Instant Nostalgia

He Had to Be Startin Somethin

2009-06-30T16:40:00.000-07:00

I've never considered myself a huge Michael Jackson fan (although it should speak volumes of the singer's influence that despite that last statement, I still had 10 or so of his songs on my iPod). I am and always have been, however, a huge, huge fan of hip-hop. It would take a much more knowledgeable music writer than myself to detail all the ways Michael Jackson influenced rap music.

But what has struck me the most in the past few days is how many DIRECT references there are to Michael Jackson in the songs I listen to the most - namely by Jay-Z and Kanye West. I'm not talking about the millions of ways Jackson's style subtly impacted these artists. I'm talking about them literally saying the words "Michael" or Michael Jackson" in their lyrics.

A sampling:

"I'm feelin like Mike at his baddest" - Kanye, while rapping on the Estelle track "American Boy"

"She got a light-skinned friend look like Michael Jackson/Got a dark-skinned friend look like Michael Jackson" - Kanye, "Slow Jamz"

"They thought I was burnt up like Pepsi did Michael" - Kanye, "Through the Wire"

"She went to the doctor to get lipo with your money, she walk around looking like Michael with your money" - Kanye, "Gold Digger"

"And you would give me anything in this world, Michael Jackson leather and a glove, but didn't give me a curl" - Kanye, "Hey Mama"

"I'm Off the Wall, I'm like a young Michael Jackson, these other niggas is Tito" - Jay-Z, "Party Life"

"That's just the natural cycle, nobody wanna be like Michael" - Jay-Z, "Coming of Age"

As If I Needed More Proof That Ezra Klein Is My Soulmate

2009-03-24T14:30:00.000-07:00

... Now he has a post about salt.

Obviously, I'm obsessed with salt. Several people have given me gourmet salts as gifts, as well as the book "Salt: A World History."

So, just in the off chance that Ezra Klein has a Google news alert with his name on it and somehow finds this post (although who am I kidding - I know Brian and Heidi are the only ones who read this blog): Call me. I like food and politics. And food politics.

Right Back Atcha

2009-03-16T12:52:00.000-07:00

Just read this headline on Washingtonpost.com: "Bush, Cheney Strongly Disagreed on Libby" - now this is obviously referring to the mess involving Scooter Libby, who is of no relation to me. But, just to be clear regarding my own feelings, I'd like to add:

Libby Strongly Disagrees With Bush, Cheney

Quote of the Day

2009-01-06T17:30:00.000-08:00

"progressive blogger girl wonkette dreamboat porn hour" -- Noah, in response to my comment that Ezra Klein appearing on Keith Olbermann's show to talk about Dr. Sanjay Gupta was too much attractive/liberal/talking head goodness for me to handle.

Tallying the Score

2008-12-17T11:48:00.000-08:00

Well, back in January, I outlined my Wish List for 2008. The year being almost over, I figured I should take stock of what, if anything, actually came true. Turns out, I didn't do too badly. Let's review:

1. For Barack Obama to win the Democratic nomination, and the presidency
Obviously, this is not only a win, but the most important win. Everything else on this list pales in comparison to us electing an intelligent, reasonable and progressive man to the presidency.

2. For Kanye West to finally win album of the year
So, Kanye lost out again. He did win Best Rap Album -- again -- but lost out to Herbie Hancock. Perhaps his latest, "808s and Heartbreak" will score in 2009.

3. For a fair resolution to the writer's strike so that I can get back to watching "Grey's Anatomy," "Ugly Betty" and "Friday Night Lights."
The writer's strike did finally end, but now a SAG strike is apparently looming.

4. On a similar note, for "Friday Night Lights" to get renewed for another season.

This one is a partial victory. The show's third season is being broadcast first on DirecTV, and will be aired on NBC in 2009. I'm hoping it's worth the wait.

5. For my building, and every other apartment building in Los Angeles, to start fucking recycling.

Obviously, not every building in L.A. is doing its part, but thankfully (thanks to aggressive Sara campaigning, thank you very much), Archstone Los Feliz is a little greener. I do have to haul the recycling down several stories and into the scary trash room, but the ends certainly justify the means.

6. For the Trojans to go 12-0, while playing in the Coliseum.
The Trojans did hold on to the Coliseum as their home stadium, and were undefeated there this year. They came close to going 12-0, and a one-loss season is definitely nothing to complain about, even if that one loss did come in Corvallis.

7. For the signmakers of the world to learn how to correctly use an apostrophe.
The grammar fairies were not kind to me, or consumers, in 2008, sadly.

8. For the op-ed pages of the country's major newspapers to get over themselves and start hiring young people, beginning with me.
Ha, I think we can all guess how that one turned out. Newspapers aren't really doing any hiring at all.

9. For plane tickets to suddenly become affordable.
I think this one will soon come true, although I did recently drop $500 for a two-hour plane ride home to Oregon -- easily the most I've ever paid to go home.

10. For Don Imus, Tom Tancredo, Bill O'Reilly, and all the other racist assholes with a platform they don't deserve to shut the fuck up.

No luck yet, although that Tancredo guy has been mostly quiet. O'Reilly did recently announce that he's ending his syndicated radio show, but he will continue to spout hatred and ridiculousness from Fox News.

Am I a Bad Citizen?

2008-10-07T15:05:00.001-07:00

So this morning, I packed up my running clothes so that after work, I could head straight to Elysian Park for a workout. Only a little while later did I realize that by doing this, I'd be missing the second presidential debate. And you know what? I don't really care.

Now, I consider myself pretty damn politically engaged. I read about five newspapers every day (aside from the one where I'm an editor), and unlike another Sara[h], I could actually name them all if asked. And, probably to the detriment of my professional reputation, this year I made my first-ever political donation, a whopping $25. I've also watched the previous presidential debate, the vice presidential debate, and several of the debates during the primaries.

But the fact is, I made up my mind about this election eons ago. And sitting through a contrived session where both candidates come off looking like unlikeable assholes doesn't make me feel more informed, only more angry.

To me, the pressure to watch these debates is one I think is probably pretty similar to the feeling of obligation parents have when their kids are on a sports team. I don't care who "wins" -- and I'll go right on loving my candidate whether he performs well or not.

Palin-Drone of the Day

2008-09-30T15:54:00.000-07:00

"But just because I'm human, just because I can feel, just because I did say this weekend that I "almost feel sorry for her" doesn't mean, when I consider the situation rationally, that I do. Yes, as a feminist, it sucks -- hard -- to watch a woman, no matter how much I hate her politics, unable to answer questions about her running mate during a television interview. And perhaps it's because this experience pains me so much that I feel not sympathy but biting anger. At her, at John McCain, at the misogynistic political mash that has been made of what was otherwise a groundbreaking year for women in presidential politics ...

Sarah Palin is no wilting flower. She is a politician who took the national stage and sneered at the work of community activists. She boldly tries to pass off incuriosity and lassitude as regular-people qualities, thereby doing a disservice to all those Americans who also work two jobs and do not come from families that hand out passports and backpacking trips, yet still manage to pick up a paper and read about their government and seek out experience and knowledge.
When you stage a train wreck of this magnitude -- trying to pass one underqualified chick off as another highly qualified chick with the lame hope that no one will notice -- well, then, I don't feel bad for you. "
-- Rebecca Traister on The Sarah Palin Pity Party

Palin-Drone of the YEAR

2008-09-23T15:22:00.000-07:00

From the best article I've read so far on Sarah Palin:

"As a woman who does not believe what Palin believes, the thought of such an opportunistic anti-female in the White House -- in the Cheney chair, no less -- is akin to ideological brain rape. What this Republican blowup doll does with her own insides in accord with her own faith is her business. But, like the worst and most terrifying of religious extremists, she seems very comfortable with the idea of imposing her own views on everyone else.

I did not think that women being downgraded to second-class, three-holed chattel would be a pressing concern in my lifetime. I thought it was like polio, or witch burning -- an inhumane error that had already been corrected. But after eight years of Republican hegemony, and now the potential ascendance of this sheep in ewe's clothing, I am so mortally offended I feel like it is really time for women to be angry, hardcore and disgusted again. Not just with old white Christian patriarchs and their hopelessly calcified, religiously condoned misogyny, but also with the self-abnegating, submissive female Uncle Tommies whose ambitions and eagerness to please the powerful males of their tribe are so desperate that they would sell out their sovereignty over their own bodies. And yours too."

