Guilty Pleasures

My Top-Ten Musical Guilty Pleasures of 2011:

I blame Zumba class for getting my endorphines mixed up with pop music. I usually try to avoid pop music. It's increasingly idiotic and performed by talent-deficient individuals. Somehow I end up bopping my head to these tunes despite my disdain...

10. Party Rock Anthem- LMFAO: Despite having a truly ridiculous band name, this song is indeed a party rock anthem. Maybe it was because my zumba class played this song, but it makes me want to jump around every time I hear it. As for the rest of their songs- truly awful, like I-scrunched-up-my-face-in-distaste awful.

9.   Super Bass- Nicki Manaj: I fell for this song mostly because of a little girl, Sophia Grace Brownlee, wearing a pink princess dress and belting it out. Incredible. Also incredible, her little sidekick dancing scarily skanky moves for a small child on the side. Clearly, she's going to be that slutty friend when they grow up.

8.   The One that Got Away- Katy Perry: Make no mistake, there are few current female pop singers that irk me more for lack of talent and brains than Katy. Her songs are horrifically vacuous. So I'm ashamed to admit that this one has made it's way into my head. But it's so cheery and nostalgic. I wonder how Russell feels about this number. 

7.   We Found Love- Rihanna: Oh, Ri-Ri. I hate how you aren't a good singer but magically have taken over the airwaves. Why do I hear your songs every 5 minutes on my XM radio? This song is catchy despite having a total of oh, 20 some words in sum (at best). Why? Why do I listen to it?
6.  Mine- Taylor Swift: I'm totally embarrassed that I like this song. But it's so cute, and she's so sweet and earnest. And it's so catchy. Dammit.
5. Gotta Good Feeling- Flo-Rida: I'll be honest, either the lyrics are nonsensical or I just can catch enough to understand them, but for some reason, this song gives me a good feeling. I'm pretty sure the lyrics don't make a lot of sense. Why does he have a good feeling? What?
4. Give Me Everything- Pitbull: It just sounds so cheery and causes me to bop around. That's all I have to say about it.
3. You Make Me Feel- Cobra Starship: First of all, Cobra Starship?? What does that mean? Why? I'm not sure if the biography on Spotify is supposed to be funny, but it describes the lead singer pondering life and staring at the lights in the night sky until he became catatonic and a cobra come out of nowhere and bit him in the neck. The cobra tells him his purpose in life is to make sure the world goes out in style. WTF. Drugs much? Aside from that weirdness, the female lead is even a step down from Fergie, which is to say, not great. Regardless, in the same way Black Eyed Peas is catchy, this similarly styled group always catches my ear on the radio. In fact, this song is inexplicably in my head as I type. La la lalala.
2. Moves like Jagger- Maroon 5: I've never really been a huge fan of Maroon 5. But the hook to this song with the whistle and guitar riff slays me. And I always love to hear Christina Aguilera rock it.
1. Love You Like a Love Song- Selena Gomez: Oh I have a not-so-secret love of dear Selena. She's just stinkin' adorable and fresh, and she won me over when she played Beezus on Ramona and Beezus. The lyrics to this song are so silly, but are totally something a 17 year old would write for her boyfriend. Even the ridiculous and unnecessary riff in the song doesn't keep me from listening to this song on re-peat-peat-peat-peat.

Reality can be funnier than fiction

fall 2011 list

the A-list!

loving this fall:

1. 240sweet: artisan marshmallows! sweet, fun, tasty little gifts...

2. Kindle library books! This makes my dear little Kindle that much more awesome.

3. This week of 70 degree fall weather.

4. Ides of March. Cynical but very thoughtful portrayal of politics. Great acting and amazing filming of Cincinnati.

all the benefits without the sacrifice..

