Movie Monday

This is my cat Calla Lilly. Calla is not a big fan of my Betty Boop Slippers, and has been known to attack them (i.e. my feet) as they move through the house. And if said slippers happen to find themselves just lying around unsuspecting? Betty doesn't stand a chance.

Seriously? - Are Princesses Good Role Models?

Seriously? I’m starting a new “segment” if you will. It’s going to be called…you guessed it “Seriously?” and whenever I come across things in the media that just boggle my mind, but yet that I must react to, this is where’ll it’ll happen.

So, back to today’s topic. “Are Princesses Good Role Models?” is a headline on Yahoo’s homepage today. There is an ABC news video link to that story, and there is the story at the ABC News Website. Take a moment if you will to either watch the video, or read the story, (the narration is the same as the article) then come back.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Health/story?id=3065469&page=1

Got it? Okay good…so…SERIOUSLY?? Is this what we’ve become? Afraid to let our children play? SERIOUSLY? This Peggy Orenstein chick obviously had a very unhappy childhood, and has some real hang-ups about being a female. She says “She wants children to live in reality, not fantasy.” SERIOUSLY??

For God’s sake…WHY? Why the hell would we want children to live in reality? Childhood should be all about fantasy, and imagination and playing and not knowing the reality of how much the real world SUCKS. Let them be children. They will deal with reality all too soon anyway, why take away those few years where it actually is all about beauty and fantasy? Is that so bad?

Ms. Orenstein worries about their body image? SERIOUSLY? Because I’d be a hell of a lot more concerned about the fact that she’s focusing on a 3 year old’s body image, then the fact that Snow White and Cinderella are pretty CARTOON girls.

Look, I’m not saying I don’t realize that body image is a huge issue for women and girls in this country (in the world), but taking away a childhood fantasy of being a princess isn’t going to fix the problem. She says: “I really worry about what it's setting girls up for. Will the girl who is wearing 'Princess' across her chest when she's three be wearing 'Spoiled' across her chest when she's six, and 'Porn Star' when she is 12?"

SERIOUSLY?? I mean…SERIOUSLY?? And a 12 year old wearing a “Porn Star” t-shirt (WHAT?) is due to watching Princess movies when she was 3 years old? SERIOUSLY? It has nothing to do with parenting, or the values she is taught? And the fact that my mother would have kicked my ass if I ever even looked at a t-shirt that said “Porn Star” on it?

SERIOUSLY?

Let’s stop blaming the media, the music, the freakin’ cartoons already huh? It’s due time that parents take responsibility for raising their kids and that women take responsibility for loving and accepting themselves. We all know that magazines models and celebrities are airbrushed beyond recognition, we know they starve themselves for the sake of their business, we know that it’s not reality. WE have a responsibility to make sure the younger generations know that as well, and that they begin to make the changes we have as yet been unable to make. But for God’s sake…leave the cartoons alone, and let children have their fantasies for a while huh?

SERIOUSLY!

The Virginia Tech Horror

I want to start this off by saying that my thoughts and prayers go out to those families and friends of the victims at Virginia Tech. I debated as to whether or not I should comment on this horrible event, but my heart decided for me. I’ve mentioned before that I don’t watch the news much, because I take on the pain of the world and absorb it like a sponge. I cry whenever I do watch a newscast, because it pains me to see what humans are capable of doing to one another. Therefore, it goes without saying that this tragedy has broken my heart. I can’t avoid it; it’s everywhere, so I find myself crying silent tears for all that pain that’s been caused.

Unfortunately, when an event such as this happens, it opens the floodgates for the media whores to distort it, exploit it, and make a circus of it. Already we have scientology groups calling for the shooter’s blood to be tested for medications, so they can use this to further their own agenda against medicine. Already we have South Korea jumping up to apologize, and ask that we don’t blame their country, for the actions of ONE individual who happens to be of South Korean descent…but has lived here since 1992, in fear that we jump on the racial divide theory we so love discuss. Already we cannot get away from the stories of how the school handled the shootings badly, how his writings raised red flags, how he was sent to counseling…already it is a media feeding frenzy, and already I am disgusted.

THIS is a horrible tragedy. Way too many lives were lost because one individual lost his mind and did a terrible thing. I’m sure more will come out about his state of mind, about warning signs, about missed signals. I’m sure someone will point the finger at someone else, we’ll play the blame game, we’ll analyze, we’ll study, we’ll research. But the real tragedy is that we won’t get anywhere with any of it, and it will happen again in the future. Blame, research, medication…these are all just words. Violence, hatred, desperation…these exist daily, how will we ever eradicate them when we sensationalize them. Unfortunately for all of us, we don’t quite understand the human mind just yet, and why it is capable of inflicting such pain. We can’t control what we don’t know. How could anyone know that a question mark on an attendance sheet would be an indication of a murderer?

The more I read or hear about this tragedy, the more my heart breaks. Nothing like this ever makes sense. How could it? How could he?

It is usually in the midst of horrors I can't wrap my brain about, that I "write"...I don't know (or care) if it's any good, but it had to get out, so here's something I wrote in the midst of all this...

?

It seems you had shut out the world
Long before you gave up on life
They say you stopped participating
Didn’t speak to anyone
But then why take them with you?
What had they done to you
That made their last breath yours to decide?
And who made you God to determine that it was their time?
Who knows what was going through your
“Eerily calm” mind as you pulled that trigger
Again and again
Could you have been helped, or stopped
Before this tragedy
Or if you were just always going to explode,
No matter what anyone did
They say you were a loner
You kept to yourself
Didn’t respond when spoken to
But does that then turn you into a victim
Excuse your horrific actions
Were you crying out for help
I don’t see it that way
I can’t see it that way
Because you had choices
There is always a choice
And you calculated
You planned
You scratched the fucking serial numbers off the guns
You knew what you were doing
And you had no right

I cry for them…
But I can’t find sympathy for you…

30 in 30 - I made it, and a few random thoughts

First of all...hey, I made it...30 posts in 30 days! How about that? I'm going to keep going too.

Secondly, a few random things:

It's Friday the 13th...good luck day or bad luck day for you? It's never really made a difference to me. I'm not supersticious, so I hardly notice it, really.

To follow up on yesterday's political post...I actually think Don Imus deserved to be suspended, and possibly even fired. For starters he used his job as a public figure on national radio to humiliate and offend a bunch of innocent college girls. Besides, the guy mumbles almost as badly as Mayor Menino, what the hell was he doing in radio? I'm glad there was a sit-down with the girls from Rutgers, and that they got to speak their minds to him, and tell him how he made them feel. I'm not sure if they accepted his apology, or even if they believed him (or should believe him), but I'm glad they got their turn to say their piece. That really is how a situation like this should be handled, by letting the parties involved be the ones to hash it out. That said, I'm still wondering why Isaiah Washington still has a job, and the same people quick to defend him when he made his offending remarks, where quick to crucify Imus...Hey, I think they're both asses. And I'm also wondering what this means in terms of how many dumbass and ignorant celebrities are going to get in trouble for opening their mouths, versus how many will be forgiven. I also wonder if the slur had only been aimed at women, as opposed to racially driven, would the uproar have been as loud? Because to me, calling a group of basketball players "hos" would have been offensive on its own...but would it have been enough? Is it about being offensive, or is it the particular group that gets offended that counts? I'm just saying.

I'm realizing I've been a bit too political in my entries of late, and if I had any readers, I'd probably be getting lambasted right now...but I don't really, so whatever...and besides, I'm just saying what's on my mind, you don't like it? Yeah, whatever.

In closing...it's Friday. I love Fridays almost as much as I love Saturdays, but not quite as much. Therefore, I'm in too good of a mood to get any more political. So, everyone, go have a nice drink tonight, and let's all try to get along huh?

29 in 30 - The one where I get political

I’ve always prided myself on the fact that I’ve always been very accepting of anyone who was “different”. Whether someone was of a different race from me, a different sexual orientation, had some sort of disability, whatever it was that made him or her different, it didn’t really matter to me.

My very first best friend, when I started school in Portugal was an inter-racial girl. Mikaela was half black, half white. I don’t even know if I understood any of that. I just knew she was my friend. The very first boy to ever carry my books home, was the only black kid in my class (again, also in Portugal). I was also very friendly with one of the only Down syndrome kids in our school.