— from a Salon piece called Pissed About Palin

The Name Game

2008-09-22T16:57:00.000-07:00

Last year on this blog, I pointed out the eeriness of seeing my last name constantly plastered across headlines because of the troubles surrounding Scooter Libby.

Now, although in a somewhat more subtle context, I'm having that same feeling again, thanks to the economic clusterfuck involving Lehman Brothers. Most people instantly recognize Lehman Brothers as a global investment bank, but to me it means something else entirely.

My mother's maiden name is Lehman. And since long, long before I became part of the clan, my grandpa and his brothers (the Lehman Brothers, if you will) have owned a farm co-op outside of tiny Amity, Oregon, that goes by that very name. I spent many a childhood summer camping along the bank of the Yamhill River that winds through the farm, and both of the dogs I grew up with are buried there. Needless to say, seeing it in headlines describing economic ruin is pretty crazy.

Palin-Drone of the Day

2008-09-22T15:38:00.000-07:00

"GET ANGRIER! Call them liars, because that’s what they are. Sarah Palin didn’t say “thanks but no thanks” to the Bridge to Nowhere. She just said “Thanks.” You were raised by a single mother on food stamps — where does a guy with eight houses who was legacied into Annapolis get off calling you an elitist? And by the way, if you do nothing else, take that word back. Elite is a good word, it means well above average. I’d ask them what their problem is with excellence. While you’re at it, I want the word “patriot” back. McCain can say that the transcendent issue of our time is the spread of Islamic fanaticism or he can choose a running mate who doesn’t know the Bush doctrine from the Monroe Doctrine, but he can’t do both at the same time and call it patriotic. They have to lie — the truth isn’t their friend right now. Get angry. Mock them mercilessly; they’ve earned it. McCain decried agents of intolerance, then chose a running mate who had to ask if she was allowed to ban books from a public library. It’s not bad enough she thinks the planet Earth was created in six days 6,000 years ago complete with a man, a woman and a talking snake, she wants schools to teach the rest of our kids to deny geology, anthropology, archaeology and common sense too? It’s not bad enough she’s forcing her own daughter into a loveless marriage to a teenage hood, she wants the rest of us to guide our daughters in that direction too? It’s not enough that a woman shouldn’t have the right to choose, it should be the law of the land that she has to carry and deliver her rapist’s baby too? I don’t know whether or not Governor Palin has the tenacity of a pit bull, but I know for sure she’s got the qualifications of one. And you’re worried about seeming angry? You could eat their lunch, make them cry and tell their mamas about it and God himself would call it restrained. There are times when you are simply required to be impolite. There are times when condescension is called for!"

— advice from fictional "West Wing" president Jed Bartlett to Barack Obama, as envisioned by Aaron Sorkin in Maureen Dowd's New York Times column

Wish List for 2008

2008-01-02T15:22:00.000-08:00

Inspired by the L.A. Times' wish list for the upcoming year, I decided to create my own (although I'd like to second their wish that "Justice John Paul Stevens eat well, get plenty of exercise and stay very, very healthy. Same for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg").

1. For Barack Obama to win the Democratic nomination, and the presidency

2. For Kanye West to finally win album of the year

3. For a fair resolution to the writer's strike so that I can get back to watching "Grey's Anatomy," "Ugly Betty" and "Friday Night Lights."

4. On a similar note, for "Friday Night Lights" to get renewed for another season.

5. For my building, and every other apartment building in Los Angeles, to start fucking recycling.

6. For the Trojans to go 12-0, while playing in the Coliseum.

7. For the signmakers of the world to learn how to correctly use an apostrophe.

8. For the op-ed pages of the country's major newspapers to get over themselves and start hiring young people, beginning with me.

9. For plane tickets to suddenly become affordable.

10. For Don Imus, Tom Tancredo, Bill O'Reilly, and all the other racist assholes with a platform they don't deserve to shut the fuck up.

So, what are your wishes for 2008, friends?

So far this year, Part II

2007-12-18T11:55:00.000-08:00

Back in the summer, I recounted the books I'd read this year up to that point. Now that the year's almost finished, I figured I'd take stock of the rest. Here's what I've read:

"When Trumpets Call" by Patricia O'Toole: A fantastic biography of Teddy Roosevelt after his presidency. It also has great history of Taft's presidency, as TR was a major factor in that.

"Sex, Drugs and Coco Puffs" by Chuck Klosterman: This was a Powell's impulse buy, and I have to admit, I've since become a Klosterman disciple, as he is able to write intelligently and analytically about pop culture, which is basically what I aspire to do in life.

"Lies My Teacher Told Me" by James Lowen: This book makes a great case for the need to reform the way kids are taught history in school. It talks about unnecessary hero worship (Columbus Day, anyone?) and the lack of women, Native Americans, and other minorities in history books. A great read for any future educators, or anyone interested in that process.

"Killing Yourself to Live" by Chuck Klosterman: In this, Klosterman includes his musings on society, music, and affairs of the heart against a backdrop of a trip he's taking in which he visits the death sites of famous musicians. It's incredibly enthusiastic and thoughtful writing.

"A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius" by Dave Eggers: Clearly, I was on the memoir tip after reading Klosterman. I have to agree with Blake's assessment that this book never quite lives up to how good the writing in the first 1/3 of the book is, but even so, the writing is, yes, staggeringly good.

"Tales From the Oregon Ducks Sidelines" by Brian Libby: A totally awesome book about Oregon football history, written by my equally awesome brother. And a foreword by Joey Harrington!

"Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History" by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich: I first read Ulrich's book "A Midwife's Tale" in college, which is widely considered a breakthrough for the field of social history. This book's title comes from a phrase this author originally wrote in an otherwise little-noticed article that eventually spawned a mini revolution -- you've probably seen the phrase on T-shirts, bumper stickers, etc. Interestingly enough, Ulrich explains in the book, the phrase was never meant to be a call for women to behave improperly, rather, she was lamenting the fact that the everyday lives of women who labored in the home were rarely recorded.

"The Partly Cloudy Patriot" by Sarah Vowell: This is a collection of essays by a fellow female history nerd/social observer. While I liked her writing, I mostly felt annoyed that I could have written virtually the same book, and perhaps slightly better.

Quote of the Day

2007-12-13T14:43:00.000-08:00

"You can't gild a turd, people. I enjoy his films, but brotha' be homely."
-- a comment left on Defamer by a user named Hamsterpants, in response to Quentin Tarantino's less than dapper appearance this morning during the Golden Globe announcements.

RIP, Reggie

2007-12-10T16:40:00.000-08:00

It is with a heavy heart that I announce the death of my beloved iPod, Reggie. Reggie and I went through a lot together.

When I broke up with my last serious boyfriend (who actually gifted Reggie to me, ironically enough), me and Reggie sat on the Daily Trojan balcony for hours at a time, listening to "A Lack of Color" by Death Cab for Cutie on repeat.

When I sold my first article to the Los Angeles Times, Reggie assisted me in pumping my fist in the air to the tune of "I Can" by Nas.

And, when I get nervous on airplane flights, Reggie always soothed me with selections from my calming "Sleep" playlist.

As I've been a distance runner since 7th grade, it took me a while to warm up to the concept of running with music. Now, I can't run without it. It will take me a while to save up for a replacement for Reggie, which means I might grow out of shape in the process.

Reggie is preceded in death by Beth's iPod, Shirley (yes, Beth named her iPod after my mother).

Finally, I just want to say that Reggie was everything I wanted in an iPod, and he will be sorely missed.

Third time's the charm?

2007-12-06T13:43:00.000-08:00

The Grammy nominees were announced today, and even though they're completely irrelevant, I am cautiously optimistic that this will finally be Kanye's year to win album of the year.

Though he's been nominated twice before, Kanye lost both times to the Grammys' go-to award winners: old people whose music no longer matters (or, more specifically, Ray Charles and U2). When Bono accepted the award two years ago for "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb," his first words on the podium were "Kanye: You're next."

Sadly, this year Kanye has the sympathy vote on his side, since his mother recently and unexpectedly died. But more importantly, he's more established now, and while Amy Winehouse is still a media darling (am I the only one who doesn't get this?), I think this is the best shot Kanye has had so far. Then again, old-timer Herbie Hancock is also up for the award, and I wouldn't be surprised if they gave it to him.

My new obsession

2007-12-05T13:24:00.000-08:00

Earlier today, my co-worker Heidi turned me on to a sweet Web site (made even sweeter by the fact that it's miraculously not blocked by our office's Nazi Web filter). It's Pandora, a Web-based radio site where you type in your favorite artists, and it plays them, as well as other artists it believes you would like based on your choices. So far, the suggestions it has made for me have been awesome. It has played songs I've never heard before, like "Ghetto Manifesto" by The Coup, and songs I love that I haven't heard in ages, like "Case of the Ex" by Mya.

