Monochrome Delirium

We're Moving...

2009-11-09T20:10:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone! So I met with Marc Odien of WNYMedia a month or so ago because he had this crazy idea that I should blog for his site. Lo and behold...there I am!, as of today, so I'm encouraging you all to change your bookmarks and follow me over there (and check out the rest of the site while you're at it...).

Look for the usual humor and sarcasm, just on a more public site. A sincere thanks goes out to Marc and the rest of WNYMedia. I'm wickedly excited for this opportunity, and I can't wait to get started again. So, see you on the other side, my dear followers!

Of comment sections, and why they are everything that's wrong with society

2009-11-05T21:07:00.008-05:00

Dear every self-righteous, sick, sad, malicious, feelingless nutjob that posts comments on any Internet forum they are able,

KINDLY SHUT THE EFF UP. YOU HAVE NO SENSE, LITTLE EMOTION, AND -- HEY, GUESS WHAT? -- YOUR OUT-IN-LEFT-FIELD STANCE ON WHATEVER YOU'RE COMMENTING ON IS MOST LIKELY WRONG, BASED IN NOTHING BUT HEARSAY, DEVOID OF PRETTY MUCH ANY FACTUAL BASIS, AND JUST PLAIN RUDE. ARE YOU DONE NOW?

Thanks for your time. No love,
Angela

I'm not sure if it's the anonymity the Internet affords people, or if these people honestly think they're correct. I'm not sure if they, like every wacko political radio host out there, just like having a forum to voice their baseless opinions. For all I know, they're just truly afraid the world is going to hell, believe America is ruled by a Muslim terrorist socialist, are self-righteous enough to honestly say they/their children would never break a law/do anything wrong, and really mean it when they say all these horrible news stories out there really do happen to people who "got what they deserved" (I'm looking at you, Michael Crook, you four-letter-word thing that's most certainly not going to be hanging with the Big Man Upstairs when you, oh-so-sadly, leave this world).

But, really, people, even if you do have it in your minds that all those things are true, don't you have at least a shred of human decency to not voice your opinion on a news/blog site that the whole world can see? Don't you get it that people have different opinions? That people make mistakes? That there are loved ones of the people involved in those tragic stories that are reading and don't need to read and feel worse because of your pea-brained comments about how the war is wrong wrong wrong WRONG (even if that might be true), or how you think this guy that shot up Fort Hood is a Muslim terrorist (which probably isn't true), or how the girl that died in a car crash because the driver was speeding knew what she was getting into and wanted to die (which DEFINITELY isn't true, and you DEFINITELY shouldn't MYSPACE MESSAGE HER TWIN SISTER AND TELL HER SUCH A THING, MICHAEL CROOK!)

While I've got your attention, did you ever stop and think that you might, just might, be wrong? When you make a snap judgement based on someone's skin color or race or anything else, you're just feeding into the social perceptions. You may think that your grammatically-incorrect proclamation that the soldier that killed all those people today probably was a terrorist, and Obama probably knew about it, and he was probably the one that personally promoted him, and socialism is taking over the country, so we need to stop this healthcare thing and stop guns and... -- you might think you're voicing an important opinion and getting the word out about these evil things, but really? Really, you know nothing about the situation this man was facing, and you're just feeding into mass hysteria and distrust. And it needs to stop.

I suppose you're just following what you see on TV. After all, we have people in positions of governmental power who say things like a public healthcare option is "more dangerous than terrorism"? Really, Representative Foxx? REALLY?! It's statements like yours that help cause all that distrust and political polarity. It's people like Rush Limbaugh that disseminate these crazy ideals and keep this cycle going. And you, Internet comment-posters, by posting your asinine opinions on a comment board below a story? You're not helping things.

Part of the problem comes from the simple fact that comment boards and radio talk shows and other forums of public opinion often only attract the extremists. You get the people who are very strongly pro-whatever commenting, and you get the people who are very strongly anti-whatever. But you rarely get the 98% of the population that's somewhere in the middle, because they just don't care. They read or listen to the story, they absorb it, and they might share their opinions with friends or write about it in their blog. But they don't feel the need to let every other reader know what they think. I know that 98% is out there somewhere; I just wish they'd pop up a little more often. In fact, I applaud those of you in that 98% who do try and add meaningful dialogue to comment sections. But they are few and far between, and they usually get ignored or flamed, and we're left with all these far-out comments that are slowly but surely destroying my view of human beings as, for the most part, sane and rational.

What really kills me is most of these commentators with these extreme views (and I'm talking on message boards, comment sections, radio, whatever) can't even acknowledge that someone else might have a different opinion. Or they'll say that everyone's entitled to an opinion, but when you try to disagree with them, they tell you that you're wrong, and they try to make you see it their way (see flaming reference above). And then, they get so worked up (*cough*Mr. Limbaugh*cough*), and they won't stop until you walk away or give in.

I'm not, by any means, saying people shouldn't have opinions or shouldn't voice their opinions. I'm not saying a debate (key word: "debate," which is not defined as "one party yelling at another until they give up, give in, or walk away," as you can see) on political and social issues isn't a good thing every once in a while. I'm not saying Republicans are right; I'm not saying Democrats are right; I'm not saying Muslims, Christians, Jews, etc. etc. etc. are right. And I'm not saying they're wrong, either.

All I'm saying is that, when you open your mouth or put fingers to a keyboard, for the love of God, please think before you speak or write. Think about how your statements will make you sound, and think about how they will make other people -- ESPECIALLY those involved with the event -- feel. I don't care what you think. I don't even care (OK, maybe I do because it's a little extreme) if you really do think Obama is a Muslim socialist hell-bent on executing acts of mass terrorism in this country, running it into the ground, and then leaving us all for dead.

But, honestly, is it REALLY necessary for you to share that opinion with the rest of the readers? Do you really have that much hate in your heart and such low self-esteem that posting cold, cruel comments is going to make you feel better about yourself or your opinion? You're probably just hoping to get people riled up and want to watch how they react.

Do what you gotta do, I guess. But that doesn't stop me from thinking you're the reason muzzles were invented. I'm entitled to that opinion, you know. I just won't post it on every comment board out there. And I'll listen if you have a different view.

Oh, Canada!

2009-11-03T19:54:00.005-05:00

At the start of college, I learned my life had been a little different.

Growing up in Buffalo, we don’t really think twice about that other country we can stare at across the Niagara River. It’s second nature that we sing the Canadian national anthem, as well as the American one, at hockey games (I really don’t know why that’s not custom everywhere else; a year and a half interning with a hockey team and I’m still confused). Toronto is a fun place for a class trip – just remember your birth certificate/passport/enhanced license! Every visitor wants to see Niagara Falls, even though we’ve all been there enough times to last us a lifetime. We cross the border for a day at the beach or good Chinese food, and our 19th birthdays are a big deal.

I was unaware any of this was worthy of much wonderment. I sighed as I explained Tim Horton’s and Niagara-on-the-Lake to my new-found friends in Boston. I knew all the words (some in French) to the Canadian National Anthem, and I got CTV at home, and they were in awe. Canada may not be Europe or Australia – but I could still just up and decide to go to a different country any time I wanted.

They clearly didn’t understand that Canada is passé, nothing new, nothing special. That I swore years ago that if my parents made me visit the Falls one more time with a family guest, I’d probably throw myself over the edge in a barrel. Yeah, I cross the border all the time – and your point is?

I will admit, however, that I felt just a teensy bit cool on my 19th birthday explaining that I could wait to go home and go party in a different country.

My freshman year roommate found this excessively cool, and she made me promise that when she came to visit me that summer, we’d spend a day across the river. Yup, fine, whatever. I picked out the barrel for my plunge.

So visitation time came, and I dedicated an entire day to the wonder that is Canada. It began simply enough, where every Buffalonian’s Canadian tour starts – the Canadian side of the Falls (because, really, what is there to see on our side?).

Actually, it began when we didn’t take the Robert Moses Parkway exit and ended up driving into Canada. There were squeals of joy (i.e., shrieking phone calls to friends that, likeomigod, we were officially in Canada) from my friend as we passed the American and Canadian flags on the bridge, and squeals of worry from me, as I realized I had no clue where we were, we didn't get cell phone service, and my friend who was driving up in a different car was no longer behind us.

Fortunately, my uncanny sense of direction (read: “OK, well the river is that way, and the Falls is that way…so let’s follow this street that sort of, maybe, kinda goes that general direction, and we’ll see where we end up.”) led us back to my friend and the Falls. After a quick stop and promises to return (to my chagrin), we drove along the river up to Crystal Beach -- and, again, some time spent lost. GPS companies rejoice that there are people like me in the world.

We found the beach, “Canadian lemonade” (not sure what makes it “Canadian,” but that’s what the menu said) was bought, Tim Horton’s was eaten, and waves were played in. And I still did not understand how living by Canada was so great – minus Tim Horton’s.

But then my fellow Buffalonian friend let us in on a little secret. It’s a little secret, mind you, that has become a secret weapon to impress out-of-town friends on our side of the Falls – the Three Sisters Islands.

The American side of the Falls has one thing on the Canadian side, and that’s the Niagara Falls State Park. It’s good for a nice walk along the river and pretty views of the Falls. But if you venture over to the Three Sisters Islands and do a little “exploring,” you can find yourself ankle deep in the Niagara River, within view of the mist at the edge of the Falls.

I’m not in any way advocating wading into the river, because the currents are strong. Even dipping our toes into the tiny bit of water among the rocks we were on felt dangerous enough for us. But there were other tourists doing the same thing, so we figured, why not? And now my Bostonian friend could say she had stood in Niagara Falls, so she was happy.

Okay, and I thought it was pretty cool, too.

But we weren’t done yet. Back over to Canada we went, to see the lights on the water, watch fireworks in the giant Ferris wheel, and visit all the tourist-trap-y things on Clifton Hill. Our Canadian adventures concluded about 12 hours after we’d first headed to the Great White North. My friend was exhausted and giddy that she’d finally seen Canada. I was just exhausted. And maybe slightly amused and perplexed that we’d managed to spend an entire day in Canada/Niagara Falls – and I’d enjoyed it.

Living across the river from Canada still doesn’t thrill me the way it does out-of-town visitors. I don’t get giddy when I cross the border, or when I see the Falls – or when I see the land across the river and realize, yes, that is, in fact, another country. I would never willingly head up to Clifton Hill for a night to hang out in the wax museums and arcades, and now that I’ve hit the magical age of 21, Clifton Hill’s main use (bars) can be found and entered on this side of the border. And I still don’t think it’s strange that I’d rather go to Canada for Chinese food and the beach than just go in my own country.

But now I can realize that living here gives me the unique chance to do all those things if I want to, whenever I’d like. And it’s nice to see that people really do see Niagara Falls as one of the Wonders of the World, not just something they’re dragged to with visitors. I was beginning to doubt it.

Making a splash at World Juniors: West Side Rowing Club

2009-10-20T22:46:00.003-04:00

Here is my second rowing story for September's (August in Rochester) Sports & Leisure Magazine: a profile on the team from West Side Rowing Club that represented the United States at Junior Worlds in France over the summer. Once again, go pick up a copy of the magazine (it's free!) if you're in the Buffalo/Rochester area, or check out the online editions.
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A Buffalo-based crew team had the weight of the world – or at least the hopes for a gold medal for the United States – on their shoulders as they headed off to France in early August.

The West Side Rowing Club’s team of Allan Amico, Kosta Gioulekas, Sean Johnston and RJ Rubino, coached by Boris Kusturic, spent the first weeks of August in Brive-la-Gaillarde, France, competing for the US in the World Rowing Junior Championships.

“It’s been a long-term project for West Side to send a boat to Junior Worlds,” said Amico, a Canisius High School graduate who will row at Princeton this year. “The last time they send a boat was in the mid-80’s, and they decided to raise money and wanted to commit to sending a boat.”

In the very beginning, Kusturic chose a group of almost 20 rowers he wanted to work with for the boat. They assembled boats of four and held races, switching rowers from boat to boat until he found the fastest group of four.

The final four were assembled and went to the qualifying race in Princeton, New Jersey – and won the bid to represent the US at the race.

“Once we qualified, it was definitely pretty crazy that we’d be racing for the US in France,” Amico said. “Gradually it sank in, and then when we actually got to France, it was a whole different thing….It really sank in – you’re here now, and you’ve got to race.”

The team had one month to get ready between the qualifying race and their trip to France – “not a ton of time,” said Amico -- so the practices came fast and furious.
They had two-a-day practices and competed in a few races, including the Club National Championship in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

“The teams that beat us were really good – all from Wisconsin, Syracuse, Cornell, big-name schools, like varsity seniors,” said Rubino, also a Canisius graduate, now rowing for Mercyhurst. “We just wanted a good challenge.”

In one final test of dedication, the rowers spent their last week before the competition commuting to a racecourse in Welland, Ontario, for practice.

“It was always in the back of your mind when you’re training, that the opportunity would be there in the summer,” said Amico of his training schedule from the winter up until the trip. “It kept you motivated to keep going.”

They headed to France a week before the races to have time to adjust to the different time zone and see the course.

“The first thing is that it was really hot,” said Rubino. “It was between 85 and 95 every day, and it was humid, and it was a lot hotter than Buffalo when we were training, so it was something to adjust to. You’d lose a couple pounds each time you went on the water.”

The team also ordered an “amazing, brand new,” said Rubino, skull and oars for the race, so the team spent the week practicing with and getting used to the new equipment. Despite their two-a-day practice schedule, there was still time to meet the other teams.

“It was set up on a beach, and a lot of people just came out after their work outs,” said Rubino. “Everyone was really friendly; there were no bitter rivalries, no one was against each other country-to-country.”

Not having raced against their opponents, and not knowing much about any of the teams, mentally put all the rowers on an even footing.

“[In the US], you might know someone in another boat,” said Amico, but over in France, you don’t know your opponents and “you don’t know who’s fast and who’s not. There’s some [general] idea, but in a high school race, you might know if a team’s fast or another team isn’t” from previous races.
The team placed second, with a time of 6:28:63, out of four teams in a qualifying heat on August 5 to advance to a semifinal race on the 7th. However, they placed fifth of six in the semifinal, giving them a spot in the “B” final, rather than the “A” final the following day. With a time of 6:18:56, they were only 6.17 seconds behind third place and final qualifier Spain.
“It made it so much more difficult knowing everyone was watching the scores back home,” said Rubino. “You’ve got to perform. You’re the US in another country, and everyone’s expecting a good performance. Whenever we were down, we knew we had to push harder because you couldn’t let anyone down.”

No matter their final rankings, it was the chance to represent the US among different nations – and find common ground with other teams – that made the experience for Rubino.

“[The Australian team was] extremely big and intimidating, but everyone was pretty much the same once you started talking to them,” he said, recalling the team’s jokes and “awesome” accents. “It’s kind of cool to think that they guys that look the biggest and the toughest are really just like us.”

Row, row, row your boat: UB crew

2009-10-19T16:04:00.003-04:00

Since I can't seem to land anything full-time in journalism, I've been doing a lot of blogging (clearly) and freelancing to keep up my writing skills (and, I suppose, my sanity). Sports & Leisure Magazine, a free monthly in Buffalo and Rochester, has been kind enough to give me some space in their recent issues. The September (August in Rochester) issue featured two of my stories on local rowing teams. This is the first one; the second will be posted in the coming days.

And, please, pick up a copy of S&L around town! We cover all different sorts of local sports teams, and it's free!

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The University of Buffalo football and basketball teams had stellar 2008-2009 seasons, but since its inception in 1999, the UB women’s rowing team has grown into a championship-winning organization, also bringing home multiple trophies last season.

And, looking forward to their 11th season, now part of the Division A-1 program, the team and coaches hope to continue their success with the program’s newest and largest recruiting class.

“The program has progressively gotten bigger and stronger, and more attractive for recruits,” said head coach Rudy Wieler, who began coaching with the program in 2001. “The last two years have probably been our most successful as a team.”

Joined by assistant coaches Kerri Ann Kanaley, Elizabeth Ostermeier and Andrew Wieler, Wieler has helped the program gain clout in the NCAA MAC conference. Fifteen new recruits have signed on for next season, joining last season’s team of 52 girls, and three recruits who signed in January.

“There’s good size in the group, and a lot of good experience – a lot of kids who have won national championships,” said Wieler. “They have a good, stellar rowing background, and that really gets us excited as well for the future.”

And with more girls coming in than graduating, “it strengthens our numbers,” said Wieler.

New recruit Tessa Fiscella, a graduate of Fairport High School in Fairport, N.Y., had a choice between Buffalo or Washington.

“UB’s close to home,” she said. “Plus, I really like the school and the coach….I can keep a conversation going with him.”

Fiscella has competed at the US Rowing Youth National Championships, placed first and second at the NYS Scholastic Rowing Championships, and has rowed at the Head of the Charles Regatta. She will study nursing at UB.

“I want to row my best and get in the ‘A’ boat,” she said of her hopes for her time at UB. “I want to go to [the] Dad Vail [Regatta in Philadelphia]. I went a couple years, and it was really cool.”

Like Fiscella, many of UB’s rowers come from nearby in New York or Ontario. Forty-eight girls on last year’s team, and 16 of the recruits, are from the area.

“After looking at different schools, I decided I wanted to be here,” said Sasha Bailey, a rising junior and graduate of Orchard Park High School. “I really liked what they offered, I liked the idea of rowing for my hometown school, and I…wanted to be a part of the growing team atmosphere.”

Being near home while still being “away at college” is a big draw for many of the women.

“Kids like the idea of having a college experience,” Wieler said, “but still being close enough to home that they can go home once in a while.”

If the 15 new recruits aren’t indication enough of UB’s success, there’s also the bevy of awards the team won last season, it’s most successful since the start of the program. The varsity eight collected the Knect Cup at a regatta in Camden, N.J., and the team won the overall points title and four gold medals at the Kerr Cup Regatta.

Additionally, the UB women swept a set of races against Holy Cross and Boston College and placed second in their first conference championship appearance at the first-ever Colonial Athletic Association conference championship. The CAA began sponsoring women’s rowing in March 2009 as their 23rd sport.

“It was a very successful season,” Wieler said.
At the Dad Vail Regatta in early May, the team won their second consecutive Seitz Trophy, awarded to the women’s team with the most points. But, more impressively, they also tied for the Bratten Trophy for overall points – without any men on the team. Two boats placed first – the JV eight and the freshman-novice eight – the varsity eight came in second, and the lightweight eight placed fourth.
“We had a number of regattas where all our kids came home with medals,” Wieler said. “When you have a long bus ride [back to Buffalo], and you have all kids with a medal of first, second or third, that makes for a good trip [home].”

Seven of the girls on the team were named CRCA scholar-athletes, as well.

“It was such an honor, because it’s hard to juggle your schoolwork and being an athlete, and your outside life,” said varsity eight boat member Bailey, who was one of the seven. “I think all the work you do, it really pays off in that type of way.”

There’s still work to be done next year, however – like winning the Dad Vail Regatta or being nationally ranked.

“I think we can; it’s just going to take dedication,” Bailey said. “And always, [we want] to give ourselves a bigger name in the division, and in the country.

“I think, every year, we strive for recognition.”

Six Clicks to Jesus (Wikipedia is God)

2009-10-06T12:43:00.001-04:00

It started out simply: a group of friends, post-dinner-party boredom, and a computer. It escalated from there into friends-against-friends warfare and furious mouse-clicking.

I don’t know whether I’m ashamed or strangely proud to admit a bunch of 20-year-olds were fascinated by an online encyclopedia for two hours.

You can debate the legitimacy and research-source-worthiness of Wikipedia all you want, but as a game and time-wasting tool – especially when you want to procrastinate finding real, worthy research sources, but still feel like you’ve accomplished something – there is no more legitimate, more worthy (and, probably, more unexpected) website.

It was last December, and a group of friends and I had just finished a nice (save my failed twice-baked potatoes, but that’s for a different time), pseudo-fancy “dinner party,” and we were bored. We were in food comas, it was too cold to go outside, and there wasn’t much on TV – the entertainment possibilities were limited, to say the least. But it was early, and to go home already would have been to admit defeat and lameness. Then again, I’m still not sure if surfing Wikipedia at a party still makes us lame or not.

Anyways, “Six Clicks to Jesus” saved the day.

It’s a deceivingly simple premise, a friend explained: Begin at the Wikipedia homepage and click the “Random Article” link on the sidebar. Said link will take you to your beginning page. From there, the game is exactly how it sounds – using the links within the articles to go from page to page, you have up to six clicks to get to the page on Jesus (and no, the pages on God, The Holy Spirit, Allah, Yahweh, etc. don’t count). Bonus points on the non-existent scoreboard if you make it there in less than six.

Were the “random article” link to lead to you a page on the Bible, or Jerusalem, or Christianity, you’re golden. But when you land on the page about York Peppermint Patties or shopping malls, you’ve got a long way to go in those six clicks.

Needless to say, we all had to prove we could conquer the vast Internet wasteland that is Wikipedia. And so the game evolved into a new-fangled, technology-driven party game. The group divided into two teams, and it became a race – each team begins on the article assigned via the “random article” link and must click their way to a previously-designated page before the other team. Winners get bragging rights – at least until the next round ends – and get to choose the next ending page.

Don’t go trying this game out just yet; you click away from me now, I’ll never get you back. I know it, because I’ve fallen victim to Wikipedia’s charms many a time. Even when I’m by myself, I get caught up – head over to look up the meaning of Semisonic’s “Closing Time” (I’m telling you this because I want you to do it; the lyrics don’t mean what you think they do.), and, an hour and a half later, I’m on the phone with my friend, telling him all the cool facts I’ve learned that have somehow led me to the page on printers. Forget school; Wikipedia’s taught me an awful lot of useless things I’ll never need to know, except for in a game of Trivial Pursuit.

I’d love to have my own Wikipedia page someday. Or, rather, because anyone can create a Wikipedia page, I want to be able to create a page about myself without it getting flagged for removal. Then, you know you’ve made it.

I’ll make sure there’s a really easy, direct link to Jesus’ page, too.

The Customer is Not Always Right

2009-09-30T23:09:00.003-04:00

Working retail gives you a whole different outlook on the world.

You start to become accustomed to your life having a constant Muzak soundtrack, for one. I used to love “Her Diamonds” by Rob Thomas and “Second Chance” by Shinedown – but now that I get to hear them every day I work? No thank you.

More importantly, though, working retail gives you an entirely different outlook on strangers and the world around you. Because of retail, I have learned that, in general, people are whiny, obnoxious, rude, self-centered, stupid and mean. And that’s the short list.

Maybe I’m jaded. Definitely, I’m exaggerating. But peel away my layers of sarcasm and bitterness from being stuck in a kiosk in the middle of a mostly dead mall, listening to that awful Muzak and the sounds of a fountain for eight hours a day, 40 hours a week (and this is just for the last few weeks), and the same facts remain.

I’m not claiming to be a saint. I know I have my bad days where, come in contact with me, and you’re liable to have your head bitten off (they’re rare, I swear). However, even on my worst day, I would never dream of being rude to the people that serve me food, cash me out at the store, or the ones I just come in contact with throughout the day – people I don’t know. They always get an “I’m fine, how are you?” and a “Have a nice day,” no matter how un-fine I am or how much I may want their day to suck so that maybe, just maybe, the higher powers that are making my day bad will focus on someone else for a minute or two.

This pleasant demeanor, however, I have found, is not the case of some of the other six billion or so people on this planet. Yes, I get the sweet old folks, and the really friendly thirtysomethings that make me laugh, and the little kids who are too adorable for words that come up with their parents. I get a lot of them. And I am incredibly glad they, too, aren’t rude, obnoxious, etc. – but being the way I am, I just assumed this is the norm, and that I shouldn’t have to say that I’m thankful for people using common courtesy. Clearly, I was wrong; clearly, I should start throwing a prayer of thanks the Big Guy Upstairs’ way every so often.

It’s that small percentage of people who disregard that common courtesy that make me understand how waiters would want to spit in customers’ food. They make me understand how sites like WaiterRant and NotAlwaysRight can exist.

There was the woman who interrupted me while I was with another customer, argued with me about me ruining her watch, and then insisted I charge her less for a battery because her watch “got ruined in water, so clearly it’s not water resistant” (even though the watch said “water resistant” on the back, and it was probably not the water that did it because there was no water damage, but whatever).

There was the man, last Christmas who screamed at me about not being able to do a return without “his girl’s” credit card, and no, he couldn’t get it and come back because he was “at work” during this whole ordeal. Yes, sir, I said to him (with much, much more than a hint of sarcasm that he, in the middle of his turning-red-from-rage rant, somehow didn’t detect), it clearly is my fault, and I clearly am incompetent. Oh, and you should probably be fired for being here right now, but, yes, I’m the one in the wrong and should not follow company policy, just for you.

And then there are just the people who can’t bother to respond to my greetings when they walk up to look at our watches. Yes, a one-syllable “hi” clearly is too much to expect. I know, I know, how dare I?

They make me want to smash their watch to bits, hand it back to them, sweetly and sarcastically say, “Have a nice day [possibly insert a for-now-censored word here],” and walk out of this little box, never to return. Fortunately, I have some sense of decency – or, you know, I’d just like to keep my paycheck – so I suck it up while they’re around, swear under my breath as they leave, and call it a day. It’s working out so far, minus the whole jaded and sarcastic thing.

What I just simply cannot understand is how, how in the world, someone can deem it okay to act so rudely towards a person they have never met before. A person they will probably never meet again. A person – and, actually, this one should matter – who has control over their restaurant order, or who is handling their expensive, precious watch. What gets me more is that some people will even do it when there are other customers around. You do know we talk about you after you leave, right? Because, guess what, it’s just not me who thinks you rude and inconsiderate.

There’s a special place in the afterlife for people like this.

And then there’s the deluge of stupid comments I get. No, miss, I am not making a backhanded comment about your money situation by asking you if your Gucci watch is real. I actually need to know, because, if it is, I cannot work on it.

Yes, sir, batteries really are $12.95. I know it’s expensive. No, if you keep asking me, I will not lower the price.

No, ma’am, I do not want to “just try” to work on your very expensive Coach watch because I’d like to keep my paycheck (see above). If you’d like issue me a weekly check when I get fired for going against company policy and breaking your watch, and if you promise you won’t get mad at me when I do break it, then, yes, by all means, I “just try” your godforsaken Coach watch. You’ll thank me later, when you have your watch done at a jeweler’s and get it back in one piece and working.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, your fellow species. I am begging you (seriously, picture me down on my knees, clasping my hands, and say this in a pleading voice) – be nice to those you encounter. Didn’t we learn this in, I don’t know, like, Kindergarten? It’s really not that hard, and you know that if the situation were reversed, you’d want people to be nice to you.

You don’t have to compliment me, tell me how wonderful I am, or tell me how spectacular our batteries are, but, for the love of God, say hello. Wait your turn. Don’t whine or throw a temper tantrum. Say please, thank you, and have a nice day. And don’t push me to give you a discount, or work on your watch if I can’t.

When you don’t find spit in your food, when your watch comes back not in a zillion pieces, and when you don’t earn a reputation of being a person to avoid, you’ll see my point.

You can thank me later.

I Want My MTV!

2009-09-13T20:48:00.017-04:00

So remember when I live-blogged the Grammys? I don't have much (read: anything) to do tonight, so live blogging's BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK! (Please, hold back the excitement.)

And without further ado -- here we go!

8:54 -- "The show hasn't actually started yet -- but it will start." So says the blonde VJ talking about the VMAs taking over Twitter. Thank you, darling, for cluing us in. And THIS, ladies and gentlemen, is why MTV and the VMAs make me want to punt a puppy -- awful VJs.

8:56 -- Sway, please be quiet. You too, British boy standing with the real-life moonman.

