I have Asperger's. My close friends know this. If they don't, they haven't been listening or perhaps they just haven't been around when I've explained it. Having Asperger's makes it hard for some people to understand me sometimes. It gets really frustrating when you explain things to them & they just discount it, ignore it, don't believe it & continue harassing you. This makes things worse. One of my reoccurring issues is with my facial expressions. I constantly have people commenting on my expressions. This generally happens most with people that are new friends or acquaintances. They sort of know me, have hung out a couple times, & so they feel the freedom to point out how weird or strange I am or ask me if I'm okay constantly. "Are you feeling okay?" "What's wrong?" I usually explain that I have some social anxiety problems & that I have a form of Autism called Asperger's Syndrome. I give them a brief explanation. It's not something I enjoy talking about unless someone seems really receptive. If they continue to keep asking me every day I start to get very frustrated & anxious about seeing them. I know they are going to ask me & I explained it to them once. YES! I'm OKAY! QUIT ASKING ME! GO AWAY!
Some of the main characteristics of Asperger's are: problems with non-verbal communication, including the restricted use of gestures, limited or misinterpreted facial expressions, or a peculiar, stiff gaze. Their facial expressions are not typical. People find their expressions and non-verbal communication weird.
At one of my past jobs, the facial expressions thing resulted in my manager constantly asking me, at least 5 times a day, if I was alright, ok, feeling ok, mad, doing alright, etc. I was constantly confused & frustrated by his continued need to ask me if I was alright. I was being efficent & getting more than expected done, so I couldn't for the life of me figure out why the hell he kept pestering me. It took me forever to figure out why the hell he pestered me all day. Finally, he mentioned that I looked mad or upset when I was shelving or merchandising. I realized that he was misinterpreting my "thinking" or concentrative look. I went home & talked to T & she reaffirmed that my thinking face is very similar to a typical persons frustrated or a little bit angry face. So when I am concentrating or working or thinking, people think I am pissed off. Great.
This guy at work has been dogging me for months now. It's pretty much what spurred on this blog entry. The guy got to sort of know me by knowing T & then I got a job in the department. We have spent less than 15 hours total together since I met him. On & off at various places. Work, a couple times at my house, & at a restaurant/bar. None of these times was it just me & him. T was always there. As soon as T moved to across campus, this guy started in on me & my face. He has continually harassed me about looking mad or grumpy or pissed off. I told him that I have Asperger's. I even explained it to him. So did T, but he refuses or is incapable or gets some cheap thrill out of continuously comparing me to the old receptionist who was always pissy & bitchy about everything. I told him it wasn't funny, but he continues.
I can't fix this. I'm 35. My expressions are my expressions. Most people tend to understand, once I explain to them. I still have many that do not. People constantly think I am angry with them. It gets both tiring & frustrating. Some people are so insecure with themselves, that they just can't handle it. I think that is part of the problem with this guy at work. He constantly self-deprecating & self-hating. I've never met someone who constantly hates on themselves that way. It's sad really. He usually one a week comes into my space, calls me buddy, and tells me to "SMILE!"
Asperger's people don't generally smile. It's not that they aren't smiling on the inside, it just that being happy doesn't fire those little neurons that tell the facial muscles to lift & show teeth. I seem to always get along fairly well with non-Americans because they don't put so much value on constant smiling.
Here's another Aspies take on his experience with facial expressions: FACE
I'm not sure where to go from here with this guy. I liked hanging with him this summer, but the more I've gotten to know him the more negative, pessimistic, & bullying he seems. I really just don't want anything to do with him. I have no idea what to do. I have to see him almost every work day.
Another characteristic of Asperger's is: peculiarities in speech and language, such as speaking in an overly formal manner or in a monotone, or taking figures of speech literally. Asperger’s people tend to take your words literally and make interpretations concrete. They tend to use phrases they have heard and committed to memory, although they frequently use them out of context. Speech peculiarities - they are not so expressive in their tone of speaking. They are monotonous, i.e. without any pitch or tone, rigid, cheerless and can be unusually fast or loud.
This is also something that causes me quite a bit of embarrassment & frustration. I almost always take everything literally. I talk very monotone & also tend to mumble quite a bit. I constantly have to repeat myself. When I am excited or happy about something I lose my volume control. I have no idea I am speaking loudly. Most of the time people ask me politely to lower my voice, but every once and a while someone will shush me like a 3 yr. old. I hate that. I understand it, but I find it terribly rude to shush an adult. I get so embarrassed. People also misinterpret my excitement for panic or fearfulness. I get told to calm down, not to worry, stop freaking out, etc. This always causes awkward confusion for me. I can't understand how they don't understand that I am not panicked, simple extremely happy & excited. Oklahoma storm season always brings this one out. I get so excited when it gets all tornadic outside.
The happier & care-free I get, the more animated & a little loud I get. This generally tends to embarrass people I am with. Their embarrassment usually ends up causing me to feel ashamed & weird. So being extremely happy always seems to come with some sort of consequence. Except when I am with my brother, or when I am with Turayis. She gets me & she has learned how to deal with me without causing me to feel ashamed or embarrassed. I'm so lucky that way. The guy from work never seems to understand this & has made fun of me for what he calls "overreacting" or getting freaked out or tweaking. I get his POV, but for the life of me, T nor I seem to be able to get him to understand. And I'm the non-typical one here?
Many children with AS are highly active in early childhood, and then develop anxiety or depression in young adulthood. I think this is due to the lack of understanding by friends & peers. It gets depressing when people constantly think I am angry or frustrated & then when I am happy I get made fun of for my over animated responses or excited volume & am told to stop or shushed in front of peers or friends. I get compared to children & people laugh & make fun. It sucks. It sucks that adults can't find a nicer way to express or relieve their embarrassment. It sucks that this is part of my condition. Still, Turayis NEVER makes me feel any negativity when it comes to my Asperger's. She really is the reason I am not constantly depressed & a complete hermit. She makes me be social & helps explain to people when I have my Aspie moments. I am so fortunate for all her patience & understanding.
So, I guess I just wanted to express some frustrations & try & help some people out there to understand Asperger's. Every Aspie is a little different here & there. Honestly though, T is a freakin' WONDER WOMAN. Thank you T.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Thursday, October 14, 2010
The Earthquake of 2010
Cue disaster music.
Hahahaha. So, today I got to experience an earthquake. A real live 4.3 shaker. It was one of the coolest things I've ever experienced. It felt like someone had put a giant vibration machine under the ground. At first there was a large, "BOOM!", then the windows shook & then everything shook.
Sure it wasn't a California sized quake, but it was enough I felt the earth move under my feet in a way I never had before.
I get really excited about these types of things. Tornados, sand storms, floods, giant hail stones, blizzards, Ice storms, etc. I like experiencing things that 1000 years ago & beyond, people thought were gods or monsters. I never thought I'd get to feel a real earth shaker, small or not. I've been in 2.0-3.0 before but couldn't tell. This one I was very aware of. Stuff fell off the walls at home & it was fun going around the house to see what had moved & how far.
Ironically, I had just put two really heavy large items in the attic 3 days ago & joked about how they'd be fine as long as there wasn't an earthquake. LOL. Luckily, they didn't fall through the ceiling.
I was amazed at the amount of silliness I witnessed after the quake in a place of higher education. I am constantly amazed how little removed we are from those superstitious folks thousands of years ago. PhD's & MA's walking around talking about bad omens & superstitious hogwash. It's a geological occurrence. We know how this happens. There are no gods or monsters making it quake. C'mon people. Really?
Secretly I was hoping for aftershocks. Now I just can't wait for the next one! What an amazing & wondrous planet we live on.
Hahahaha. So, today I got to experience an earthquake. A real live 4.3 shaker. It was one of the coolest things I've ever experienced. It felt like someone had put a giant vibration machine under the ground. At first there was a large, "BOOM!", then the windows shook & then everything shook.
Sure it wasn't a California sized quake, but it was enough I felt the earth move under my feet in a way I never had before.
I get really excited about these types of things. Tornados, sand storms, floods, giant hail stones, blizzards, Ice storms, etc. I like experiencing things that 1000 years ago & beyond, people thought were gods or monsters. I never thought I'd get to feel a real earth shaker, small or not. I've been in 2.0-3.0 before but couldn't tell. This one I was very aware of. Stuff fell off the walls at home & it was fun going around the house to see what had moved & how far.
Ironically, I had just put two really heavy large items in the attic 3 days ago & joked about how they'd be fine as long as there wasn't an earthquake. LOL. Luckily, they didn't fall through the ceiling.
I was amazed at the amount of silliness I witnessed after the quake in a place of higher education. I am constantly amazed how little removed we are from those superstitious folks thousands of years ago. PhD's & MA's walking around talking about bad omens & superstitious hogwash. It's a geological occurrence. We know how this happens. There are no gods or monsters making it quake. C'mon people. Really?
Secretly I was hoping for aftershocks. Now I just can't wait for the next one! What an amazing & wondrous planet we live on.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Jedi bath robe
Oh boy. This is a must have for any Jedi (or Sith, they make a black one as well). A Jedi Bath robe. Find them here: BBTS
$99.00 plus shipping & handling.
Tron Legacy Motorcycle suits. Geekgasm!
OMG. So this company, UD Replicas has created TRON: LEGACY Motorcycle Suits for sale exclusively online. The TRON: LEGACY jacket, pants, gloves and boots can be purchased separately or as a complete set for $995 (U.S.) for the male version and $899 for the female version.
The TRON: LEGACY Motorcycle Suit is made from hand-crafted leather that features a silicone hexagonal print that you will see on the suits in the new film. They incorporate removable CE-approved body armor in the forearm and elbow, shoulder, along the back spine, and in the knee, shin and thighs areas. The suits also feature extremely light-sensitive reflective material that puts off a glow that captures the glow of the suits in the film.
They are limited to 1000 pieces world wide.
Payment may be split into three equal installments by following ordering instructions at www.udreplicas.com.
These are frakking fantastic. If you are a Batman, X-men, Wolverine, or Iron Man fan, I suggest you check out their site for some other AMAZING offerings.
This is high quality stuff & extremely limited.
Baseball & waking up late & Beautiful Women.
Alright! The Giants beat the Braves. Hooray! The Phillies swept the Reds, which for T I feel bad, but man the Phillies are fun to watch. Great ball team right now. Boo to the Yankees advancing & it's a nail-biter with Texas & the Rays right now. For my friend Ryan, I hope Texas wins. I'd love to see the World Series end up with Texas vs. the Giants or the Phillies. NO YANKEES.
On a completely unrelated note, I can't get up when it is dark outside. It is absolutely impossible for me to get up & go to work when the sunshine is not shining. It can't even be breaking, it has to be up. It's Tuesday & I have been 30 minutes late or later both days this week. I really dislike morning darkness. I love 3am, but only when I get to stay up that late. I have no idea how to fix this. I have been this way since birth. I was four days late being born. This morning my alarm clock went off & I reached over & turned the thing OFF. Not snooze, but turned the whole damn clock OFF. I don't remember doing it, but I know I did. How do you fix something like this?
To switch subjects yet again, I sure have a whole bunch of really attractive women friends that I would love to draw. Most of them have no idea how beautiful they are. Asking people to model for you is always sort of a weird uncomfortable thing. I'm always afraid they might take me wrong. I used to draw people in college all the time. We'd be hanging out & I would just grab the sketch pad & pencil & go at it. I have several really great portraits of "she who will not be named" who used to be my best bud in college. I did a painting of her roommate & she (the roommate) seemed really uncomfortable about it. She told me I could, but then told "she who will not be named" that she thought it was weird & asked if I was obsessed. I wasn't, she just had one of those faces that screamed "PAINT ME!", so I did. I see people all the time that I would love to walk up to & ask them if they would model, but that one weird experience in college kinda tainted it for me. It's the same for those people that I know, but haven't had the time to really get to know as well as I'd like. I feel very awkward asking them to sit for me. I really need to figure this one out. The beautiful women around me need to be captured on canvas. They inspire me.
One more thing. This year has sucked. I do NOT like it. I will be very glad when this year is over. 2010 can suck it! Luckily, we are almost in Scorpio, so hopefully things will get better. For all of us.
On a completely unrelated note, I can't get up when it is dark outside. It is absolutely impossible for me to get up & go to work when the sunshine is not shining. It can't even be breaking, it has to be up. It's Tuesday & I have been 30 minutes late or later both days this week. I really dislike morning darkness. I love 3am, but only when I get to stay up that late. I have no idea how to fix this. I have been this way since birth. I was four days late being born. This morning my alarm clock went off & I reached over & turned the thing OFF. Not snooze, but turned the whole damn clock OFF. I don't remember doing it, but I know I did. How do you fix something like this?
To switch subjects yet again, I sure have a whole bunch of really attractive women friends that I would love to draw. Most of them have no idea how beautiful they are. Asking people to model for you is always sort of a weird uncomfortable thing. I'm always afraid they might take me wrong. I used to draw people in college all the time. We'd be hanging out & I would just grab the sketch pad & pencil & go at it. I have several really great portraits of "she who will not be named" who used to be my best bud in college. I did a painting of her roommate & she (the roommate) seemed really uncomfortable about it. She told me I could, but then told "she who will not be named" that she thought it was weird & asked if I was obsessed. I wasn't, she just had one of those faces that screamed "PAINT ME!", so I did. I see people all the time that I would love to walk up to & ask them if they would model, but that one weird experience in college kinda tainted it for me. It's the same for those people that I know, but haven't had the time to really get to know as well as I'd like. I feel very awkward asking them to sit for me. I really need to figure this one out. The beautiful women around me need to be captured on canvas. They inspire me.
One more thing. This year has sucked. I do NOT like it. I will be very glad when this year is over. 2010 can suck it! Luckily, we are almost in Scorpio, so hopefully things will get better. For all of us.
Friday, October 08, 2010
Baseball, Allergies, commercials & blah
Baseball playoffs. I love Baseball. I know, I know, the whole rest of the country thinks Baseball is lame. Whatever. To each his/her own. For me, Baseball is my favorite sport to watch on TV. You can cook, clean, read comics, write a blog post & watch baseball at the same time. You won't miss anything & if you do, the commentators will get all excited & you can look up & catch the instant replay. Baseball players also have great butts & nice builds. There is something about a guy that can swing a club. If we were back in barbarian times, you'd want a baseball player over a basketball or football player any day. It's like a civilized caveman sport. I'm really glad the fad of steroidal home run hitters is over. The only really crappy thing about Baseball now is the Yankees. I can't stand the Yankees. Of course you are going to win every year if you buy all the best players. Boring. The real World Series winner is always the second place team. NOT the Yankees.
I myself am a Mets fan. I was lucky enough to get to see them in Cincinnati against the Reds during Mike Piazza's last season. They won in the bottom of the 9th with a home run. I jumped up in excitement & screamed "Yes!" I also almost had to walk home. I was with T & her family, who are from Ohio, and are big Reds fans. I couldn't help myself. T understood.
I'm really happy to see the Phillies doing so well. Of course, they are doing so at the expense of the Reds. Halladay is an amazing pitcher. I also like seeing the Giants.
I wish Oklahoma had a Major League Baseball Team. I'd have season tickets. The Oklahoma Tornadoes, or the Oklahoma Bible Thumpers...lol...or the Oklahoma Buffaloes, or the Bison or the Cougars or the Horned Lizards. I don't know. I just want a team.
Allergies. I still have them. Good lord. I can't remember having allergies this bad ever. I think I am finally feeling better, but I still feel like I'm only at around 93%. I've had them, T has whatever I had now, & the poor dog has had them. We are one big house full of sneezy sniffly coughy achy crying girls. Man I want to be well. I want to just feel well for at least a week this year.
Let's hope it's almost over.
Watching baseball, I inevitably end up seeing many commercials. I don't generally watch much TV, so watching the play-offs, I get to see commercials that I am not privy to via the web. I just have to say that there are some really annoying commercials. The first ones that come to mind are the State Farm Commercials. OMG, I can not stand their douchbag spokesguy. What an asshat this guy is. Seriously, I want to punch him in the mouth. He comes off so haughty & full of himself. The Allstate commercials with the "Mayhem" aren't much better. I am convinced Allstate will ensure any act of stupidity, which totally explains why they are so outrageously expensive.
I don't have much else to say right now. I'm bored, but still not well enough to feel like doing much, and I'm not sure what to do with that. It makes me restless.
I myself am a Mets fan. I was lucky enough to get to see them in Cincinnati against the Reds during Mike Piazza's last season. They won in the bottom of the 9th with a home run. I jumped up in excitement & screamed "Yes!" I also almost had to walk home. I was with T & her family, who are from Ohio, and are big Reds fans. I couldn't help myself. T understood.
I'm really happy to see the Phillies doing so well. Of course, they are doing so at the expense of the Reds. Halladay is an amazing pitcher. I also like seeing the Giants.
I wish Oklahoma had a Major League Baseball Team. I'd have season tickets. The Oklahoma Tornadoes, or the Oklahoma Bible Thumpers...lol...or the Oklahoma Buffaloes, or the Bison or the Cougars or the Horned Lizards. I don't know. I just want a team.
Allergies. I still have them. Good lord. I can't remember having allergies this bad ever. I think I am finally feeling better, but I still feel like I'm only at around 93%. I've had them, T has whatever I had now, & the poor dog has had them. We are one big house full of sneezy sniffly coughy achy crying girls. Man I want to be well. I want to just feel well for at least a week this year.
Let's hope it's almost over.
Watching baseball, I inevitably end up seeing many commercials. I don't generally watch much TV, so watching the play-offs, I get to see commercials that I am not privy to via the web. I just have to say that there are some really annoying commercials. The first ones that come to mind are the State Farm Commercials. OMG, I can not stand their douchbag spokesguy. What an asshat this guy is. Seriously, I want to punch him in the mouth. He comes off so haughty & full of himself. The Allstate commercials with the "Mayhem" aren't much better. I am convinced Allstate will ensure any act of stupidity, which totally explains why they are so outrageously expensive.
I don't have much else to say right now. I'm bored, but still not well enough to feel like doing much, and I'm not sure what to do with that. It makes me restless.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
The Tucker curse. At least that's what Dad calls it.
Well, today is Thursday September 30, 2010 & it was supposed to be a day of madness & last minute scrambling as I made certain everything was ready to go for tomorrow's big day.
My first art show! Man, was I excited. I finally did it! T & I made posters & postcards & got all 200 of them sent out & put into mailboxes way ahead of the show date. This was quite an accomplishment in itself for me.
I figured today I would be tweaking frames & touching up a little here & there. Last night I expected to throw paintings in the yard to get a feel for what they would look like on the walls in the place I was to hang. I had checked & rechecked that everything was ready. I didn't quite get every painting done, but by god I was close. I had more than enough to fill the space.
My friends were proud of me & excited. I had so many people telling me good things about my art & genuinely excited about showing up in support of what I do.
So, needless to say that when I opened my e-mail yesterday to find that apparently three confirmations of my show date, a confirmation of my reception date, & a poster announcing all of this hanging in the very place I plan to show was not enough for the place to believe that I was still planning on showing there, so they canceled & replaced me, I was in shock.
I begged & pleaded with them in a e-mail, but got no reply. Nothing. No, "we're sorry" or anything. No rescheduling. Nothing.
Then I felt like a low life for begging. I shouldn't be begging. I followed their stupid little guideline they sent me via their Blackberry with all of it's bad spelling & bad grammar.
I went in 2 weeks prior, just like that little guide said to. I did everything I was told. I communicated. They however had been rather rude to me already on more than one occasion. Short & snippy & a little unwilling to give me straight answers. The quality of the art they were hanging was pretty bad as well. I knew I would shine there. Boy, was I wrong.
I've been booted, canceled, shut down, kicked to the curb, struck from the list. I'm confused, frustrated, out a whole bunch of money for absolutely nothing, disappointed, angry, pissed off, & a little sad. I worked hard for this. For once in my life I felt like I was really being grown-up & taking charge. I still had bumps & hills, but overall, I was going way outside my comfort zones to get things done. All of this while battling throat issues & this last 5 days a severe sinus infection.
Tomorrow is October 1st. For 6 months that date has been on my calendar circled in red with "My First Art Show!" written beside it. October 2nd has "MY RECEPTION!"
All of life is like that trip to Disney World for me. I get to go, but I never get to ride the rides. I get the build up & excitement but end up walking away crying. Before I always thought it was my follow through, but I don't know how I could have made myself any more clear to these people. Of course hindsight is 20/20. When I got that carefree attitude from their people I should have been more stern. I should have documented who I talked to when. I should have called them & harassed them every other day to make certain they had me pencilled in. I didn't know.
I've talked to many of my art friends & most have mentioned that coffee houses & restaurants suck. Apparently they bump people for varieties of reasons. Their pal Bubba Joe really wants to show this month or Laney Jane has a wedding reception on Wednesday & she doesn't like the art. Whatever.
I've learned some valuable lessons. Lesson one: The artwork is about 10% of the whole process.
Lesson two: Man I have some awesome friends.
