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March 11th, 2009
12:09 am - Oh my
I had an epic karaoke moment the other night. Epic, I say.
I decided to try a new song. So I went up on stage to perform David Bowie's "Rock and Roll Suicide."
Oh my God, I OWNED it. And this Brookyln hipster audience was toooootally with me. Pretty sure they didn't see it coming!
Just sayin'.
what's up, Gainesville?
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February 17th, 2009
12:06 am - A treatise on being 29
At 29, here are the things that I believe have been unendingly true about me since childhood:
-I still worry too much
-I still love macaroni and cheese
-My parents are still the most important people in my life.
-Having a solid group of friends I can count on is everything to me.
-I still love to go out and play.
-I still have a stubbornly independent streak.
-I still watch the Simpsons.
-I still love to write.
-I'm still self-entertaining.
-I still look forward to Halloween and Christmas for months in advance.
-I still love to make my older brother laugh.
-I still wear blue converse until they're ready to fall off my feet.
-I'm still a complete nerd.
... A hell of a lot has changed, even in the last 2 and a half years... each year I get bolder, more self-aware, and probably more impatient too... and I absolutely embrace this. But sometimes it's nice to know that the basics are still there.
Current Music: Foo Fighters - Everlong
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January 26th, 2009
08:21 pm - Opening this up for discussion
After another riveting episode of "Man vs Food," my roommates and I are discussing which food we could consume the most of in a hypothetical eating contest.
Brandon - Lasagna
Jon - Chicken Nuggets and/or fries
Me - Milkshakes (it counts!)
Alright, what would be yours?
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January 13th, 2009
01:48 pm - Easily my favorite Mormon
I finished Ken Jennings' book, Brainiac in a whirlwind reading marathon, because I simply couldn't put it down. It's really fantastic. You get to know a lot about the behind the scenes world of Jeopardy!, he throws in little quiz facts that had me needling my roommates (e.g. Who is the only person to win an Oscar for playing an Oscar winner? Hint: It was in the last 10 years), and he has a fun story-telling style while covering some seemingly mundane stuff.
He reports a pretty compelling story about this poor trivia book author, Fred Worth. Apparently, the authors of the original Trivial Pursuit board game, which sold many millions of copies, took approx 30% of their questions from his book(s). Worth had put a fake fact in his book to track thieves (TV detective Columbo's first name is NOT Philip), and it made it to a trivial pursuit card. He took action and got as far as the Supreme Court, who ruled against him because they said you can't license a fact. No matter that the Trivial Pursuit creators admitted to referencing his book. Bleh. Poor guy went back to his boring day job, and lives on a crappy pension in a little house crammed with old books. The Trivial Pursuit people apparently own hockey teams and whatnot. No fair.
Anyway, read it, nerds! Good stuff.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/juicy/cutealiens/enthralled_a.gif) enthralled
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November 12th, 2008
October 26th, 2008
08:38 pm - A weekend
I guess it's been a while since I posted, so here's a brief post about my weekend, what the hey.
Friday night, relaxed after a loooooong week. Played piano 'til my fingers hurt.
Saturday, saw Synecdoche, New York. Glad to discuss this in further detail with anyone who's interested. In a nutshell, I'll say it was exactly what happens when Charlie Kaufman goes as dark as his thoughts go. When the movie ended, the packed theater was absolutely dead silent. The cast was amazing, so many great characters, and such spectacular performances. And plenty of Mr. Kaufman's patented twisted humor for sure. It was well made. But it was too overwhelming to watch uncomfortable, sad lives for the entire two hours with nothing encouraging to rescue you. I'd still say see it if the film interests you, but plan to do something to cheer yourself up afterward.
Today I acquired all the items for my Halloween costumes. One for playin' kickball in, one for Halloween night. This really is my favorite holiday, and I can't wait. The town is a-buzz already.
Oh, and thanks to Adrian for sharing baby shower pictures! Looks like a nice day. Sorry I had to miss it! :)
Current Music: Jens Lekman - Maple Leaves
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September 11th, 2008
September 10th, 2008
09:58 am - As Adrian has just reminded me...
Oh my goodness, I'll be in Gainesville in 9 days! Wowee, I say.
So I get in to Jax next Friday at 1:00 pm and leave Sunday night at 7.
Here's some stuff on my to-do/to-eat list:
-Buying Gator gear
-Burrito Brothers
-Satchels
-other restaurants? Lee had something in mind I think.
-Friday night dancing
-Spending some quality time with Manny Mankins.. oh, and my friends! :)
I probably will have to dedicate one meal to my old coworkers at Big Brothers Big Sisters. Not sure when yet.
Woo, crazy times.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/juicy/cutealiens/ecstatic_a.gif) excited
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September 1st, 2008
08:05 pm - Back from Vegas...
... and you can consider me a kickball tournament addict now too. Luckily, there are smaller tournaments throughout the year, and you can bet I'm going if I get the chance.
So in a nutshell:
Vegas is so not my scene, but we had a great time being touristy, picture-taking fools. We hung out by the pool a bit, until the heat was just too much. We ate at an intensely large buffet at Planet Hollyhood that I can't even do justice in describing. I just wish I had a spare stomach for such occasions. Actually, all the food at PH was great, and I think it was a good pick for our teams to stay at, since it was right in the middle of the strip. We saw David Spade eating a couple tables over from us - he was doing a few shows at PH over the weekend. The fountain that's choreographed with music in front of the Bellagio was my favorite tourist attraction I guess, but the Venetian was the nicest hotel overall. And my GOD was New York, New York terrible. The outside of the hotel is cute and whatever, with the fake skyline, etc. But I'm convinced that the inside of that place was designed by someone who has never been to NYC. And who is also mildly retarded? Anyway... Vegas is definitely very surreal and cutoff from reality. I was pretty glad to get home today.
Now to the kickball. So we expected to very probably get our asses handed to us by some of the more experienced teams... but we totally held our own! When we won a game, you'd think we had won the whole damn thing, we were so excited. All our practice this summer really did pay off. We also scored on the number 5 ranked team, thanks to some madman base-running. They certainly didn't see that coming. We played two teams from CA and one from AZ, all nice folk. But no, we did not make the sweet 16 - oh well, there's always next time.
I achieved my personal goal of getting on base (against that number 5 team!), which is harder than it sounds since the defense at this tourney was pretty sick. A lot of low-scoring games. I also think I got my chance to shine in the field because of guys assuming that the girls can't play. I caught a deep pop fly kicked right to me, and made a game-ending out by throwing a ball in from the outfield to first, because the runner started to go for 2nd and we tagged him out. Didn't think I could make the throw, hmmmm??? :)
The other 2 NY teams did pretty well, especially a team named Hey Whoa!, who made it to the final four, but lost a hard-fought game by one run. They are SO amazing to watch. And all the NY teams really banded together in cheering each other on, even though we're used to playing against each other back home. I definitely felt part of something special.
Anyway, partied it up, saw some spectacular kickball up close, and made it home in one piece without even spending a ton of cash! Good weekend.
Pictures from fb here
(You'll notice very few pictures of actual kickball - it was blessedly cloudy that day, but I was afraid my flash going off would distract players!)
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/juicy/cutealiens/working_a.gif) accomplished
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August 24th, 2008
10:39 pm - ...counting the hours...
I leave for Vegas on Friday morning. We've been practicing extra hard this week. I even had a fairly exciting catch in a game against a NYC team ranked number one going into the National Tourney. That felt good. My kicking still needs work though. I feel that never having played soccer means I need to work a little harder.
So I think we just need to keep our heads down and play smart, and we'll at least give the other teams a good game. We're guaranteed to play 3 games in the first round, and then we'll see. I'd be surprised if we made it past that round, but hey, who knows? I hope to see one of our NYC teams make it to the finals, and I think that can certainly happen. Florida apparently has a lot of strong teams attending too. It's kind of fun feeling like a state ambassador, hee.
Also, it's going to be a high of 106 degrees the day I get there. Eff you, desert sun.
Never been to Vegas, so I'm looking forward to just poking around the hotels, lying by the pool, digging into some buffets, and saving my drunkenness for Saturday night AFTER the tournament has ended. I'll try to take pictures to document some of the madness. But maybe we'll make it on to ESPN 8. Woohoo!
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/juicy/cutealiens/giddy_a.gif) giddy
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August 17th, 2008
12:54 am - I Watch Stuff
1. Today I watched 7 episodes of the Sopranos in a row. I borrowed season 1 from my dad, and sure I'm a hundred years late, but it's really good! I feel like I'll be cursing like a dirty, dirty sailor now (even more so than usual). Love that Tony.
2. I finally saw "La Vie en Rose" this week as well. Holy hell, I am SO glad Marion Cotillard won that Oscar (and the make-up people too!). Honestly, I think that was one of the best acting performances I've ever seen. She just dove so far into that role that you forget you're watching an actor at all. Nor could you guess what she really looked like under all that spectacular/creepy makeup.
The movie itself was maybe a little overdone for my taste, and so terribly depressing I had to watch some MST3K afterward just to shake it off. That should attest to how affecting Miss Marion was, and of course, how tremendously sad Edith Piaf's short life was. Anyway, worth seeing just for the performance, and the music is lovely too.
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August 11th, 2008
10:22 pm - Oh, heavens
yes Yes YES I saw Radiohead on Saturday at the All Points West Festival in Jersey. It has been four years, which means FAR too long. And of course they reaffirmed why they belong at the center of my musical universe. I lack words to describe some parts of the day, but I'll do my best.
After a fairly excruciating day in the sun - dehydrated, tired, hanging onto the railing around the audience area for much-needed support - the sun was mercifully gone, and it was finally time. And in the first 3 seconds of "Reckoner" it was TOTALLY F**KING WORTH IT. Oh, and the mesmerizing lights that heighten the whole experience, well they really outdid themselves this time. I have a few pictures, but they hardly capture it one bit.
The set list was dominated by In Rainbows (they played the entire album in fact), nothing from Pablo Honey, and somewhere between was a mix of all the other albums, closing with Idioteque. The highlights for me...
-Arpeggi going right into Where I End and You Begin. Holy shit, that's just sexy.
-Pyramid Song - Jonny turns his guitar on its side and plays it with a bow like a cello, while the lights go underwater-blue. Completely magical.
-Fake Plastic Trees - I'm not afraid to admit I got a little teary eyed on this one, I was THAT happy. This song I've loved for almost half my life, and I finally heard it live for the first time.
-Being 50 feet from these brilliant musicians, who don't even seem to know they're the coolest humans alive, who keep inventing new forms of amazing, and who we even caught smiling once or twice!
I don't think I can ask for any more than this concert delivered. Definitely my favorite of the 3 times I've seen them, and that's saying a lot.
Pictures!
..and lots of YouTube videos too! Here's some epic-ness for your asses.
Siiiiiiiiiiiiigh.
Current Location: Radiohead - Nude
Current Mood: Exquisitely, Divinely Thankful
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August 4th, 2008
10:03 pm - Ah, small town PA
Where we invent our own units of measure....
Current Music: Gorillaz - Sound Check
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August 2nd, 2008
01:10 pm - Whoa
I've rented the BBC series Planet Earth, and I've lost count of how many times in the first half hour alone that I've exclaimed to no one in particular, "What the hell IS that?!" (birds of paradise on New Guinea) or "No fucking WAY" (great white shark basically flying through the air in pursuit of a seal - scary as shit).
What I'm saying is
BBC filming nature = amazing
Rent it.
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July 31st, 2008
08:29 pm - Project Runway
If Suede doesn't stop talking about himself in the third person, Kim is gonna barf.
Is it just me, or do a lot of the designers really suck this season?
Early predictions on the winner?
Holla at your boy.
--Tim Gunn
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July 27th, 2008
09:59 pm - Hmm
Tonight I'm in one of those weird moods that for me can only be filled by reading old emails and lj entries.
I went all the way back to my first entry in May 2005 (!) reading about school bus racing, pneumonia, and Snakes on a Plane. Lots of bitching about my boss and making plans to go out dancing. Ah, good times.
I can hardly believe I'm coming up on two years in New York. Two effin years! Sometimes I have to step back from it all to appreciate it. Kind of like, I only realize that I live in NYC when I'm visiting Florida or something and I see NYC on TV and react with, "I live there!" Maybe having just finished reading Julie and Julia has left me somewhat more contemplative.
Anyway, just indulging a bit of nostalgia tonight, and missing you guys.
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July 24th, 2008
10:32 pm - It's true, I'm a fabulous daughter
I get to brag a little here. On Sunday, I headed out to small town PA, the place where it all started, to throw my parents a rather wonderful 40th anniversary party. Fifty-five of my relatives in attendance made for quite a family reunion as well - including all eight (!) of my dad's siblings. I spent a year and a half planning, and discovered along the way that I could certainly enjoy doing this for a living.
I made CDs full of the really good oldies as take-home favors, complete with labels I designed using their old wedding photos. Made centerpieces. Composed exqusitely-crafted playlists. And bless iMovie for making this possible, I filmed and edited a 'When Harry Met Sally'-esque video of my parents and aunts and uncles talking about how they met, how he proposed, etc. This turned out quite funny because my family is a little nuts and totally candid on video it seems.
Anyway, it made me sublimely happy to do this for my parents, who deserve giant parties and more for how much they've done for my brothers and me.
Nonetheless, I also discovered that 5 days in Shamokin is quite enough. You eat yourself sick and maybe hear a few too many stories about who died recently from whatever disease a life in the coal region will eventually give you. Coming through the Lincoln Tunnel yesterday, I had the distinct feeling of returning to the land of the living.
Nice to get away, nice to be back.
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July 15th, 2008
11:59 am - Umm...
Could I possibly be MORE excited about this???
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/juicy/cutealiens/satisfied_a.gif) satisfied
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June 11th, 2008
April 28th, 2008
12:39 pm - Das Weekend of German Movies
While the theme was not chosen intentionally, here are the two movies I watched for the first time this weekend.
-M
Impressively shot and edited, with interesting controversy surrounding it. I can definitely see that this was an influence on lots of serial killer movies. Enjoyed it.
-The Lives of Others (Spoilers!)
Finally watched this one that I burned from Netflix about a year ago. Wow. I loved it. The screenplay, the acting, just the concept of it.
Cool trivia too, such as the actor who played the lead Stasi agent, Ulrich Mühe, in real life had a parallel situation happen to him while he was living in the GDR. He was a theater actor and found out later that his wife was an informant and spying on him, although she denies it vehemently.
Also, how sad about him dying less than 6 months after the movie won its Oscar. Man. :(
The score was heartbreaking, and I was super impressed. One of the few movies with subject matter this intense that I'd be glad to re-watch fairly often.
And although I still don't understand how Pan's Labyrinth had so many other nominations and this had none but still took the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, I am now OK with it.
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kimberlyand's journal