So far this year

2007-07-08T19:27:00.000-07:00

Inspired by Valarie, I thought I'd take stock of what I've read so far this year.

1. "The Audacity of Hope" by Barack Obama: Someone who obviously didn't know my dad very well gave this to him as a gift, and I promptly took it for myself. In it, Barack addresses how to "fix a political process that is broken" and includes vivid firsthand accounts of his frustrations with political fundraising and partisan divisiveness. Obviously, I've jumped on the Obama bandwagon since reading this.

2. "Battle Cry of Freedom" by James McPherson: If this list seems short for the first seven months of the year, it's because this book is SO LONG -- 887 pages to be exact -- and also very dense. It also happens to be, by virtually every account, the best single-volume history of the Civil War ever written. After reading this, I have an infinitely better understanding of the Civil War than almost two decades of schooling and an honors degree in history from USC ever taught me. For those who can't stomach that long of a book, I recommend another book by McPherson, "For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War."

3. "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote: I picked this up immediately after reading "Battle Cry" and breezed through it in a day and a half -- partly because it was such lighter reading, but also because I was unable to put it down. The story is agonizing and possessing, and Capote, as everyone knows by now, ripped down the wall between crime reporting and serious literature.

4. "Everything Bad is Good for You: How Today's Popular Culture is Actually Making Us Smarter" by Steven Johnson: If ever a book were designed to speak to my heart, this is it. It did not disappoint. Johnson makes a solid case for how even today's least nutritional pop culture staples -- reality TV and video games -- are more complex and stimulating than that of previous generations. Referring to some of my personal favorites -- "Seinfeld," "Friends," "The Simpsons" and "The Real World" among them -- Johnson says that today's TV requires more cognitive work of its audience.

5. "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath: The raging feminist inside me had always been meaning to read this, so I'm glad I finally got around to it. It's Plath's mostly autobiographical tale of a young woman's descent into madness. I found it so affecting that as I was driving home from work after reading a large chunk of the book, I began to question every thought that popped into my head, wondering if I, myself, was also going crazy.

Right now, I'm in the middle of "When Trumpets Call" by Patricia O'Toole, which chronicles Teddy Roosevelt's life after his presidency. (For those of you who don't know, TR is my favorite president -- and for those of you who don't know why that's significant, we've probably never met.)

Like I said, it's a short list, but seriously, "Battle Cry of Freedom" should count as about five books on its own.

Quote of the day

2007-06-21T17:00:00.000-07:00

I've considered making this blog entirely random quotes that I encounter throughout the day ... Anyway ...

"I don't think we'll be covering it that much because it's like, totally un-sexy people."
-- My editor at People, after I told her I could cover the LA Film Festival if she needed me to

Quote of the day

2007-06-14T15:42:00.000-07:00

"My friend John suggested I should have repeated my Matt Leinart experience, but I pointed out that rubbing my butt against a Senator, let alone the man that could be President of the United States one day, is not at all appropriate."
-- Beth, describing her experience standing 3 feet from Barack Obama while covering a hearing

A classy institution that produces classy people

2007-05-14T13:51:00.000-07:00

So, in an attempt to stay in tune with my home state, I usually read the Oregonian's Web site several times a week. On Saturday, the top two stories were both about the epicenter of dignity and sophistication, Oregon State University. The stories highlighted two distinguished alumni: 1) Sara Underwood, a former business student, naked-posed her way to the top, and was handsomely rewarded by being named Playmate of the Year. Our hearts are all swelling with pride.
2) A former OSU linebacker was arrested on suspicion of being a Las Vegas pimp.

I don't know why anyone would choose to go to any other school, when OSU ensures such bright futures.

Always Cocaine

2007-05-07T12:20:00.000-07:00

Apparently the new "Cocaine" energy drink is being
pulled from the shelves because, it will, of course, encourage poor unsuspecting kids to run out and do the real thing. Hmmm ... a drink that gets its name from cocaine ... let's see ... nope, I can't think of any other beverages out there named after cocaine, or coke, as they call it. Oh, wait.

My favorite music videos

2007-04-23T11:16:00.001-07:00

So Meghan mentioned to me that she saw a music video for the first time in like, five years. It got me thinking. I've always been an MTV obsessive, so I've seen more than my fair share. Here are my five favorites

1. "Sabotage" by the Beastie Boys: I could make a list entirely out of Beastie Boys videos, but this one is the standout. It's funny and matches the tempo of the song.

2. "Keep Fishin'" by Weezer: Many would argue that the video for "Buddy Holly" is the best. But for some reason, I think the premise of this video, with them appearing as guests on "The Muppet Show" is both hilarious and adorable. Animal fills in on the drums while Miss Piggy has Patrick tied up. Director Marcos Siega always gives his videos a great ambiance.

3. "Cry Me a River" by Justin Timberlake: This video is as sexy as it is creepy. It's awesome, what else can I say.

4. "Are You That Somebody" by Aaliyah: When you think about it, this video should not be good. It has clips from the movie "Dr. Doolittle" playing in the background (the song was for the soundtrack). It has many not-so-subtle touches, like Aaliyah dancing with an actual hawk perched on her arm as she sings the line "like a hawk in the sky at night, boy you are my prey," but the video really is more than the sum of its parts. Aaliyah strikes a balance between sexy and badass, and the choreography is kick-ass.

5. "99 Problems" by Jay-Z: This video has an old-school feel that's suggestive of a time about 10 years earlier than it was actually released. It takes a lot for a rap star so huge to come off as still authentic and street, and he pulls it off in this.

Quote of the day

2007-04-18T13:05:00.000-07:00

"During a backstage fight, I kicked a door and broke my knee again. I had to use a cane for the rest of the shows. Everyone thought I was pimpin', but I was limpin'."
--Sean Paul, in the May issue of Blender

You're still No. 9 in my heart, Portland State

2007-04-04T10:37:00.000-07:00

Apparently the joyous shouts of "We're Number 9!" came to an abrupt stop at Portland State's engineering college recently. Officials there were over the moon about being listed No. 9 in U.S. News' Top 10 list of electrical engineering grad schools, alongside prestigious institutions like MIT and UC Berkely. But turns out the listing was a mistake, and that PSU is actually ranked so low that it doesn't even crack the top 70.

so excited ...

2007-03-28T13:59:00.000-07:00

... for this and this.

Quote of the day

2007-03-26T15:05:00.000-07:00

“All Black,” which strains in vain for anthemhood (“Take a look at my life, all black/Take a look at my clothes, all black”), may single-handedly convince the nation’s goths to embrace pastels.
-- a New York Times review of Good Charlotte's new CD

Weekend Update

2007-03-26T12:18:00.000-07:00

So I had a relatively eventful weekend ... Friday night Rebecca and I went to watch my friend Ken DJ at Mandrake Bar, where he spun mostly indie rock and electronica, and threw in a couple Lily Allen tracks for me. Thanks, K.

Saturday, we checked out the new exhibit showing at MOCA's Geffen Contemporary, titled WACK: Art and the Feminist Revolution. I know, admittedly, very little about art, and sometimes have a hard time appreciating modern art, but there were definitely a few pieces that I really enjoyed, most notably one made almost entirely of panty hose. The context of the exhibit was definitely something I could relate to, not just because I happen to be a woman, but because I follow the media quite closely, and it's still frighteningly easy to see how women are villified every day (try catching a flattering clip of Hillary Clinton on Fox News). Rebecca also pointed out that she's happy these women, mostly in the 70s, were willing to take crazy naked pictures of themselves and do weird performance pieces involving their vaginas so that people like us, 35 years later, could think unhesitatingly about grad school and lives without kids.

After the museum, we crossed the street into the Japanese Village in Little Tokyo, where I had an awesome cream puff for 75 cents at a Japanese bakery. We then realized that the tournament game was on, and found a tiny Cuban restaurant with a TV, where I had an awesome cafe con leche while I indulged Rebecca's allegiance to UCLA.

When that was over with, we went to my personal favorite sushi place, Hamakawa, an authentic, no-frills Little Tokyo staple that has the thickest, freshest fish I've ever had.

On Sunday, I finally made the trek to the Santa Monica stairs, which I've driven by several times and never had the guts to try, although I did a lot of stair workouts at USC. It's basically a steep wooden staircase that extends up a cliff overlooking the beach, although that's hardly what you focus on while navigating them. I did eight reps of the staircase, and needless to say, it's pretty difficult to walk around today.

