Dance it out!

I love seeing posters in hallways, it brings back high school memories of tempura paint, craft paper and wasting time in 7th period leadership. When I saw this poster I had to take a picture of it. I am not at all sure what the point of it is. Are they dancing out conflicts, a la MJ's Thriller video or West Side Story? Are they trying to channel students' self-expression into dance, like Kevin Bacon in Footloose, or Bret's "angry dance" in FOTC? Maybe they are just gearing up for a dance? In any case, my favorite, favorite thing is the oh-so-obvious addendum to this poster.

I'm pretty sure that little green portion will erase all of the dance moves the kids have learned from MTV and fill their heads with the desire to personify the innocence of the dance in the original Parent Trap, only without losing their skirts.

winco photo 2

So, again, I love the crazies I see at Winco. It is one of my favorite places to people watch. The other day I was in the parking lot and I espied a woman, who struck me as so delightful I stalked her from the parking lot, through the produce all the way to the bulk foods to stealthily get a photo of her ensemble.

To me this outfit screams, "you think I don't care, but I do." I love the wedge sandals and scarf accessorizing a sweat suit. I love it. Thank you random woman, you totally made my day.

If you build it...

When I was about six years old, Ray Liotta told me, "If you build it, he will come," and like so many things from such an impressionable age, it stuck with me.

When at the beginning of this month, the AD crew announced that it hoped to make a movie and a mini-series leading up to said movie, I was excited. Years ago when it was canceled and they promised us a movie, my friends and I all decided that we would camp out to buy tickets and dress up like the nerds who go see comic book or Harry Potter movies. I laid my claim on Lindsay, (mostly because I don't think I could pull off running around in blue paint and denim cut-offs). For years they have been stoking the fire, filling us with equal parts of excitement and dread with each announcement (I say dread, because hello Sex and the City movies - yikes.) and now that they are pretty darn sure it is going to happen, I thought I'd better do my part and prepare for it. Power of positive thinking and all that. So for Halloween, I decided to make a shirt that said "slut" on it. And, now when the movie comes out, despite the fact that all of that friend group has scattered to the winds, at least I will have something to wear. (And, every other day of the year - because maybe if I wear it, he will come?)

Although I'm kinda bummed I can't wear it to work tomorrow. What, like "slut" written on a tshirt would be inappropriate at a middle school?

I did something wrong.

So about a month ago, I was trying to figure out why my blog kept messing up the blog posts I emailed from my iPhone. I was just click, click, clicking around in the settings, and I apparently did something, I'm not at all sure what, that made it so that my blog posts in general wouldn't post. WHAT? I had no idea until I was getting flack from a friend for not posting to my blog in for-ev-er, and I had to disagree. I was saying, I've been posting fairly regularly, but then when I went to my blog, not a blog post for over a month.

So, I've tried to figure out what went wrong, and haven't really, but I've gotten it to post again, so I am going to re-post all of the posts that should have gone up in the last month, and hope nothing else goes awry.

Have You Heard: Heart

I have two songs by Heart on my iPod Lucille 2. This makes three. I heard it on the radio the other day, and I was instantly transported to back in the day, and I mean back, like 1987, little Molly watching the Parent Trap sequel. Not the remake, no, the seldom-remembered sequel with Haley Mills as grown up Sharon & Susan. One of them is being set up with Tom Skerritt (who unfortunately for him, is known to me as the dad from Parent Trap II when I see him in other things. Even great things, like one of my favorites ever, A River Runs Through It. Sorry, Mr. Skerritt. But I was highly impressionable in the 80s. And I really liked the Parent Trap franchise.)  (This sequel is not to be confused with the Parent Trap III, or the Parent Trap Hawaiian Vacation with the triplets and Brad from Rocky Horror Picture Show that were on ABC in the early 90s[?]. One of the triplets, Lisa, would go on to play Tory on Saved By The Bell.)

I feel like Heart has opened up a Pandora's box-- and it's not even their fault, for I am 100% sure that the version of Nothin' At All in PTII (oh I went there) is not by them. I don't know who it is by or anything else, and really I do not want to do any research, but I'd put down money that it is not the same version.

But, in the spirit of the super fun 80s, I really like this song.  And I will add it to Lucille 2 with pride.

Finding that niche.

One of the things I am most grateful for as I interact with humanity is seeing that people connect with one another. I am especially glad of this considering the more people I come in contact with, the fewer I like, so the more time they spend with each other the less time they will spend bothering me*.  I almost wrote something a little too honest and mean. Phew, I really dodged a bullet there.

My friend Birgitte and I went out to Thai food on Saturday night and had such a fun time, especially since, Thai is something we both can eat. (We could both be subscribers to the ridiculously, but all-too-accurately, titled periodical Living Without.) I digress. She told me about a Salt & Pepper Shaker convention held recently over the river that we missed. Shucks! Apparently, there are activities at this convention like reenacting shakers, and they hand out prizes and post pictures online. I find this fascinating.

 I especially like that Alice is sporting a mustache in the human version.

 I like that there are specialty magazines out there for people who don't eat wheat, dairy or eggs.  And Cat Fancy for that matter. I really like that these conventions take place, and not just because I like to giggle at the pictures on their website, for they are truly giggle-inducing. I like it because humans are connecting with other humans over über-specialized interests. People discover that there really is more universality to this existence than we sometimes realize. Which I think is a very valuable thing. And if you get to live out your boyhood dream of being Alice and have tea with a woman willing to dress up as the Mad Hatter, all the better.

