I have been so frustrated, unmotivated, and generally depressed this past year. The dead-end job and expensive bills are threatening to destroy my sanity. And if I hear someone else besides my inner voice say, "You should be grateful for you job!", I'm going to let out a huge scream! Yes, I know I'm lucky to have steady income, but it doesn't mean I have to enjoy it, and I have come to terms with the fact that I have a right to complain and whine! SO THERE! I am human after all! So here's to 2009 and a possible new career opportunity, which means seeing the light and less procrastinating on my part. I've had semi-decent health this year, but not as good as I would've liked, so here's hoping the new year will be better in that department.
2008 was memorable in that it was the first year in a long time that I'd been to a music concert, and I ended up going to EIGHT total live shows this past year! Not bad I must say. I got to see Miguel Bosé, Elton John, Liza Minelli, Radiohead, Madonna, Luis Miguel, and Coldplay! Some big names I must say, and although a bit on the pricey side, I don't regret seeing these artists live at all, for they brought me joy and some good memories that I will cherish forever.
I thank each and every good noble person that is part of my life. My co-workers, my friends, acquaintances, my family, my bar crowd, and any others who I may not see often but somehow still manage to communicate with online or on the phone. There are some of you whom I've never met in person, yet still feel a connection to, and I don't know why or how, but I thank you for being part of my world nonetheless. This blog is something I love to do, and to read your constant feedback is very cool. A special shout out to Pooch and my puppy/aminal friends for showing me the true meaning of unconditional love.
The coming new year will be difficult. I dare not sugarcoat it for you my brethren. Challenges to this country's economic/social stability will be tough, and the world as a whole is getting more chaotic. I pray for us all, and wish you complete mental, emotional, and physical health to weather the upcoming storms; for with good health, we are practically invincible right?
We need not be afraid, for faith in a higher power or oneself will keep us afloat, regardless.
Feliz Año Nuevo 2009, and here's to the best (in my opinion) new music artist of the year:
The cold temps have caused the skin on my upper neck just below my chin to literally crack and burn! OUCH! I'm using a good balm to soothe it, but man it hurts so bad, and I don't dare shave while it's irritated like that; I'm already starting to look like a whino.
In no way do I think Alzheimer's Disease is a funny thing, but I had to laugh out loud a couple of times while watching the movie Iris in order to cope with the tragic absurdity of what I what I was witnessing on the screen. I rented the DVD, because I saw Dame Judi Dench and Kate Winslet in the credits, but I had no idea the film was going to touch upon that subject and be THAT depressing! EEK! Watching a once brilliant female writer slowly lose her marbles was pretty freakin' sad. Mind you, Kate and Judi were both superb as is to be expected of course, as was Jim Broadbent who plays the poor husband who has to deal with his once thriving wife crapping on the carpet like a 1 year-old. This Alzheimer's thingy is brutal, and I will do my utmost best to stay away from these types of movies from now on, because I just don't find it entertaining to watch someone's brain turn to useless mush.
I did karaoke Friday and last night! Had a blast! One of the cool songs I did, to high praise from most of the crowd there was this:
I had a nice Xmas Eve with my family, except for when my 10 year-old niece threw a tantrum. Whatever. Let her daddy deal with it. LOL! And Christmas Day was fun too! Thanks to S for the awesome party and food! Oh yeah, I've been eating so much the past two days, and not gained a pound! DAMNIT! I have the opposite problem of most of you fine people. Go figure.
There is an incredible shocking horrific story coming out of Southern California here, about some demented guy who went to his estranged wife's Xmas Eve party and shot up a couple of people, threw homemade bombs at the house, the place went up in flames, about NINE people so far have been found dead, and he went off to kill himself in the end! YIKES! He did this all while dressed up as Santa Claus! Talk about trying to make a statement and headlines. The detailsof this terrible story just keep unfolding.
By the way, R.I.P. to Earth Kitt.