*Image courtesy of latimes.com

Ze plane! Ze plane!

2007-03-19T14:09:00.000-07:00

There are a few perks that come with working next door to LAX -- mostly free airport parking and a free shuttle. But today was especially cool, as I did not have to join the masses at 5 a.m. crowding for a spot to see the first landing of the Airbus A380, the world's biggest passenger plane. Instead, we watched it glide past our office windows and onto a northern runway.

It really was enormous. It's a double-decker plane that carries 550 people and has a wingspan longer than a football field. In true L.A. fashion, LAX employees rolled out a red carpet for the plane's passengers, and the pilots were greeted with a handshake from my main man Tony.

*Image from latimes.com

Very refreshing

2007-03-14T11:23:00.000-07:00

There is an excellent op-ed piece in the Washington Post today, by a former Republican senator and Army vet, responding to Gen. Peter Pace's recent comments about how homosexuality is "immoral" and therefore "don't ask, don't tell" should stay in place. Mostly it's just refreshing to hear this kind of common sense talk come from people actually within the Republican party:

According to the Government Accountability Office, more than 300 language experts have been fired under "don't ask, don't tell," including more than 50 who are fluent in Arabic. This when even Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice recently acknowledged the nation's "foreign language deficit" and how much our government needs Farsi and Arabic speakers. Is there a "straight" way to translate Arabic? Is there a "gay" Farsi? My God, we'd better start talking sense before it is too late ...

Gen. Pace is entitled, like anyone, to his personal opinion, even if it is completely out of the mainstream of American thinking. But he should know better than to assert this opinion as the basis for policy of a military that represents and serves an entire nation.

Recently enjoyed

2007-03-05T11:55:00.000-08:00

I am bored. So here are some books, DVDs, movies and CDs I recently consumed and enjoyed.

On the nightstand:
"The Audacity of Hope" by Barack Obama: I saved this book from a lifetime sitting in a corner at the Sage when someone, for some reason, gave it to my ultra-conservative dad as a gift. Ths book sure makes it easy to jump on the Obama bandwagon. It gives great insight on how to fix "a political process that is broken" and includes vivid firsthand accounts of Obama's frustrations with political fundraising and partisan divisiveness.

On the turntable:
"Alright, Still" by Lily Allen: Lily Allen is somehow able to mix rap, pop, reggae and, yes, polka, while telling street stories with an infectious wit and cynicism. She's hilarious and unapologetic, and the music is so damn catchy.

On the screen:
"Black Snake Moan": Though I loooooved "Hustle & Flow," I was pretty skeptical of this movie, even if it DOES feature Justin Timblerlake. In the end, it's nowhere near as good as "Hustle & Flow," but it wasn't terrible, either. Sorry, I can't muster more analysis for some reason. Probably still thinking about Justin Timberlake.

On the DVD player:
"Sherrybaby": Maggie Gyllenhaal is awesome as a recovering addict who is a good example of what happens when want isn't balanced with self-control. Gyllenhaal is great at making you care about a pretty undesirable character.

"Talk to Her": A great film about human empathy, but creepy enough to give me some really weird dreams.

"Friends With Money": A good take on the lives of four West L.A. women. And one scene is shot inside Fred 62, my favorite place in Los Angeles.

Quote of the day

2007-03-05T09:57:00.000-08:00

A letter to the editor in the LA Times about my recent op-ed piece:
"Sara Libby claims that students wearing T-shirts reading "At USC, we're not snobs … we're just better than you" are narcissistic. She completely misses the point. The T-shirt represents a simple statement of fact. We are better."

I mean, he makes a good point. Fight on!

Shameless self promotion

2007-03-02T12:02:00.000-08:00

I post links all the time to columns by other people that I think are great -- so why not my own, which I think are especially great (read the article, and you'll see that I'm not alone in loving myself). Here IT is.

ALSO, it's mentioned breifly in the Washington Post.

Best. Attraction. Ever.

2007-02-21T13:11:00.000-08:00

James just pointed out to me that there is a Wikipedia entry for the Oregon Vortex, the roadside attraction he, Zach and I visited on our roadtrip to Portland senior year. Our decision to go to the Vortex went something like this:
Zach (reading the sign): Oregon Vortex?
James: You guys wanna go?
Sara: Didn't the sign say 300 feet ahead?

We promptly swerved as we almost passed the turn-off by, then embarked on what would became basically the best roadtrip story ever. I'll let the pictures and the entry explain themselves.

The trip included many highlights, such as watching USC kick the shit out of Hawaii in the season opener, and forcing Zach to eat so much food that he actually threw up on the side of the street -- but the gem of the trip was certainly the Vortex. I highly recommend it.

Oscar thoughts

2007-02-20T13:12:00.000-08:00

Since Hollywood Boulevard is already shut down for the week, I don't think this post is premature. I've only seen a fraction of the movies nominated, but here are some random thoughts on what I've seen:

The Departed: I think everyone basically agrees that Martin Scorsese will finally take an Oscar home this year. But if he does win, it will be with that unspoken asterisk, as everyone seems to think "well, it's not his best work, but he deserved to finally win." Yet, I thought "The Departed" was great -- much unlike the consolation Oscars some people get. John Wayne finally won for the absolutely terrible "True Grit." Trust me, Scorsese winning for this movie isn't that bad. Also, I really like Mark Wahlberg, but his nomination for this movie is pretty weird. He is definitely in it the least of all the other heavy-hitters. Matt Damon probably should have gotten this.

The Queen: This movie was well-paced and managed to work in tons of real footage without disrupting the flow. Yes, Helen Mirren is great, but what really blew me away about this movie was how freakishly similar the guy playing Tony Blair looks to the actual Tony Blair.

Little Miss Sunshine: Unlike "Crash," this is the kind of low-budget, underdog film that I would actually like to see win something. The family in this movie has routinely been described as "dysfunctional" -- which is quite misleading. They are all misfits, yes, but they work surprisingly well together. It's got a great mix of humor and very touching moments, the standouts of which all involve Abigail Breslin. I'm officially rooting for J-Hud to take home the best supporting actress win, but if anyone else does, I hope it's Breslin. Her earnest breakdown ("Am I a loser?) made me lose it.

The Devil Wears Prada: In the few scenes where I wasn't paying attention solely to the clothes, Meryl Streep, not surprisingly, had an awesome presence. Her exhasperated facial expressions alone are worth catching.

The Last King of Scotland: I was not in any way shocked by Forest Whitaker's spot-on performance, but I was blown away by how little credit is being given to the rest of this film's cast. James McAvoy, a de-glammed Kerry Washington and a barely recognizable Gillian Anderson all do fine work, yet Whitaker is the only part of this movie people are talking about. Weird.

Dreamgirls: When I first read all the reviews, I was skeptical. The New York Times called Jennifer Hudson's performance "historic" and EW called it "grandly shattering," but until I saw it myself, I thought "how good could it be REALLY?" Let me spell it out for you: It. Is. That. Good. I've never been to a movie before in which people actually stood up and clapped in the middle of it, but people did. I sat there with my mouth open, and when her big song came to a close, simply mouthed "holy shit" to Rachel. Oh yeah, and Eddie Murphy is good too.

The Pursuit of Happyness: I love Will Smith. I was glad he did what he did with this role -- he turned in a restrained, thoughtful performance, when he could easily have made it over-the-top and thus less noteworthy. The movie itself, I thought, was not very well put together. Smith's character was so beaten down, so many times, that I felt like no amount of success he got at the end could have made up for it. Perhaps that's why it's not nominated for best picture.

That's it. I might try to squeeze in "Babel" before Sunday. Anyone interested?

Finally, a newspaper mention of a Libby other than Scooter

2007-02-14T13:55:00.000-08:00

The Oregonian's Ducks blog has a rockin' shoutout to my o-bro (as in, older brother) Brian, whose Valentine's Day present was a 45-minute interview with Dan Fouts, and an end in sight for his book.

Quote of the day

2007-02-09T16:51:00.000-08:00

Are there people in this country who actively dislike U.S. troops, and hope bad things happen to them? Sure, probably. But there are also people in this country who rob old ladies, molest little kids and believe in alien abduction. The far right loves to dredge up the occasional creep who thinks spitting on soldiers is cool and insists that this represents the "true" face of the antiwar movement. The rest of us should ignore this kind of idiocy.