*I really do like people. Well, I give it an honest effort.

I don't go to the theater much.

One of my film professors Dean Duncan would encourage us to watch old and foreign films instead of trying to stay current with new releases. I've inadvertently followed his direction this year. I thought about it the other day, and I have only gone to a first run theater seven times in the last calendar year. Then journal and I thought about it further, and I have only seen movies that have Ryan Gosling and/or Emma Stone in them.

Easy A, All Good Things, Blue Valentine, Crazy Stupid Love, The Help, Drive and finally The Ides of March.

Maybe I should diversify? Or maybe I'll just stick to Netflix for all of my film needs. I can tell you right now that I won't be seeing Footloose.

GleeCap: Asian F

Oh, Glee. I'm not sure what I am going to do with you.

Better than what I am considering a veiled Kardashians as mules reference
- Mercedes' boyfriend is being all Jeanine Pettibone. (And by that, I mean she's being all Yoko Ono.) I don't agree with it, but I believe it. If I were dating Mercedes, I'd want to show her off too. +3
- Mike Chang ="Fleet-footed Ninja." +3 and then Mike called Tina out on her past stutter. +7 because I hate Tina.
- Santana calling Kurt "Jimmy Fallon's butch daughter" +5
- Brittany citing very valid points on why the boys' club system of politics hasn't worked for us thus far: double-digit inflation, economic free fall, oil spills, a war in Afghanistan.  Who says she's an idiot? Not this girl +6
- The Brittany-Beyonce Flash Mob. Anytime you feature Heather Morris dancing, you have my vote. +20
- Beiste is slipping in one-liners like nobody's business. "Stealth-attack Jones" +8 "I had to sell my prized donkey to pay my gas bill. I sold Kim but kept Khloe." +14 And she used my favorite line from Laugh In "You bet your sweet bippy." (no points on that, because if when I say it, as I frequently do, people think I'm quoting Glee instead of Laugh In, I'll get disheartened with humanity. But until then, it's a good thing.)
- Featuring Mike Chang is the smartest storyline these writers have come up with in a while. +15 And, his parents are hands down the most attractive and well-dressed parents yet to be featured on this show. +2 because this is a television show.
- Rachel has completely shed her grandmother meets little girl despite the fact that she's wearing Marc Jacobs styling, and it has done wonders for her. Her LBD from her duet/diva off with Mercedes was adorable, and then the pink dress she worked walking down the hall to talk to Beiste. I am jealous. +8
- I totally believe Will inviting Emma's parents over without her knowledge. While I don't agree with his shady behavior, it is true to character. +3
+94

Less likely than a cast list for a musical going up with five roles listed (seriously, you guys?)
- "It's not about doing your best, it's about doing better." Woah there Mr. Schue. As I watch the transformation of Will Schuester, I am reminded of another high school teacher who transformed into a super villain. First step glitter bomb, next step Walter White am I right? (no points, unless homeboy starts cooking.)
- Will showing Emma his box-o-porn. This is the second time where Will has been a little TMI with us this season, and I'm not liking it. Keep it in your pants. -8
- We're supposed to believe that Lima, Ohio and McKinley are anti arts programs, ok, I'll hop on board. But why would they put a dance studio in the school? And have such a well-stocked auditorium? I have trouble suspending my disbelief when the ideals aren't constant. And then, why would Mike's mother have that conversation with him at the school in stead of at home? -15
- Mike Chang's t-shirt from last season's weird Born This Way debacle said "Can't Sing". He sang a song about how he couldn't sing. And now, he does a really great job on "Cool" and we're supposed to be okay with this? -10 for continuity. I'd have taken away more if Mike hadn't have said something about practicing everyday.
- I know this is a show about singing, but you need to show that in musical auditions also include acting and dancing. And, as much as I love Mercedes, and I do, she would not have fared as well as Rachel in the dancing part, if we're to believe her Booty Camp subplot. -18
- I am still not even close to believing that Idina Menzel would take a part-time teaching job. If she is so highly coveted, she'd be not even close to satisfied working with one kid, or two now. Also, we've already seen this story - Sue Sylvester leading her half of the glee kids. Are we repeating plots already? Yikes. I would advise the writers to watch the first three seasons of Bewitched. Before they even replaced Darren they blatantly plagiarized their own story lines. I do love Idina Menzel, and am glad to see her on TV, but please, give her a believably story. -20
- "Ginger Supremacists"?!?! If it had been funny, I could have forgiven it, but as it was, it was absolutely, not at all, even close to funny. -9
- I really like Coldplay's "Fix You" and I really like Matthew Morrison, but something about his version, even though it is in the same key as the original, he just sounds like a ... well,  he was whiny and not awesome. Plus the all white clothes, curtain and risers- it looked like an ad for the Gap, if they made terrible ads, or like they are trying to channel a certain amazing comedy on ABC, who frequently has their cast in all white.  -4.
-84

Overall, an average episode with a +10. But thanks to Brittany channeling Beyonce, and Mercedes singing three times we are still strike free. 

Have You Heard: Mayer Hawthorne

This guy has such an intriguing voice. I am sold. Here are two singles, one new, one old, and a cover of one of my favorite ELO* songs.




*Don't lie. You love Electric Light Orchestra as much as I do.