3 posts tagged “in memoriam”

The first album I ever bought was a Jacksons album.  I didn't really have to buy music in my house because my mother had/has a record collection (and later CD collection) that could rival Wolfman Jack.  But I remember that 2300 Jackson Street came out when I was in middle school, and I bought the album at a summer fair.  I have no idea where that album is today, but you always remember your first music purchase and your first concert.

I was telling gamany via twitter that I used to know all the choreography for "Thriller", "Beat It", "Bad", and "Remember the Time".  So when the videos came on, I would perform along with the dancers in my living room.  And I had every step down in the "Smooth Criminal" video except that lean forward.

It's unfortunate that some people have trouble praising him today without criticizing or slamming him first.  Michael Jackson grew up in the public eye and spent 25 years being lavished with love from strangers and the last 15 years being damned as a pariah from the same strangers.  In the face of it all, he always had my respect as an artist and my sympathy as a man who clearly suffered from some profound psychology problems.  But he never earned my hatred or disdain, no matter how often people insisted he should.

Today, I say to hell with the haters. People are coming together all over to remember how he influenced their lives, and that's the greatest gift he ever gave us.

Hey Ladies and Gents!  I'm just stopping in to wave a quick hello and give a brief update on my, dare I say it, so-called life.  [Note to self: Beg for forgiveness for lame reference to overrated '90s teen soap opera.]  Anywho, I hope everyone who celebrates Solstice, Christmas, Hanukah, and Kwanzaa, had a festive and memorable two weeks.  And I hope the New Year brings everyone a bigger and brighter future! 

Yeah, I know the economy sucks, businesses are treating employees like it's 1935, the masses are depressed and frustrated, and the self-appointed prognosticators have declared that the end is nigh.  Well, I say, screw them.  We (and by we, I mean me, the nation, and the world; individually and collectively) have seen worse times.  Maybe not necessarily in the same order, but we have been through worse.  Trust me.  Life is full of peaks and valleys, and anyone telling you to hold up in some underground cave or hop on a ship to The Solomons displays not only a complete lack of courage, but an arrogant misunderstanding of history, economics, world politics, and life in general.

The way I see it, at the end of the day, you have two choices: Give up or keep trying.  Not that profound, is it?  But the truth doesn't need a fancy bow.  A person can pour over every news source that comes down the pike and digest every word by every pundit and "expert" they choose, but at the end of the day, that person isn't going to walk away with any other options than when they started.  Give up or keep trying.  That's the only thing you have control over.  That's my little pearl for the New Year.

I have no job, no place to call my own, and the journey ahead to figure out what it is I'm going to do with the next 40, 50 years of my life is going to be arduous to say the least.  But I have family, friends, and access to opportunities that millions would crave.  I know that at the end of the day, despite the tears and trepidation, I'll be okay.  Why?  Because that's all I ever had.  Believe me, I've been through some shit folks (things I don't typically share with people who've known me less than 30 years) and I may not be where I want to be in life, but I know I'm better off than where I was.  And that says a lot in my book.

Okay, this entry was supposed to be a wee bit inspiring, and it's now dipped deep into Dead Poets' Society territory.  ::shudders::

On to something superficial!!  I had about $27 to my name before Christmas, so on the 23rd, I ducked out of the house and headed to the local WallsMart (misspelling intentional) and bought my mother a pair of house slippers that she desperately needed in this drafting abode.  I also bought my stepfather some nice headphones that hook around your ears from the back to go with his new birthday iPod.  He complained about the ear buds -- which I also loathe -- not fitting in his ears well and how they become a nuisance as the day drags on in the warehouse.  For those that don't know, my stepfather drives a forklift for a living.  For a man of his age and experience, he should be managing a shift instead of driving the lifts, but that's another rant story.

