So, here we are New Years Eve. The end of a year in my life that started out so bloody awful, that at times I wondered if I was going to get through it. Obviously I made it! And here is why.......since we never really seem to give our proper thanks at Thanksgiving, i'm going to give mine here!!!
Thank you....to every one of the amazing friends I have. The ones who have been with me since we were still in high school, the ones who I left when I moved from Memphis, the ones that I have been close to since my move to CA, and the new ones that make my days brighter. I have always valued the people in my life so highly, and this year you were my salvation.
To have all of you there to cheer me up, or let me be down. To take me out and get me drunk. To let me, just be me. I owe you all. You proved to me that not every one has an evil bastard living in them that is just waiting to rear its ugly head. And I want you all to know how much you mean to me, and my sanity (what little of that there is).
This year there were so many amazing moments, so many monumental events....they may not seem like much, but I found myself again. I had lost bits of myself gradually over the last ten years. I had lost faith in peopIe. I was doubting my own self worth, doubting the ability to be even just ok. I was even doubting those people close to me. When you realize that you may never really know someone, that people can turn on you and you see that you never really knew them. It can be so frightening. I wanted to turn around and say fuck it all. But thanks to all of you I only have to say "Fuck You" to my despair. So in the spirit of year end lists, here is mine to all the wonderful people in my life!!!
To Ally,Jodi, Brandy, Nicole, Courtney, Nathan, Scott, Mia, Eddie, Marcos, Sal, Mikey, Russell, Alan, Danni, Paul, Christina, Angela, Danny, David, Tessa,Linda, Justin, Jeff, Chandra, Tracey, Ben, Heffe, Jessica - thank you for being a friend (insert Golden Girls theme song here)
To Dave - for the NIN listening party a truly emotional experience
To Matt - for buying me Clerks, so I wouldn't be as depressed about losing half of my precious dvd collection....not to mention being my trivia buddy
To Deana and Naomi- for being keeping me company on the Beer Hunter patio on countless occasions...for being great, sarcastic, smart ass women who love to tell me how much they too hate the statement "everything happens for a reason."
To Brian- for hanging out when you knew how much I hated coming home after work.
To Kurtis - for a great time on Halloween
To Liz - for taking me to my first hockey game
To Myra - for taking me on a great weekend that really turned my whole year around
To Mystine - for being someone who I can count on to lift my spirits.
To Meghan - for being my oldest friend, for spending July 4th with me
To Linda - for caring enough to try to keep us all together
To Yuliana - for being my divorce buddy
To Clarice - for a day spent on the patio of The Gallery crying in to our beers
To Becca - for being the most empathetic person I've ever known, and for having the home that I always feel welcome and love to be at
To Bryson - for offering to kick some ass if necessary, and for always bugging me to move back home
To Veronica - for being willing to listen to all my shit at any given time
To Kristin - for being one of the strongest, most courageous women I know, I'm so glad to have you back in my life.
To Jules - for an awesome weekend in Vegas, and for being the one I can call
To Sonia - for the most uplifting care package in the history of the world, for being a great friend even after years of being out of contact
To Ron - for always being the one to come see me
To Rachel - for being the best sister and friend, and for going through everything with me, for taking care of me, for the world
To Krissy - for nights on your patio, for all your advice and concern, and ofcourse for Guitar Hero=)
To Moe - for being my "girlfriend," for always taking me to my car, for being my almost constant companion, for bringing me ribs when I'm too depressed to leave my house
To RJ- for being my garage psychiatrist, and for taking care of my babies, I literally don't know what I would do with out you
To Jacob - for many wonderful weekends, for spending ten thousand hours on the phone, for making me laugh more than anyone in history, for getting me like no one ever has, for loving me for me, and most of all for making my life so much better....
My toast tonight is for all of you....I LOVE YOU!!!!!
Okay, so several months ago I put in a request for almost a full week off for Coachella Fest. I was denied, so I didn't pursue getting tickets. Not even for Sunday, and if you know me you know how big a RAGE fan I am. Anyway, back to the point...the schedule came out yesterday and I have the March 25th through the 30th off!!! And now I don't know what to do. Should I hibernate in a cabin in Big Bear for the weekend, so I run away to AZ? I'm doing something...Any Ideas???
Well if you know me, you know that this day ranks up there with other holidays. Yes, I'm well aware it is not officially a holiday, but in my world.... Fuck the superbowl baby, it's time for OSCAR!!!!!
My predictions:
BEST PICTURE:
will win: Little Miss Sunshine
should win: for me its a tough one, no stellar stand outs this year...i liked The Departed, Little Miss, The Queen, and Babel..(haven't seen Iwo Jima) but none of them made me stand up and cheer....
BEST DIRECTOR:
will win: Martin Scorcese
should win: Martin Scorcese, so that there can no longer be the joke Three Six Mafia 1 - Martin Scorcese 0
BEST ACTOR:
will win: Forest Whitaker
should win: I don't know, if they had nominated Leo for The Departed, I'd have been all over him, but I'm guessing this will be going to the right person this year.
BEST ACTRESS:
will win: Helen Mirren
should win: Helen Mirren, god she rocks in everything, and she was phenomenal in this. My girl Kate Winslet, will get her chance someday.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
will win: Eddie Murphy
should win: Mark Walhberg, i love him and he is no longer to be associated with a Funky Bunch
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
will win: Jennifer Hudson
should win: One of the women from Babel, both were amazing, and Dreamgirls looks like a VH1 movie to me, so lets give the oscar to an American Idol reject and it is all complete.
