Posted on August 22, 2008
My latest obsession is the TV show “The Wire” from Showtime. We, of course, don’t get showtime, so I have been watching all the DVD’s from Netflix.
I gotta say, this whole drug dealing business is starting to make sense to me (hence, my concern.) The first season was impressive, but the third season is totally off the hook! (They still say that right, “off the hook”? I am pretty sure it means: “really really cool.”) The third season is about one of the drug dealers trying to legitimize himself and his partner by investing in real estate. I have to admit, as evil as this man was (ok, yeah, he killed people, and when he was too high up to kill people, he had other people kill people) I felt for him. He was just a business man who was constantly getting screwed by a corrupt system.
Of course, my favorite character is Omar, who happens to be a gay drug dealer. His only racket is to screw (both literally and figuratively) the other drug dealers. In other words, he robs them. He has a very specific code of ethics, so every now and then he has a “crisis of faith” and has to rethink his life. When he loves, he loves unconditionally, and that’s something that you have to respect. (And ya, he had to kill his last lover. But that was ’cause the guy knew too much, and really, what’r'ya’gonna do?)
This show is all about point of view. Each character has their own agenda, their own ideas on right and wrong, and their own understanding of good and evil. The drug dealers’ code is more straight forward and adhered to than the cops, probably because straying from their honor system is literally a life and death choice. And the politicians are the ultimate evil, because they don’t really care what’s happening, they mostly just want to “look good” which is a terrible way to lead. (Hmmm….)
I told John, “I am pretty impressed with the work ethic and the business saavy of these drug dealers!”
He says, “Tiff, you realize that it’s not really like that, right?”
Shiiiiit, what does he know? He don’t know what life is really like on da streets! I’m down with it now. If this whole teaching thing doesn’t work out, I think I could be a “soldier.” (Maybe they could call me, “bad ass teacha,” Or “Mommy with tude”? I don’t know, I’ve never been good at coming up with gangster names.)
Yo, holla! (which, if I am reading the context right, means: “talk to you later.”)
Posted on July 30, 2008
Watching “So you think you can dance” tonight made me want to cry. Not in a sad, feeling sorry for myself kind of way. But, in the appreciative, that “FUCKING GAVE ME CHILLS!” kind of way. The dancers this season have ramped up the level of difficulty so HIGH, its like watching a professional dance performance. There are only six left, but they are all so good, it makes it really hard to vote. I love Twitch, for his comedic stylings, but Chelsie rocks EVERY SINGLE DANCE! Katee was the girl that they weren’t sure they wanted on the show, and then decided against better judgment to add her, and she is AMAZING! Joshua is the hip hop guy with absolutely NO classical training who is doing passe double’s and waltz’s as if they were easy. Mark has this bizarre, Danny Elfman quality to his dancing, which intrigues me. Courtney is a short (which in this industry tends to be rare) but strong dancer.
To any of you out there who aren’t watching the show, you don’t know what you are missing. Even if you don’t enjoy dance, this has got to be one of the BEST reality shows on. I think it’s better than American Idol, and that’s saying a lot. This show is all about skill, versatility, and entertainment. And it fails to disappoint.
PS. I swear, nobody is paying me for this review. However, if you want to, I could use the money. I am going Italy, after all. That shit ain’t cheap!
Posted on July 28, 2008
When I went to Colorado this past trip, I introduced my parents to the “Mob Wars” game on Facebook. They fell in love with the game and have played it obsessively ever since (hey, I come by my obsessive personality honestly.) They are currently on vacation in Hawaii (poor them) and were worried that they would lose control of their mobs while they were gone. So, instead of house sitting, I am mob sitting. Its a LOT of work to run three mobs! I may not blog for awhile. Forgive me.
(PS. My mom is totally kicking my ass when it comes to mob members. At last count, she was up to 120. Woman’s a fiend!)
Posted on July 25, 2008
I fell in love with pirates when I was ten years old. That’s when I saw Goonies for the first time. From that point on, I knew that Pirates were the ultimate “bad asses.” Race, age, sex meant NOTHING. It was all about the “bling!” They had their code, their mystery, and the fact that they could kill you just by looking at you (they could do that, right?)
I was ten when we moved away from a school where I had a lot of friends, and was technically considered one of the “popular kids.” We moved into a huge (by my standards) new house. My dad started a new job. My brother, sister, and I started new schools and dance/karate schools. On top of all this, my Dad bought a new car (I got my need for “big life changes” from him.)
That’s when I suddenly discovered the true meaning of “having money.” In adult terms, we no longer had “expendable income.” Suddenly, whether or not we could pay the bills and/or buy the latest and greatest in toys and fun, became an issue. My parents were exceptionally good at hiding the stress. But, as children often do, we picked up on it anyway. I could relate with “Mikey” (aka: Sean Astin) when he thought that finding pirate treasure would solve all of his families financial burdens. I also had visions of stumbling on a treasure map or pirate ship hiding in a cave somewhere. (Of course, I now realize that in Colorado, our only hope of finding real treasure lay in the hands of the Native Americans and/or the settlers that lived in our area. Which had obviously already been discovered.)
But, the romance was there. And when Pirates of the Caribean was released, I renewed all of my love, fascination and obsession with Pirates. Dead Man’s Chest was the first movie I saw after Chloe was born. (I went to it by myself, and I have to admit, I had a hard time staying awake. She was only 8 weeks old and wasn’t sleeping through the night!!)
I found out that one of the themes from Chloe’s Gymboree summer program was “Pirates.” I got a wee bit excited. I was thrilled when I discovered that the Little Einsteins did a Pirates episode, and I bought the dvd of the Dora the Explorer episode where she became a pirate. I found pirate coloring books, pirate outfits, and pirate bath toys. Then, Ellen and I stopped in at Starbucks before seeing Momma Mia this weekend, and I found an advertisement for The Real Pirates exhibit at the Franklin Institute which is the only verified pirate booty of record. Serendipity! I understood that a majority of the content would be above Chloe’s head. I just didn’t care. This was one of those rare times when I was doing something for ME!. Although, I do have to admit that I probably would have waited if it didn’t fit so well with her Gymboree theme.
I FREAKIN’ LOVED IT! Although, my joy was slightly dampened by the fact that Chloe wouldn’t cooperate. There was a LOT of reading. So, that part bored her. There was a mock up of the captain’s quarters of the pirate ship, which she obsessed over. She didn’t understand why we wouldn’t let her ring the bell (that was submerged in water so it wouldn’t disintegrate.) And, they had a sign for “The Frogs Inn” but there wasn’t a frog to be found. Ooops. All in all, she loved the canons, got a kick out of the pirate ship, and was excited by the pirates’ treasure. I just hope she will remember all of this and take it with her. (Although, I understand this is unlikely, considering she is 2.) I just gotta say, PIRATES’ CHESTS FULL OF TREASURE! And yes, they had that, too.
HOW FREAKIN’ COOL WOULD IT BE TO FIND PIRATE TREASURE. I mean, seriously. The whole time I was there, I was imagining myself on the boat or underwater while they were uncovering the canons, or the gold coins, the pistols or the FREAKIN’ BELL! It just blows my mind. How many pirate stories have we heard as kids and thought when we got older, “Oh, Pirates and hidden treasures are as realistic as mermaids, or deep sea monsters.” And yet, HERE IS ACTUAL PROOF.
Can you tell I am excited.
Ok, so the entire Franklin museum was cool. And, I would recommend it. But, because they don’t let you take pictures inside any of the exhibits, this is all I got..ahem..from the gift store. Obviously that’s where they make their money.
Posted on June 12, 2008
Ellen recommended the book Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet for our book club. I started reading it last week because it is a long book (weighing in at almost 1,000 pages) and I wanted to make sure I finished it before book club for this upcoming Monday. I LOVED IT. It has really been a long time since I was this “captured” by a book. And I do mean captured. I ignored Chloe, stopped cleaning my house, laundry piled up, and ceased grocery shopping. I finished the book in three days. Like an addict (or obsessive compulsive personality, take your pick) I started reading the second in the series, The World Without End. Ellen warned me that the books were very similar, but that is what I wanted, and I was not disappointed. It is equally as captivating as the first book. Poor Chloe and John, I have been reading for two days and I am on page 640, I suspect Chloe is going to have to fend for herself at least one more day so I can finish the book.
I have to admit, this is one of the reason I don’t read as much as I would like to. If I find a good book, I become entranced and enmeshed and I cannot pull myself out of it. The first author I really remember having this effect on me was Ann Rice when I was in high school. I couldn’t put her books down and I read almost everything she wrote. When I walked away from one of her books, my internal dialog took on her voice, if that makes any sense at all. Its almost scary.
I also get to a point where I really don’t want to do anything else, and like I said, I ignore everything just so I can read. This is bad when you are a mom. I keep trying to pull myself away and play with Chloe, but the minute she gets distracted with something else, I am back in my book. At least when the TV is on, I can play with her and have that as background noise. Its hard to play and read at the same time. Her nap time is completely taken up with reading, so I don’t do any of the chores I usually save until she is sleeping. I think there is a third book in this series, but I may have to wait and read it later, I need time to recuperate!