Market Days

I went with Kathryn and Cis today to Northalsted Market Days. I'm not really sure what I was expecting, but it turned out to be We Love Erie Days with a splash of Pride. (Okay, more than a splash, it was about 50/50) It was something like 4 or 5 blocks of vendors selling mostly food and drinks with a few scattered random booths. Some of my favorites.

1. Hepatitis Vaccination Booth

2. Mexican Wrestling Masks

3. Lifeguard Chair (apparently selling nothing but a free glimpse at a guy in a speedo, which, to be honest, nobody else at the market required a lifeguard chair to wear a speedo)

There were also a number of stages with bands performing. We unfortunately missed the Chicago Spirit Brigade, but did get a chance to meet Jujube.

She was one of my favorites this season (I'm a Pandora girl at heart, though) and I thought she should have won. She was wearing platform heels and towered over us and looked super-cute in a very non-drag dress. RCN Cable put her under these low, dark blue tents and it was really hot. I think she told someone that she was looking forward to dressing as a boy in an hour or so! I couldn't imagine having to stand around in those heels, a dress, a huge wig and all that makeup to meet people. She was pretty natural looking for a drag queen and much prettier than she looked on the show (I blame lack of sleep and stress).

All in all, it was a fun afternoon of people watching and girl talk.

The Colbert Diaries

This segment appeared on last night's Colbert Report. It is cringe-inducingly wonderful. I can't believe Laura Ingraham agreed to go on the show, she was visibly uncomfortable and had to be offended.

You can view it here

I had some trouble embedding the video, so I apologize that I couldn't have it right on this page.

I loved how she thought they were playing together but he wasn't going to let her get away with that tripe. Talk about disrespectful, she has Obama writing at about a 3rd grade level. And what was that about "banshee" being racially charged because of Native Americans? I think she has her mythologies a little mixed up. As my mother knows, that is an unforgivable sin with me. At worst, she can accuse him of being anti-Irish (which is unlikely, he's actually anti-shrieking Conservative). It is almost as though she was unaware that he is just playing the part of a Conservative Pundit on the show. It is really his job to make people laugh and to send up the absurdities of politics in general and right-wing politics in particular.

The Music Within

July 26 commemorated the 20th anniversary of the American's With Disabilities Act. It is amazing to me that until 1990, disabled people were not guaranteed any sort of accommodation or even fair treatment.

A while back I saw a really good movie about the man behind the A.D.A. It was shocking and funny and unfathomable to me that I was 10 years old before the events depicted in the film had taken place.

I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested.

Quintessential

This weekend I watched Reality Bites, the film that (in my mind) defined Generation X. It was released in 1994 at the height of Grunge and I was 14. I loved the movie and owned the soundtrack. Stay by Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories was our anthem. You couldn't listen to that song and not sing along.

Imagine my shock when I mentioned my walk down memory lane and neither of the girls I work with had any idea what "Reality Bites" is. One actually asked: "Is it a band?". I was aghast. I said that it is the St. Elmo's Fire of the 90's. That response got me nowhere.

Granted, these girls were 4 and 9 years old when "Reality Bites" came out, and not even born in time for "St. Elmo's Fire". I have made them swear to watch both movies.

This all made me wonder about the defining "coming of age" movie of the first 10 years of the new Millennium. What was it? American Pie? Superbad? Certainly not Knocked Up!

"America Pie" has to be eliminated because it was released in 1999. "Superbad" may be a contender, but it is about High School kids, not twentysomethings. I need your help. What was the defining movie of 2000-2010? It can be a comedy, drama, whatever. My only criteria is that it is set in the present and deals with the concerns of young people of the 21st century. Oh yeah, it has to be a good movie, too.

Zig-Zag

I certainly haven't had much to write about recently. This is due largely to my relative inactivity. For example, this weekend I spent most of my time watching the BBC miniseries Bleak House and knitting away. I have a couple of largish projects going right now (one which will never be completed on time) and used this weekend to get some work done.