9:00 -- Oh, hey -- the show's starting. Blonde VJ was right!

9:01 -- "I think he got the short end of the stick." Actually, I can't make fun of this one. That was a good way to put it. I'm awfully sick of the MJ stuff (it's over two months later, people!), but I hope Madonna's monologue is the last tribute we have to hear because it was better than any of the ones there have been. Simple and classy, and that's all you need.

9:07 -- I really, really wish I knew the "Thriller" dance. Add that to my list of things to do in life.

9:10 -- Yeah, Janet! That was great, and I love seeing the whole audience go nuts. It hits home how respected MJ is among musicians and the industry, despite everything.

9:14 -- Katy Perry (or at least I THINK it's Katy Perry?) covering Queen? It's...well, I like her, but she doesn't have the voice for it.

9:16 -- Russel Brand is an asshat, and I don't know why MTV invited him back to host again. He also looks like Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka. And that is not a good thing. End of story.

9:19 -- Can you even understand him with the accent? Oh, wait, we can all still understand the dick jokes. Ugh, I strongly dislike this man.

9:22 -- No laugh for that Lady GaGa joke. Finally he shuts up. Now we just have to listen to cheesy, teleprompter-read awards presentations.

9:24 -- Yes! Taylor Swift in me-in-fourth-grade geeky glasses wins!

9:25 -- Wait wait, WTF was that Kanye? That CANNOT have been planned. People were booing, and they cut her off mid-speech. I take back the asshat award for the night -- Kanye gets it now. Poor Taylor.

9:28 -- We're in commercial -- I think an unplanned, cut-because-of-Kayne one. General Twitter consensus? That was NOT planned. And everyone seems to be on Swift's side. Congrats, Kayne, for crossing the no-turning-back line of being an asshole. I hope this doesn't psych Taylor out for her performance.

9:33 -- And now Brand's trying to fix it by making sex jokes about Beyonce and T. Swift, and ending it with "in memory of MJ." Oh, my God, man, SHUT UP!

9:35 -- OK, new award. Let's move on with the night and not give Kanye the attention he wants. Green Day wins. Good for them, though I'm not particularly wild about that song. But, Billy Joe Armstrong = love.

9:37 -- And thanks to Billy Joe for pushing the "play more videos." Sincerely.

9:40 -- T. Swift rocking the subway. Good girl. I know it's taped, but she finished the live part of the performance very well for someone who just got what can only be explained as the shock of a lifetime (seriously, what would be more of a shock than that?)

9:42 -- Anyone find it ironic the Rhapsody commercial was about Taylor Swift? Sorry, I'm still reeling over what an asshat Kanye is. Checking the Rolling Stone and MTV blogs, and they all basically say everyone in there thinks he's scum now. This commercial break left us with the thought of what Lady GaGa will wear, though, so I'm sure we'll have plenty more to talk about when the show returns.

9:47 -- 3oh!3 does not sound good live. Which is a shame, because I think they would be fun to see. This isn't a new development, though, and I don't think it's just because the sound in there is wired to try and make it sound good both on TV and in there.

9:51 -- My verdict was out on Lady GaGa before now, but she sounds pretty good. I am, however, a little (read: a LOT) confused about this whole hospital-themed performance. Rolling Stone says it's an homage to Madonna's famous "Like A Virgin" performance. I don't buy it. Still, on sound alone, thumbs up.

9:56 -- Commercial. Kanye has now taken over Twitter AND Facebook. Oh well...it's all negative. I'm re-watching the clip; it's like a car crash, when you can't look away. And Beyonce looks so caught in the middle. Aww...

10:01 -- Every time Russel Brand speaks, I want to kick the TV. Did that Lil' Wayne thing even make sense? But I'm feeling pressured to keep watching because I want to see Beyonce and Green Day.

10:03 -- Oh, hey, Kanye, of Beyonce doesn't win Best Pop Video, are you gonna storm the stage again? MTV, if you're smart, you've got him chained to his seat. Or just kicked out -- that would be better.

10:04 -- Aw, Britney's acceptance is taped. Kanye can't ruin that. Fail, Kanye, fail.

10:06 -- Thanks, Adam Brody, for putting absolutely zero emotion into that. You could have at least tried. Meanwhile, Green Day is reminding me why I should have sucked it up, paid the $80 and driven to Hamilton to see them. Oh, to be up on that stage.

10:11 -- I just realized how much I really don't even care who wins any of the awards. And that none of my comments are even about the winners themselves, just what's going on in the show. We're hitting right to the point of why awards shows annoy me: They're all about the spectacle, and not really about the music. Just in case you didn't realize that within the first 15 minutes of the show.

10:17 -- Oh, so much shrieking. Am I the only one in the world who doesn't even care to see this New Moon trailer? Instead, boyfriend and I are in a text debate over the Kanye incident -- he says isn't not as big a deal as everyone's making it out to be, and that it's just him giving an opinion. I say, that's fine, have an opinion, but use some tact.

10:21 -- I am not in the least a fan of Beyonce's music, but she is, without a doubt, very talented. I do wish I could dance like her though. Add the "Single Ladies" dance to the list of dances I should learn. And she looks like she's just having a good time up there -- that's nice to see.

10:27 -- Ugh, should probably stay up for Muse. 11pm is cut-off time, I think. If I had HBO, I'd be flipping to Entourage right now.

10:31 -- Oh, hot damn, Diddy. Too soon for the Kanye jokes! I know it's your script, but this would be one of those times you DON'T USE IT!

10:32 -- "We Made You" by Eminem is seriously catchy. That beat is great; so unexpected. I can't tell if Kanye got boo'd more during his video.

10:33 -- Oh, snap, with Diddy's reaction, I thought Kanye won. Props to T.I. for winning awards from jail? (*confused look*)

10:35 -- I don't understand how Muse's popularity hasn't made the jump across the pond. For real, people, please listen to that performance, hear the crowd's reaction, get their music, and start loving! That guitar riff is straight out of some classic song I can't think of right now (but I am hearing in my head...), and they have a seriously rocking sound. It's slightly epic, once again like a few bands I can't come up with right now (exhaustion setting in). Next time they're anywhere near here, I'm so there.

10:40 -- Can I ask what's up with these Tracy Morgan/Eminem things? I'm really lost.

10:41 -- I'm ready to hit the hay, and MTV is pulling me in with that "more Muse in three minutes" teaser. This is the longest I've stayed with a VMAs in years, and I blame the teasers. While we're in commercial break, can we focus on how creepy the Beatles Rock Band commercial is, with those odd Beatles look-alikes (that don't really look anything alike)?

10:44 -- Wait, does that audience get an entire Muse concert? Forget the VMAs, I'd so much rather be in that venue.

10:47 -- Why, oh why, is Tyson Ritter covered in glitter body paint? Seriously -- why?

10:48 -- Another catchy song? "Right Round" by Flo Rida. Any song that can sample a pretty bad '80s song and make it good is cool with me. Asher Roth, however, is a fail. Congrats to Em for the win; I'm serious, that "We Made You" backing track is sweet. And I will always love him.

10:51 -- DJ A.M. tribute via that guy who references a zillion songs ("Whatever You Like," for example) and samples "Pokerface," while still managing to call his song "original" (Whatever you say...). I still have no idea what his name is. For real, who is he?

10:54 -- Caitlin and I are Twittering a love of Eminem. I recall many a good awards show performance from the man. Plus, right, he's kinda hot (weirdly enough?).

10:55 -- Apparently that unnamed guy from the DJ A.M. tribute is Wale. Good to know?

10:58 -- And, finally, the Tracy Morgan/Eminem things make sense. GaGa wins whatever award it was...and, um, What. The. Eff. is that girl wearing? It looks like it's topped off with a red chef's hat? Oh, wait, but there's her face -- much better.

10:58 -- "And it's for God, and for the gays." Um...OK, GaGa.

10:59 -- Because MTV just couldn't stay away from controversy for much longer, Serena Williams is out to introduce P!ink. And references her little screw up.

11:01 -- Past my bedtime for real, but P!ink is getting all acrobat on us. There's a Rolling Stone piece on this in this month's issue. Props to the girl for being able to sing upside down and while doing flips, you know, 50 or so feet up in the air.

11:05 -- She's down and looks relieved. I would be, too.

11:06 -- More commercials and a dying computer means it's bedtime for this blogger. Be sure to let me know ASAP if I miss any more major moments (preferably not involving Mr. West).

I Wish I Could Go Back To College

2009-08-31T23:40:00.006-04:00

...but not really. Well, maybe a little bit.

For the first time in 15 years, I don't get a first day of school. I don't get to go school supply shopping, I don't get a book list, I don't get to pick out a first day outfit, I don't get homework, tests, articles, and I don't get that weird mix of joy for a new school year and sadness because summer's over. For the first time in three years, I'm not moving into a dorm, I'm not headed down Comm Ave at 8am with Starbucks in my hand...and I feel like I'm not a kid anymore.

I didn't expect to be this melancholy over not going back to school. It's not that I miss the 8am classes or the homework assignments or the not-so-glamorous dorm rooms. It's not that I miss Boston or my friends there (I do; don't get me wrong, I REALLY do; but that's not why I'm in this strange mood), and it's not that I don't like being home at this time of year for the first time in three years (which, yet again, I really, REALLY do).

I just don't think you can ever prepare for that moment when you really and truly realize, mainly because everyone else is going back and you're not, that something that's been a constant in your life for most of your life is no longer there. Many older people (parents, grandparents, etc.) have told me recently that they still get nostalgic for their school days around this time of the year. I'm going to be really bummed if this feeling never goes away.

I was always that kid who LOVED school shopping. I would beg and plead with my mom to go to Target and get all my school supplies, then race home to organize them all. I loved (still do love) the smell of new paper, folders, markers, and all that stuff. In college, the day my booklist was available online was like Christmas. It was the best part of new classes -- seeing what I'd be studying in each class and hunting down bargains on the books (actually reading some of them -- just some -- was NOT, however, the best part). Oh, and the day BU put the course schedules for the next semester up? Forget about any other homework I had to do; the semester was months away, but planning that schedule was the most important thing.

But now, "Back to school" time is now nothing more than "fall" to me, and not having school as the main piece of my schedule is a big adjustment. I've been kicked out into the "real world" (for real this time; leaving home for college was nothing compared to this), and, even though I'm only 20, I guess I have to be an adult. I have to get used to having a full-time job (one that I don't really want, mind you, but that's for another time), where I'm busy all day, but my nights are free. I'm going to probably have many a solitary night at home, when my friends are busy with homework -- which, weirdly enough, the more I think about it, I do sort of miss (but give me any to do, and I'd remember right away the reasons I shouldn't miss it). I'm going to have to find a lot of good books to read to keep myself still feeling like I'm learning, and maybe a class at Buff State, too. I'm also going to have to get used to missing a different set of people like crazy, while getting a chance to be around the people I used to miss during this time of year.

It's a lot of adjustments to throw at a girl all at once. I feel like summer was sort of my grace period, where I could just kind of pretend this all wasn't happening. I think I've run out of time for that, and now I'm curious to see how I'm going to handle all these changes. I'm getting some time to slowly acclimate myself to everything, and I think it will be okay -- but, as always, I'm still waiting for the breakdown.

Peace, Love and Lots and Lots of Glow Sticks

2009-08-16T23:57:00.005-04:00

Four days after the fact, I am now quite certain that last Thursday night's Phish show was simultaneously one of the weirdest and most amazing concert experiences I've ever had.

I've heard the stories of the caravans and huge lines and people abandoning their cars and walking to get to the venue in time to see the show -- but, quite frankly, I even still totally and completely underestimated the fanatical level of devotion Phisheads (my new name for them; I'm sure someone's used this before) show. I always just assumed a Phish show would be similar to a Dave Matthews Band show, in both atmosphere and general crowd behavior. That's close, but it still doesn't quite describe it.

Afterwards, I compared it to a party with 20,000 of your closest friends -- that's also close. My dad called it a cult -- I think that's closer.

Ironically enough, it was the Woodstock Anniversary weekend. I say ironically because I'm fairly certain a Phish show is the closest I'm ever going to get to Woodstock. Not only did '60s VW vans abound in the parking lot -- seriously, I counted at least five, and that's a low estimate -- and that general "peace and love" attitude (and lots of pot) flow through the whole crowd, but over in one far corner of the parking lot (with a few others scattered throughout the rest of the area) was an entire group of vendors. Or, perhaps more appropriately, a group of Phisheads who, I can only imagine, have spent their summer following the band from venue to venue and sell food, clothing, beer, jewelry (most of which I would have bought in a heartbeat; it was all beautiful), bongs, etc. to finance their trip. I could have spent the night just people-watching in the parking lot and listening to the concert from outside the gates, and I would have been content. I also would not have gotten a contact high and felt like death the next morning -- but that's beside the point.

That was the "most amazing concert experience" part. And as cool as it was, I think the weirdness might be even more worth documenting.

There was the part where a very drunk, probably mid-20s guy offered my (enjoying this whole thing, but, honestly, sort of old and out-of-place in this crowd) dad a drink or drugs or something. He also called him "sir." There was also the part where I got indirectly told I look like I am 16 (I'm taking solace in the fact that I think they were both incredibly blazed, drunk, or both).

And then there's this phenomenon of bringing whole families to the concert. I'm talking the WHOLE family -- two-month-old, can't hold their own heads up, babies, toddlers, five- and six-year-olds...everyone. A lot of the people that were following the band from show to show had little children with them, too. Now, I'd say I'm pretty relaxed when it comes to taking little kids to concerts. I think it's a great idea. I'm all for exposing kids to music at a young age. I certainly don't have kids of my own yet, but when I do, you can be sure they'll be going to concerts with me -- HOWEVER, 1. they'll probably be at least seven or eight, dependingon the show. I won't start bringing them when they're newborns. It's called a babysitter!...and 2. you can be damn sure I won't be taking them to a show where it's possible their mother will end up with a contact high, because God only knows what sort of damage that would do to a baby.

Then there's the whole part about tickets. Taking a family of four, two adults and two kids, to that Darien show, would have run you over $200. I'm sorry, I'm sure these parents love their babies -- but no two-month-old is worth a $50 ticket for a show they're going to fall asleep during and not understand. And can you imagine how that adds up if you follow them for a summer? How do they afford this? I honestly want to know. Selling chicken fajitas and beer to the tailgaters pre-concert isn't gonna pay for all of that.

I did, however, tell my dad he had really deprived me when I was little because my family didn't spend our summers in a VW van following Phish. I also told him I'd need a lot of therapy to get over it. I was mostly kidding.

Oh, and remember that part about the concert being a party with 20,000 of your closest friends? If you don't know all the words (seriously, every single last word to every song, and, if you're really good, all the musical parts, too, so you can air guitar or air drum along to the music) and aren't going to dance like a stoned, drunk, white person (I specify white because 1. I have to doubt that there was anyone of color in that audience and 2. no self-respecting, actually-has-rhythm-and-moves black person would be caught dead dancing the way Phisheads do. Stuff White People Like should do an entire entry just on this phenomenon.), you're going to feel like that kid at the party who no one really knows and spends the whole night leaning on the wall, pretending like he's having a good time by himself just listening to the music. It's a little awkward.

This is not to say that I didn't enjoy the concert. The show was wonderful. Just sitting there and listening to the band and watching the crowd was well worth the $50 ticket. I could have done without my allergy attack and the post-concert contact high, but, hey, you win some, you lose some.

I'm just saying -- I think I totally misjudged Phisheads. They are truly fanatical, like nothing else I've ever seen. I apologize for comparing you to DMB fans. There was not a drunken frat boy with a popped collar in the house.

And, I've gotta admit, for never having a Top 10 album and for never gaining much commercial fame -- it's all pretty impressive.

A Song to Remember

2009-08-04T22:56:00.004-04:00

Every generation has gotten their "growing up, moving on" songs. I'll call them "milestone moment" songs for the purpose of this rant.

Saying every generation might be an exaggeration -- but the 1990's were full of them, and that's the decade this whole argument stems from.

Teenagers in the '90s had their pick of songs for senior proms, high school graduations, and the final days before college. Green Day ("Good Riddance") and Semisonic ("Closing Time") have two of the most famous of these songs, and what's ironic is they weren't even meant to be about those life-chapter-ending times. One was about a breakup and is written totally sarcastically, one is, strangely enough, about birth, not about the closing of a bar. Hey, if the song fits, I suppose.

Then, of course, you have the songs that are supposed to be about growing up and moving on -- Sarah McLachlan's "I Will Remember You," Eve 6's "Here's to the Night," and, most appropriately, Vitamic C's oh-so-cryptically-titled-and-written "Graduation Song" -- which also hold their place in that "last dance at prom" or "the song I listened to with all my friends the night before we graduated" hall of fame. I could expand the list to tracks by LeAnn Rimes and Michelle Branch, if I really think about it.

It's not that I don't like these songs. In fact, with probably the exception of Vitamin C (just because, really, it's a song with such a narrow usefulness), they all hold a spot on my iPod and, to be cliche, a special place in my heart. I used all of these songs in an eighth grade class video and listened to at least one of them in the days before I graduated high school and college and the night before I first went to BU. They tug at my heart strings and take me back to those milestone moments and, sometimes, make me cry (Wow, I really am a dweeb).

But these songs are old hat (and so is that saying). Basically all of them, with perhaps the exception of "Closing Time," "Good Riddance" and "I Will Remember You" because they were from the early-mid '90s, were recent enough to qualify as those "milestone moment" songs for my generation (and even those three we used and made ours anyways).

But I'm not sure how much longer teenagers can get away with using them.

True, they still fit for graduations and proms today (As it should be with any good song, their message doesn't wear out through the years), so I suppose I would call them (or at least the three oldest) "classics" in the broadest sense of the term, meaning that they are still relevant and popular. However, that sentiment of, "I'm growing up and moving on to bigger things, but I want you to know this time/your friendship/whatever has been special to me, and I hope we remain in touch" certainly isn't something no one experiences today (I'm pretty sure we all experience it at one point or another), so why haven't the artists of the 2000's come up with any brilliant "milestone moment" songs?

I feel like they're making this generation miss out on something. I want the teenagers of today (and future teenagers, I guess, if we feel like getting really old-woman-y here) to have their own special songs for proms and graduations. Partly, it's because I'm getting tired of hearing the same songs used at proms and graudations. And, strangely enough, I think it's also partly because I want those songs that were special to me to be special to only me and those that shared those moments with me. I know the point of a good song, a classic song (emphasis on "good" and "classic") is (we just went through this, but in case I have to refresh your memory) to mean something to a lot of people and cross generational, racial, culture, etc. gaps, while still being special somehow to each individual person.

I think I'm getting too deep here and should save this for another post -- but either way, I think it's time these songs ended their run. Give some other songs a chance.

So this is a call to all the artists out there who will probably never read this blog -- write a song to fill that gap. Be this generation's Green Day or Semisonic (perferably for you, Green Day, because that would mean you've been highly successful and, hell, are having a musical created out of a wonderful, wonderful album). Find a way to write a song that will mean to the teenagers of 2009 what those songs meant to the teenagers of 1999. Give me another song to add to this list.

I don't know if they can do it. I honestly don't think I have faith in most of the popular bands out there to create one of these songs. I certainly can't see Lil' Wayne writing one. Miley Cyrus or the Jonas Brothers, maybe -- but if it has staying power, I lose all faith in the music business.

Or do you think I've totally missed the mark -- Is there a "milestone moment" song out there for the class of 2009 and beyond, and I've just failed to see it for one?

The Almost Famous Drinking Game

2009-07-29T21:54:00.003-04:00

If you're like me, you don't check ESPN.com unless someone tells you to. Well, I'm going to be that someone and tell you to go read Part One and Part Two of Bill Simmons' column from this week, because, as per the usual with his stuff, it's funny, and, more importantly -- and the reason I was even told to read this column in the first place -- it's totally based around Almost Famous.

Now, once again, if you're like me, you're going to skim over this article because you really don't like basketball, and you're just reading the column because it's based around your favorite movie. Simmons hooked you in by naming Almost Famous the movie of the decade, and you really enjoy the thought of reading all the best quotes from the movie -- but the basketball stuff? Eh, skimmable.

I'm warning you, though, skim well. Specifically, quote #16 in Part One reveals some very interesting information about the part of Russell that may make you shudder, want to cry, etc., and Part Two brings up the idea of using "Levon" instead of "Tiny Dancer" in what is my -- and I think a lot of people's -- favorite scene (or one of them) in the movie.

It is with this article as a catalyst that I give you...*drumroll*...The Almost Famous Drinking Game. I wish I could tie this in even better and say that the article made me dream this up, but Meg and I created the rules a few weeks ago. Just as a warning, you should know that we love this movie and know it inside and out, so, um, you're probably going to find yourself drinking to a lot of things.

The Almost Famous Drinking Game

Whenever the age "ELEVEN!!" is mentioned -- take a drink
When Anita and her mother disagree -- take a drink
Whenever a reference is made to a real-life famous person/band -- take a drink
Whenever Lester Bangs is mentioned/seen -- take a drink
Whenever some old technology is mentioned/used -- take a drink
Whenever William's mom tells him, "Don't take drugs!" -- take a drink
Whenever someone does drugs -- take a drink
Whenever the word band-aid or groupie is used -- take a drink
Whenever a character says, "It's all happening" -- take a drink
Whenever William tries to get an interview -- take a drink
Whenever William actually gets an interview -- chug your drink
Whenever William is referred to as Opie -- take a drink
Whenever someone convinces William to stay on the tour -- take a drink
During the "never take it seriously" scene -- take a drink
Whenever William's mom talks to someone on the road -- take a drink
When the band breaks down the gate -- finish your drink
When William gets laid -- finish your drink
When the band gets into a fight -- take a drink
When the kid at the house party asks Russel, "Wanna see me feed a mouse to my snake?" -- take a drink
When Russel says, "I am a golden god!" -- finish your drink
Whenever you hear an Elton John song -- take a drink
When William's mom tells her class, "Rockstars have kidnapped my son!" -- take a drink
When William reveals to Penny Lane that she was "sold to Humble Pie for 50 bucks and a case of beer" -- take a drink...unless you're drinking Heineken. If so -- finish your drink.
When William kisses Penny Lane -- finish your drink
Whenever Rolling Stone or a music magazine is mentioned -- take a drink
When Ed the drummer reveals he's gay -- finish your drink
When Anita shows up at the airport -- take a drink
When the "They use all the birth control and they eat all the steak" line is said -- take a drink
When William finally gets his story published -- finish your drink (mostly because the movie's over)

Why Can't We Be (Just) Friends?

2009-07-22T23:00:00.005-04:00

It's called the When Harry Met Sally syndrome -- men and women cannot possibly be just friends. There is always some romantic attraction there, and, eventually, they are going to act on it or have to end the friendship/have the friendship ruined by awkward sexual tension.

I call bullshit.

I know that everyone buys into this whole idea. I know everyone buys into most of the ideas in relationship advice books/the advice given out by "relationship experts." And, to be honest, I LOVE When Harry Met Sally.

But this whole idea that men and women can't be friends? Nope, I just don't buy it. I can't agree with it when I'm friends with a whole bunch of guys who I love dearly but NEVER, EVER in my life would be attracted to. They're like my brothers, for the most part, and, because we're not in the South, that's just wrong.

Sit down and think about your real-life friendships with the opposite sex. Can you honestly say, for every heterosexual person of the opposite sex (or homosexual person of the same sex, if you roll like that) that you are friends with, you would date each and every one of those people? That you'd like to explore a romantic relationship with them? That you'd be OK with a one night stand with them?

...I didn't think so. And don't think that it's any different for most of them. Yeah, I'm sure it's nice to picture yourself as an incredibly desirable human being that all your friends want to be with, but, come on now. That's just your delusional fantasy world. Fun, yes. Real? Not so much.

While we're at it, I'd also like to call bullshit on the idea that exes cannot be friends -- and I'm talking real friends, not the fake "Oh, hi, how are you doing, I've missed you so much, let's catch up over coffee, K bye" type of friends. There's enough happily divorced couples out there who are still friends to dispel that myth right now.

So you try it, it doesn't work out, and you end it. Unless it was a horrible break up -- someone cheated, someone said mean things, some other imaginable, horrible circumstance -- I don't see any reason why you shouldn't be friends. Let's face it, there was something that attracted you to that person in the first place, and, except in extreme cases (see above), that doesn't just disappear when you break up. Sometimes you're just better off being friends, but it takes a failed relationship to make you realize that.

Once again I draw on my own experience -- one of my best friends is an ex-boyfriend. Yes, it was a short, strange relationship, and, yes, we did have a rough time navigating the friendship waters for a while, but we have an incredible amount of things in common and pretty much "get" each other all the time. With the exception of my boyfriend, he is the first person I go to for advice or just to talk.

Then again, maybe I'm an anomaly, I don't know. But, honestly, just because popular culture says we should curse our exes to hell, seek revenge on them and their new significant other, and be sleeping with all of our friends of the opposite sex doesn't mean jack.

And I can't be the only person out there to realize that.

Cover Me Wonderful

2009-07-20T20:31:00.003-04:00

When done right, a cover song is two things -- first, it's one of the best tributes a band can give another band (as in, you know you've made it when somebody wants to sing your stuff), and, secondly, it can be even better than the original. Covers can turn a song you would NEVER listen to into your new favorite.

I'm not talking about the kind of covers a bar band does night after night. I'm talking the let's-put-a-new-twist-on-something-old kind of covers more famous bands do. Dig deep, and you'll find a hidden trove of covers from every band out there.

It's no secret covers (along with mash-ups...but that's for a different day) are some of my favorite songs. I have hundreds of them on my computer, some of which are awful (yeah, I'm looking at you, obscure punk bands that cover 90's songs, rap songs, pop songs, etc. for Fearless Records compilations), and some of which are just incredible.

In no particular order, here are my top 10 favorite covers (as always, written with the knowledge that I will soon find something I like better, and this list will change):

"Wonderwall" -- Cartel (originally by Oasis)
I love Oasis. I wish the Gallaghers would stop beating each other up and learn to get along so they could tour. I kick myself every time I think about the fact that I missed seeing them in Toronto a few years ago. And, on top of all of this, (What's the Story) Morning Glory? is a totally classic album, and "Wonderwall" is, of course, the song EVERYONE knows. So, covering it's a pretty big job.
Fortunately, when Fearless Records decided to do their Punk Goes '90s compilation, they found Cartel for this cover and gave us this hidden gem in the coal mine that is their typical entire CD of obscure punk bands covering the Backstreet Boys and Destiny's Child (I'm not kidding you; I'm sorry). Lead singer Will Pugh doesn't try and copy the intonations of the original version (see the second verse's "I don't believe that anybody..." line), and the band did a great job of making the song their own. Plus, I have it on authority this guys are pretty cool as people, so that helps.

"Careless Whisper" -- Seether (originally by George Michael)
There are a lot of goth-rock bands out there like Seether, but they have a couple things that put them in a separate category from the others. First off, they're from Africa (I don't know, this just makes them more awesome to me); they do that slow-rock-ballad thing pretty well, as well as that goth-rock "I hate (slash, love, slash, want to have meaningless sex with) everyone" thing; third, they made this song listenable.
Seether took the 80s elevator/synth music of George Michael and made it into something you wouldn't even know was a cover. Honestly, it sounds Seether-like. The only thing that would make it better is if we could get Amy Lee and Shaun Morgan back together and make it a duet.

"Simple Man" -- Shinedown (originally by Lynyrd Skynyrd)
When you're going to cover Skynyrd, you better make it good. But when you've come up in that same southern rock tradition (see Three Doors Down, Saving Abel, Kid Rock, and these guys), you probably know that, and you probably don't want to get lynched if you eff it up.
This cover gives me chills. I have to sing it every time I hear it. You could substitute their version (OK, maybe not this particular version, but the studio one for sure) into a playlist of Skynyrd songs and it would fit right in, which just makes me admire Brent Smith's voice even more, because he can sing something like this and his own, more rock stuff. He just sounds like he belongs in the '70s. I'm serious -- it's that damn good.
But, then again, when you're southern rockers at heart, I think this stuff comes naturally.

"I Don't Want to Know" -- Goo Goo Dolls (originally by Fleetwood Mac)
Yes, yes, I love the Goo Goo Dolls. Yes, yes, they can do no wrong in my mind. But this song would stand as a good cover whether all that was true or not. They recorded their version of IDWTK for a Fleetwood Mac tribute album. It's a touch on the obscure side, so I can't find it online, but the song is totally redone -- which is good, because it's one song on this list, the original version of which I don't like.
If you can find a copy of this song, pay attention to the guitars and the way Johnny Rzeznik and Robby Takac's voices blend. Also, and credit to FM for this, the lyrics are great.

Anything from Aaron Lewis/Staind
Aaron Lewis can do no wrong. He does shows where he lets the audience just call out songs (as you can hear) and he'll sing them. He could sing me the alphabet, and I would throw myself at him (I think it's the "I can still remember just the way you taste" line in "It's Been A While" that started that for me).
And if him covering Katy Perry's "Hot N Cold" -- and the following comments -- or just the entire video -- don't make you love him, then I don't believe you have a soul.

"Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" -- Nickelback/Kid Rock (originally by Elton John)
Truth be told, I love love LOVE Elton John, but I hate hate HATE his version of this song. I think it's too '70s piano-disco, and I honestly just think the lyrics don't match the music. Put the lyrics into the mouths of Chad Kroeger and Kid Rock, however, and it's a whole different, and far more appropriate, ball game.
You've got current music's self-proclaimed American Badass and one of the most popular (and most hated, I suppose) arena/sex, drugs and rock n' roll rock bands singing about bar fights, alcohol and girls. You've got the uncontested theme song for hockey fights and boxing/wrestling/UFC without even trying. And, quite honestly, you've got a better version of the song than you started with.
(Ignore the freaky video; I don't know what's up with it, it was just the first one I found.)

"Possession" -- Evans Blue (originally by Sarah McLachlan)
Would you know this song was originally by Sarah McLachlan? Nope -- didn't think so.
Once again, you have a song that sounds totally different than the original, and would never have reached the ears of Evans Blue-style music fans had they not done this cover. I don't know who Tara MacLean (the female voice you hear, according to Wikipedia) is, but her voice fits perfectly, and, I think, the lyrics fit a band like Evans Blue and this style of music more than they fit Sarah McLachlan (it's about her encounter with a stalker, which is decidedly in realm of topics for the goth-pop-punk-rock category of Evans Blue). Either way, I can listen to this song on repeat for an hour.

"Straight Up" -- Halifax (originally by Paula Abdul)
Once again, one of the few Pop Goes whatever releases I can stand. It's hysterical to hear the song, however, if you really listen to the lyrics, because it's these punk guys singing lyrics written for an '80s pop singer. But they do a good job with it.

"Stand By Me" -- Incubus (originally by Ben E. King)
Incubus needs to put this song on an album ASAP. "Stand By Me" is what I would consider one of those "classic" songs that you really shouldn't mess with, for fear of coming up with a product that is just awful and makes everyone hate you ("Incubus? Yeah, they're that band that butchered that Ben E. King song." "OMG, how could they?! That songs a CLASSIC!").
Brandon Boyd, however, is another one of those guys that could sing the alphabet, and I would stand in awe. He keeps the vocals like they should be -- really only pulling out all the stops on the "stand by me" lines, just like in the original -- and the rest of the band doesn't try to be overly fancy with the music. It's a beautiful cover of an already beautiful song.

"Smooth Criminal" -- Alien Ant Farm (originally by Michael Jackson)
You can't hate this song. You just can't. It's rocked out to it's full potential. Plus, there's a touch of AAF releasing their inner MJ in the high parts of the chorus and the "Ow!"s between verses.

Like I Love You

2009-07-17T14:44:00.004-04:00

I want to hate Justin Timberlake. With every cell in my body, I want to hate him.

And, believe me, I've tried to do it. There's the shred of pre-teen girl left inside, still caught up in that Backstreet Boys v. N*Sync feud, screaming that she can't possibly like anything a former N*Sync-er does, because she was so in love with BSB (AJ, who went to rehab! Brian, who I just saw play in the MLB All-Star game! Nick, whose family is pretty fucked up! Kevin, who we really haven't ever heard from again! Howie, who we all secretly thought was gay!).

Then there's just the fact that I have some bit of self-respect and swear up and down that, because I like the music I do, and because I will not succumb to cheesy pop sensibilities, I cannot like the music of a man who, at one point, had bleach-blonde curly hair, wore silver costume get-ups, sang into a headset microphone in harmony with four other men, and dated (*gag me*) Britney Spears. And, you know, he can still sing higher than I can.

"No, no, no," I say, kicking and screaming. "I cannot like this man, or his music, or him. I just cannot!" I protest to everyone that it's impossible to respect him because he was part of N*Sync, that I hate his music, that he can't possibly be talented.

But I'm coming clean -- Justin Timberlake, as he is now, is IMPOSSIBLE to hate. To be jealous of him is quite possible, and quite easy, but, honestly, if even I cannot find a way to hate him, I'm just not sure it's doable.

He can sing, he can dance, he can play instruments, and, let's face it, he's funny as hell. I can imagine it's hard to host Saturday Night Live and be funny -- the recurring cast of the show isn't all that funny half the time -- so, oh my God, if not a single one of JT's skits has made you laugh, you have no soul. Have you seen "Immigrant Tale"? I was howling to myself alone in my dorm room. And then there's the "Homelessville," "Plasticville," etc. skits. And don't even get me started on "Dick in a Box;" JT and Andy Samberg are classic together. Again I say -- if you can't laugh at a guy who can stand there and make fun of himself ("Secretly...he hit it."), you have no soul. There's a reason he's hosted that show so frequently lately. I'm waiting for the day they just make him a regular cast member.

And, all right, his music actually isn't that bad. Poppy and instant radio hit, yes, but a lot better than most of what's out there. His voice is quite good (Can YOU hit those notes?!), and ever since the 2007 Grammys, when I realized he could actually play the piano, I've been even more impressed by his music. The album Justified was pretty club/pop, but FutureSex/Love...whatever it's called (it's a long album title, forgive me) has a funky, almost blues-y vibe to it. Plus, OK, the collaboration with T.I. that's out right now isn't half bad. Let me put it this way -- if a JT song comes on the radio, I probably won't change the station. I might even sing. (Stop judging me; I see you.)

I make no promises on liking the former, boy-band Justin Timberlake. ("Like a sweatshop?" "Well, sort of.") That version -- really, quite easy to dislike. If you're having trouble, refer to the curly hair, silver costume, microphone headset image I KNOW you can pull out of your brain (I also know you probably still know the words to "Tearin' Up My Heart" -- don't lie to me). I'm pretty sure the teen girl population, circa 1999, was totally insane to like that -- something about all those hormones and being too young to drive probably did us in.

But, JT now? Really and truly talented? Good voice? Decent musician and dancer? Funny?

Well, what's not to love?

(Writer's note -- I've been thinking of writing this for quite some time, but I never got around to it. I was looking at Rolling Stone stories about JT today, and I decided I really should write this. These feelings have been around since, approximately, the 2007 Grammys. I won't deny it any longer.)

Weeble-Wobble Weebly

2009-07-15T15:09:00.002-04:00

The Google Sites website I created for my Multimedia Journalism class last semester and tried to turn into a portfolio site was just not doing it for me.

Thus, I give you, my new Weebly website. I think it's pretty snazzy-looking, considering I had to work within Weebly's guidelines.

Click around, let me know what you think!

Did You Ever Wonder...

2009-07-13T12:00:00.002-04:00

...how to do something? Want to know how to learn the Charleston? Or change album art in iTunes? Or, soon, how to get rid of ants, what to do in Miami with kids, or how to cure jet lag?

Yes, I'm (very, very) shamelessly self-promoting. Since I still don't have a "real" job, I've been filling my free time writing for Demand Studios. Most of my article end up on eHow, as you will notice there is now a new link on the sidebar to my eHow profile, which contains all my stories.

The thing is, a few of the titles (the iTunes on, the one about infant passports, the Charleston dance steps one, and the one about earning airline miles -- for now; there are more coming) are what Demand calls "revenue share" article, which means I only get paid when people click on the stories.

You can guess where this is going. I'm calling on all of you (yeah, all two of you...) blog readers to click the heck out of those links and get me some money! When you're a jounalist getting paid like this, you have to learn to have no shame. Clearly, I'm there.

Now that that's over, I'm actually going to encourage and communications/journalist people (Caitlin, I'm looking at you...) to seriously check out Demand. You can apply to be a writer, copy editor, video producer, transcriber, or title proofer. It's all online -- there's a database of projects to be completed, deadlines on all of them, and you get paid (usually $15/article, except for these revenue share ones) through PayPal every week. I know it might sound way sketch, but it's legitimate, and it's actually a good way to earn some extra cash and fill your time. They really do check out your resume (proof: I was rejected from copy editing because what's listed on my resume didn't reflect enough experience) before they approve you, and the work can end up anywhere from eHow to LiveStrong.com (seriously).

It's not the most prestigious or serious of journalism jobs, but if I can pick up some cash doing this, why not?

"Other People Wouldn't Like to Hear You...

2009-07-08T13:54:00.005-04:00

If you said that these are the best days of our lives
Other people turn around and laugh at you
If you said that these are the best days of our lives
Other people break into a cold sweat
If you said that these are the best days of their lives
And other people turn around and laugh at you
If you said that these are the best days of our lives"
(Blur)

If you know me, you know that I'm usually the one to get all melodramatic, and my boyfriend/friends are the ones to calm me down. So, last night, having Dave call me in a funk about work/summer being dull/life being boring/etc etc., it was rather disconcerting.

The sayings all tell us that high school is the best time of our lives. No, wait -- college is the best four years of your life. No, summer is the best time. It goes on and on and on.

I refuse to believe that I have even experienced the best time in my life yet. Yes, high school, college and "real" summer (i.e., no work, just fun) were all great, but if the best years of my life -- of any of our lives -- are over by the time we hit our early 20s, then what's the point?

Dave and Nick, I guess, commiserated last night about how their summer internships really aren't all they thought they would be, and that if doing what they're doing is what real work is like -- well, they don't know how they're going to do it.

It's not like I haven't had those moments, too. There was the breakdown in a Garden bathroom when I realized that I just wanted to be out having fun, not working, even if it was working the Stanley Cup Finals. There are the moments now when I think I'm a total failure because I graduated, don't have a job, and am spending my days laying around my house doing nothing (it's boring, let me tell you. I definitely have no wish to do this forever). And there are those times when I really, really just want to quit my stupid retail job because I can't face the thought of sitting around in a mall for another night.

So, yeah, life might not be all fun and games like it was when we were little. But there is no way most adults would tell you, with a straight face, that life after college is worthless. We're all going to college so we can get a job we like. We're doing those internships and retail jobs so we realize grunt work sucks, and we don't want to do it forever. Everything we're doing and experiencing right now is helping us figure out what we need to do so life after college, until we die (a long, long, long time from now), is the best time of our lives.

Think about it -- we're (OK, the rest of you are) going to graduate college. We're going to get awesome jobs that we can use our degrees for and that we love. I have a feeling I know people who are going to own their own companies or be really important. We're going to turn 21, get married, have kids. And, you know what? We're going to have a damn good time doing it all.

Life is not over at 20. We may not have summers off, and we may have a lot more responsibility, and there may be times we don't always like what we're doing and we want to complain. But there will always be friends there to listen to us complain. And there will always be friends there to point out how much fun we still have. That's what growing up is.

But if growing up really is that bad, why do we all do it? See what I mean?

And, I don't know about you, but I'm quite thankful that summer, childhood, high school, college, etc. weren't the best years of my life.

Brotherly Love: The Gilroys and the Saponaris

2009-06-17T13:06:00.003-04:00

Between the road trips, tough practices and living in the same dorms, the Boston University men’s hockey team forms some strong bonds with each other. You could say they’re like brothers.

Four of this year’s Terriers, however, really are brothers.

Matt and Kevin Gilroy, three years apart in age, are enjoying their first chance to play together in a league, while Victor and Vinny Saponari, also three years apart, have been reunited after two seasons on different teams.

Matt and Kevin Gilroy

“It’s pretty special this year,” said defenseman Matt Gilroy, who is joined for his senior year by his brother Kevin, a freshman forward.

The year is extra special because the two have never played on a team together.

“The last time I played with one of my brothers, I think we were mites,” said Matt, who, in his last year, will get the chance to mentor another one of his siblings.

“It’s been fun, getting to see him go through what I went through, and him asking me for advice and stuff,” he said.

Getting to finally play with his older brother was one of the big reasons Kevin came to BU.

“When [Matt] first got here, it made me really want to come here,” Kevin said. “I had a good possibility of being able to play with him, and I just jumped on the opportunity.”

Knowing what to expect out of practices, workouts, and the coaching staff from talking to Matt gave Kevin an upper hand in his first year. Matt, too, is happy with having a familiar face in the locker room.

“It’s good to have someone there, especially someone you’ve been with your whole life,” he said.

During high school, the brothers played on teams that sometimes opposed each other. Kevin went to Brewster Academy in New Hampshire, then played for the Foxboro Stars and the South Shore Kings of the Eastern Junior Hockey League, while Matt played at St. Mary’s High School in Manhasset, N.Y., and spent time with the EJHL’s Walpole Jr. Stars.

“It was awkward, because you were playing against someone you grew up with,” said Kevin. “You knew exactly [what he was going to do], since we’ve been playing in the backyard since we were two or three years old.”

But now that they’re on the same side of the ice, Matt and Kevin can use that knowledge to their advantage.

“I know where he’s going to go with the puck, so I can anticipate that right now,” Kevin said.

They can also use their knowledge from playing different positions to help each other out.

“He sees what I’m doing wrong, and he gets after me,” said Matt. “It’s different getting after a brother. You can be a little meaner than you can with a regular teammate.”

There’s nothing more than friendly competition, though, and it ends when the uniforms come off.

“Training this summer, we were together every day in the gym and on the rink,” said Matt. “It made it a lot easier to train and get better.”

They’re just enjoying their time together for the year.

“It just makes it 10 times better,” said a grinning Kevin.

Victor and Vinny Saponari

Forward Vinny Saponari, a freshman, has had to play up to his brother Victor’s level since the two were young and playing hockey in the driveway.

“I think that’s one of the things that made me better,” Vinny said, “always trying to keep up with the older brother.”

“He’s right,” said Victor, a sophomore forward. “I’d be a pee-wee, and he’d be a squirt, and he’d play up with us, so he’d have to be playing better than his level, which just made him excel.”

It’s the same reason they both chose to play forward.

“Growing up and playing against each other, we always wanted to play with each other and beat the other guy out,” said Vinny.

The brothers enjoyed the competition from playing together in the same position.

“Seeing him do something a little better than you, you’ve got to step up your game a little bit,” said Victor. “Or if he’s kind of down on something, you can rag on him for it but pick him up and say, ‘Hey, this is what you need to do.’ Since you know, you can help.”

Unlike the Gilroys, the Saponaris are used to playing together. The brothers both attended Culver Military Academy, although they did play on different teams as kids.

“We liked being on the same team, but being on different teams kind of helped both of us in defining our roles as hockey players,” said Victor.

They are not, however, usually on the ice together.

“That would be pretty sweet,” Victor said, but they do have similar styles of play.

“We kind of think similar,” said Vinny.

“It’s kind of the way we were brought up to think the same way, being coached by the same people,” said Victor, elaborating on his brother’s point. “We anticipate the game really well…based on the way we were brought up knowing the game.”

And while he’s had his brother around for most of his career, Vinny’s glad they’re still together for support. He had been looking at BU before Victor chose to attend.

“Once [Victor] decided to go here, it gave me an option to come visit him and really see how it is,” he said. “Me being new here, it’s nice having someone I can talk to if I need something.”

But Victor knows his younger brother doesn’t need too much help.

“[Vinny] could figure things out on his own, and I understand that,” Victor said. “I kind of helped out here and there with some stuff.”

Originally published in the Boston University Terriers Men's Ice Hockey program for the 2008-2009 season.

Here We Are Now, Entertain Us: The Current State of College Radio

2009-06-17T13:02:00.002-04:00

Early on a Friday morning, Ashlie Anctil sits in Studio A of WTBU, Boston University’s student-run radio station. It’s 8 o’clock, and most students are still sleeping off Thirsty Thursday hangovers, but Anctil’s black iPod blares the pop-punk whine of Avril Lavigne, the only disruption of the peaceful quiet.

Anctil sits back and waits through a few more songs before taking a break to introduce her show and chat with the few – if any – listeners tuning in at such an early hour. She swivels in her wheeled computer chair, glancing at her surroundings: fliers advertising station programming – “Under the Covers,” “The Rock Block” and “BU in the Morning,” are just a few that stand out of the colorful collage – which line the grey corkboard-like walls. CDs fill the floor-to-ceiling shelves along one wall of the studio – Bob Dylan, My Chemical Romance, The Shins. A small box of old-school, vinyl albums, mostly rap and hip-hop, is strewn on a table nearby.

“You’re listening to WTBU, the Beat of Boston University,” Anctil says into the puffy black microphone as Lavigne’s “Girlfriend” winds down. “You just heard Avril Lavigne, Yellowcard, some new Britney Spears, and John Mayer.”

College radio may look the same as it did 10 years ago – but it doesn’t sound or run the same. Bands of the 1980s and 1990s like Nirvana, 10,000 Maniacs and R.E.M. experienced success on college radio stations before their songs were played on mainstream stations. But with the advent of file-sharing services and websites like MySpace that allow unknown bands to showcase their music without the help of radio waves, college radio stations have been struggling to find their niche.

WTBU has turned to sports and talk shows to combat mainstream radio consolidation and a decline in listenership, what Anne Donohue calls a “disaster for avant-garde music.” The station’s sports programs – Wednesday night’s “Terrier Talk,” Monday and Friday’s “Sports Block,” and BU Terrier game broadcasts – draw listeners from all over the world, often parents and friends of the athletes, via webcasting.

“College radio can go where no one else is going,” because there are fewer restrictions, says Donohue, the station’s faculty advisor. She is also pushing for the foreign language department to begin doing specialty shows and for the station to get an HD stream on real radio where they can play especially good archived material.

The programming switch is of a larger trend in all radio: music stations losing listeners. Gone are the days when fans would wait intently, ear to the speakers, to hear a favorite band’s new tune. The hipsters and music lovers out there don’t need the DJs and station managers anymore.

“[The Internet is] giving fans the opportunity to decide what they want to listen to and be exposed to, rather than leaving that to radio executives,” says Kali Giaritta, singer and founding member of The Ascetic Junkies. “It also gives artists the opportunity to make a name for themselves without a record label.”

However, Giaritta, a BU alum and former WTBU DJ, made sure her band’s CD was sent to WTBU. While she doesn’t buy the hypothesis that a college station can “break” an artist and start his or her career, she thinks they are still important, a “vintage” version of Internet music sites.

“If you think of college radio as more of a big music club where kids go in and explore new music and share it when they find something good,” Giaritta says, “then I think any artists with enough talent has an opportunity to make a name for themselves in an area where that ‘music club’ loves them enough to share them with friends.”

Some college radio stations, however, have made it hard for new acts to get airtime, as they are heavily controlled by the whims of programming directors whose ears may not find the acoustic scream-o sounds of some new band out of East Nowhere appealing.

“We play it if we like it,” says the website for WERS, Emerson College’s radio station. “Calling our DJs…will not get it played.”

The station has a weekly two-hour show dedicated to new music and indie artists, but in its submission guidelines, the station’s site warns that they “are under no obligation” to even listen to all of the CDs they receive.

KFJC, the radio station of Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, Calif., on the other hand, listens to all submissions – but soon that may not matter. A movement is afoot to turn the station into a National Public Radio training station to increase student interest and justify the cost of remodeling the studio. In the face of declining enrollment, the college’s Board of Trustees thinks a more professional program could help draw students.

“On a cost per student basis, the station serves fewer students and produces less enrollment and graduates than [other] programs,” says station supervisor Doc Pelzel. The two-year college is losing students to four-year communications programs.

It’s the slow death of the old-style college station, the one where most things mainstream were shunned in favor of the new, the unheard – the soon-to-be cool. KFJC currently markets itself as “homebrewed freeform radio fortified weekly with new sound and forgotten music injections,” according to the station website, whose listeners are those “who love to say to themselves: ‘What the Hell did I just hear?’”

But Anctil says she sees a benefit to the plan for KFJC. All college radio stations give aspiring young voices a chance to get on-air experience, but a more professional program, especially one backed by an NPR station, would make that experience worth even more.

“[College radio] is a crash-course in real life,” Anctil says. “You come into the studio, [and] you put it all together.”

Donohue agrees, saying, “College radio should be a learning place. You should be able to make mistakes.”

But much like the musicians hoping to make it onto the airwaves, the DJs of college radio are without a safety net: they’re free to play what they want, but they are also open to criticism and definitely not guaranteed any listeners or callers making requests. In that respect, it’s like a real radio gig.

“You’re on your own,” says Anctil as she starts another set, led this time by a song from the Aladdin soundtrack (the self-professed “Disney addict” always includes a healthy dose of Mickey music in her shows), the track’s two voices singing about new horizons and a totally explorable world.

Bet they weren’t thinking about trying to survive on the college radio scene.

“Woo-Hoo!” The (Not-So) Definitive List of the Best Hockey Songs

2009-06-17T12:53:00.002-04:00

It's been a while since I've put anything in here -- sorry for the absence. I'm slowly updating/deleting/cleaning up my online things, and this is now my only blog. In going through files on my computer from my last year of school, I found a few writing samples I wanted to post. I promise the updates will come more swiftly soon. But, let's face it, looking for a job just isn't that interesting.

Without further ado, piece #1: A column I wrote for a sportsj class I took fall semester. Also, please note the irony of the picture I just randomly chose off Google Images.

The team bursts out of the locker room hallway and onto the ice for pre-game warm-ups. Fans watch with rapt attention as the opening presentation on the scoreboard high above center ice shows highlights of teams past and present. An elated player shouts and pumps his fist in the air as his slapshot finds its way just past the goaltender’s glove and into the back of the net.

And each time, the same thing fills the arena air: cheering and clapping from the crowd, yes – but, also, music.

Whether it’s on your iPod, in a concert hall, or in a sports arena, music inspires you. It’s meant to make you feel a certain way, evoke emotion. Hockey music should pump you up, get you amped for what’s happening – make you, the people munching popcorn in the stands, feel like them, the ones padded up on the bench.

Fortunately, popular music has given hockey fans some great background noise. There have been a lot of songs played in arenas across the United States and Canada, but I, like every hockey fan, have a few favorites.

The Warm-Ups Song: Linkin Park, “Bleed It Out”
“Here we go for the hundredth time,” sings Chester Bennington at the beginning of this song. Sometimes, each night does feel like the hundredth time of those pre-game warm-ups, both from the player’s perspective and the fan’s perspective. Hearing the same pre-game music can drive you nuts pretty fast, but this is one I’ll never get sick of. I loved this song and thought it would be an awesome hockey song since I first heard it. It slowly works its way from a slower start to a frenzied second verse, just begging to be clapped along to. And after a long road-game stretch or the summer hiatus, the familiar, winding guitar at the beginning brings a smile to your face: hockey’s back.

The Opening Ceremonies Song: Phil Collins, “In the Air Tonight”
The New York Rangers used this as their opening song for a season, and a friend and avid Rangers fan claims it was widely discussed: while a few liked it, most thought the song was too slow and didn’t fit the mood. I could see both sides of the coin, until the Boston Bruins used the song for their opening during a couple of playoff games in the 2007-2008 season. Staring up at the Jumbotron in the dark arena, hearing the heavy guitars and the downright eerie lyrics, you really felt like they’d “been waiting for this moment for all [their lives].” And the quick drum solo, coupled with some strobe lights and particularly well-chosen highlights of hard hits? “Oh, Lord.”

The Goal Song: Blur, “Song 2”
When you grow up a Buffalo Sabres fan, this one is a given. Through the ‘90s, the brit-pop “Woo-hoo!” chorus burst out of the speakers in HSBC Arena – or the soon-to-be-demolished Aud, before the new arena was built – as players like Pat LaFontaine and Rob Ray lit up the red light behind the opposing team’s goal and got fans singing along. Although it’s been replaced by fog horns, the song still makes an appearance every so often, giving the building an old-time feel, even when so much of the game has changed. Part of the attachment to this song is the memories, but the pounding guitars and the slower verses that wind up into that great chorus are what get it on this list. Some teams have recently used a techno remix of the song, but it’s not the same. This is a hockey game, guys, not a rave.

The Fight Song: Nickelback, “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting”
This song was made to be a Saturday-night boxing/wrestling match theme. But when the gloves get dropped during a hockey game, center ice can sometimes turn into a boxing ring, so why not give in an appropriate soundtrack? You can thank Elton John for the “let’s get crazy” lyrics, but the recent remake by Nickelback gives the song the guitar-rock edge it was meant to have. The beginning of the chorus – “Don’t give us none of your aggravation/We’ve had it with your discipline” – is both an early warning to opposing agitators and a middle finger to the referees, making no excuses for when the scene on the ice becomes more WWE than NHL.

The Post-Win Locker Room Celebration Song: Lupe Fiasco, “Superstar”
The soft R&B chorus, mixed with Lupe Fiasco’s raps, makes listeners feel like superstars. Picture cameras flashing as the buzzer sounds on a huge win, followed by a post-game champagne celebration in the locker room, and you can just hear this song in the background. During the 2007-2008 season, I got used to seeing the same scene when walking into the Boston Bruins locker room after a win: the media, TV cameras and all, enter the black-and-gold themed room to see the players, wearing satisfied grins, perched under their nametags, ready to address the awaiting public. “Have no fear/The camera’s here,” indeed.

Chowdah Hunt: The Finished Product

2009-04-23T16:33:00.004-04:00

At the beginning of this week, I took sticky notes and wrote one thing out of the list of things I had to finish for classes on each of them. Once I hit "publish," I'm going to get to pull off one more: the one that has "website" written on it.

Without further ado, I present to you my finished web site for Multimedia Journalism: Chowdah Hunt.

And the blog to go along with it - although it's linked from the site as well.

Enjoy!

6p.m. Cleanup

2009-04-20T18:07:00.001-04:00

6p.m. one last one...cleanup along comm ave

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5:45p.m. Nothing Left but the Barricades

2009-04-20T17:52:00.001-04:00

5:45p.m. Traffic has returned to the marathon route. Once again, congratulations to all the runners. Thanks for following along on here!

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1:45p.m. The End is Near

2009-04-20T13:57:00.001-04:00

streets are packed, lots of cowbells at this end in the last mile. congrats to all the runners!

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1:40p.m. Kenmore Square Again

2009-04-20T13:49:00.002-04:00

1:40p.m. Kenmore Square is packed!

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1:35p.m. Beacon Street

2009-04-20T13:47:00.002-04:00

1:35p.m. This is what beacon street looks like right now. Lots of runner and lots of cheering.

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1:30p.m. Bye-Bye

2009-04-20T13:37:00.001-04:00

rolling credits already?! now what are we to do?! but yay BU in the credits!

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1:20p.m. Dancing King

2009-04-20T13:27:00.001-04:00

Watching the men's winner break it down on tv. Dance man dance!

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1:10p.m. Heartbreak Hill on WBZ

2009-04-20T13:21:00.002-04:00

1:10p.m. re: the wbz reporter on heartbreak hill: "who stops a runner mid-run?!" "she's cramping his style!"

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1p.m. Congrats Runners

2009-04-20T13:09:00.001-04:00

1p.m. love watching the masses go past. we're still celebrating with all the carbs we can eat! haha i give them all credit i could never do this!

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12:40p.m. Blustery Day

2009-04-20T13:00:00.001-04:00

agreed with anchors on wbz...it IS windy!

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1p.m. Dip!

2009-04-20T12:57:00.001-04:00

time for celebratory chip dip! still watching on TV and hearing the cheering outside. just too many drunk people out there to be able to see anything.

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12:30p.m. Here Come the Masses

2009-04-20T12:46:00.001-04:00

the packs of runners are going by now. lots of cheering...mostly the women but some men too. i still find it funny how half the street is still open. just saw a wheelchair too!

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12:30p.m. Back Inside

2009-04-20T12:40:00.001-04:00

12:30p.m. LOTS of cheering outside. we've headed back in cuz we're cold but you can see everyone going by from the windows

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12:01p.m. Is He The Winner?!

2009-04-20T12:12:00.001-04:00

12:01p.m. a guy just went by. wow...he is going FAST!

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Noon: Here They Come

2009-04-20T12:11:00.001-04:00

noon: i like how everyone cheers everyone. it's just so...awesomely nice

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11:57a.m. Runners!

2009-04-20T12:08:00.001-04:00

"and over at kilometer 40, they're starting to lean in excitedly!"

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11:45a.m. Outside!

2009-04-20T12:00:00.003-04:00

11:45a.m. made it outside. waiting for the leaders. just saw them pass clev. circle on tv so any moment

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11:42a.m. Headed Out

2009-04-20T11:54:00.001-04:00

we're watching them pass the reservoir right now...debating how long until we have to go outside to cheer. i like how we're judging by landmarks like anna's taqueria. meanwhile we're toasting to life being *bleeping* great

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11:30a.m. Snark

2009-04-20T11:37:00.001-04:00

sorry but do they seriously have a soundtrack for the running? "let it rock"? really? we all just cracked up

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11:30a.m. Still Waiting...

2009-04-20T11:26:00.001-04:00

we've taken to making fun of the commentators. although i've gotta say you've gotta wonder how they come up with what they're gonna commentate on. seriously what do you say about people running for two hours?!

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11:05a.m. Fun Story...

2009-04-20T11:14:00.001-04:00

fun story: apparently, years ago, there was a woman who won the race by taking the T and then running the last mile. they thought she won until they saw tape and realized she wasn't in the race until that last mile. and all together now: really?! i mean...really?!

also we've graduated to scrambled eggs now. i love marathon monday!

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11a.m. Beacon Street

2009-04-20T11:10:00.001-04:00

11a.m. that cheering we heard before was for the wheelchair racers. talk about going fast. but as one person said "if you're drunk you'll cheer anything that moves"...like the bikers that keep going by who are definitely NOT in the race

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10:50a.m. Watching on TV

2009-04-20T11:00:00.001-04:00

checking the scene out on TV. we keep hearing cheering so we think people may start going by soon. i'm sort of surprised traffic's still going by on beacon.

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10:27a.m. Annnnnnd....MARATHON!

2009-04-20T10:36:00.001-04:00

10:27a.m. the race has started!...we've got it on tv. meanwhile i'm in the middle of an intense pancake cooking venture

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10:04a.m. BU Apartment

2009-04-20T10:14:00.001-04:00

10:04a.m. view of beacon street from my friend's kitchen window. i'm making pancakes! celebrating with carbs just like the runners!

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Johnnie's on Beacon 9:40a.m.

2009-04-20T09:47:00.001-04:00

9:40a.m. beacon street's quiet still...only people out are setting up or getting ready for their own parties. speaking of, where oh where does johnnie's keep chocolate chips?!

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Beacon Street 9:10a.m.

2009-04-20T09:25:00.001-04:00

9:10a.m. beacon street volunteers setting up. those barricades? yeah they just made crossing to the other side of the street a whole lot harder.fortunately i found a hole and didnt have to go all track-race-hurdle-style on them

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Kenmore Square 9a.m.

2009-04-20T09:19:00.001-04:00

9:05am and comm ave is already buzzing. hotel commonwealth is hanging up signs (see below) and there's a LOT of sox gear. there's a tradition i'll never understand...why make the area more crowded

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Welcome to Marathon Monday

2009-04-20T00:17:00.006-04:00

I LOVE that Boston takes a holiday for a race. Now that I know about Evacuation Day, Marathon Monday (er, excuse me, Patriots' Day) comes in second in the "Ridiculous Holiday" category, but it's still my favorite because Evacuation Day doesn't get me a day off school - but the Marathon does.

As you could have told by the last post, Marathon Monday coverage will be coming strong in here today. As lugging my computer around a crowd of drunken people and runners would prove to be a PLC (poor life choice), all updates, as you could probably also tell from the last post, will be coming via phone - audio, photos, what have you. I promise to try to cover the actual race itself, but since I'll be stationed in my friend's apartment in BU's South Campus, there'll be plenty of race-day celebration coverage, too.

Now, if you don't mind, it's after midnight, and I have to get some sleep. Marathon Monday begins bright and early at 8a.m. to get ready for a race-start-time breakfast. Don't worry, you'll see pictures - and be jealous. My friend makes a mean pancake.

Testing Testing

2009-04-17T23:31:00.001-04:00

Stay tuned guys...intense marathon monday coverage coming up from BUs south campus. Im just making sure this stuff works. Ill be using utterli to get pictures video and whatnot on here. So be sure to check back on monday. My snark and humorous wit (haha) will be in full swing!

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Chowdah Hunt '09: The Humble Beginnings

2009-04-10T17:26:00.003-04:00

It will eventually evolve into just one piece of a final website, but for now, check out the Chowdah Hunt '09 blog! I apologize in advance for the tangents and snark - it's just the way things happen.

Slipping and Sliding in Sneakers

2009-04-09T12:33:00.003-04:00

My final broadcast sportsJ package for the semester - intramural broomball. In which, by the way, the Lucky 7's won their division and are looking forward to playoffs! And because of which, I will also add, I am still hurting. Oh well, take a look:

Into the Twittersphere!...and Beyond!

2009-04-01T21:35:00.003-04:00

It's finally done. Check out the final version (full sound and all!) of the Twitter video for Multimedia Journalism:

And, while you're at it, be sure to watch Twitter Tutorial #1. Once again, credits to both Ashlie Anctil and me.

Into the Twittersphere!: Rough Cut

2009-03-28T18:44:00.006-04:00

Clearly Ashlie and I are a liiiiiittle too obsessed with Twitter - or we just thought it would make a pretty cool (and fitting!) topic for our Multimedia project.

The video below is a rough cut of the first in our series. Yeah, we know we just had to do one, but we thought it would be really fun to do a series on Twitter - and, as we were editing, we realized we had a lot of different angles and couldn't pick just one.

So stick around to check out the rest of the series. And in the meantime (hey, we just spent all day in the editing room; you can't expect us to have them all done, yet!), take a look at the rough cut of the first video:

(Note: I'm unsure why the audio cuts out in the half minute, then comes back in. It's working fine on the version on my computer. But since this is a rough cut, I'm not going to worry too much. I uploaded it twice, and it's the same, so...)

Attempts at Broadcast Journalism

2009-03-23T13:21:00.003-04:00

I'm also taking a broadcast sports journalism course this semester, and I have my first package due this week. I spent pretty much all of Friday learning how to do this stuff - the filming and interviews were easy (especially because I had a camera person to help), but, let me tell you, time might just stop when you get in an editing room. I spent three hours teaching myself FinalCutPro, and I actually got the hang of it pretty well (I think). But walking out of there at 5pm, after going in around 2pm - I was dazed the rest of the night. It's intense stuff.
In any case, here's my first ever broadcast package. I'm pretty proud of it. Sorry for the lack of chyrons - I couldn't figure that out on FCP, and we put them in during showtime in class anyways.

AUD-ios

2009-03-19T00:30:00.008-04:00

Memorial Auditorium, affectionately known as "The Aud," is a huge part of Buffalo sports history. HSBC Arena, the city's new arena that replaced The Aud in 1996, will probably never house a Buffalo NBA team, nor will it be quite as special as The Aud, with all its quirks (like a smaller-than-regulation-size hockey rink), was. Look up The Aud online, and you'll see and read countless photos and memories of what made this stadium so important to Buffalo. It's being torn down - by the end of this year, it'll be gone completely - and, no matter who you ask in the city, it's a terrible shame the building couldn't be saved.
I remember going to The Aud in grammar school - probably second or third grade - for a Buffalo Blizzard (pro soccer) game. The atmosphere in old arenas was totally different, anyone will tell you that. The way they were set up, you were just about on the arena floor with the teams. And, yeah, the new areans are glitzy and nice, but these felt like caves - and that was actually pretty cool. I remember that my class was supposed to sing at halftime or something, but my friends and I had to go to the bathroom, and we got lost (a testimony to The Aud's awesome, tunnel-like hallways) and we missed it.
That was the only time I was at The Aud, but as I've gotten more into sports, I've realized what a shame that is. This building means so much to so many people - if you need proof, listen to the stories people tell; go and see the people walking around or sitting in their cars, just watching the demolition; or ask one of the many people who risked arrest and snuck into the arena before demolition to take a piece of it as a souvenir.
Now that you've sat through my schpeal, I hope you enjoy the audio and soundslides projects I put together, because I had a ton of fun making them, taking the photos, and listening to my friends and family recount memories. I could have made these double or triple the length they are, no problem, but I had to cut it off somewhere.

Thanks to the voices you hear that aren't my narration - (in order) Dave Zimmer, David Stefano (yeah, my dad, but his story was too cool to pass up), and Andy Kulpa (who wasn't actually the one to break the law and go into the building; it was a friend of his - really.)
Also, props to Rick Jeanneret (the announcer you hear) for calling Sabres games with such intensity for so long. I could do a whole audio piece of just his calls - they're awesome.

It's the Final Countdown [Edited 3/16/2009]

2009-03-16T22:06:00.009-04:00

NHL Trade Deadline Day was about a week ago, Wednesday, March 4. As the 3p.m. deadline loomed, players, coaches and fans waiting anxiously to see what the general managers were doing and who would now be in (or no longer be in) their team's locker room for the next game.

This is my audio report from the day:

And this is that same audio, but put together with soundslides:

If you want to check out more of the day's coverage, go to the Bear Essentials Trade Deadline blog

We Are the Normal

2009-03-10T00:37:00.010-04:00

...While I was at it, I decided to try my hand at Windows MovieMaker (which I'm assuming is much like SoundSlides), since I'm going to have to learn to do this soon. I basically just pulled out a song, pulled out a file of pictures and threw them all together, so it's not well-thought-out or anything (next time, when it's not 12:30a.m., I'll try it that way), but it's a pretty easy process, which is good to know.

So enjoy one of my favorite recent memories - bar-hopping on Black Friday in Clifton Hill, Canada (oh, the perks of living in Buffalo, 20-ish minutes from the border!)

Things That Make Angela Happy

2009-03-03T11:53:00.004-05:00

Despite feeling quite awful due to a nasty cold, today has been a very good day so far, so I feel like I should blog about it. There are three reasons:

1. Trade Day is tomorrow. Now, even though I have to wake up at some ungodly hour (somewhere around 6am, I guess?), spend my entire day in an ice rink, race back to BU to take a midterm, go BACK to said ice rink, and then get to the airport for my flight - I cannot wait. It's going to be a spectacularly fun day, and I apparently get to run our new Twitter account, which makes me even happier.

2. As you may have guessed from the mention of a flight, I get to go home tomorrow. For a week. And then I get to come back to Boston with my boyfriend. And even though it snowed, so I feel like I'm preparing for Christmas, not spring, break, I am still happy. I get to get new glasses and go on job interviews and see my friends - and be in Buffalo. Yay #2.

3. As reported by Rolling Stone, there is a chance of Woodstock '09. There is a chance of getting some of the original acts to play. It is in August, and it's probably a feasible trip, even with a job. I heard this news and, of course, immediately called up my father and told him I no longer cared about Bonnaroo (which I probably wasn't going to get to/be able to go to anyways) - the new plan is Woodstock '09. Oh yeah.

An Open Letter to Boston

2009-03-01T20:56:00.003-05:00

Dear Boston (i.e., the city, its residents, etc.):

I know we're supposed to get "the storm of the century" tomorrow. Yes, I know that the South (the SOUTH, for cripes sake) is currently being pounded by a rare snow. Yes, it's supposed to be 8-12 inches, which would, probably, make being outside pretty crappy. And, yes, if such a snow is to come upon this fair city, it would probably close schools, etc., if the timing is right.
But...
Really, Boston? Do we need to declare a snow emergency at 10pm THE NIGHT BEFORE, when NOTHING is falling out of the sky? You have already canceled trash pickup and closed schools. You've issued a SNOW EMERGENCY (that's big!). I do recall last time we were all told to prepare for "the storm of the century," the day included wet snow, some slush, and cold rain. Annoying, yes. But worthy of shutting down a whole city? Most definitely not.
Now, I know you've all seen this white stuff before. You see, dear Bostonians, it happens every winter (unlike in the South, where, if people are freaking out right now, it's fine). You see it every winter, and yet you continue to act like this. If this snow shows up at like 5, 6am, then, by all means, lets close schools and whatnot for the day. But if it starts snowing around, you know, 1, 2am - send the plows out, clear the roads, and let's send everybody on their merry way. It's not the end of the world to have to drive, walk, etc. through a little bit of snow. Annoying, yes. But the end of the world, no.
So, dear Boston, in conclusion - SUCK IT UP! These are the times you make me even more proud to be from Buffalo - where we can deal with a little snow.

Love, except in this case,
Me

A Winter Evening Walk [Edited 3/1/2009]

2009-02-17T19:32:00.005-05:00

I started out looking for signs of the recession on Newbury Street and in the Prudential Center, but after a frustrating hour of not getting many good pictures because of sunlight and bad store lighting, I wound up being out during evening commute time. The walk home from the Prudential Center, down Boylston Street - with a quick stop at Newbury Comics on Newbury Street - proved to be far more interesting. Watching people get to where they're trying to go is always sort of fun (as is the mix of people themselves, as long as you're not caught up in the crush of traffic), and the Back Bay area is quite pretty. Plus, the sun beginning to set, while proving annoying when trying to shoot signs in store windows, made the commute look - well, sort of like a bright, well-choreographed maneuver, and it made a winter walk look much prettier in photos than sale signs and closed buildings.

May Angels Lead You In

2009-02-16T20:37:00.004-05:00

View Larger Map

Five miles. That's two minutes, max, in the air. That's me up in my seat, staring out the window, being able to pick out places on Transit and near the airport. That's me antsy to get on the ground and call my boyfriend.
Instead, it was them gripping the armrests and praying. It was them being tossed around, twisting and turning. And it was them suddenly in a ball of flame.

Two miles. That's a three-minute drive, a twenty-minute bike ride. That's a fun adventure to the coffee house, when I was younger. That's breakfast at Mardee's with my family - because they have awesome cinnamon rolls and French toast. That's right by so many friends and acquaintances.

I laid in bed until 2a.m. watching the news. I watched the anchors try to contain their emotions - thanking God I wasn't them, because I could cry, and cursing the fact that this is my chosen profession, and some day soon, I will have to do that sort of thing; I know I'm going to hate it in those cases, just as much as I love it the rest of the time - as they saw new images, heard the pilots' voices for the first time. In the days since, I've wished to not see it any more, but I've been unable to turn it off. I don't know if that makes me an ambulance chaser, in some sense, or if it's just a natural human reaction. But nothing's ever hit me like this. I think it's because it's so close - I have so many connections to it. You don't get that in your general disaster somewhere else in the country. But I didn't even know anything happened until a friend texted to make sure I was all right and to see how close to my house the crash was. It's amazing how isolated you can feel only a few miles away. It's also amazing how close you suddenly feel when you hear.

RIP Flight 3407. You've made me appreciate life a lot more. Even if you also made me petrified to get on a plane this afternoon - moreso than I usually am, I mean.

Music's Biggest Night?

2009-02-08T20:11:00.018-05:00

In the spirit of every blog ever, I think I'm going to attempt a record of my thoughts as I watch the Grammys tonight. Now, I love music - but I HATE award shows. I think they are lame, way too long, and are just...well, cheesy. And most of the time they're just bad. I usually turn them off - even the Grammys - way before the telecast is over.

But I'm going to try to make it through most of it. And because I have no one here to tell all my comments to, I need some place to say all the snarky things I'm thinking. Thus, I give you, *dun-da-da-dunnnnn*...Angela's Grammy Blog.

8:00 -- It's going to be a long night. But I've just been given a free soft pretzel from the LateNite girl, who has also informed me that LateNite is now delivering (that seems like a bad, bad idea...), so I'm fairly content and ready to give this a shot.

8:09 -- So The Rock is going by Dwayne Johnson now? And, to him, the Grammys stand for "Great Artists Making Music." And he's quoting Katy Perry. Example #1 of what I dislike about award shows.

8:11 -- I think I'm beginning to appreciate Justin Timberlake. And by appreciate I mean stop thinking he's Satan incarnate because he was in N*Sync and give him props for SOME musical talent. That, however, doesn't mean he should be singing with Al Green - but I guess it's not horrible.

8:15 -- I take it back. JT knows what he's doing here. The Taylor Swift/Miley Cyrus duet scares me though.

8:23 -- So apparently this year's theme is something along the lines of mash-ups and duets. Jay-Z and Coldplay? Sorry, that was just weird. Enjoying "When I Ruled The World" much better.

8:27 -- American Idol has given us Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson. That was, what, seasons one and three...four? They should have stopped there. My mother just asked me if Carrie Underwood was a young Dolly Parton. I told her that I hope not, because Dolly Parton is a trashy redneck. The entire country world would probably have me burned at the stake if they heard that. But, um, it's true.

8:33 -- "Stay" by Sugarland is excessively pretty; I'm glad it won. I still remember the first time I heard it.

8:41 -- Let's see how many song references we can throw into one nomination speech!!!! FAIL.

8:43 -- Radio has killed 80% of the good songs out there. I am so sick of the Coldplay song. But aw, Chris Martin, you're cute apologizing to John Lennon.

8:45 --Thank you, Kid Rock, for the shoutout to Billy Powell. Sincerely. Also thank you for coming out of your white-trash gangsta phase (ya know, from the start of your career until the release of Rock 'N Roll Jesus) and making this record. You sound wonderful, and you're not making up words (Bawitdaba....really?).

8:53 -- This Taylor/Miley thing scares me. I am waiting for it to go down in flames. Miley has been silent thus far, which is probably why it hasn't.

8:54 -- They actually blend pretty well. And Miley's not bad if she doesn't try to belt it out. If she'd just realize that's what the mic's there for, it'd be wonderful.

9:00 -- OK, so AI gave us Jennifer Hudson, too. I feel like lately whatever career she might have has sort of been overshadowed by the whole family killings thing. But she's not as insufferable as Beyonce, so I suppose she can stay.

9:05 -- Really, Chris Brown? I actually didn't mind you. I also feel bad for the mean things I was going to say about Rihanna a few minutes ago (re: her Maroon5 collaboration). On an unrelated note, the Guitar Hero, Risky Business-inspired commercials with Michael Phelps, Hiedi Klum, etc are pure genius. The Mohegan Sun commercials that re-write the lyrics to '80s songs, however, are a totally different story.

9:09 -- Stevie Wonder with the Jonas Brothers? I do NOT know how I feel about this. The middle JoBro (or whichever one the singer is) looks like he's channeling Sid Vicious. And, I'm sorry, making STEVIE WONDER sing a Jonas Brothers song? It sounds - well, his solo's amazing, but I can't make that seem right in my head.

9:12 -- Please don't butcher this song. Please don't butcher this song. I'm more scared now that I was for Taylor/Miley.

9:13 -- The little one's got all the talent. And I guarantee you all the little fangirls shrieking their hearts out right now have NO idea who this old guy is -- but, um...that wasn't bad.

9:15 -- BLINK! (of the 182 variety, I mean)...thank you for the JoBro/Stevie joke. Cool on you guys being back. But for my sanity, STOP PLAYING COLDPLAY!

9:22 -- Craig Ferguson did not just throw Screech under the bus.

9:25 -- I will now be singing "I Kissed A Girl" for the next week. Thank you, Ms. Perry. Great thanks, also, for the snort-laugh I just let out when you did that little hand movement during the line "are so magical." That was bad judgment right there.

9:27 -- What the HELL is Kanye wearing? He looks like he belongs in the '80s. I am glad, however, that he's learned that Love Lockdown, while a good song, isn't the best display of his talent (that saddens me to say, but, oh my God, he can't sing...)

9:37 -- I'm actually really glad to see country music getting some recognition here. I feel like we're going back to that period in the '90s when Shania Twain was, like, THE hot country crossover and Garth Brooks was outselling frickin' everyone. Sometimes I miss those days...but this really isn't the time to get into a lament about the sad decline of the music industry.

9:40 -- Wait, they're doing Record of the Year already?! Does this mean it's almost over?!

9:48 -- Queen Latifah is cute with the Rat Pack/Brat Pack thing. I don't particularly enjoy this giant conglomeration of rappers - and that stage looks excessively bright - but I give MIA huge credit for going out there preggers. She looks good. Really, though, there are just too many big egos up there. I think I'm running thin on being able to watch this...

9:54 -- OK, long standing ovation. Clearly the majority disagrees with me. And wow, I LOVE Kate Beckinsale's dress!

9:56 -- Paul McCartney and Dave Grohl. *dies* This goes on the plus side of the collaborations for tonight's show - which, by the way, they keep teasing me with (I sorta wanna hear T.I. and JT), and that's making me keep watching. *shakes fist* Curse you, Grammy people.

10:04 -- "a promising new bass player named McCartney"...Jack Black, I love you. I also was unaware he was related to Charlie Hayden. That explains the musical tendencies.

10:07 -- What is with this weird LLCoolJ thing...they are just a-w-k-w-a-r-d. But mmmm, Sugarland. Can we also focus on how this song is from the point of view of the "other woman," for lack of a better term? Seriously, it's so pretty, it makes me want to cry.

10:14 -- According to TVGuide.com, the show's scheduled to go until 11:30. 1) That is a LONG time from now, and 2) it's bound to be longer because they never end on time. Um, eugh. I'm trying to make it...

10:19 -- Radiohead with a marching band. Maybe I'm still tuned in because I feel like music, for first time in a while, has a decent present and a promising future.

10:29 -- JT and T.I. sort of remind me of Elton John and Eminem a few years ago. I'm not sure why, other than you've got the rapper and the pianist. It's not my favorite, but it's above the Jay-Z/Coldplay collaboration. Actually, the two of them "breakin' it down" (that was said in the whitest white-girl voice you've ever heard) was pretty cool - and the ending of this is picking up.

10:33 -- Oh, right, T.I.'s going to jail, isn't it? Props for taking it fairly well?

10:34 -- Obama's a Grammy winner?! For...books? Huh? Oh, all the things I'm learning from this random little PSA for MusiCares. Yes, I appreciate all you guys are (supposedly) doing to help musicians - but enough with the "Yes we can" stuff. It's not cute; it's lame.

10:39 -- Jamie Foxx and Ne-Yo, plus two of the Four Tops, doing Four Tops stuff? Actually, done tastefully. They look so cute and retro. Adorable, in fact. And Ne-Yo sounds beautiful. Aww, that was adorable.

10:47 -- OK, so we have Neil Diamond. Doing "Sweet Caroline." It's...interesting. Lounge singer much? Am I wrong to assume we should have Lil' Wayne and Robert Plant and Alison Krauss joining him, too? Or was that ad just misleading. All I think of when I hear this song is Red Sox games - ugh, I've been turned into a Masshole.

10:51 -- Lifetime Achievement Award flashback? Or is this everyone who died this year? I can't tell, my TV's too small/too black and white. Haha, they just threw the "Batman" song in there...ohh, cheesy '70s cartoons. Actually, they just showed Isaac Hayes, so I'm guessing this is people who died.

10:54 -- Someone's Facebook status calls this "the best Grammy's ever." I might actually agree. The fact that I'm not enraged and annoyed enough to have turned it off yet - and that I might actually watch to the end - is pretty big. I'm even running out of snark. Ah! And aww, is that BB King? With John Mayer? Day-um. Too bad JM's sort of a playa.

11:03 -- I was wrong; Lil' Wayne may be the breaking point for me. Not a huge fan of this New Orleans jam thing they've got going on, but the pianist is wildly good. And there's a band? It's turning around...but slow-jam Weezy...not so much.

11:10 -- Um, that was a little bit of a celebration from whoever just opened the envelope for Lil' Wayne. Geeze, chill out. Short speech from Weezy, bravo on that. While we're talking about him, these appearances are pretty interesting. I can't really snark him after that. I still don't like him that much (although I have to say that "Lollipop" is a good jam, and his whole mixtape-then-album thing might have been smart), but...well, there it is.

11:13 -- Can I just focus, once again, on a commercial? The "Pepsi" ad with Will.I.Am is definitely my favorite new ad. This show, however, is realllllly wearing now.

11:18 -- Plant's and Krauss's voices blend so amazingly together. This is so old-school folksy; it reminds me of car trips when I was little - the soundtrack to which was stuff like Mary Chapin-Carpenter and Neil Young.

11:20 -- Screw it. I quit. I know we've only got like 10 minutes left, but I just want to go to sleep. Sorry, Grammys, you aren't cutting it anymore.

Except that you just threw Green Day in there, which made my smile. Billy Joe Armstrong...*sigh*

Peace out.

Give Blood. Play Hockey. Save The World. Don't Chicken Out.

2009-02-08T14:22:00.007-05:00

I've never given blood. In fact, it sort of scares me. Considering I tense up, sweat profusely and want to cry every time I get a shot, the thought of being hooked up to an IV via a long, cold needle for an extended period of time while my blood gets pumped out of my body and into a little plastic bag - well, it gives me the creeps.

I wouldn't go near the donation stations at Friday's "Bleed Black and Gold Blood Drive" at the TDBanknorth Garden. I stood a good 30 feet away, talking about the reasons my colleagues and I couldn't give blood, as tons of people filed in and filled out paperwork, ready and eager to do what we couldn't because we 1.) were anemic, 2.) didn't weigh enough, 3.) had been out of the country and were ineligible, or 4.) were just too scared. Clearly I had the worst excuse.

I watched all the people, though, who weren't too scared, and I sort of felt sad that I couldn't conquer my silly fear to help someone who does (or will eventually) need that blood. That's certainly a much bigger, much more immediate problem than a 20-year-old girl's silly fear of needles.

Maybe one of these days, when I'm not busy and there's a blood drive near me, I will work up the courage to donate. I always feel so sad when I hear about horrible accidents or homelessness or all the awful things that happen in the world, and I usually think something along the lines of, "When I'm older/have a job/have more money/have more time/have the ability to, I'll help" - but I have the ability to do that now.

Most of those chances to help don't involve scary needles. I guess this is me saying that I'm going to start being more proactive. One of these days, I'll get over the fear of needles and do the whole blood donation thing. But, until then...well, why not be proactive in other ways?

The International Bowl, in GoogleMap Form!

2009-02-02T11:01:00.004-05:00

On January 3, 2009, my friends and I went to watch the UB Bulls play UConn in the International Bowl. UConn won, but the trip was still worth it.

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