Here’s a special treat for the sixth day of Advent Calendar-derived tomfoolery – a Solo Beatle Christmas song that hardly anyone’s ever heard. And, you may think after hearing it, deservedly so…

Ahh the last day of November. “Why is it called November?” is the QOTD for me to answer.

From Wikipedia.org:
November retained its name (from the Latin novem meaning “nine”) when January and February were added to the Roman calendar.

Ahh, so 9+2=11 good to know.

Some musicians would be satisfied just to perform the music the Beatles gave us. But for Peter and Jim Mayer, they had to do more. They had to EXPERIENCE it. Enjoy the collection of videos that led up to Peter’s new album. And watch closely. If you know who and what to look for, you will see that J. L. Jamison in one of the videos. Only the most astute of Parrotheads know who I’m talking about. Enjoy…

This weekend I’m highlighting one of the best one-two punches in music history, a pair of songs released on a “double-A-sided” single that are among the best The Beatles ever recorded.

Today’s track comes courtesy of Paul McCartney. ‘Penny Lane’ is his remembrance of a street in Liverpool, where he and John grew up. I don’t know if the fireman, banker, barber and nurse were actual people Paul encountered as a lad or inventions for this song, but he certainly paints a lovely picture.

For a seemingly innocent song, ‘Penny Lane’ contains a few off-color references (well, at least one, with room for interpretation on the others). “Finger pie” is British slang for teenage sexual fumbling, and you have to wonder about the fireman’s “clean machine” and the banker who never wears a mac in the pouring rain. Maybe I’m just over analyzing the latter two.

John Lennon

John Lennon:
Die Biographie von Philip Norman
Droemer Knaur Verlag

Ein Muss für alle Beatles-Fans: das biographische Meisterwerk über die größte Legende der Popmusik – John Lennon.

Philip Norman liefert ein facettenreiches Porträt des Gründers der Beatles, der mit seinen genialen Songs Musikgeschichte schrieb. Eine grandiose Hommage an die Pop-Ikone…
Buchperlen-Bewertung: *****

John Winston Lennon (später John Winston Ono Lennon), MBE (* 9. Oktober 1940 in Liverpool, England; † 8. Dezember 1980 in New York, USA) war ein englischer Musiker, Komponist und Autor.

Weltweit berühmt wurde er als Mitgründer, Sänger und Gitarrist der britischen Musikgruppe The Beatles, für die er neben Paul McCartney die meisten Stücke schrieb. Die Komponistenpartnerschaft Lennon / McCartney gilt als eine der bekanntesten und erfolgreichsten in der Geschichte der Popmusik.

Gemeinsam mit seiner zweiten Ehefrau Yoko Ono veranstaltete Lennon ab Ende der 1960er-Jahre verschiedene Aktionen für den Weltfrieden und widmete sich auch zunehmend künstlerisch neuen Gebieten.

Nach der Trennung der Beatles startete Lennon eine erfolgreiche Solokarriere mit Alben wie John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band (1970) und Imagine (1971).

Als erste Single der Beatles wurde 1962 die Lennon/McCartney-Komposition Love Me Do veröffentlicht. Bereits die zweite Single Please Please Me, hauptsächlich aus der Feder Lennons, erreichte Spitzenplätze in der britischen Hitparade. Das gleichnamige Album aus dem Jahr 1963 war ebenso erfolgreich.

Mit I Want to Hold Your Hand (Januar 1964) gelang es den Beatles, auch die USA musikalisch zu „erobern“. Am 7. Februar reisten sie erstmals nach New York und wurden überschwänglich empfangen.

Nach dem Erfolg des Spielfilms A Hard Day’s Night und dem gleichnamigen Soundtrack im Sommer 1964 widmete sich Lennon zunehmend den Texten seiner Stücke. Angeregt von Bob Dylan, versuchte er, sich als ernsthafter Songwriter zu etablieren. So finden sich auf dem Album Beatles for Sale (Dezember 1964) vermehrt auch nachdenklichere Stücke Lennons, wie I’m a Loser oder No Reply.

Auch künstlerisch entwickelten sich die Beatles weiter. Rubber Soul enthält herausragende Lennon-Stücke wie Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown), Nowhere Man und Girl. Das Stück In My Life wurde vom britischen Musikmagazin Mojo zum besten Song aller Zeiten gewählt.

Lennons Kontakt mit der halluzinogenen Droge LSD schlug sich in dem Nachfolge-Album Revolver (August 1966) nieder. Es enthält psychedelische Stücke wie Tomorrow Never Knows und gilt als eines der stärksten der Gruppe.

Eine erneute Welttournee der Beatles begann im Juni 1966 mit drei Konzerten in Deutschland. Auf den Philippinen wurde die Gruppe bei ihrer Abreise von der aufgebrachten Menge attackiert, da sie sich geweigert hatte, einer Einladung von Imelda Marcos zu folgen.

In den USA sorgte ein Interview für Aufregung, das Lennon im März der britischen Journalistin Maureen Cleave für den Evening Standard gegeben hatte. Darin äußerte sich Lennon unter anderem zum Christentum.

In Großbritannien fanden diese Äußerungen wenig Beachtung. Als das Interview allerdings vier Monate nach seinem Erscheinen in den Vereinigten Staaten veröffentlicht wurde, trat es eine Welle der Entrüstung los.

Mehrere Radiosender boykottierten Beatles-Lieder, und es gab sogar organisierte Verbrennungen ihrer Schallplatten. Auf Anraten Brian Epsteins entschuldigte sich John Lennon ausführlich bei einer Pressekonferenz in Chicago. Dennoch wurden die Auftritte der Beatles von Aufmärschen des Ku-Klux-Klans überschattet, und Lennon fürchtete um sein Leben. Am 29. August gaben die Beatles ihr letztes Konzert in San Francisco und beschlossen, nicht mehr auf Tournee zu gehen.

Nach dem Ende der Tourneen widmeten sich die Beatles gänzlich der Arbeit im Studio. Lennon komponierte in dieser Zeit das Stück Strawberry Fields Forever, das im Februar 1967 mit McCartneys Penny Lane als Single veröffentlicht wurde.

Mit seinem nachdenklichen Text, den aufwendigen Studioeffekten und der komplexen musikalischen Umsetzung gilt das Stück als Meisterwerk Lennons und markiert den Weg der Beatles vom Pop zur Kunst.

Zum Erfolg des Konzeptalbums Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band trug Lennon maßgeblich mit Stücken wie Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds und A Day in the Life bei. Für die erste weltweit ausgestrahlte Fernsehsendung Our World schrieb Lennon All You Need Is Love, die Hymne des „Summer of Love“ 1967.

Unfinished Music No.1

Am 29. November 1968 veröffentlichte Lennon zusammen mit der japanischen Avantgarde-Künstlerin Yoko Ono, die er 1966 kennen gelernt hatte, das Album Unfinished Music No.1: Two Virgins. Das erste gemeinsame Werk des Paars erregte viel Aufsehen, allerdings weniger wegen der avantgardistischen Klangcollagen, sondern auf Grund des Covers – es zeigte John Lennon und Yoko Ono nackt.