When I moved to the United States, I was the outsider myself for a while. I spoke funny (I had learned British English, not American English before I left Portugal), dressed funny (we didn’t have a whole lot of money when we first got here, and hand-me downs look like hand-me downs, no matter what you do to them), and I just didn’t fit. Maybe from those experiences, I surrounded myself with the rest of the kids who didn’t quite fit. And from that, I continued a cycle of always having a very eclectic group of friends, different races, different social classes, and different sexual orientations.

At least 4 of my male friends and one of my female friends in high school came out of the closet either during, or right after, but we (their close friends) always knew the truth, and loved them anyway, because it didn’t make a bit of difference to us. I was lucky enough to go to a very diverse high school, in terms of not only different races, but different social classes, and any other difference you can imagine. I say lucky, because I think it is a blessing to be exposed to such diverse cultures at such a pivotal age. My friends were white, black, Asian, Hispanic, Indian, rich, poor, middle-class, popular, unpopular, geeks, nerds, jocks, fat, skinny, tall, short…whatever…I was NOT one of the popular kids, but I got along with everyone, and even though I hated high school while I was there, I look back on it now as a truly defining time in my life.

College for me was a brand new experience; I had a new opinion of myself, much higher self-esteem, and therefore, was able to enjoy life more fully than I ever had in high school. Still, I continued to surround myself with an eclectic group.

Nothing has changed, as I’ve become an adult. I still have one of the most multi-cultural groups of friends of anyone I know. A party at my house is like a United Colors of Benneton ad. I wouldn’t change it for anything. I value my friendships with members of other cultures, who only add to my experience in life by adding portions of their culture to mine. And mine is also a mixed culture of sorts. Although by blood I am 100% Portuguese, I was born in Africa, and brought up in Portugal by parents whose culture had deeply absorbed African customs from the music to the food. Then I wound up in America, in the melting pot city of Lowell.

And all this history so I can get something off my chest; as an immigrant, who had to learn a language and adapt to a new culture, who has surrounded herself with other cultures and lifestyles, and absorbed all that “difference” has to offer, and considers herself to be 100% American, and everything that America SHOULD represent, well, I think we are TOO DAMN SENSITIVE and need to get over ourselves.

People in the media (and more so in real life) will constantly make offensive remarks. Human beings will always be ignorant, prejudiced and inappropriate, sad to say, but it’s human nature to f-up. And I’m not condoning the Michael Richard’s or Mel Gibson’s or Isaiah Washington’s, or Don Imus’ of the world, or their behavior. They said hateful things, in a hateful manner, and certainly should be called on their behavior, and most certainly serve some punishment for it. But SERIOUSLY, do we need to turn it into a media frenzy where that is all anyone talks about for WEEKS?? Are we really doing any good by constantly playing and replaying or saying and restating what they’ve done and said? Are we really ever going to get any further in our search for equality when all we do is harp on the negativity and just give it more power? Is it helping? Because if it is, then I stand corrected, and I apologize, but all I’m seeing is a media circus, emphasizing the negative, and not offering a damn thing in the way of how to fix it.

Let’s spend less time dividing ourselves into groups that can be offended, and more time uniting ourselves into a COUNTRY that stands for something. We are so damn selfish and individualistic in this society, that we are all up in arms when we feel we have been personally offended, but the world HATES America right now and as a collective, we are not doing a damn to fix it. And I’ll tell you, as someone who has CHOSEN to be an American, I get mighty offended when I hear other countries dragging our name through the mud, and yet…I can’t really find much to defend us with.

Yes, racism, sexism, homophobia, these are all still very much in evidence in this country. But so are greed, self-righteousness, vanity and the syndrome of “if it ain’t about me, then why should I care?”

I used to joke that if everyone married and had children interracially, then we’d have one less issue to worry about. But I don’t believe that now. We’d just replace it with something else. We’d never survive in a Utopia type of society, with no one to single out. So, with that being the case, I’ve chosen to just live my life trying my damnedest to not fall prey to any of those prejudices. Like anyone else, I fail at times. We all do, whether it is laughing at the fat kid, or using a racial slur, we are all guilty of hurting someone different from ourselves at one point or another. But hopefully we realize our mistakes, and learn not to make them again. And we stop playing the victim. Because ONE perverted guy only has conversations with my breasts, never with my face, it does not mean that all women are oppressed, and we’ll never be considered equal…it means that this particular guy is an ass, and I need to continue living my life to prove (to myself) that I can do whatever I put my mind do, female or not.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t be outraged that those in the media would voice such horrendous insults, I’m just saying let’s not give them even more power by our reactions. And let’s stop making everything ABOUT race, or sexual orientation, or whatever the difference may be. I really think the more we focus on the differences, the worse we make it. The longer we keep an us v. them (whoever the us and them is at the moment), the harder it’ll be to become a “we”…

