Testing...

I'm finally logged back in for posting...just checking to make sure things work. I'll post about the Ryan concert soon!

"This mask is killing me!"

In honor of the fact that I am going to see The Phantom of the Opera [the current longest running show] on Broadway this weekend, I am posting this video of Will Ferrell on Letterman that I found randomly. He would make a funny Phantom, though I have a soft spot for Gerard Butler. Mmm, Gerard Butler. That movie version was hot buttered crap though.

What's the buzz?/Tell me what's happening

(Title of this post is a shout out to Agent 99!)

The building shut off the AC for some reason. The heat isn't on either. Anyway, during the day, I decided to open my window for some refreshing natural air, and a bug must've chosen to pay me a visit, as I had a buzzing guest 'round my head last night while attempting to sleep. The critter showed me affection by biting me three times on my hands. Why? What have I done wrong in my past life to warrant this? It's fall and not summer too, so all biting insects need to die off. I don't know what the bug was, but I looked it up, and I think it's a midge? Entomology is not my strong suit. Maybe Parker can assist me insect identification. Black, bitty, biting, buzzing.

On an irrelevant note, I was typing up a homework assignment and misspelled a word. Microsoft Word suggested I meant to type "peen" which sounds rather vulgar. I looked it up at dictionary.com and found out it is the opposite end of the hammer from the end you use to get nails into things. I guess you learn something new every day.

Terrible ten rude behaviors

While on JHU's website (don't ask why!), I stumbled upon this list of Terrible Ten Rude Behaviors. My comments are in italics.
1. Discrimination in an employment situation.
2. Erratic/aggressive driving that endangers others.
All right, I'll fess up that I have been guilty of this one. But not much now, as I am vehicle-free, the way to be.
3. Taking credit for someone else's work.
I'm pretty sure that I don't do this.
4. Treating service providers as inferiors.
I know how much patience is involved in providing service. Manners are key on both ends.
5. Jokes or remarks that mock another's race/gender/age/disability/sexual preference or religion.
Is it bad if you mock your own race/gender/age/etc?
6. Children who behave aggressively or who bully others.
As a former meek child, I actively dislike aggressive children and aggressive adults for that matter. Gah.
7. Littering (including trash, spitting, pet waste).
That's what trash cans are for!
8. Misuse of handicapped privileges.
Terrible!
9. Smoking in non-smoking places or smoking in front of non-smokers without asking.
As a non-smoker, this bugs me to no end.
10. Using cell phones or text messaging in mid-conversation or during an appointment or meeting.
Oh gosh, how bothersome. I've done it a few times by accident. Can we add distracted drivers to this point?

In other news, I got a flu shot today, and you should too!

Talkin' to yo self

Earlier today, I was in the computer lab, sitting next to a middle-aged man who kept talking to himself. I tried to tune it out, but it was irritating. He kept mumbling things like "shit!" and "good." I'm too polite, otherwise I should have yelled at him in a whisper, because it was the library after all. Weirdo.

Talking to yourself is only okay when you're alone!

Don't stop believin'

Ever since Parker brought up the Awesome 80s Prom, I went to that website, listened to Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" and have had that stuck in my head all morning. Argh! That's not what I need when I'm trying to crunch numbers in my cubicle.

And I'm tired of passing construction workers who use coarse language. I hear enough of that from some of my friends, thanks much.

Jack Sparrow as a demon barber

I'm getting stoked about the new Sweeney Todd movie starring Johnny Depp. I hope it's good. It has to at least not suck since Johnny Depp is in it and it's a musical? I watched the trailer, and it has promise. Traditional gloomy Depp-Burton look, I'd say. Appropriate for me since I'm on a mini-Sondheim kick right now. Since I haven't seen any other stagings of Sweeney Todd, I'm doing into this blind, but I am still looking forward to this flick. And every time I type Todd, I type "toddy." Huh.

Last Week's Shots

I randomly came across this wonkette article. It's the most hilarious message board exchange ever:
A Very Special Last Week's Shots Update - Wonkette

Potty humor

I just saw this on Yahoo and thought it was amusing.
N.Y. human waste raises stink in Alabama

I fell in love with a girl

I found this list when perusing a Radiohead website. New album? Yay. Pick your price? Double yay.

Anyway, the list is from that crappy rag Rolling Stone, but it's the top 20 best live bands. Think it came out this summer.
1. The White Stripes
2. Radiohead
3. Pearl Jam
4. Rage Against the Machine
5. U2
6. Metallica
7. Flaming Lips
8. My Morning Jacket
9. The Hold Steady
10. Arcade Fire
11. The Raconteurs
12. Wilco
13. Yeah Yeah Yeahs
14. Red Hot Chili Peppers
15. Gogol Bordello
16. Kings of Leon
17. Muse
18. Dave Matthews Band
19. Tool
20. LCD Soundsystem

I've seen four of the bands listed above, and they are all quality live acts. One of the rare times I agree with Rolling Stone?

The doctor is back

Before it's Tuesday again, what did you think of House's season premiere? It was more of a fun episode, heavier on the levity and hijinks. Wilson talking into a kidnapper voice machine, the janitor suggesting lupus. I liked it when the janitor kept repeating the same question to the patient's mother. Except the patient storyline of course, that wasn't funny. Cuddy looks quite fetching. But yeah, I couldn't get 100% into the story because static is not my friend.

Is House really hallucinating? He just can't quit those underlings, can he?

Checked out any of the other fall shows?

My favorite ladies come together

I love Amy Sedaris. She's a riot on Letterman (search for those on YouTube, soooo funny), but she is killing me in clips from Martha Stewart's show. Check out both clips on fourfour. Anyone who could tell Martha that no one will like her cheese ball has nerves of steel.

Let them eat cupcakes

I feel like I'm blogging to a brick wall (Hello? Anyone out there?), but I'll post regardless. So yeah, I'm going to type about cupcakes. I don't get them. Yes, I know what they are and they can be yum, but I'm not going to wait in a line that is full of tourists and wraps around the block for a cuppy cake. They aren't that incredible. The baked goods in question seem to be popular in this here metropolis. I stumbled upon one such purveyor and bought three cupcakes: two for a pal and one for myself. It was sweet but not too sweet, moist and fresh. I enjoyed the confection but will not be dreaming about it tonight or planning my next trip to that establishment. No cupcake addiction for me. When you think about it, cupcakes are messy and make waste because of that wrapper that you have to toss away and sometimes you get frosting on your fingers from picking it off. Giant cupcakes seem to be trendy too. When transporting cakes in a cup, you have to be careful so the frosting doesn't get all mussed and your friends don't think you're a klutzy spaz. And that is my cupcake manifesto.

Happy Birthday!

A special birthday shoutout to one of Alacrity's favorite movie stars, Mr. Luke Wilson! 36 years young today!

Cameron, lay off the meth

Oh Parker, I forgot to tell you that I saw the episode of House with Cameron on meth. It was a shorter scene than I expected, but it was freaky, like you said. And for Agent 99, there was a Ryan Adams song used to open and close a different show. I looked it up; the song is "Desire."

Bible Beltin'

Today I walked by a man on the corner who was handing out tiny green Bibles. "Would you like a copy of the New Testament?"
I waved my hand. "No thanks."
For a second, I felt like I was in the south again.
And then I saw another man dispensing Bibles on the next corner. I'm not sure how much success they were having.

This reminds me of how when I stayed at a Hilton this past summer, there was a copy of Conrad Hilton's book about founding his hotels or whatnot. Obviously I had alternative reading material. At least it wasn't Paris's "writing."

Today's Etsy shop is Pulp Tart by Miss Anna Bronwyn. I love Anna's stuff because she uses such striking bold beads married to recycled metal (motorcycle parts) for her jewelry. Her paintings are worth a look too. When I accumulate more cash, I might need to increase my meager Pulp Tart collection.

Though I don't particularly read shopping blogs all that often, I felt the random urge to dabble in that area with this here post. Or I just wanted to waste more time since I don't want to do what I should be doing.

A lot of people know that I love to shop on Etsy.com and I was a bit wary about posting my favorites from that site so people would know where I've been buying my awesome stuff and awesome stuff for them. But some goods are way too marvelous not to hype.

Today I would like to spotlight Circular Accessories. I've gotten tops from this here shop twice and am pleased as punch with them all. Such gorgeous printed clothing! These are some of my current faves:

HybrID HyEGO HySUPEREGO

A Newsweek a couple of issues ago had a story called "A Case of Prius Envy" written by Keith Naughton. I would link to it, but I think only subscribers can read it online. For anyone who cares, it's the September 3, 2007 issue, page 40.

I once told someone that if you have to say you're classy, you're probably not. This was in reference to pop singers or pop tarts, I want to say J.Lo, but I don't remember.

Here's a quotation from the article:

Peter Kessner, a devout environmentalist, bought a Honda Civic hybrid four years ago to show everyone that he wants to save the planet. The only problem: no one noticed, since, other than the hybrid badge on the trunk, it looked like a regular Civic. So he traded it in for a Toyota Prius. Suddenly, strangers began stopping him on the street to ask about his hybrid, with its space-age styling and miserly mileage. "That's a big part of why I bought the Prius," says the Floral Park, N.Y., retiree. "It opens up conversations, and I push my theory that we've got to do our best to conserve." The Honda, on the other hand, didn't deliver what Kessner craved: green street cred. "If I'm driving a hybrid," he says, "I want people to know it."

If you buy a hybrid, you do it for yourself and the planet, right? Why do you have to blab it to the world? Yes, I'm all for promoting environmentalism but I'm not an attention seeker. That's fine, but that's not the point. I might be biased toward Civics, but why not slap on a pro-hybrid bumper sticker or get a hybrid license plate? It's probably secret vanity. You want people to notice and admire you. I've never had a stranger approach me about my non-hybrid car, but that's because my cars have never been remarkable. I don't know, something bugs me about this.

I have a solution! Paste a picture of Al Gore onto your non-Prius hybird. That'll do the trick.

Hipster Olympics

A friend showed me this video last night, and I think it's 'effin hilarious. I have a love-hate deal with true hipsters, probably because I know I could never be one of the cool kids. Anyway, watch and laugh.