Would You Rather Wednesday

June 17
Be flayed and de-boned like a fish
or
pureed in a giant blender?

pureed.

June 18
Marry and bear the child of (insert coworker or schoolmate)
or
have to bathe and powder (insert common friend) every day, twice a day?

Bathe and powder a friend.

June 19/20
Chain-smoke 100 cigarettes nasally
or
tongue clean 10 blocks worth of new york city public phone mouthpieces?

gaaarooossss

June 21
Have complete control over who gets elected to all government offices
or
Who wins all sporting championships?

Sporting championships!!

June 22
Live in a world where there is no such thing as war, but also no such thing as pork
or
where there is no such thing as crime, but also no such thing as CSI?

I would go for either of these – pork and CSI I can definitely live without.

June 23
Shave your left eyeball with a gillette sensor razor
or
pour a gallon of boiling water down your throat?

Boiling water.

Book Review: Pretty Little Liars books 1-4

Pretty Little Liars is airing this summer on ABC Family.  So far, 2 episodes of the mystery drama have aired on TV. (If you want to catch up, they are streaming on ABCFamily.com)  Since the show is based on books, I decided I should read them ASAP.

I started them on Wednesday night and Saturday night I had finished books 1-4.  Word is that the first season will cover books 1-4, so I figured it would be appropriate to write a review after reading the first four. I do plan on continuing the series, since I have already stopped in the middle of another series and I hate to leave things hanging. Plus the fact that there are still 4 more books leaves me intrigued.

The book revolves around high school students: Alison, Aria, Emily, Spencer and Hanna who were an inseparable group of best friends in seventh grade.  After Alison goes missing, the girls all went their separate ways and the books pick up with the girls in high school.  They all begin getting mysterious messages signed ‘A’ and the girls think that Alison (or ‘Ali’) is alive and playing a trick on them.  Once Ali’s body is found, the girls become closer once again as they try to figure out who they are getting the messages from.

The first book kind of dragged – even though it was VERY similar to the first episode of the series for the first 100 or so pages.  I think because I had already known what was happening and what was going to happen.  Once I got to the second book it got to the ‘can’t put this down’ type mentality. Although, I did have to put it down and get some sleep!  Friday night however I stayed up ’til 4am finishing book 3 and starting book 4 – as a friend of mine had tipped me off that by book 4 I would finally find out who ‘A’ was.  (I had a couple of ideas and was desperate to know if I was right)

I really love mystery books because I like to try and solve things before the characters in the books do.  Though I will admit some things I thought were clues turned out to just be red herrings throwing me off the track completely. The books are all about 200 pages long and are geared towards teens so they are pretty quick and easy reads and they really grab your attention.

My only “complaint” was that the actresses cast for the show don’t really match the description of the girls in the books.  Really not a major thing, but when I am picturing a brunette from the show and the book mentions their blonde hair, it gets confusing for a split second!

Now I just hope that the TV series can hold my attention when I already know what is going to end up happening – and it will be interesting to see what they chose to include or skip over from the books with the series.

#AlrightWithMoo

For Kris Allen’s 25th birthday, rather than buy him gifts that he most likely will never use, a group of his fans decided to donate on his behalf to Heifer.org.

Taking a page out of Kris’s book, we’d like to celebrate Kris and his birthday by making a meaningful gift in his name… a Cow! (plus other assorted livestock if we exceed our goal).

 The first goal was to raise enough money to donate a cow to a community who could benefit from one.  Within an hour, the goal was nearly met so they upped the goal to 2 cows.  Work quickly spread and the goal was bumped to 4 cows.  Then 10 cows ($5000) and then the goal was upped to $12,5000 or 25 cows – a cow for everyone of Kris’ birthdays!

The trend continued and quickly the $12,500 goal was met and the donation amount was upped to $20,000.

You guessed it – $20,000 has been raised and with Kris’ birthday tomorrow the goal has not been raised, however the page boasts that they would now like to raise $25,000 for Kris’ birthday.

Currently the total is very close to $23,000 and I’ve got my donation in.  Hurry and make your donation too!  Any amount will help – I saw someone donated $1 and change.  If we all work together we can easily surpass even $25,000 and will better the lives of SO many people!

When a family has a cow, every morning there’s a glass of rich milk for the children to drink before heading off to school. Classes are paid with the income from the sale of milk, and there’s even enough to share with the neighbors.
A good dairy cow can produce four gallons of milk a day – enough for a family to drink and share with neighbors. Milk protein transforms sick, malnourished children into healthy boys and girls. The sale of surplus milk earns money for school fees, medicine, clothing and home improvements.
Better still, every gift multiplies, as the animal’s first offspring is passed on to another family-then they also agree to pass on an animal, and so on.
And because a healthy cow can produce a calf every year, every gift will be passed on and eventually help an entire community move from poverty to self reliance. Now that’s a gift worth giving!

http://www.heifer.org/siteapps/teampage/ShowPage.aspx?c=swL1KcNZLxH&b;=5547921&teamid;=3783658

Ellis Paul – “Annalee” FREE Download!

I was contacted by Ellis Paul’s manager with information about a FREE download of his song “Analee” I decided to check it out – and I really like what I hear!

Some background about Ellis – his new album is called “The Day After Everything Changed” which has 15 tracks on it.  Five of these were co-written with Kristian Bush from Sugarland! (Grammy Award winning Sugarland!)  The album was completely funded by his fans and according to his manager is “truly one of the finest Ellis has ever recorded.”

Ellis is an independent artist and needs your help.  If you like music – head over to his website, http://www.ellispaul.com/free and you can download “Analee” completely free.  No strings attached! You don’t need to give your name, email address, anything! Just download it right off of his site!

All Ellis asks in return is if you download it and you like what you hear – pass the link along!  Make a post on your blog, link it on your twitter, tell your friends on facebook – and help get independent music out there!

I received no compensation for posting about this song. I was simply contacted by his manager and liked what I heard so I decided to share it with you all!

Flashback Friday will continue!

Although I am out of scrapbook pages to post as a “Flashback” I have decided to continue the regular (or it might become semi-regular) tradition of posts on Fridays.  I have been going through all my past concerts and getting set lists and openers figured out, putting them all into a moleskine book so that they are all in one spot. (Until I lose the book)

While I have been going through everything, I keep wondering about what happened to some of the opening acts that I have seen.  Did they break up? Go on to sell a million records?  Still in the business trying to make a name for themselves?  I have seen a variety of openers – local openers who won contests, bands just starting out and touring with label mates, bands who were friends of the main act, etc.

So on Fridays, I will try to find out about the past opening acts I have seen and write up a couple paragraphs on what I was able to find on them, or what I wasn’t.  I hope this will be interesting to more than just me… but I started this blog to try and keep up with writing so really if you don’t find it interesting then that stinks for you 😛

Book Review: A Series of Unfortunate Events

Now that I have a Nook and have been reading a LOT more, I decided to write some book reviews to fill in gaps in between concerts and other fun things 🙂

Recently, I finished Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events.  This was a series of 13 books and with the exception of Book 13, each book had 13 chapters, no doubt a play on the fact that it is an unlucky number.

The first 2 or 3 books were made into a movie starring Jim Carrey, which I had actually seen several years ago. Usually I like to read books before watching movies associated with them to see how close what I pictured in my head matches up with how the characters were cast and the set was designed, but lately I’ve been a bit backwards with that.

The books follow the lives of the Baudelaire’s; Violet, Klaus and Sunny who we learn have just lost their parents.  The books are geared at a bit of a younger crowd than me, but I enjoy reading younger books as they are generally fun and quick reads.  As the series went on, each book got longer and longer and I grew more and more frustrated with the characters, to the point that I had to stop reading the series for a bit and started an entirely *different* series in the middle! (Perhaps a review of that series to come, but I still have a couple more of them to read!)

We follow the 3 orphans and in each book they are placed with a new caretaker because something unfortunate has happened to the one before. And that unfortunate thing is Count Olaf – who is a bad, bad man out to get the orphans fortune.  The kids continue to tell their caretakers that Olaf has showed up (usually in a poorly made disguise) but no one ever listens.  This drove me absolutely crazy, but I had to keep reminding myself they were children books and if Olaf was caught in the first book it wouldn’t make for 12 more stories in the series! (A feature I did like – was that whenever the author used big words or phrases that he thought the reader might not know, he would define and explain them. While I consider myself to be fairly intelligent, some of the words I wasn’t entirely familiar with so I enjoyed this ‘feature’)

Throughout the books the children use their skills to make friends and sneak out of the clutches of Olaf.  Violet, the oldest, is an inventor who when thinking up something to invent pulls her hair back with a ribbon.  Klaus, the middle child, loves reading and researching and was always excited when he found a library – no matter what the topic of the books were.  Sunny is the youngest, and she is a cook but also has super sharp teeth and could bite through anything, which came in very handy in a couple of the predicaments the children found themselves in.

Overall I found the books to be a nice read and could finish about half of it in an hour or so before bed.  It was great, fun reading to wind down with at the end of a busy day!  The best part is – if only one of the 13 stories interests you, they can also be read as completely stand-alone books – each book is indeed a different story, so even though I took the time off to read a couple other books, I could easily jump right back in to the series.  Although, I do recommend you read them in order as characters will make a bit more sense to you that way!

Drake&Hanson @ South Street Seaport

Last night I headed into the city, met up with my friend Jaime and we were headed to the South Street Seaport to check out Paper Magazines “Sounds Like Paper” concert with Hanson and Drake.  We ended up taking a wrong turn out of the subway and took the looooooong way to the Seaport.  When the Seaport was off in the distance, we took a seat on a bench and were wondering why we didn’t hear any music, since it was after 6pm (the scheduled start time). Then I got a text from a friend asking where I was saying that the place was absolutely packed with Drake fans.

We got to the Pier 17 area and it was CRAZY how many people were there. Every inch of the stairs was full of people, and the whole pier area was covered with people and overflow was across the street.  We wandered around a bit and decided staying in the back was our best bet, but since there was still no music and SO many people, I didn’t think anything was going to actually end up happening.  Jaime and I decided that if by 7:30 nothing started happening, we’d leave.  Although about 5 minutes after we made that pact, we ended up going across the street anyway, because it seemed like a lot more people were leaving at once so  we knew something had to have been going on and we didn’t want to be in the middle of it.

 

Turns out that people on the stairs started throwing things at people down below and vice versa – and even CHAIRS were being thrown down.  I mean, cmon, how stupid can you be?  Apparently the Drake fans were getting pissed that nothing was happening yet – whereas the Hanson fans are used to nothing ever happening on time!

I tried to get in touch with my friends who were there, but due to the massive amounts of people it was nearly impossible to text, make a phone call, or even check twitter to see if anyone had said it was canceled.

We sat on some steps near the Seaport shops and my friend was able to get through to me and said that Hanson had tweeted it was canceled, but Drake said he was still coming. (and I’m pretty sure he did end up showing up and sticking his head out of his bus)  We waited for my friends to get out from the restaurant where they were, and while we were waiting a bunch of people came running down the street and we didn’t know what to do.  But then they all turned around and went back.  Apparently about that time the cops were using mace to get people to leave.

We hung around til about 9pm, when there was still a HUGE crowd of people around (when the concert had been called off about an hour and a half before)  We decided to head back to Grand Central and go home (since it didn’t appear that Hanson was going to play a secret show anywhere)  While walking to the subway, a fight broke out so we ran off to the side so as not to get stampeded by people running to see the fight. (At least, we think it was a fight) and a couple of guys blocked us saying “Protect the white girls!” We were definitely out numbered lol

When we finally got to Grand Central, I had missed the 9:37 by like 2 minutes.  Decided I would take my trusty 10:22 which was at track 18… except no train ever showed up even once 10pm hit. (And usually I am on the train sitting for a bit before it leaves)  I went over to the screen that shows the track and the 10:22s track was now BLANK.  With about 5 minutes to spare, they announced we’d be on track 16 instead and a TON of people rushed to the track.  Then once we got down to the train, the doors weren’t even open! I walked down as far as I could handle and was able to get myself a window seat.   Then halfway through the ride the PA system in the train went out and the AC went out (or turned down) too because they said we were in the hottest car and could move back if we wanted.

Also, at our first stop the doors never opened, we were told that the police had to get on the train to deal with something… luckily it was not in my car!

Then when I finally got home I got stuck waiting for ambulances and fire trucks to go by! It was a crazy night.

Would You Rather Wednesday

June 10
Have your wedding planned by kim jong-il
or
jokey smurf?

Jokey Smurf.

June 11
Have your love emails posted on google’s home page
or
have the soundtrack to your make-out sessions available as an itunes podcast for download?

itunes podcast!

June 12/13
Have retractable claws
or
controllable dreadlocks?

Claws.

June 14
Slide naked down a fireman’s pole covered with tacks into a pool of your favorite beverage
or
have wesley snipes catch you picking your nose?

Get caught picking my nose.

June 15
Work at a company where the dress code is prom wear from the 1970s
or
Your boss conveys your end-of-the-year evaluation through rap?

1970s… love the 70s…

June 16
Have your cell phone ring function set on itch
or
ooze?

Itch.

Jordin Sparks Webster Theatre 6/12

Last night Jordin Sparks brought her Battlefield Tour to the Webster Theatre in Hartford, CT.  When I arrived, there were 2 huge buses with Jordin’s face on them.  One pledging to not Text and Drive and the other for Mike & Ike’s, one of the sponsors of her tour.

After taking pictures of the buses, I went to find security to see about getting a seat inside.  Within 2 minutes everything was put in place and one of the guys was apologizing for taking “so long” to get an answer for me! They are so much nicer at this venue than a certain other ‘legendary’ venue in CT…

Then I hung out with security and got to see how many people asked where Will Call was and even told a guy where to go to pick up his M&G; wristbands.  He had an extra, did he thank me by giving me it? No. haha.

There were a few cheers as Jordin entered the building escorted by her bodyguard, Brian.  Next thing I know she is in the lobby across from me! That is where the M&G; was being held.  Brian ended up closing the door, but it was glass so I was still able to see her with all the fans.  Her hair was long and she looked great!

A little after 7 we were let inside, I snagged a stool and then got my picture taken with a fake Jordin on a green screen LOL  I was almost going to make the girl make it so I looked taller than Jordin, but Jordin is a giant so no one would have believed that!

The first band on was Days Difference, unfortunately a couple of couples of Yankee fans decided to stand right in front of me, so I couldn’t see them much at all.  I didn’t really like what I heard either, but I hear a lot of good things about them on twitter so maybe I should check out their studio stuff before i completely write them off.

Next up was Kate Voegele – I had seen her I think 3 times with Hanson on their Walk tour and wasn’t that into her then, but she seemed more tolerable last night.  I was a bit surprised she came out wearing a Union Jack top, since the World Cup game was such a huge deal earlier in the day (not that I follow Soccer) and a few songs in she mentioned that she just realized she was wearing it, but was screaming for USA during the game and she wanted to make sure we all knew she was for USA in the game and her outfit choice was just a coincidence.  Her second to last song was a cover of ‘Hallelujah’ which she prefaced by saying that she knew that it had been covered a lot, but she didn’t care.  I think I can go for the rest of my life without hearing it again though.  When she started it, the little boy sitting behind me said ‘this song is from Shrek!’ haha

Then it was time to set the stage up for the main event, Jordin Sparks!  She seemed a little bit more in her element last night than she did last month at the casino.  The casino show was her first show of the tour so there were probably still some kinks to work out with her performance, but the crowd was also more energetic and of course standing vs sitting. (Me and a couple of the kids around me being the exception)  The crowd ranged in age from a tiny baby (with no ear protection!) to grandmothers.

It was incredibly hot inside the venue, Jordin mentioned it after almost every song and before singing Tattoo actually asked for them to turn off some of the stage lights.  Then she thanked everyone who voted for her on Idol and everyone who might not have seen her on Idol but was there tonight supporting her.  She also spoke a bit about her pledge to not txt and drive and how if you’re not old enough to drive yet to hold your parents accountable.  She mentioned that she often tells her mom to not text and her mom will say “but I’m emailing!”  Also mentioned were Mike & Ike’s and their new Alex’s Lemonade flavor and she encouraged everyone to look in to the foundation.

She finished up her set with her first single, Tattoo, and then her single with Chris Brown, No Air.  She had the crowd sing some of Chris’ parts and the rest was sung by one of her backup singers.  Then she did a curtsy on each side of the stage and the show was over.

It was chaos trying to leave the venue lobby, as both opening acts were signing autographs and had drawn quite a crowd.  Jordin’s merch guy was actually standing up on the table to take orders!

When I got outside, after being incredibly hot from the show, it was raining. It started pouring like crazy and lightning on the highway on the way home, but I made it home just before midnight, safe and sound.

Setlist and photos under the cut.

Battlefield
S.O.S
Watch You Go
Emergency 911
It Takes More
Don’t Let It Go To Your Head
One Step at a Time
Walking on Snow
No Parade
Freeze
Young and In Love
Tattoo
No Air

 

What do people do with Netflix DVDs?

I will be the first to admit that I do not go crazy to keep my DVDs in the cases and prevent them from being scratched.  There are a couple of DVDs sitting on my DVD player collecting dust because I haven’t gotten around to putting them back in their cases yet. (And the cases are either near the DVD player or on my desk)  But somehow this doesn’t really ruin the DVDs.  They generally don’t end up scratched or broken.  My DVD player will play them without a problem if I were to wipe them off and pop them in the player.

DVDs I get from Netflix on the other hand – are a whole other story!  Do the people who have them before me play frisbee with them?  I don’t get it.  The last 3 DVDs I have gotten from Netflix have had issues.  The first one, Baby Mama, actually had a HUGE crack in it but it was one of those double sided DVDs where one side is wide screen and the other is full.  I figured at least one of the sides would work in the DVD player.  No such luck.  I had to report it as broken and wait for a replacement. The second one was fine.

Second DVD I got was Adventureland.  During this time, my DVD player was being incredibly temperamental and spitting out the disc try for no reason, not closing it back up, etc. (I have since, I believe, fixed the issue)  I decided to give it a try in my computer because I was beginning to think that Netflix would think that *I* had the problem if I reported a second movie with a problem.  But it didn’t work in the computer’s DVD player either.  The second one was fine.

Today I get I Love You Man.  I flipped it over to check it out and it has at least 5 large visible scratches on it.  I don’t even understand how this is possible.  The crack in the first movie, fine, that could have happened during mailing if a big package somehow ended on top of it (and with USPS, anything is possible)  But did Freddy Kruger try to handle the DVD? I don’t get it!  When I popped it in the DVD player it said there was no disc in the tray, but luckily just wiping it down with a soft Tshirt did the trick and I was able to watch it.

I treat my Netflix DVDs better than I treat my own DVDs – but I am apparently in the minority.  And as I had mentioned, even neglecting my DVDs and leaving them out of their cases for extended periods of time has never left them looking like some of the DVDs I get in the mail from Netflix!

I even had one disc fall apart in my hands when I took it out of the sleeve.  Again, I’ll write that off as something going on with USPS – but maybe someone hated the movie and smashed it with a hammer? I don’t know.

Maybe I should stick to their streaming movies from now on.. then if they have issues I have no one to blame but my internet connection!

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