Onos künstlerischer Einfluss schlug sich auch auf das Weiße Album der Beatles nieder. So findet sich dort die experimentelle Klangcollage Revolution 9. Mit Revolution 1 nahm Lennon auch politisch Stellung und bezog sich auf die Pariser Maiunruhen.

1969 gründete das Paar die Plastic Ono Band, deren erste Single, das während des Bed-Ins in Montreal aufgenommene Give Peace a Chance, es im Juli des Jahres weltweit unter die Top 20 der Hitparaden schaffte. Im November folgte die Single Cold Turkey (Kalter Entzug), die sich allerdings vergleichsweise schlecht verkaufte.

Im Zuge dieser Projekte mit Yoko Ono entfernte sich Lennon zunehmend von den Beatles. Das Projekt eines Dokumentarfilms über die Beatles unter dem Titel „Get Back“ war geprägt von der Zerstrittenheit der Gruppe und wurde erst 1970 unter dem Titel Let It Be veröffentlicht.

Das letzte gemeinsame Projekt der Beatles war ihr Album Abbey Road, das im September 1969 auf den Markt kam. Lennon kritisierte das Album später oft in Interviews. Trotzdem wurde es eines der erfolgreichsten der Gruppe überhaupt.

Am 8. Dezember 1980 wurde John Lennon von dem geistig verwirrten Attentäter Mark David Chapman in New York vor dem Dakota Building erschossen. Lennons Tod erzeugte einen Sturm der Entrüstung. Noch in der Nacht des Mords versammelten sich mehrere tausend Menschen vor dem Dakota Building, um gemeinsam die Lieder Lennons zu singen.

Philip Norman begann in den siebziger Jahren als Journalist bei der “Sunday Times”. Mit seinen Kolumnen über Stars des Kulturlebens wurde er schnell berühmt. 1981 veröffentlichte er die bahnbrechende Biographie der Beatles “Shout!” – ein großer Bestseller. Es folgten Werke über die Rolling Stones (Droemer 1984), Elton John und Buddy Holly. Er lebt mit seiner Frau und seinem Kind in London.

John Lennon: wikipedia
The Beatles: wikipedia

John Lennon. Die Biographie. Das biographische Meisterwerk über die grösste Legende der Popmusik und Diskografie-Übersicht. Bezugs-Quellen für alle John Lennon und Beatles-Bücher, DVDs und CDs – auch gebrauchte Ausgaben bzw. Sonderausgaben zu reduzierten Preisen. Bitte klicken Sie hier für ausführliche Informationen und Bestellmöglichkeiten.

Monday’s Outfit Details:
Green Shirt – Costco
Tan Tank – Kohls
Rose Sweater – Forever 21
Khaki Pants – Ann Taylor Loft
Green Socks – Costco
Shoes aka Penny Lanes – Target

Today I was very tired and knew that I would be planning with a group of teachers all day, so I went for a much more casual look than normal. I love this rose sweater for several reasons. One – my name is Rose, so anything with roses catches my eye. Two – my mom always gets be yellow roses for special occasions and it is hard to find things with yellow roses. Three – I like the cut and fit of this cardigan. I have never worn this sweater with more casual pants and shoes and liked the effect. Normally I wear my yellow heels with this sweater. I also snuck in a small pattern mixing today with the roses and then the stripes in my socks. Very subtle and fun. I am getting ready to go for a 3 mile run before I start dinner.

This is my outfit from Friday. We went out with friends in DC to celebrate a birthday Friday night and I didn’t have time to post. Then the rest of the weekend, I wasn’t feeling the best and didn’t post, so here it is.

Friday Details:
Gray Sweater – French Connection via Marshalls
Black Skinny Cords – NY&C
Necklace – gifted from Josh
Boots aka Yippee Ki Yays – Steve Madden via Rack Room Shoes

This outfit was a mix of neutrals and an experiment for me. First, I have rarely worn gray, brown, and black at the same time. Second, I have never worn true skinny pants until these. Third, I made my new necklace wearable with this big turtle neck by adding ribbon in the back to make it longer. I loved how this outfit looked and felt great in it. I did get a little annoyed though that the pants got kinda too loose by the end of the night, but I am sure for normal days they will be fine.

Have an exciting Saturday night.

Peace,

Sources: Alice in Wardrobe Wonderland , Long Live the Queen

Song title from “Saturday Night” by Kate Tucker & the Sons of Sweden

If you need a snack or a potty break, now’s the time. Cause the lovely and talented Bebe Buell is about to suck up your entire life until you are through with this entry. … Welcome to the jungle. Better men than you have been lost in its vines.

Before I go on with her basically amazing life-story, I’d like to point out that this gorgeous slice of strawberry cheesecake was basically the Greenwich Village bicycle of the musical world in the 1970’s, and she rocked a pretty plush rug Down There. What gives with the kind of freakish waxed hardwood floors I am seeing in commercial porn lately? Vivid Video, this recently rediscovered art of the legitimate nude, this sexytimes pictures and video trend informed by raw, sexy authenticity, is why you guys are now losing the game almost completely to amateur streaming videos. Pubes and kissing are what make the difference between a so-so, mainly unconvincing video and a really special one. Write that down. Okay, so on with the show.

In 1972 while working as a teenage model in New York City, Buell met and dated rock star Todd Rundgren for several years. During and after her sometimes open relationship with Rundgren, she also became intimate with many other famous musicians, including Iggy Pop, David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Jimmy Page, and Steven Tyler while maintaining homes with Rundgren in both New York City and the Woodstock, New York area until late 1977.

Buell then moved on to Rod Stewart and in the summer of 1978, she began a tempestuous affair with the married but separated Elvis Costello which continued on and off until 1984. She was also involved with the late Stiv Bators and actor Jack Nicholson. — the wiki.

Okay, so the backstory, which is really more like a sexual history. Look, I think it is wretchedly unfair when a lady’s life story is framed by the boys she has bagged, but holy jeebus, Bebe Buell. How can I not bring it up??

Oh, you. You nutty, star-fucking, gorgeous-movie-star-baby-spawning, Penny-Lane-in-Almost-Famous-inspiring, deranged little minx! Gawd, how I love you and your decades-long trail of desperation. This chick is truly endless entertainment, you guys. I mean it.

And we should all kiss her feet for bringing that little daughter of hers into this world. Who is it?

All grown’z up, that chitlin in the above picture now easily ranks as one of my personal top ten most beautiful women alive on this planet, the gorgeous, sophisticated, private, and nothing-like-her-parents Liv Tyler:

*tear* Lord love you, Bebe Buell, you are a crazy mamma-jamma, but you make pretty mini-me’s. And it’s rather amazing that more did not hail from her loins. Like I said, she spent the 70’s and 80’s being quite the busy bee (no judgment AT ALL — you kept it clean and lean with some real sex machines: nothin’ but props, garrrl!). A brief glimpse at some of the highlights of Miss B’s hit parade:

Jeff Goodman aka Sammy Grubman, the “Strikeout King” and sleazy men’s magazine editor.

