What’s the beef, sir? February 9, 2010

 

 

I just have to say how much I don’t understand what the big deal is about Sarah Palin writing a few words on her hand for her speech she gave at the Tea Party Convention. I’m just not getting it. Is this the first time anyone has ever written notes on their hand for a speech they are giving? Do people not realize that our President uses a teleprompter just about every single time he speaks anywhere? He actually used a teleprompter when he recently spoke to a classroom of 6th graders, for goodness’ sake! So, what’s the problem here?!

Oh, and by the way, I’m not even a Palin fan. Just about the only reason I like her is because she generally pisses off all the right people.

That’s all.

P.S. On a sidenote: I finally got my pictures to upload again! YAY!

More “Happy-Making” February 5, 2010

 

Today, my good friend, Connie, made me realize yet another reason why I love Twilight so much. Not only did it help me break my unhealthy politics addiction, it also helped me get out (and stay out) of the depression I was having due to my miscarriage in August. I hadn’t even realized that until she reminded me that I had been e-mailing her and another friend about uncontrollable crying and depressing thoughts not long before I started reading the books. My miscarriage was August 12^th and I started reading Twilight the first week of September. Wow. That is just amazing to me. Amazing because a) I had completely forgotten the timeframe in which that all occurred, and, b) that I hadn’t even realized how much Twilight helped me get through all that. I guess my mind was trying to suppress those horrible little memories (you know, instead of developing multiple personalities?). It actually makes me want to cry.

Connie says that Twilight is “happy-making” (a reference to another book series on my list to read, by the way) and I am constantly being reminded of how right she is. So, a huge thank you goes out to my girl Connie for bringing that important piece of information to my attention!

That’s all.

Learn History without the Narcolepsy January 31, 2010

 

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CNbQOrxQ-g

I watched the HBO miniseries John Adams this weekend and it was amazing. Although I am definitely what you would call a “nerd”, I really believe that even if you aren’t as cool as me, you will enjoy this series. If you’ve ever felt like your eyelids were being pressed down by a band of Sumo wrestlers in history class – whether that was two or thirty-two years ago – you MUST watch this. It’s an overused expression, but John Adams truly brings “history to life”.

Paul Giamatti may well be the most underrated actor in Hollywood. You may not recognize his name, but google his picture. Trust me, you know who he is. Unfortunately, Giamatti was not blessed with the face of George Clooney or the body of Mark Wahlberg. But, then those A-listers never would have even been considered for the honor of portraying Mr. Adams, so suck it you two beauty queens! Paul Giamatti rocks!

Things I learned from John Adams:

- Not only do we adults have it way too easy in this life, but so do our children. The next time one of your whining kids complains about getting a shot, show them the scene where Mrs. Adams (Abigail) decides to “inocculate” herself and her children, despite the associated risks. Long story short, the doctor slices your arm and then shoves a sharp, pointy stick covered with puss from a small pox pustule into said cut. Wow.

- John Adams represented the accused British soldiers in the so-called “Boston Massacre”, despite the extreme public pressure not to do so. And, more importantly, he won.

- John Adams was a farmer and lawyer who never owned a slave.

- John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were friends (despite some definite conflict at times) who died on the same day: July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, of which they both had a huge hand in, both literally and figuratively.

I learned much more than that, of course, but I don’t want to give away the whole thing.

If you do decide to take my advice, be sure to watch the “Making of John Adams” in the Special Features section. It’s very interesting to see how much work they put into making this as historically accurate as possible.

Oh, and on a side note, I cried when they read the Declaration of Independence. I also cried (like, A LOT!) during the very last part. Basically, many people die who you’ve grown to love.

That’s all.

Time to be Heard January 17, 2010

I just got around to watching this today and I really enjoyed it, so I thought I’d share. Yes, it’s in four parts. It’s a little long, but I promise you, it is worth watching. Honestly, I’m too used to seeing black Americans blindly following the left. I know people like this exist, I just don’t see it often enough. I would love for Beck to do a show like this at least once a month.

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsBpUZjGvGk

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZlS5fIJ3AE

Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6IY0UK9O2k

Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-4PnOaLH-U

The video speaks for itself.

That’s all.

America Rising? January 10, 2010

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZs8k4pJcyk

This is great. I truly hope the vast majority of Americans feel this way, too.

That’s all.

Xanax – without the prescription. December 27, 2009

 

I know it’s not like I have some big “following” or anything, but one person out there might be asking, “Where the hell has this chick been?” I’ve been debating how to explain this for a couple months now. I started writing some big essay thing and then I thought that was stupid because no one is going to get it or understand or really even care – except me, of course. So, I will just try to explain it “on the fly” here right now.

In a couple of words: Twilight happened. That’s right, I said it: freakin’ TWILIGHT! I knew my friend, Connie, was into the whole thing, but that’s nothing new for her; she’s into that kind of stuff. I did have a desire to read the books, just to see what all the hullabaloo was all about, but I wasn’t in a big hurry to do so. Connie gave me the first book for Christmas last year, but I knew I’d be sucked in for four ginormous books, so I “needed” to read some other books first, like 1984 and Brave New World. Finally, during the first week of September, I cracked it open. At first, all I knew was that I definitely liked the book, but no big deal, right? Suddenly, before I even knew what was happening to me, I was irrevocably and unconditionally (Twilighters will “get” that) in love with the saga. I couldn’t put the book down. I thought about it throughout my day. I mulled over the story and the characters. I wondered what was going to happen next and I replayed what had already happened over and over in my mind – all. day. long. It was madness, I say – MADNESS.