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE:
will win: Cars
should win: Cars, there were no classic faves for me this year either
BEST SCREENPLAY (ADAPTED):
will win: The Departed
should win: why not, its good shit
BEST SCREENPLAY (ORIGINAL):
will win: Little Miss Sunshine
should win: I have to agree again, I thought it was a great story.
BEST SCORE:
will win: No clue, I'm guessing Babel
should win: If John Williams, Hans Zimmer, James Horner, or Danny Elfman aren't nominated for something it's anyones game, nothing was memorable to me.
BEST ORIGINAL SONG:
will win: "Listen" from Dreamgirls
should win: again, don't care this year
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:
will win: Children of Men
should win: Children of Men
AND NOW THE OTHER AWARDS: If Pirates is nominated in any category, rest assured that is my pick, beyond that these are who I think will take the little gold guy home:
BEST ART DIRECTION: Pan's Labrynth
COSTUME DESIGN: Marie Antionette
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: An Inconvenient Truth
DOCUMENTARY SHORT: Two Hands
FILM EDITING: United 93
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: Pan's Labrynth
MAKEUP: Pan's Labrynth
SHORT FILM (ANIMATED): The Little Matchgirl
SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION): Eramos Pocos
SOUND EDITING: Pirates of the Carribean
SOUND MIXING: Dreamgirls
VISUAL EFFECTS: Pirates of the Carribean
And those are my Oscar picks. I know you don't care as much as me, but hey...one of these days all this senseless movie knowledge is gonna help me..
Scenario: Parents take cute pictures of their 2 year-old playing in the tub.
1965: Parents go to Walgreen's, get them developed, and put them in the child's picture album which is shared with friends and relatives. 2006: Parents reported by Walgreen's to the Police, arrested for child pornography, and child sent to foster care.
Scenario: Jack pulls into school parking lot with rifle in gun rack.
1965: Vice Principal comes over, takes a look at Jack's rifle, goes to his car, and gets his own to show Jack. 2006: School goes into lockdown, FBI called, Jack hauled off to jail and never sees his truck or gun again. Counselors called in for traumatized students and teachers.
Scenario: Johnny and Mark get into a fist fight after school.
1965: Crowd gathers. Mark wins. Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up best friends. Nobody goes to jail, nobody is arrested, nobody is expelled. 2006: Police called, SWAT team arrives, arrests Johnny and Mark. Charge them with assault, both expelled even though Johnny started it.
Scenario: Jeffrey won't be still in class; disrupts other students.
1965: Jeffrey sent to office and given a good paddling by the school principal. Sits still in class from then on. 2006: Jeffrey given huge doses of Ritalin. Becomes a zombie. School gets extra money from state because Jeffrey has a disability.
Scenario: Billy breaks a window in his father's car and his Dad gives him a whipping.
1965: Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to college, and becomes a successful businessman. 2006: Billy's Dad is arrested for child abuse. Billy removed to foster care and joins a gang. Billy's sister is told by state psychologist that she remembers being abused by her Dad, and their Dad goes to prison. Billy's mom has affair with psychologist.
Scenario: Mark gets a headache and his Mother gives him some aspirin to take to school.
1965: Mark's headache persists. He goes to his locker, gets a couple of aspirin and takes them at the water fountain. 2006: Police called, Mark expelled from school for drug violations. Car searched for drugs and weapons.
Scenario: Mary turns up pregnant.
1965: Several high school boys leave town. Mary does her senior year at a special school for expectant mothers. 2006: Middle school counselor calls Planned Parenthood, who notifies the ACLU. Mary is driven to the next state over the border and gets an abortion without her parent's consent or knowledge. Mary given condoms and told to be more careful next time.
Scenario: Pedro fails high school English.
1965: Pedro goes to summer school, passes English, goes to college. 2006: Pedro's cause is taken up by state Democratic party. Newspaper articles appear nationally explaining that teaching English as a requirement for graduation is racist. ACLU files a class action lawsuit against state school system and Pedro's English teacher. English banned from core curriculum as a required course. Pedro is given diploma any way, but ends up mowing lawns and washing dishes for a living because he can't speak English.
Scenario: Jimmy takes apart leftover firecrackers from the 4th of July, puts them in a model airplane paint bottle, blows up a fire-ant hill.
1965: Ants die. 2006: BATF, Homeland Security, FBI called. Johnny charged with domestic terrorism. FBI investigates parents, siblings removed from home, computers confiscated, Johnny's Dad goes on a terror watch list and is never allowed to fly again.
WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED ??!
I read this today and really thought about it, how many further "advancements" do you think we can make? Are we really helping our future generations with all these knew guidelines we live by? Don't get me wrong, I believe that a lot was ignored in previous times. Parents who did beat their kids were overlooked, teenage girls did have dangerous abortions. But I am concerned that we have allowed the authorities to become far to involved in our personal lives. And more "homeland security" laws pass with out us having any control. I want to prevent any future terrorist attacks, and school shootings, and riots, plague, famine, etc... But I don't want to give up all my freedoms and independence from government interference so that I can continue to live in a country that is always watching me!!! I'm afraid that it has gone to far, and we will never get our freedoms back. Your thoughts?
thankful
impressed
hopeful
contemplative
