Zig-A-Zig-WHAT?

OK, when I found out about the Spice Girls concert, I was so excited. I never saw them in concert when they were big like 10 years ago, and discovered that all of my friends were carrying around that emotional scar as well. Now, as what technically qualifies as adults, we could afford the tickets, didn’t need parental supervision, and *BONUS* could drink.

Tickets were an ungodly amount that I wont disclose, except to say that the price we paid was more than I feel comfortable with, and we were still in the nosebleeds. Like whoa. Bleeding noses all over the place. Also, in case you don’t know. The Verizon Center nosebleed seats are angled in such a way as to create a very real fear of falling to your death. The angle down from our seats was so severe that one could not differentiate individual seats, even 5 rows down, it was all just a wide slide of terror.

Emily had decided to wear the crazy 8 inch platform sneakers, so she was our main concern in keeping her from death. She called her boyfriend to ease her fear and he said, “c’mon, its not that bad. The Grand Canyon is deeper”

The show ended up starting almost and hour and a half late. It was scheduled to start at 7:30, but didn’t start until roughly 9. While waiting for le Spices, we were “entertained” by the top 40 hip hop songs on a looped CD. I swear, if I see another skinny 13 year old wiggle along to “Umberella” I’m going to puke.

And that was another thing. The crowd was made up of people my age, understandably, but also 13 year old girls. They can’t remember when the Spices were big, they would have been 3 years old! How on earth did they A) know who the hell the Spice Girls were and B) get tickets? End of Rant

When the Spices did take the stage it was all that I hoped for and more! Well, maybe not more, but certainly all that I hoped for. They did some of their Uber Big numbers and moved into less well known songs from their one album without Ginger. Those weren’t as fun for me because they were songs I didn’t know, but I bounced and screamed or swayed along.

Each Spice did a solo number, Ginger sang “Its raining men”, Baby sang “Maybe”, Scary sang “Are you gonna go my way”*, Sporty sang her solo single “I turn to you” and Posh just walked the catwalk in a Roberto Cavalli little dress. Oddly, she may have gotten the biggest applause.

*Scary’s “are you gonna go my way” featured pulling a poor man out of the audience and chaining him into a cage that she then crawled over and gyrated on. I asked Emily if she would be OK with the Fiance being serviced by a Spice Girl and she thought it over for a second and said, “sure”.

The big moment for me came at the end of the show. They had yet to sing “wannabe” which was their big hit in the US, the song that encapsulates all things Spice for most young girls in middle school. It’s the ‘girl power’ anthem! So we were beginning to get antsy as it was clear that the show was coming to a close and as of yet, no “Wannabe” but then, during one of their odd banter moments, Scary looked out at the audience and says “Washington DC, I have a question. Zig-A-Zig- What??” I lost my shit! But no one else got it. She asked again “Zig-A-Zig WHAT????” At this point I was screaming so much that my vocal chords simply shut down. No noise was coming out, but did I let that stop me? NO! What I wanted more than anything was to “Zig-A-Zig-Ah” with the Spice Girls. It was the moment that I was most looking forward to, and here it was! when they did start the intro the whole crowd lost it, but I felt lovely in being able to anticipate because I can decipher a Leeds accent.

The whole night was one for the books, the girls looked beautiful, they sang songs that really defined my little middle school self, they preach ‘girl power’ the right that women have to be powerful as opposed to subservient, and they do it all in great shoes.

*note* Many of the photos here are stolen outright from Felicia Herzog, as she had much better seats. Eventually I will try to post my CrapCam® photos, but for now, Felicia's are the best ever!

What's the Difference?

Almost a year ago 32 people died at Virginia Tech. It was a horrible act and a horrible time for all of us on the east coast, especially here in Virginia. Many of my friends knew people who died, myself included. Funerals and wakes are odd places to reconnect with lost high school friends, and though we all miss Max and wish she was there, it felt to me more like a mini reunion. Of course the funeral itself was heart wrenching, but otherwise we all went to Glory Days and had drinks and a few laughs.

I knew about the VT shootings as they were happening. I was getting ready for the day and my roommate looked up from her computer as I was fixing my hair. She looked odd and said “There was a shooting at Tech, a couple people were killed”. I didn’t really react right away, instead saying, “That’s awful, lets go to lunch”. When we got to the dining hall the televisions were on, and as we passed them, the numbers started to spike. From 9 to 30 dead? What is going on? CNN must have it wrong. 30 dead? Really? That can’t be right, they probably mean 3. typo, yeah, that’s it. Except that wasn’t it. And no one could look away from the televisions. It wasn’t the tense eerily silent atmosphere of 9-11, people were still talking and eating and being in college, but glances kept moving to the tvs. Those tvs were always on the price is right or espn the entire time I was in college, but that day they were all on news outlets. Every single one.

I mention this not to relive those moments, or the moments returning to my room when the sheer enormity of the violence hit me. I bring this up because 6 people are dead at Northern Illinois University. And I didn’t know. I mean, there was some buzz, but no one I know was affected directly, so there was no need for me to pay any special attention. So I didn’t. But then I read my aunt’s blog today and I started to think about the fact that I didn’t pay attention. Was it because no one I knew was involved? Or was it because the campus itself is so far removed from me? Even if Maxine had survived, the tech shootings were a very real part of my world. So why was the Illinois shooting not worth my time?

People will claim that the Tech shootings got more publicity because more people were killed, but though that may be true, it is not justified. The people killed in Illinois had just as many people who loved them as those in Virginia. Is it a Midwest thing? My mother would rail that the Midwest is maligned by the coasts, and that could be why. There are too many possibilities as to why Illinois has been “less” newsworthy, at least in my circles. Its just sad.

“The shooting was the fourth at a U.S. school within a week. On Feb. 8, a woman shot two fellow students to death before committing suicide at Louisiana Technical College in Baton Rouge. In Memphis, a 17-year-old is accused of shooting and critically wounding a fellow student Monday during a high school gym class. The 15-year-old victim of a shooting at an Oxnard, Calif., junior high school has been declared brain dead.”

What I miss about college

I miss lots of things about college, waking up at noon, going to class for 2 hours and then doing nothing for the rest of the day, midnight trips to Target/Wal Mart, but mostly what I miss is my sassy English Professor Dr. Peyser. Peyser is so ornery that you just have to laugh. I took to making a list of Peyser Quotes in the back of my notebooks and rereading them whenever I needed a laugh. Luckily for me, though I can no longer get those quotes firsthand, my friend Amy is still in school and is taking a Peyser class. So she has been sending me his quotes.

Here are the first two rounds.

Peyser and Herman Melville and the Romantics:

"It was a spur of the moment thing and it ended in tragedy"

"When Hitler looked at this picture who do you think he thought this guy was?... Hitler!"

"Who cares about culture I'm going to the turkey shoot"

"There's the place in the Thames where Elizabeth and Exeter, blah, blah, blah and a boat."

"Do you think Dickens would be here? No he would be in the City! Balzac? I spit on Balzac!"


Describing his former student-teacher relationship with Professor Parker: "I'm his creature"

On Emerson: "Hitler could read this with Pleasure, so could Obama"


I'll have to look around a little and find my old binders with Peyser Quotes. they are just too funny!

Yes, we can.

I will say nothing to this video except to post the comments by the hip-hop artist "Will.I.Am"



I was sitting in my recording studio watching the debates
Torn between the candidates. I was never really big on politics and actually I’m still not big on politics but 4 years ago, me and the black eyed peas supported Kerry. And we supported Kerry with all our might. We performed and performed and performed for the DNC doing all we could do to get the youth involved. The outcome of the last 2 elections has saddened me on how unfair, backwards, upside down, unbalanced, untruthful, corrupt, and just simply, how wrong the world and politics are.

So this year i wanted to get involved and do all i could early. And i found myself torn because this time it’s not that simple. our choices aren’t as clear as the last elections, last time it was so obvious:
Bush and war
vs
no Bush and no war

But this time it’s not that simple and there are a lot of people that are torn just like i am. So for awhile I put it off and i was going to wait until it was decided for me. And then came New Hampshire.

And i was captivated. Inspired.

I reflected on my life, and the blessings I have, and the people who fought for me to have these rights and blessings. And I’m not talking about a black thing I’m talking about a human thing me as a person, an American.

That speech made me think of Martin Luther King. Kennedy. Lincoln. and all the others that have fought for what we have today. what America is "supposed" to be.

freedom.
equality.
and truth.

and thats not what we have today we think we are free, but in reality terror and fear controls our decisions. this is not the America that our pioneers and leaders fought and died for. and then there was New Hampshire.

It was that speech, like many great speeches that one moved me because words and ideas are powerful. It made me think and realize that today we have very few leaders, maybe none

but that speech.

it inspired me
it inspired me to look inside myself and outwards towards the world
it inspired me to want to change myself to better the world
and take a leap towards change
and hope that others become inspired to do the same
change themselves
change their greed
change their fears
and if we change that
then hey
we got something right?

1 week later after the speech settled in me I began making this song I came up with the idea to turn his speech into a song because that speech effected and touched my inner core like nothing in a very long time. it spoke to me. because words and ideas are powerful. I just wanted to add a melody to those words I wanted the inspiration that was bubbling inside me to take over.

so i let it.

I wasn't afraid to stand for something to stand for change I wasn't afraid of fear it was pure inspiration. so I called my friends, and they called their friends, in a matter of 2 days, We made the song and video.

then we put it on the net for the world to feel.

When you are truly inspired, magic happens, incredible things happen, love happens. (and with that combination) love, and inspiration, change happens. change for the better. Inspiration breeds change. Positive change.

no one on this planet is truly experienced to handle the obstacles we face today; Terror, fear, lies, agendas, politics, money, all the above. It’s all scary.

Martin Luther King didn't have experience to lead.
Kennedy didn't have experience to lead.
Susan B. Anthony.
Nelson Mandela.
Rosa Parks.
Gandhi.
Anne Frank.
and everyone else who has had a hand in molding the freedoms we have and take for granted today, no one truly has experience to deal with the world today, they just need desire, strength, courage ability, and passion to change, and to stand for something even when people say it's not possible.

America would not be here today if we didn’t stand and fight for change yesterday. Everything we have as a people is because of the people who fought for change, and whoever is the President has to realize we have a lot of changing to do.

I'm not trying to convince people to see things how i do, I produced this song to share my new found inspiration and how I've been moved. I hope this song will make you feel, love, and think, and be inspired just like the speech inspired me.

that’s all.


Yes we can...
A United "America"
Democrats, Republicans and Independents together
Building a new America

Danger Will Robinson!

This Site is very dangerous for me. It plays to two things I am passionate about. The Environment and footwear!

Simple Shoes is a company that makes all of their shoes using renewable or recycled materials. For instance, all of their shoe bottoms are made from recycled car tires. Yes, you heard me, car tires. Their ethos is " The nice little shoe company getting in touch with its inner hippie."

Made at a small factory in Santa Barbara California, these are some people I could really hang with! The site has animations of the factory, complete with an "emergency surf break" button.

PLUS! they are currently running a sale wherein all orders in the continental US have free shipping. FREE. doesnt cost anything.

The shoes themselves are a little more costly than perhaps they should be, but to me that isnt a factor. Once mainstream America realizes that there is a tidy profit to be made on recycled materials or more ethically produced materials, more will be made. And that is nothing but good.

PLUS, their "toepeeka" flip flops donate $5 from each pair sold to StopGlobalWarming.org, an organization committed to spreading the word on the very real threat of global warming, and have organized a march to that effect.

Basically this is an awesome website, and I expect to see everyone I know in a pair of these shoes in the near future! I know I'll be rocking a few!

Mardi Gras

Well that snuck up on us didn’t it?! Yes, today is fat Tuesday, the day of gluttony before a month of penance. Instead of focusing on that though, I want to tell all of you who don’t know about the awesomeness of the HBO show “Flight of the Conchords”.

Here we have some of their jewels.

French

Key Quote: “Parlais vous Fraincais?” “…non”

Love Tape

Key Quote: Love is like a roll of tape
It's real good for making two things one
But just like that roll of tape
Love sometimes breaks off before you were done

Frodo

Key Quote: Frodo don't wear the ring,
The magical bling bling,
You'll never be the Lord of the Rings...

Friday Fun

A group of dancers found out something all London Underground (or really any subway system) travellers already knew: the best you'll get for doing the full length Thriller dance is a few people pretending they're not watching you and a polite, restrained round of slightly underwhelmed applause. Hilarious.

All together now: AWWWW