Lesson Three: Sometimes stereotypes are real.
Lesson four: It costs a whole lot of money to get a first show
Lesson five: Advertising works
Lesson six: When you start, try to stay close to home to start. Get to know the place & people that are going to hang your work.
That way you don't end up with nasty surprises.
So, on Saturday, I'll be at home. Probably painting. Sometimes I wonder what for. Why do I paint? Well, why do I breathe? Who knows, I just do, because I'd die if I didn't.
I would have been nervous & anxious & excited. I would have been having my first art show. Instead I'll be happy if I can breathe out of at least one nostril, get rid of the pressure in my head & go one night without hacking every hour for 15 minutes. I may not have an art show, but I have one hell of a sinus infection.
Que Sera Sera
My first art show! Man, was I excited. I finally did it! T & I made posters & postcards & got all 200 of them sent out & put into mailboxes way ahead of the show date. This was quite an accomplishment in itself for me.
I figured today I would be tweaking frames & touching up a little here & there. Last night I expected to throw paintings in the yard to get a feel for what they would look like on the walls in the place I was to hang. I had checked & rechecked that everything was ready. I didn't quite get every painting done, but by god I was close. I had more than enough to fill the space.
My friends were proud of me & excited. I had so many people telling me good things about my art & genuinely excited about showing up in support of what I do.
So, needless to say that when I opened my e-mail yesterday to find that apparently three confirmations of my show date, a confirmation of my reception date, & a poster announcing all of this hanging in the very place I plan to show was not enough for the place to believe that I was still planning on showing there, so they canceled & replaced me, I was in shock.
I begged & pleaded with them in a e-mail, but got no reply. Nothing. No, "we're sorry" or anything. No rescheduling. Nothing.
Then I felt like a low life for begging. I shouldn't be begging. I followed their stupid little guideline they sent me via their Blackberry with all of it's bad spelling & bad grammar.
I went in 2 weeks prior, just like that little guide said to. I did everything I was told. I communicated. They however had been rather rude to me already on more than one occasion. Short & snippy & a little unwilling to give me straight answers. The quality of the art they were hanging was pretty bad as well. I knew I would shine there. Boy, was I wrong.
I've been booted, canceled, shut down, kicked to the curb, struck from the list. I'm confused, frustrated, out a whole bunch of money for absolutely nothing, disappointed, angry, pissed off, & a little sad. I worked hard for this. For once in my life I felt like I was really being grown-up & taking charge. I still had bumps & hills, but overall, I was going way outside my comfort zones to get things done. All of this while battling throat issues & this last 5 days a severe sinus infection.
Tomorrow is October 1st. For 6 months that date has been on my calendar circled in red with "My First Art Show!" written beside it. October 2nd has "MY RECEPTION!"
All of life is like that trip to Disney World for me. I get to go, but I never get to ride the rides. I get the build up & excitement but end up walking away crying. Before I always thought it was my follow through, but I don't know how I could have made myself any more clear to these people. Of course hindsight is 20/20. When I got that carefree attitude from their people I should have been more stern. I should have documented who I talked to when. I should have called them & harassed them every other day to make certain they had me pencilled in. I didn't know.
I've talked to many of my art friends & most have mentioned that coffee houses & restaurants suck. Apparently they bump people for varieties of reasons. Their pal Bubba Joe really wants to show this month or Laney Jane has a wedding reception on Wednesday & she doesn't like the art. Whatever.
I've learned some valuable lessons. Lesson one: The artwork is about 10% of the whole process.
Lesson two: Man I have some awesome friends.
Lesson Three: Sometimes stereotypes are real.
Lesson four: It costs a whole lot of money to get a first show
Lesson five: Advertising works
Lesson six: When you start, try to stay close to home to start. Get to know the place & people that are going to hang your work.
That way you don't end up with nasty surprises.
So, on Saturday, I'll be at home. Probably painting. Sometimes I wonder what for. Why do I paint? Well, why do I breathe? Who knows, I just do, because I'd die if I didn't.
I would have been nervous & anxious & excited. I would have been having my first art show. Instead I'll be happy if I can breathe out of at least one nostril, get rid of the pressure in my head & go one night without hacking every hour for 15 minutes. I may not have an art show, but I have one hell of a sinus infection.
Que Sera Sera
Monday, September 27, 2010
9 months later...
So, if you read my blog, you know for the last 9 months I have been suffering from this weird throat condition that my doctor, my orthopedic doctor, & my Physical Therapist just seemed to blow off. The "condition" consists of feeling like someone has their hands gripped around my throat choking the life out of me along with my neck muscles feeling like they are so tight they are going to pop as well as feeling like I can't get enough oxygen, tight vocal chords making it nearly impossible to talk, dizziness, chest pains, coughing & itching in my throat, a whole lot of really thick mucus in the lower part of my throat & pretty much feeling like I'm going to pass out at any minute, which causes me to be extremely tired.
Now, this all started after unknowingly ingesting more aspartame than I probably have my entire life within 1 month(I consciously steer clear of this deadly toxin, but found it was a spray on coating on something I was putting in my mouth) & seemed to be set off by the ingestion of a home-made (by myself & T) gingerbread cookie. I'd eaten them before with no problems. We always make them for Halloween. It's tradition.
I at first thought perhaps it was set off by the injury to my shoulder, rotator cuff, since they are in close proximity to each other & I had let it go without seeing a doctor. Why I thought this, I'm not sure, but I mean, c'mon, I'm NOT a Doctor. I don't even play one on TV.
Funny thing is, my "doctor" didn't seem to care or have an opinion on it either way. My "doctor" sent me home, told me I probably had an allergic reaction to the cookie & told me to take 1 teaspoon of Maalox every hour for 12 hours, drink lots of water, & that I was probably stressed & anxious & that the anxiety was making me feel like I couldn't breathe. He said my weird heart feeling were also probably due to the anxiety. He never even touched me. He didn't feel around on my throat & only shined a light down it for about 3 seconds. He did however send me for an x-ray. An x-ray? For a swollen constricted feeling throat? I was, of course, totally cool with x-rays, because I've always wanted to see my own skeleton. He held the x-ray to the light for maybe 10 seconds, told me here was nothing lodged (duh!) & sent me home with his deadly Maalox cure.
Have any of you ever taken a teaspoon of Maalox? How about 12 in one day? Needless to say I only got to about 5 before I realized the explosive results of what the "doctor" had done to me. WTF!? Seriously? Now I had this to deal with this. I ended up dealing with it for about three days. I was confused. Why on earth had he told me to do this to myself?
The throat was not better. I scoured the Internet. I talked to other people. I talked to my Orthopedic doctor I was seeing for my shoulder. I asked my Physical Therapist if he'd ever heard of these symptoms. Everyone told me something different.
My mood went from high (on good throat days) to utterly depressed (on really bad days). Most days it was the latter. Finally, I thought about the whole thing over again. My shoulder seemed all healed up, so it couldn't have had anything to do with that. Maybe some tightness, but not the overwhelming strangled feeling. I started paying attention to everything I could. It always seemed so much better in the morning & terrible by 5pm. Saturdays seemed to usually be really good until late at night. Sundays started rough but got better. I came up with a hypothesis. It was the thing I originally went into the "doctor" for. A food allergy. I came up with four possible suspects.
1. Whipped Cream (organic, home-made, or out of a can)
2. Coffee
3. Chocolate
4. Something found in all three (like an additive or processing ingredient)
All three food items come from beans. That was something, right there. Perhaps I was allergic to the beans. So I started my experiment. The first thing I noticed was that an iced mocha (which I have at least 3 times a week) really set it off. Instantly. Aha!
So I tried it without the whipped cream.
OMG, I thought T was going to have to take me to the hospital.
So, is it coffee...or, GASP!, chocolate?
So on Sunday, I brewed some coffee. A took a few drinks. Nothing. Uh oh. So after finishing off the coffee & having no reaction T gave me a tiny sliver of 72% Ghiradelli chocolate. OMG! NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
Yep, I had that all too familiar strangled feeling. From a tiny bite. It all started to make sense. I can't remember a day going by without me ingesting some sort of chocolate. I eat way too much chocolate during the work week & if a day does go by, it's usually a Saturday.
So, to make sure, I am going chocolate free. For at least a month. If there is improvement & this goes away, then it's good-bye chocolate. Forever.
Ugh. all this suffering for nine months because of chocolate? I mean, I Love chocolate, but seriously? Then I come across this: Anaphylaxis- Anaphylaxis can cause symptoms throughout the body:
Skin: Itching, flushing, hives (urticaria), or swelling (angioedema)
Eyes: Itching, tearing, redness, or swelling of the skin around the eyes
Nose and mouth: Sneezing, runny nose, nasal congestion, swelling of the tongue, or a metallic taste
Lungs and throat: Difficulty getting air in or out, repeated coughing, chest tightness, wheezing or other sounds of labored breathing, increased mucus production, throat swelling or itching, hoarseness, change in voice, or a sensation of choking
Heart and circulation: Dizziness, weakness, fainting, rapid, slow, or irregular heart rate, or low blood pressure
Digestive system: Nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, or diarrhea
Nervous system: Anxiety, confusion, or a sense of impending doom
Everything in bold are things I told my doctor when I went to see him.
Thanks Doc. For NOTHING. Glad I wasn't deathly allergic to it.
Now, this all started after unknowingly ingesting more aspartame than I probably have my entire life within 1 month(I consciously steer clear of this deadly toxin, but found it was a spray on coating on something I was putting in my mouth) & seemed to be set off by the ingestion of a home-made (by myself & T) gingerbread cookie. I'd eaten them before with no problems. We always make them for Halloween. It's tradition.
I at first thought perhaps it was set off by the injury to my shoulder, rotator cuff, since they are in close proximity to each other & I had let it go without seeing a doctor. Why I thought this, I'm not sure, but I mean, c'mon, I'm NOT a Doctor. I don't even play one on TV.
Funny thing is, my "doctor" didn't seem to care or have an opinion on it either way. My "doctor" sent me home, told me I probably had an allergic reaction to the cookie & told me to take 1 teaspoon of Maalox every hour for 12 hours, drink lots of water, & that I was probably stressed & anxious & that the anxiety was making me feel like I couldn't breathe. He said my weird heart feeling were also probably due to the anxiety. He never even touched me. He didn't feel around on my throat & only shined a light down it for about 3 seconds. He did however send me for an x-ray. An x-ray? For a swollen constricted feeling throat? I was, of course, totally cool with x-rays, because I've always wanted to see my own skeleton. He held the x-ray to the light for maybe 10 seconds, told me here was nothing lodged (duh!) & sent me home with his deadly Maalox cure.
Have any of you ever taken a teaspoon of Maalox? How about 12 in one day? Needless to say I only got to about 5 before I realized the explosive results of what the "doctor" had done to me. WTF!? Seriously? Now I had this to deal with this. I ended up dealing with it for about three days. I was confused. Why on earth had he told me to do this to myself?
The throat was not better. I scoured the Internet. I talked to other people. I talked to my Orthopedic doctor I was seeing for my shoulder. I asked my Physical Therapist if he'd ever heard of these symptoms. Everyone told me something different.
My mood went from high (on good throat days) to utterly depressed (on really bad days). Most days it was the latter. Finally, I thought about the whole thing over again. My shoulder seemed all healed up, so it couldn't have had anything to do with that. Maybe some tightness, but not the overwhelming strangled feeling. I started paying attention to everything I could. It always seemed so much better in the morning & terrible by 5pm. Saturdays seemed to usually be really good until late at night. Sundays started rough but got better. I came up with a hypothesis. It was the thing I originally went into the "doctor" for. A food allergy. I came up with four possible suspects.
1. Whipped Cream (organic, home-made, or out of a can)
2. Coffee
3. Chocolate
4. Something found in all three (like an additive or processing ingredient)
All three food items come from beans. That was something, right there. Perhaps I was allergic to the beans. So I started my experiment. The first thing I noticed was that an iced mocha (which I have at least 3 times a week) really set it off. Instantly. Aha!
So I tried it without the whipped cream.
OMG, I thought T was going to have to take me to the hospital.
So, is it coffee...or, GASP!, chocolate?
So on Sunday, I brewed some coffee. A took a few drinks. Nothing. Uh oh. So after finishing off the coffee & having no reaction T gave me a tiny sliver of 72% Ghiradelli chocolate. OMG! NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
Yep, I had that all too familiar strangled feeling. From a tiny bite. It all started to make sense. I can't remember a day going by without me ingesting some sort of chocolate. I eat way too much chocolate during the work week & if a day does go by, it's usually a Saturday.
So, to make sure, I am going chocolate free. For at least a month. If there is improvement & this goes away, then it's good-bye chocolate. Forever.
Ugh. all this suffering for nine months because of chocolate? I mean, I Love chocolate, but seriously? Then I come across this: Anaphylaxis- Anaphylaxis can cause symptoms throughout the body:
Skin: Itching, flushing, hives (urticaria), or swelling (angioedema)
Eyes: Itching, tearing, redness, or swelling of the skin around the eyes
Nose and mouth: Sneezing, runny nose, nasal congestion, swelling of the tongue, or a metallic taste
Lungs and throat: Difficulty getting air in or out, repeated coughing, chest tightness, wheezing or other sounds of labored breathing, increased mucus production, throat swelling or itching, hoarseness, change in voice, or a sensation of choking
Heart and circulation: Dizziness, weakness, fainting, rapid, slow, or irregular heart rate, or low blood pressure
Digestive system: Nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, or diarrhea
Nervous system: Anxiety, confusion, or a sense of impending doom
Everything in bold are things I told my doctor when I went to see him.
Thanks Doc. For NOTHING. Glad I wasn't deathly allergic to it.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Something to drink to...or from.
Star Wars 4-pack of ten ounce glasses. Time to clear out the cupboard & make room for the only four glasses I need (besides my vintage Burger King Empire & Jedi glasses).
Dishwasher safe & $14.99. Find them here: SW Glass
Thursday, September 23, 2010
New Action Figures & Collectibles
Here's a cool new Star Wars collectible. A 12" replica of the original Kenner Star Wars figure Han Solo. Sculpted to look just like the original small 3 & 3/4 figure released in 1977 by the now defunct Kenner toy maker. There is also a Chewbacca. They are a little pricey at $75.00. Too pricey in my opinion. I might pay $25.00 for one, but $75.00? Lol. That's a car insurance payment for a month. Still, it's a cool idea. Find it here: Kenner
There's also this cool Darth Vader cookie jar. Very nicely sculpted, but at only 11" high, one has to wonder how many cookies it can really hold. It doesn't appear to be large enough to hold a large stash, but pictures can be deceiving. Although after paying $100.00 for this beauty, you may find it hard to come up with cookie money. These folks do realize we're in a recession, right? Find it here: Darkside Cookies
Now the Ralph McQuarrie Darth Vader Concept Helmet is more of a wearable work of art than just a cool collectible or wearable piece of fun. Sculpted to be an exact duplicate of the concept art produced by Ralph McQuarrie for the original Star Wars film, this baby will set you back a cool $1000. Good luck getting your hands on one. The pre-orders have been selling out left & right. There were only 250 produced & they are signed by Ralph himself. Very neat. Find it here: Vader
Now here's something more in my price range. At $7.99 I can afford to tell the world I'm doing my part to help reduce the amount of plastic in landfills & show off the fangirl love I have at the same time. Pretty sweet. Find it here: WW Bag
If you love Wonder Woman as much as I love Wonder Woman, then you're going to really want to pick the item above up. It's the JLA Trophy Room collectible set of Wonder Woman's Tiara, bracelets & Lasso of Truth. 6 1/2-inches wide metal tiara, two 5 1/4-inch tall metal gauntlet bracelets, and the 60-inch Lasso of Truth. with a "Wonder"ful base, sculpted in cold-cast porcelain. The entire piece stands 11-inches tall x 9 3/4-inches wide x 9 1/2-inches long. The bracelets are plated in silver-tone metal, and each measures 5 1/4-inches tall x 2 3/4-inches wide (top) and 3 1/4-inches wide (bottom) x 2 1/4-inches long. Wonder Woman's lasso is comprised of braided gold-tone material with gold metal-plated end-caps. It measures 60-inches in length.
The only bad part is the price tag of $264.99, which when you compare that to the grand for the Ralph McQuarrie mask, it's a steal! Find it here: Tiara
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Subaru
Well, I have done it. I finally have another car. I've had this 1989 Buick Lesabre since 1995 that I absolutely love to death. Unfortunately, I couldn't trust her to get across the street anymore, much less out of town. The windows wouldn't go up or down anymore, the air didn't work & trying to keep up with the parts that were falling off was getting impossible. It wasn't easy to let her go. Talk about material attachment. I felt like this car was part of me. I mean, I've only had T one year less than I've had that car. 15 years that car took me anywhere I wanted to go. I've been from Ohio to the Gulf Coast & back again. I could get 8 landscape timbers in that car. 8 people would fit in her. Alas, it was time to let go. I cried. A bunch. I am so sad about letting her go that I haven't started getting excited about the Subaru yet. Silly, I know. I can't believe the dealer gave me $500 for it. LOL. Still, that covered the tax.
The Subaru is smaller. It's a green color with black & tan interior. It has a 6 disc changer & a cool rack on top. It also has working windows and working AC. I don't remember the last time I had working AC on a car. I had a cassette player in the Buick. LOL.
My Mom & Dad came down & helped me out with the whole car buying process & let me tell you what, I was so glad to have the moral support. It's nice to know I didn't sign my house away. I will be posting pics soon. After I'm done mourning my other car.
Hooray! New Subaru!
The Subaru is smaller. It's a green color with black & tan interior. It has a 6 disc changer & a cool rack on top. It also has working windows and working AC. I don't remember the last time I had working AC on a car. I had a cassette player in the Buick. LOL.
My Mom & Dad came down & helped me out with the whole car buying process & let me tell you what, I was so glad to have the moral support. It's nice to know I didn't sign my house away. I will be posting pics soon. After I'm done mourning my other car.
Hooray! New Subaru!
Monday, September 13, 2010
sick & tired of being sick & tired
I don't know if I just have so much stress & anxiety in my life that I am causing my body to do weird things or if there is something really wrong with me. The doctor I went to seems to think it's stress & anxiety. Really? It's been a full ten months now that I have been dealing with the "can't swallow, swallowing weird, fatigue in my throat/neck/jaw muscles thing" and nothing seems to make it better. I have days where everything seems fine, but most days I'm not that lucky. Now I have pain in my lungs that comes & goes. My voice gets tired, for lack of a better description, & it makes me so tired. Talking just totally fatigues me. My voice gets lighter & lighter until I feel like it's just going to go away. I used to be a singer. I know the difference between head voice & using your center/core to project & I just can't seem to get enough strength to do it. Sometimes I feel like I can't breathe or get deep enough breaths. I'm exhausted ALL the time. I wake up exhausted, go to bed exhausted, and when I come home from work I fall asleep for two or three hours. I've suddenly been getting what most people have told me is shin splints on & off. My shoulder flares up about twice a week & hurts so bad I get that pain haze going on in my brain. The kind that makes you just sort of float through the day. I've never in my life felt this way. I've always had more energy then I knew what to do with. I eat better than most. I walk 30 minutes to an hour a day. Lately I've been getting 8 to 10 hours of sleep a day/night where I used to be good on 6. What is going on? I wish I knew a great doctor or at least one I feel like would listen to me. I've found things on the internet suggesting it could be anything from black mold to MS to Lyme disease to Lou Gehrig's disease to ALS to simply just stress & anxiety. sigh. I just want it to all go away & to have a "normal" day/week/month. 2010 was going to be the year for me. My New Year's resolution was to dig in & make things happen. I wanted my wash board abs back & my Linda Hamilton/Sarah Connor T2 physique back. Instead, I'm struggling to make the dog walk without feeling like I might pass out or die. I don't want to feel this way anymore. It really wears on me. Mentally & physically. I just have no idea where to turn.
Friday, August 13, 2010
New Sarah Connor T2 T-1000 Figure
Wow. This is an amazing Terminator collectible. It's probably the best Sarah Connor figure ever produced. It's by the company Hot Toys & distributed by Sideshow collectibles. It's priced at $149.99 & it's available now.
The figure is the T-1000 disguised as Sarah as seen in the film Terminator 2. It stands 12" high and comes with the following:
Detachable magnetic bullet holes you can attach at the waist and on her back.
28 points of articulation.
Two pairs of interchangeable palms (one pair of relaxed palms; one pair for holding guns).
Two extra right palms (one for holding knife and one for cigarette).
Enhanced tactical load bearing vest with four magazine pouches.
Combat Boots & another pair of metalic boots melted and attached to figure stand.
Bonus accessory: additional metal-like T-1000 bullet damaged head.
Shotgun with folding stock
Pistol
Combat knife with leather-like sheath
Newly developed and specially designed square-shaped figure stand with four extra triangles, which can be attached to the four sides of square to build a larger stand OR the four triangles can be put together to form another square-shaped stand OR the four triangles can be put together to form another square-shaped stand
Pretty freaking sweet.
