also

I LOVE AMERICA'S BIRTHDAY!

And did I ever tell you about that other blog I tried to start with my roommates about Freedom Lovers? It never really took but it was to celebrate FREEDOM.

Which I am celebrating today with my preptastic outfit.

This is now my favorite Keyboard Cat video

featuring one of my FAVORITE jams:

Excuse me while I curl up into fetal position and cry for a while

So this is the first summer in probably the past five or six years that I won't be celebrating the 4th of July with my extended family (on the Stamell side) on Martha's Vineyard.

See for most people, the 4th signifies excessive drinking and AMERICA but for me it's more of a low key affair--good food, nice dinner with my dad & step-mom, then driving to Edgartown in time to either miss the fireworks and watch them in the pouring rain.

So forgive me if I am not jumping with joy to be celebrating the 4th this year here in LA. LA doesn't scream FREEDOM and AMERICA'S BIRTHDAY to me, not like the quaint New England settings I am used to.

But, I shall try to make the most of it. Rather than mope around the house homesick I've got a very patriotic bathing suit to wear (it just screams "I love freedom!") and plan on getting some R & R. And in addition to celebrating America's birthday, it's my official half-birthday as well. Which is normally awesome but this year sucks. Being 25 is cool. 25 and a half? Less cool. Because it's halfway to 26 and I think that anything after 25 is upsetting. But talk to me about this again when I am 30 and we'll see if I feel differently.

Why I Love Celine Dion, Pt. 7

"Michael Jackson's been an idol for me all my life," says Celine Dion. "It feels like when Kennedy died. It's an amazing loss." Dion, it should be noted, was not actually born yet when Kennedy was assassinated.

(per my brother, per Salon.com)

RIP

I'm home sick (hence the limited blogging this week) but I have to chime in to comment on today's sad passing of both Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. So, so sad. Two serious 70s icons have died. I have fond memories of making up dances to MJ tunes when I was little. Hell, my brother even dressed up as him for Halloween one year. He was legendary. What a loss.

I never thought I'd end up in an insert about "Maine Women"

Please go to this link (it's a PDF, FYI): http://www.keepmecurrent.com//directories/pdfFiles/MaineWomen_April09.pdf

Then please read the column on page 6, titled "Quarterlife Lessons."

I think I was interviewed for this back in March or something. I don't really remember, but then for some reason this morning I was reminded of it while going through old emails, and went in search of the article to see if it exists. And it does. Ah, what interesting hindsight I have... I wonder if anyone from my hometown actually saw this...

Fun fact, in middle school I job shadowed Kim Block, the chick whose column runs right before the one I'm in. And we've come full circle?

Holy Hotcakes

Uggggggghhhhh.

Just wanted to say that. That's how I feel right now. AKA pretty shitastic. There's some sort of illness going around my apartment and when one of us gets sick, I guess it's only inevitable before the other three do.

As usual, I plan on going full court press against this cold, but I can't deny there's a part of me that would love to get sick and spend a day in bed. Just one.

I wonder if I did a search of this blog how many times I would find posts in which I complained about feeling sick. Yes, blogs are an ideal venue for public bitching.

Good news is that I found my wallet. It was underneath a sofa cushion (actually DiTonto found it). The bad news is that this means there is only one person responsible for the low balance on my ATM card: me.

My Teen Angst Heart Is Going to Explode

GENIUS. This. Is. GENIUS.



UPATE: Hmm that viewer doesn't appear to work in my blog format... click here to watch.

EPIC FAIL

This morning was an epic fail on so many counts, beginning with my inability to find my wallet, followed by road closures. Actually it began when I woke up feeling more sunburned than I realized yesterday. And when I had a sore throat thanks to lack of sleep Saturday night.

But I think the BIGGEST fail would be my outfit today. It is terrible. Like, really, really terrible. Not terrible like that time I dressed like a pirate/Robin Hood but terrible as in it's pretty 1994. Think Mom jeans, an ugly sweater and heels.

It's so bad I don't want to leave my desk today. EVER. Which shouldn't be too hard considering I can't eat today because I DON'T HAVE A WALLET.

NERD ALERT: The Newest Addition to my Eclectic Desk Decor

I just returned to the office after spending a bulk of the morning presenting some TRENDS (p.s. my job sounds cooler than it is, trust me) and found a package waiting for me.

Now, I knew what was inside said package prior opening because the sender discussed the contents with me two days ago, but this did NOTHING to deter my anticipation.

ALSO, I was unaware how freakin', 'scuse me, FRAKKIN' badass it would be:



Yep, that's the Emmy screener for my beloved show Battlestar Galactica. It looks so cool I don't think I am going to open it. I've already seen all the episodes anyway. And besides, it looks great with my gumball machine.

On the other hand... I wonder what this could fetch me on ebay? Any interested buyers?

Hi! Hi! It's me again!

Oh wait, sorry, didn't mean to get your hopes up. Still in a level of hell and revisiting with my old friend EXISTENTIAL CRISIS. Fun times.

But I just wanted to say hi! And brag about the software update to the iPhone because it is AWESOME. And if you don't have an iPhone you should be jealous.

And I am wearing a pair of Becca's sandals today and they are about 1.5 sizes too big and it looks funny.

OK bye. Real posts to resume next week... this afternoon if you are lucky... maybe tomorrow...

Visual Stimulation

As I have little time to actually write this week you can expect a lot of visual posts... so that's pictures or videos. Probably just videos. Like the one before this. And now this one. A band a friend just turned me into and I am digging this video.



So get excited for some more visual stimulation this week. That sounds dirty. It's not supposed to be. Get over it.

Mario, meet Keyboard Cat

Prepare Yourselves

It's Sunday night. 10:15pm. I'm doing work. Fortunately my work is watching new TV pilots, but when it's preceding one of the most stressful weeks of my life as a "young professional," you should imagine what this is preceding... Yep, Monday and Tuesday are likely to be slow blogging days, if it all.

It's interesting, because recently I've been really aware of the fact that my blog is less creative, less consistent--I am less involved--and when I do write, it's quick and ill-prepared. I've also noticed readership down, so I am sure that there's a correlation, but at the same time I wonder if people who are regularly reading the blog notice this as well or if I am just really self-aware.

And now I am rambling. Typical. But I should get back to the work, and best prepare myself for the insanely busy week ahead, and the rest of you should prepare for yourselves for a slow week in my blogging world. Thank goodness for Twitter, I guess...

Things I've Learned In Hollywood

Today's Lesson:
In this town, if you're smart, work hard, "put yourself out there," and don't conform to the Hollywood mold and rather remain your unique self, you can become an agent by the age of 24.

(Congrats to the newly minted Paradigm Agent, Ms. Ida Ziniti--well deserved, my friend!)

The Upside to the Recession

I took a moment during my lunch break today to wander around the luxury mall across the street from my office. I say luxury because there's a Bloomingdales and a CUSP but I imagine that any mall compared to the MAINE MALL is luxury.

Anyway, it's amazing how many stores are advertising sales like "EVERYTHING IS AN ADDITIONAL 20% OFF!" or "PLEASE DEAR GOD BUY SOMETHING FROM US' or "IF YOU COME IN HERE WE'RE GOING TO MAKE YOU FEEL SO SORRY FOR US YOU'LL BUY A PIECE OF CRAP... ON SALE!"

No but really, the sales are insane.

For example, today I went into one of my favorite stores, J. Crew offshoot Madewell, thinking I probably wouldn't purchase anything because it's usually over my budget. I was browsing the sale rack in the back and lo and behold, found a cute pair of jeans my size, and thought, sure, why not, I will try them on.

In the dressing room I decided they were fine--not amazing, but had the potential to be cute, if worn with the right top or shoes. I haven't bought jeans in a while so I was leaning towards getting them, but also prepared to talk myself out of buying them if they were too expensive. And thats when I saw the price tag.

$4.99

Yes, $4.99. Marked down from... (wait for it)... $135. As in, these jeans were $130 dollars OFF. As in, a 96% markdown. As in, I WIN.

So sure, the recession kind of sucks because everyone's poor, but then you can get things for really, really cheap. And well... that's kind of awesome.

See? There's a silver lining to everything...

One of those days...

Ever have one of those moments where you just sort of think how everything is going to shit? But then it's someone's birthday at your office and you get to have three glasses of champagne before 4pm and all your worries melt away and it's ALL GOOD.

Also, sorry for craptastic posting this month. I'm in a funk? Need a muse? Motivation? Inspiration? who knows...

some things

I already have another Stamos vs. Stamos brewing (GET EXCITED).

I forgot to wear deodorant yesterday. It went better than expected.

Work is very, very busy. This is a good thing? Sure.

I saw Up the other night and left the film emotionally traumatized.

I've gotten my roommates into Bones, which really feels like an accomplishment.

Weeds is back on TV. YES!

I have not eaten hot tamales in sometime.

I cooked an amazing Costa Rican dinner for myself last night.

I have no idea what I want to eat for lunch today and it's causing a great deal of stress.

My Pert Plus usage has increased to 70% of my showers.

My sleep time has increased by 70%.

I haven't shopped for ANYTHING in what feels like decades.

The above statement is a lie. It just feels that way.

I haven't cut my hair since November. Ew.

I've been listening to Placebo's "Running Up That Hill" on repeat since Sunday.

Per the above statement, I have a lot of angst. For what, I have no idea.

So, that happened.

So. I was standing on the porch off of my bedroom with some friends after a night out. I went to walk back into my room. And then I walked into my glass sliding door. Headfirst (somehow).

I don't have a bump on my forehead, in case you were wondering.

Two Weeks

Right now I am loving Grizzly Bear, especially this jam "Two Weeks." The lead singer sort of sounds like Morrisey... what do you think?

Check it out live:

The Original Keyboard Cat

Unless you live under a rock or are a Luddite, you've heard of keyboard cat (and if you haven't, just stop reading my blog because you are clearly an idiot). Well today I stumbled upon the original YouTube video of this loveable guy, only to learn he's got quite the array of tunes. My favorite moments include the "meow" noises of the second jam and also how his eyes get progressively tighter shut as he jerks around in a semi-spastic manner. Watch all the way through, please.

Stamos vs. Stamos

Okay. Hold the phones. Hot of the press comes this news about my namesake/arch nemesis/eventual BFF & co-author of the as-of-yet unwritten Stamos & Stamos: Road Trip America!:

"John Stamos confesses that he’s conceptualizing a Full House feature film. He envisions the film to star James Franco as Uncle Jesse, Steve Carell as Danny Tanner and Tracy Morgan as Uncle Joey."

Okay Stamos. Really? Look, I get that your heyday was the Uncle Jesse era, what with the leather jackets and the mullet and the Olsen twins before they got weird, but even the best of us know when to quit. For example, I peaked in high school, and you don’t see me going around trying to recreate the glory days of being captain of the Field Hockey team and a member of the state champion Mock Trial group (yeah, that’s right, MOCK TRIAL).

Sure it’s cool you are trying to give the show a modern spin by introducing some diversity, and maybe re-casting what you like to think is a younger version of yourself (hmm....) But, I mean, you just had a pretty decent comeback with ER—I know that a Full House movie sounds nice and with this reinvigorated late 80s/early 90s kitsch everywhere it might even be timely. But dude, LET IT GO. From one Stamos to another...

So this round?

I win.

Obviously. And thank God because you really kicked my ass the last go-round.

E3 Highlights

Besides getting some inside info on the new Avatar movie and companion game, I have to say my favorite part of E3 was simply walking around the floor demoing games. Of course the Nintendo booth was my favorite, and playing the new "Super Mario Bros Wii" game was a ton of fun--it harkens back to the day's of the old school NES, because you hold the Wiimote like an old controller and you're running through updated versions of familiar landscapes.

On a personal level I loved going to the Ubisoft press conference Monday night. Besides my internship at Us Weekly all those years ago, this was the most real-deal reporting experience I've had, and I loved every second of it. It was fun just chilling in the media lounge, looking around at all the other reporters, writers, bloggers, photographers, and knowing that for the first time, I too had credentials that put me in their peer group.

I also spent some time watching G4 shoot their live coverage, which was cool because I got to witness the legendary gamer Steve Wiebe play Donkey Kong. And I had a realization that I was the only chick in a sea of dudes. Alas, that sea of dudes was not an attractive sea.

E3 was a reminder that I am not even remotely nerdy though. Okay, remotely, but I am way on the fringe. I am hardly a gamer, I discovered, so I guess it's a good thing I was there as a "trend reporter" because when I attempted to play the new "Sonic & Mario Winter Olympics" game on the Wii I sucked. It's okay, I'm glad I'm not that much of a nerd. At least not like this guy. Excuse me, this stormtrooper:



I mean, seriously, dude? This isn't Comic Con...

I know, I suck

The above line appeared in an email to a co-worker yesterday. Why do I suck? For a variety of reasons, but in this context it applies to the fact that I did not blog ONCE yesterday. I did however post a lot of Twitter updates so I hope that made everyone feel better.

I have big plans to write some E3 coverage this afternoon. Yep, this afternoon I SAID. Why? Contrary to my wildest dreams, I do have ANOTHER REAL JOB for a living that sadly, takes precedent.

One thing I did learn after two days at press conferences and a trade show... I would love to be a reporter, yep, a real life reporter. Also, the male to female ratio at a video gaming event is hilarious.

E3: I've arrived

So I get to go to E3 this afternoon and all day tomorrow. What is E3? This massive trade show for video games, meaning that all the big players like Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, Ubisoft, EA, Activision, etc are revealing their latest and greatest developments in games and gaming platforms. What does this mean for me? I've arrived. Well, in geek circles anyway.

Actually, hardly, but I'm pretty excited to be among the other nerdy press members trolling the grounds of the LA Convention center, tweeting about everything I am seeing as it happens. Yep, follow me on Twitter as that's the easiest version of liveblogging, or just check in here later this afternoon when my coverage begins. I love that this is for work. Sure, I might not be going to Comic Con (because, let me reiterate, that is one convention I will only go to if I have actual professional reason to), but this is pretty sweet, and it's press-only, so I'm feeling pretty jazzed to be considered a member of that lofty group.

Wait, I really just referred to the press as a "lofty group?" I would imagine the type of press covering a trade show of this nature are less lofty and more... well, yeah, as I said before, nerdy. Hey, maybe I'll meet my future husband and the Nintendo stage? One can only hope...

I want my MTV

Watching the MTV Movie Awards last night was just... GREAT. Truly. I have missed MTV. In all honestly the only time I watch the network is to catch The Hills and last night's season finale was the first time I'd watched the show this season since the first three episodes. Apparently not much had progressed in those episodes I missed because I felt like it picked up right where I left off, with Stacey the Bartender and the Montag-Pratt nuptials, Lauren being SO TOTALLY OVER IT ALL, and the OMG THE BITCH IS BACK appearance of Kristin Cavallari (who's excited? ME!). But after the finale it was fun watching the movie awards. Mostly for the Twilight love and New Moon trailer premiere (what you thought I was over the vampire phase? hah! Speaking of, last week I got to watch the new CW pilot The Vampire Diaries and let me just say I am really excited for another weekly emo/tween vampire fix) but also just because I think it's still a great pop culture event, even if the entire show is essentially a big platform to plug movies/tv shows/Orbit gum.

But then there are precious moments like this one:

MTV Shows

Yep, just as awkward as expected. She's painful to watch, but then again, at least she knows it and can laugh about it.