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Hurricane Drunk

I'm not going to write a whole lot here today, but I am going to post a few pictures from my weekend at the lake. It was really fun, especially when we broke the pontoon boat in the middle of the lake and had to get towed back to shore :). Anyhow, here's some pictures of the sunset last night that was suuuuuuper pretty. Enjoy :)

Favorite part of the weekend: Hannah breaking the boat

Least favorite part of the weekend: It raining all day on the last day so we couldn't have one last lake swim. Oh, and mosquito bites.

Favorite flavor of Happi Jack's ice cream: Cotton Candy

Dead End Kids in the Danger Zone, All of You Are Drunk and Stoned!

Sometimes I wish I could have been born 15 years earlier when music was actually good. When it was real. Before the days of auto-tune and doctored vocals. The Carpenters, Queen, the Runaways, Joan Jett.

Currently, I'm watching The Runaways, a biopic that was released earlier this year. It tells the story of Joan Jett's first band--an all girl band who headlined songs like "Cherry Bomb" "Queens of Noise" and "Dead End Justice"--a band that challenged just about every stereotype that existed for teenage girls in that era. In the 70's, girls did NOT play rock 'n' roll--they just didn't. The Runaways, however, pretty much said "to hell with stereotypes" and I love 'em for it. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a feminist, but I'm glad they could "stick it to the man" so to speak.

'Cause we're the Queens of Noise

Come and get it boys

Queens of Noise

Not just one of your toys

Sadly, though the cause is often disputed, I tend to side with the theory that Kim Fowley, the band's manager was the cause of their dissolution in 1979. His sole angle for marketing the girls was as "jail bait"--a persona that never allowed the band to be taken seriously. To the general American public, the girls were never appreciated for their music, just for their sex appeal.

Can't stay at home, can't stay in school

Old folks say, you poor little fool

Down the street I'm the girl next door

I'm the fox you've been waiting for

Hello daddy, hello mom

I'm your ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-cherry bomb!

Hello world I'm your wild girl

I'm your ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-cherry bomb!

Some might argue that, with lyrics like that, maybe they were asking to be "jail bait." But what most people don't know is that Kim Fowley was a major contributor to the lyrics of that song--just part of his plan? Maybe, maybe not.

Regardless of the cause, the Runaways disbanded in 1979, Currie battling with drug and alcohol addicion, Jett going on to successfully pursue a solo career. Really, their story is quite amazing and the music is excellent--check it out if you haven't before.

In the film, Dakota Fanning portrays Cherie Currie, Kristen Stewart Joan Jett. It's the edgiest role Fanning's portrayed in her career, and she's pretty damn believable as the strung-out, sexed up "cherry bomb." With scenes like her drug overdose in Japan, her visit to rehab, and the moment when she finally stands up to Fowley, Fanning truly embraced the struggle of Cherie's rise to fame and rocky plummet off of the other side.

In the role of Jett, Stewart demonstrates that she's got more depth than we see in her alter ego of Twilight's Bella Swan. I've watched a number of Joan Jett interviews over the years and I can say with confidence that Stewart portrays the goddess of rock 'n' roll flawlessly. Her mannerisms, her style, the way she carries herself--exact mirrors of Jett. The only thing that would have made the film better would have been a true Kristen Stewart cover of Jett's "I Love Rock 'n' Roll," but she certainly does well enough with her rendition of "I Love Playing with Fire."

The film represents the ongoing struggle of stereotypes in the world of music and encourages those of us who weren't alive at that time period to appreciate how far women have come over the last 25 years (even if today's music is no match for the edgy strains of The Runaways)

Review grade: A (Check it out if you've got the opportunity--it's well worth your time)

As for me, I'll close my post with the usual stuff:

Favorite Runaways Song: Dead End Justice

Favorite Joan Jett Song: Bad Reputation

One thing I'm afraid of: Barges

Place I want to travel to: Sydney, Australia

See you next time. Have a good night :)

Til the day you cast a shadow, that looks nothing like your own.

Angsty post title, right? Yea, I just like the song, I'm not really feeling particularly angsty at all. Tired though. Definitely tired!

Sometimes I wish I was more creative. I would LOVE to start writing a book. I've been dreaming of writing a book for ages--even started one a few times but just never kept up with it. I think it's probably half the world's dream though, and only few people ever accomplish it. Being such an avid reader, it's hard for me to come up with new ideas that don't, in some way, reflect novels that I have read--so that also makes it kind of difficult. Maybe one of these days an amazing idea will come to me. Until then, I'll stick to trying to write at least semi-interesting blog posts.

So, the Fandom Gives Back auction is officially (I think) over--the bidding is finished, winners have been announced, etc, but donations keep coming in (which is awesome). Grand total (and it still might grow)? $138,848! That is AMAZING! Last year's total was $87,000... the fact that we're in this total economic downturn and people can still be SO generous makes me think there's still hope for us. I love to see people give money, which they could have so easily spent on themselves, to an amazing cause. And I love giving, too! Even if it's just a few dollars, it feels amazing to know that I'm helping someone who needs it :).

I finished the second Hunger Games book on Friday. If you haven't started reading this series, I highly recommend it. It's completely different than anything I've read before, but such an amazing story. I'll warn you though--the second book ended in a HUGE cliffhanger and book 3 doesn't come out until August 24th. So, if you're a quick reader, either take your time so that you can finish the 2nd book just before the 3rd comes out, or WAIT until the third comes out and read them all in a row. I'm team Peeta, just FYI.

As usual, I'll close my post with a few current things about me:

I'm currently reading: Dead in the Family (the 10th Sookie Stackhouse book)

Song I can't stop listening to: "Almost Lover" by A Fine Frenzy

Show I can't stop watching: The City (I know... I hate myself for this addiction)

My socks are currently: pink and gray

My favorite salad dressing: Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette

P.S. I'm going to try to start the L.A. Weight Loss diet tomorrow. Anyone tried it before? How's it work?

That's all for today :)

Just a totally amazing update...

Just a totally amazing update. I checked in on the Fandom Gives Back auction totals this morning and we are up to $111,000 raised for Alex's Lemonade Stand! That's AMAZING!

Check out the details here: The Fandom Gives Back

Everyone involved should give themselves a pat on the back! Great job (and we're not finished yet!)

Happy Fourth from an Amazing Fandom!

Well, today is Holly's last full day visiting :(. It's Fourth of July though, so it's been a good day! Above is a picture of the sunset from my dad's office (where we watched the fireworks from). In the photo below you can see all of the insanity of the thousands upon thousands of people that we avoided by watching fireworks from my dad's office :D.

Here's just a few of the fireworks--poor quality since it's from my blackberry through a window...
And just a few more fireworks... again, poor quality :/

In other news, the Fandom Gives Back auction closed last night at 11:59pm. It's an auction in which thousands of Twilight fans bid on authors of fanfiction (some of these authors prove to be HUGELY talented with their writing) with all proceeds going to Alex's Lemonade Stand, a childhood cancer charity. Payments started coming in today for the auctioned stories (which range from outtakes to full multi-chapter fictional pieces) and the current donation numbers are over $93,000 (up from last year's $87,000)! Check out the FGB ALSF site to see the number continue to grow! People may judge those in the Twilight fandom, but they prove to a powerful tool for a truly amazing foundation's research efforts (I myself donated and I am so excited to be part of such a generous group of people!)

I encourage you to donate to Alex's Lemonade Stand sometime if you can--it's a really great cause and even $1.00 will help!

It's about time for me to conclude tonight's post, but here's a few fun things:

What I'm currently watching: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

What I'm reading: Catching Fire, the second Hunger Games novel by Suzanne Collins

What I want for my birthday (even though it's still almost 2 months away): the new Kindle (I have the original edition without the pdf reader--I'd love to be able to load pdf's on!)

That's all for now, have a wonderful night!

Chop and Change

Today has been a fun day, complete with lazing around and taking a little trip down memory lane.

My friend Holly is visiting from Houston this week and I showed her around the area a little bit. We took a drive to the house I grew up in and I showed her around my old college campus (Hogwarts, as I like to call the Cathedral of Learning). Here she is sitting on her throne in the common room:

After our little Hogwarts/Cathedral tour, I took her for an "authentic" Oakland dinner at "The O" which is a burger/hotdog/sandwich/fries place. Let's just say that neither of us will be eating there again any time in the near future. Everything is swimming in grease--it's DISGUSTING! Check out the "medium" fries we shared:

Now we're watching The Proposal, which Holly has tragically never seen. I love Betty White, just sayin'.

Short post today, but better than nothing, right?

What I'm currently reading: Catching Fire, the second Hunger Games novel by Suzanne Collins

Song I'm currently loving: "With You in My Head" by Unkle

Favorite color: Kelly Green

See y'all soon!

David Slade, I think I love you.

Well, last night was the night! The night that we've been waiting for since November of last year. Eclipse! Here is my (hopefully) non-spoilerific "review" of the film--I say "review" in quotations because this won't be a piece by piece review, just a bit about what I liked and didn't like:

Let me begin by saying that I had set fairly low expectations for this film because I wasn't sure what David Slade would do with it, considering that his last vampire film was 30 Days of Night which was truly frightening and dark. BUT, Slade far surpassed any expectations that I had--just an extremely well done film.

Things that I loved about it:

Jasper: I have to admit that I was a little bit worried about Jasper in the movie, especially given the wig that we saw in all of the promo pictures. Somehow though, maybe because Jackson Rathbone is just that good, he pulled the wig off and he did it with style! Acting wise, every scene that he was involved in was exceptional--training for the newborns, his back story, his relationship with Alice... He just did a wonderful job.

The Tent Scene: despite the fact that Jacob annoys me to no end, the tent scene was very well done and very accurate in regards to the book.

Riley: I was nervous that making him such a huge part of the film's storyline would detract from the book's storyline, but Xavier Samuel really did an amazing job. You could tell that he put his whole self into the role from start to finish--he's definitely an actor to watch out for, I think he's going to do great things in the future.

Alice: What can I say, I just adore Alice. Who doesn't? They did a really good job of focusing on her psychic abilities and demonstrating how vital her gift is to the Cullen's survival and well-being. Plus, she's got a kick-ass style sense.

Charlie: Billy Burke. Epic from start to finish. That's all I can say, he was just that good.

Flashbacks: both Jasper and Rosalie's flashbacks were beautifully done, though I would have liked to see more of Rose's wedding dress in the scene where she goes after Royce.

Edward: This was Pattinson's best performance yet in the series--he added a lot of depth to the character in this film showing a lot more emotion. The scene when he verbally fought with Victoria (before the physical fight) was a great demonstration of this--so, pay attention there when you see it!

Leg Hitch: Perfect. That's all that needs to be said.

The Edward/Bella Relationship: The relationship was a lot more....sexy this time around. Maybe sexy isn't the right word--but it's less "let me stare longingly into your eyes" and more "'scuse me while I suck your tonsils out in a completely tasteful manner."

Bella Punching Jacob: Loved it, her reaction when she did it, and Jacob explaining what happened to Charlie.

Howard Shore's Epic Music Transition: His transition from a piece of the score into Metric's "Eclipse (All Yours)" might be one of the most amazing musical transitions to ever be created. I would marry Howard Shore for his brilliance.

Charlie and Bella's "Sex Talk": Funniest scene in the movie. Hands down.

Fight Training Scene: Funny, entertaining, intriguing. Very well done.

The Official Proposal: Heartwarming. I teared up just a little bit.

Seth: Boo Boo Stewart is ADORABLE.

Things I didn't love so much:

Bella's Wig: Sometimes it was really believable, but other times it was just a total facepalm. You'd think with the $600,000,000+ gross they made on the last film, that they could put some of the money into buying a better wig for the star of the film.

Jacob: All in all, he annoyed me throughout the entire film. Not just because I'm not team Jacob, but because they made his character 113512315 times more annoying than necessary. He did have a few golden lines though.

Dakota Fanning's Eyebrows: They're called tweezers. Use them.

The transition from the tent scene to the next morning: I went blind. Seriously. You'll have to see the film to know what I'm talking about.

The Tribal Legends: This was my least favorite part in the novel, and probably my least favorite part in the film as well--though luckily it wasn't as drawn out in the film as it was on paper.

Lack of Florence: To the person who decided that Florence + the Machine's "Heavy in Your Arms" would best fit in the credits: I will end you.

Shirtless Jacob: While I do appreciate a good set of abs, there comes a point in time when the shirt should just go back on--although I guess wardrobe for Taylor was pretty easy?

Bryce Dallas Howard: While her acting was great, she was too "nice." Even when she was being feisty and fighting, she still reminded me of a doe-eyed deer. Rachelle was much more fierce. However, Bryce definitely demonstrated that she knows how to act, and do it well.

Carlisle's Accent: It was just weird in this film. I'd say it was a mix between British, Boston and some sort of Southern twang. Weird.

I've become too tired to form coherent thoughts for the most part right now, so I may update this post as I think of other things.

My recommendation: If you have the time, go see it. It's worth both the money and the time--a truly great film.

A blog by any other name would be....a blog.

Well, I've done it. I've broken down and decided to start my very own blog. I've been thinking of taking a foray into the blogosphere for some time now, but haven't been able to find the time to do it--but now I will make time! I'll try to spruce this up and write about interesting topics, things that interest me, people I adore, etc. I'm almost tempted to try my hand at a "Julie and Julia" type of thing--but French cooking is not for me. Well, cooking in general is not for me, to be honest. Bad things happen when I cook--like flaming rice in a microwave. True story. That happened.

Anyhow, a little bit about me. I work in PR, I'm an avid reader (it is by far my favorite thing to do in the world...ok second favorite thing... anything involving music is my favorite thing), I am a recent college graduate settling in to "real life" as I like to call it and realizing that being a "grown up" isn't as great as I thought it would be, what with car insurance, rent, taxes, car payments... yea.

I'll close with a few fun facts:

Bands I currently love: Florence + the Machine, Metric, Wakey! Wakey!

Songs I currently love: Hurricane Drunk by Florence + the Machine, Almost Everything by Wakey! Wakey! and Cosmic Love by Florence + the Machine

Book I'm currently reading: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I'm currently listening to: Twilight Saga: Eclipse, the Score by Howard Shore

Favorite TV show: True Blood

Favorite Movie: The Shawshank Redemption

That's all for tonight folks--enjoy!

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Metric, Florence + the Machine, Howard Shore, Wakey! Wakey!, Sunshine (real sunshine... like that bright yellow ball in the sky), True Blood,