From Sideshow's page: "Created as a Summer 2010 Asian toy shows exclusive, Hot Toys has graciously allowed Sideshow Collectibles to import a low quantity of the T-1000 in Sarah Connor Disguise Collectible Figure, available in a very limited release!"
Tuesday, August 03, 2010
Absurd & Obscene & some Funny.
So, we're going to try something. Every time something absurd happens today, I am going to post it on the blog. In this blog entry. It should prove interesting. If I'm lucky, just trying this will keep all the absurdities away. I will have nothing to type & feel silly. If I'm lucky. Okay, let's start...
Absurd thing #1: I had to get gas this morning on the way to work. As I am unlocking the gas cap on the Honda Rebel I ride, a sweaty tattooed rough looking skinny guy asks me how fast I have to pedal to get my motorcycle up to 60 mph. Sigh. It might just be a small 250, but I assure him it'll reach 80 mph. He comments that it's a very small motorcycle. Seriously, though, I don't need a huge motorcycle. I don't need to compensate for anything. I'm not lacking. This was my first human interaction of the day.
Absurd thing #2: Labeling. Why waste your time if it's for other people? No, really. You can go out of your way to make bright shiny stand-out labels with people's names on them & they won't bother to look or read them. Instead, like just happened, they will walk in, walk over to where things usually are kept & start digging through other people's stuff. Everything is clearly marked with clip-on bright pink badges sporting the name of each person that a particular pile of copies belong to. The badges are even facing out so they are easy to read & spot, but no, that won't help. Inevitably, they will rummage through things in a half crazed fashion looking confused & befuzzled. Seriously people, stop. Think. Stand back & LOOK at what is in front of you. If there are words, read them. Don't just read them mindlessly. Read & comprehend them. It will make everyone's life incredibly easier, better, & more positive.
Obscene thing #1: All these wasteful desk accessories. The person before me loved expensive disposable gadgets. For example, I have a tape dispenser that dispenses one piece of tape at a time. You have to buy these special little scotch tape refills & put them in. No more regular ol' tape dispenser. Really? You can't be bothered to tear off a piece of tape? I can't stand the thing. There are so many times I need more than 2" of tape at a time. The refills are costlier than just a regular tape dispenser refill. It just seems silly. I also have an electric stapler. Yep, wave the paper underneath and "BAM!" stapled. Again, you couldn't be bothered to press down a stapler? It runs on electricity. A regular stapler runs on, oh wait, it doesn't run on anything. It doesn't sit there sucking electricity from the outlet 24/7 like my shiny electric stapler. "facepalm"
Funny thing #1: Went home for lunch. Ate leftover fried mushrooms & a bell pepper from the garden & 1 mozzarella stick with a nice glass of Blood Orange Pomegranate tea. I was talking to the baby dog as she sat on the couch. She lifted her paw & put it on my mouth. LOL. Ok, ok, I'll shut up & go brush my teeth.
Absurd thing #3:
I find it absurd that people from other departments sitting at computers doing the same job as me, or a higher paying job, ask me to look up phone numbers for them. Why? Well, you see, if they are at a computer, and I am at a computer, then they can just go to the University homepage, like I'm going to have to do for them, and look up the person they are searching for in Peoplesoft. Instead of doing it for themselves though, they want me to. So, I have to put them on hold, go to Peoplesoft, type in the name, sometimes take them off hold to verify the spelling & dept. the person they are searching for is in, & get the number. All the while tying up me up from my work to do their work. I don't know why they do this. It seems very strange to me.
Rave #1: The guys from surplus that delivered the 11 desks & other assorted furniture in 105 degree heat were thorough & efficient. Kudos to them!
Irritating thing #1: The Snickers bar I just bought out of the vending machine was melty & smashed.
Well, all in all not too bad. 20 minutes of work to go. I'm making buttloads of copies right now. Sooooo Fun! (Sarcasm)
Absurd thing #1: I had to get gas this morning on the way to work. As I am unlocking the gas cap on the Honda Rebel I ride, a sweaty tattooed rough looking skinny guy asks me how fast I have to pedal to get my motorcycle up to 60 mph. Sigh. It might just be a small 250, but I assure him it'll reach 80 mph. He comments that it's a very small motorcycle. Seriously, though, I don't need a huge motorcycle. I don't need to compensate for anything. I'm not lacking. This was my first human interaction of the day.
Absurd thing #2: Labeling. Why waste your time if it's for other people? No, really. You can go out of your way to make bright shiny stand-out labels with people's names on them & they won't bother to look or read them. Instead, like just happened, they will walk in, walk over to where things usually are kept & start digging through other people's stuff. Everything is clearly marked with clip-on bright pink badges sporting the name of each person that a particular pile of copies belong to. The badges are even facing out so they are easy to read & spot, but no, that won't help. Inevitably, they will rummage through things in a half crazed fashion looking confused & befuzzled. Seriously people, stop. Think. Stand back & LOOK at what is in front of you. If there are words, read them. Don't just read them mindlessly. Read & comprehend them. It will make everyone's life incredibly easier, better, & more positive.
Obscene thing #1: All these wasteful desk accessories. The person before me loved expensive disposable gadgets. For example, I have a tape dispenser that dispenses one piece of tape at a time. You have to buy these special little scotch tape refills & put them in. No more regular ol' tape dispenser. Really? You can't be bothered to tear off a piece of tape? I can't stand the thing. There are so many times I need more than 2" of tape at a time. The refills are costlier than just a regular tape dispenser refill. It just seems silly. I also have an electric stapler. Yep, wave the paper underneath and "BAM!" stapled. Again, you couldn't be bothered to press down a stapler? It runs on electricity. A regular stapler runs on, oh wait, it doesn't run on anything. It doesn't sit there sucking electricity from the outlet 24/7 like my shiny electric stapler. "facepalm"
Funny thing #1: Went home for lunch. Ate leftover fried mushrooms & a bell pepper from the garden & 1 mozzarella stick with a nice glass of Blood Orange Pomegranate tea. I was talking to the baby dog as she sat on the couch. She lifted her paw & put it on my mouth. LOL. Ok, ok, I'll shut up & go brush my teeth.
Absurd thing #3:
I find it absurd that people from other departments sitting at computers doing the same job as me, or a higher paying job, ask me to look up phone numbers for them. Why? Well, you see, if they are at a computer, and I am at a computer, then they can just go to the University homepage, like I'm going to have to do for them, and look up the person they are searching for in Peoplesoft. Instead of doing it for themselves though, they want me to. So, I have to put them on hold, go to Peoplesoft, type in the name, sometimes take them off hold to verify the spelling & dept. the person they are searching for is in, & get the number. All the while tying up me up from my work to do their work. I don't know why they do this. It seems very strange to me.
Rave #1: The guys from surplus that delivered the 11 desks & other assorted furniture in 105 degree heat were thorough & efficient. Kudos to them!
Irritating thing #1: The Snickers bar I just bought out of the vending machine was melty & smashed.
Well, all in all not too bad. 20 minutes of work to go. I'm making buttloads of copies right now. Sooooo Fun! (Sarcasm)
Thursday, July 29, 2010
What? What!? WHAT!?!
So, I finally got to see Scorpions live. I was super excited. All my life I have waited to let the sounds of "Winds of Change" roll over me at an outside venue as they played it for the crowd. I sat eagerly waiting for it, song after song. I rocked out to "Big City Nights" & "Rock You Like A Hurricane" and then the band said good night. I wasn't worried. There would be an encore. All these rock bands do encores. Especially if this is the last show ever in Oklahoma. They are retiring after this tour. Then the lights came on. The stage hands & roadies descended upon the stage.
What?
No way. What just happened?! What!? No, no, no. This was impossible! How on earth could this be happening? "Winds of Change" was #2 on the US Mainstream Rock Chart in 1990.
I was stunned. Shocked. They had failed to play the one song I had so longed to hear. A song cemented in my memory. A song that, still to this day, makes me tear up. In fact, they didn't play anything from the "Crazy World" album. No "Tease Me, Please Me" or "Send Me an Angel" or "Don't Believe Her". All top 15 US hits. From other albums they failed to play "Rhythm of Love" & "Woman".
Seriously...what just happened?
So away I sulked. Thank the gods Cinderella was freakin' awesome! LA Guns was right on as well. So there ya go. I've seen Scorpions live. Honestly...I wouldn't go see them again even if they weren't retiring. I'd see Cinderella tomorrow.
Despite my let down, "Winds of Change" remains permanently fixed with my memory of the Berlin Wall crumbling. I guess I'll just have to accept that the video is the only way I'll ever get to see them play it & just light my lighter up when it comes on. Maybe get a fan & place it in front of my laptop outside as I hit the play button on youtube.
What?
No way. What just happened?! What!? No, no, no. This was impossible! How on earth could this be happening? "Winds of Change" was #2 on the US Mainstream Rock Chart in 1990.
I was stunned. Shocked. They had failed to play the one song I had so longed to hear. A song cemented in my memory. A song that, still to this day, makes me tear up. In fact, they didn't play anything from the "Crazy World" album. No "Tease Me, Please Me" or "Send Me an Angel" or "Don't Believe Her". All top 15 US hits. From other albums they failed to play "Rhythm of Love" & "Woman".
Seriously...what just happened?
So away I sulked. Thank the gods Cinderella was freakin' awesome! LA Guns was right on as well. So there ya go. I've seen Scorpions live. Honestly...I wouldn't go see them again even if they weren't retiring. I'd see Cinderella tomorrow.
Despite my let down, "Winds of Change" remains permanently fixed with my memory of the Berlin Wall crumbling. I guess I'll just have to accept that the video is the only way I'll ever get to see them play it & just light my lighter up when it comes on. Maybe get a fan & place it in front of my laptop outside as I hit the play button on youtube.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Rock N America
Ho boy, Am I getting excited!? Yes! I am about to attend a three day concert of nothing but old school metal. I finally get to see all these bands I missed. Twisted Sister, Scorpions, Lita Ford, Bullet Boys, Pretty Boy Floyd, LA Guns, Steelheart, Lizzy Borden, Warrant (minus Janie Lane), Faster Pussycat, Trixter...and the list goes on.
It's an outside venue. Now Oklahoma in late July is like a skillet. It's gonna be hot. Still, I'm glad it's outside. You better believe I'm pulling out the lighter when Scorpions start wailing "Winds of Change". I'll probably cry. That song is forever tied to my memories of the Berlin wall crumbling down & all of those people finally uniting with lost loved ones. It's about possibilities & peace. Cheesy...maybe, but it's how I feel.
I've always had this dream of one big giant metal concert. This is close to that dream. My list would be much bigger & include bands like Doro Pesch & Iron Maiden, but this ain't bad. Ratt, Dokken, Slaughter, & Cinderella are going to be there too. I've seen all these bands, but I don't mind seeing them again. Especially Cinderella. In my opinion, one of the most under-rated bands ever.
So, here I am all excited, and now....I just have to wait.
Rock on Metalheads! See ya there!
It's an outside venue. Now Oklahoma in late July is like a skillet. It's gonna be hot. Still, I'm glad it's outside. You better believe I'm pulling out the lighter when Scorpions start wailing "Winds of Change". I'll probably cry. That song is forever tied to my memories of the Berlin wall crumbling down & all of those people finally uniting with lost loved ones. It's about possibilities & peace. Cheesy...maybe, but it's how I feel.
I've always had this dream of one big giant metal concert. This is close to that dream. My list would be much bigger & include bands like Doro Pesch & Iron Maiden, but this ain't bad. Ratt, Dokken, Slaughter, & Cinderella are going to be there too. I've seen all these bands, but I don't mind seeing them again. Especially Cinderella. In my opinion, one of the most under-rated bands ever.
So, here I am all excited, and now....I just have to wait.
Rock on Metalheads! See ya there!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
The Coffee House
I'm in a local coffee shop. It has a really cool old wooden door with small panes of glass & a big heavy brass door handle. There's a sign on the outside of the door that politely asks that you park across the street if you are going to stay a while. That's where I parked my black motorcycle. It's a really large spot with art painted on the walls that border the back of it. It's also easier to get out of then trying to back up with oncoming traffic coming at you.
There are two middle-aged women sitting next to the object of my attention, but a space left just for me. They have all taken up residence on a chocolate colored cloth couch in the very back of the coffee house. I plop my backpack down next to hers, say hello, and take the empty space up on the couch. The two middle-aged women are chatting like parrots as she rises & asks what she can get me. I smile & request my usual as I notice the women are dressed much younger than they are in t-shirts & Capri pants. They both sport extremely short haircuts, with the blond woman's being a little more daring with a bit of hair gel used to spike it up a bit. It's obvious she likes attention. She shifts in her seat constantly & uses her hands to talk. The other woman, who has dyed black hair, is more timid. She seems a little uncomfortable, almost embarrassed by her friend's bravado. I hear tidbits about yoga instructors, work, etc.
For some reason the blonde woman feels compelled to loudly announce that she parked out front rather than parking in the lot across the street as the little sign on the door suggested. The other woman looks embarrassed & admits she did as well. They discuss whether they should move their vehicles. Of course, they have no intention of even attempting to move their vehicles. This stage play is all for my benefit. Well, me & my companion. These types of plays are the worst. If I wanted to see a melodramatic play put on by bad actors I'd go catch a middle school play. Although I think middle school kids are quite a bit better. On & on they go. I've never really grasped what this does for people. I guess it's a way to admit you've done something in order to escape being called out & shamed by it.
Suddenly, the dark-haired women gets up & announces she needs to visit the restroom. I think the blonde woman's loud admission has slightly embarrassed the other woman & she seeks the restroom as a refuge to gather herself. As she walks to the door marked Womens, the other one flamboyantly waves her arms around & shouts that she's going to check on the cars. Check on the cars? Really? They need checked on? So outside she goes. What a show. The silence lasts only about 30 seconds. Once the two are reunited, the show starts again. Funny, I came to get coffee, not for a show.
"No tickets or slashed tires!" shouts the blonde woman much louder than she needs to for her friend to hear her as she walks by me. Sigh...really? Slashed tires? Oh the drama! The darker haired woman smiles & tries to ignore her over-dramatization. They fall back into their gossipy conversation about other people. I over hear comments about a friend's snide remarks & concrete thinking & how she gives & gives but her friend never listens when she tries to talk about her problems & her life. Somehow, I doubt it.
You know, I don't like to talk about people. I didn't come in here with the intention of talking about people. I like to talk about other things. Things like the universe or what amazingly weird insect I discovered today, or why Crepe Myrtles are named Crepe Myrtles. I enjoy topics on volcanoes, or weather patterns, or Star Wars & it's influence on culture & society. Talking about people is so overrated & boring. It always seems to be negative as well. People that talk about other people never go around spouting about how wonderful other people are. You never over hear things like, "She's amazing! She always listens to me & is there when I need her. I can't imagine what I'd do without her.", or things like, "My husband spoils me. I am so lucky to have someone who understands me so deeply." Isn't that odd?
I find it even harder to block them out when I hear the word "Artist" froth from their rabid mouths. I'm an artist. People usually have very interesting things to say about artists. Damn, they've pulled me in. I continue writing in my little sketchbook, changing nothing, as if I don't hear them. Of course if they are transparent to me, I'm sure I am just as transparent in my act. They critique his art by viewing paintings the blonde has stored on her phone. First up for consideration is a painting of a woman. At least they think it's a woman. The blonde boasts that he is the top artist in the state & received thousands in scholarships. Oh, and he's dating someone she's related to. The second painting is called, "What Time is It?". The dark haired woman looks confused. The blonde woman tries to explain why he is so good, but it's clear that neither of them really get art. I would like to look this kid's work up. Being an artist myself, I'd be interested to see the "top" artist in the state. The blonde explains that he painted it to capture the moment he fell in love with Mariah. Oh, Mariah must be the blonde woman's daughter. He posted it on FaceBook and only he & her know what the title alludes to. Um...not anymore buddy.
Why am I listening to this? I try to get back to my thinking & writing. Then I hear tidbits of the conversation & conclude that now they have switched to a conversation about love & relationships. Something about why wait & marriage. I smile & laugh a little inside. Marriage has absolutely nothing to do with love. If it's love, true love, there is no rush. It won't magically disappear if you don't grasp it in your hands & hold onto it. You won't lose it. It'll wait forever if it is really love. With those thoughts I look over at the person sitting to my left. Someone I can sit with in silence. Someone that no words need be spoken to. We can simply sit & write & create & be so deeply connected. We sip our yummy coffee drinks & write, creating new worlds & new images never before seen. No gossip. No negativity. Just two people who love each other left in a coffee house on a chocolate couch as the 40 something drama queens exit & leave us in silence.
The end.
There are two middle-aged women sitting next to the object of my attention, but a space left just for me. They have all taken up residence on a chocolate colored cloth couch in the very back of the coffee house. I plop my backpack down next to hers, say hello, and take the empty space up on the couch. The two middle-aged women are chatting like parrots as she rises & asks what she can get me. I smile & request my usual as I notice the women are dressed much younger than they are in t-shirts & Capri pants. They both sport extremely short haircuts, with the blond woman's being a little more daring with a bit of hair gel used to spike it up a bit. It's obvious she likes attention. She shifts in her seat constantly & uses her hands to talk. The other woman, who has dyed black hair, is more timid. She seems a little uncomfortable, almost embarrassed by her friend's bravado. I hear tidbits about yoga instructors, work, etc.
For some reason the blonde woman feels compelled to loudly announce that she parked out front rather than parking in the lot across the street as the little sign on the door suggested. The other woman looks embarrassed & admits she did as well. They discuss whether they should move their vehicles. Of course, they have no intention of even attempting to move their vehicles. This stage play is all for my benefit. Well, me & my companion. These types of plays are the worst. If I wanted to see a melodramatic play put on by bad actors I'd go catch a middle school play. Although I think middle school kids are quite a bit better. On & on they go. I've never really grasped what this does for people. I guess it's a way to admit you've done something in order to escape being called out & shamed by it.
Suddenly, the dark-haired women gets up & announces she needs to visit the restroom. I think the blonde woman's loud admission has slightly embarrassed the other woman & she seeks the restroom as a refuge to gather herself. As she walks to the door marked Womens, the other one flamboyantly waves her arms around & shouts that she's going to check on the cars. Check on the cars? Really? They need checked on? So outside she goes. What a show. The silence lasts only about 30 seconds. Once the two are reunited, the show starts again. Funny, I came to get coffee, not for a show.
"No tickets or slashed tires!" shouts the blonde woman much louder than she needs to for her friend to hear her as she walks by me. Sigh...really? Slashed tires? Oh the drama! The darker haired woman smiles & tries to ignore her over-dramatization. They fall back into their gossipy conversation about other people. I over hear comments about a friend's snide remarks & concrete thinking & how she gives & gives but her friend never listens when she tries to talk about her problems & her life. Somehow, I doubt it.
You know, I don't like to talk about people. I didn't come in here with the intention of talking about people. I like to talk about other things. Things like the universe or what amazingly weird insect I discovered today, or why Crepe Myrtles are named Crepe Myrtles. I enjoy topics on volcanoes, or weather patterns, or Star Wars & it's influence on culture & society. Talking about people is so overrated & boring. It always seems to be negative as well. People that talk about other people never go around spouting about how wonderful other people are. You never over hear things like, "She's amazing! She always listens to me & is there when I need her. I can't imagine what I'd do without her.", or things like, "My husband spoils me. I am so lucky to have someone who understands me so deeply." Isn't that odd?
I find it even harder to block them out when I hear the word "Artist" froth from their rabid mouths. I'm an artist. People usually have very interesting things to say about artists. Damn, they've pulled me in. I continue writing in my little sketchbook, changing nothing, as if I don't hear them. Of course if they are transparent to me, I'm sure I am just as transparent in my act. They critique his art by viewing paintings the blonde has stored on her phone. First up for consideration is a painting of a woman. At least they think it's a woman. The blonde boasts that he is the top artist in the state & received thousands in scholarships. Oh, and he's dating someone she's related to. The second painting is called, "What Time is It?". The dark haired woman looks confused. The blonde woman tries to explain why he is so good, but it's clear that neither of them really get art. I would like to look this kid's work up. Being an artist myself, I'd be interested to see the "top" artist in the state. The blonde explains that he painted it to capture the moment he fell in love with Mariah. Oh, Mariah must be the blonde woman's daughter. He posted it on FaceBook and only he & her know what the title alludes to. Um...not anymore buddy.
Why am I listening to this? I try to get back to my thinking & writing. Then I hear tidbits of the conversation & conclude that now they have switched to a conversation about love & relationships. Something about why wait & marriage. I smile & laugh a little inside. Marriage has absolutely nothing to do with love. If it's love, true love, there is no rush. It won't magically disappear if you don't grasp it in your hands & hold onto it. You won't lose it. It'll wait forever if it is really love. With those thoughts I look over at the person sitting to my left. Someone I can sit with in silence. Someone that no words need be spoken to. We can simply sit & write & create & be so deeply connected. We sip our yummy coffee drinks & write, creating new worlds & new images never before seen. No gossip. No negativity. Just two people who love each other left in a coffee house on a chocolate couch as the 40 something drama queens exit & leave us in silence.
The end.
Monday, July 19, 2010
New job....same old crap.
So, I just switched positions within the same dept. recently. I am now considered an admin. asst./receptionist. I hate it. No, really. I'm a month in & I absolutely loathe it. This is bad. My art show is coming up in October & this job is zapping me. I have to stare at spreadsheets all day & when I get home I can't focus my eyes anymore for my art work. In fact, it's hard to focus at all on anything. I absolutely despise Excel. How on earth do people do it? How do they enter data constantly. It makes me uptight, tense, moody & gives me headaches. The fact that it is messing with my ability to focus when I get home is really getting me down.
I have no idea what to do.
I am not going to want to be here much longer. I'll be lucky to make it a year. I know, I probably sound whiny & spoiled, & I should be happy to have a job, but I'm not happy. The benefits are nice, but this job is not for me. It is not helping me reach my goals.
Again, I have no idea what to do.
All I know right now is that I better figure something out or this is going to end badly. The old job wasn't any better. It was for a while, but it got bad too. The constant negativity & put downs where bad for my self esteem. Now the esteem is good but the health & creativity are being drained away.
This sucks.
I have no idea what to do.
I am not going to want to be here much longer. I'll be lucky to make it a year. I know, I probably sound whiny & spoiled, & I should be happy to have a job, but I'm not happy. The benefits are nice, but this job is not for me. It is not helping me reach my goals.
Again, I have no idea what to do.
All I know right now is that I better figure something out or this is going to end badly. The old job wasn't any better. It was for a while, but it got bad too. The constant negativity & put downs where bad for my self esteem. Now the esteem is good but the health & creativity are being drained away.
This sucks.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Art & Love
So, I have approx. 2 months to really get things going for the Art show I managed to snag. What Art show, you ask? Why the Art show I have in October at Coffeeslingers in downtown OKC. No, for real, I finally have my own show. At first I was nervous, but then I was like, nah, I can do this, & then I was like, I need to think about what I want to do, and now I'm like, Holy crap!!! I have an Art show in two months!
I must admit, just having one has spurred on the creativity. Slowly it creeps back from the depths it was been pushed down to by retail & the pointless creative-less redundant workplaces. I feel it rising, slowly pulling itself up to stand on its own two or four or sixteen feet again. It feels so nice. Hell, it feels. There was a time where I was afraid it was dead. I was afraid it was broken or dead. It's not.
It's been a weird experience though. I've never really thought so much about what I paint. My stuff isn't exactly the kind of stuff people want to hang on their wall. It's all emotionally based reactive art. By reactive, I mean based on my reaction to things. Not shock art. So much of it is about things we, as a whole, don't like to look at. Oil spills, war, theology, politics, social issues & inner conflict & turmoil. Not flowers or hay bales in a field. I look at it & think, "Are they going to let me hang this?", "Will this cause the coffee house owners to have to put up with crappy comments from customers?" I certainly hope not. Then again, it would be creating conversation & perhaps an exchange of ideas. Still, I'm not trying to incite negativity, just thoughts. The negative/positive depends on the viewer really.
It's a little scary. I don't expect people to "like" my work. I do want them to see it though. If it sets off just one person's brain, then I'll be happy.
I used to be too scared to show anything to anyone other than my friends. Afraid the world out there would think I was crazy & lock me away or dismiss me altogether. Luckily, one of those friends that has been over a hundred times, has never stopped encouraging me to try. That's really amazing. To keep encouraging me for the last 15 years & never giving up. Over & over again, trying to talk me into it. Sending me articles or links to little shows here & there. I can honestly say, I owe this show to her. To her & T. T for just putting up with me for 14 years. It's not easy living with an Aspie (person with Asperger's), but she's done an amazing job of teaching me how to communicate & be more social. I've also got some really amazing people in my life. People who are still fighting to make their dreams come true. We gather together at least once a month & vent our frustrations & share our desires & support each others attempts. I know, in my heart of hearts, that one day, we will all be where we want to be. These people are too amazing not to make it happen. All of us just have to cast off all the BS we were taught & keep working toward the goal. Happily ever after is possible. Look around. It's there. You see it all the time. Society tells you it's only the lucky ones, but the one's telling you that are the ones that gave up. Never give up. Never stop trying. There are millions, let me repeat, MILLIONS of people living their dreams.
Seriously. I'm not kidding. Think about all the singers, songwriters, screenplay writers, special effects artists, painters, writers, guitar players, dancers, orchestra directors, zoologists, entomologists, and millions of other occupations that people do & love. Sure, maybe you don't know their names & maybe they don't make a million billion dollars, but they are happy & pretty well off. They are doing what they chose to do with their life & they love it. For every JK Rowling or Stephen King, there are hundreds of thousands of writers you've never heard of. All of them successfully selling book after book & paying their mortgage. Society tends to only focus on the mega stars. Being famous or a mega star isn't what it's about. Doing what you love is. Don't let them scare you. Never let anyone tell you that you can't do something you dream of, & only surround yourself with people that love & understand you.
I'm blessed to have so much love in my life. And understanding. I'm not an easy one to understand sometimes.
Now, back to the painting. I only have two months to get this all together!!!!
I must admit, just having one has spurred on the creativity. Slowly it creeps back from the depths it was been pushed down to by retail & the pointless creative-less redundant workplaces. I feel it rising, slowly pulling itself up to stand on its own two or four or sixteen feet again. It feels so nice. Hell, it feels. There was a time where I was afraid it was dead. I was afraid it was broken or dead. It's not.
It's been a weird experience though. I've never really thought so much about what I paint. My stuff isn't exactly the kind of stuff people want to hang on their wall. It's all emotionally based reactive art. By reactive, I mean based on my reaction to things. Not shock art. So much of it is about things we, as a whole, don't like to look at. Oil spills, war, theology, politics, social issues & inner conflict & turmoil. Not flowers or hay bales in a field. I look at it & think, "Are they going to let me hang this?", "Will this cause the coffee house owners to have to put up with crappy comments from customers?" I certainly hope not. Then again, it would be creating conversation & perhaps an exchange of ideas. Still, I'm not trying to incite negativity, just thoughts. The negative/positive depends on the viewer really.
It's a little scary. I don't expect people to "like" my work. I do want them to see it though. If it sets off just one person's brain, then I'll be happy.
I used to be too scared to show anything to anyone other than my friends. Afraid the world out there would think I was crazy & lock me away or dismiss me altogether. Luckily, one of those friends that has been over a hundred times, has never stopped encouraging me to try. That's really amazing. To keep encouraging me for the last 15 years & never giving up. Over & over again, trying to talk me into it. Sending me articles or links to little shows here & there. I can honestly say, I owe this show to her. To her & T. T for just putting up with me for 14 years. It's not easy living with an Aspie (person with Asperger's), but she's done an amazing job of teaching me how to communicate & be more social. I've also got some really amazing people in my life. People who are still fighting to make their dreams come true. We gather together at least once a month & vent our frustrations & share our desires & support each others attempts. I know, in my heart of hearts, that one day, we will all be where we want to be. These people are too amazing not to make it happen. All of us just have to cast off all the BS we were taught & keep working toward the goal. Happily ever after is possible. Look around. It's there. You see it all the time. Society tells you it's only the lucky ones, but the one's telling you that are the ones that gave up. Never give up. Never stop trying. There are millions, let me repeat, MILLIONS of people living their dreams.
Seriously. I'm not kidding. Think about all the singers, songwriters, screenplay writers, special effects artists, painters, writers, guitar players, dancers, orchestra directors, zoologists, entomologists, and millions of other occupations that people do & love. Sure, maybe you don't know their names & maybe they don't make a million billion dollars, but they are happy & pretty well off. They are doing what they chose to do with their life & they love it. For every JK Rowling or Stephen King, there are hundreds of thousands of writers you've never heard of. All of them successfully selling book after book & paying their mortgage. Society tends to only focus on the mega stars. Being famous or a mega star isn't what it's about. Doing what you love is. Don't let them scare you. Never let anyone tell you that you can't do something you dream of, & only surround yourself with people that love & understand you.
I'm blessed to have so much love in my life. And understanding. I'm not an easy one to understand sometimes.
Now, back to the painting. I only have two months to get this all together!!!!
Friday, July 02, 2010
The Return of Futurama: A Critique
Good news everyone...
Well, June 24th marked the triumphant return of my favorite TV show to the airwaves. How was it? Awesome & meh. The first episode was pretty good. It did however feel a little different. I can't quite put my finger on it yet. Things just seem a little off. The Planet Express building, New New York, & other familiar places seem a little unfamiliar. It's like walking into a house you lived in for twenty years after someone else has lived there 5 years. It still looks like your old house, but things aren't where you expect them to be. The walls are a different color & someone put wood laminate down where the orange & avocado shag carpet used to be.
The character Leela seems to be completely off. All the other characters seem exactly the same, but not Leela. She's weaker & dumber. Which makes me really sad because she was a really strong character. Sure she had her ditzy moments, but she had very clearly defined character flaws that now seem completely lost. The second episode was completely unbelievable for me because Leela didn't just shove off the log & kick Zapp's ass. She let Zapp pretty much call all the shots & she seemed easily controlled. There was absolutely no sexual tension between the characters & she gave in way too easy to a guy she supposedly hates. The Fry/Leela relationship is also very muddy right now. Are they? Aren't they? Fry's reaction to the Leela/Zapp thing was also unbelievable. All in all it was a very uncomfortable episode to watch & left me with a bad feeling in my gut. That "be careful what you wish for" feeling.
The third episode was better. We got back to addressing pop culture issues which Futurama always did so brilliantly. Still though, the toilet/juvenile humor is much more than it used to be. I liked the smartness of Futurama. The way the show was so good at addressing political, theological, & relevent social commentary. The cohesion of the plot is very lacking & they seem to be trying to get out all the proverbial "fart" jokes they can due to being on Comedy Central, a network that allows more of that sort of thing.
If Futurama doesn't smarten up & lessen the crude humor, I think it's headed in a bad direction. They need to pull the plot together by addressing one or two issues in the sarcasticly smart fashion of the original, find Leela's original personality, & drop the frat boy attitude or it's going to crash & burn.
I know they can do it. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Here's a preview of the episode from this week:
Well, June 24th marked the triumphant return of my favorite TV show to the airwaves. How was it? Awesome & meh. The first episode was pretty good. It did however feel a little different. I can't quite put my finger on it yet. Things just seem a little off. The Planet Express building, New New York, & other familiar places seem a little unfamiliar. It's like walking into a house you lived in for twenty years after someone else has lived there 5 years. It still looks like your old house, but things aren't where you expect them to be. The walls are a different color & someone put wood laminate down where the orange & avocado shag carpet used to be.