I was reading this NYT article, "Hope, Fear, and Insomnia- Journey of a Jobless Man" over lunch today. Besides being a reminder of how grateful I should be that both Eric and I have steady employment, it also reminded me of the impossibly difficult situation the U.S. is in right now. Corporations have lost a sense of corporate responsibility to their home states and countries, the government doesn't want to upset corporations so much that they will leave for other countries, people are losing domestic jobs but we don't want to pay a little more and spend a little extra time to support renewable energy and local products. We're all losers here, because we're all going to lose when we've stopped thinking of ourselves as a collective and only worry about our individual needs. To make it all worse, we have only semi (or mostly) psychotic idiots running for president on the GOP side, and a disgusting political game of chicken taking place in Washington D.C. Somebody, please do something!

We need more of THIS sentiment: 
Nobody said it was easy/ It's such a shame for us to part/ Nobody said it was easy/No one ever said it would be this hard/ Oh, take me back to the start. -Coldplay, The Scientist.

I still kind of love the movie Independence Day

I am going to be brief because I promised myself this would be the last distraction from studying that I will indulge today.

We watched some of Independence Day while eating dinner tonight. It came out the summer I started high school, which now was so long ago! It still is THE classic alien-invasion blockbuster. I love the scene where the Americans come up with a plan to disable the alien ships long enough to attack them- they send the word around the world, and then all these ordinary people are rounded up to fly planes and shoot missiles. (We'll just put aside all the technical difficulties of the concept of everyone just... er, shooting around nuclear missiles?!) And the big hero of the day is this crazy alcoholic who sacrifices himself by flying right into the beam of the spaceship.

The older and much more cynical person in me did a lot of snickering, but still, there is a part of me that is nostalgic. It's nostalgic for a time when Americans believed they could lead the world in coming together to fight for the common good, when we weren't reduced to a bickering stallmate over money. When unlikely heros can save the day. When people who think we should not care for the poor or stop citizens of another country from being massacred didn't have the loudest voice. There was once a really noble, idealistic United States, and I miss it. It's completely possible that I just wasn't as aware of things then... but I like to think that we once were bigger than ourselves as a country... and still like to think there could be hope that we could be that country again.

We really need to get it together.

2011 Summer Favorites

In no particular order, here's what I'm enjoying this summer:

• Good Reads
• Super Sad True Love Story
• Picking Cotton
• Room

• Good Patios in Cincinnati:
• Claddagh @ Newport on the Levee
• MOTR Pub
• Neon's
• Chez Nora (rooftop bar!)
• Good Times
• Hyde Park Blast
• Party in the Park

random technology discoveries

Two things rocking my Andriod App world this month:

• Mobile Check Deposit App by Chase. SO. COOL. Especially since the closest Chase ATM is downtown Cincinnati and it's hard to find parking sometimes. Downside, they have a limit on how much you can deposit so I still can't deposit my paycheck.
• Monocle on the Yelp App: Using the monocle function on the Yelp App, you can hold up your camera and the app will show you what restaurants are in whatever direction you are facing, and how far away they are from you. OMG.

platypus water bottle

"What is that?" - friend/family members
"It's a water bottle. But you can reuse it and roll it up when it's empty." -me
"More like a water bag... but that's cool." -friend/family members
"I know." -me

Introducing my new favorite water bottle! The Platypus SoftBottle from Cascade designs. Why would you want this more than a Sigg or Camelbak or whatever generic variety of water bottle is out there? The SoftBottle is cheaper, lighter, BPA-free, and you can roll it up when you are done with it. It's like having the portability of a water bottle that you can roll up and re-use. Cascade also has a few other water bottle designs and hydration systems that are really cool- can be purchased at authorized dealers or online (I got mine at Amazon). You can choose from a variety of sizes and colors.

Infamous Love Songs: A Once in a Lifetime Artistic Experience?

"It’s like a miracle happening in front of your eyes – the music is suddenly alive and three-dimensional." -Linford Detweiler on Infamous Love Songs

It seems unsurprising for a fan of Over the Rhine to say that an artistic collaboration between the band and the Cincinnati ballet would be incredible. Those familiar with the work of Karin Bergquist and Linford Detweiler know how the couple can create achingly beautiful songs and how they draw even a large audience in to feel like their live performances are uniquely intimate. Adding another dimension to their songs through dance could hardly be a bad idea.

Even knowing all this, the experience of seeing OTR's music paired with ballet was, for the lack of a better word, truly magical. From the moment the curtains part and the band starts playing, it almost seems as though the music has become a living, breathing organism through the dancers. Bergquist's beguiling voice draws you into a world where all music is expressed through the miraculous human movement.

The costuming was simple and modern: while for each of the three sets there was a different overall theme, each dancer had a variant of the same costume. Each costume had a small detail that was unique to the dancer, from neckline to added accessory.

Three wonderful choreographers were able to bring this extra dimension to the music and successfully translated it into a combination between ballet's rigid traditionalism and modern dance's intention imprecision. It's easy to imagine how much the dancers may have enjoyed this departure from the structure of traditional ballet. Their movement was particularly powerful when the whole dance corps was on stage, such as the group that assembled for "Only God Can Save Us Now." Individual dancers would emerge and then be drawn back into the fold.

The only shame is that this enchantingly powerful and moving collaboration was only shared with the public for two days. But perhaps the fleeting nature of the creation makes it all the more unique.

Nothing found in "shallow grave"

Apparently it's a slow day. Cincinnati.com reports that nothing was found in a "shallow grave." I guess it wouldn't be a grave then, would it? A shallow dirt hole?

get in mah belly: cincinnati is going down the toilet

I couldn't really have said it better myself: get in mah belly: cincinnati is going down the toilet: "i don't feel like food blogging anymore but that doesn't mean i feel like giving up my public megaphone. today i am going to bitch about ho..."

Cincy Vacant Buildings, Exposé-style?

 "Vacant buildings are the rotten teeth in a street's smile."Giggle. So starts this Cincinnati.com article about the many sadly vacant buildings. I'm so torn: on one hand, at least this isn't the regular blurb about the latest drunk driving incident. On the other, the tone of the article comes off rather demeaning and patronizing of the neighborhoods it describes. There is a very sad beauty to these vacant buildings- you can see what they used to be and what they could be. I guess all I wanted to say was, maybe this could have been written with a different light.

Missing "alligator"

Cincinnati.com/NKY.com/Boone Blog reports that a Florence restaurant is missing their 4-foot long plastic alligator mascot named Archibald. Comments one reader: "Slow news day." Touche.

Storms, storms, storms

From the NYT:

(Click for larger image). As cute as this is, does anyone else feel scared that the snow is going to just engulf her at any minute?

Raise Your Glass

 I have beef with Pink's party anthem Raise Your Glass. Sure, it's sort of irresistibly catchy. That actually might add to the resentment. Here's my issue: the lyrics are stupid, but even worse, it's essentially just a conglomeration of stupid, slangy, cliche little sayings. "What's the dealie-yo?" It's just so dumb. I'm not even sure if anything makes sense, other than, "raise your glass."

And incidentally, I thought Pink was Sober?

Right right, turn off the lights,
We're gonna lose our minds tonight,
What's the deal, yo?

I love when it's all too much,
5am turn the radio up
Where's the rock and roll?

Party Crasher,
Penny Snatcher,
Call me up if you want gangsta
Don't be fancy, just get dancey
Why so serious?

Slam slam, oh hot damn
What part of party don't you understand,
Wish you'd just freak out (freak out already)
Can't stop, coming in hot,
I should be locked up right on the spot
It's so on right now (so fuckin on right now)

Party Crasher,
Penny Snatcher,
Call me up if you want gangsta
Don't be fancy, just get dancey
Why so serious?
(oh shit my glass is empty, that sucks)

So if you're too school for cool,
And you're treated like a fool,
You can choose to let it go
We can always, we can always,
Party on our own

So raise your glass if you are wrong,
In all the right ways,
All my underdogs,
We will never be never be anything but loud
And nitty gritty dirty little freaks
Won't you come on and come on and raise your glass,
Just come on and come on and raise your glass

Fug the Fromage: Mean Girls 2 AKA TINA FEY WEEPS - Go Fug Yourself: Because Fugly Is The New Pretty

Fug the Fromage: Mean Girls 2 AKA TINA FEY WEEPS - Go Fug Yourself: Because Fugly Is The New Pretty

I almost cried while laughing. For all you Mean Girl fans!

