 2002 I'm Younger than I Thought:
What's Your Mental Age?.
Mon, June 10, 2002 I Know Famous People:
If you want to write your reasons you threw out your PC to have a more peaceful life with a Mac, submit it to Apple and maybe you'll be in a commercial too. Discuss
Wed, June 5, 2002 Diet has the word 'Die' in it: I hate not eating crappy food. I know, I know. Veggies are good for you. V-8 is better for your bod than can after can of Mountain Dew. But dammit, I love my junk food. I just found recipes for Deep Fried Mars bars and Deep Fried Twinkies (thanks Jejune.net). But because I'm trying to eat healthier foods the words "deep fried," "Mars Bars" and "Twinkies" don't fit in to the diet. Ugh. I'm attempting to lose weight by cutting all the bread products out of my meals. Also cutting down on sugars and starches. That leaves meat, dairy and veggies. Oh yeah, and fruit. I don't want to get scurvy, after all. But let me tell you, I could really go for some KFC mashed potatoes and cheesy bread sticks. I'll probably have carb-infested dreams for the next few months. The last time I attempted a high-protein diet I had dreams about chocolate eclairs and baked potatoes that had little arms and legs. They tried to force themselves into my mouth. I couldn't even look at a donout without shuddering. Speaking of food I shouldn't eat. Candy. Guess which candy best describes my personality? By the way, can anyone explain to me why everyone in the crew of Star Trek isn't 300 pounds each thanks to a food replicator that can make anything they want to eat? If I could eat steak and chocolate ice cream every night I'd end up looking more like Fat Albert than Deanna Troi. (side note: Wow, Deanna's hubby looks like Fabio. I wonder if that's his real hair?)
Sat, June 1, 2002 Hurray for Bloggers: Okay, blogging is nothing new. Web diaries have been around, well, since the Web. And blogging is pretty much the same thing as an online journal, only bloggers do more than say what's been going on in their lives. Bloggers comment on news headlines, review books and trade info about the stuff we care about. So what's wrong with that? Huh? Apparently, some of the snootier set of journalists out there consider blogging to be a threat to real "hard" news media outlets. Give me a break. "Hard" news fell by the wayside when the marketing and advertising departments took control of those so-called "hard" news media publications. It's difficult nowadays to see the difference between The New York Times and the Village Voice (mainstream vs. alternative press). And USA Today and the National Enquirer could have the same staff from all I know. Heck, even the Wall Street Journal publishes a few zany articles every week. So why are some journalists acting like they're the only qualified writers in the world? And so I was thrilled to read Scott Rosenberg's piece in Salon. A big-time journalist finally gave us bloggers the credit we deserve. Now don't get me wrong. I have nothing against journalists. I am one, as a matter of fact. But I also enjoy scouring by various blogs to read about mutal TV show addictions (such as a mutal obsession to "Trading Spaces" on Snarkcake's blog), cheap and creative craft ideas (thanks to the blog Not Martha), urban gardening tips (from Gayla's plant blog on YouGrowGirl.com) and of course the normal onslaught of odd news headlines from blogs like boingboing and Excitement Machine . But what makes blogs more interesting than the usual news article, is the connection you make with the blogger. The thing that makes the Web go round isn't pop-up ads, music downloads, stock trading or serious news coverage -- it's community. We like to gab. And we all especially like to gab with folks who introduce us to new zines and movies, open us up to fresh opinions about religion and politics and remind us all of why pop culture is fun, interesting and inspiring. So the next time you hear someone get on their journalistic high-horse, remind them that thanks to blogs, their droll coverage of everyday horrors and headlines isn't as interesting as being able to discuss ideas with the blogger and other readers who have something valuable to say. Besides that, where else are you going to read reviews about the Potato Museum or see photos of pet skunks?
More fun:
|
|
|||