28 in 30 - 30 minutes a day

I went for a walk after work tonight. It felt GREAT. They say you should walk for 30 minutes a day, every day, for your health. I think that is a great idea, but “they” obviously don’t live in New England, where 7 months out of the year it is too cold to walk outside, 3 months out of the year it is too hot and humid to walk outside and 1 month out of the year it rains every day…this leaves us JUNE for walking outside.

That said, tonight wasn’t too cold out, and even though we’re expecting yet another April snow storm tomorrow, it was nice enough for a walk.

So, when I got home from work tonight, I realized I had to take out the trash, so I changed out of my high heeled shoes into sneakers to carry it out back, but, as I was changing shoes, I remembered I needed to deposit a check, and as my bank is only about a 10 minute walk from my house…I decided to change into work-out clothes, throw on my MP3 Player, and go for a walk.

I only walked for about 20 minutes, with a short break at the ATM making my deposit. It’s not a long walk, but it’s a tough walk, because I live on a VERY steep hill. I walk down this hill, and across the way, up another hill…then on the way back home, it is down that hill, and up my VERY STEEP hill back up to my condo complex. Seriously, in case that wasn’t clear enough, the hill…is STEEP.

The sort of hill that cars get stuck on when it snows; the sort of hill that half way up, on foot, you are cursing yourself for the stupid idea of going for a walk. “What the hell was I thinking? I can’t make it up this damned hill…seriously? It wasn’t this steep last time, was it?”

So, a short walk, but nonetheless, a powerful one. I felt great after that short walk, and told myself I’d do them daily…except, well…it’s supposed to snow tomorrow.

AH…Spring!

HA!

27 in 30 - Speaking of Poetry

In keeping with my entry about my love of Poetry yesterday, I got creative today. A funny thing about my own writing, is that it is not always based in my reality. What I mean is, although poetry in general, and my stuff specifically, always resonates strongly with me emotionally, I have always been able to write about powerful subjects that I have no particular experience in first hand. This actually got me in a spot of trouble in high school, when I wrote a pretty strong poem about domestic abuse, and wound up in the guidance counselors office, trying to convince them that "Honestly, my dad has NEVER hit my mom, and NO I don't know anyone being physically abused". After a while, they finally believed me, but I learned quickly never to submit my truly creative stuff to teachers.

On that note, today I wrote this piece, and no, there was absolutely NOBODY specific in mind when I wrote it, it just appeared out of somewhere, as most of my writing tends to do, and needed to find it's way on paper.

I'm also doing something here I don't usually do, which is share my poetry in first draft version. I usually don't share it at all, never mind right after I write it. I may at one point decide to take it back, and this entry will disappear into thin air...but since I have MAYBE 2 readers...I don't feel so exposed...

That said I give you:

Much too young

I was old enough to know better
But too young to care
I wanted what I wanted, when I wanted
And there was nothing you could do to stop me

And now I find myself 15 and pregnant.

I was smart enough to think twice
But too foolish to think it through
I’d heard your warnings, your advice
But this is my life; I had to make my own choice

And now I find myself 15 and pregnant.

I was bold enough to fool around
But too shy to tell him how I really felt
I wanted to, but I was also scared,
And then I realized too late that I wanted him to stop

And now I find myself 15 and pregnant.

I was strong enough to hide my pain
But too weak to let him know it was a mistake
I couldn’t forget it, but I couldn’t do it again
And he couldn’t understand what was wrong so he left.

And now I find myself 15 and pregnant.

I was old enough, smart enough, bold enough, strong enough,
But I was too young, too foolish, too shy, too weak
And now I find myself alone
15
and
Pregnant

26 in 30 - For the Love of Poetry

Poetry has been a love of mine all of my life, not just writing it, but reading it, listening to it, experiencing it. As a young girl in Portugal I had memorized my favorite poem “Balada da Neve” by Augusto Gil. Translating it wouldn’t do it justice, as is wont to happen with any work of art, but it is a beautifully sad poem about the snow, and the suffering of the human race. Of course, I knew none of that as a child, I just knew it sounded beautiful, such amazing words, joined together to create this illusion of snow (something I had never experienced first hand before I left Portugal).