Let's move on. To some on the left, "supporting the troops" has come to mean "protecting the troops": keeping them out of harm's way, ensuring that they have the support services they need and generally avoiding sending them to places where they might get hurt — such as, well, Iraq.

-- Rosa Brooks, in an LA Times piece

She's no Gwen

2007-02-05T16:59:00.000-08:00

I am by no means the first one to point out that Fergie, the Black Eyed Peas spoiler-turned-solo artist, is at best a poor man's Gwen Stefani. Granted, Gwen Stefani isn't without her flaws (let me remind you of the horrendous first single from her new album, "Wind It Up"). But Gwen has always been an original -- in terms of style and sound. I get that they have similarities -- both front otherwise all-male bands -- but nowhere was I more appalled at Fergie's blatant ripping-off-Gwen than when I stopped to listen to the lyrics of her latest single, "Glamorous."

"Glamorous" is the third single off Fergie's first solo album. The third single off Gwen Stefani's first solo album? The similarly named "Luxurious." Take a look at the lyrics:

Gwen: "Champagne kisses, hold me in your lap of luxury/ I only want to fly first class desires, you're my limousine"
Fergie: "We flyin' first class, up in the sky/ poppin' champagne, livin' the life/ in the fast lane"

Gwen: "Diamond in the rough is lookin' so sparkly"
Fergie: "Wear them gold and diamond rings"

OK, OK, so they're not the first two artists to sing about the finer things in life, but again: the names of the songs are virtually the same, both are the third singles off the ladies' first solo albums and both say almost EXACTLY the same thing -- within about a year of each other. If I were Gwen, I'd tell Fergie she has some explaining to do.

Bye-den

2007-02-02T11:49:00.000-08:00

A few days ago, I was considering writing a post on Joe Biden, who announced his candidacy for president. Sure, I thought, he tends to speak without thinking sometimes, but I first came to respect him during the Senate confirmation hearings for John Roberts, when he stuck to his guns and told the judge, who was refusing to answer even the most basic questions, "It's kind of interesting, this Kabuki dance we have in these hearings, as if the public doesn't have a right to know what you think about fundamental issues facing them ... without any knowledge of your understanding of the law, because you will not share it with us, we are rolling the dice with you, judge."

I pretty much pumped my fist in the air when I heard the exchange.

I was even more excited to hear about Biden's announcement after reading this From Harrop article, which points out that Biden has MUCH more foreign policy experience than any other candidate.

But, inevitably, my Biden ship sort of sunk when, almost immediately after making his announcement, he made a major misstep in calling Barack Obama "the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy."

Ummm ... what?

My main man, Eugene Robinson, pointed out the absurdity of this, when he said:

"Will wonders never cease? Here we have a man who graduated from Columbia University, who was president of the Harvard Law Review, who serves in the U.S. Senate and is the author of two best-selling books, who's a leading contender for the Democratic presidential nomination, and what do you know, he turns out to be articulate. Stop the presses ... Whatever the intention, expressing one's astonishment that such individuals exist is no compliment. Just come out and say it: Gee, he doesn't sound black at all."

So, sorry, Joe -- I'm already over you.

Quote of the day

2007-01-29T10:41:00.000-08:00

"I feel goofy up here, 'cause I don't be winning stuff." -- Eddie Murphy, accepting his SAG award for "Dreamgirls"

Murphy's speech, though not very sophisticated, was kind of endearing, I thought. He showed some gratitude, and also acknowledged that he's fairly out of place on the podium. He was, however, pretty fantastic in "Dreamgirls," and very deserving of all the attention he's getting.

Speaking of SAG speeches, though, did anyone see Forrest Whitaker on the podium? I understand being speechless and all, but his mumbling was pretty unbelievable. It's not as if he shouldn't have expected to win -- he already won the Golden Globe and virtually every other critic's award. It's sweet that he was overcome with emotion, but really ... he better polish his act up before the Oscars.

Here is the NY Times' take on Whitaker's speech: " It seemed the soft-spoken Whitaker was struck speechless, rambling through some awkward words of gratitude."

Quote of the day

2007-01-19T12:53:00.000-08:00

To be honest, I was a little disappointed with both "The O'Reilly Factor" and "The Colbert Report" last night -- during which O'Reilly and Colbert appeared on each other's shows, but Colbert did manage to get off a great line that is a perfect assessment of O'Reilly. I'll refrain from saying any more, but here it is ...

"You know what I hate about people who criticize you? They criticize what you say, but they never give you any credit for how loud you say it."
-- Stephen Colbert, after O'Reilly inexplicably began screaming in a rage fit about the pronunciation of Colbert's last name

At least I'm not Sara Ahmadinejad

2007-01-17T12:40:00.000-08:00

I've always considered my last name to be relatively uncommon -- as evidenced by the fact that when someone asks for it, they usually respond with "No, I need your LAST name." But now that I. Lewis Libby is about to go on trial, it's really interesting to see my last name plastered across headlines all the time. Even though I know they're not about me, it's hard not to do a double take when you read stuff like this all day:
"Libby Seeks Jurors Who Trust Cheney"
"Embarrassing quiries for all in Libby trial"
"Libby defense in CIA leak case to hinge on 'faulty memory'"

Late, but still good

2007-01-12T13:16:00.000-08:00

So the day after the midterm election, Stephen Colbert unleashed one of the most hilarious diatribes I've ever heard -- even for him. I wrote it down at the time, and always meant to post it, but never did. So, at long last, here it is. Still appropriate. Still funny:

"You know what really gets me? Democrats didn't really win this thing, the Republicans lost it. They ran away from the president. 'Hey, the ship's in trouble, quick, let's drown the captain!' We were this close to Jesus coming back.

You Republicans who turned your back on the president are going to wander in the desert for the next two years. Literally. Someone's going to have to replace those troops in Iraq. And don't think you're off the hook, voters. You made this bed, and now you're the ones who are going to have to move over so a gay couple can sleep in it.

Tomorrow you're all going to wake up in a brave new world. A world where the Constitution gets trampled by an army of terrorist clones created in a stem cell research lab by homosexual doctors who sterilize their instruments over a burning American flag. Where tax-and-spend Democrats take all your hard-earned money and use it to buy electric cars for National Public Radio and teach evolution to illegal immigrants."

None of you should be from Rolling Stone

2007-01-09T13:14:00.000-08:00

So, being the addict that I am, I of course caught the premiere episode of MTV's new show, "I'm From Rolling Stone," in which young writers square off to become a contributing editor at the famed music mag. But aside from my unabashed love for all things MTV puts out, I actually have more than one reason to be interested in this one: Not only did I apply for this internship (I received an e-mail encouraging me to apply after I'd sent in my resume, but I ran the other direction when the recruiter mentioned it would also be filmed as a reality show), but also, one of the contestants who did make it onto the show was one of my writers at the Daily Trojan, when I was Lifestyle Editor. He also happens to be from Eugene, Oregon, so we share that connection as well.

Despite the fact that I think pretty highly of Colin as a writer, the first episode was a disaster. As a young journalist in the beginning of my career, I can't imagine anything more frustrating than watching these kids, one by one, make absolute idiots of themselves while being handed this unimaginable opportunity on a silver platter.

When the editor of Rolling Stone calls Khristine, a wannabe Bay Area hip-hopper (those fake gold teeth inserts are the definition of professional attire, girl), she answers his invitation to work with a giggly "for reals?"

Similarly, juvenile hall alumni Richard tells the editor that he's re-thought the job, and it's not really for him, only to tell him, after a long, awkward pause, that he was joking.

None of these are as bad as Peter, who seems to have absolutely no writing experience under his belt, who is too busy getting drunk to even answer the editor's repeated calls. When he turns in his first assignment, he flat-out admits to being drunk when he wrote it.

I understand that all of this makes for instant entertainment. But to someone who got into a top-ranked journalism school, graduated at the top of her class, ran one of the country's best college newspapers, and STILL had trouble finding even an entry-level job, seeing these disasters running around with such a prestigious internship is, at best, a slap in the face.

Mr. Wyden goes to Washington

2006-12-13T19:44:00.000-08:00

I'm so proud of my senator, Ron Wyden, for being such a rockstar.

Quote of the day

2006-12-11T09:51:00.000-08:00

An e-mailed item from my friend Julie, originially from a Salon.com article ...

"And whatever you do, don't delude yourself that copy editing is a good place for a shy, journalism-addled personality. HA! It's a cesspool of bitter, sleep-deprived, terminally frustrated and genuinely unpleasant trolls who fritter their lives away arguing about dashes verses semicolons. Just gently lay those Woodstein dreams down, put your hands up and walk away ...

