Not Quite There

Look what Steve sent me!

Posted by Ann at 12:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Series finales usually leave a bitter taste in my mouth. They're almost always open-ended and are never a culmination of how great the show (i.e. Friends, Sex and the City, Seinfeld) truly is. Last night's series finale of Six Feet Under changed my mind. The finely crafted closing montage answered all our questions. HBO.com even has obituaries for all the main characters on SFU's webpage. I didn't really start watching the show regularly until the fifth season, but since my roomate watched it every week, I quickly caught on. The writing is superb, and I just love how fucked up all the characters are. It's taken us through many controversial subjects, including coming out, incest, drug use and gay adoption. SFU also highlighted the subject of death—a subject most television shows avoid all together. I'm going to miss watching this show every Sunday.

Here's to Six Feet Under

Posted by Ann at 10:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Please tell me I'm not the only one that wants to slap the shit out of those kids on MTV's My Super Sweet 16! Last week's episode featured Sophie, a fat, ugly and bitchy spoiled brat from Florida. Her mother spent $180,000 on her Moulin Rouge-style birthday bash, all Sophie did was complain! She even hired a stylist to help her pick a dress (which looked hideous on her)! On top of that, she had the nerve to tell her mother, "Don't say the world doesn't revolve around me, because today it does." Who raises kids like that? Take that money and do something useful with it like pay off my college loans! Or better yet, feed a starving village in Africa! I hope someone gives Sophie a much needed wake-up call that the world does not involve around her! As much as I cringe at the spoiled teens on that series, I have to say that it is definitely one of my guilty pleasures.

Hey Sophie, you're a bitch, you're fat and you're ugly—get it?

Posted by Ann at 09:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ha ha ha ha ha ha! What do you think?

Blogger's note: Sorry kids, had to put up a censored version from omgblog.com so we don't get a C & D letter, but I do have a copy of the full frontal version at home!!

Posted by Ann at 12:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A snippet of an AIM conversation I just had:

PChoses: vjarmy.com/ann
BooMBooM311: ?
PChoses: go to that website
BooMBooM311: i did
PChoses: it's my blog, doof
BooMBooM311: whats a blog?

A blog, my dear, is short for weblog, an online journal of sorts:

blog (WeBLOG) A Web site that contains dated entries in reverse chronological order (most recent first) about a particular topic. Functioning as an online journal, blogs can be written by one person or a group of contributors. Entries contain commentary and links to other Web sites, and images as well as a search facility may also be included. A blog with video clip entries instead of text is a "video Weblog" (see vlog).).

blog Although some blogs invite feedback and comments from visitors, Internet newsgroup discussions, which started long before the Web, tend to be more question-and-answer oriented (see newsgroup).

That's it for today kids.

Posted by Ann at 12:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Target has been taking over the hip, artsy fartsy, literatti scene, smothering its logo everywhere, from P.S. 1's Warm-Up and using Isaac Mizrahi to make high fashion affordable, to taking out every inch of ad space in the latest New Yorker. I've always loved Target, but this is just overkill! Have you seen those medicine bottles? Slate's Bryan Curtis explains: "Discount retail goes to The New Yorker"

Posted by Ann at 11:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last night I checked out DJ Rekha's monthly party, Basement Bhangra at S.O.B.'s. We opted to go around 7 for the $5 reduced admission and the unlimited mojitos from 7-8. Much to our disappointment, the mojitos turned out to be a syrupy slush of artificial lime and mint flavoring and a tiny bit of rum served in small glasses. Plus, the Bhangra was nowhere to be heard. After an hour of waiting around and laughing at some strange man stretching out every inch of his body, the dance lesson started at 9, which made it all worth it. I've always dreamed of dancing it up Indian style, and I finally got to learn. It wasn't easy. I have yet to master bouncing my shoulders up and down while doing all sorts of movements, but with a little practice, I hope I'll get it some day. One day, I'm going to partying it up Bhangra style at an Indian wedding.

Posted by Ann at 09:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

With the recent wave of drug deaths in New York City, I'm starting to wonder if heroin chic is going to make a big comeback. 11 people have died in the past week of overdoses in every borough except for Queens. Detectives are baffled because they aren't sure if the deaths are due to speedballing or a tainted batch of heroine. What baffles me is why the media is all over this. If the two beautiful coeds didn't die, would the media still be talking about the derelict overdoses?

Will people be shooting up in Tompkins Square Park again?

Posted by Ann at 09:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Gaby just told me she heard that this search engine is supposed to be better than google. Take a look for yourself: A9.com

Posted by Ann at 03:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chaos in Gaza

Posted by Ann at 02:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This summer I've spent a good amount of my Thursday nights planted in front of my television watching Hooking Up, part documentary, part reality show, that follows the struggles of 11 single women in New York as the try to find love on the Internet. I actually came across one of the guys' profiles on nerve.com. Check out Sam, the weirdo polygamist that dated Maryam.

Posted by Ann at 03:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ever have the urge to reveal your deepest, darkest secrets? Just send a postcard to PostSecret at:

13345 Copper Ridge Rd
Germantown, Maryland
USA 20874-3454

Or if you want to play voyeur to someone else's inner hiding place, check out www.postsecret.blogspot.com

Bet you don't feel like such a freak after all, right?

Posted by Ann at 03:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This one goes out to anyone that's ever worked in the service industry. You know how it is: shitty pay, the shitty bosses, the shitty customers, and the shitty work.

www.shamelessrestaurants.com

Posted by Ann at 02:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Irving Penn's eye has always impressed me. He took the nomal, everyday mundane and turned it into something extraordinary. Yesterday I caught Irving Penn: Platinum Prints at the National Gallery of Art. The exhibit featured about 83 platinum prints of his greatest works including portraits of Pablo Picasso, The Greatful Dead and Alberto Giacometti. It also featured ethnographic shots of people from Peru, Spain and New Guinea, along with shots of Haute Couture collections as well as ordinary items like cigarette butts and trash. The detail and light in his work always accentuated the best features of all his subjects, whether alive or inanimate. I loved the variety of his subject matter.

Pablo Picasso by Irving Penn

Posted by Ann at 04:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I've always envied Rachel Ray's job. She gets to travel around the world, make all her meals in just thirty minutes, cook at the homes of B-list celebrities and best of all, and eat for $40 a day! While I was in DC this weekend I followed in her footsteps and ate at Clyde's of Georgetown, simple good food, served in a friendly atmosphere. Unfortunately we had to wait over an hour and a half for our table on Saturday night, but I guess that's the same as any popular joint on a Saturday. The beet and goat cheese salad, mixed with tangerine segments, candied walnuts on a bed of arugula was delicious, while the crabcakes were too soft and moist, a bit undercooked if you ask me. The keg was also kicked for the pint of Foggy Bottom I requested, and it was replaced with another local DC beer (okay, shoot me, I forgot its name!), which was okay. All in all, it was not worth the wait. I think I would have been better off saving my visit for a less busy time. And btw, I spent about $28 on my meal, so I think I would have went over my $40 a day quota.

Clyde's

Posted by Ann at 04:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Poor Riley. He really has no clue:

Hi, my name is riley, and im moving to NYC on the august 19th, and im looking for a room to rent, i only have a spending limit of $300, since im going to be moving there and will be looking for a job, if you want more i can work for the rest, i can clean, cook (a lil bit), handy work, sewing/decorating, i can do almost anything. I am also an openly gay male,If you have a place and willing to negociate rent, please email me, looking for a safe place.

I seriously don't know what the kid is thinking. $300 rent in New York in 2005?! I'm pretty sure that he's not planning to live way up there in the Bronx or way east in Queens or Brooklyn. Honey, get a clue! If you want to pay $300/month for a room, go to the midwest. Nobody cares if you're looking for a job! Why don't you either save up money before you move so you can afford more than $300/month, or get your parents to pay your way like the rest of us?

So come on, who wants to "help" this innocent young man out?

Craigslist: $300 - 21, respectful, kind male, moving to NYC with references

Posted by Ann at 09:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yesterday I attended an opening for a photo exhibit at the United Nations entitled, CHASING THE DREAM. It showcased photographs by young people from eight locations around the globe. Each one focused on a different Millenium Development Goal. I realized how lucky I am, even though sometimes I don't feel that way. I felt ridiculous longing to do stupid things like buy overpriced jeans and eat at fancy restaurants, while these young men and women long for life's basic neccessities: food, water, shelter and love. Kofi Annan's wife, Nane, spoke, and R&B legend Roberta Flack performed. We also had the fortune of seeing two of the photographers speak: Jason, a 19-year old from Jamaica that contracted HIV as an adolescent as a result of unsafe sex and Urieia, 19, from Brazil, who grew in such poverty that she was denied acceptance to university despite her high scores because of her area of residence.

Posted by Ann at 10:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Romain Duris, not the chick

Posted by Ann at 10:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Why the hell do I pay over $100 for a pair of jeans? I love my Citizens of Humanity jeans, but give me a break! I shouldn't be spending so much on my meager salary. Slate brings us some good news today. Looks like the denim bubble is about to burst! I hope people start joining my plight to refuse to pay over $100 for jeans that cost almost nothing to make!

Slate: The Denim Bubble: Is the $300-jeans market about to crash

Posted by Ann at 09:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

You know that feeling you get when you meet a new girl and she's really cool? No, you don't want to bed her, you just want her to become your new bff. Stephanie Rosenbloom goes over the virtues of hetero female crushes in today's NYT.

Posted by Ann at 09:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ranch dressing. The sound of those words bring images of dipping french fries from Wendy's in middle school into a splotch of Hidden Valley Ranch on my tray. Oh the sastisfying deliciousness of ranch. But where did this dressing, with its perfect combination of creamy, tangy and savory come from? Why is it only popular in America? Why do more people order it in California than New York? Slate's Brendan I. Koerner teaches us the history of this condiment.

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Ranch Dressing: Why do Americans love it so much?

Posted by Ann at 09:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I spent the whole weekend moving my body to some incredible beats. I forgot how wonderful that feeling was. Saturday, I trekked to Long Island City and hit up P.S. 1. I started my evening dancing to Stacey Pullen, then we made it up the steps, right in front of the dj booth. I felt so good looking down the crowd, feeling the energy (as well as Target's obvious presence as one of its sponsors). The next day I went to Central Park Summer Stage to check out M.I.A., along with DJ Rekha, Diplo and Mr. Vegas. The crowd was quite lively despite the horrid heat! There was plenty of eye candy dancing around to the music.

Posted by Ann at 12:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)