Don’t get me wrong, this is NOT the best writing in the world and I really don’t know of anyone making this claim. However, it is so easy to overlook this fact because the story is so captivating and the characters so enthralling. In fact, Meyer herself has said that she wishes she could go back and rewrite it because she was so “raw” as a writer at the time. As you read each book, you can see her progress as a writer. The writing definitely improves through the series.

Anyway, back to my obsession. I won’t go into the minutiae of my progressive addiction, but I’ll give you a few highlights.

So, as soon as I completed the first book, I watched the movie. I honestly had very, very low expectations because I had seen the commercials and it looked very cheesy to me. I ended up pleasantly surprised. I could go into more detail here, but I’ll save you the scene-by-scene analysis. It was an independent, low-budget movie which was put together well, considering the circumstances. No movie will EVER live up to the book, so get over it. I still enjoyed it for what it was and thought that, overall, the actors and director did a fine job. Then again, I have Twilight goggles, so it’s hard to say if I would have liked it as much if I wasn’t already a Twilight fan.

Then, of course, I went on to read all of the books (I had read them all by the last week of September), started obsessing over fan sites, looking up pictures of the actors, etc. I went to the midnight New Moon movie premiere – something I have never done in my life – and had SO MUCH FUN! It was such a blast seeing it with a bunch of people just like, if not far crazier than, me. I’ve gone on to see it 9 times. Yeah, yeah, go ahead and poke fun. I don’t care.  (I really should make it an even 10, but I digress.) I have a New Moon movie review typed up, but I will post it at a later date, if anyone cares to read it.

For those of you who couldn’t care less about Twilight, this part may interest you somewhat. Here’s the thing: It’s not even about Twilight anymore. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love, love, love Twilight and every silly little thing about it. I love that I love the romantic aspects (of which there are many) of the saga. I’ve never been into romance – ever – and yet I love Twlight. While there are aspects of fantasy/sci-fi, action, etc. in the series (which I also enjoy very much), at it’s core, it’s a romance. Without it, there would be no Twilight. I love that I’ve had so many giddy 15-year old girl moments since I started reading it. I love that it’s brought me closer to my friend, Connie. But, perhaps the main thing I love is the fact that Twilight has given me back my sanity. I know, right, that’s a total oxymoron. My insanity over Twilight has brought me sanity? Well, before my Twilight fixation I was a total newsie and completely preoccupied with politics and with what I believe may very well be the destruction of our country. There were days (like, every other day) when I thought my head might literally explode, or like Glenn Beck says, blood was going to shoot right out of my eyes. Now, I only have those days about once a week – quite an improvement! I still pay attention to what is going on. I still listen to talk radio, watch my political shows, etc., but I don’t completely obsess and I’ve reduced the amount of time I spend on it. Now my computer time is divided up between Twilight-related stuff, Facebook, Twitter, and news, which I think is a much better balance. It’s a hobby, like any other, that helps me to forget all the horrific things going on. Who needs an anti-anxiety pill when you’ve got Twilight?

Oh, and I’ve become enraptured by one Robert Pattinson. *Sigh* And since I can’t get any pictures to load tonight, here’s a link to some beautiful pictures of Rob Pattinson, if any of you ladies would like to take a look. http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2009/11/robert-pattinson-vanity-fair-pics-more-outtakes-more-awesomeness/)

That’s all.

I am Bella December 22, 2009

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIcuRP86lhE

You see this reaction? THIS is how I feel about what the government is doing to us with this whole healthcare debacle. I just about have no words.

That’s all.

Different Look at Chicago Teen Beating Death October 3, 2009

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzLEagIuHgc

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6gJVzXmjtA&NR=1

 

Look, I’m a total white girl raised in the suburbs so I won’t proclaim to understand where poor black Americans are coming from. These videos are very interesting, nonetheless. Beck only shows a small portion of the video of that honor student in Chicago being beaten to death, but what I did see made me literally gasp. It’s one thing to hear about a kid being beaten to death, but to actually see it is a totally different story. Ugh – that poor kid! I can’t even think of anything more to say, it’s just such a travesty.

 

That’s all.

Think the Recession is Over? September 11, 2009

 

http://moneynews.newsmax.com/financenews/china_us_real_estate/2009/09/10/258589.html?s=al&promo_code=886D-1&CFID=572683&CFTOKEN=cf6c29646973da5b-A5F6742D-19B9-CD82-82B16B900DB5CE55

Don’t just read the headline because there’s more to it than that.

That’s all.

What Media Bias?? September 11, 2009

 

http://primebuzz.kcstar.com/?q=node/19883

 

Good news for Obama: New CNN poll shows viewers liked speech

A post-speech CNN poll came up with some positive findings for President Obama:

• 77 percent had a very positive or somewhat positive reaction to his health-care speech (56 percent were “very positive”)
• 70 percent said the policies Obama is proposing will move the country in the right direction.
• 67 percent said they favored Obama’s plan to reform health care. 29 percent oppose it.
• Asked how likely it is that Congress will pass most of his proposals, 75 percent said it was “very likely” or “somewhat likely.”
• Finally, asked how clearly Obama laid out his plan, 72 percent said he “clearly” stated his goals.

Some notes on the poll:

427 adults who watched the speech were surveyed. 18% of the respondents who participated in the survey identified themselves as Republicans, 45% identified themselves as Democrats, and 37% identified themselves as Independents.

Margin of error: 5 percent.

This “poll” was touted by both CNN and MSNBC (surprise, surprise). PLEASE, everyone, if you get nothing else from this, understand that you cannot trust the mainstream media anymore. You have to read the fine print and take everything with a grain of salt. It’s unfortunate, but true. Sadly, there are only a minute number of real journalists left in this country.

That’s all.