First, and most importantly, why the hell are you thinking about journalism as a career? THERE ARE NO JOBS. Those of us stupid enough to pursue this career decades ago are now stranded in a profession with about as much relevance as corset-making or steam-engine maintenance. Switch to a nursing major ASAP."

Music to my ears

2006-12-05T16:34:00.000-08:00

At the risk of writing exclusively about music on this blog, I am posting my 10 best CDs of 2006. I got so used to doing this every year in the Daily Trojan that I decided to continue it this year, if only for myself (because let's face it, no one reads this, right?) So, here they are:

10. 9, Damien Rice
Among what seems like a sea of folkie, sincere, slightly disheveled boys with acoustic guitars, Damien Rice manages to stand out -- mostly thanks to evocative songwriting and haunting vocals paired with only just enough piano and guitar accompaniment. Though the disc only has 10 songs, the final track, "Sleep Don't Weep," is a 20-minute opus that serves as an elegant resolution to the angst Rice wrestles with throughout the CD.

9. The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me, Brand New
After a three-year break from the scene, this Long Island group is better than ever -- with an evolved sound and a sensible ability to layer instruments and vocals. The album deals mostly with isolation and loneliness, but rather than sounding overly sentimental, frontman Jesse Lacey sells it.

8. Kingdom Come, Jay-Z
No one is arguing that Jay-Z's back-from-retirement album is his best work. But like any great artist, even a mediocre effort from Jay is better than most of what's out there right now. On tracks like "Lost One" and "Oh My God," he proves he's still the master of delivery. It's that same delivery that allows Hova to sound introspective, remorseful and angry all in one breathless rant in songs like "Minority Report," where he admits "Sure I ponied up a mil/ but I didn't give my time/ So in reality I didn't give a dime, or a damn/ I just put my monies in the hands of the same people that left my people stranded/ Left them folks abandoned."

7. King, T.I.
Earlier this year, Rolling Stone posed the question "Is T.I. the Jay-Z of the South?" And while comparisons to Jay are certainly a compliment for any rapper -- this one might not be giving T.I. enough credit. With a healthy mix of danceable beats, street stories and thoughtful tracks, this not-so-subtly named CD proves T.I. is poised to make a run for the hip-hop throne. And a note to T.I. himself: I, for one, would be more than willing to come "kick it with a stand-up guy."

6. The Back Room, Editors
With subtle electronic touches and a sense of hard-hitting urgency, the Editors are able to make the type of stadium-sized music that Coldplay and the Killers both failed at in the past year. The barrage provided by the opening track, "Lights," is an incredible example of the band's strengths.

5. FutureSex/LoveSounds, Justin Timberlake
To most, Timberlake will forever be associated with the cookie-cutter boy band with which he leapt to fame. But this album could not be further from that -- with a wildly experimental and futuristic sound drenching every last song. With exuberant hip-hop beats and ambient electronica -- sometimes within the same track -- Timberlake has managed to craft probably the best pop disc in recent memory. The album is full of interesting dichotomies, the best example of which is the lush, pastoral lyrics of "My Love," which is set over cold, abrasive sounds. The best song on the album is the tense revenge symphony "What Goes Around …/Comes Around" -- a sequel to his last great song, "Cry Me a River."

4. Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, Arctic Monkeys
It is pretty ironic, indeed, that the first words uttered by Alex Turner on this disc are "Anticipation has the habit to set you up/for disappointment," because the album is, surprisingly, every bit as good as I hoped it would be. Full of wit and humor, the Arctic Monkeys are kings of observation -- chronicling everyone from the sweet romantics who can't get a date to the guys who will take anyone home even though they "can't see through your fake tan."

3. St. Elsewhere, Gnarls Barkley
More than a year ago, I remember watching Cee-Lo spoiling his daughter in an episode of MTV's "My Super Sweet Sixteen" and thinking: "This is a man whose career is over." How wrong I was. With its irresistible hook, the single "Crazy" took off like nothing seen since Outkast's "Hey Ya." DJ Danger Mouse gives the album a weird but infectious soundscape that melds pop, rock, rap and soul.

2. Food and Liquor, Lupe Fiasco
Perhaps best described as alternative hip-hop, this album has all the elements of "thinking man's rap" -- Lupe is able to be thoughtful and authentic but avoids sounding over-the-top. The album is quite low-key and, for the most part, very positive, without seeming forced. His best lyrical performance is turned in on the track "Just Might Be OK."

1. Once Again, John Legend
Though he embraces an old-school sound, John Legend manages to sound remarkably current on this disc. Legend is at his best when he's being slow and seductive, which he does with ease on tracks like "Save Room" and "Each Day Gets Better." There is no hint of excess or overproduction on the album -- and Legend shows he's polished his skills and is willing to show some vulnerability in his songwriting.

* Image of Lupe Fiasco is from Vibe

Hilariously cheesy Dad-generated pun of the day

2006-11-16T16:57:00.000-08:00

Me: "I just edited David Limbaugh's column."

My dad: "I hope you didn't have to 'Rush' into it."

my iPod top 25

2006-11-13T21:59:00.000-08:00

I'm taking Valarie's lead and posting the top 25 most played songs on my iPod. It's a healthy mix of indie rock, hip hop and stuff that is pure guilty pleasure -- basically a perfect summation of my musical tastes (and for all of you who pretend you're too good to listen to Britney Spears, you're only kidding yourselves)

1. Soul Meets Body -- Death Cab for Cutie
2. Marching Bands of Manhattan -- Death Cab for Cutie
3. Let Me Be -- Britney Spears
4. The Food -- Common feat. Kanye West
5. Unplayed Piano -- Damien Rice
6. Key to My Heart -- Craig David
7. I Will Follow You Into the Dark -- Death Cab for Cutie
8. Get it Together -- Beastie Boys
9. Title and Registration -- Death Cab for Cutie
10. Paper Chase -- Jay-Z
11. Why You Wanna -- T.I.
12. Trouble Sleeping -- The Perishers
13. Let Go -- Frou Frou
14. The Sharp Hint of New Tears -- Dashboard Confessional
15. My Favorite Accident -- Motion City Soundtrack
16. White Men in Black Suits -- Everclear
17. Bring Em Out -- T.I. feat. Jay-Z
18. One Mic -- Nas
19. What It's Like to Be Me -- Britney Spears
20. What Goes Around .../...Comes Around -- Justin Timberlake
21. Last Call -- Kanye West feat. Jay-Z
22. Still On My Brain -- Justin Timberlake
23. Walking With A Ghost -- Tegan and Sara
24. Train Underwater -- Bright Eyes
25. The District Sleeps Alone Tonight -- Postal Service

me sing good

2006-11-13T21:54:00.000-08:00

So, I am reposting this from my Myspace blog, because I feel like it. Blake's response to this posting was "maybe you should stop listening to awful crap." I will admit, he has a point. But the first two songs were ones that you couldn't escape in middle school/ high school. I didn't necessarily mean that I would like them had they not been gramatically incorrect. Anyway, here's the post:

So, every once in a while my love of music is compromised by one of my other loves: copy editing. Now, I know that music should allow for a proper amount of leniency in this area -- but sometimes a complete lack of logic in a song, or an especially egregious grammar error can have a big effect on how much I enjoy the track. Here are some examples of lines that have always bothered me:

The Backstreet Boys, "I'll Never Break Your Heart"
OK, so I know that grammar isn't really what makes this song bad. But even as an 8th grader, I remember cringing when I heard the lyric "As time goes by/ you will get to know me/ a little more better." MORE better, really? I mean, he could easily say "a little BIT better" without changing the meaning or the flow of that lyric. But a little more better? Come on, AJ. Even you can do a little more better than that.

Jessica Simpson, "I Think I'm In Love With You"
In addition to correcting grammar and punctuation, copy editors need to look for holes in logic. Nowhere is this more apparent than this Jessica Simpson song, where she sings: "I don't know what's gotten into me/ but I kinda think I know what it is/ I think I'm in love."
Ummm ... I'm sorry, didn't you JUST get done saying you DON'T know what's gotten into you? Why would you declare then, in the very next sentence, that you DO know what it is? Make up your mind, Jess.