Moving countries, and learning a new language, fortunately, did not affect my love of prose. I only found new poets, new writers, to fall in love with. Maya Angelou, Gwendolyn Brooks, Robert Frost, E.E. Cummings. They all could say so much, with so little effort. Cummings was a favorite for a long time. He had a method unlike any other, and I was fascinated by what he could do by breaking all the rules. Take this, one of my favorites by him:

l(a

le
af
fa

ll

s)
one
l

iness

It appears to be nothing more than a jumble of letters, but…look closer. Outside the parenthesis “Loneliness”, inside “A Leaf Falls”…Thus: A leaf falls – Loneliness. FOUR WORDS…and yet, what powerful emotion it carries. This is what I have always loved about poetry. So little written, can mean so much interpreted.

Through the years I’ve enjoyed poetry in its many forms, not just from the “greats”, but from other, lesser known authors, songwriters (because the lyrics to a song are poetry, only the music make them a song), certain rappers (not the cars, money and hos ones), but there have been a few rappers in our time that truly have a magical way with words. My newest pleasure in the love of poetry is in watching live poetry performed, poetry slams, and even the Def Poetry Jams that I find myself watching late at night on HBO. How wonderful that a whole new generation of writers gets to express themselves through the medium of television.

My own prose, while it has slowed close to a halt in latter years, is still something I’m highly in love with. I can pick up certain pieces I wrote as far back as high school, and be fascinated by the way I wove words together to express feelings I didn’t even fully comprehend. And even now, when I manage to eke out a poem here and there, feeling as if I just don’t have the gift anymore, I reread it and am constantly surprised at the power of my words.

But trying to explain poetry, trying to describe the effect it has had on my life, or my need to write, is like trying to explain the color red to someone who has never seen it. It can’t be explained, it must be experienced.
I’ll leave you with quotes by two of my favorite poets:

“Poetry is a way of taking life by the throat”. – Robert Frost

“Poetry is life distilled”. – Gwendolyn Brooks

25 in 30 - Happy Easter

Keeping it short today because I'm on my way to mom's for Easter lunch.

Of all the holidays we celebrate, Easter is the one with very little in the way of memories for me. There are a few random memories here and there, but for the most part, my family has always kept it pretty low key.

Still, it's an excuse for the family to come together and spend some time as one. That's always a good thing in my book.

This year, it'll just be my immediate family (mom, dad, brother, grandpa) and my uncle and aunt, and my cousin, her boyfriend, and her daughter. Small group, and yet, I'm sure we'll have a nice time.

What do you do for Easter?

HAPPY EASTER everyone.

24 in 30 - My Top 5 Accomplishments

It's easy to get caught up in the daily melodrama that is life, and forget what exceptional human beings we can be. There are those in life who accomplish feats that the average person can only dream of, or stand back and ask "why would you do that?" But in our day to day, those of us who just fall into the "average" population slot, we accomplish quite a lot as well.

It is with that in mind, that I started thinking about all of the little things I've done that I'm extremely proud of. I give you my top five, in no particular order:

1. Graduating college. I don't come from a long line of college educated ancestors. My grandmother (my mother's mother) was a teacher, but besides her, my parents, uncles and aunts, other grandparents, did not go to college for whatever reasons or circumstances. I am extremely proud of my parents, and how much they have accomplished through hard-work, and intelligence, but there was definitely a sense of pride in being one of the first in generations to graduate college. More than that, it was a self-pride that I could do it.

2. Being a Big Sister. When I joined Big Brothers Big Sisters and became a big sister to Kayla, it was mostly out of boredom. I was going through some stuff with my so-called friends of the moment, and was spending too much time at home on weekends, alone, with nothing to do. I had thought about becoming a Big many times before, and it seemed like the perfect time. Almost 6 years later, and there are no words to explain how much I love my "little". She is family to me now, and I am so proud of the young woman she's becoming. I am also very proud of myself for the positive influence I believe I've added to her life, and for all that I've done for her, and her family, over the years. I find it hard to take compliments when people tell me what a wonderful thing it is I'm doing, because I get more than I give from this deal...but I'm still really proud.