The character Leela seems to be completely off. All the other characters seem exactly the same, but not Leela. She's weaker & dumber. Which makes me really sad because she was a really strong character. Sure she had her ditzy moments, but she had very clearly defined character flaws that now seem completely lost. The second episode was completely unbelievable for me because Leela didn't just shove off the log & kick Zapp's ass. She let Zapp pretty much call all the shots & she seemed easily controlled. There was absolutely no sexual tension between the characters & she gave in way too easy to a guy she supposedly hates. The Fry/Leela relationship is also very muddy right now. Are they? Aren't they? Fry's reaction to the Leela/Zapp thing was also unbelievable. All in all it was a very uncomfortable episode to watch & left me with a bad feeling in my gut. That "be careful what you wish for" feeling.
The third episode was better. We got back to addressing pop culture issues which Futurama always did so brilliantly. Still though, the toilet/juvenile humor is much more than it used to be. I liked the smartness of Futurama. The way the show was so good at addressing political, theological, & relevent social commentary. The cohesion of the plot is very lacking & they seem to be trying to get out all the proverbial "fart" jokes they can due to being on Comedy Central, a network that allows more of that sort of thing.
If Futurama doesn't smarten up & lessen the crude humor, I think it's headed in a bad direction. They need to pull the plot together by addressing one or two issues in the sarcasticly smart fashion of the original, find Leela's original personality, & drop the frat boy attitude or it's going to crash & burn.
I know they can do it. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Here's a preview of the episode from this week:
| Futurama | Thursdays 10pm / 9c | |||
| e-Waste Delivery | ||||
| ||||
Thursday, July 01, 2010
Sleeping Beauty Collectible
Wow! This is gorgeous! This is a box inspired from the movie Sleeping Beauty. In the movie the three good fairies hid their wands inside a box like this so that Briar Rose would not find them. It is sculpted resin with wood grain finish and is about 8'' H x 6'' W x 4 1/2'' D.
There is also a Beauty & the Beast box, shown here:
And a Cinderella collectible/box along the same lines, shown here:
These are all just gorgeous! The Sleeping Beauty one & the Beauty & the Beast one are both around $85.00, while the Cinderella is a bit more affordable at $70.00.
You can find all of these awesome collectibles at THE DISNEY STORE.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
All Eleven Doctors!!!
Wow! This is an awesome offering from Underground Toys & Entertainment Earth ! All Eleven versions of the Doctor in one Tardis shaped package! Available in August for the price of $99.99! Not too bad a price. That's less than $10.00 a figure! Figures are about 5" tall.
Also, check out this nifty Tardis. Yes, I said nifty. And bow ties are cool.
It floats in mid-air. How clever is that? Brilliant, I say! The Tardis measures a little over 3" tall. If only it had a button to push that would play the theme song.
This little do-hicky will run you $35.99 over at Entertainment Earth. It is available for pre-order & should be shipping in August.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Sideshow Gamorrean Guard Figure
Available now for Pre-order from Sideshow Collectibles is this 12 inch finely detailed Gamorrean Guard. For those of you who already have the Jabba, his throne, Han in Carbonite, etc., you are going to have to pick this one up to complete the scene!
Sideshow has them priced at $119.99 with the option of Flex-Pay so you can pay it out in two installments of $60.00.
If you want one, you'd better get over to their site & pre-order it now, Sideshow Star Wars figures don't last long.
Gentle Giant Greedo Statue
Hey Star Wars fans, Gentle Giant is gearing up to release this really cool Greedo Statue sometime in December. They are taking pre-orders now, so head on over to their site & check it out!
Friday, June 18, 2010
New Gentle Giant Star Wars collectibles
Straight out of Star Wars: A New Hope come two fan favorites, Muftak and the small little bat looking creature Kabe. Sure to add that fanboy/fangirl touch to any room! Which from my perspective is a good thing. Hand crafted and Cast in high quality poly-stone these small collectibles are quite detailed . Muftak and Kabe measure 7" and 5" respectively.
These limited classic cantina creatures are shipped together in a 2 pack box, both with matching edition numbers and a certificate of authenticity. They will be available as of February 2011, but you can get your pre-order on now!
Gentle Giant collectibles, from a collectible stand point are a good bet. They are usually a pretty low number as far as edition size, and seem to only escalate in price once they are sold out. So, if collecting something that gains value is of interest to you, you will most certainly want to pick these guys up. The pre-order price is listed as $129.99.
Have fun & May the Force Be With You!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Thundercats make a return!!!
Maleficent Painting
Check out this beautiful print of Maleficent! It is a great tribute to the sorceress from Sleeping Beauty. It comes with the frame as well.
Here is some info from Sideshow's site:
The 'Accursed Gift' Fine Art Print features:
Limited Edition Giclee on Canvas
100 piece hand-numbered edition
Signed by the artist Steven Daily
Comes with Certificate of Authenticity
Print measurements: 19" H x 24" W
Size (Including Frame): 24.5" x 30.5"
Go check it out at the link here: "Accursed Gift"
Artist Michelle Vaughan
So, I stumbled across an artist I wanted to share with you. Her name is Michelle Vaughan.
I LOVE her ant drawings.
Go check out this one: Ant Drawing #4
Enjoy!
I LOVE her ant drawings.
Go check out this one: Ant Drawing #4
Enjoy!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
New music Thursday feat. Lissy Trullie
Lissy Trullie is a native of Washington, DC. In high school she and her mother moved to New York. A kid of divorced parents, she spent the mornings sifting through her dad’s large record collection as he schooled her in the ways of Motown, Surf Rock, Folk, Soul, and Classical. In the evening is was her Mother's copy of Tommy that got all of her attention.
Later, she was an art school graduate who dabbled in music, but still hadn't found the confidence to really immerse herself in exploring her own musical talent.
Finally, with the support of friends & anyone who heard her play, she went for it, writing & making her own original tunes.
Her first release was with an indie label out of Brooklyn called American Myth. This label allowed the band to expand & control their own way artistically.
Self-Taught Learner came out February 17, 2009 & Lissy & her band continue to play out & tour all over the US.
Go check her out!
Myspace
Blog
Website
Website Wednesday feat. Coopstuff.com
Do you know who Ed "Big Daddy" Roth is? Do you like motorcycles, tattoos, roller derby, hot rods, pin-up girls, punk subculture, Psychobilly, Rockabilly, Mod Subculture, surf culture, Pop Art, Surrealism, Kustom Kulture, or DIY? I've got an art site for you then. Posters, paintings, books, clothes & more.
If you said "YES!" to any of these, then here is a website for you! http://www.coopstuff.com/Coop
There is an excellent selection of things to buy on this site. From art work to t-shirts, belt buckles to zippos, if you like this style of art, you are sure to find something you want.
Ed "Big Daddy" Roth's art was an influence on me when I was very little. My brother had picked up a "Rat Fink" car model & I was fascinated by the art on the box as well as the model itself. I really loved the bright colors he always used that made the stuff seem to really pop. Coop does the same thing.
Coop is a hot rod artist working from Los Angeles. He was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1968, and describes his occupation as "Insensitive Artiste". His work consists primarily of barely clothed Bettie Page-style 1950s soft pornography and/or B-movie monsters, with the female characters often taking the role of "Devil-Women". The artwork up top is Coop's.
Go check out the site!
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Art Tuesday feat. Jasonchanart.com
Happy Tuesday to you. I stumbled across a cool artist I like while browsing around on ConceptArt.org. Jason Chan. His Star Wars art for Wizards of the Coast really caught my eye, but his other stuff is really wonderful. There is an abundance of fantasy based artwork. Beautiful stuff. Go check him out. He has a blogspot blog & a page on ConceptArt.org.
Jason's Blog
Movie Review Monday Feat. Breakin' & Breakin' 2
That's right, this Monday I'm going old school with the movie review. Somehow, all through the 80's, 90's & 00's I managed to never have the privileged to enjoy the films "Breakin'" & "Breakin'2: Electric Boogaloo". Both movies were released in 1984 by Cannon Films. Both films incorporate street dancing & the emergence of rap music. Ice-T appears in both films. I absolutely loved these movies. I'll be honest, it's easy for me to love anything that I feel really captures the feel of the 80's & I really feel like both of these movies did. That feeling that dance or music or art could bring the world together & community centers & love could get people off the streets, set them on the right path, & change the world for the better always reel me in. Definitely feel good movies. The street dancing is really cool to see. I was quite the break dancer myself in 5th & 6th grade. The films are a pretty average 80's formula. Rich dancer girl unhappy with where she is at meets cool urban street dancer. She is pulled into a world of dance she never knew existed, where people feel what they dance & are real, unlike her fake greedy money hungry world. Confused by her feelings & feeling like a bit of an outsider she returns to her fancy dance school where her dance instructor forces himself on her. She pushes him away & runs back to the street dancers. They form a group, TKO, which stands for a combination of their street names, Turbo, Special K, & Ozone.
I want a cool street dancer name.
Anyhoo, the movie then becomes about trying to get the uppity dance companies & show producers to recognize street dance as a legit art form. It is also about looking past stereotypes & what our parents have told us about the "bad" side of town. We are all people with dreams, wants & desires.
Seriously...I absolutely loved this film. If you love Flashdance and/or Xanadu, you will probably LOVE it as well. If you do not like either one of those movies, then I don't recommend Breakin' or Breakin 2 to you. You just aren't the kind to sit back & enjoy a fun movie. I guarantee, you will not be able to sit still. Before you get to the end of the film you will find yourself getting up off the couch & breakin' yourself.
The second film was just as good & went with the community center threatened by rich white people who don't get it plot. For as cheesy as it is, funny how this plot is still true & happening all the time. I've always wanted to save a place by dancing & getting the whole neighborhood to dance the bulldozers away. It would be so cool to pull off in real life.
So, if this summer, you find yourself bored & in the mood for some cool 80's dance & feel good vibes, don't hesitate to pick these two films up. I bought them for about $6.00 a piece at my local retailer.
Action Figure Friday feat. Universal Monsters
New from Diamond Select, Old school Universal monster figures. These figures stand 8-inches tall with over 14 points of articulation and cool full cloth outfits. They very much resemble the old MEGO figures of the 70's & 80's. Very cool.
The first set of figures in the series include the lumbering Frankenstein Monster and the ravenous Wolfman!
You can Pre-order them from Entertainment Earth right now, or you can wait & see if your local comic shop or retailer can order them for you.
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