1. Living in a country where the following things were not a factor -
a. Seemingly the majority of people having not even the most basic understanding of how government and economic systems work.
b. Extreme short-term memory problems. I had to hear people on the radio yesterday talking about things were shit two years ago so they gave Obama a chance and now things are still shit, so they felt like they should give the republicans a chance. AS IF THE PRIOR EIGHT YEARS had nothing to do with all the shit in the first place. How? WHAT? Ugh!
c. People not understanding that healthcare, housing, food are basic human rights. The bare minimum of human rights.
*If I can’t have any of these, right about now, I would settle simply to be living in a country where John Boehner wasn’t.
2. Ocean. I just want to go be near some waves. Being able to breathe salt would feel like being able to breathe right now in a way I don’t feel able to.
3. Home, but specifically arriving home where I would suddenly find myself with a week off and nothing to do but get to be home and devote myself to my projects and cleaning and building a fort and watching lots of comfort movies and drinking tea.
4. Oregon. I miss my brother Dan and his excellent partner in crime, Candice. Lately especially, I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s holidays approaching. Maybe cause he seems to have good perspective on things and helps me sort out messiness and I feel messy. He helps to inspire me to get things done too.
5. In my car. On a roadtrip just about anywhere. I am having super-mega-wanderlust right now. Pair that with being in love with the “new” used car we just got and I want to hit the fucking road with some great minimal supplies, scads of good music and podcasts, my dog, and the best traveling companion ever that I’m very lucky to be in a relationship with. I want to make it up as I go along. I want some freedom.
I don’t dislike my job or my everyday life, it’s just one of those days that -no matter where I am- it feels like a trap.
There are just no words for being overwhelmed with this much awesome. Well played, io9, well played.
3. I get to go to Chicago in a little over 3 weeks. I can’t wait to see family and friends. We also get to hang out with people who don’t belong to that place and being a person who loves it when worlds collide, it’s going to be wacky fun. Our good friend Deena will be there (and get to meet our family out there in the ‘burbs). And also Ciao Rossi! Who moved away from Chicago shortly after we did. It will be like going back in time!
4. Why on earth is Dust in the Wind stuck in my head? It should at least be Carry on my Wayward Son. (Right? Am I right?)
5. The worst opening credits for a television show anything EVER in the history of the world, was the theme song for The L Word from the second season on. I stopped watching the show in the 3rd season. It’s been off the air for over a year now. But STILL. I (still) hate that song with a seething, burning passion. I can’t even love-t0-hate it. It’s not funny or campy enough to be funny-painful-bad. Just bad bad bad. This bad: Worse than killing off Dana. THAT BAD, Chaiken. That bad.
I would link it up for you, but I’m not that sadistic. Don’t go look it up on youtube. You won’t sleep.
Call me crazy, but I think Bob Dylan’s Christmas album is totally wonderful.
I feel like everyone is missing the point and that it’s supposed to be campy and a bit ridiculous. I mean, look at the picture he chose for the album cover! I feel like he knows how he sounds on these songs and doesn’t care or did the arrangements intentionally to clash a bit or poke fun. I also feel like none of that really matters because when I listen to it, I giggle and feel happy and Christmas-y and that’s the point isn’t it?
Among those criticisms is the odd complaint that Dylan’s voice sounds awful. I’m sorry, have you not been listening to Dylan for the past decade — or for his entire career? An imperfect vocal instrument is at once characteristic of Dylan and a limitation he’s frequently turned to his advantage. And as far as the idea that covering songs such as “Christmas Island” and “Here Comes Santa Claus” is cornball, well, the flip-side of cornball is amusement in context. Dylan, producing himself under the name “Jack Frost,” is surrounding himself with sweet choral voices and arrangements straight out of a 1960s middle-of-the-road or “countrypolitan” album. It’s just that instead of hearing Johnny Mathis or Eddy Arnold crooning, you have Dylan croaking with both solemnity and a wink.
.
Come on — that’s fun, in the manner of other Christmas songs ranging from Eartha Kitt’s “Santa Baby” to the Waitresses’ “Christmas Wrapping.”
…
And Dylan does make his slow, deliberate version of “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” sound more like a threat than a promise.
(that’s accurate and hilarious)
And yet I love it. Darcy loves it too, although I suspect more ironically.
She had this to say about the album:
Someone needs to take the microphone away from Grandpa Dylan.
I can’t wait for the day after Thanksgiving when I am “allowed” to break out all the Christmas music and movies. I will be sharing this album with (or inflicting this album on) all my loved ones!
I was fairly boring for Halloween. I had to work. But that’s ok, my good buddy Joe made up for everyone else’s boring Halloween by doing this:
(Two angles so you can see all the fab moves)
Amazing, right? You’re welcome. Extra points because his “cover” costume that he took off to morph into “Bearonce” was a Dharma Initiative Jumpsuit. Love it.