3. Being single, and completely comfortable with it. It's not that I think being single is a great accomplishment everyone should strive toward, it's just that in today's society, women are STILL believe to be less of a person if they haven't gotten married and had children by the age of 30. And yet, here I am, 32, and perfectly content with my singledom. I would still like children, and maybe even a husband some day, but my life does not revolve around that "search" for the man that will somehow make me complete. I am complete. I'm pretty damn proud of that fact.

4. Buying my condo. I became a homeowner at 27. On my own. That's a pretty damn impressive accomplishment. I worked (and still work) extremely hard to make it a possibility, and then I was actually able to do it. My place may not be the biggest, or ritziest place out there, but it's mine. I still get an insane sense of pride when I put my key in the lock, and open MY door every night. Holy crap...I'm paying a mortgage every month. It's not easy...but damn...I'm still doing it 4 years later!

5. I have a very diverse, and more importantly really great group of girl friends. I don't know that I can really be "proud" of this, or that I can take credit for it, after all they are who they are through their own doing. But I've managed to somehow surround myself with some incredible women, and every day I'm so thankful for it. I've had some rotten "friendship" issues in the past, so to presently have these individuals call me a friend is an accomplishment I can't help but be proud of. They help make my life the success I think it is.

So there you have it, I've tooted my own horn. What are you proud of?

23 in 30 - Good Fuzzy Feelings for Good Friday

Happy Good Friday everyone, enjoy this video, it was too cute not to share.

22 in 30 - Addictions

I don't see myself as someone who has an addictive personality, therefore, I sometimes have a hard time understanding how someone can get addicted to drugs, or alcohol or gambling, or whatever. Don't get me wrong, I completely understand that addiction is a serious and REAL disease that affects millions. I just have a hard time wrapping my brain around the actual "addiction" part of it. How can you not just STOP something that you know is destroying your life? Even if physically you need to get help, because some things you can't just quit without help...how can you NOT get that help?

While I don't totally get addiction, I really do feel for those with addictive personalities. It has to be insanely difficult to go through life with some drug controlling you. Whether recovering or still indulging, to have that constant tug...that has to be a horrible feeling.

But I wouldn't understand, because I don't have any of those addictions. I've never tried cigarettes (I think they're the nastiest things ever created), I don't do drugs, never felt the need to "get high", I was always lucky to have friends who could get high on life alone. I don't gamble. This stems mostly from the fact that I don't EVER win anything, but I work too damn hard for my money to just throw it away on some game where the odds are stacked against me. I mean people, I went to Vegas for 5 days and spent MAYBE $5.00 gambling, and that was only because we had to sit at the nickel slots to get our free drinks. And speaking of drinking, I enjoy a good drink on occasion. A night out with friends for martinis, or a glass of wine at home while I read a book can be a thoroughly delightful experience. But I don't feel the NEED to drink. I can go WEEKS without touching alcohol and not even notice it. I can also go out and have ONE drink, and drink water the rest of the night. Doesn't faze me. For the most part, I actually drink for the FLAVOR of the beverage, not the buzz you get from it. I'll admit it would probably suck if someone told me I could NEVER have a martini again, but I'd get over it. I could survive without alcohol being something I think about.

And yet, as much as I realize I'm lucky to not have an addictive personality...I wonder. Maybe I just don't have your typical addictions, but maybe I have other more subtle and less damaging ones. Maybe we all do.

For example...can you go a full week without checking the Internet? Because I can barely go one day...except for maybe on weekends. But, is this because I just MUST, or is it just that I sit at a computer all day, so it's there? After all, on weekends, I barely touch my computer if I can help it.

What about food? Because I have some serious food issues. I eat too much, too often. I'm always thinking about food. What to have for breakfast, lunch and dinner. What restaurant my friends and I will next meet at. But, is this an addiction, or do I just love food? I fancy myself a bit of a food connoisseur, love to try new things, and experience new flavors. Is that an addiction or just a love of mine?

Then there's the shopping. This is where anyone who knows may think I actually have a bit of a problem. After all, not a week goes by when I don't "go shopping". I SERIOUSLY feel withdrawal symptoms, begin to feel depressed and like I NEED to get to a store if I haven't gone in a few days. I NEED to walk around and see things, touch them, savor the whole experience of being out among merchandise. But I don't always buy. In fact, quite often I "shop" but don't buy. Come home empty handed after a full day at the mall. And when I do buy, I never buy above my means, I don't buy what I can't afford. If it's not on sale, it's usually NOT for me, and even a sale has to be 50% off or more. But I do buy what I don't need. I mean, does anyone really need 50+ pairs of shoes? Don't answer that, I need them all...shut up! But it makes me happy, and it's not hurting me in any way (except maybe for the lack of closet space). Is it an addiction or do I just like pretty things?