Dashboard Confessional "Again I Go Unnoticed"
What bothers me most about the error in this song is that in a slightly different version of this song on the album "The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most," he actually sings it correctly. But on the version that appears on "The Swiss Army Romance," he messes it up.
The lyric is supposed to go "Out of the corner of your eye won't be the only way you're looking at me then."
But on this version, he says "Out of the corner of MY eye won't be the only way you're looking at me then."
How could someone look at you through your eye instead of their own eye? Was your eye surgically implanted into their head? Chris, as much as I love you, this is fucked up.

tis the season

2006-11-02T21:55:00.000-08:00

In honor of the upcoming election, here is some of the best political stuff I've read/watched lately:

Bill O'Reilly: "Do you want the United States to win in Iraq?"
David Letterman: "First of all ..."
O'Reilly (interrupting): "It's an easy question. Do you want the United States to win in Iraq?"
Letterman: "It's not easy for me because I'm thoughtful."

"At a New York Times lunch, when Stewart was asked how his show did such a good job digging up clips catching the president and other officials contradicting themselves, the comedian shot back, 'A clerk and a video machine.'" -- from a Rolling Stone cover story on Stewart and Colbert written, interestingly enough, by Maureen Dowd

"Go ahead, people, you have your orders from Napoleon Bonaparte, I mean Donald Rumsfeld. 'Back off' and 'relax.' Book a cruise to Chillsville. Don't worry your pretty little heads about the debacle in Iraq, because 'it's complicated, it's difficult.' Are mere mortals going to be able to get their minds around a problem that even Albert Einstein, I mean Donald Rumsfeld, finds complicated? Let's be realistic here.

We should all thank our lucky stars that 'honorable people' are willing to do all this super-advanced thinking for us. Aristotle, I mean Donald Rumsfeld, was kind enough to phrase it that way rather than spell out what he really meant, which was 'people who are smarter than you.'" --Eugene Robinson in a Washington Post column

"The other familiar excuse for negative advertising is that "everybody does it." Newspaper stories about attack commercials usually include a sampling of harsh Democratic spots in an effort to appear evenhanded. But there's really no comparison between what the two parties and their respective surrogates are doing. According to factcheck.org, a respected site that reviews the accuracy of various ads, "the National Republican Campaign Committee's work stands out this year for the sheer volume of assaults on the personal character of Democratic House challengers." Negative Democratic ads tie Republican candidates to President Bush, and to the Iraq war, or accuse them of being in the tank for the oil or pharmaceutical industries. But Democratic ads do not charge that their opponents "prey on our children"—even though one recently resigned following accusations that he did precisely that. One can only imagine the ads Republicans would have made this year if Mark Foley had happened to be a Democrat." -- from a Jacob Weisberg article in Slate

Heads on a platter

2006-10-11T15:29:00.000-07:00

Best real headline of the day: "David Bowie thrilled to work with SpongeBob" -- CNN
Best fake headline of the day: "Stolen Auburn playbook returned with spelling, grammar corrected" -- The Onion

He makes a good point

2006-09-19T09:56:00.000-07:00

"It is not possible for our elected representatives to hold any sort of honorable "debate" over torture. Bush says he is waging a "struggle for civilization," but civilized nations do not debate slavery or genocide, and they don't debate torture, either."
-- Eugene Robinson, in the Washington Post

UPDATED: Joel Stein (my intellectual true love), has a great take on the torture debate (I can't post links from this computer, maybe I'll remember to do it later ... ), but here is the gist:
"If "waterboarding" really isn't effective, yielding only lies told to please captors, then maybe that's a good reason to end it. But if shooting people to get them to embrace pro-Western democracy also doesn't pan out, we might want to lighten up on that too."

Yes, there is a gym upstairs and yes, that's why I'm wearing this

2006-09-13T21:50:00.000-07:00

One of the nice things about my job is that our company keeps a low-key gym on another floor in our office building. Since I mostly just snack at my desk throughout the day, I use my lunch break to go upstairs to run (and to watch Seinfeld). I try not to go before about 3:00, so that I am not walking around the office all day in my gym clothes -- but the few hours I am in my running gear are usually uncomfortable.

Obviously my co-workers all know that I show up in normal office wear, and change only when I'm headed for a workout. But as soon as I step out into the hall, I've noticed that other people on our floor who see me in passing or in the bathroom give me blatantly disapproving looks. It's pretty obvious that they all think I am just wearing shorts and Nikes for the hell of it -- as if I assumed a messy ponytail and a track T-shirt were the hallmarks of appropriate professional attire. Several of them pose the awkward question: "So ... are you going to the gym later?" without ever having met me.

I assure them that there is a gym right upstairs, and I use it on my lunch break, which usually elicits a relieved nod. For some reason, perhaps as more and more people give me confused glances ("I can't believe she shows up to work in that"), I've become really bothered by it. I find myself wanting to blurt out "yes, there is a gym upstairs and yes, that's why I'm wearing this," to anyone I encounter between my office and the elevator. Or perhaps, if I get increasingly aggitated, I could try the less subtle but equally effective "there's a reason why my ass looks so much better than yours, and it's because I go work out every day, like I am about to do right now." We'll see how it goes.

Quote of the Day

2006-09-13T16:46:00.000-07:00

"You forgot blatant assholery in the third degree."
-- a user comment on perezhilton.com, in response to a post on "Laguna Beach" alum Jason Wahler being arrested on counts of bribery, resisting arrest, possession of a controlled substance and disorderly conduct.

Quote of the Day

2006-08-21T14:34:00.000-07:00

"if pressed for a favorite moment from the performance, we'd have to say it's when the bewifebeatered guy in the front row, presumably a member of Federline's posse, leaps out of his seat and offers some approving fist-pumps at the end of the song, which made our own wildly enthusiastic gesticulations celebrating Federline's triumph seem somewhat uninspired" -- Defamer, on Kevin Federline's performance on Sunday night's Teen Choice Awards

My brush with the car-parazzi

2006-08-02T21:47:00.000-07:00

While driving down San Vicente the other day, I noticed a large, glimmering Rolls Royce trying to parallel park. As I kept driving, a few feet down across the street on the greenway, I noticed a couple young kids, cameras in hand. Ordinarily, people might not think one thing had anything to do with the other. If anything, kids with cameras aimed at a Rolls Royce likely only care about the people inside, right? Not if you read your L.A. Times. I knew exactly who they were, and what they were doing.

Why I miss the Rose City

2006-07-26T22:47:00.000-07:00

Author Marc Acito does a kick-ass fantastic job of characterizing Portlanders, and everything I love about them, in a recent Oregonian article in which he identifies a quality in PDXers he calls Portland Bohemianism, or Pobo. You should read the whole thing, but in case you don't, here are some places where he hits the nail on the head:

PoBo is sneakers at the symphony and Birkenstocks at the ballet. It's "Geek Love," Pink Martini and Dangerous Writers. It's the space between Chuck Palahniuk's ears. It's a force of nature called Storm Large ...

Unlike traditional bohemians, PoBos don't necessarily live in self-induced poverty. Instead, PoBos opt for simplicity. Even downsizing empty-nesters paying too much in the Pearl are bohemian in their rejection of the sprawling, fuel-inefficient suburbanism of places such as Phoenix, a city that expands 1.2 acres an hour.

In the city that works, our artists and intellectuals do just that, free from the cutthroat competition of New York, the mendacious maneuvering of Los Angeles or the smug self-congratulation of San Francisco. We're a humble bunch, content to create in our affordable houses and ride our bikes to the farmers market in our sensible footwear. That's the true Portland spirit, and it's attracting creative people by the thousands. It's why filmmaker Todd Haynes moved here and what makes Gus Van Sant stay.

In defense of TV

2006-07-24T21:40:00.000-07:00

I've never made a secret of the fact that I am hopelessly obsessed with television. When confronted with my affinity for TV, I usually defend myself by writing the habit off as a guilty pleasure. I'm well aware of the fact that not only do I watch a lot -- but I usually watch what most people consider to be the bottom of the barrel: MTV reality shows, cheesy sitcoms and the like.

My newest roommate, in joining my other roommates and I for an episode of "My Fair Brady," remarked within the first 45 seconds that "I can feel myself losing brain cells." Her reaction is absolutely standard, and even understandable, to a degree.

But the more I think about it, the more I believe that TV isn't just a guilty pleasure -- it's as viable an area to posess knowledge in as any. Does knowing about this season's "Real World" cast mean that I somehow know less about Zachary Taylor's presidency, comprehensive immigration reform or the Civil Rights Movement? Not so much. Having knowledge about anything -- even pop culture -- can only help you.

Last week, while editing a column for work, I caught a misspelling in the name of hip-hop artist Juelz Santana. I first became familiar with the artist after watching an episode of MTV's oft-criticized "My Super Sweet 16." No other editor in the office caught the error.