Have you heard of an amazing band called The Shins? It's composed of two Hispanic and three Caucasian dudes from New Mexico! I love them! James Mercer is the lead singer/songwriter, and this dude has some serious talent and the most wonderful original voice:
AW! Let's face it, who can resist the ads for this movie? They're plastered all over Los Angeles and I assume around this country:I mean, the puppies/dogs used in the film to portray mischievous Marley are just cute as buttons, and I'm pretty sure this film is going to do pretty big business at the box office. Granted, I don't care much for Owen Wilson or Jennifer Aniston, but STILL, this flick looks adorable! The movie follows the original bestselling book to its very emotional conclusion, so it's going to be tough for me to not want to cry like a baby. I suppose most adults will be crying, but what about all those kids whose naive/unaware parents are going to take them to the movie expecting a feel good ending? MY GOD MAN! It's gonna be almost as disturbing as Bambi's mother getting shot! YIKES!
It's Nochebuena at our house, which means tamales, a hearty beef stew, and other goodies for dinner! YUMMY! Yes, a very traditional Hispanic Christmas Eve observance for us here. Wish any one of you good people could come on by and hang out, although you'd probably feel a bit lost as my mother, aunt, and brother yammer away in Spanish.
It's okay, I would gladly translate it all for ya.
Britney Spears sounds like a streetwalking prostitute on certain tracks off her new album, and I LOVE IT! Yes, I typed that! I might have to check myself into a mental institution for this, because admitting that I like Britney Spears is akin to losing one's soul and selling it to the Devil. The tracks are catchy, groovy, and brilliantly produced; she's got an awesome team of scientists working with her that make her sound good. So way ta go BritNAY! I used to dislike her very much when she first started for being too damn teeny and popsy cute, but after her incredibly turbulent marriage and subsequent weird behavior, I now think the pop airhead from the South has much more credibility and life experience. She's real now ya know? She's human, non-virginal, and wrecked by life! She's not that young innocent school girl no more for sure; her pornographic voice/intonations on certain tracks are much more acceptable now than they were back then because I wholeheartedly believe K-Fed (although a loser in life) was probably really awesome in bed. Mmm hmmm. Congrats Britney, yourlast albumgot me hooked, and your latestnow has me convinced that you are a true pop star. I'm a bit ashamed to admit this, so I think I will stop now. I don't mind hearing if you dislike Britney, because it is perfectly understandable, but I will admit to her as a guilty pleasure. SO THERE.
We haven't had such an early good hearty powerful winter in a while don't ya think? It's rainy again here in L.A. and very cold and snowy in other major parts of this great country! So there ya go! Global warming at its finest! I actually welcome all this precipitation because one never knows when a drought might hit next year or the next or whenever, so it's always good for these clouds to come in a drop some water. Our lives depend on it!
So, in honor of winter and of many more rainy (or snowy) days to come, I present you this obscure little awesome tune called "Rainy Day" by a little British band called Coldplay:
I know plenty of you are stopping by to read, but not that many of you are commenting, and the fact that none of my recent posts has racked up 15 comments and beyond has me a bit miffed. I'm quite the demanding diva huh? ;) To those who stop by and read my words, and most especially to those who comment: Thank you all!
Hey, I don't want this year to end without mentioning the passing of a great masterful American cartoonist. Originally born in Mexico actually, Bill Meléndez came to Los Angeles/Hollywood at a young age and worked for Disney as a very talented animator. Bill said Walt Disney wasa real asshole though. AHAHAH! Can you believe it?! Yeah, Disney was a tyrant, sexist, racist, and homophobic; every quality we love in a person according to Bill and many other animators and people who worked for wonderful "Uncle Walt." Bill luckily got away from Walt, and went on to animate at Warner Bros. and do bigger and better things, like all those wonderful holiday Peanuts specials! That's right! Charles Schultz created those immortal awesome characters, but it was Bill Meléndez who brought them to life, producing/directing them for television. So when you watchA Charlie Brown Christmas this season or any of the other holiday Peanuts cartoons, that's Bill you gotta thank for animating and ultimately making them part of the American consciousness. Watching Bill in interviews, he reminds me of a much more refined version of Cheech Marin. LOL! Sadly, Bill died this past September at age 91, but has left a tremendous legacy. Gracias Bill, you were truly awesome! He even did the voices of Snoopy and Woodstock! R.I.P.