Most of the work has been to the blanket I am making for my friend Jody's baby. She is expecting in September, so I don't have much time left to get it done. If it were a normal project, I would be knitting on the train, but it requires so many different balls of yarn that it would be impractical to try to do so. In fact, I have probably spent a good two hours just in weaving in the ends for each stripe and it is barely 1/4 finished!

Here is my progress so far:

I am quite proud of the way it looks, but I've got plenty more to do. Back to work!

Not So Wonderful

There is an abomination that has been plaguing the airwaves over the last couple of years thanks to one obnoxious ad a few years back. It is the What a Wonderful World/Somewhere Over the Rainbow Medley. It was originally sung by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, an Hawaiian songwriter and ukulele player. I can only assume he is responsible for the almost unintelligible mash up of these two classics. For some reason, people seem to love his song.

I have highlighted in red the places where the lyrics make no sense.

Somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high
And the dreams that you dreamed of
Once in a lullaby ii ii iii
Somewhere over the rainbow
Blue birds fly
And the dreams that you dreamed of
Dreams really do come true ooh ooooh
Someday I'll wish upon a star
Wake up where the clouds are far behind me ee ee eeh
Where trouble melts like lemon drops
High above the chimney tops thats where you'll find me oh
Somewhere over the rainbow bluebirds fly
And the dream that you dare to,why, oh why can't I? i iiii

Well I see trees of green and
Red roses too,
I'll watch them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world

Well I see skies of blue and I see clouds of white
And the brightness of day
I like the dark and I think to myself
What a wonderful world

The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces of people passing by
I see friends shaking hands
Saying, "How do you do?"
They're really saying, I...I love you
I hear babies cry and I watch them grow,
They'll learn much more
Than we'll know
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world (w)oohoorld

Someday I'll wish upon a star,
Wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where trouble melts like lemon drops
High above the chimney top that's where you'll find me
Oh, Somewhere over the rainbow way up high
And the dream that you dare to, why, oh why can't I? I iii ?

It is a mess. I can acknowledge the appeal of the folky music and his sweet voice but I cannot abide the butchering of two classic songs. Am I alone here?

To help you make your decision I submit:

I Dare Ya!

Last week I was feeling especially lazy so I decided to place a grocery order with Peapod. I just couldn't face walking to the store and back in this heat schlepping everything from my week's supply of Diet Pepsi to kitty litter. I have a grandma cart which I normally use for bigger grocery runs, but even that couldn't sweeten the deal.

There was also a bit of a catch 22: because it was so hot, I needed icy treats; because it was so hot, I had no chance of getting icy treats home.

This was my second try at ordering from Peapod. In both instances I have felt some sort of consumer guilt. It just seems so extravagant to have grocery items delivered to my door. Who do I think I am?

Anyway, the food etc. came and as soon as I had put it all away, I grabbed an Edy's Acai Blueberry popsicle. With what would have been relish (had everything gone according to plan) I began my first lick.

Things get a little fuzzy from here. I was lounging on my loveseat, laptop on my lap, popsicle in one hand, remote control in the other and nowhere to go. The epitome of sloth, greed and gluttony. But I was stuck. Literally. Stuck.

The popsicle had turned on me. In my haste I hadn't noticed the icy white film engulfing what should have been a purply-red frozen treat. All of a sudden I was Ralphie's little friend in A Christmas Story:

I will confess that I panicked a bit. I was rendered immobile and the thing wouldn't thaw! I know I should have gone to a sink but with my hands and lap full and in a 3/4 supine position, I couldn't move. (Yes, you may say I could have dropped the remote, moved my laptop and gotten up, but you weren't there!) Eventually, through the thoughtful and timely use of copious amounts of saliva, I managed to free my tongue. The whole thing would have been humiliating (if there were anyone to see) but I don't even think the cats noticed my struggle.

There wasn't an issue with any of the other popsicles, so I think that the first one was just temporarily over-refrigerated from the Peapod truck.