I've encountered many a poorly written, horribly argued article or commentary on what people consider "real issues," while some Web sites focusing particularly on TV and pop culture, such as Defamer and EW's PopWatch, are masterfully articulated.

So the next time you sneer at someone's penchant for watching "Tiara Girls" or "The Hills," just consider that while certain kinds of knowledge might be less celebrated, they're never less valuable.

Quote of the Day

2006-07-20T15:34:00.000-07:00

On Taylor Hicks' new single, "Do I Make You Proud":
"Hicks ... is forced to growl his way through a dated, overwrought piece of pop hackwork that sounds like the theme song to the world's shittiest Eighties sitcom." -- Rolling Stone

Meg to the Han: The big 2-3

2006-07-18T14:25:00.000-07:00

23 years and 1 day ago, Meghan Pamela Mainwaring was born. To commemorate this event, I have, yet again, assembled a list of facts that will help people appreciate her existence:
1. Though her hair is now uncontrollably curly, Meghan had straight locks as a child.
2. Andy Roddick is at the top of Meghan's "list."
3. She has had, like, 40 surgeries. OK, maybe 2 or 3, but that's a lot.
4. Meghan's hometown, Lake Forest, was not officially incorporated as a city until 1991.
5. Meghan only eats popcorn when it is accompanied in the same bite by one or more M&M's (her initials).

At least we agree on something!

2006-07-17T14:18:00.000-07:00

From MSNBC: "Bush also spoke to other leaders, and his unscripted comments ranged from the serious topic of escalating violence in the Mideast to light banter about his preference for DIET COKE ..."

Even Beth Brotherton should be able to get on board with George in this regard.

Eat your heart out

2006-07-15T12:06:00.000-07:00

Being the bon vivant that I am, I have attempted to assemble a list of my favorite L.A. food -- not the restaurants, but rather the food itself. You might not want to read this on an empty stomach:
Toasted pecan shake at Lucky Devil's: Made with a Madagascar Bourbon vanilla-infused custard, rather than ice cream. The toasted pecans spice it up. It's sinful without being too heavy, and topped with homemade whipped cream. The real stuff.

Mac daddy and cheese balls at Fred 62: Fried macaroni and cheese. Enough said. Plus, who doesn't love food in ball form?

Father's Office burger at Father's Office: The bar is famous for its insistence on no add ons: no ketchup, nothing. Trust them, you don't need it. The beef is topped with arugula, gruyere and a bacon-onion compote.

Today Show dog at Pink's: Two hot dogs in one bun, cheese, chilli, onions and guacamole. You won't eat for about two days afterward, but it's worth it.

Lobster tempura roll at Pearl Dragon: Crispy lobster and avocado rolled up with cucumber, instead of rice, which gives it a very delicate balance.

Argentine Gaucho steak at Ciudad: Quite possibly the best piece of meat I've ever eaten, which is saying a lot, if you've ever met me. It's a beef rib eye stuffed with carmelized jalepeno and roasted garlic, finished off with an herb-garlic chimichurri sauce. After my 21st birthday, I remember puking in the toilet for about 40 minutes, emerging only to ask Meghan of my leftovers: "Is my steak still OK?"

Sliced Toro (fatty tuna) at Hamakawa: Yes, LA has many, many a trendy, expensive, there-to-be-seen sushi restaurant. But the real stuff is in Little Tokyo, and Hamakawa is pretty much the best. The fish comes in thick slices, and is the freshest I've ever tasted.

Cream of roasted garlic soup at Doughboys: Being the soup afficionado that I am, this is probably my favorite in LA (although the potato corn chowder at Toast is up there). It has a rich, velvety flavor, and the tortellini and chanterelle mushrooms give it a perfect texture.

Tuesday is my favorite day

2006-07-11T19:28:00.000-07:00

... thanks to the ever-quotable Joel Stein. This line, particularly, is awesome: (In reference to allegations that Lance Armstrong might have been doping) "If, in fact, Armstrong used drugs, will it make his comeback less incredible against a field of other doped-up athletes that he clearly out-prepared, out-trained and out-strategized? The sad part is that — by demanding ultimate competitiveness in everything except medicine — doping will have made him a liar. And we don't like that in people from Texas."

Update: While flipping channels this weekend, I totally saw Joel Stein, acting as one of the commentators for VH1's "I Love the 70s." It made sitting on my ass all alone so much more bearable.

Cause I could be a pro athlete

2006-07-10T22:01:00.000-07:00

Inspired by the sweet mixes that are the Ipod/Nike Sport Music collections, I have decided to include my personal workout mix, the aptly titled "Shake Ya Ass, But Watch Yaself" mix (FYI, Vince Carter and Freddy Adu have the best mixes. Lance Armstrong's has good music, but a lot of it is too mellow to run to. As for my girl Paula Radcliffe, let's just say she could kick my ass on the track, but she's got nothing on my music taste).

Now, workout mixes are different than other mixes. They require that you let go of all the pretension that people usually put into mixes -- if you know deep down that Britney Spears will make you shake your ass, then get her on there and get over yourself. Workout mixes are also not the right occasion for experimentation. You want songs that you know word for word, so that you can just sing along, and focus on the rhythm and music so that you forget that you're tired and hurting. Finally, you need some songs with inspirational lyrics, as well as plain good up-tempo stuff. I noticed that several of the Nike athletes all had "Motivation" by T.I. They know what's up. So, without further ado:
1. "I Can," Nas
2." '03 Bonnie & Clyde," Jay-Z feat. Beyonce
3. "Just Don't Tell Me That," 'NSYNC
4. "Let Me Be," Britney Spears
5. "Bring Em Out," T.I. feat. Jay-Z
6. "Every Ghetto, Every City," Lauryn Hill
7. "The New Workout Plan," Kanye West
8. "Rock Your Body," Justin Timberlake
9. "Hung Up," Madonna
10. "It's Like That," Mariah Carey
11. "Gigolo," Nick Cannon
12. "Tipsy," J-Kwon
13. "Get Right," Jennifer Lopez
14. "Welcome To Atlanta (Remix)," Jermaine Dupri feat. Diddy, Murphy Lee and Snoop Dogg
15. "Staying Alive," Wyclef Jean
16. "Doin' It," LL Cool J
17. "C'mon C'mon," Von Bondies
18. "Who Invited You" the Donnas
19. "Of All The Gin Joints In All The World," Fall Out Boy
Also, I keep a reserve list, in the event that I need an estrogen-filled, girly, guilty pleasure fest. That list includes:
"Miss Independent," Kelly Clarkson; "Fighter," Christina Aguilera; "Independent Women Pt. 1," Destiny's Child; "Stronger," Britney Spears; "Aint Nothin' But a She Thang," Salt 'n' Peppa; and "Doo Wop (That Thing)," Lauryn Hill.

Salt of the earth, indeed

2006-07-07T11:17:00.000-07:00

A topic so near and dear (yet hazardous) to my heart

Toni the Tiger

2006-07-06T14:15:00.000-07:00

Today marks the 22nd anniversary of Antonia Soiney's birth. In celebration, I have assembled a list of random facts about Toni that I have learned in the 10 or so years we have been friends. Enjoy.

1. Toni's cat Gio is named after the actor Giovanni Ribisi
2. By the 7th grade, Toni had never tried several commonplace foods, including: blueberries, scalloped potatoes and chicken noodle soup.
3. At U of O, Toni was a member of the Cycling Team.
4. Toni is an expert potter.
5. Before working at the Sage, Toni (and I) worked at the Evergreen Aviation Museum cafe.
6. Toni has had roles in several musicals at the Gallery Theater, including "Oliver" and "Damn Yankees."
7. Her best friend is really good looking.

So new, so hot

2006-07-06T13:27:00.000-07:00

Hear ye, hear ye ...
Ok, so let's face it, the only people likely to read this are: my brother and perhaps Tom and Beth, on occasion. But really, the purpose is not to entertain other people, but rather to distract myself from the sheer boredom that is not having enough to do at work (that, and it will serve as a sounding board for when I edit columns that make statements like this: "... the perpetually irritating senator from Wisconsin, Russ Feingold, who sometimes makes one miss Joe McCarthy ...") Yeah.

Anyway, down to business.

Best articles I've read recently:
My eternal non-sexual crush, Joel Stein

And even a fabulous article by Max Boot, with whom I normally disagree (even the headline is awesome ... perhaps the work of blake hennon?)

This one's a little dated by now, but reminds me of how much I love Hov: