But wait... there's more!

Find yourself in a tizzy wondering "What the hell am I doing today?" Ever forget an important meeting? Wondering when next you’re supposed to put that flea medication on your cat? Have an affinity for small pocket dogs?

Finally - something that will please your eyes, tickle your funny bone AND mind your dates - why it’s a PRINCESS KAYLENE 2009 Calendar!

Yes, you heard right! A Princess Kaylene original for the year Two-Thousand-And-Nine. Need a gift for that friend who has everything. We’re willing to bet that they DON’T have a Princess Kaylene calendar! And we’re backing that up with a no-money back guarantee!

Just think of everything that you can do with your very own Princess Kaylene 2009 calendar! Remember important holidays! Pay your bills on time! Never forget another birthday! Have a handy guide to tell you what day of the week it is! Plan out your vacation days!

As an added bonus - collect some photos shot by yours truly. Cut them out of the calendar and save them for years. Put them on your walls. Frame them for your children’s rooms.

But wait, there’s more! The Princess Kaylene calendar will not come with a certificate of authenticity nor it will be autographed by Princess Kaylene or her personal photographer. And not only that, you won’t know which photos were shot by Erin and which were hand picked by her guardians for 2009 inclusion. It’s a year-long guessing game sure to keep you entertained!

By now you’re dying to get your hands on a Princess Kaylene calendar and just want to know how to get it. It’s simple. There’s even more than one option for your purchasing pleasure.

And for all this you’d probably expect to pay nearly $45. for this once in a lifetime opportunity that will last you for a whole year. But NO! How about $30? NO! $25?? NoOoOoO! The Princess Kaylene calendar can be yours for only $10.99!!! That’s right, only $10.99!!!

And if you don’t act now you can find something solar powered to go along with your Princess Kaylene calendar. Pesky cell phones always running out of juice? Need some more rainbows in your life? Have a pool that’s just too cold? SOLAR POWER is the way to go! See below for details.

E-commerce sites are standing by to take your orders:

Princess Kaylene Calendar on Etsy
Princess Kaylene Calendar Store
(I shot about half the pictures ... I’m a better photographer now. That was like a year and a half ago. I do not get a cut of calendar sales. NOTE - I did NOT graphically design these calendars.)

Solar Energy To Go (my mother’s website... she will be so happy if you buy something from her... but then she’ll get all cocky...NOTE - I did NOT design that site!!)

Action Needed - UN Declaration for the Global Decriminalization of Homosexuality

Today my Google RSS headlines that feed into my Gmail sent me this little bit of GLBT news about the UN Declaration for the Global Decriminalization of Homosexuality. News - CLICK ME

Now we need to take action!

Step 1: Go to THIS BLOG and click the "DIGG THIS" link at the bottom.
Step 2: Mike Tidmus' Blog furthered the news by requesting action in the U.S. and provided links to find your Senator's contact info. And also provided info about the Vatican's stance and how to contact them.
Step 3: Contact your Senator/Congress/Representatives... whatever. (See sample letter below.)
Step 4: Twitter/Status update/Blog/Forward E-mails to get the word out.
Step 5: NOW GO!

I took action and sent letters to my Senators and Congress people.

Here's the letter I wrote (stealing snips from different blogs and articles) - feel free to copy/paste.

Dear Senator FILL IN NAME,

This Wednesday a declaration for the global decriminalization of homosexuality will be put before the UN General Assembly. While every country in the European Union has signed on and Canada is a sponsor, the United States of America has not signaled support for this declaration.

This is a outrageous! By not actively supporting this declaration the U.S. government is suggesting to the world political arena that it is OK with us if human beings are imprisoned, tortured, murdered or legally put to death simply for loving another.

This is NOT OK. This is not OK with me. This is not OK morally. I urge you and your office to do what you can to influence a decision to support this declaration.

The declaration will be tabled on Wednesday by France with the backing of all 27 member states of the EU; plus non-EU European nations including Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, Ukraine, Andorra, Liechtenstein, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia, Ukraine, Armenia and Macedonia. Support of the Latin American states of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico and Uruguay has also been offered. Canada is a sponsor. Gabon, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, New Zealand and Japan are also on board with the declaration.

Why aren't we on that list?

Thank you for taking the time to consider this note and this request for action.

Craftz

Today Amy Sedaris hosted a big crafty deal in L.A. I did not get to go. A few years ago I went to the Bazaar Bizarre and got awesome one of a kind gifts for people ... the Bazaar Bizarre is no longer held in L.A. What's a girl to do? Etsy!

I know about Etsy through Jenni and it was backed up by Imogen Heap who posted a funny VLOG about how she got a newsletter from Etsy about "What would Imogen Heap wear?" ... so she went to Etsy to see what she would wear. That's really not as funny when I retell it.

SO I just finished about 6 hours of (procrastination) Etsy shopping.

My favorite find today was Etsy's "Alchemy" page where I can actually request to have something made! This is awesome... if I can think of something. I do, already, know that I want a knit green tomato hat. So I might ask for that.
(But, you know, a little cuter.)

And also a knit hat with devil horns. My friend was SUPPOSED to make one for me (the pattern is in the Stitch N'Bitch book and she was all into knitting for a half second)... she even gave me a Xmas card with a promise to make it. And then we went yarn shopping and we picked out a nice blue/black skein and she even started the rim.... and that is as far as that got.


Meanwhile my friend Adrea knit me a blue/black knit hat that I love! No devil horns but it works. I still want my devil horns though.... HINT HINT MIRIAM (who will probably never read this anyway.)

But here are a few awesome "interesting" and awesome Etsy items that I did NOT buy today.

Toilet Tea



Cloth Panty Liner



Shaun of the Dead throw pillow (I did buy something from this shop)



Teddy Reborn (that actually growls)


I had this in my cart but pulled it out at the last minute... I still want it though.



Travel Size Penis Pillow



Knit biology dissections



Giggle-worthy

New Blog

As if i don't have enough to maintain.. it suddenly occurred to me that I should have a blog entirely devoted to what I do at school and with the specific topic of web studentry. Actually this occurred to me a while back and I created a MySpace page entirely devoted to that but it's not versatile... thus I created a new BLOGGER blog. I don't have anything expert to say but the goal is to slip it into my resume/portfolio site and at least APPEAR to enjoy my studies. (Which I do.)

So new blog lives here: http://ravenwolfprods.blogspot.com

Gas Huffin' Bad Gals

In film school one is exposed to a variety of films. Films with historical content. Innovative films. Short films. Student films. Bad films (lots of bad films). But the two films that I remember the most are The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (still amazing) and a short film that toured with a student film festival.

Back at Emerson I was the president of a group called "Films From The Margin" and I managed all the film screening events ... which meant that I also had to attend them all and watch more and more of these random strange, independent and often boring films. This one was SUCH a joy. SO good in and amongst the other ... crap... that I just fell in love with it. From time to time I would do an internet search for it. Once I found it on a film site... but then it went away. Once I swear I found it purchasable but when I went back it was gone. I thought all was lost until I told my tale of woe to a friend the other day. One day later he e-mailed me back with a link. A YOUTUBE link! Why the hell did I never think to search YouTube??

But without further praise... I present GAS HUFFIN' BAD GALS!!

Part 1:


Part 2:


Part 3:


Part 4:

Repo! The Genetic Opera

I saw Repo! The Genetic Opera last week. I still can't decide whether or not I liked it. I *think* I did. But some of the lyrics were just sooo horrible. But then... were they so horrible that they reverted to good? Like how pugs and bulldogs are cute because they're so ugly? Someone I know once described Clea Duvall as "that ugly kind of cute." Repo is the same. It's not GENIUS like Clue. But it's not so bad it's good like Rocky Horror or Shock Treatment. Hmm... I still can't decide. Meanwhilessss.... there are 22 songs on the soundtrack so that makes the $9.99 iTunes price a deal. But then there are only a couple I like... but then maybe the others will grow on me. Like any time Paris Hilton sings... that might be catchy.

But here's the best part of the whole movie - Sarah Brightman as "Blind Mag" ... she's just the coolest character! And she's Sarah Brightman... so .. she innately rules.


CHASE THE MORNING

Twittering & Protesting

I'm gonna do a little experiment here... I finally found someone to take me to a protest and I figured I might try to do a little play by play Twittering while I'm there. (If I get there at all.) So follow this blog entry for possible interesting things.

That dang marriage thing!

Being un-politically aware and blissfully ignorant of most things - I did not actually know the following. I just knew that denying me the right of marriage was wrong. Interesting point, below, regarding Massachusetts and the rights they still do not have. My surrogate older sisters were married in Massachusetts several years ago when it first became legal. Then together they had a child. It was a joint pregnancy - one woman carried the other's egg. Both of their names appeared on the birth certificate. But then one day they decided to go on a vacation outside of the country and since their rights didn't extend outside of the state the mother that did not physically bear the child had to ADOPT her own flesh and blood son. Just IN CASE something happened on their trip. I was appalled when I heard that. It hadn't even crossed my mind that something like that would need to happen.

So please read below (which I quote from a forwarded e-mail which was cut and pasted from a blog... I don't know where the original source material is or I would cite it):

Civil unions/domestic partnership DO NOT give gay/lesbian couples the same rights as straight couples. Here are examples of some rights that are denied.

Question: What are the legal benefits of marriage?

With the denial of gay marriage, gay and lesbian couples are kept from more than just a ceremony and marriage certificate. There are many real legal and economic benefits of marriage that gays and lesbians are denied because they are not allowed to marry. What are the legal rights and benefits of marriage?

Answer: According to Lambda Legal Defense, more than 1,400 legal rights are conferred upon heterosexual married couples in the United States. By not being allowed to marry, gays and lesbians are denied these rights. Even in the state of Massachusetts, the only US state with legalized gay marriage, most of the benefits of marriage do not apply, because the Defense of Marriage Act states that the federal government only recognizes marriage as "a legal union of one man and one woman as husband and wife".

Here are some of the legal rights that married couples have and gays and lesbians are denied:

1. Joint parental rights of children
2. Joint adoption
3. Status as "next-of-kin" for hospital visits and medical decisions
4. Right to make a decision about the disposal of loved ones remains
5. Immigration and residency for partners from other countries
6. Crime victims recovery benefits
7. Domestic violence protection orders
8. Judicial protections and immunity
9. Automatic inheritance in the absence of a will
10. Public safety officers death benefits
11. Spousal veterans benefits
12. Social Security
13. Medicare
14. Joint filing of tax returns
15. Wrongful death benefits for surviving partner and children
16. Bereavement or sick leave to care for partner or children
17. Child support
18. Joint Insurance Plans
19. Tax credits including: Child tax credit, Hope and lifetime learning credits
20. Deferred Compensation for pension and IRAs
21. Estate and gift tax benefits
22. Welfare and public assistance
23. Joint housing for elderly
24. Credit protection
25. Medical care for survivors and dependents of certain veterans

These are just a few of the 1400 state and federal benefits that gays and lesbians are denied by not being able to marry. Most of these benefits cannot be privately arranged or contracted for within the legal system.

Now go on over to my blogroll at the right ----------> and click on "The Gay Marriage Thing" blog. And visit The Gay Marriage Thing movie site: http://www.thegaymarriagething.com/ I bid you to do this if you wish to know more about my surrogate sisters that I reference above.

Shout Out

As if I didn't do enough blog shout outs in the last post here are a couple more (this tides me over until Blogrolling.com gets back in business and I can add them to my list on the right --->).

1) Benjamin Hall posted a link to No Smoking in the Skull Cave for Halloween and I promptly added myself as a follower. Today I discovered that Becca (blog writer) had nicely filed my blog under her list called "These Blogs Rule!" Suhweet! Even if she never visits again (I know she did the one time) - what an honor! So here's her shout out:



2) My friend from college got herself a new blog just recently. It seems that, while I thought social networking was going to trump blogs, blogging is more popular than ever! I find myself blogging more and more back here than usual simply because it's more adaptable for the future. I'm also considering making another subblog just about my webdesign stuff (suddenly realizing that I should have been reading webdesign blogs all along). BUT THAT'S NEITHER HERE NOR THERE! The point is - read TheMACdoodle's blog here.

The Faces Are Real!

Turns out that the broccoli faces are real! Before Halloween my friend Jenni sent me an email with a link to the Bread and Honey blog where they posted about the terrifying little faces in the Cascadian Farm broccoli. HA! It was wonderful! But how could I know if it was true when Cascadian Farm is not a brand I knew of. Something I've never seen in my local stores! (Not that I often shop in the frozen broccoli aisle so it might totally be there and I wouldn't know.)

In comes my good friend A who was inspired to investigate! And this weekend she found the culprit broccoli and, together with her entertained new friends at the checkout counter, she was able to locate nine faces. Read more here: It's A Craptastic Life!

Meanwhile - Bread and Honey did a follow up about the broccoli (read here) in which General Mills (broccoli company parent) suggested that the faces would NOT be on the redesign of the package. NOOOOOOO!!!! The faces are most most excellent and I would hate to see them go. (Not that I ever saw them in the first place.) Unspoken tributes are the highlight of a geek's days. And tricky when you can sneak them past your superiors. Back when I was editing sound on a film short my sound designer friend and I upped the level of some roaring white noise when our names appeared on the credit crawl. We're the only two people that know it's there but WE know it's there! And it entertained us to no end.

Plus this has inspired me to put mini faces of myself in all of my design work from here on out.





In other frozen food news I am SOOOO happy to report after nearly two years of constant searching that I have now located a vendor willing and able to sell me STOUFFER'S WELSH RAREBIT. I mean this has been a harrowing journey. I ventured to stores outside of my neighborhood. Grocers with unfamiliar coupons and point systems. Places outside of my zip code! I tracked down corporate headquarters and discussed the food item with store managers. I put ads on Craigslist asking for people to search their neighborhood stores for the Welsh Rarebit that I so covet. I even tracked the item from company (Nestle) to factory (Stouffer's) to distributor to delivery company to store... TO NO AVAIL. Finally, after passing a new store one day I decided, on a whim, to look them up online. YUMMY.COM!!!!!! (Angels sing.) YUMMY.COM (which seems to be a new neighborhood business - a competitor to Pink Dot - filling in where Home Grocer and others like it failed) carries the Rarebit!! At first they only carried it in their Beverly Hills location but they shuffled some stock around (for me) and now also carry it in their Santa Monica store (at Pico and Euclid in Santa Monica). So THANK YOU Yummy.com! I can now feed my frozen cheeze habit once again!! (And it'd go great on that broccoli, come to think of it.)

Found on Current!

This is too funny and so similar to a project I did in school - thus I post.

Feedback and Stickers

Have you ever seen the channel "Current"? Frankly, I think it is awesome. I hate watching the news. I feel that much of it is over my head when it's talking about the world. When it's talking about local things it's merely depressing. Current (the tv channel, not the catalog that sells Christmas cards and wrapping paper) is a news channel for people like me. I want to say it's for "younger" people but I guess I can't claim to be "younger" anymore so I'm gonna make a guess and say that it's targeted to 25-35 year olds. That way I fit in there. :)

The channel itself is designed to be fully interactive - it's like YouTube on TV. But with news. But with USER-GENERATED news. And also user-generated ads. It's a great place to check out if you're a video or filmmaker because you can totally get your stuff on the air if you generate it for the channel. Like MTV it has people that act like VJ's. News Jockeys? NJs? Like YouTube it has a little run time at the bottom of each piece letting you know how much longer the piece is. Most pieces range from 2 minutes to 10 minutes. (Our messed up attention span thanks to MTV and Sesame Street!) It's digestable news by my peers - I can understand it. And I can watch it in small batches when I have only 10 minutes to watch TV.

Current.com is the channel's social site. You can add articles for comments, sign up to be a video maker (by listing your experience with equipment and crew positions), and interact with what goes on the air. If you make it on the air they display your little avatar, screenname and your quote. (Also I love the motion graphics on this channel!)

CURRENTly, the channel is asking for feedback about Proposition 8. I sent my long winded comment in yesterday but you can send your thoughts in at any time. Just send a note to "feedback@current.com" and maybe your comment will make it on the air. You never know who'll see it. Who's mind you might change!

Go to Current.com and look at the bottom right on the footer to see if you get the channel and what number it is.

Also - this website is giving away free Shepard Fairey designed Obama stickers. If you're one of those collectors collecting historic things - you might want one: http://pol.moveon.org/shepstickers/?id=-11840743-FShHT2x&rc=

Nov. 15 - National Protest

On November 15th there will be a national protest against Proposition 8. Check here for the location/event details: http://www.jointheimpact.com/

Petitioning

Because I can't say it better - I quote below:

No matter your opinion on gay marriage, Proposition 8 is about discrimination and elimination of fundamental rights and is therefore unfair and wrong. Never before in California's history has a group, who currently enjoys a basic right, been singled out and then had those rights ripped from them by a vote of their fellow citizens. This decision is so radical and so egregious that every voice must first be heard, no matter how unlikely a changed outcome might be.

Please sign and pass it along.

But please - only sign this petition if you are a California resident.

http://www.petitiononline.com/seg5130/

MEANWHILE - while I was at the hospital and not participating in any important protests... they suggested on the news that it was the large amount of black voters in the state that came out to vote for Obama that ALSO voted Yes on Prop 8. Umm..... hello? Hypocrisy much?

And another MEANWHILE... people keep comparing Obama to Kennedy. Umm ... hello! Kennedy was assassinated... you might want to hush your mouths and knock on some wood.

And once again... MEANWHILE ... the NOonProp8 site has now become the InvalidateProp8.com website. They're now suggesting we donate money and that every time we donate money they'll send a postcard to the leader of the Mormon church since apparently they donated all the money to pay for the ads that convinced people to vote Yes. First of all - their ads were hurtful and dumb and if you had a lick of sense you didn't fall for 'em. So the people that were convinced by those ads were gonna vote Yes anyway IMHO. Secondly, harassing people with an onslaught of mail is just getting into eye for an eye stuff. I think we can be bigger than that. (But then again there was some representative of the church on TV tonight who said something to the effect of, "California voted Yes. The gays need to suck it up." And that makes me want to send a lot of angry postcards to THAT ratbastard.)

Don't get confused!

If you're a California voter I'd just like to take this moment to let you know that a vote in favor of Prop 8 is a vote AGAINST people that you know, that you're friends with, that are members of your family, that you look up to or who look up to you.

It's a vote AGAINST me - as well. I was surprised to learn that some of my friends were confused and thought that to show support for me they had to vote Yes. Don't get confuzzled! Vote No.

(I'm Erin and I approve this message.)

mis·take

mis·take /mɪˈsteɪk/ Pronunciation[mi-steyk]
noun, verb, -took, -tak·en, -tak·ing.
–noun
1. an error in action, calculation, opinion, or judgment caused by poor reasoning, carelessness, insufficient knowledge, etc.
2.

Oct. 29 - Synchronicty

I've been having TONS of synchronistic occurrings as of late. This was today's from breakfast at Coco's.

No on H8

These are seriously awesome. More awesome than the damn boring No on Prop 8 commercials that I donated money to air. (If you're reading this blog I'm most likely preaching to the choir by posting these but JUST IN CASE.)

Haunted tour in Hollywood

A few weeks ago I went on a Haunted Hollywood ghost tour for the first time. It was probably my first touristy tour of Hollywood and it was definitely my first hunt for ghosties in the area. I would link you to the tour company except for the fact that it was wretched! Oy! I could have given a better tour with less knowledge. The tour guide was more interested in dropping names ("During the day I make movies and I just finished one with Mark Wahlberg. " And, "My good friend (dropped name) was telling me that (something inconsequential).") My mother was there as well and she was irritated to the point of seeking out reasons to call him an idiot (she finally found one later in the tour).

Now the knowledge might be interesting and the the guy who took us to our van was super into the whole thing...but the tour guide/driver was boring. And he drove like a maniac.

The best part of the tour was when we told the Bulgarians in the back of our van that they were on a haunted tour. They were like, "We don't believe in ghosts." Then why are you on the haunted tour? "What is haunted?" HA!

But the guide did drive us by Winona Ryder's house (at some point it turned into a celebrity homes tour??)!! And he did take us to the witch house in Beverly Hills. (Then he told us some bullshit story about it's history.)

I don't know if it's really haunted but we took pictures, just in case, to try and capture some orbs. (The house is being fixed up at the moment... thus the fence.)

Here is how most of the pictures I took came out:

There are actually a few orbs in there!

But then I remembered that I had had so much luck with taking a picture of Julie the ghost (in New Orleans) years ago by telling her OUT LOUD that I was there to take her picture - so I decided to do the same at the witch house.

I said, "Hey ghosts. I'm here to take your picture. SAY CHEEEEEESE!!"

And this is the picture I got of them smiling:

That got the "Oh Shit!" response from me. I don't know about you.

Ghost Tours I've been on in the world:

- Jack the Ripper/Haunted tour of London (by bus)
- Jack the Ripper walking tour of London
- Queen Mary (hands down, the best one!)
- French Quarter in New Orleans
- Mummies in a church tour in Ireland
- Stonehenge (I'm counting it even though there was not really a ghost or alien focus)
- Seattle (the most entertaining simply because the tour guide was funny)
- Newport, Rhode Island (eh...not so sure about that one)
- and now Hollywood (Could have been cool... but the guide was lame...I'm considering taking over his position. Even if I suck my enthusiasm trumps his whole tour.)

In other haunted news - I was watching part of the Travel Channel's Most Haunted Live event a week or so ago when they were roaming around Gettysburg. I was manning the webcams and I swear I saw some mysterious things going on!

Compositing!

Last quarter I studied Compositing as an elective. Though I didn't finish it to my full satisfaction - I decided to share my final project anyway!

Be a Millie!

Since I'm an only child I adopted myself some big sisters. Lorre, director of the upcoming MILLIES movie, is one of them. Watch a little behind the scenes magic and become a Millie with me!

Cooler

Today I've been playing with Adobe's Kuler (pronounced "Cooler") site. (Otherwise known as procrastination.)

Here are some fun themes I made today (which are all downloadable and usable in your Adobe CS3 applications) :

• JHorror (the blue and beige I based my current MySpace Halloween page on)
• Bram Stoker's Dracula (grabbed from BSD art)
• Erin by Jenni  (grabbed from a painting JenniPrange.com did of me)
• Raven (grabbed from an image of a raven's wing)
• Suicide Girl Tattoo
  
• Wine Bottle
• Sangria
• Blush Wine
• White Zinfandel
• Merlot
• Fried Green Tomatoes
• Idgie and Ruth

When I was in sad... Engrish cheered up my mind

In Tokyo Lesley and I found this awesome Engrish sign on the wall in "our" station (Nishi-Shinjuku). It was one of the few Engrish signage things I actually found ... most of the random-ass Engrish was on t-shirts and everyday fun items. Well, it turns out that this sign is one of many - it’s a whole campaign of happiness and thanks to Gabriel I was able to see these alternatives:







Now those are entertaining (I think) but most of my Tokyo hilarity came courtesy of the junk souvenirs I bought. (I regret that I sent some out to friends and DIDN’T write down what they said...I should have captured those for posterity! Dangit!) Here are some gems that I KEPT FOR MYSELF:

Fucuckle!! No idea what that means but shout it with glee, my friends! Because the Make-U-Happy Kaori Doll is here! Not much makes ME happier than tiny little smiley black things with skulls.




What does make me happier than scary little wish dolls?? Trees! Definitely, hands-down, trees. Trees help me out when I’m in sad.


But every now and then trees can’t cheer me up and I get down and my muscles get sore. But that’s when I resort to the healtiness of the Pocke-Bow hook.

The plastic massage hook makes me feel safe and cared for somehow.



But the ABSOLUTE BEST PURCHASE I made in Tokyo was this amazing technological invention:



Say it with me... VIRTUAL BUBBLE WRAP!!! Bubble wrap that you can NEVER FINISH POPPING!!! (Unless the battery dies.) This not only has the tactile sensation of popping a bubble wrap bubble - it also makes "the sound." And if you push on it enough - every once in a while you unlock a secret sound. Puppy barks, bells, fart noises. It. Is. Never. Ending. Joy! You can see how much joy it brings just by looking at the packaging!

(I know. You’re jealous.)

Tokyo Times

Last month when I was in Tokyo my gang of travelers and I were stopped by a handful of foreigners (foreign to Japan, that is) in Shibuya on the last night of our trip. Since we'd already agreed to skip the subway (the train shuts down at midnight) and take a cab back to our hotel we decided it wouldn't hurt to hang out with them for a while and chat about Tokyo culture and where to look for panda costumes. It was an interesting moment in life. How often does one get to chat with a bunch of people from France, Italy, Canada and etc. whilst hanging outside of the 7-11 (or as it is known in Japan, the "7 and i Holdings") in Shibuya?



The former-American of the group of foreign guys was this gentleman - Gabriel - who currently lives and works in Tokyo.




Gabriel has a blog about his day to day adventures in Tokyo that I've been reading since we got back. Check it out: New Gabriel Times

And now... before bed... more music.

My favorite song of this week:

My favorite song from two weeks ago:

..

Finals. You know what that means.

Music Video Interlude

I cannot... CANNOT... get this song out of my head.

And since we're on the topic of music from within a movie... here's one of the most beautiful movie music moments I've ever seen.

And now to bring you back up out of the wallow... here's the catchiest groove I've discovered in the past month (and this video fascinates me in its simplicity:

These vids were all from iMeem.com ... my favorite website of the week. If you're on iMeem - add me: http://www.imeem.com/ravie13

And now you know...

Ever wonder about the floating heads? I know I did. And now I no longer have to.

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

Tsukiji Market (fish and produce)

This is a conglomeration of snippets and pix from my recent trip to the Tsukiji Market in Tokyo, Japan.

Our visit to Namjatown!

Oscar Rant

I'm not sure this is really deserving of the title "rant" but anyhoo....

1) Boring. Wow... boring. I miss the shadow people.
2) Jon Stewart .... eh. He didn't suck like Letterman but it just really makes you appreciate Billy and Ellen so much more.
3) The Halle Barre back and forth... not funny. And it went on and on and on like most of the unfunny SNL skits these days.
4) Seriously... could the singing numbers have been more boring?
5) THANKFULLY Atonement won for score and Once won for song and Diablo won for script so the three things I actually cared about (and saw) won.
6) I still miss the Silence of the Lambs year.......(sigh)
7) Where the fuck was Brad Renfro in the Memorium?? (I'm not the only one who noticed: TMZ )
8) The salute to binoculars and periscopes was the funniest thing in the show. That was good... and bad dreams.. also cute. However one of the many montages included montage clips from LAST YEAR'S OSCARS! Is that what they meant by "green Oscars"? Recycled material??

And there ya go..... here's to Brad! (Come to think of it... was Jonathan Brandis ever in a Memorium?? Who else's deaths have they been snubbing? Oscar people - this is how we find out who died! You can't snub people!)

When Feist meets Donnie Darko...

.... you get this video by Bat For Lashes: