I'm not the only one questioning Juno

Well I am questioning whether or not Juno deserves the Oscar hype, others are straight-up saying the movie doesn't deserve to be nominated.

FBLA covered a few 'Juno Haters,' one of which, David Edelstein expresses the same opinion I did in my earlier post on the movie.

"Cody and Reitman flatter the audience for its sensitivity while cramming in pop-culture references (and nonstop alt-pop) to make it feel hip"

An anonymous commenter left their opinion of my Juno post, saying that the acting adds dimension to the script--and I agree with them. No judgments until I see the movie myself, it wouldn't be fair.

Whatever happens, Juno is going to have a lot of competition in the Oscar race. With movies like Michael Clayton, There will be blood, No Country for Old Men, Into the Wild and Elizabeth: The Golden Age in the running, it's going to be a tough one.

Funny but true

My Husband says the funniest things to me in his sleep. A couple days ago, I asked him how much he loved me, he responded "Sedem-nise" which means 'seventeen' in Bulgarian.

This morning I held his hand before leaving for work, this is what resulted:

Boyan: Where's my ring?

Me: On your hand.

Boyan: You stole it you gypsy.

Too funny for words.

Government Sponsored Media? No, I'm not talking about Fox News

Last week when I was writing about China's ban on online porn, I shuttered when I read the story had been reported by "State Media." To me, a public run newspaper industry would spell disaster for those who want to report unbiased news about politics and the government. But with the decline 0f traditional media, what can be done to insure newspapers don't truly go the way of the literary dinosaurs? Michael Arrington over at Tech Crunch covers the story and cites some other very knowledgeable figures and their opinions on the matter.

But what do you think? Does the idea of government-run newspapers send shivers down your spine? Or in the wake of fox news, the patriot act and other crimes against our freedoms, is it just another cross to bear in la la land of the free, home of the brave?

Shit Happens

Having a dog is almost like having a kid. Your entire world becomes centered around their bowel movements.

Well last night my dog pooped in her sleep, after a two day pooping strike.

Do I need to mention that she's sleeps in bed with us?

Beyond disgusting.

Lazy Saturday, Missing Mariana and Civilization

It has rained so much this year it's almost unbearable. I've never really appreciated the rain, and the dilapidated state of my beloved rain boots is not improving my impression.

Suffice it to say, the rainy overcast weather has made it near impossible to wake up in the morning. Boyan and I slept in until 2 p.m. today without a stir.

I don't think it helps that there is next to nothing to do in West Covina and besides trips to the Grocery Store, there isn't much of our neighborhood that Boyan and I have set out to discover.

Every Saturday and Sunday there is a swap meet across the street at Nogales High School, but Boyan and I have yet to go--maybe we're saving it up so we have something to look forward to.

Since Mariana has left the house has been very quiet, and it's been difficult to find anything to do. We have, however, been blessed with wonderful friends in Janea, Jon, Joan, Alex, Minh and Payal--who made the voyage up to our San Gabriel apartment to keep us company. But this weekend our first with an empty home since December, which has brought upon us this hopeless feeling of lethargy. Which would explain the poem I wrote earlier.

So what have we been doing you ask? Well I had been reading--but I finished all my books. The completion of the Harry Potter series as I mentioned before left me in a right funk. Then we were watching a lot of the Micheal Palin travel series but we finished those as well. Let me tell you, watching a man visit every country in the world while you are sitting at home in West Covina isn't the best cure for suburb blues.

Now starts the search for things to do and see. All the books I want to read will be released in March, so I have a month before I can entertain myself. The books are all just brain candy, but the series I do want to start on, which is the Interview with a Vampire series from Anne Rice might result in an OCD reading binge, so I'm holding out as long as I can before I buy them. I've also been yelping a lot. Some of the negative reviews I've written have resulted in the owners of the restaurants contacting me and offering me a free meal. I've considered the possibilities of eating for free for the rest of my stay in West Covina, but I don't think this would be very honest. Plus, I don't think I'd want to go back to any of those places...even if they would pay me.

In the mean time, I'm hoping to add to the nine chapters I've written of Alexandra and Pygmius as well as meet some people in L.A. I've contacted regarding finding a mentor. And I think I'll start going to the gym more often. Make L.A. Fitness work for the $30.00 I give them every month, and I'd like to be more active, because this is about as active as I get these days.

Apple sends you a MacBook Air, what do you do?

Buy it.use it.break it.fix it.Trash it.change it.mail -upgrade it.Charge it.point it.zoom it.
press it.Snap it.work it.quick -erase it.Write it.cut it.paste it.save it.Load it.check it, quick - rewrite it.
Plug it.play it.burn it.rip it.Drag and drop it.zip - unzip it.Lock it.fill it.call it.find it.View it.code it.
jam - unlock it.Surf it.scroll it.pause it.click it.Cross it.crack it.switch - update it.Name it.rate it.tune it.
print it.Scan it.send it.fax - rename it.Touch it.bring it.Pay it.watch it.Turn it.leave it.start - format it.

Technologic, Technologic, Technologic, Technologic.

Untitled

I am devoid
I am empty
Vacuum
I am, Not.

Image of the Day

"I think it's pretty!"

Featured on Notcot, part of a portfolio by an artist? designer? named...Coco or perhaps Coco pit?

There is nothing cooler...

Then seeing something you bought highlighted online by someone else.

Well, I guess there are a lot of things that are cooler, but I was pretty excited to see my geese measuring cups from anthropologie featured on notcot.



And before you throttle me for spending $30 on measuring cups please note that I got them with a gift certificate given to me as a birthday/house warming gift from the beautiful, talented and thoughtful Britta.

I think I need a facial...

A GOLD FACIAL.

Are you serious? Didn't you watch that episode of House when that woman poisoned her husband with gold dust?

HELLLOOOO!

You can read more about the benefits of a "Precious Metal" Facial at Sephora's Beauty and the Blog.

China bans online porn, Calls it "unhealthy"

Remember how awhile ago, I said China scares me? Well, they just gave me another reason to fear the People's Republic. China is anti-porn! Wednesday, Reuters reported that President Hu Jintao shut down a website selling porn and arrested 33 people. Last year alone 44,000 websites were shut down and 868 people arrested.

The story printed by the state media, (Fox News China) said President Jintao's anti-porn initiative or what they call "crackdown on online pornography and "unhealthy" Web content" was launched because it poses a threat to "social stability."

"China employs tens of thousands of human Internet censors and a vast network of filters to control online information.

China last month said it would crack down on video-sharing Web sites, and allow only state-controlled sites to post video content online in new restrictions effective from January 31."

I guess I posted this because it the rationality behind it didn't make sense to me. I mean, look at Japan. They have TONS of porn (weird porn and used teenage panties in vending machines on sidewalks) and they are probably the most socially stable country on earth. On top of that they're only busting online porn—so Chinese men and women who want to get themselves some pr0n have to travel down to the local video store to stock up.

Oh well, I guess they never were ones for efficiency.

Book Reviews, A Literary Dinosaur?

Who reads book reviews these days? Has the beloved art of the book review gone the way of newspapers and magazines in this increasingly do-it-yourself, every-one's a critic/blogger/writer world?

Slate published the account of Garth Risk Hallberg ('Risk' is his middle name…there's a joke in there somewhere) who found a review of his book on Amazon from one of Amazon's top ten reviewers. He called his publicist who confirmed that they had contacted this reviewer to have them read and review the book.

The internet is pretty crazy these days. The way we get information and what information we trust changes faster then you can say information super highway. Has it come to the point that we trust the average Joe's review more than one done by, say, Alan Cheuse? Are literary scholars so removed from reality and our speedy lifestyle that we relate better to Grady Harp's mangled overly-descriptive cyber-scrawlings?

Whose opinion would you trust more—a renowned Literary Scholar, with a doctorate, teaching credentials and several years of experience or one of Amazon's top ten reviewers whose review was found helpful by 117 out of 143 people?

Fleur Couture? More like Thrift Shop of Horrors

Valentino's Spring Couture 2008.

What's scarier? The dress or her CHEST?

Actually, most of the collection is pretty horrific. And sadly, it was Valentino's last Valentino designed collection ever.

p.s. I vote her chest.

Image of the Day

Because who doesn't love good art.

So Heavy by ~radioactivepoo. One of my favorite artists on deviantART.
To see more of my favorite artists visit my deviantART page.

Dear Rich People,

Daniel Gross wrote a hilarious letter to the Rich of America on Slate today.

To: The Filthy Rich
CC: The Stinking Rich; the Pretty-Darned Rich
From: America

When the Gulfstream lands in St. Bart's, can you have your assistant set up a call? We need to talk.

Look, you've had a pretty good deal these past few years. We gave you everything you wanted. Massive reductions in the top income-tax rates? Happy to oblige. Cuts on dividends and capital gains taxes, which overwhelmingly benefit you? No problem. Going after the estate tax—excuse me, the death tax? You got it. We've even agreed to overlook the fact that you private-equity and hedge-fund managers pay only a 15 percent tax rate.

Headlines of the Day

I don't really wanna talk about Heath Ledger it's too sad.

But here are some headlines from today that made me chuckle :

Thin May Be In But Fat's More Fun
Sociable people get fat, worriers thin: Japan

Sam Zell Lets Journos Read LA Observed
Which is nice, since every company needs an internal newsletter.

How To Deal With (And Talk About) The Coming Recession
Is it true that the Chinese have been artificially propping up our standards of living? Don't they hate us?
Yes, and: not as much as they hate their own people.

Demure Couture

Jezebel says 'Ouch!'

I say Ouch la la!




























beautifully constructed
heart givenchy

And then things happen

That just makes everything around you stop.

Such a waste.

Bill Maher Visits the BM, Hilarity Ensues

Bill Maher took a trip to the Fox Hills Malls right next to my old office at iMedia to ask Mall-goers who they were going to vote for. Barack or 'Billary.' I love the staunch honesty of Maher and how he says exactly what he means. Some of my favorite quotes from the video:

Girl: "You want the honest truth?"
Bill: "No, Bullshit me."
Girl: "I'm going to vote for the black guy cause he's black."

Bill Maher to a young gentlemen who "doesn't pay attention" to politics and doesn't think a "girl" would be a good president.
Bill: "You know what, maybe you're right. You shouldn't vote."

You can watch the video on Jezebel here,

Black Women Choose Barack Over Billary

Juno Nominated for Four Oscars

I heard the news on the way into work this morning, I don't know quite how I feel about this. Now, full disclosure I haven't seen the movie. I read the script online (pdf) thanks to a lovely tip from Pop Candy but didn't exactly fall in love with the story.

The writing was so-so. A very rough and culture injected attempt at an Indie flick. The dialogue was inappropriate for a character so young, and no matter how cool Ellen Page's character was supposed to be, the complete lack of internal conflict when it came to her pregnancy left the story feeling numb. Now, like I said I didn't see the movie so I can't attest to the acting or directing, and the movie does seem cute...but Oscar worthy? Discuss.

Hello, 2008!

Please excuse the blogging hiatus. My mother-in-law Mariana has been staying with Boyan and I for the past month, and we have been spending every waking hour with her--playing cards, visiting various locations in Southern California, and overall having a swell time. The good news is I have tons to write about.

Mariana flew in from Bulgaria through London on Virgin Air. We picked her up at LAX December 14th.

We spent our first weekend in Pasadena at the Huntington Botanical Gardens, one of our favorite places to visit in Los Angeles. I'll spare you pictures from the trip seeing as we have to many as it is.

The weekend after that we went to San Diego to the San Diego Zoo. We got to see all kinds of animals. I particularly enjoyed the Puma's and the MeerKats.

"Is Jodi with you?"

After the Zoo we met up with Britta and Peter in Old Town, San Diego
for what was supposed to be scrumptious Mexican food. That was hardly
the case. You can read my review of the restaurant on Yelp.

So after Old Town was Christmas and New Years. We had tons of fun with friends and family. We had a few people over for New Years Eve and enjoyed drinks, Karaoke Revolution and Banista.

Most of the group stayed until around 4 a.m. I was completely zonked and passed out. The next day we had planned to head to Newport Beach to visit the parents when walking out to my car, I noticed this.

Sometime very early in the morning someone broke my window and stole my ancient pink iPod. They also took my FM transmitter/charger. It wasn't the greatest way to start the new year, but there wasn't much I could do besides calling the police and filing a report.

It was quite a shock. I was more pissed that they had broken into my car and ONLY stole my old broken iPod that doesn't even work unless it's connected to a power source. I hope they enjoyed listening to the 1:00 min of Broadway it would be able to play. Fuckers.

The year got better from there. I mean, how can it be bad when you visit the HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH!!!

It was Boyan's first time at Disneyland and he really, really loved it!

Mariana had a great time as well. She went on every ride with us and had a blast.

Mariana left on January 14th, Boyan and I were very sad to see her go. Although the last month was hectic and crazy we had so much fun. We'd stay up playing cards, watching Michael Palin and made several trips to Friscos for $2 beers and fries with feta. I can't wait for her to come back again.

So sorry for the long awaited update and to all friends and family I haven't seen in the past month. We've been busy! I hope you all had a Happy Happy Christmas and a fun New Y ears Eve!

I'm excited for 2008, so many things are going to happen this year I just know its going to be loads better than 2007. Look for more updates to come!