There are probably other things I do that can certainly border on addictive behavior. So I do wonder...would I get addicted to drugs if I tried them? Could alcohol become something I NEED one day? I can't imagine it, but I sure hope not.

But the shoes? Well...okay, maybe. But I won't worry until I actually plunk down a mortgage payment to buy a pair of Manolos.

21 in 30 - April...showers?

Snow showers? Happy Spring and all that junk to everyone out there...this is the scene outside my office right now.

Yep, gotta love New England!

Note the green of the trees, below the white of the snow. How telling of the confusion that is mother nature around these parts.

20 in 30 - Celebrity Eye Candy

There is truly no reason for this post, besides the fact that I just found this picture on-line and I think both Leo and the Cub and the setting, are just a beautiful combination...SIGH...

I guess this will be the cover for the Vanity Fair "green issue"...VERY NICE!

19 in 30 - Sacrilege

I'm about to go Zero to Rant...right about...NOW!

They're remaking Adventures in Babysitting? They're remaking Adventures in Babysitting! AND...God, it pains me to even write the following words...they're casting...they've cast...Raven Symone as Chris Parker (the lead)? SERIOUSLY???

WHAT!!!!! This is not acceptable, it is not okay, and I can't believe they're about to ruin the legacy of one of the greatest 80's movies ever made. (well...whatever, it was one of my favorite guilty pleasures)

In the words of Chris Parker herself..."Don't Fuck with the Babysitter"!

Are we trully such an unoriginal society, so seriously lacking in creativity that we have to remake EVERY FREAKING MOVIE EVER MADE??

I mean, first it was making movies out of old television shows, with the Dukes of Hazzard, and the Miami Vice, and I Dream of Genie, and whatever the hell else Hollywood ripped off. And now with the remakes...I mean, I get it, some movies have stories that can be told again and again, and if there's a way to cash in, then whey wouldn't they do it...but some movies just shouldn't be messed with. Either because the original should stand on it's own, re-relase it if you want people to see it again, or because the original was bad enough, we don't need a take-two.

Planet of the Apes, Psycho, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, King Kong, Shaft, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, these are just SOME of the ones I can name off the top of my head, and most of them didn't do so well, did they? And then there's the hip-hop re-makes, turning an 80's movie into the hip hop version, or whatever...Can't Buy Me Love became "Love Don't Cost a Thing", which I refused to watch, so I can't tell you whether or not it was any good. And now with Adventures in Babysitting...and Raven Symone??? SERIOUSLY???

What's next? Scarface will be remade with Kanye West as the lead? Gone with the Wind will be remade with Angelina and Brad? (oh God, I just gave someone an idea, didn't I?) And what really bugs me about all this is that these kids who will see these movies will never even know about the original...how wrong is that?

OH, I must make my little sister sit and watch the original ASAP, before Raven steps all over it.

Raven Symone?

I must go lie down now.

18 in 30 - April Fool's

Wow, it's April! How did it get here so soon? It's amazing how, as we get older, time just goes by quicker and quicker. I remember as a kid, we'd count down the days to events, to spring vacation, to summer vacation, to Christmas...but now...you blink, and whoomp, there it is. (groan, I really just did that, didn't I?)

Ah, but it's Spring. Last night I went into Boston with some friends. Walking around the city, crowds of people milling around in short sleeves, enjoying the nice weather...I love when Spring shows up.

Today I didn't do much, ran some errands, did some shopping, enjoyed the nice weather again. They're saying it'll rain all next week, so we had to take advantage, didn't we?

And what of April Fool's day? Another sign of getting older, I think. There used to be a time when not a single April 1st could go by without a few really nasty jokes being played. I was always afraid to talk to my brother, because he'd always get me. This year...well, I think we all even forgot all about it. I did manage to play a joke on my dad toward the end of the day (and it was actually a pretty good one), but...it's just not the same anymore. Bummer!

Oh well...another month begun...let's make the most of it!