John Waite of The Babys and Bad English.

Robert Plant.

“Filmmaker Cameron Crowe, in his commentary on the extended DVD of his 2000 movie Almost Famous, said he based the film’s “Penny Lane” character (played by Kate Hudson) on two women he met during the early 1970s — Bebe Buell and Pennie Trumble, a.k.a “Penny Lane”. He said he created some of Penny’s dialogue from statements Buell had made in interviews over the years.” — the wiki.

Todd Rundgren, who it was assumed was Liv’s father until testing proved otherwise in the early 1990’s.

Stiv Bators of the Dead Boys

Legit babydaddy Steve Tyler — she claims because of his drug addiction she let Liv think her father was Todd Rundgren. You’re right, Bebe, that’s much better. What clarity — someone please hand this woman a gavel, cause she should be a judge and bring mind-blowing Aristotlean logic to every case she oversees from the bench, topless of course.

Bonus mm-mmm-mmmmm hookup: co-groupie, the notorious Cyrinda Fox. Ow!!

Oh, those halcyon days of yummy, yummy ’70s drugs.

Recent shot at the 2009 Tribeca Film Fest

I couldn’t even find shots of her with Iggy Pop, Jack Nicholson, Jimmy Page, Mick Jagger, and some of the others with whom it is rumored she spent Us Time. But I did happen upon one decent picture of her and another personal favorite, Mr. Elvis Costello, who shockingly did not have very nice things to say about Miss Bb B!

Following pic and he-said/she-said quotes via the super-amazing neato-fantastic understated-uber-genius of chained and perfumed:

She said: “He was my Clark Gable.”
[Elvis Costello] said: “At best we were strangers with a coy and theoretical entanglement…However, she turned up with eight pieces of luggage like a mail-order bride…and I was too stupid and vain to resist. She’d later claimed to have inspired most of the songs on [Armed Forces]-all of which were already written when we met…It is a tragic delusion about which I could say: ‘I shall not dignify that with a response’ but ‘dignity’ doesn’t come into this story.”

Oh, my god, I never thought I’d say this, but I am tired of this. I’ll pick her back up another day (that’s what they all say).

Until next time, remember: if you see her backstage, it’s okay to let her in, Mr. Bouncer. She is with the band.

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Acho que sou a pessoa com mais manias que conheço, uma dessas manias é de ver os mesmos filmes mil vezes, digo, mil vezes mesmo. É algo que começou na minha infância, quando, para a infelicidade da minha mãe, eu assistia sem parar “A Princesinha”, “O Jardim Secreto”, entre outros filmes bonitinhos e alegres (incluindo um da Turma da Mônica onde o Chico Bento tinha uma rádio, nunca descobri que filme é esse, mas eu assisti inúmeras vezes, quase enlouquecendo meus pais).

Na minha adolescência – que ainda não terminou completamente, ham – o maior filme preferido de todos os tempos foi “Quase Famosos”. Não sei mesmo quantas vezes eu o assisti, fato que foram mais de dez, de longe. Então, eu nem precisava rever para escrever sobre, mas, ah, até parece que isso é um sacrifício.

“Quase Famosos” é o meu filme adotivo preferido, desses que eu sei os diálogos de cor e não posso ouvir as músicas da trilha sonora (que vai muito além de Tiny Dancer) sem ser contagiada, é um filme que me fez e ainda me faz sonhar. Convenhamos, o filme retrata a vida na estrada de uma banda de rock em ascensão, acompanhada por um pirralho que é um novato jornalista musical, tudo isso nos anos 70, com cenários, roupas e músicas incríveis, só por esses elementos já merece ser um filme preferido. Mas “Quase Famosos” vai além desses símbolos fetiches da geração alternativa-cult-bacaninha, com um tom de entretenimento a história contém profundidade, aborda temas como a música e a indústria fonográfica (o termo “indústria do cool” citado é genial), conflitos entre pais e filhos, a contestação da ordem pelos jovens a partir de um novo comportamento e o dilema entre ser cool e ser honesto. É coisa pra caramba, e está tudo ali no filme, mesmo que não seja com uma seriedade obscura de um Bergman, mas está lá e quando se assiste aos quatorze anos é algo tão tocante que você quer viver naquele filme, tipo, pra sempre (e até hoje quando eu vejo fico louca pra sair pela estrada com uma banda e como não tenho talento musical algum – para minha profunda tristeza- aceito convites de músicos, okay? brinks – ou não.)

A trama se inicia retratando a infância/pré-adolescência de William Miller, no final dos anos 60, ele recebe uma rígida educação de sua mãe, professora universitária, ao mesmo tempo em que é influenciado por sua irmã mais velha, Anita, considerada como rebelde pela mãe, pois adora Rock, beija meninos e não simpatiza com o ideal de vida defendido por essa. Esse conflito entre mãe e filha representa uma ruptura no pensamento jovem, não se deseja mais ter uma vida burguesa e estável como a dos pais, cursando universidades e terminando seus dias em empregos enfadonhos e lucrativos, há uma vontade de experimentar, vivenciar, esses jovens passam a ter uma nova percepção de suas existências, sentindo-se no direito de fazer dessas o que bem entenderem, sentem-se livres. E nada foi mais libertador do que o Rock, pelo menos dentro de uma cultura de massa, como Anita diz, ao entregar seus discos para o irmão mais novo, “Look under your beed, it Will set you free”*. É uma redescoberta da vida, um novo tipo de filosofia que choca a ordem e atemoriza os pais, como Caetano e Gil escreveram e  Os Mutantes consagrou: “Mas as pessoas da sala de jantar são ocupadas em nascer e morrer”, mas os jovens querem mais, querem viver suas vidas. Para tudo que era proibido agora existe a pergunta “por que não?”, a liberdade promove a transgressão da ordem.

"NÃO USE DROGAS!", rs.

Há um pulo na história e William surge terminando o colegial, aos 15 anos, sendo um grande looser adorador de bandas de rock. Sua mãe se impõe para que ele curse a faculdade de direito e se torne um advogado, como era o seu sonho, mas ele, influenciado pela irmã (que agora não vive mais com ele), começa a se aventurar como jornalista musical.  Nesse ponto da história, surge o personagem de Lester Bangs (que de fato existiu), nos dando reflexões incríveis sobre Rock, como este foi deturpado pela indústria fonográfica, entrando em uma lógica do que é “cool” e perdendo a liberdade e a honestidade que o tornavam algo inspirador. Para algumas pessoas pode passar despercebido, mas esse personagem, com sua crítica, está ligado intimamente a absorção da contracultura pelo sistema, o que era transgressor e contestador de repente é assimilado pela ordem, tornando-se mais um produto capitalista e não uma arte original e criativa capaz de influenciar verdadeiramente as pessoas, proporcionando uma reflexão, inclusive, sobre nossa contracultura contemporânea, se é que ela existe (oi, MTV? nx zero? Lady Gaga sem calça se achando rebelde?).