Cincinnati.com Snapshot

1. Oh Mayor Mallory.  Look at you all fly and cool, and in disguise on a TV reality show! Fabulous.
2. I would be sad if my murder was given the name: "Meatball Sandwich Death."
3. Nice work, Hamilton County Sheriff.  As usual.

Arts district in uproar

Apparently Covington Arts district is in uproar. They don't want this substance abuse and counseling service in their neighborhood.

In other words: We are scared of poor poeple, and clearly only poor people have drug problems.

Give me a break.

Police: Burglar claimed to be cop

I mean, you have to give him credit for trying: Police: Burglar claimed to be cop.

Blueberry Imposters!

 photo from NPR.org

NPR reports that there are fake blueberries masquerading as real fruit. Blasphemy! But then again, why would you want anything but fresh or frozen blueberries?  Mmmm.

AKA NOT NEWS

Boy, 2, outside briefly in cold

Really, Cincinnati.com? Really? This is when you just make the intelligent choice NOT TO POST ANYTHING.

The Good, the Bad, the Weird

My facebook has suddenly become cluttered with links, and my anal-retentive side just can't handle it!  So here is the my breakdown of the past few weeks.

The Good:

• Sara Kruzan, a girl who was sentenced to life without parole at the age of 16 for killing her abusive, adult pimp, will have a chance to live some of her life outside of prison.  This is huge.  Why wasn't this a bigger story?
• Jon Stewart, my hero, makes some of the most sane and wise comments I've heard about the Arizona shootings.  Thank you.
• Sudan is voting to recede the South from the North, which would separate the Christian south from the Muslim north.  Will this finally put an end to the years of civil war and genocide?  Here's to hoping it's a start to real change.... 
• A nice spotlight on the embodiment of a real, true believer public defender: Judy Clarke, who will represent Jared Loughner.
• A man with an IQ of 46 was wrongly convicted and executed 70 + years ago.  He was just pardoned.

The Bad:

• The term anchor babies, code for we hate immigrants, hits the political spotlight.  Kentucky is trying to pass a bill that is even worse than Arizona.  Just what we need our politicians to waste their time on instead of making real, positive change.
• The Arizona shootings.  It's a sad story about the failures of our mental health system and innocent lives being taken.  
• Or the stupid: Palin throws out the term "blood libel" to lash back at criticism against her rhetoric and it's possible implications that it helped incite the Arizona shootings.  Typically ignorant, since the term is generally used to refer to the false accusation that Jewish people murdered Christian children to use their blood in religious rituals.  That is wonderfully helpful, Sarah.  Please refer to Jon Stewart's comments.  Of course it's not her fault.  But would it be a good moment to stop and think about how it is a problem that crazy people's words are reflecting the dialogue in politics?  YES. There just is no need for angry responses right now.
• Haiti is still majorly struggling.  It's been a year since the earthquake.
• A man with an IQ of 46 was wrongly convicted and executed 70 + years ago.  He was just pardoned.

The Weird:

• Dead birds dropping from the sky??  Arkansas.  California.  New Zealand.  Kentucky.  Italy.  Uh. This isn't like, a few dead birds.  It's hundreds.  Thousands. Does it not seem like the beginning of an M. Night Shyamalan movie?  But allegedly, this is not weird?

Wasted Opportunity or Seriously Lucky?

Girlfriend shoots at 'other woman,' cops say

Is shooting at your boyfriend's baby mama a good idea? Of course not. Can I understand the urge? Of course. That being said, ok, you decide to take the low route and shoot at her... and you don't even hit her once. And you mar your spotless record by getting caught. On one hand, if you're going to do it, make it worth the charges, on the other hand, thank goodness you avoided a homicide charge, though it seems to be you will be brushing up against attempted murder if you run into the wrong district attorney. Hmmm.