My cold is gone, but there's a nagging leftover cough that comes on strong at times that just won't quit ya know? I wanna just take this cough and kill it! KILL IT! I need to just rest some more, and I think tonight will be good to just take it easy, stay warm, and repose at home. It is colder than usual here in Los Angeles, and we have stormy/rainy weather to go with it, so winter has arrived earlier than normal here. The mountains nearby are covered in snow! EES SO PURTY!
I get the feeling that Xmas will be economically tough for most people this year, and I have frankly grown tired of having to go out and buy gifts, so I have decided not to even bother. I don't wanna go to the mall, I don't wanna shop online, and there's really not that much money to spend now is there? I did get into the Xmas spirit by putting up our tree however, so at least I'm not a total Scrooge. As for my niece, I guess I'll get her something, or maybe just give the kid some cash. THERE. Problem solved. Is this bloody holiday over yet? I haven't really cared much for Xmas in years to be honest. It's a bit depressing, expensive, and stressful. As long as good friends and family are okay, that is really the whole point anyway. This overcommercialization of the holiday is ridiculous! And unlike the following picture taken earlier today at work suggests, I'm not a Grinch and I'm not planning to steal the holiday from nobody:Have any of you ever heard of Sufjan Stevens? It's pronounced SOOF-YAWN. He's a unique singer/songwriter from Michigan who happens to be easy on the eyeswith the most wonderful erotic boyish voice. A regular Sufjan song first:
I went to a nice Christmas party Saturday and was mistaken to be only 25 years old at the karaoke bar Sunday night. Defying my true age feels good.
O.k. I'm obsessed with films. Somebody stop me! It's just so easy to sit back effortlessly and take all this cinema in...I watched Queen Christina (1933)starring Greta Garbo and I was impressed. Really good movie. Emotional even! I was thinking for a while that Garbo may have been overrated during her short acting career, but now I see why she got all the accolades. She was quite anexotic beauty, with an irresistible accent, and very androgynous characteristics. I believe she is more notable for her silent movies, but I have yet to watch those. Like IKEA, Volvo, and ABBA, Garbo is one of Sweden's great exports; amazing that her film career lasted such a short while! She really only made films in the 20s and 30s, and retired from Hollywood and the limelight by about age 35! WOW! Now that's a legend folks! I may be going out on a limb here, but I've seen pics of my mother in her youth, and she kind of resembles Greta. My mother however is not bisexual, which Garbo was; she had affairs with women as well. Garbo lived a long life and retired from acting young and was pretty wise with her cash. She was frugal and lived a comfortable private secluded socialite life until her death well into her eighties.
Another film that I sat through that most normal people would've turned off within the first ten minutes was Jean de Florette, a French flick about a hunchback city dweller (played by Gérard Depardieu) and his family who inherit a nice country home from a dead relative that was killed by his greedy neighbors who want his land for its rich soil and underground natural spring. They purposely clog the spring with cement and do everything they can to make the new family fail at their venture in the country! A very simple, yet interesting story to me, but boring to most I suppose; there are really greedy wicked people out there and this movie shows Yves Montand and Daniel Auteuil in some fine performances as very dirty rotten scoundrels! Makes me wanna go visit the French countryside and shoot people like this actually! LOL! There's a part two to this called Manon of the Spring, where the daughter grows up and gets revenge for what was done to her father, so I'm kind of anticipating how she's gonna get back at these two awful bastards! ;) Good for the ear to hear French spoken like this, even though they speak so damn fast and the dialect used in the movie is a bit harder than the one in Paris I believe.
It's raining here in L.A! YEEHA! I got the song for you:
Flipping through channels yesterday, I ran into an intriguing travel program on PBS called Spain...on the road Again. Really awesome fascinating road trip-style tour of this beautiful European country as the hosts go to distinct regions trying out the cuisine and mingling with the locals. Yeah, someday I shall do this I hope, since Spain is my dream country to visit. My only problem with the show is Gwyneth Paltrow, who just happens to be one of the hosts of the program. Gwyneth is a spoiled rich bitch who's had it all handed to her it seems, and to see her traversing the Spanish countryside awaiting the preparation of Spanish cuisine and dining with the locals can be rather annoying! SHUT UP PALTROW! Even worse is when she starts speaking Spanish; her English has become sort of British now; her Spanish sounds just as pompous and uppity, although I guess I can't blame the brat since I do believe she studied in Spain for a few years. Listen, I'm just jealous of Gwyneth okay? She's an Academy Award-winning American actress living the good life touring España while I'm in the States working a dead-end job! You'd hate Paltrow too ya know!
Here's spoiled Gwynny Goo Goo:
And justwhen you thought Britney Spears was a has-been mess, here she comes back roaring into our lives with anew #1 hit album. I don't know how Britney has done it, but there ya go! She sold a massive half million units and change this past week, which is pretty impressive considering how poorly artists sell albums nowadays. What really shocks me most I suppose, is how young Britney still is. I mean, she's only 27, and she's already an established pop "legend" of sorts with so much life still ahead of her. They start so young nowadays! Britney can keep up the dancing and showing off in front of the cameras for years to come, because she is still young and fresh! She won't have to worry about aging for a good while, which is a big advantage in such an image-conscious business!
I know you hate her, but give the little "comeback kid" wench some credit:
What am I supposed to do? What am I supposed to say? A friend is struggling through barbaric treatments for a real shitty cruel disease, and he fears his mortality may be just around the corner. It is so frustrating, because here I am, another mortal powerless human with my own set of responsibilities/issues to contend with, and how can I even help the poor bloke? I guess I can try my best to be there for him, but do I really wanna see him all f**ked up, or can he even stand being seen all messed up like that? He's tired, in pain, and feels defeated he says. I can't blame him. He's even offering me some of his stuff, just in case he doesn't survive and has to go to the next dimension. To hear words like that is quite jolting. I know we are supposed to die, but to hear a bud at such a young age even discussing it like this so personally really jabs at my soul. I am at a loss at this point. All I can do is pray. Will you pray with me please? I'm so sorry, so very sorry really. He looks quite good despite all he's been through. I'm trying to offer some sort of hope, but what do I know? I'm so confused, and any advice/encouragement at this point would help tremendously.
Not to be outdone in the depressing department is Milk, a good but ultimately heartbreaking film. The cast is superb, and I sure as hell had no idea all that political garbage like PROP 6in California even went on 30 years ago! WOW! I've heard of Anita Bryant in jokes, but I had no idea this maniacal bigoted bitch was even a political force back then like this! YIKES! Funny how three decades later, we're still debating this crap all over again! WE NEED HARVEY NOW! Harvey's murder was a big loss indeed. A politically-savvy and charming man was sadly gunned down in cold blood. A real shame.Why does life have to be so damn cruel at times?
It's Friday! I have struggled so hard to make it to work this week, but I did it! And I notice the spacebar on my keyboard here is faltering a bit. I'll deal with it!
Do any of you like old classic movies? I just watched one of these obscure ones made in 1938 starring Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant called Holiday, and it was actually pretty entertaining. The script is not that spectacular, but the actors are able to turn it into a pretty fascinating film. Credit the director George Cukor as well, who was pretty damn good in his day. George was gay ya know, and had a knack for getting his actors to perform at their best, especially the females. I had read somewhere that Clark Gable didn't get along well with George Cukor on other film projects, because Gable was a bit of a homophobe. Well suck it Gable! Damn, I like Gable too! Well, Vivien Leigh did say while filming Gone with the Wind that Gable had bad breath. SO THERE! LOL! I'm rambling a bit here, but the point being I'm liking old movies more and more. They're actually quite cool, and the dialogue back then was pretty sharp, even for those days. Cary Grant was an awesome leading man; so enjoyable to watch in most of his films, much better than James Stewart and that annoying voice! UGH! Rumor has it Cary was possibly bisexual too. OOOOOOOOOOO! Clark Gable would not have approved, halitosis and all! I can't make up my mind who was the more stunning/better actress between Katharine Hepburn or Bette Davis, but I shouldn't even compare them, for they were both in top form during their remarkable legendary careers. Let's just say they were both great! LOVE ME BOTH DEM BITCHES!
I guess one of the extra appeals about old flicks is the fact that they're these precious time capsules of what it was like in those days; everyone was fairly prim and proper, no one dared to go out looking casual, and whites pretty much dominated the ethnic make-up of America! It's pretty fascinating stuff. The fact that I was born and live in Los Angeles also makes these classic films more intriguing; most of them were filmed in studios and locales so close to home here! There's real history in this city folks! Big stars lived and worked here, as they still do I suppose, but the ones back then were cooler I think. They seemed more glamorous and suave. Ya know what I mean?
I got no set plans for this weekend, except to enjoy it, sleep, and hopefully catch Milk at the theater tomorrow night Saturday!
My co-worker burnedthis CDfor me, and I'm liking MIKA, the Lebanese-British gay artist with the catchy beats:
Fellow citizens, I'm old. Do you understand the Jonas Brotherscraze? I sure as helldon't either, but look at what the kids and teens today are going ballistic over! Hannah Montana,High School Musical, and that huge blockbuster movie Twilight! I'm out of it man! And all these songs that now make the top ten; most of these artists I just can't get into! Rhianna? Chris Brown? T-Pain? WHAT?! And I've lost track of all the reality shows that teens watch too, but thank God I guess for The Soup, where at least I can be a bit informed about what is going on. Pop culture in America is ever-so-mutable, and I never thought I'd be so irritated by most of what is now popular, but I just am. I observe my niece and the music she's into and I find it fascinating. Just the other day I asked her if she liked Madonna, and she said she only liked the song she did with Justin Timberlake. LOLOL! Used to be the kids and teens liked Madonna on her own merits! DAMN! I'm old. Let's face it; I watch PBS, classic films, and other educational crap that I never would have even bothered with in my true earlier youth. Oh well, it happens to us all I suppose, BUT I ALWAYS THOUGHT I'D BE WITH IT! LOL!
Michael Phelps is such an ugly dork. And yet, he is so damn sexy. I don't get it really. He had a cool interview on 60 Minutes this past Sunday and is now making headlines again. For all the success this young man has achieved in his short 23 years on this planet, I'm willing to bet he's probably lame/awkward in bed. LOL! I say this so I don't feel too bad about never having him.
One of my co-workers was in London not too long ago, and brought me back this:
Hey. I'm having a lame few days here. Please hold my hand. Tell me it will be okay. I'm sick of the bills, the job, the commute, grooming myself; of the enormous task it takes just to keep myself afloat in this individualistic society. Ya ever feel like ya just wanna throw in the towel and just give up? Don't get me wrong, I'm not suicidal, I'm just overwhelmed/exhausted. I'm sick too. Strep throat I think. My ears itch like mad. Gotta visit the doc in a bit to see what they say, but I feel crummy.
I had all of last week off, and to be back at work today is soooooo lame. Yes yes, grateful to have a job, yada, yada, yada...Everything bugs me/frustrates me right now, except when I'm just hanging out lying down watching TV or just casually listening to the radio.
Enough about my lame whiny skinny ass. What's bugging you?! Don't lie, unless your life is truly blissful, which mine right now just isn't.
It's the holidays isn't it? This is what has me feeling so annoyed. One more month and 2008 is gone for good. At least gasoline is cheap, relatively speaking. December, please be kind to me.
My last post of 2008.