So, I was able to wrap the gifts in some of my Mom's Christmas paper and hand them out on Christmas Day with everyone else.  Yay!  I'm giving.  I also prepared and addressed all of my Mom's Christmas cards.  She kept putting it off, so I sat down the Sunday before Christmas and got them all together for her to mail at work that Monday.  I don't think most of them arrived in time for the holiday, but so far, no one has objected to our tardiness.  :-)  As for me, I received a nice $50 Visa gift card that I can use anywhere and a lovely, black wooden writing desk from my folks.  Truthfully, I'm surprised I received anything considering how much they've helped me out these past 6 months, but I am eternally grateful.  My mother said that no writer should be without a desk, and since I had to leave mine behind in L.A., she wanted to get me another one to replace it.  Awwwww.  :-D

I don't have any big plans for New Year's Eve.  I'll probably just watch TV and do the countdown with the East coast like I hoped.  I do need to get off of here and clean a little bit before the folks get home, though.  It's the least I can do.

Let's see.  Is there anything else?

Oh yeah, I'm in the process of taking my twists down.  I hope to finish tonight before the ball drops.  Of course, my mother is freaking out because she's afraid of my natural nappy hair being exposed to the world.  You know what I mean.  She's all worried I won't be able to get a job without at least having braids or stylish twists in my hair.  She even offered me a wig.  ::rolls eyes::  That, ladies and gents, is generations of mainstream society telling African-American women to be ashamed of their natural beauty.  So I'm not mad at her, but it does annoy.

In more tragic news, I read that we lost the magnificent and forever radiant Eartha Kitt on Christmas Day.  You will be missed, Ms. Eartha.  Not only were you the quintessential Catwoman, your voice is the main reason I watch The Emperor's New School.  In your 81 years, you never stopped.  You were a constant inspiration.  And even though we all must go home when we're called, my heart hurts to know you're not here with us anymore.

Furious Improvisation: How the WPA and a Cast of Thousands Made High Art out of Desperate Times

Susan Quinn

★★★★

In more shallow news, I'm reading a cool nonfiction work detailing the Federal Theatre Project, a WPA program that was started to help put actors, artists, musicians, and writers back to work during the Great Depression.  It's Called Furious Improvisation: How the WPA and a Cast of Thousands Made High Art Out of Desperate Times by Susan Quinn.  So far, it's a really good read that eerily reveals a mismanaged government system that easily mimics our current economic and electoral predicament.  As the old folks say, "There's nothing new under the sun."  That being said, we are no where the same level of economic devastation in the early 1930s prior to the New Deal.  We're talking about a nation that suffered a 30% unemployment rate, wherein some cities like Cleveland and Toledo endured 50% unemployment.  According to Quinn, following the Crash of 1929, approx. 20,000 workers lost their jobs every day in every work week for the first 3 years of the Great Depression.  Honey, that's misery the surviving generations do not know.  I'm about 3/5 of the way through; I slowed down I started taking my braids/twists down.  I was inspired to read this little tome after watching Tim Robbins' Cradle Will Rock about a month ago.  The book gives a less sentimental retelling of the story, but a far more detailed one.  If you're not interested in reading the book, give the movie a gander.  You might enjoy it.  It stars John Turturro, Susan Sarandon, John Cusack, Bill Murray, Angus McFadyen, Cary Elwes, Hank Azaria, Ruben Blades, Joan Cusack, Cherry Jones and Vanessa Regrave.

Okay, I think that's all I have for now.  I have to get cracking on my to-do list.  I'll be back in the New Year with more incendiary diatribes and mid-life crisis-wannabe navel-gazing.  Here's hoping your New Years is happy and bright!  Au revoir.

Wow.  It's ... well, it's been awhile, hasn't it?  I haven't forgotten about you.  I've just been preoccupied with things.  You know, things.  There always seems to be a thing.  I had planned to catch you all up over the long Memorial Day weekend, but, again with the things.  No hard feelings, I hope.  I'm sure you've all found a bit of fun and fancy to keep you busy during my absence.  No?  Well, that's just sad.  And here I thought I was the spinster.  :-P

Didn't you just miss those little emoticons?

Hmm, what do I want to tell you?  There's been a lot going on.  Even before I disappeared from the ethernet.  There was quite a bit going on that I didn't have the energy or time to talk or write about.  Now, looking back, it just seems too engrossing to put down in the form of the written word.  Hmmm. Well, enough of the drama.  In the words of Indigo Montoya, "Let me explain.  No, there is too much.  Let me sum up."  This is by no means in chronological order.  Nor is it in order of importance.  It's just what I feel like sharing at this time. 