Como jornalista musical, William passa a viajar com a banda Stillwater, a partir daí outros personagens interessantes vão entrando em cena. Dentre esses, Penny Lane é quase um clássico, a história de uma garota que vive viajando com bandas, sem revelar seu verdadeiro nome, criando para si mesma uma persona misteriosa é adorável. Penny representa bem o peso do “cool”, para ser a imagem que criou, ela se isola dentro de uma máscara, se percebermos, ela está sempre só no final dos shows e na verdade, está mesmo sempre sozinha, resguardada dentro de sua personagem onde não pode ser honesta, pois precisa continuar representando. No entanto, creio eu, que em uma coisa Penny Lane (aliás, ela é outra personagem que existiu) é honesta, na sua paixão pela música, sendo essa talvez a motivação para todas as farsas, como fica implícito em seu discurso: “Never take it serious, if you never take it serious, you never get hurt and if you ever get lonely, just go to the record store and visit your friends”**. Jeff Bebe é outro personagem interessante, o que representa de maneira mais exagerada a busca por ser cool dentro do rock, perdendo inclusive os princípios que o levaram a se tornar um músico e sendo algumas vezes um tremendo idiota. Mas é claro que quem mais se destaca é Russell Hammond, com seu charme e talento (“You are too good looking and too talent to be trusted”***) é o tipo de cara que não precisa se esforçar para conseguir o que quer, isso apesar de lhe dar um caráter irresponsável e egocêntrico, também marca sua relação com a música, sendo é algo que ama e faz sem grandes preocupações, tornando-se um amante honesto do rock. William vivencia a tudo isso e abdica do cool em nome da honestidade, perdendo a chance de se tornar “amigo” daqueles rock stars, prestando assim um favor ao rock e a arte de qualidade, o que ele realmente ama.

Talvez isso seja para mim o mais bonito de “Quase Famosos”, essa homenagem que presta a verdadeira arte, ao rock que amamos que nos liberta e inspira. É um filme que contesta a triste situação na qual o rock (e a arte em geral) se encontra e nos faz sonhar e desejar mais experiências honestas para nossas vidas, muito além do super hype cool. Sem dúvida foi o filme que me fez ter a tatuagem que tenho, a ter uma atração fatal por músicos (ó deus), a desejar mais da minha vida do que as pessoas da sala de jantar e a me apaixonar mais ainda pelos anos 60/70, por tudo isso e muito mais, Cameron Crowe tem um lugarzinho cativo no meu coração (que ele massacrou em “Elizabethtown”, mas tudo bem).

* “Olhe debaixo da sua cama, vai te libertar”

** “Nunca leve a sério, se você nunca levar a sério, você nunca se machuca e se você nunca se machuca, você sempre irá se divertir, e  se alguma vez se sentir sozinha, apensa vá a uma loja de discos e visite seus amigos”

*** “Você é bonito e talentoso demais para ser confiável.”

Escrito por Taís Bravo

Details:
Green Zip Up Sweater – TJ Maxx
Vintage Owl Pin – thrifted
Orange Sweater – Target
Tan Tank – Kohls
Jeans – Banana Republic
Loafers aka Penny Lanes – Target
Timberlane Boots – Timberlane Outlet
North Face – REI

Today was rainy and cold and I went on a field trip to a local park to talk about our local watershed. This was an outside field trip. I found out yesterday that I was going and that it was going to be raining. I also had to facilitate part of our faculty meeting at work after school today. I knew that I needed to wear jeans and my hiking boots on the trip. I also decided that my north face would be the best option for my jacket. I wasn’t sure how cold it would be, so I wore layers. I ended up only wearing the green zip up after the trip to the faculty meeting, and I was ok with that. It is my warmest sweater and perfect for a time after spending time in the rain and cold. My bangs are back because honestly being in the rain does nothing for my hair.

It was nice to be casual today and I am looking forward dressing up more tomorrow.

October 3

October 6: two year dinner

yeah!  i made this delicious dinner for mine and marty’s two year celebration.  martha helped.

two year card.

october 9-11: puppy sitting.

i love puppy sitting.  and i love dexter buches and bunches.

unfortunately, tubby met an untimely demise.  and has been since this weekend.

marty bought me these flowers.  and carrot cake and mini pumpkins.  and he cooked me dinner.

sleepy time.

what’s cuter then a dexter?  a dexter surrounded by pumpkins.

add a penny lane and you’ve got cuteness overload.

yes, i dropped the ball.  i finally realized my life is not at all interesting enough to take picture of every day.   let me, instead, offer you days that i thought were interesting enough to take picture of.

september 13: carrot bear

marty and i grew this baby carrot in our garden.  it frightened me too much to eat it.  i let penny inspect it first.

september 14: i love waking up to you laugh

i love this little girl more then i could ever explain to anyone.

september 26: ut vs. utep

we had awesome seats.  it was 90 degrees and sunny.  and we kicked their butts.

my picture of their second (?) touchdown.  i still root for mississippi state, don’t worry.

september 27th: pecan street festival

keep austin weird, i guess.  i wouldn’t let my dog near this beast.

september 28th: ghosts and goblins

penny getting into the halloween spirit.  i’ve made a vow not to buy her a halloween costume this year UNLESS i can find a puppies dressed as cats costume.  no luck so far.

also september 28th: ingrid michaelson

word is my mom sent my review out in an email.  not something i’m terribly proud of because i wasn’t supposed to write it in the first place.  but ingrid michaelson (and greg holden) are fantastic and if you’re not a fan, you should be.

more to come.

William Miller, Stillwater, and the Band-Aids, on the road; image courtesy of redriverautographs.wordpress.com

All right, folks. I’m home with the sniffles, so let’s roll up our sleeves for this one. I recently re-watched my VHS copy and am ready to get into it. At length. Double-album style. Watching the movie on video means I didn’t listen to any DVD commentaries to formulate my thoughts. And while I have seen the Untitled version, my opinions will mostly be generated from the theatrical release version. Keep this in mind reading on, but feel free to mix it up in the comments section. 

Now, this is a movie that pushes and pulls me like few other. As I’ve grown older, depending on how I felt when I watched it, I waft somewhere between charitable introspection and vitriolic rejection, one time even going so far as drunkenly telling a friend who likes this movie to shut up (sorry, Leigh!).

I wasn’t always this way. When it first came out during my senior year of high school, I looooooooved it. I saw it with my best friend Jamie and a boy I would later regret dating. Jamie was the editor of the school newspaper. I made my extracurricular committment to choir, but wished I had room in my class schedule to write for The Clarion. I wanted to be William Miller, the fifteen-year-old journalist protagonist who fills in for director Cameron Crowe and his own (idealized?) experiences as a writer. Figuring I could catch up in college, I set my sights on UT’s journalism school. By graduation, I assumed I’d be working as a rock critic in New York City, perhaps following bands like Stillwater, the fictitious classic rock band based on The Allman Brothers Band that breaks (then promises to make) Miller’s career.

My hope of being a rock journalist was officially dashed the second time I was not hired as a writer for The Daily Texan’s entertainment section. After this rejection, 19-year-old me reasoned that these fat cats were shills for the man with terrible taste in music. I might have even phrased it that way at the time. From here, I officially cast my lot with college radio.

It’s important to bring up music journalism, not only to burn on it out of bitter feelings of rejection. When this movie originally came out, it was a dangerous time for print publications like Rolling Stone and Spin, much like the early 70s was a dangerous time for rock music. 1973, the year this movie takes place, was a harbinger of the bloated, corporate, cool-hunting enterprise the mainstream music industry would become. By 2000, it had completely transformed into a deregulated, conglomerate behemoth, peddling a handful of marketable, palatable, and safe talent that could sell ancillary products and jack up the retail prices on those ancillary products, which the compact disc had become. Music listeners, irritated by ever-higher CD prices, began downloading illegally in earnest. Sometimes they were met with arrests and lawsuits. Sometimes those lawsuits were filed by the popular musicians they idolized. As a result of these actions, and some truly stupid strategies the music industry has used to push units, people are more incredulous of the music industry than ever.

It’s important to bring in the Internet and the ubiquity of digital technology too, as online communication affected print journalism. Throughout the 2000s, publications scrambled to keep up circulation and readership. Some were bought and sold to other conglomerates. Some turned from monthlies to quarterlies. Some drastically changed their content and marketing campaigns (the saddest one for me was Spin, a high school favorite that was Rolling Stone’s cool, younger sibling; by the time I entered graduate school, it packaged itself as the hipster version of Us and lagged behind e-zines like Pitchfork and Tiny Mix Tapes in its coverage of new music). Some shilled out to reality TV (looking at you, Rolling Stone). Some simply folded.

Along with publications, staffs shrunk due to budget cuts. Some folks survived the fall-out. Rob Sheffield came into the field from the academy and penned a touching memoir. Eric Weisbard became part of the academy, currently an American Studies professor at the University of Alabama. Some folks, like Sarah Lewitinn and Chuck Klosterman, became cults of personality. But others didn’t fare as well. Sia Michel lost her position as Spin’s editor-and-chief, though was hired on to be The New York Times‘ pop music editor. At some places, an entertainment staff was whittled down to one person, if there was a department at all.

Sarah Lewitinn, aka Ultragrrrl; image courtesy of daylife.com

With the implosion of print-based music journalism came the advent of e-zines like Pitchfork and, of course, blogs. These folks, for good or for bad, may shape what criticism will look like in this century. I, for one, do see some good to blog culture (barring, you know, my recent public involvement with it). The principle assets I have found with it are its immediacy and DIY ethic. I couldn’t get a staff position at the Texan. I wasn’t financially able to take an internship. In short, traditional modes of ascension in the field weren’t available to me or many others. But blogging allows (some) writers to continue researching, hone their craft, and figure out just why they’re so interested in their subject of analysis.

Of course, there are hazards to blogging. Our collective attention span for new sounds has diminished. Furthermore, a considerable amount of misinformation gets reported. However, while I’m tempted to attribute this to a lack of fluency with journalistic principles of investigating, reporting, and fact-checking, I don’t know if it’s that simple. I’d hasten to point out that blogging and traditional journalism are both vulnerable to errors, unfair coverage, unequal time, and other ethical issues in the wake of the 24-hour news cycle.

In short, I watch this movie and think three things: 1) I don’t know if William Miller would be a journalist today, as the publications he would want to work at might not be able to hire him, 2) I do think he’d be a blogger, as the fan-critic and musician-journalist binaries in media culture have been considerably blurred since the early 70s, and 3) while this movie seems quaint in its depiction of a just-booming American music industry, it still seems completely relevant, maybe even more so than when the movie was originally released. 

So, you would think based on all of this fodder, I’d love this movie. But it’s not so simple and the movie itself is only partly at fault. A major issue I have with the movie isn’t so much to do with its gender politics as it is with the gender politics of its fanboys. I have heard too many fanboys talk about this movie with fervor, as if God touched Cameron Crowe’s camera. They’ll regale folks with abstruse bits of commentary from the Untitled version and quiz people on what songs like Stillwater’s “Love Thing” and “Fever Dog” are really about (I think love and kicking addiction, respectively). They are often humorless, especially if you point out any similarities they might have to Vic Munoz, the movie’s Led Zeppelin devotee. Oh, and they always love Led Zeppelin. Always.

But Alyx. Smelly zealot fanboys shouldn’t keep you from liking a movie, you say. The movie has a lot of good things going for it, you add. There’s even a lot of interesting female characters walking around, being smart and human and brave, you note. You might even say they’re more interesting than altruistic protagonist William Miller, you whisper emphatically. Fair points all. So, let’s do what Mary Kearney did when I watched this movie in her gender and rock undergrad class and run through the women and girls we meet in Miller’s coming-of-age story. Note that many of them are autonomous beings, free agents on the road:

1. The Band-Aids, especially one Penny Lane (played by Kate Hudson in what many argue is her only credible screen performance). They are not groupies and consider themselves fans who are autonomous, exercise sexual agency, and are not disposable, though some musicians have trouble seeing them the way they see themselves.

1A. While Penny Lane is clearly the Band-Aid leader, I’ve always loved Sapphire (played by Fairuza Balk). Label it blonde antipathy or brunette solidarity, but it’s hard not to love this rough, mischievous, funny, and wise lady. Can you imagine the stories she could tell? She intimates with William’s mother about his travels on the road and how she should be proud of her son from a hotel phone. She’s responsible for orchestrating the orgy that takes William’s (who she calls “Opie“) virginity. She’s also the one who delivers the hard truth about Penny and William to guitarist Russell Hammond. And she’s the one who insists that younger groupies take birth control, appreciate the music, and quit eating all the steak at crafts’ services.

Sapphire is epic; image courtesy of fairuza.com

2. Alice Wisdom, a deejay whose playlist Lester Bangs rudely rejects. Now I don’t like The Doors either, Lester, but that doesn’t mean you should shout over her opinions and discredit her taste in music. Unless you’re actually discrediting the radio station’s taste in music, in which case the deejay’s role becomes even more compromised. And this woman is already compromised by having the regulatory whiskey-throated voice that all female deejays seem required to have or emulate.
3. High school girls running for gym class. Stillwater bassist Larry Fellows perks up at the view from the tour bus; Penny Lane gives them the finger, glad that she’s playing hooky. That she’s not them.
4. Fans. Some of whom are Band-Aids or groupies, most of whom are regular girls and women with jobs and parents.
5. Band wives and girlfriends. They were there before the band got signed, are not often there for the shenanigans on the road, and probably won’t be there after the break-ups and divorces. 
6. A particularly shrill feminist stereotype of a Rolling Stone journalist billed as Alison the Fact Checker. Sadly, she probably has to be in order to be heard in staff meetings. Plus, wouldn’t you be pissy if you were trying to forge a career, were all-too-cognizant of sexism and misogyny, but also loved writing about popular music? This is a question I’ve always wanted to ask Ann Powers, Dream Hampton, and Lorraine Ali.

"How do you do it, Dream Hampton?"; image courtesy of thestartingfive.net

7. A singer-songwriter jamming with another singer-songwriter who appear to be modeled after Emmylou Harris and Gram Parsons. William sees them playing in a hotel room during his first visit at the Riot House.
8. William’s big sister, Anita. She has a turbulent relationship with her mother and leaves home to become a flight attendant, leaving her kid brother a haul of amazing records, including Joni Mitchell’s Blue. She even gives him some good advice about how to listen to The Who’s Tommy that seems to have a lasting impression.
9. And, of course, William’s awesome, anti-establishment, overprotective mother Elaine, who is a college professor in San Diego. She is also the family matriarch, and probably was even before her husband died. Besides Lester, Ms. Miller is one of the few rebels. They both hold the distinction of being the only people who recognizes that rock culture, and its attendant cheap thrills and promises, is just another corporate enterprise.

Anita and Elaine Miller clashing, with young William Miller looking on; image courtesy of rlslog.net

Now, now. The dudes are interesting too, you might say. And masculinity is a discursive minefield here. So let’s walk through it. Let’s make like the movie and use William Miller to do this.
1. Miller himself is a soft-eyed, feminine boy played by then-unknown Patrick Fugit. He is hopelessly in love with Penny, a girl who may be his age but is out of his depth and hopelessly in love with someone else.

William Miller and his quest for truth; image courtesy of blog.lib.umn.edu

2. Billy Crudup’s Russell Hammond is the talented, aloof, and cowardly lead guitarist for Stillwater. He’s technically better than his bandmates, and is quick to hover it over them. He takes William under his wing because he’s a fan, only to dismiss him when Bob Dylan makes an appearance at Max’s Kansas City. He also nearly ruins William’s journalistic integrity when his own credibility is on the line. He’s also in love with Penny, but more in love with becoming a rock star. He’s not so in love with his wife, Leslie. He loves himself more than anyone, and hates himself for it.
3. Stillwater lead singer Jeff Bebe (Jason Lee) feels differently toward Leslie. He also has considerable animosity toward Hammond, whose emergent fame and skill is threatening to eclipse him and the rest of the band.
4. Bassist Larry Fellows and drummer Ed Vallencourt round out the band. Fellows (played by singer-songwriter Mark Kozelek, who I named my cat after) seems only interested in barbeque and high school girls. Vallencourt (played by John Fedevich) is silent through most of the movie, until he announces that he’s gay during a traumatic airplane ride.
5. Dick Roswell (Noah Taylor) and Dennis Hope (Jimmy Fallon) manage the band. Fellows has been with them for most of their career. Hope convinces the band to cash in and sell out, most symbolically by trading their bus for a jet. They will regret this decision.
6. Jann Wenner and Ben Fong-Torres, Rolling Stone’s respective editor-and-chief and senior editor, who serve as William’s bosses. Note the Wenner is gay, though at this time in his career, he was married to a woman named Jane. They would go on to have three children before divorcing in 1995. I haven’t read anything on Wenner, but am fascinated to learn how he negotiated all of this. Note also that Fong-Torres is Chinese American and one of the few people of color in both the movie and perhaps the emerging mainstream rock music industry. Note also the “Torres” surname, which his father adopted, dropping “Fong,” in order to pose as a Mexican in order to be granted U.S. citizenship while Chester Arthur’s Chinese Exclusion Act was still on the books. The family later kept both surnames.

Stillwater, on the cover of Rolling Stone; image courtesy of jeffdurling.com

But William doesn’t really have much in common with Stillwater. He wants to be them, but is in actual fact a music geek. Two like-minded male characters empathize, and share a relationship that is at once classically masculine in its indexical organization of rock’s ephemera and, at the same time, feminine in their romantic, homoerotic obsessive fandom.
1. Lester Bangs, William’s mentor, played by the formidable Philip Seymour Hoffman, who is one of the main reasons I’ll be seeing Pirate Radio. Reportedly, his scenes were filmed while he had the flu. Bangs hates what rock journalism has become.

Lester Bangs imparting life lessons to William Miller; image courtesy of playground.chronicleblogs.com

2. Vic Munoz, played by longtime Apatow mainstay Jay Baruchel. He’s the Zeppelin fan who follows the band everywhere, clutches a marker frontman Robert Plant once held, and wears his “Have you seen the bridge?” t-shirt at all times.

I should point out, however, that the girls index too. Penny Lane may not want William to take notes during Stillwater concerts, but that doesn’t mean that she, her peers, or William’s sister Anita, can’t rattle off band line-ups, industry players, and song lyrics.  

And lest we forget that William actually forges strong relationships with his sister, his mother, and the Band-Aids. While Sapphire, Polexia, and the gang seduce William, they also believe in him, intimate secrets with him, and provide him support, though they sometimes treat him as a minion and less as an equal.

I should also point out, since I opined that Miller doesn’t have much in common with Stillwater, that he does have an interesting relationship with Hammond nonetheless. Miller, a kid brother with an older sister, doesn’t seem to have any male friends or role models before he takes Bangs’s assignment to cover Black Sabbath for Creem, a band for whom Stillwater is opening and launches Miller’s almost-too-good-to-be-true feature assignment for Rolling Stone.

I wouldn’t necessarily categorize Hammond as a friend or role model. Perhaps he’s better suited for an older brother position. At first, Miller looks up to Hammond, calling his guitar-playing “incendiary” and trying (largely in vain) to emulate his slingin’, ’stached bravado. But, despite a Band-Aid orgy (controlled by the women who believe that “Opie must die”), Miller clearly doesn’t have that kind of swagger. He also doesn’t seem to want it, seeing Hammond’s cowardice beneath it. He also recognizes the irony of such inauthentic displays of machismo and ego in a form supposedly as authentic, romantic, and pure as rock is supposed to be, and is quickly unbecoming. Perhaps he also notices the rigid gender roles and chauvinism that inform the supposed gains of free love and the sexual revolution. This hypocrisy, along with the band’s quick rejection of real fans for industry success and the promise of rock mythology, make Miller able to put Hammond and his band mates in their place during the climactic plane scene. His honesty and integrity also earns him their trust, especially Hammond’s, who finally grants him a real interview at the end of the movie.

As an aside, if Hammond is Miller’s imperfect older brother, he steps right into the role by sassing Ms. Miller when he first talks to her on the phone, immediately snapping into a “yes ma’am, no ma’am” routine when she admonishes his behavior and values.

Miller’s character also wins the respect of Penny Lane, even when she’s ignoring the icky realities of seeing yourself as a fan but being treated as a groupie, as disposable as a real Band-Aid.

Note that it doesn’t win Lane’s affections, at least not physically. She may be too hard for or scared of Miller’s feelings (which are announced, unfortunately, in a scene where Miller kisses Lane, who just overdosed on Quaaludes). She may not be ready for rejecting her own rock star mythology in order to be truly intimate with someone (though she suggests she might when she tells Miller that she came into this world as one Lady Goodman). Maybe doing so would make her the typical teen she (and William’s mother) see little value in becoming. Maybe not consummating this relationship suggests they have no interest in typical interactions with one another.

Yet Miller’s and Lane’s relationship, which seems built on male fantasy, is an issue I have with this movie. I don’t get what the fuss is about, frankly. I understand that Lane is pretty, savvy, and well-traveled, but don’t understand why Miller has such a crush on her, primarily because I don’t understand how loving a band’s music leads you toward doing their ironing backstage while the boy you love in the band can’t be bothered to love you back. More importantly, I don’t know who she really is. Maybe the self-mythology is part of what prevents me (and certainly Miller) from getting close. Maybe the challenge of trying to find out who the real Penny Lane is warrants enough of a fascinating exercise for Miller. And maybe it isn’t any of our business who Lane really is. But I sort of wonder if she’s perfectly matched with Hammond, a man who wants desperately to be the myth he’s created for himself. Maybe this suggests that both of them have something in common with Don Draper. Here’s one scene where I think Lane, alone after a concert, drops the masquerade (note that the scene follows Stillwater’s treacherous meeting with super-manager Hope).

Admittedly, perhaps my problem resides in Kate Hudson’s performance. Perhaps I want her not to channel her mother, herself a manic pixie dream girl of this era, so much. Perhaps I’m projecting Goldie Hawn’s presence and ignoring how Hudson is making this role her own. I do think Hudson does a good job balancing Lane’s contrasts and contradictions, perhaps a better job than Kirsten Dunst (who almost got this role, but was cast in Crowe’s Elizabethtown instead) would.

And I do think I’m being unfair in my dismissal of Kate Hudson and Penny Lane. Because I think my real problem, as it usually is with Crowe’s movies, is the director’s unfortunate habit of crutching on the magic of pop music. Admittedly, this might be a hard habit for a music geek director to break, but it has kept me from enjoying his other movies (including, yes, Say Anything). And it’s probably contradictory for a music fan not to like pop music playing such a pronounced role in Crowe’s work. To me, however, Crowe’s use of pop music suggests the necessity of delicate application. Because I hate how he uses Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer” in one of the movie’s big reconciliatory moments, as its obvious that he is making the case for how pop music’s universality heals all psychic wounds. When Lane tells Miller that he is home, all I can think is “fucking duh.”

While I feel like the movie’s score adds to the treacle (especially during the scene when Miller runs with Lane’s departing plane), I do admire Cameron Crowe’s ongoing collaborations with wife and Heart guitarist Nancy Wilson. We’d do well to remember Wilson’s rock legend status, score work, and Crowe’s relationship with Wilson when making sexist assumptions about Sofia Coppola’s relationship with Phoenix’s Thomas Mars, who is working on her next movie, Somewhere. We might also like to keep it in mind when thinking about Karen O’s involvement in ex-boyfriend Spike Jonze’s Where the Wild Things Are.

Going back to Crowe’s unfortunate flirtations with the obvious for my closing remarks, he does make a few other points in this movie in highlighter yellow that I love anyway. So much so that I’ve shaped my life around them. In the interest of full disclosure, I will share them now, suggesting that sometimes flirtations with the obvious are essential and humane.

1) The introductory scene between Bangs and Miller, when Bangs talks about staying up all night, writing about music. Whether or not he was high on cough syrup and speed or the tomes he devoted to The Faces or John Coltrane were dribble didn’t matter. The objective, as William knows well, is ”just to fuckin’ write.” It’s an objective I know well too. It’s a key reason why I put this blog together in the first place, and I’m certainly not alone.
2) Lane has a great line as well, one that has stayed with me as I age. I’m a firm believer in the advice she gives Miller when she drives them to the Riot House: ”if you ever get lonely, you just go to the record store and visit your friends.” The comfort I have found in record stores cannot be overstated, and I only hope that, as I get older, at least a few of them don’t get completely mowed down to make way for more lucrative businesses. I might have to stay in a city that shares kinship with Austin to assure this, but I think it’s worth it. I’d rather live in a city that appreciates the cultural and communal value of record stores over a city that only sees value in their market returns.  

After all this, I believe Almost Famous to be an interesting and challenging movie at times marred by its idealism, sentimentality, and emphasis on one very lucky boy’s experience following around a band and writing down what happened. Thus, it’s a movie I keep coming back to, even if I don’t feel the need to replace the tape.

Makes cents.

When you see a shiny new penny on the pavement, do you feel a thrill of discovery and pick it up? Or do you simply shrug and stomp over it?

I’m in the “thrill” camp and, until recently, finding a “good luck” one-cent piece would put a spring in my step for the rest of the day.

So my good deed today was tiny by some standards … okay, all standards … but it did take a certain sacrifice on my part, believe it or not.

I’m not sure if the penny I spotted on the sidewalk at lunch hour was brand new or if it was just the way the sun hit it, but it twinkled so brightly, I literally stopped in my tracks and stared at it for a couple of seconds.

Old habits die hard I guess and I almost reflexively bent down to pick it up. But I stopped myself in time and remembered all those other kooky folks like me who would similarly smile at the sight of the little copper coin.

So, I averted my eyes, tried to ignore the magnetic pull of the metal disk and kept walking.

I hope it brought the person who did pick it up, if not good fortune, at least a penny’s worth of fun….

Did you know?

• Australian pennies haven’t been minted since 1964.
• The British phrase “spend a penny” is a euphemism for urinating. [Do not want to know what the phrase "spend a quarter" means!]
• The saying “Find a penny pick it up and all the day you’ll have good luck” was originally “Find a pin…” [... not half as much fun!]
• Penny Lane is a real street in The Beatles’ hometown of Liverpool, EnglandP.S. And here is Penny Lane. Enjoy!
  

Details:
Gray Tank – NY&C
Teal Tank – Target
Jacket – Target
Pants – Banana Republic
Shoes aka Penny Lanes – Target

Today I was very unsure about my outfit and this jacket in general. I love the pattern and the colors in this jacket. I even like the idea of the cut of this jacket…I am just unsure about how the jacket actually looks on me. I was again running late this morning and wanted something that would pair with my black chinos. I know that many things go with black, I just saw this first.

I had a great time after work today though, dinner with E, L and one of our professors – Dr. HJ. I love that I am now finished with my master’s degree and I miss seeing these people on a consistent basis. It was great today though.

Phoenix Mill, Mumbai

Yes. That’s the “buzz” word for Sobo residents every Sunday. No great plans? Let’s head to Phoenix to wander and window shop, to sit and grab some coffee at Costa Coffee or shop to your hearts delight with a plethora of brands to choose from. Not interested in any of this? Go see a flick at PVR Cinemas. So much to do. But clearly Sunday is not the best time to shop at Phoenix for obvious reasons. More crowd, less service. More people, less peace.

So here Iam letting the cat out of the bag! Freelancing gives you immense flexibility. You schedule your meetings, working hours and you decide when to shop, surf, space out, snooze. Head to the mall on a weekday just when it opens around 11:00am and visit all the shops, enjoy the ambiance, feel like a queen being in this Sobo Paradise as you saunter in the lobbies, sip on ice tea (or whatever your poison is). Although you will discover something you like in almost every outlet there, here are my personal favorites.

Puma, Tres Mode of course there is Pantaloon and Lifestyle with almost all brands available under one roof. Penny Lane in Grand Galleria is also one new store I have taken a liking towards. Lots of new stuff about to open up at Palladium. Gorgeous Girlie will get you all the lowdown. Until next time, shop along!

Porque a turnê era só uma desculpa para viajar de busão com a galera ao som de  Tiny Dancer.

Quase famosos, do Cameron Crowe, também poderia ser indicado a Melhor Momento de Cocotas pelo seguinte bate-papo:

Lester Bangs: Aw, man. You made friends with them. See, friendship is the booze they feed you. They want you to get drunk on feeling like you belong.
William Miller: Well, it was fun.
Lester Bangs: Because they make you feel cool. And hey. I met you. You are not cool.
William Miller: I know. Even when I thought I was, I knew I wasn’t.
Lester Bangs: That’s because we’re uncool. And while women will always be a problem for us, most of the great art in the world is about that very same problem. Good-looking people, theu got no spine. Their art never lasts. They get the girls, but we’re smarter.
William Miller: I can really see that now.
Lester Bangs: Yeah, that’s what great art is about… guilt and longing and love disguised as sex, and sex disguised as love… hey, let’s face it, you got a big head start.
William Miller: I’m glad you were home.
Lester Bangs: I’m always home. I’m uncool.
William Miller: Me too!
Lester Bangs:  You’re doind great, dude. The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what we share with someone else when you’re uncool. [melhor frase?] My advice to you? I know you think those guys are your friends. You wanna be a true friend to them? Be honest and unmerciful.

PS1: Essa é a segunda vez que  o Sir Elton John emplaca um hit nesse blog (veja o outro aqui). Mereceria ele uma menção honrosa?

PS2: Sugestão? Navegue no site do Cameron Crowe.

PS3: Mais Cameron Crowe aqui.

PS4: Que tal as covinhas do Billy Crudup? Ok, ok, foco.

PS5: Esqueci.

PS6: Lembrei!! Embora a Kate Hudson tenha se dado bem com esse filme, vocês notaram a presença da Anna Paquin, a Sookie, de True Blood, né? Falando nesta série, alguém já viu o site da cerveja Tru Blood? Vende de pack a camisetas com a inscrição Real blood is for suckers. hahaha, boa HBO!!

PS7: Vale rever a Anna Paquin ganhando o Oscar em 1993, por O Piano.

When we go to . . . we GO to . . .

New toy for Baby Bear, because it was too cute to pass up:

Enough litter for Mini Ann, Penny Lane, and Bru Bru for the month:

Wet food to mix with Oakley’s dry food and wet food for Mini Ann since she has no teeth:

Penny Lane and Bru Bru’s dry food:

Oakley Faith’s dry food and Pedigree dry food we are donating:

That is our monthly shopping for Baby Bear (Oakley Faith), Penny Lane, Mini Ann, and Bru Bru. Each of our babies eats a special diet, I guess you could say. Oakley has to have some wet food mixed into her dry food. That dry food will last Baby Bear about a month and a half, not just one month. Mini Ann had all of her teeth pulled a while back, so she needs wet food mixed into her dry food. Penny Lane and Bru Bru both eat the same dry food, but at different times and different proportions.

The litter is obvious. Three cats equals a lot of litter. We have a huge litter box that takes one entire tub of litter. It has to be cleaned daily. It gets fully refreshed with a new tub of litter at about the two week mark. Cleaning it daily helps the litter last a week and a half to two weeks easily.

We are donating that bag of Pedigree food to an animal shelter this week along with all of the leashes and collars our babies have grown out of over the years.

So, it looks like a lot because it is a lot, however, it is for four pets and an entire month. The price? Over $100.

Of course, we always take Baby Bear with us. That is so much fun! I often wish we lived in Seattle or San Fransico where people can take their dogs everywhere with them. Here, we can only do that at , other than places that are outdoors.

I am not sure if you all noticed or not, but we only buy products and brands owned by Purina. They are the best, plain and simple. Let me tell y’all, I have been a sister, mommy, and helper to many animals in my life. I have tried and gone through several brands at PetsMart. NOTHING I have found is as realiable (as far as recalls), liked by animals, and healthy as Purina products. Expensive brands want us to believe they are better, but they use more by-products and crap fillers than any other brand. Seriously!

Anyway, it’s always a long and slightly pricey trip to , but it’s always fun to get to go shopping with Oakley Faith.

august 23rd: factory girl.

if i go on the hike and bike trail by my house, i run by this factory.  i don’t know what it does, but it looks cool.

august 24th: longest week ever.

a month long project that i’d been working on ended on august 31st.  i’m pretty good about staying on top of everything.  i can’t say the same thing for all of my coworkers, who i need to give me their work.  plus, i have the most unique temp ever.  she never stops talking and yet she never says anything.

august 25th: buried treasure.

penny lane makes me laugh.

august 26th: uninspired.

dear closet, i love you.

august 27th: storm!

after our 3rd day of unsuccessfully winning the wicked lottery, the sky finally fell out.  they were the biggest rain drops i’ve ever seen.  i tried to take some pictures of the lightening but i’m having issues with my camera and it not wanting to focus when i ask it to.  it may be making another trip back to the geek squad, even though i think it’s their fault in the first place.

august 28th: che lulu

so, really, this was on saturday, but since i had to cram a whole bunch of things into saturday and i didn’t take any pictures on friday, this is it.  i flew to birmingham and stayed with my sister.  i love, love, love my sister.  on saturday my mom came down and we went to lunch at che lulu.  mmm… tart.  then my mom drove us to huntsville and we went to see my nanny and daddy jim.  and then my final destination was my dad’s.

august 29th: best friends.

and i got to see my best friends!!!  we had dinner with my dad.  i miss my friends   and my family

august 30th: yes.

katie asked me to be her bridesmaid like this.  adrienne gave me the most delicious cupcakes ever.  i didn’t take a picture because they were too delicious.  marty and i drove 14 hours back to austin.  that’s a long drive.

august 31st: hello, clocky.

longest day ever.  not only was i tired, i also had to stay late because people decided to turn in their stuff to me right at 5 o’clock even though i asked them to have everything in by 3.  good riddance august.

i didn’t take any new pictures until today.  so instead, enjoy the many adventures of tubby.  tubby was a gift from gracie (my mom’s dog) to penny lane.  he got his name because he reminded marty and i of a teletubby.

sub. for september 1: long road home

tubby enjoys long road trips and pouring rain.

sub. for september 2nd: creeper.

tubby also enjoys creeping while marty drives his new car.

sub for september 3rd: mississippi

tubby crosses the mississippi river.

sub for september 4th: la

tubby enjoyed a brief stop in louisiana.  complete with a boy in the girls bathroom.

september 5th: toxic sludge

it stormed again yesterday.  marty and i are both sick, probably from allergies that all this rain has finally kicked up.  today, toxic sludge has begun to make it’s way down the river.

gross.