Music Monday: Semi Charmed Life

Happy Music Monday, y'all! Boy, I've been sick since the latter half of last week up until today. I'm still plagued by a runny nose, but at least that is all that remains from my earlier malady.

Anyway, while ill, I had some pretty strange dreams---ranging from REALLY PUFFY BATHROBES to my own death, oh and I flew, too! I've had pretty crazy nights, I guess you could say, but I'm ready to fully recover and be completely conscious.

In addition to eccentric slumber, I watched a few really corny horror movies over the weekend...the first of which was...TORTURE GARDEN!!! (Note: I seriously didn't realize Burgess Meredith was in this movie until I started looking for it online...OOPS. Another note: trailer courtesy of TCM.)

Torture Garden is basically one of those vignette movies---showing each character how evil he/she could be and the consequences that would follow, should they choose to be evil. Some parts were kind of CREEPY, while others (e.g. a piano throws a girl out the window) were just HILARIOUS. Yup, it was a great movie...tolerable for a sick day, at least....Oh wait, you thought that was the only corny horror movie I saw??? If you did, well, I gotta tell you you're wrong...What could be better than TORTURE GARDEN???

Nothing, but this next movie was worth a laugh...DARK HOUSE:

Yeah, Dark House is one of those horror movies...you know, the ones with a nonsensical story, unnecessarily abundant profanity, and a messily juxtaposed lesbian romance. By nonsensical I mean that it makes no sense whatsoever why the director guy would use that particular house (a house, witness to a gruesome murder spree of sorts) to film a mediocre "horror" show/movie/whatever-it-was-supposed-to-be...Anyway, if you're sick, stuck at home, and cuddled up with your favorite penguin blanket and furry slippers, this movie is worth watching---at least for the laughter caused by its sheer ridiculousness.

...I think this is turning out okay?? Pecan pound cake??

Anyway, today is Monday, I've just prepared my own improvised version of a pecan pound cake and now it's in the oven. I guess I'll see how it turns out...really, I don't even eat these things, I just enjoy preparing them, hahahaha! You know, I feel better, now that I've finished typing up this little post---not little literally, but you know what I mean...

Self-Pity: What's the Point?

Happy Friday Tidbits Readers!


Really, it's Friday? Yes, yes it is, and as I stand in this particular point in time, I cannot comprehend how this week has managed to both drudge and rush along. I've been sick, stricken by something-I-don't-know-what. Everyone around me has been ill, actually, but I'm just trying to brush it all off by saying it's just a cold. A very bad cold.


Anyway, I'm admitting the following today: whenever I'm sick, I always tend to pity myself too too much. Like, boohoohoo I'm sick, no one loves me, I feel terrible, my body hurts, I can't open my eyes all the way, I don't wanna take medicine, I can't swallow pills, blah blah blah...


And then, sometimes---if I'm sick for an extended period of time---I go into Self-Pity Hyperdrive: booo, I have a terrible relationship (if you can even call it that) with my father, I've fallen in love with the same worthless perennial student more than three times and every single time I know I'm not gonna like the ending, I don't have the job I want, I've given another dumb-butt a chance to win my heart but he doesn't take the hint so I'm giving up on that miserable human being, I didn't have the same opportunities as some other more fortunate kids, blah blah blah...

Self-Pity Hyperdrive.

Yeah, it gets really bad when I start digging into that realm of dissatisfaction and failure. And now I've gotten to the point where I'm scolding myself for digging my own grave of sorts...(That little bit of imagery doesn't really work when I haven't really used it---I was thinking it, and this sentence probably doesn't make any sense.) The point is, I become angry at myself for being so pitiful. No! You will not feel self-pity. Pity is for the weak. The things that have happened in your life have happened---you can't do anything about them. You can however, Euni, move on and get better. Maybe instead of spiraling down a deep deep abyss of disappointment I could be finishing my applications for grad school, or searching for jobs, or learning Chinese, or going for a run, reading a book, jumping up and down...I dunno, I could totally be doing something---anything---and that something would be way more productive than my current sulking and bout of self-pity.


Is this something all twenty-somethings go through? I know a lot of us go through that period of identity crisis, you know, in which you're not sure if you made the right decisions with school and career and all that stuff; I've also observed that some people in this quarterlife age group seem so serene and calm about their lives, having fun, living freely and lightly. In case you haven't noticed, I'm kind of the opposite, constantly worrying and overthinking things---all things. Maybe that's why I can't float---and hence, cannot swim. I should probably change that. And not just think about changing that.


Someone, anyone, may I please have a boost?

birds

Birds flying straight at me.


Saved by tree
Saved by window.
Seagulls are kind of creepy...


I had birds.

Budgies.

Finches. love making finches.
bad parenting finches.


Loud lovebirds.
Narcissistic cockatiel.
Most loyal cockatiel
dying cockatiel. 

Music Monday: 12 Fingers

Happy Music Monday, Friends! :) I'm kind of sort of sorry I didn't really post anything more last week---honestly, I have been wondering how to write about my favorite (corny) horror movie of all time, but I keep starting, and then I think it looks bad, and then I erase my words, and then I try to start over, and THEN I say, "I'll just do it later..."---so, hopefully this week I'll do better.

This morning, as I was getting ready for work, I remembered Young The Giant. And I wanted to listen to their album, at that very instant, but couldn't, since I was pressed for time. Anyway, I brought my iPod along to work, so that I could listen to it during my lunch. Needless to say, I had an awesome lunch, mostly because I got to listen to 12 Fingers. ENJOY! :)

By the way, I got another haircut this weekend: I'll be updating my picture soon. Aaaaaand I was totally excited and happy that the NY Giants won last night. The winning touchdown (and extraordinarily hilarious) picture:

BOOTYLICIOUS. LOLOL! Courtesy of Chris Faytok/The Star-Ledger.

OMG, I totally didn't even realize that I made a mini-Giant-theme for this marvelous Monday. Ha! See y'all next time! :)

Music Monday: Girl Sailor

Happy Music Monday!!! I've been in a certain kind of mood...the kind of mood that just wants to listen to The Shins all day long, every single day. Oh yeah, I'm definitely excited for March, when their new album comes out...

Anyway, after all that serious stuff from last week on the economy and politics, I thought it be nice to just enjoy this week peacefully and more lightly. And so.....are YOU READY FOR SOME WHALE TIME?????

Oh yeah, I think y'all are...

I decided to draw whales on my nails. They never fail. *badrhyming*

Whale you be my friend??? (I promise whale puns get better with time!...riiiiight...)

And last but not least....since it IS Monday, after all...

How can it NOT be a great Monday when there is a whale by my side??

Anyway, I hope y'all have a had a great start of this new week! Can y'all believe it's almost February!? I'm ready to fall in love again! <3 :)

P.S. Yes, I'm ready to fall in love again, I can't let myself forget how good it feels to be in love, even if the ending might be unforgivingly painful.

P.P.S. I finally got a new car...Well, it's a Jeep, and it's exactly the one I wanted...I'll talk about it later this week!!! :D

Tidbits Tackles: Romney, Taxes and Obama

Wow. Did y'all watch the State of the Union address last night? It's kind of funny (you'll see why by the end of this post) how things work out. Being at my new job has given me the pleasure of becoming more informed about our current events (more or less, regarding mainly the economy and politics---HEY, baby steps is what it's all about). Ok, so yesterday, when I read an article on the Wall Street Journal about Mitt Romney's release of tax information, I felt the need to input my own tidbit on it. I wrote a ~~very~~ rough draft of it. Here's how it went:

~~~Today, Mitt Romney's tax information has been disclosed. According to a WSJ article, Romney's effective tax rate is 14%, on an income of $21.7 million, after his tax-deductible charitable contributions and other sources of income have been taken into consideration.

Romney's taxes paid totaled around $3 million, which is a lot...IF you think about the amount as a number, not as a percentage of his total income. When I read and found out the total amount in taxes Romney paid versus the percentage of the whole---how the numbers look different "aesthetically"---I suspected immediately that his campaign would focus on the dollar amount rather than on the percentage. Let's face it: $3 million looks way BIGGER than 14% at first glance. And according to Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom, it seems very likely that they will focus on the dollar amount paid (oh, and definitely on the charitable contributions)---rather than on the tax rate itself---to make Mitt Romney even more presentable and appealing to the nation.

I wasn't very surprised by his tax rate or anything---we all expected it (Krugman), even Mr. Romney himself had given a roundabout estimate of 15%---and I don't mind that the tax rate I pay, even if it may be higher than his. But I do have a question---and I'm hoping a lot of curious minds want to know too: why has Romney only agreed to show two years' worth of tax information? I don't wanna sound like I'm nosy or in disbelief, but how do we know that Mr. Romney didn't just (and Krugman says it best) sanitize "his portfolio in preparation for his presidential run?"

Let it be known, the reason I'm talking about Romney and his taxes is not because I envy his wealth and success---believe me, if I had as much money as Mr. Romney does, I'd still be asking the same questions---but I really do believe in that saying "with great power comes great responsibility," and in a perfect world, the wealthier folk feel it is their civic duty and responsibility to contribute more proportionately back to their nation for the better of mankind.~~~

Yes, that had been my original intention for this post. That last paragraph, I know, Spiderman comes to mind when I say that phrase, but, I don't think I was far off from what President Obama expressed last night. Jared Bernstein provides a nice summary of President Obama's address last night, and I especially love the excerpt from the SOTU that Bernstein posted:

"We don't begrudge financial success in this country. We admire it. When Americans talk about folks like me paying my fair share of taxes, it's not because they envy the rich. It's because they understand that when I get tax breaks I don't need and the country can't afford, it either adds to the deficit, or somebody else has to make up the difference---like a senior on a fixed income; or a student trying to get through school; or a family trying to make ends meet. That's not right. Americans know it's not right. They know that this generation's success is only possible because past generations felt a responsibility to each other, and to their country's future, and they know our way of life will only endure if we feel the same sense of shared responsibility."

Well said, President Obama. Below is the entire SOTU, the "enhanced" version. Watch it if you'd like.

And with that, I guess I'll be quiet on this subject, for now. If you have anything you'd like to say in response, please feel free to, but let's keep it reasonable---no attacks necessary. And by no means am I implying that I'm good at this whole current events/Economics/politics thing. From time to time, I'll post "Tidbits Tackles" segments: I'm attempting to tackle various subjects. I'm definitely open to others' points of view. (Oh, and btw, Tackles has an -s because I'm using it as a noun, not a verb, in the title. {That was bothering me.})

Note: Photo of Mitt Romney courtesy of the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) photostream on Flickr.

Music Monday: Midnight City

Happy Music Monday!!! You know, because I look forward to posting a different song every Monday, I don't really hate the beginning of the week anymore...Maybe---just MAYBE---you feel the same??? (That's asking for too much, I know, but I can dream, right?)

Speaking of dream, the song above, Midnight City by M83, has been teasing me for the last couple of months. The first time I heard this song (the tiiii - tiiii - tiii - tii part at the beginning of the song in particular), I didn't get the name of either artist or song. And let me tell you: not knowing the name of the song is one of the biggest frustrations in my life---seriously, it drives me insane. Well! The point I'm trying to make in relating the whole "dream-talk" to this song is precisely this: Midnight City makes it easier for me to float away into my dreamland, be it bedtime slumber or daydream. Close your eyes and listen.

Speaking of dream (again), I've been meaning to talk about a dream I had a couple of weeks ago. You know those really strange dreams, in which you're doing something, and then suddenly, you're doing another completely different something? Here's my dream...it involves Benedict Arnold, a boat, and a crime scene---I know, it sounds like the beginning of a bad joke...but really, it was just the oddest dream I've had in a while.

Let me just retell it here.

First, I remember I was at a really old house (like those from the late 1800s) in the present day---it was apparently a museum of sorts, with historical figures preserved indoors. One of those historical figures was Benedict Arnold, and I remember it was our (I don't quite remember who was with me in the dream, there were quite a few of us) duty to keep the historical figures indoors. They had come to life, you see, I guess you could say they were zombies, but they didn't look very "dead." Well, Benedict Arnold wanted to go outside, and I remember leaving my older sister FEBE at the front door, and I told her, "Don't let him out!" I ran across the street and looked back: FEBE was holding a screendoor closed while Benedict Arnold was trying to escape; because FEBE's arms were extended upwards, Mr. Arnold proceeded to tickle FEBE until it seemed like she was surrendering the door to him.

SUDDENLY, I found myself on a white, rustic rowboat, without paddles, and I was trying to float away in it. The boat kept getting smaller and smaller, and water started flowing onto the boat; I could feel the waves push me along the shore.

AND THEN, I started going up some stairs and as I found the outdoors, I realized I had just exited a subway station in New York. {Interestingly enough, I do recall exiting from that very station during my trip in October last year.} Anyway, as I walked toward the public---where the people were---I stumbled upon a fresh crime scene. And as I got closer to the crime scene, everything became black and white, and I felt like I was in film noir.

Then I woke up! I've come to the conclusion that there were, in fact, three distinct dreams, but due to my being human, I forgot the beginnings/endings of each and just jumbled all three together. I also like to imagine that I really do travel and see these things (well, maybe not the Benedict Arnold part), some sort of parallel universe, perhaps? I dunno. What I do know, with utmost certainty, is that I love to dream, and I look forward to sleep every night because of it.