I just came back from the 8:30 pm show of Sex & the City and I'm running on adrenaline, caffeine, and happy.  Happy in the form of a damn good film that does its performers justice and puts the perfect cap on a wonderful TV series.  If you're a fan of the show, go. love. enjoy.  The film deserves a mountain of praise and adoration.  More on that later.  Maybe.

My apartment is junky and atrocious, as usual.  I had hoped to do a lot of spring cleaning over the Memorial Day weekend, especially since my company gives us the Friday off before Labor Day and Memorial Day, so everyone gets a 4-day weekend.  Well, I had a job interview on Thursday morning, so I decided to take some much needed and deserved time off, and took a vacation day on that Thursday; therefore, treating myself to a 5-day weekend.  I kept myself pretty busy the entire time, but little of it was devoted to cleaning.  I think I washed dishes once, but I did 3 loads of laundry.  So: Yay me!

And that's a lot considering I went on a job interview, unbraided half of my twists in preparation for my hair appointment, took Lafayette in for an oil change and wheel alignment maintenance, got my hair did, finished my Molly Ivins book, began my Al Franken book, started a new celebrity obsession, continued my job search online, saw 2 movies, went grocery shopping, and paid a few bills without completely succumbing to a terrible cold that's lasted for well over a week.  That's pretty damn good if I may say so myself.

Let's see.  What else.  I've missed 3 weeks of Jazz class because I pulled a muscle in my neck.  Well, I missed 2 weeks of class because of the pulled muscle, and 1 week because of the bad cold.  Honestly, I went through a whole box of Contac cold & flu medicine with daytime and nighttime remedies in less than 7 days.  I'm still not a 100%, but I'm a lot better.  I only missed 1 Hip Hop class.  I went back today.  The routine was just right for me, under the circumstances.  Nothing too strenuous or demanding.  Hopefully I won't be sore tomorrow, because I hope to check out that Capoeira class at noon. It just started a couple weeks ago, but I needed to let my body repair itself before I took on any more activities.  If I don't go tomorrow, hopefully, I'll make it in next Sunday.

Even though I'm still financially off-kilter, I hope to take in Pest Control at the NoHo Arts Center this week as well.  I admit I've been interested in seeing it since I first heard about the play in early April.  There's an 8 pm show for $25 on Thursday, which is cheaper than the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday shows.  The only person I've heard of in the cast is Cleavant Derricks, who, in a weird twist of fate, co-starred with my current celebrity obsession in a little TV series back in the '90s.

Well, since we're on the subject, and the act of typing this incredibly boring entry is keeping me away from watching another episode of the show on Hulu.com, I might as well share.  Hold on.  I like this song that just came up in my iTunes shuffle rotation.

::steps away from computer to dance around living room::

Okay, that took me back.  What was I talking about?  Oh yeah.

Not every celebrity obsession is about physical attraction, of course.  It's always been about an appreciation of talent, first and foremost.  But, hey, if the actor in question just happens to be a hottie as well, more fun for me.  So keep that in mind, and don't freak out when I tell you he thespian in question.  My current re-discovery of an actor I've always liked, but never really gave his due is one Mr. John Rhys-Davies.  That's Gimli from LOTR to some of you.  Sallah from the Indiana Jones trilogy to others.  Macbeth from Gargoyles, Maximilian Arturo from Sliders, and that big guy with the beard and loud, booming voice from a countless number of other films and animated TV series. 

What sparked this new obsession, you ask?  Well, remember how I kind of have a thing for Jason Statham?  Yeah, well, it turns out I'll pretty much watch anything with him in it.  Hey, don't judge me.  I discovered a little indie gem called London because Jason was in it, despite it also featuring Jessica Biel, whom I neither like nor understand how she gets so much work.  Anyway, earlier this year, the infamously bad director who lives to make all gamers cry, Uwe Boll, released a film called In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale. It starred Jason along with a slew of talented actors who were much better in pretty much everything else they've ever been in: Burt Reynolds, Ray Liotta, Claire Forlani, Ron Perlman, Leelee Sobieski, and John Rhys-Davies. 

Now, I've seen or heard JRD in I don't know how many films and TV shows over the years, and although I've always enjoyed his performances, there was something about the character of Merick, the King's magus, in this film that made me look at him differently.  I think it was the whole father-daughter relationship.  When I thought about it, I realized I've so rarely seen JRD play a parent, let alone a father with a daughter.  I think JRD and Sobieski's relationship was one of the more interesting elements of the film.  I found myself wishing the movie had explored their relationship more.  I haven't seen a lot of Leelee's work, but I thought she had one of the better performances in the film.

So as most of my obsessions go, I now have to rent and/or borrow anything that JRD has been in, read every interview and sci-fi convention report I can find online, and scour YouTube for any little gems like this blooper reel from Sliders.  :-)  I've already watched my copy of LOTR:TTT again, but I don't have the Extended Edition with the commentary.  Enter Kathy.  The lovely, sweet, darling Kathy, who was so kind to loan me her Serenity Collector's Edition DVD with the cast commentary.  I've somehow managed to dupe her into loaning me to convince her to loan me her LOTR:TTT and LOTR:ROTK Extended Edition DVDs.  Guess what I'll be watching all next week when I can tear myself away from the So You Think You Can Dance auditions?

I've also found a few con reports and interviews online.  It's nice to read about how friendly and giving Mr. JRD is with his fans.  He doesn't seem to buy into the idea that he's too good for conventions and seems to respect Ringers and their loving devotion to Tolkien's vision.  It almost makes me want to overlook his Conservative political views and skewed interpretation of the Islamic faith and Western history and civilization.  Almost.  What can I say, I'm superficial, but I'm not that superficial.  I also don't advocate a Eurocentric view of world history.  But hey, I grew up in Indiana, and his views aren't all that shocking or unfamiliar to me.  And in a way, I sort of admire his courage or stupidity to speak up in an industry teeming with those filthy tree-hugging, latte-drinking, BMW-driving liberals.  BTW, John, if you ever speak of Viggo that way again, I will kick you in the gittles.  Comprenez pas?

Oh well, I can't shun you.  Not really.  That would be an exercise in intolerance.  Plus, I think Toby Keith's a loudmouth jackass, but that doesn't mean I can't acknowledge the fact that he is talented or enjoy "As Good As I One Was" or "I Love This Bar".  So, excuse me while I add Sliders Seasons 1, 2, & 3, The Lost World, Return to the Lost World, the BBC's Merchant of Venice, and that episode of Murder She Wrote you were in to my Netflix queue.  I already rented The Miracle Match and The Medallion from Blockbuster, and purchased Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade from Target.  However, I have to admit I have no desire to see most of the horror films you've done, and some of those B-movies (which I usually like) seem way too crappy even for my tastes.  So this obsession may a wee bit short-lived compared to the others.  We'll see.

Hmm, I'm losing some of my steam here.  What else do I want to share?  I talked about looking for another job.  There's more story there, but I'm too tired and less inclined to describe it in detail.  Let's just say I need to get the hell out of there before I'm forced out before I have somewhere else to move on to.  Also, as a result of the drama on that front, I can't check my personal e-mail or online blogs (LJ and Vox) from work anymore.  So, even though I wasn't posting that much anyway, there's going to be even less posting now.  If anyone wants to reach me during work hours now, please feel free to call and/or text me.  That's the best way to reach me.  I have to keep my nose clean until I find something else, so for now, it's only work-related company websites, the Merriam-Webster dictionary, and Wikipedia between the hours of 9 am and 7 pm.

Okay, I was going to wax effusive about the Sex & the City movie some more, but the winds going out of my sails.  I need to carry my butt to bed.  Oh, and a completely random fun fact: my appetite has been off since my neck injury, and, for the past 3 weeks, I've been eating what amounts to 1 meal a day.  My energy's been fine though.  Weird.   I'm sure it'll return to normal soon enough.

Another completely random tidbit: I bought Blazing Saddles at Target this weekend  in honor of Harvey Korman's passing.  You will be missed, Harvey.  You were a shining star, sir, and may future generations keep you in their hearts.

Okay, that's it for me, folks.  Ooh, the Weather Girls.  I forgot I bought this on iTunes.  Nice.

::goes to dance around the living room one more 'gin::