Mood music

I'm watching the rain pour down the windows and hoping I don't get stuck at work overnight.


Sing it, brother Stevie!

Marking time at the office

I have no idea why I'm at work today. Nothing productive is happening. Everyone is passing around Christmas cookies and emailing each other YouTube videos.

I need more vacation time.

Friday Fun Video
Since everyone's probably a little tired of Christmas carols by now, I offer a bracing shot of the Muppets. This clip features Rita Moreno, the only guest star to get the best of Animal.

Thinking about New Year's Eve

Christmas dinner (menu and location) has been decided.
Cards have been sent.
Shopping is done.
Decorating is done.
Wrapping will be done when the last present gets here (Thursday, according to the USPS website)

Time to think about New Year's Eve. Ugh.

I don't like New Years Eve. (Which is probably why it seems to sneak up on me every year, I ignore it.)

If I had my way, New Year's would be celebrated with lunch on the day itself. Everyone would make extravagant predictions for the coming year, which would then be recorded and read out at the following New Year's Eve lunch. (The key word is extravagant - no predicting that you will buy a new car. More along the lines of  "I will have lunch with Bono and discuss why rainbows are such a popular motif on clothing for little girls.") 

I've had friends go to see the ball drop at Times Square in New York, and the stories they tell (pickpockets, standing for hours on end packed into an enormous crowd, wearing a Stadium Buddy, because you can't leave) all fill me with horror. And they actually go back. I can't imagine any concert being worth that.

Really, you can't even see the stage

I've always wanted to do the dinner and dancing all night, but the men I've dated have all been the kind for whom dancing is a punishment, with formal wear a close second. And New Year's, like Valentine's Day, does not seem to be a good night to go solo. 

Sleeping through it is not an option. My neighbors are going to explode enough fireworks to light up the ship channel. (I may have to sedate the cat.)

So I'm throwing it open. Any ideas?

So far I have:

• movie night (which leads to another problem - what is an appropriate New Year's eve movie?)
• buy some fireworks of my own and join the freezing people outside.
• bottle of champagne and popcorn.
• leave the country

Asimbonanga

Farewell, Nelson Mandela

The Tonys

I'm a Broadway baby, raised on musicals. I could sing the entire score of Sweeny Todd when I was 10. I know all the crowd pleasers, and few flops (Two by Two anybody?) but there is nothing quite like a good Broadway show.

Smash, a television show about a Broadway musical, was cancelled this year. It was a lot of fun. It was a musical in and of itself, and I enjoyed every last moment. But I am not among those who mourn its passing. I think it ended appropriately. The story was about bringing a show to Broadway, which they did, and the last episode was at the Tony Awards, an ideal ending point and culmination of the series.

But the reason I'm bringing all this up, is that this weekend is the Tony Awards! They are so much better than the Oscars, because the nominees actually do parts of the show, showing you why they were nominated at all. The music is great, and they are mercifully brief. (3 hours, including commercials). There is no red carpet, no after party nonsense, The Tonys move. Compare that with the insane, (and often inane) daylong coverage of the Oscars and you understand what I mean.

And as an added bonus, Neil Patrick Harris is hosting this year. He's done it before, beautifully, so I anticipate a great show.

Have a great weekend, and I'll meet you in front of the telly on Sunday!

Small, good things

It's been such a traumatic week; I thought it would be a good weekend to focus on little things that make life worth living.

This weekend, my friends Daniel and Vero are celebrating the 5 year anniversary of their 1st date.



From their wedding - 2011

 

My favorite webcomic: Girl Genius is still going strong.

Seriously, Agatha Heterodyne rocks.

And Bailey has decided to take advantage of laundry day by building a nest.

 

Weekend Fun Video

 

And a great version of a great song

 



 

 

I'll tell you on Monday

 I'm at a wedding. Sort of. Well, yes it is a wedding but no it isn't really ...

What it is, is a long story, and I'll have to tell you later.

In the meantime,  have a wonderful weekend. Take advantage of the glorious weather we're having! There are all sorts of festivals if you're at a loss.

 Have a great weekend and I'll tell you all about the not-really-a-wedding next week.

This weekend

• Woodlands Waterway Art Festival
• Turkish Film Festival
• Houston Blues Festival
• Houston Children's Festival

Friday Fun Video

Nobody does it like the king.

  

Colors!

 

It's spring, and all I can see is the new colors coming out on the trees, and out of the ground, on the flowers and all around. Happy weekend.

What do you want to be?

I have been lucky to have for friends many dynamic women. Women who knew what they wanted to achieve in life. Some are teachers, some ride horses, some are getting their doctorates, some own and run their own businesses.  But me? I'm Luann. (She's the blond on the far right.)

I never really knew what I wanted to do. In school I wanted to get good grades and graduate. That was it. I didn't have a career path in mind. It's not that I didn't think about it. I'm a planner. I like having things mapped out. But I couldn't decide what I wanted to be.

I have never been one of those people with a vocation. I thought back to what I wanted to be when I was a kid, and it changed a lot.  I went from opera singer, to novelist, to photographer, to cartoonist. I even remember a spate of Olympics-inspired gymnastics; that one wore off after belly flopping into the horse a few times too many.

I'm not complaining. I have a job that I'm good at, and it pays me decently. I have a house, health insurance a 401K and a cat. I'm just restless I guess.

Is this it?

Friday angst video

Sunny Christmas Eve

I've lived my entire life in warm climates.  I learned to ski on water. I threw my first snowball on vacation when I was 36 and I have never shoveled snow.

So when I think of Christmas, I don't think of snow on fir trees or trying to stay warm. My memories are of blue skies and sunshine. Today, all my windows are open to let fresh air into the house and it's a glorious day to be outside.

So I'm going out, to enjoy the weather. Merry Christmas, or Kwanzaa, or Hanukkah, or Solstice or whatever it is you celebrate. I'm going to take a tip from Mr. Minchin and have a long lunch with my family.

White Wine in the Sun - Tim Minchin

I'm on vacation!

It lights up too!

Now I can go shopping!

Seriously, I have the problem recipient.
He's an awkward size, so clothes are not an option (you can only buy someone so many scarves)
He's not into sports. so I can't get him team jerseys or anything like that.
He lives in Asia, so any electronics, movies etc I can buy here won't work on his machines/current.
He doesn't read (for entertainment value anyway) and his hobby is rowing.
And whatever I buy has to be portable and go through customs.

The way I see it, my options fall into two categories:

1. Buy something that can be consumed during his visit. One of those novelty popcorn tins, a bottle of wine, beef jerky. (and before you say chocolate, he's not into sweets) or

2. Wacky presents. Something completely off the wall. Last year, my father gave me a glow in the dark jellyfish paperweight, which turned out to be the thing I never knew I wanted. (Really, it's very cool.) But truly wacky presents are hard to find, and you run the risk of "what the #%$ is this?"

So I'm going to be drifting among the shelves for the next couple of days. Any suggestions will be gratefully received.

Friday Fun Video
Not to add any more pressure, but what are your plans for New Years? I'm thinking potato chips and champagne.

Christmas Cards

Oldest mass-produced Christmas Card - circa 1843!

I love letters.



E-mail does not come close to the thrill of getting a real letter or postcard, something with actual stamps on it. A letter that a friend of mine took the time to write and put in the mail means something to me. A letter is a gift, in and of itself, even if the news is boring. 

I try to keep up the habit of writing letters. I'm far from perfect, and I don't send nearly enough, but I insist on sending Christmas cards. Electronic cards are ok, there are some beautiful ones out there, and it beats being forgotten altogether, but I'd rather get a real card. 

And aren't the cards themselves fabulous? Small pieces of mass-produced art. Who wouldn't love getting one of these in the mail?

Very 50s - I can see my grandparents sending this card

I love how it looks like an ornate paper cutting

a minimalist aesthetic - for your more design oriented friends



I love the idea of this one - very clever



Wow!



Friday Fun Video

Not your average Jingle Bells.

Sympathique

This Friday, I find myself with nothing to say. It happens. So instead, I give you this very sweet little video.  It's about as girly as it gets; you have been warned.

Bisous,

Rebecca

Why I like Pitbull

The Latin Grammys were last night, and one of my favorite performers, Pitbull, opened (and closed) the show. Yes, I like Pitbull. Pitbull's music is raunchy, randy, overtly sexual, with a great beat and very hum-able, (because you don't want to be heard singing those lyrics in public.)

I know, I know. I'm totally not his demographic. I tell people I like Pitbull and they either think I'm insane (what self-respecting feminst likes Pitbull?) or making a lame attempt at being cool. To which I say: I'm a Trekkie, I gave up on cool a long time ago.

But I was thinking about why I like Pitbull, particularly when I recoil from other artists whose lyrics towards women are similarly suggestive/dirty. Leaving aside the rythym and the fact that he has a great voice,  in large part I think it's because Pitbull isn't of the "get over here b***" school of lyrics. He's suggestive, but he's not bossy. He never refers to women rudely, and he's openly appreciative of their charms. Appreciation makes a girl feel good. 

Unlike a lot of rappers, he doesn't do songs about showering her with material posessions, which I appreciate, because I've been on the receiving end of that and it's not flattering. It's like they think they can buy you.

Mostly, the songs are about female beauty and what he'd like to do.  Also, and this is key, he makes it sound like fun, not a transaction, not an end-of-the-world, all-consuming passion, just fun. Essentially, he's making an extremely naughty offer but it's her choice about whether or not to accept. That's called seduction, and seduction is very attractive.

Friday Feel Good Video

Obviously it's a Pitbull video, and while this one is fairly tame, it's probably not safe for work.

It's over!



 I looked for one of Romney, but he doesn't seem to inspire knitters - and this was too good not to share.



If you are like me, your reaction to the presidential election was one of relief - not so much about who won, but that I don't have to hear campaign news anymore. Listening to the press go on and on the significance (or insignificance) of a 1% dip in the polls was driving me crazy.

My recycling bin is full of election mailers. I hung up on at least one automated phone message a week, and the emails! Thank goodness for spam filters. And I don't live in a swing state - it must be absolutely brutal for the people in Ohio.

Could we shorten it? Pass a rule saying that they are only allowed to campaign for say, 6 months before election day - 6 months is an ample amount of time. They can do all the fundraising, coming up with the platform, candidate selection, etc. beforehand, but they are only allowed to importune the public for 6 months. Anyone who can't make up their mind in 6 months, isn't going to.

And while we're at it, the press would only be allowed to come on the air and speculate (i.e. say "I don't know" at length) for 1 hour a day.  It would be called "Opinion Hour" and be scheduled for the same time, every day. That way the press could stop trying to fill air time with guesswork, and concentrate on something of substance. They might even notice that there are countries out there that aren't the US and give them some real coverage.

Okay. Rant over. I feel better now.

Friday Feel Good Video
A classic.

Music for Election Day

We, the people, are selecting a president today. We may not like our current choices, but have we ever?

A classic from the 50's: the local chapter of the Republican party meets to choose a candidate and play a little poker.  My favorite verse: "nobody likes a candidate whose name they can't spell."

And for a little less cynicism: Aaron Copeland's "Fanfare for the Common Man" - because the election is about all of us.

Wellness Update

Sorry to "go dark" on you, particularly on Halloween, but I've been ill. Not only confined to bed but actually voiceless - which led to the conundrum of trying to call in sick with laryngitis. Thank goodness I have email.

I wasn't even up to reading. I've spent the last two days lying in bed covered with blankets and a cat. At least the cat was happy, even though she didn't understand why I didn't want to play.

My mother came over with 3 kinds of chicken soup, spinach-stuffed crepes, a fruit plate, grapefruit juice, and sushi. I love my mom, she even brought flowers. Whatever happens, I'm not going to starve to death.

It looks like it's going to be a beautiful weekend. If you are in the Houston area and not recovering from a massive cold, this weekend is:

• Korean Festival - Gangnam Style!
• Renaissance Festival - this weekend's theme is Roman Bacchanal - yowza!
• International Quilt Festival - more interesting than you'd think.

Friday Feel Good Video
Humor me, I've been sick.



Oops!

This is what happens when you have a cold. You forget perfectly obvious things, like the Friday Feel good video. My apologies. Here it is.

Friday Feel Good Video

I found this when someone asked me to post a song that reminded me of my childhood. My parents may argue, but in reality I was raised by George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.

In Defense of Luxury



Penfold's Block 42

I was poking around the internets the other day and found a story about a very expensive, special release bottle of vintage wine.

What Do You Eat With a 168,000 Bottle of Wine? 

Of course, for that kind of money, you don't just get wine. There's a specially-commissioned bottle with precious metal detailing and that comes in a custom, handcrafted cabinet. Even empty, it's a pricey object. 

Normally, I'd see a story like this, think "Gee, the crazy stuff people will spend money on", and keep going; but my eye passed over the comments section. I avoid the comments section, as all the bile and vitriol of the world seems concentrated there. But this time I saw it, and in particular, I saw comments saying that people should not be spending money on luxuries, not when there are starving people in the world.

On the surface this seems like a compelling argument. No one needs a $168,000 bottle of wine, and the poor do need help. But if you've ever bought a pack of gum, then you've wasted money on a needless luxury that could have been used to help the poor. Any money spent on extras could be used to help the needy. The real offense here is the scale of the spending. Few people will guilt you over a chocolate bar, but buy a Lamborghini and the moral accountants appear to judge your actions. However:

• Just because someone spends a lot of money on wine (or cars, or clothes, or whatever), doesn't mean that they don't spend money on charity.
• Not buying hyper-expensive wine doesn't mean that the money will be spent on starving children. Maybe they'll buy diamonds, a wrought-iron dog run, or just leave it in the bank.  At least if they buy the wine, the money goes into circulation and keeps the luxury goods makers off the dole.

While I don't want to spend the price of a house on a single bottle of wine, I'm glad there's a market for it. I am in favor of luxury items. Can you imagine a world without luxury items? A life where you only get what you absolutely need and nothing more. It would be so dull and sad. Think of all the things that would be gone:

needless luxuries, all of them

toys, cake, nail polish, colored fabrics, cut glass, jewelry, perfume, art, cut flowers, lawns, theater, ornamental gardens, sports cars, fountains, candy, carpets, music, pillows, movies, upholstered furniture, alcohol, the list goes on and on.

And while I will never be among the super wealthy, I appreciate what money and vision can do. It is money and vision that produced the Eiffel Tower, glass windows, mirrors (the making of which led to the invention of telescopes and microscopes) bathrooms with hot and cold running water, the flush toilet (I am really grateful for that one), Oxford, ornamental gardens, palaces like the Hermitage and Versailles which make up the cultural heritage of the world - luxury items, each and every one, and aren't they grand?

Friday Feel Good Video

Something completely frivolous. Have a luxurious weekend.

Accentuate the Positive

This post is a response to a blog by my friend, Leslie Farnsworth.  You can read her original post here.

I was once privileged to attend a lecture given by Maya Angelou. If you ever get a chance to hear her speak, go. She is a mesmerizing speaker. She was on stage for what must have been and hour and a half, and it felt like 10 minutes. I can't remember most of it, it's been too long, but what I took away from her talk is "you make your own soundtrack".

The more you listen to petty, hateful, trashy stuff, the more it seems normal and right to you. I found this out for myself when I had a brief fling with a fashion site. It was funny, but it was catty, and I found myself being meaner as a result. Once I realized this I removed it from my bookmarks and haven't looked at it since.

But that's the easy stuff to spot. What if it's something you grew up with? We tend to spend time with people who think the way we think. It's easy, it's low stress, but it can lead to accepting things you wouldn't have if it had come from an outside source. After all, these are people you know, but  sweet old Mrs. Johnson, who leads the church choir, can't stand Jews. Maybe you have a neighbor who hasn't spoken to his son in 10 years because he married a woman of a different race or religion. I have heard appalling misogyny, racism, homophobia, etc. from all sorts of 'upstanding citizens'.  They may not be standing on the corner screaming "God hates fags" but they are still promoting hatred.

So what can you do? Be aware and listen. Really listen. Don't let jokes, or arguments with "because they're Jews/women/black/gay" slide. Say something, if you can. If confrontation isn't your thing, vote with your feet and leave.  Don't hang around and try to excuse/ignore the bad stuff. By not saying no, you may not be agreeing, but you are saying you don't mind.

But when you leave, don't match their negativity. Put out a happy soundtrack. We may never eradicate the hatemongers, but by being tolerant, welcoming and inclusive, we can make their appeal (and thus their power) significantly less.

Friday Feel Good Video
Aretha Franklin - Accentuate the Positive